The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

[Jack Darby]

Saint Walker was someone Warren wasn't in the most patient of moods for.  Having waited atop the mountain/floating island where the individuals were SUPPOSED to teach him magic for about 3 days now,   Warren was a bit miffed.   There was no more waiting.  He simply would not wait any longer because he had things he needed to do.  Learning this power meant that he could be prepared.  The Empire after all had to fall and that meant he needed more power than he currently had.  Of course this power was but one power he planned to obtain for himself.  Chances are there were many abilities he didn't have that were obtainable on the various worlds.  Each and every last one of those powers was one that Warren was going to claim and actually make his own in order to ensure his own survival.   Whatever lessons they were going to teach he would jump to like a fish out of water. 

Approaching the individuals,  Warren asked. 

"Where do I begin to learn magic?" 

[Storyteller]

The two shady-looking men glanced over at the stranger that spoke to them. They were both blonde and wearing black robes, which suggested they were mages of some kind. They took a moment to examine the guy that was speaking to them, and they exchanged a glance together. They both grinned, as if reaching each other's minds.

"It's your lucky day!" Said Suspicious Guy #1.

The second man put his hand around the shoulder of the man called Warren Zimmer, gripping his arm. "You're on the magical floating city of Dalaran! There is no better place in all of Camelot then right here, to learn the craft of magic!"

"I know, that's why I'm here," Warren told them, matter-of-factly. He was clearly not in the mood for conversation. He had a mission to complete, and didn't have time to sit here and have idle chit-chat with a couple of nobodies. "Where can I go to start learning?"

"Some people might tell you that it's Albus Dumbledore, the Warlock of Camelot!" The second suspicious man said, pointing towards the large castle in the middle of the floating city. "But no!" He said dramatically, turning Warren towards the entrance to the forest just off of Dalaran's gate. "The real master of magic...the greatest mage in the Omniverse, lives deep in the Dark Forest."

Warren squinted, unsure. "Dark Forest?"

Both of the blondes nodded their heads. "Yes!" The first man told him. "It's a risky trail, but at the end of it, you will find the mage, and you will learn everything."

They both patted Warren on the back and then high-fived each other as they walked away towards the gate to Dalaran. They left Warren Zimmer with a choice - to enter the gates himself and locate Albus Dumbledore, the leader of the Camelot Mages Guild...or to brave the Dark Forest on the floating island, and locate the mysterious, but supposedly powerful, mage that lived within.

The choice was his.

[Jack Darby]

Given Warren was not a good guy he didn't intend on joining any mages guild personally.  This left but ONE more valid option his mind. Sure the Dark Forest may possess some dangers but he could brave them.  After all he was no coward and intended on fully passing whatever dangers were concealed within the Forest.   After all if anything came his way that he couldn't sneak past he'd simply cut it to Ribbons with his sword. Yes there was how he could get through the forest relatively unscathed.  Of course in order to do that he first had to become willing to enter the Forest.  Heading off in said direction,   Warren looked at the Forest when he got there.  It had taken him an hour or so to get there. 

The forest was fore-boding and somewhat terrifying.  Yet he was unafraid because he had work that he needed done.  Learning these powers meant he could handle threats that came his way.  Plus there was the matter of the Storm Troopers.  Each and every last one of them needed to pay but would not until he was strong enough to handle them on his own.  What this meant was that he needed to ensure that he could get strong enough to deal with such madness.  Considering that,   Warren entered the Forest.   If any of the creatures got in his way he'd make sure they'd suffer because he really didn't have time to deal with such stupidity.  His main goal here in the Forest was to ensure that he learned the power of 'magic'  so he could combine it with what he knew about science and make himself even more powerful than he was. 

Granted he was not going to directly apply magic in combat.  No,  his plans for such a power involved him making magi-tech weaponry for himself  of various varieties.  As he entered the Forest Warren began to feel a bit of dread about the place.  But he made himself power through it.  There was no way he was chickening out.  He'd come too far to back down now.  No one was going to overpower what he wanted to accomplish.  He'd battle his way all the way through the Forest if he had to in order to ensure that he could survive and gain access to the power he needed. 

"I've got a long way to go." 

