The group entered Nezu's office with Hebi, Toru, and Mina. Those who had been knocked out were in Recovery Girl's expert care.
The nurse had actually complimented Marvin's healing, only pointing out that his magic had left a residue that could cause complications at high doses.
"Well, the exam seems to have gone excellently," Nezu stated as they entered.
"He sent multiple people through buildings," Jona said, deadpanned.
"To be fair, Nejire also sent me through a building," Marvin countered, his blindfold back on securely.
"Speaking of, did you beat Mirio first?" Izuku asked, looking at his friend. "I know he and Suneater were there, but we only saw them get taken by Recovery Girl."
Marvin grinned, stretching his hands above his head. "I took him out first, Suneater second. Togata was the biggest threat due to his Quirk, so he got eliminated first."
He laid his hands behind his head. "I can make plans, don't like to most of the time, and my sister could put me in the dust while hungover and half-dead, but I'm capable."
Those who knew him, particularly Nezu and especially Izuku, did double takes at seeing him so opening compliment someone and silently pinched themselves at Marvin admitting that Rinai was better than him.
"Anyway," Marvin continued, ignoring the movements. "The second biggest threat was between Midoriya and Cypher. Midoriya knows me and is the only one in this room capable of keeping up with me. Cypher was unknown, so he was dangerous."
"Wait, wouldn't that make me a threat, too?" Ryukyu asked. "You don't know me either."
"I saw you reeling back the other day with Mirko," Marvin explained calmly. "I understood you had resistance, but not enough to challenge me. Yaoyorozu was in a similar situation, only higher up due to her ability to stun me with light and sound."
"So, where did you place me?" Nejire asked curiously, not offended at not being a huge threat. She didn't want to be; that's what Mirio and Tamaki were for.
Marvin shrugged. "I actually didn't know much about your Quirk besides it being able to produce energy. I targeted you so heavily later because I realized you were immune to most of my sure-fire hits, and your ability to fly made hand-to-hand difficult."
Besides the Heroes he had faced, his three "hostages" also considered his words closely.
'He can adapt, that's for sure,' Hebi told herself. 'Though it's almost arrogant. It's like he never really felt pressured in that fight, which either means he's a lot stronger, or he THINKS he's a lot stronger.'
Nezu cleared his throat. "As it may be, your strategy clearly shows skill, but the fact remains that you didn't technically eliminate any of your targets."
The principal would later say it was miraculous how, even under a blindfold, Marvin somehow managed to give him a look of utter disbelief and severe annoyance.
Marvin gave a long, suffering sigh. "Let me guess, the fucking disks had to be placed on them?"
Nezu nodded. "That is correct, Mister Mikrai. They were designed to tell us when you had eliminated a target in order for us to remove them from the area, just to reduce chances of injury."
Marvin pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering a long string of Spanish that none of the assembled Heroes could tell if it was a prayer or just swearing.
"Yes, because that totally makes sense," Marvin stated in annoyance. "I'm not going to tag someone after I fucking kill them, they're dead already. How do I know? I fucking put them there."
Nezu held up his paw in a peace gesture. "I would prefer you restrict your use of profanity, Mister Mikrai. But I understand what you're attempting to say. I never said you failed your exam."
Marvin took a deep breath. "So you said that for what?" He asked, voice dangerously level. "A power trip? Wanted to show you can take away admission so I stay in line?"
Jona watched Marvin's attitude shift keenly. The teen's hands were tight, his fingers twitching as if holding back from pulling some kind of trigger. His posture looked relaxed to the untrained eye, but Jona could see the tenseness in Marvin's arms and upper body, almost coiled like a spring.
'Any attempt at calming seems to achieve the opposite effect,' Jona noted, remembering Marvin's reaction back at ANVIL's base. 'Once angered, rationality ceases to be an effective method of communication. He's as much a feral animal as he is a human.'
"I simply wished to point out the flaw in your approach, Mister Mikrai," Nezu told the teen calmly. "It was not my intention to come off as authoritarian or offend you in any way."
Marvin took a deep breath, raising his head to the ceiling.
"When does the semester start?" He asked, dropping his head again.
"September," Nezu replied, glad to be back on the right track. "But the Provisional Licensing Exam will take place a day before. I have already registered you, as well as your Quirk."
"Under?" Marvin asked gruffly. If he was going to lie about his power, he might as well get a headstart.
