[Three Weeks Later (March 2022)]
The next few weeks of training practically flew by for Cyrus.
After his chat with Ayako and Chief Chandler concerning his powers, the group had to make some hard adjustments to the young man's training routine. All of which amounted to doing whatever they could to keep the truth about his magical attribute a secret from the other agents around the station. Not only was he restricted from talking about his magic in detail to anyone but the two senior agents, the 'tree magic' user also had to completely change his training schedule. On top of that, Cyrus also had to take some extensive notes on how exactly the absorption aspect of his magic worked and send weekly reports to the Chief. All of which were swiftly destroyed after the woman had the chance to read through his writings.
As far as Cyrus was concerned, the biggest issue with the changes was that his training sessions now started much earlier in the day compared to before. In the past, he didn't have to show up to the building until eight o'clock. Nowadays, he was showing up at six. A time when very few people were inside the station, aside from the overnight crew. However, what was even crazier to him was that Ayako apparently had no issue with this whatsoever.
'I'm so glad that I finished all of my classes. I would've had to drop out if this kept going.'
Altered sleep schedules aside, Cyrus was still able to make the most out of his time. The young man had made some pretty impressive progress regarding his 'tree magic' in that time. And he learned quite a few interesting things about it. Both good and bad.
For starters, Cyrus's magic was tough, physically speaking. As it turned out, the young man's magical creations were far stronger than any normal tree was. So strong, in fact, that it would be easier to compare them to steel pillars as opposed to organic creations. Throughout numerous experiments, he and Ayako tested the threshold for what his trees could endure. Resulting in a lot of broken equipment and a few painful splinters.
In the end, the two were able to figure out that aside from a magically enhanced chainsaw, the biggest threat to Cyrus' 'tree magic' was magic itself. More specifically, any kind of magic that could produce flames, such as 'fire magic' or even 'lightning magic'. His powers fared pretty well against Ayako's 'water magic', and the young man was now very interested in seeing how his creations stacked up against others.
Secondly, his magic was slow. Annoyingly slow in most cases. Despite his best efforts, there was a limit to how quickly Cyrus would be able to use his magic. The time it took for the young man to reach his magic across a specific area was more than enough for an average cryptid to dodge it altogether. To him, it simply meant that he couldn't just jump into a situation without making preparations beforehand. Otherwise, he could very well end up getting himself hurt. Or worse.
The next key point was that thanks to his already good magical control, Cyrus was able to manipulate the growth of his trees in various ways. Although he seemed to be especially skilled at creating various traps and restraints with his magic, the young man could also make weapons with his abilities. Currently, a simple wooden spear with a pointed tip was the easiest for him to make. However, the young man had been experimenting with other constructs that could be of use to him in the future.
Overall, Cyrus Moore was really having fun with all this training.
It had been so long since the young man had experienced this kind of joy that he couldn't help but devote himself to learning everything that he could about magic and cryptids. It was practically all Cyrus could think about over the last couple of months. Nearly every waking moment of his life was spent in the station's records room or messing around with his magic at random times just to see what he could do with it. It was almost as if Cyrus was a kid learning about the wonders of the world that he had never heard of before now.
To Cyrus, it felt like he had gained a new lease on life. He finally felt like the mundane existence he had been experiencing up until now was over. And he had no intention of ever looking back. Even with the new dangers presented to him concerning his still-growing abilities, Cyrus was certainly looking forward to the start of his new life.
-(o)-
[April 2022]
"Alright, rookie, you ready to go?" Ayako said to Cyrus as she put her suit jacket on.
"As ready as I'll ever be." The young man replied. Making sure to adjust his tie in the reflection of the window.
Today was a special day for Cyrus. Probably one of the most important in his budding journey as a DPA agent. After all, today was going to be his first real cryptid-hunting mission.
The call came in as soon as Cyrus entered the building this morning. The young man barely got a chance to get himself situated before Ayako told him that the two of them were being sent out to a local church. One that apparently had a high magical signature emanating from it.
This wasn't completely unexpected, however. Since he was now in the third month of his training, it was only a matter of time before Cyrus was sent out to go deal with some cryptids. Sure, he was a bit surprised at how randomly it happened. Any person in his situation would've been. But cryptids didn't appear at regular intervals to begin with. Nor were they usually located in places that didn't have any witnesses close by. So in the grand scheme of things, Cyrus was actually pretty lucky.