[Jack Darby]

Upon entry into the Forest Warren knew that he was not going to leave the Forest for any reason until he learned the abilities they said were concealed somewhere within the Forest.  There were no dangers that compared to the ones that he had faced elsewhere.   Any animals of the Forest could not come in numbers that made him worry because he'd already been outnumbered and outclassed by those troopers in the white armor.  The mere thought of what they had done made him boil over with rage.  He was no one's slave and shouldn't have been forced to clean every vehicle on their damn world of Coruscant.  The ones responsible for that were going to pay quite dearly when he got powerful enough to actually do something.  But as it stood he still lacked the abilities he'd need in order to handle them properly.  With that in mind Warren continued his trek into the Forest so he could perhaps gain what he'd need in order to ensure his victory.   Annoyed now that he'd remembered what had happened on Coruscant Warren attempted to calm himself as he stomped through the Forest.  But he couldn't calm down.

"Why can't I calm down? Oh right.  Trekking through a dangerous Forest in order to locate what may or may not be an ability that may or may not exist presently.  There are also many hidden dangers within the woods that seem to be loose." 

A stranger was noticed by Warren who was surrounded by wolves and firing strange looking rays.    "A little help?" 

Warren dashed over to where one of the wolves was.  Summoning his Chaotic Energy Katana within the required amount of time Warren savagely slashed one of the wolves and it dissolved. Once their combined efforts of slashing and blasting had removed the problem of the eight wolves the stranger said to him. "You're a strange one.  You've got Darkness within you and yet you refuse to let it define you.  Remember that your power can be externalized.  This is the lesson that I leave you with."    The man vanished.    Warren thought about what the man had said. What was this darkness within him and why was it within him?   How could he externalize his power?  Those questions buzzed about in his head like a swarm of angry wasps that someone had teleported into his brain. A  situation that Warren hoped never happened. 

"Clearly I still have a lot to learn." 

[Jack Darby]

"There has to be some science behind the ability known as magic..."    As Warren thought about it he continued to walk into the Forest because he had a long way to go before he could master the abilities he wanted to learn.  Unfortunately mastering them was not going to be enough,  at least not on it's own.  What he'd need to do was find a way to apply them in combat that could actually prove to be useful.  Several ideas sprang to mind about how he could properly utilize the ability he was going to learn in this world.   But what was the science behind magic?  There seemed to be no actual people in the forest yet.    Still as he looked at the blackened and scarred trees Warren started to realize something. 

Perhaps this had been a set up by those individuals.  If it had he would murder each and every last one of them for wasting his time. Time wastes were not something Warren appreciated.  The clone troopers on Coruscant had wasted a SIGNIFICANT amount of his time and were going to pay quite dearly because they had done so.  Of course he was perfectly content to be patient for now.  Revenge was a dish best served cold after all.   Of course right now he didn't have the power he'd need in order to do any lasting harm against the clones.  There was one reason he had decided simply to wait until he became stronger.  There was more to it than that however.  It would take more than one lone prime to achieve his goals.

Conquest of a verse was likely going to require the services of multiple primes.  So he'd need to build up his resources and make himself have an army of sorts that he could use.  To be honest he was beginning to get a little scared by the noises he heard in the Forest and some of the mutated animals he saw in the Forest.  Yet he could not allow those to sway him from his path.  There were secrets here and he was going to understand them all. After all Secrets were made to be revealed and learned by anyone with the courage to do so.   Seeing a well nearby Warren walked over to where it was.  Grabbing some water from the well he removed his helmet and started to drink some of the water.  It tasted good.

"Well time to continue...."    Warren continued heading deeper into the Forest.

[Jack Darby]

More and more as he walked into the forest,   Warren began to sense that something was... wrong about the Forest.  The energies of the place seemed... off for lack of a better term. It was like the very nature of the Forest had been corrupted and turned on it's head within the confines of the area he presently was in.  But what he didn't know was he was about to encounter something or rather someone who would be his first trial on the path he had chosen to walk.  There standing in the way of his path was an old man in black and red robes. The man held a staff that had a sun symbol on one end of it and a blackened sun symbol on the other. "Trespasser,  if you are determined to walk this path then face my trial.  Let's see how well you do at the trial of accuracy.  But,   so that you stand a fighting chance because you cannot use your sword."   The man raised his staff and fired a beam into Warren that gave him access to the Z-Tech Wrist Blasters. "I have restored a weapon from your home.  Nail each one of the targets,  and be quick and don't miss or they will retaliate." 