"It is an unnamed Quirk as of now," Nezu explained. "As is the section for your Hero name. But your Quirk is classified as low-level energy and emotion manipulation, with the ability to absorb small amounts of energy touching your skin."
Marvin nodded. He could work with that, even if it annoyingly restricted the amount of power he'd be able to use in public. Acting weak was always irritating to no end.
"Any suggestions for your Quirk and Hero names?" Nezu asked, not really expecting an answer.
"Odin," Marvin replied without missing a beat. "That's my Hero name. The Godly Hero: Odin."
The room collectively blinked, with even those unfamiliar with Norse mythology understanding the weight of his chosen name.
Nezu looked slightly surprised. "Very well then. And of your Quirk? Odinforce?"
Marvin shook his head. "Weave," He replied, drawing shock and confusion from the room.
"Weave?" Ryukyu asked, voicing the opinion of everyone else but Jona.
'He said he had the Blessing of Eir earlier,' Jona muttered to himself. 'So the Odin connection makes sense, but to remove all doubt like that? Does he truly believe himself untouchable?'
Magic was capable of obscenely powerful feats, and even though Quirks were a form of heavily modified magic, it wasn't even close to being able to replicate raw magic.
True mages, magicians, and sorcerers were almost unheard of, but those who knew of their strength often considered them gods simply due to their ability to shape the world around them.
To blatantly name himself and his Quirk after distinctly magical themes, Marvin had, intentionally or not, just painted a target on his back for anyone who wished to use magic for its less-than-savory means.
Marvin nodded. "The way I control energy can be described a lot like moving threads in a giant loom," He lied, not wanting to explain the reason to people who wouldn't understand.
In reality, his energy manipulation was more like moving water or air around him; he did something, and it had a direct effect; that was it. But trying to explain that without making it sound like it was separate from him would be a headache.
Nezu accepted his answer, jotting it down on a piece of paper to submit later.
He looked up with a smile, steepling his fingers. "Very well. Welcome to UA, Mister Mikrai. It is a pleasure to have you."
Izuku, Nejire, Mina, Hebi, and Toru cheered for him, causing him to jump a little in pain and shock.
"See? Told you we'd be classmates," Izuku said, throwing an arm around his shoulders with a grin.
Marvin turned to him for a moment, staring silently before turning back to Nezu.
"Is there a go-back option?" He asked, much to Izuku's annoyance.
"Oh, come on," Izuku told him. "You know you care."
"I can't believe someone would lie to you like that," Marvin said deadpanned, though the corners of his lips twitched.
"Yeah, yeah," Izuku replied. "We both know you only accepted UA because you wanted to make sure I was safe."
"Aw, that's adorable," Mina exclaimed. "It's like you're brothers."
Marvin sighed loudly, bowing his head. "This is punishment for something horrible I did in a past life, isn't it?"
"Oh, don't be like that," Nejire told him, appearing to his other side and throwing her arm around him too, though with significantly more effort due to the height difference.
Marvin pinched the bridge of his nose, using his palm to cover his mouth.
"This might be the thing that finally kills me," He muttered. "Colorful teenagers."
Nejire pursed her lips. "You really are like Tamaki, you know? I think you two would get along; you're both all sad and gloomy all the time. It'd be a matching set."
Her comment brought laughter from most of the teens, and even Marvin struggled not to smile a little.
"See? There it is," She exclaimed cheerfully. "Knew you had it in you!"
"Oh my fucking god," Marvin groaned, covering his face with his hand.
"You know, you're really moon-coded," Toru said, walking up to him curiously.
He paused. "Am I supposed to be offended by that or…"
"Oh, you know," Toru explained. "Dark hair, kind of quiet, try to be serious all the time, doesn't really show emotion, kind of mysterious in a hot sort of way?"
Marvin grinned a bit, uncovering his left eye and smirking at Toru.
"What was that last bit?" He asked, leaning down a bit.
Toru blushed violently, though only she and Marvin could see it, and stepped back, stammering as she tried to answer.
"She said you're hot," Mina called unabashedly.
Marvin looked up at her in amusement, causing her to go a darker shade of pink.
"You seem to agree," He said, grinning widely.
Mina blushed more but didn't look away. "And if I do?" She asked, crossing her arms. "What then?"
"Well, you'd be right," Hebi said before she could stop herself. "Not really a question, honestly."
Mina's eyes narrowed at her. "Who said it was?"