"Then let's get going!" Ayako then smiled at Cyrus before walking out of the door.
With a quick nod, the rookie agent followed his partner out of the building and to their vehicle. A specially modified muscle car that the DPA used for these kinds of situations. As the duo rapidly made their way towards their desired destination, Ayako was getting a bit peeved at the overabundance of silence. So, the 'water magic' user chose to try and lighten up the mood a bit.
"You nervous?" The woman asked as she looked the 'tree magic' user in the eyes.
A bit thrown off by this, all Cyrus could do was chuckle and scratch his cheek. "Is it that obvious?"
"Duh...."
"Sorry, it's just that I'm kind of anxious, y'know?"
"Don't worry about it. Everyone's pretty much the same way when they first start out."
"Everyone? Including you?"
"Psht!" Ayako did her best to suppress a laugh. "Of course not! I've been killing cryptids ever since I was fourteen. People from big sorcerer families like me usually capture whatever cryptids that we can find and use them to help train the younger ones. By the time I joined the DPA, I had already killed over thirty."
"Seriously?" Cyrus was in awe of the woman's words. It must've been nice growing up in a family that was already well-trained in this kind of stuff. Especially when it came to learning about how to use your powers.
"That I am, my young protégé. Don't worry, though, the cryptid we have to deal with today shouldn't be too bad. It's only a D-rank after all."
The rookie agent visibly relaxed in his seat. "I guess that's not too bad then."
-(o)-
Barely fifteen minutes later, the duo was at their desired location. Much to Cyrus' surprise, Freddy Price, the one who worked in the station's records room, was already there waiting for them. As mentioned before, it was a part of his job to scout out the locations where cryptids pop up and assess the situation.
"What do we have, Price?" Ayako immediately asked after stepping out of the vehicle.
The 'dark magic' user reached into the backpack that he was carrying and pulled out a tablet before explaining the situation to the two new arrivals. "It's a wampus cat. A young one, judging by its size. Probably born within the last couple of days. From the readings I got with my scanner, it's about twice the size of a great dane."
Cyrus was quick to examine the drawing on the tablet. It was one of a mostly normal-looking big cat. One with three eyes and six legs. From what the young man could remember, this particular type of cryptid was relatively common in this part of the country.
"I thought wampus cats mostly lived near water?" The young man then asked, mostly out of genuine curiosity.
Freddy was quick to give the rookie an answer. "Normally, you'd be right. But every now and then, the younger ones go looking for new territories to claim and end up finding their way into bigger cities away from lakes or rivers."
"I see." Cyrus rubbed his chin as he mentally cataloged this new information. He found cryptids in general to be pretty fascinating. So learning something new about their habits was always a treat.
Ayako then brought the conversation back on track. "Where is it at?"
"In the gym." Freddy answered. "I placed a barrier on all the doors of the building to keep it locked inside."
"And you checked to make sure that no one's here?"
"There's no security. Plus, it's a Friday morning. So we're good."
Satisfied with that answer, Ayako began walking towards the gym. With Cyrus and Freddy falling in step behind her. As the trio got close, Cyrus began to feel the presence of the creature inside. It wasn't that strong compared to the first cryptid that Cyrus encountered the night he met Ayako. Maybe about sixty or seventy percent as powerful. But the green-eyed rookie knew better than to let his guard down in a situation like this.
Once the group was in front of the main doors, Ayako looked back at Freddy. "Anything I should know before we go in there?"
"Nope." The 'dark magic' user shook his head.
"Good!" The woman then turned her attention to Cyrus. "Go ahead and get a weapon ready, along with something to capture the thing. Since this is your first hunt, I'll let you hang back and take care of the clean-up."
"Got it!" Cyrus simply nodded his head.
The rookie then reached into the black pouch hanging off of his belt. T was standard procedure for 'plant magic' users to carry one on their person at all times. Which was only logical considering that they needed a supply of seeds to actually use their magic.
After a brief second of searching around, the young man found what he was looking for. A single orange-brown acorn about half the size of his pinky finger.
Without so much as a thought, Cyrus poured some of his mana into the object before it began to glow green. Allowing a steady stream of branches to sprout from its casing. Growing rapidly until a wooden spear roughly six feet in length was now in his hand.
The "splinter", as Cyrus called it, was what this creation was known as. A simple wooden spear made from his 'tree magic'. One that came with a very nasty side effect for anyone or anything who was unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of it.