Warren paused as he considered the words of the man.  So essentially he just needed to shoot some targets so he could progress deeper into the area and hone his skills even more? Piece of cake.  It wouldn't be that easy of course.  Around him appeared seventeen targets that could take one hit each but that could fire back with bolts of energy of their own.  However their attacks would do little more than sting him.   "Prepare yourself warrior for once the trial of accuracy begins there can be no stopping the trial. You must succeed. Begin!"   The man banged his staff and vanished,  before the targets started moving around the area.   "Very well. I'll burn your trial away. " 

As the trial commenced Warren noticed the movement of the various targets.  Their movement was made in a pattern similar to that of the number eight around his body.  Noticing a strange new power within him namely that of the Z-Tech Wrist Blasters,  Warren smiled. This was most definitely going to be fun as he now had more power at his disposal than ever before.  Of course being able to shoot things again was most certainly a comfort as previously he'd been limited to melee combat and that had sucked.   Channeling energy to the palms of his hands for about six seconds Warren shot five blasts the size of foot balls. These managed to take out a couple of the targets each.  Now only seven of the targets remained. 

"I'm doing good." 

[Jack Darby]

But still even despite his best efforts,   seven of the targets continued to harass him with energy blasts.  When one of them zapped him on the butt which made him feel like someone had hit him with a branding iron there Warren was more than a little annoyed.  But he couldn't summon his sword or it would go against the trial. There had to be a way to finish all of these drones in one attack. Wait. One attack. It was then that he remembered something. He'd been able to run quickly through the Nexus at one point or other. Of course he somehow had maintained the speed ability one of the Guardians possessed even though the name escaped him for the moment.  The old man rematerialized and looked at his progress. By the time he had returned Warren had finished off the rest of the seven targets even though it had taken him about fifteen minutes.   "You have done well my boy. Far more has been achieved by you than I expected. As your reward  you may keep your new power.   But remember there are more trials that have yet to be found in the forest.  None of the others will reward you with a new power like I have given." 

Why had the man given him a new power? It didn't make sense to Warren and that annoyed him to say the least.   But he could live with it because an ability like he now had would certainly be useful to say the least.  Firing energy blasts from the wrists of his hands certainly meant he didn't have to melee an opponent he didn't want to. The clones were definitely on his list of I'm not even going to fight close proximity to.  This meant he needed a new tactic and like a bolt out of the blue he had one. Well one that had been freely given by someone else.  Sure he could have probably learned the move on his own but the man had practically given him the power to shoot the rays from his hands.  The only question was why.  Why would someone go out of their way in order to give someone like him a new power.  After all he wasn't the good guy.  Guys like him didn't get happy endings and would always be hounded by the hero-types in order too make themselves feel better and have someone to fight. 

As he continued still deeper into the forest he noticed an abandoned library. The place looked like the wrong move could cause it to collapse but still looked pretty good to him. There had to be tons of books there that he could read.  While he wasn't a nerd per say Warren knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.  In this case not reading everything here would be considered stupid by him. Wasting a prime opportunity like this was not something that Warren intended to do either now or in the future.  Given the books here were rare and possessed a lot of knowledge he didn't possess Warren entered the library and took a stack of the books down so that he could look at them.   "Well this library should certainly hold some worthwhile knowledge.  If nothing else,  I won't be bored." 

[Jack Darby]

Some of the books he examined were in languages that he couldn't comprehend.  Checking over one of the books he'd look through the glossary. Parts of some of the words were in latin and others were in languages he could not even begin to make sense of.  Why would someone make a library full of books that no one could actually read? It was something that eluded Warren as to the purpose of such a thing.  For the books were mostly useless unless someone needed materials for a fire given that no one could read them presently.  This did give him an idea for something to make later a device of sorts that could allow him to read languages other than his own and permanently understand them.   As he continued to read over most of the books he'd notice a woman appear who was clad in a pure white colored robe with gold filigree.  "Abandon the dark path you are on before it's too late. Go back to the Academy and learn from the teachers,  please."   Warren thought about it for a moment and then activated his Z-Tech Wrist Blasters. Charging them up for about six seconds,  he'd blast her with 5 foot balls of purple energy.  This made her disappear.  Warren had come too far through a dangerous forest to simply turn back because a woman wanted him to.   Even if he wanted to,  Warren was not one to turn back just yet. 