Hebi narrowed her eyes right back. "No one did; that's why I said it wasn't."
Jona cleared his throat somewhat loudly, causing the room to turn to him.
"Your acceptance to UA is excellent, Marvin," He said, glancing at Nezu. "But I do believe there is something more we need to discuss."
"Ah, yes," Nezu replied, clapping his hands. "Mister Mikrai, you will be under ANVIL and, therefore, Jona's guidance while attending UA High."
Marvin stopped himself from reacting violently, closing his eyes and counting down from ten, taking deep breaths as he did.
"Care to explain?" He asked, staring at Nezu through his uncovered eye.
Nezu paused to choose his words. He knew Marvin didn't exactly like being controlled or manipulated; anything that remotely indicated those two to him would probably result in violence from the teen, even if it wasn't the intention.
"You have stated yourself as a soldier," Nezu stated slowly. "So ANVIL was chosen due to the similarities it has with militaristic training. We believed it would allow you to feel more comfortable."
Marvin scowled internally. He could see straight through Nezu's bullshit and knew that as much as they denied it, they were scared of him. He was an anomaly, a danger to their self-perceived order.
They wanted to control him and keep him away from the other students. It was as simple as that.
Externally, Marvin simply blew a breath out through his nose, but if one were to look closely, they'd see the tightness around his eyes.
"OK," He replied, his voice growly.
Nezu blinked. "OK?" He asked, unsure if he'd heard correctly. He had expected more resistance.
"Ok," Marvin repeated, covering his eye. "What does this change? Work schedules, downtime, extra assignments, what does ANVIL leashing me do?"
Nezu winced a little at his wording. As much as he hated to admit it, ANVIL was essentially a leash to keep Marvin in check.
"You'll receive training," Jona explained, keeping his tone level. "Your schedule at UA will not be affected; those classes will continue as anticipated. But you'll receive training during your off-hours, alongside missions once you're qualified."
'You mean brainwashed,' Marvin snarled internally. 'No fucking wonder they were here; they wanted to see how strong my chains needed to be.'
"And if I refuse?" Marvin stated, shocking everyone in the room.
Nezu blinked. "Mister Mikrai, I can assure you that-"
"Assure me what?" Marvin snapped, throwing Izuku and Nejire's arms off of him and stalking over to Nezu's desk.
He slammed his palms onto the desk, looming over the principal. "Assure me that I'll become a fucking puppet for you? That I'll become an obedient little dog that'll ask 'how high' when you say 'jump?'"
"Marvin," Jona stated sharply, taking a step forward.
The teen's body snapped over to him, and Jona could almost see the hostility radiating off him.
"You think I give a single flying fuck that you know magic, dipshit?" Marvin barked, his teeth bared in a snarl. "Thought you could fucking convince me with your school-grade parlor tricks, huh? Well, go fuck yourself."
Marvin turned on his heel, heading to the door and nearly knocking over Momo and Ryukyu in the process.
"You need ANVIL's protection," Jona stated as Marvin reached the door.
Marvin stopped with his hand on the door, chuckling to himself.
"Oh, pray tell," He sneered. "Give me a single good fucking reason I need protection from you fucks."
"Because vigilantes are illegal in Japan," Jona explained calmly.
Nezu pressed a button on his desk, and a screen appeared, showing a news feed.
He pressed another button, and the feed began.
"In alarming news," The news lady began. "Japan is now home to two new vigilantes, both of whom have demonstrated dangerous and unstable Quirks."
The feed changed to show Marvin from when he was fighting All for One, showing him matching the villain's attack with his.
"One of them is referred to as 'The God of War," The news lady continued. "Witnesses report that this vigilante is a hyper-strong, hyper-fast martial artist, with some reports allegedly claiming 'The God of War' is capable of hyper-regeneration as well."
The feed changed to show another picture of Marvin, though the teen in question recognized it as his 'Ghost form.'
Marvin's eyes were empty sockets, and his fangs were bloody. His clothes looked like loose rags drenched in blood, and his body looked grotesquely veiny, his muscles bulging like he didn't have an ounce of fat on him.
"This second vigilante has been referred to as 'Baba Yaga," The reporter continued. "Testimonies about Baba Yaga's appearance are inconsistent, as all witnesses seem to be in a heightened sensation of paranoia and fear during appearances of Baba Yaga."