Once everything was good to go, Ayako gave Freddy a quick nod before the third member of the group pressed his hand on the door. In a flash, a series of bright purple lines suddenly appeared on the door before fading away. Signifying that it was now possible for them to enter.
Without a sliver of hesitation, Ayako pushed the door open and walked right in. With Cyrus following her lead, but making sure to stay close to her just in case.
Once inside, Cyrus took a moment to gauge his surroundings. All in all, it was pretty much your standard church gym. One with a basketball court and bleachers on both sides. However, that was where the normal part stopped and the abnormal began. Across the basketball court behind another set of double doors where the locker rooms should be located, Cyrus could sense the cryptid moving along the corresponding wall.
There was no doubt in the rookie's mind that the creature knew they were there. After all, humans weren't the only ones who could sense high mana signatures. And with both him and Ayako standing right next to each other, it was basically impossible for them not to be noticed.
Ayako quickly brought the rookie out of his thoughts. "It's probably going to attack us the moment it gets next to the door. Get ready."
"Got it." Cyrus simply nodded, gripping his spear tighter as he reached for another acorn in his pouch. The two of them had gone over their "battle strategy" plenty of times during training. But actually having to put it to use in a scenario like this was going to be difficult, to say the least.
Another fifteen or so seconds passed before the party got started. In the blink of an eye, the wampus cat bursted through the double doors and made its presence known to the two agents. The cryptid looked exactly like the way it was described in the photos that Cyrus saw. A cougar-esque creature with three eyes and six legs. Roughly twice the size of a large dog.
For a brief moment, everything seemed to pause as a sudden rush of fear overcame Cyrus's senses. This was really happening. He was really about to fight a cryptid. A creature that he didn't even know existed up until a few months ago. A creature that could possibly kill him if he made one wrong move.
"Alright, rookie! Just like we planned!" Ayako shouted before raising her hand in the air and activating her mana.
Before Cyrus could even blink, a large sphere of water formed above their heads. One roughly the size of an average person. Just as quickly as the creation formed, several streams of highly pressurized water began shooting out of the sphere. Causing the cryptid to begin leaping around in hopes of avoiding it.
According to Ayako, creating water from your own mana was a pretty difficult skill. One that was significantly harder than using a nearby source of water that was already imbued with your own mana. But the woman preferred this over carrying a pouch of water on her person at all times.
"Get ready!" The senior agent then commanded.
Without a word, Cyrus reached for his pouch, pulled out six fresh acorns, and immediately poured some of his mana into them. Once the seedlings were sufficiently charged, the rookie tossed them over to the one spot in the gym that Ayako was intentionally avoiding. The far corner of the right side of the building. The moment the acorns were in place, they slowly began to grow.
While that was going on, Ayako was masterfully leading the feline cryptid into their trap. All while making sure to use her water to cut off any movement that wouldn't lead the creature where they wanted it. For a feline, wampus cats were actually pretty slow compared to their normal counterparts. Climbing was more of their specialty. But Ayako certainly wasn't going to complain about that.
In barely a few seconds, the 'water magic' user forced the cryptid into their trap. With a quick flick of the wrist, the woman adjusted the trajectory of one of her streams and used her water to slice one of the cryptid's hind legs completely off. Forcing the creature to fall back to the ground. Right in the spot where Cyrus' trees were.
The moment the cryptid fell onto the branches, Cyrus took control of the situation. The rookie then proceeded to not only manipulate his trees in a way so that they would wrap around each one of the creature's five remaining legs. He also used his magic's special property to immediately drain as much mana out of the creature as he could.
The wampus cat let out a screeching howl as the life was literally being drained out of it. Thrashing around in a desperate attempt to escape before eventually succumbing to its fate. In less than a minute, all of the mana was sucked out of the cryptid. Leaving nothing behind but its slowly disintegrating corpse and a bed of newly fortified branches.
'Oh, man....' Was the first thing Cyrus thought as he took a look at what was left of the cryptid. The thing quite literally looked like the life was drained out of it. It wasn't all that surprising, considering cryptids were basically creatures made out of pure mana. However, seeing the effects his magic had on living creatures was sort of sobering for the young man. 'If my magic was able to do this to a low-level cryptid like this, I don't even want to know what it can do to a human-'
Before the 'tree magic' user could finish his thought, his partner gave him a celebratory pat on the back. "Congratulations, rookie! You've officially completed your first hunt!"