"What remains certain," The woman said. "Is that Baba Yaga possesses a powerful fear-producing Quirk, capable of giving people nightmares even while awake. Baba Yaga also never seems to get hit and has been recorded catching gunfire with their bare hands. It is unknown if this is another Quirk or skill."
Marvin raised an eyebrow. Out of all things, he hadn't expected his actions to bring forth two identities, though it could be useful in the future.
Nezu shut off the feed, steepling his fingers again.
"You are considered a vigilante," He explained. "Which means that you will be hunted by the Japanese government, as the law prohibits vigilantism. You are technically a criminal."
"Which is why you need ANVIL's protection," Jona continued. "ANVIL can make that vigilante thing go away, but you need to join us. Or you'll be tracked wherever you go."
Marvin couldn't help it; he laughed. He laughed uproariously, holding his stomach and shaking his head in amusement.
It took several seconds until Marvin's almost maniacal laughter calmed, and the rest of the group shared concerned looks.
"Oh my fucking god," He snorted, still laughing. "Oh my fucking god."
"May I ask what you find so amusing, Mister Mikrai?" Nezu asked. "This is a serious matter."
"It's hilarious that you think I care," Marvin laughed, covering his mouth as he snorted again. "You genuinely think that being hunted would do anything."
"Newsflash," He stated, going deathly serious. "I don't fucking care about a government chasing me. I've been hunted by people that would make ANVIL look like a bunch of preschoolers, yet not only did I avoid them for thirteen years, I fucking beat them."
Marvin snorted, stretching his hands above his head. "Your government is fucking pitiful compared to the one I had to face, but you want me to be scared of them?"
He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Oh please, come back when you have something that actually fucking matters."
Nezu and Jona studied him intently. Marvin's entire demeanor was a clash of complete apathy and crazed bloodlust, and his grin made it seem like he was enjoying the confrontation.
"You know what, though?" Marvin said suddenly, pushing his blindfold up with a grin.
He stalked over to Nezu, resting his hands on the desk.
"Let's play your little fucking game," He whispered, staring at Nezu in amusement. "Let's assume you have any power here and play this fucking thing."
He turned to Jona with the same crazed grin. "Let's say I join ANVIL, we'll be making one thing VERY fucking clear."
His grin disappeared. "I go in willingly and can leave whenever the fuck I want to, vigilante or no. Understood?"
Jona nodded. "Those were to be the parameters anyway. ANVIL would never force someone into something they do not wish."
Marvin cracked his neck. "And one more thing. The moment there's even an inkling of you doing something the Hunters did, I'll burn ANVIL to the ground and feed you your fucking heart."
Everyone in the room could feel the hostility rolling off him in waves, even with his Factor being restrained. Those who didn't know about Marvin's past were confused, none of them knowing who the Hunters were.
"Who are the Hunters?" Nejire asked, heavily concerned. "Are they villains?"
"They were," Marvin replied, his tone losing its aggressive edge. "Before I- They were villains, but not anymore."
"You've killed," Hebi noted, seeing the all-too-familiar look in his eyes.
"I fought in a war," Marvin told her. "I was forced to."
"You killed people?" Mina asked in shock, voicing her and Toru's thoughts.
Marvin sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I pray you never have to experience this firsthand, but there's going to be times you can't end a fight by knocking someone out. Maybe they're persistent. Maybe you just know prison won't contain them."
"Whatever it is," He said, staring at them. "There are situations where killing is the best option, either because it's the most effective or because not doing so results in more death."
"Killing isn't a first resort, either," Jona added. "But if the choice is between you and them, it's obvious what you're going to pick."
Marvin raised an eyebrow at him. "Speaking from experience?"
"Soldier," Jona replied. "Been forced to make some tough choices, but at the end of the day, what matters is that you get to go home again. The job is to protect, and the goal is to finish your shift; that's really it."
Marvin nodded, storing the information away for later. Soldiers had specific skill sets; it was useful.
He pushed his blindfold down. "So now that I'm going to be your new dogfighter, what's next?"
"You will have to be informed on proper procedures," Jona told him. "ANVIL follows certain international regulations you would have to follow."
Marvin took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You want me to bind myself to a government and take vows that I will probably not agree with."
"The regulations are very reasonable," Jona explained.
Marvin somehow gave him a flat look through his blindfold. "I'm sure you think that," He told Jona sarcastically. "But I'm not you, and I would very much not want to be."