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Cyrus smiled. "But you're the one who did most of the work."
"True...but you're the one who dealt the killing blow. Seriously, that magic of yours is dangerous. Slow, but it gets the job done pretty well."
By now, the cryptid had already disappeared, leaving behind nothing but a steadily growing mass of trees. Now that the actual hard part was over with, all that was left was the cleanup. Which wasn't going to be too much of a hassle since there was minimal damage to the gymnasium. One of the benefits that came with being a 'water magic' user, at least in Ayako's opinion, was that it very rarely left any evidence. Unlike 'fire magic' or 'lightning magic'.
"You guys already done?" Freddy said as the young man entered the gym after sensing the cryptid's mana signature disappear.
"Yeah." Cyrus nodded his head.
"Good."
Ayako then looked to Cyrus. "Can you go ahead and take care of these trees of yours, rookie?"
"No problem." The rookie agent nodded his head.
With a quick wave of the hand, Cyrus took control of his creation and forced the branches to re-shape themselves into a giant ball. One that was large enough to come up to his neck in height. Once everything was in one spot, the 'tree magic' user then did his best to compress the ball into an even smaller one. This time, bringing it down to around a quarter of its original size.
'Impressive.' Freddy thought to himself. He knew that Cyrus had pretty good mana control based on what he'd heard from some of the others in the station. But even he knew that manipulating matter such as wood was a pretty difficult task.
While Cyrus was taking care of the trees, Ayako took the time to reclaim all of the water that had been splashed around the area. Once they were done with the cleanup and making sure that there was no evidence of them being there, the trio exited the building. Ayako simply dumped the water into some nearby bushes, and Cyrus destroyed his giant wooden by blasting it with a mana burst. Leaving nothing behind but a few splinters.
"Phew...glad that's finally over." Cyrus let his shoulders relax a bit. All things considered, his first hunt went pretty well in his opinion. No one got hurt, there was no excess property damage, the cryptid was now dead, and no one was around to see them.
"You and me both." The older agent smiled.
"Oh, wait!"
Suddenly, Freddy slammed his fist into his palm and immediately began searching his backpack for something. The young man proceeded to rummage through the bag for a few seconds before apparently finding what he was looking for.
"Here it is!" The 'dark magic' user announced as he held up a small black booklet. One barely bigger than a common cellphone.
"What's that?" Cyrus tilted his head in confusion.
"A cryptid encyclopedia!"
"A what?"
"A cryptid encyclopedia." The black-haired teen repeated. "I meant to give this to you the other day. But it slipped my mind. It's basically a booklet that we can use to keep track of and take notes on what kind of cryptids that we encounter."
Okay, now that was certainly something that piqued Cyrus' interest. "Seriously?"
"Yeah! It's surprisingly useful."
"He's right." Ayako interjected. "They're good for people like you who are just starting out. Cryptids are kind of like normal animals, in the sense that certain types are more common in specific states and regions. Having some personal notes on them that you can reference when you encounter them is always helpful. However, most people these days just use the phone app instead of the booklet. That thing's pretty old school."
"Be that as it may....this one is yours to keep."
"Thanks!" Cyrus said with a grin as Freddy handed him the booklet in question. In truth, the rookie was pretty excited to run through the pages of his newest possession as soon as he got the chance. He wanted to know more about what kind of cryptids there were in the country.
With that out of the way, the trio finished their business at the church and quickly made their way back to the station. It was still pretty early in the day, so there was a lot of work and training to get through before either of them could call it quits, including the paperwork that came with a successful hunt.
'What a day.' Was all that Cyrus could think as he hopped back into the car. A small smile formed on his face as he watched the scenery pass by his vision.
-(o)-
Character Profile: Ayako
Name: Ayako Watanabe
Alias: N/A
Gender: Female
Age: 23
Birthday: February 4th
Birthplace: Seattle, WA, USA
Height: 66in
Weight: 131lbs
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black/Asian
Magic: Water
Occupation: DPA Agent
Stat Chart: A
-Physical Strength - 3
-Intelligence - 3.5
-Magic Amount - 5
-Magical Control - 4
-Magic Sensing - 4.5
-Special - 2
Fun Fact:
-Thinks that her older brother is the most annoying person on the planet.