He sighed. "I know if I don't do this, you two are going to be on my ass about it until I do," He said, gesturing to Nezu and Jona. "But if I do, there remains the very real chance I'll be sending a politician through a window in the very near future."
"And why would you do that?" Nezu asked.
"Because most politicians are jackasses that only care about their wallets?" Marvin replied like it was common sense. "And sending people through windows is an effective method of getting your point across."
"Almost as effective as talking it out," Jona told him.
"See, if that did work, we wouldn't be at the 'throwing out a window' stage," Marvin explained. "That only comes after the talking, and tossing them out of their chair doesn't work."
Jona sighed. "Why do you have a detailed plan about that?"
He looked at Marvin, only to find the teen clearly on the verge of laughing, his lips twitching as if Jona had just found out about a prank.
"You've thrown government officials out of windows," Jona realized. "Haven't you?"
Marvin just looked closer to laughing, small snorts of laughter escaping his folded lips.
Nezu cleared his throat loudly. "Throwing people out of windows, aside. There are a few more things Jona will talk to you about, but that will be discussed once you reach ANVIL headquarters."
"Yeah…" Marvin trailed off, his expression neutral. "There's a net zero chance of me getting into a vehicle with any of you fuckers."
He cracked his neck, turning to the doors. "I know where ANVIL is; I'll see you there."
Marvin walked out before anyone could stop him, and by the time Izuku opened the door to try, Marvin was long gone.
—-
Marvin landed near ANVIL's base, hands in his pockets.
He had left his bag somewhere hidden; it contained too many valuable magical items for him to carry around in unknown territory.
Plus, not bringing magical weapons or tools into another mage's home was considered the pinnacle of disrespect. Magical items were notoriously rare, and having them was proof of mastery over one's innate magic. Not bringing them told the other person they weren't worthy of seeing their mastery.
That unfortunately meant he had to leave Rinai's knife since his massive amount of blood magic and the runes he engraved on it made it a highly powerful magical weapon. Annoying, but necessary.
He had removed his armor for the same reason and dressed in a tight-fitting black T-shirt and the same black cargo pants, his bandages wrapped securely around his arms.
Marvin walked through the front gate, giving a cheeky wave to one of the cameras hidden in a tree.
He walked calmly through the base, ignoring the stares his presence brought, extending his senses to find where Jona was.
He found the Pro inside a building that was probably his office and shrugged, deciding to just get it over with.
Marvin entered the office calmly, his senses telling him everything about the area in the first half of a second inside the room.
"Yo," He told the Pro, resting against the door frame. "What now?"
Jona looked up from a few forms. "Good, you're here," He replied. "I expected you sooner."
"Had to deal with some things," Marvin said, crossing his arms.
Jona noticed the distinct lack of magical items on the teen's person, even lacking the knife on his hip that Marvin always carried.
'A subtle insult, huh?' He thought, a bit amused instead of offended. 'Interesting.'
He nodded. "Understandable," He replied before leaning down and grabbing something from underneath his desk.
Jona sat back up, placing a medium-sized silver box on his desk. It looked like an odd mix between a suitcase and a crate, clearly made to fit several items while still being comfortable to hold and carry.
"This contains everything you'll need for your introduction here at ANVIL," He gestured to it.
Marvin sighed and walked over, his blindfold lifted as he scanned for anything that could harm him.
Finding nothing, he opened the case, raising an eyebrow at the contents.
It had several small books in a stack, the top one labeled as 'ANVIL Introductory: Volume 1.' There were a few training books, along with one about beginner military tactics.
The case also contained a few medicine containers. Nothing too strong, mostly painkillers and other kinds of light illness medication; there was also basic first-aid equipment such as bandages, gauze rolls, and medical tape.
Marvin went through the rest, finding a few papers, which he learned were a blank training schedule, a voucher for a new training suit, some basic info about living in an ANVIL apartment, and a sheet containing the Wi-fi info.
He raised an eyebrow at the last item. "You expect me to become a whore or something?" He asked, holding up a full box of condoms.
Jona looked unphased. "Everyone needs to be prepared, Marvin."
Marvin gave him a flat look. "I'm an agent of death, Cypher. The only thing I'm fucking is insane."
"Tell that to the harem that's building around you," Jona joked.
"I can't even look people in the eyes, how the fuck would I have a harem?" Marvin told the Pro, pulling at the blindfold on his forehead. "I'm a fucking mage, not a bard."
Jona laughed at the comment, shaking his head in amusement.
"Whatever you say," He grinned, grabbing an envelope and a key off a nearby rack.
He handed them to Marvin. "First paycheck in advance, and the key to your apartment here."
Marvin took them cautiously, looking them over calmly.
Ignoring any form of decorum, he opened the envelope, raising an eyebrow at the amount.
'74,425 yen,' He thought, glancing at the amount. 'What's that… like, 500 bucks? Expenses are presumably covered; food's generally a non-issue if I have enough energy. Interesting.'
He still had a hair above eleven times the amount from the cult members he'd hunted, alongside stealing any cash from the villains he defeated. He was more than secure in the money department.
Marvin nodded, putting the envelope in his pocket and reorganizing everything inside the case, closing it calmly.
"Is that everything?" He asked, grabbing the case off Jona's desk.
"One more thing," Jona stated. "It's about your Hero Costume; you'll need to decide on it."
Marvin waved him off. "I'll just wear my normal armor."
Jona's eyes narrowed. "Nobody from my agency is going to go with something that's only passable. And remember, that armor is associated with vigilantism now; you'll face problems if you go out with it."
Marvin sighed. "Look, I'm going to be as blunt as possible," He stated, staring Jona dead in the eyes. "There's zero chance that any of your tech can match my armor."
"You underestimate us," Jona replied, leaning back in his chair. "Tell me what your armor can do, and I can assure you ANVIL will do it ten times better."
"Shock nullification, hyper-adaptiveness, resistance to extreme temperatures, durability that matches my strength, the ability to reconstruct itself from any damage, magic negation for anyone but myself, magic absorption, magical resistance, and the ability to be summoned onto my body from any location," Marvin listed off in a rapid fire.
Jona nodded. "I'm assuming it's a magical artifact then?"
"Yes," Marvin replied. "Hemomancy and Basic Psychikinesis, blood runes, some rituals I made myself, and some light spells here and there."
Jona rubbed his eyes, taking a slow breath. Hemomancy was blood magic, and Psychikinesis was soul magic; both were highly forbidden by essentially any school of magic.
"Noted," He said, deciding to ignore it for now. Trying to argue about the morality of certain magical branches was about as useful as cupping seawater.
"One more thing I forgot to mention," He added. "Do you still have the info you gained from Skeptic?"
"I'm assuming you want it," Marvin raised an eyebrow.
"It can provide information useful for ANVIL," Jona replied.
"And what do I gain by giving you the info?" Marvin asked. "I've gone through all of it, so you can't give me stuff I didn't know before."
He shrugged. "Don't really see a reason to give the info to you specifically, and Nezu doesn't need it."
Jona sighed, internally hoping he wasn't about to regret his next words.
"You seem skilled with a knife," He noted. "What about other weapons?"
Marvin rolled his eyes. "If you're going to offer me a weapon in exchange for the info, you'll need to try harder than a basic sword or gun."
"What about a magical weapon?"
Marvin's eyes focused on him intently. "I'm listening."
Magical weapons would perfectly sync with their user, drawing out the maximum possible efficiency with every use, though they were almost impossible to make quickly. Just enchanting Rinai's knife had taken him the better part of three years.
If Jona could somehow make a powerful magical weapon quickly, it would imply high amounts of magical strength and knowledge, and Marvin was much more interested in the latter than the former.
"ANVIL has the resources to make powerful magical weapons quickly," Jona stated calmly. "Alongside your armor, a spear like Gungnir can be crafted, enchanted, and given to you with more than enough time to spare for the Provisional Licensing Exam."
Marvin's eyes narrowed. "That's a pretty big demand you're putting on yourself. How do I know you won't give me a fake?"
Jona looked almost personally offended. "ANVIL would never do such a thing. You will be receiving the best quality you can ask for."
Marvin observed him suspiciously, weighing his options. If Jona could really do what he said he could, then Marvin would have to stick around ANVIL to learn more about magic; he was barely an Apprentice in magic and needed more skill.
On the other hand, if Jona was lying, which was probable seeing as the Pro claimed he could make a magical weapon in less than a month and have it tuned to Marvin's rather volatile magic before his Exam, then Marvin wouldn't be able to leave ANVIL if he tried.
Agreements between mages were serious stuff, and breaking even a verbal agreement could have disastrous consequences. If Marvin agreed to stay with ANVIL in exchange for a weapon, then Jona could hand him a weak one that wasn't suited to Marvin, and he'd be forced to abide by his agreement.
It took a long while for Marvin to nod. "If you can make a magical weapon strong enough to sync with my magic before the Provisional Licensing Exam in Septemeber of this year, then I'll stay with ANVIL for as long as your values align with mine. I'll also give you the information I gained from Skeptic."
Jona smiled internally; being thorough was always necessary for magical bindings.
"Agreed," He replied. "I'll make you a magical weapon strong enough to sync with your magic before this year's Licensing Exam, in exchange for the info you got from Skeptic."
Marvin looked shocked. Jona had essentially agreed that Marvin could leave ANVIL whenever he wished to, without facing any repercussions.
"ANVIL doesn't force anyone into anything, Marvin," Jona told him calmly.
"Is that everything?" Marvin asked, his expression neutral.
Jona nodded. "The tag on the key tells you which building, floor, and door you're in."
Marvin made a noise of recognition before walking out of Jona's office, putting his blindfold down as he did.
Marvin walked calmly through the absolutely massive area that was ANVIL's base, though his hearing could pick up a few people whispering, recognizing him from the fight at Kamino.
'Damn, it's been what, like ten days?' He thought as he remembered the incident. 'Yeah, like ten days. It feels like a lot longer.'
He felt an odd sensation as he put his earplugs in. It was the same void-like feeling in his chest from earlier, and his surroundings felt eerily quiet even though he could pick up sounds from essentially every direction.
'Maybe Nana would know what this is?' He asked before pausing. 'Oh… right.'
He kept walking, shaking off the odd sensation of sadness he felt as he realized he'd probably never see Nana again. It was almost like a feeling of grief, like when he lost Rinai, but Nana was still alive, or somewhat alive anyway.
'This is fucking weird, man,' He muttered, rubbing his chest. 'I'm going to fucking stab myself again. Didn't do jackshit last time; maybe it's a problem with my lungs?'
He could be sick, Marvin mused as he walked down the hallway. His body operated at hotter temperatures than average due to his adrenaline; so he couldn't get sick easily, but that didn't mean he was immune to all illnesses.
He shrugged, ignoring it for now. He could deal with whatever it was later.
"Don't you know the devil wears a suit and tie?" Marvin sang softly as he reached the door. "Saw him driving down the 61 in the-"
He paused as he began opening the door, his senses telling him someone was already inside the apartment.
Marvin checked the key. 'Right one. What the hell?'
He hid his presence out of instinct, trying to process the flood of information he was getting.
'It's the snake girl, what was her name?' He thought, trying to remember. 'Hebi, I think. Why's she here?'
His senses told him Hebi was sitting on the couch inside, reading a book and not paying any attention to him.
'Relaxed posture, no armor, weapons are absent,' Marvin listed off, silently searching the room. 'I can't sense any traps, magical or otherwise. No increase in dangerous chemicals, malicious intent, or even temperature. She seems friendly.'
'No cameras; it isn't monitored,' He realized, noticing the room looked almost oddly normal.
Marvin groaned internally as he came to one conclusion. 'Cypher, did you really just try to force me to make a friend? This fucking asshole, piece of shit, motherfucking bastard really set up a fucking playdate.'
He opened the door fully, letting his presence become noticeable again as he did.
Hebi looked up as she heard the door open, smiling a bit at him as her eyes landed on him.
"Let me guess, did Cypher talk you into this?" Marvin asked bluntly, his shoulder resting against the doorframe.
Hebi gave him an amused look. "Actually, Jona disagreed with my decision to host the 'most dangerous person on base,' but I still did it."
Marvin looked at her like she was an idiot before pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing.
"Ok, you're probably fucking insane for doing that," He told her gruffly. "That, or you have a fucking death wish for some fucking reason."
'Or she's a Death Touched like I am,' He thought.
"Or, third option," Marvin stated, looking up at her. "You have someone you really want dead and want me to take them out. I'll do it, but you'll have to know I charge up to-"
"It's not that," Hebi said quickly, cutting him off.
She paused. "Why do you even have prices fo- you know what? Nevermind."
Hebi waved her hands in front of her face, visually clearing herself. "I chose to host you because I wanted a training partner that isn't scared of me because I'm a Cobramorph."
Marvin sighed. "Yep, it's the fucking first two. Why am I not surprised?"
He uncovered his right eye, looking up at her and staring her down.
"You do realize I'm capable of killing you without even touching you, right?" He asked gruffly. "Hell, it wouldn't even be a struggle. Bit over your head, don't you think?"
"You're not the first person that's told me that," Hebi replied, going back to her book. "First person that I'm interested in hearing what they mean, though."
Marvin raised an eyebrow. "Trust me, you don't want to know. All you need is that my world considered me a god of death; they weren't wrong."
He walked fully into the apartment, closing the door with his heel and glancing around.
'Thin foyer would force a group to enter one at a time,' He observed. 'Closet space to my right, good hiding spot and outside the view of anyone entering casually. Living room's large and open, even with furniture; allows ease of movement while providing cover.'
'Kitchen's small but has essentials; appliances provide cover too,' He thought, continuing to look around. 'Hell, the way everything's positioned, any attackers would have to turn 90 degrees just to engage with anyone in the rooms; makes invasion difficult for anyone but a well-prepared force.'
"Room's at the end of the hall," Hebi told him, glancing up. "Left door, next to the kitchen. Yes, it locks; we'll be sharing a bathroom, and we can go over chores and stuff later."
Marvin nodded, setting his case down next to the couch before disappearing with a crack.
Hebi blinked. "What the-"
It took about three minutes for Marvin to come back, and he entered casually through the door, his duffel bag on his back.
"You left your stuff?" Hebi asked, staring at him.
"Couldn't risk it," Marvin replied gruffly, shifting his bag to dig through one of the pockets. "Speaking of, take this."
He pulled a piece of garnet from the bag and flicked it at her without looking.
Hebi caught it reflexively, stopping it from hitting her in the head, and examined it.
"What's this for?"
"If we're going to be living together, you'll need to know my Factor gets stronger when I sleep," Marvin told her, stretching his hands above his head. "Put that somewhere near your head and it'll stop a decent chunk of it."
In reality, while his Factor did get stronger when he slept due to him not actively restraining it as much, he wasn't worried about Hebi having nightmares.
Ever since Cypher and Ryukyu had told him what his Factor did to Mirko, Marvin had been paranoid about accidentally doing it again, and since he'd be living with Hebi for the foreseeable future, he didn't want to risk it.
Marvin picked up his case. 'This night is going to be chaotic,' He thought as he entered his room silently. If Hebi had said something to him, he hadn't heard it.
He closed the door behind him, his senses scanning the room.
It was essentially bare excluding the necessary pieces of furniture and was much larger than Izuku's room, which was his only real frame of reference for apartments here.
Marvin put his case at the foot of his bed, dropping his duffel bag on the bed and taking off his blindfold.
"This is going to fucking suck," He muttered, digging through his bag.
He pulled out a small vial filled with a neon pink liquid, which glowed a bit in the dark of his room.
Marvin spun it counter-clockwise three times before tapping on the cork, causing the vial to release a small flash of light as the preservation charm faded.
"I've always hated this thing," He muttered as he uncorked the potion.
He pinched his nose, tipping his head back and drinking the potion in one go.
After the feeling of wanting to vomit violently passed, Marvin stood, still gagging at the taste.
Even still, golden lines glowed in his eyes as his magic came back, his hands growing warm with restrained power.
The potion wouldn't let him use any powerful rituals or Blessings, but his basic spells would work again, and that's all he needed.
Marvin snapped his fingers, and his armor appeared over his body along with Rinai's knife.
He grabbed some of his bandages, wrapping them around his eyes in place of the blindfold. The magic on them made it more durable than a basic cloth.
Once he was ready, Marvin walked over to the window to the left of the door, opening it with a slight smile.
"Time to go rescue a small child," He muttered, hopping out the window.
.
.
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Author's Note: Chapter's done! And before I get the inevitable comments, I know Marvin seemed to agree too readily to being housed by ANVIL, but there are two reasons for that, both of which will be explained next chapter.
Also, to the person who commented saying that Marvin felt weak, that was intentional. Could he have just blasted everyone with his Factor and had the test be over in like two minutes? Yes, he could have.
But he didn't because he enjoys the rush of fighting, also it wasn't necessary. Nobody in that group could've held him off for more than a few seconds if he had taken it seriously, and he knew that, so what was the point in going all out or even taking the kid's gloves off, for a group that he could beat without using his Quirk much at all?
Next chapter's going to explain Cypher's abilities a bit more, alongside explaining the magic system a bit. Also, Eri's next chapter, so there's that too.