There were multiple reason that Warren wasn’t going to turn back just yet. One was because he presently was not strong enough to do much on his own. Without some actual skills under his belt that could be of use in this world he would likely get his ass kicked the next time he ran into the Clone Troopers.  No they weren’t clone troopers. They were all assholes for torturing him like they had. The clones had wrecked his lab and placed him under arrest.  During his sentence of cleaning the vehicles most had the gall to beat him up pretty badly while he was cleaning. Were that not bad enough they also attacked him by throwing muck and dirt onto vehicles he’d already cleaned.  In short the clones had gone out of their way to make his life a living nightmare. If only he possessed the power to return the favor then he’d surely achieve his eventual goals.  Angrily he'd toss the admittedly worthless book aside. 

"Useless!"

The book exploded into a shower of sparks and revealed a mage in a pure black robe with red trim who was in his seventies. "The final trial will soon be upon you. Are you ready to brace yourself?" 

Warren looked at the man. "Fine. The sooner I pass these stupid trials the sooner I learn magic." 

[Jack Darby]

"So you have accepted following down the dark path,  and learning the magic to conquer your opponents. You renounce the path of healing and peace and choose the more war like method of crushing your opponents beneath your heels,  completely and totally of your own free will?"  asked the individual clad in the black robes that had the red trim as he examined Warren. Without the armor the guy was wearing he was probably scrawny and weak but even that type could be molded into a proper warrior one day with the right amount of training,  or a masterful dark mage. The latter was what Warren was likely seeking to become,  even though it'd be difficult.   "Be warned my tests will push you beyond anything you have ever experienced. You will not be the same as you are now.  By the time you leave here you will have the power you need to crush your enemies." 

"Damn right I realize that I freely renounce the path of healing.  I don't need to give charity to anyone but myself.  I'll force my opponents to surrender and break their will power right down the middle.  All who oppose me will suffer defeat by these hands..."  Warren held up his hands as he looked at the man in order to prove the point that he wasn't going to back down from this.  Surrender was not an option when he needed to get something like this done. Honing his skills was definitely important to say the least.  The man nodded and decided he'd humor the young man. "Very well. If your mind is made up nothing I can say will dissuade you.  We will soon commence your trials to see what kind of magic you'd be best suited for." 

[Jack Darby]

Warren considered the individual's words.  Sure he might be temporarily renouncing the ability to learn the power of healing magic but he could always learn it later should he need to do so for whatever reason.  Such a power could come in handy in the long run and provide him more than enough capability to down multiple opponents.  Of course he had a lot to learn in 'practical applications'  of the ability known as magic.  So far he had not met anyone who derived their abilities solely from magic except those he had encountered so far today.  Saint Walker could be considered someone who at least on some level knew magic because that ring of his wasn't pure science.   "Fine. Let's get this crap started."   The old man looked at Warren and around Warren would rise several pedestals each with items on them.  On one of the pedestals was a sword that radiated an energy that even caused Warren to shudder a little.  Next to it on another pedestal was a staff that had two forms.  There were many other items including a Trident,  a Book, a Wand and an amulet.  There was a lot of stuff on the pedestals.   "For your lessons to truly commence you must actually choose one of the items and select the path you permanently wish to follow. The paths are random and no two of them are the same. I will not tell you what is on each path." 

Warren went over to each of the items and considered them.  The staff seemed impressive looking and it's ability to be used for melee and ranged combat might come in handy.  But the sword also had it's uses because the blade made even him terrified. Such a sword could possibly scare his enemies into submission,  and a blade like that was definitely one that he could use. The amulet could act as a pool of magic for him to draw upon but he didn't see himself using something like that to make himself overwhelmingly powerful.  There was no sense in becoming dependent on a magical relic of any variety after all because that dependency could be used against him in a real fight.   "I still haven't decided..." 

The old man groaned. "Take your time then,  by all means." 

[Jack Darby]

Each of the items did have a powerful ability that could be useful.  The quill for example could allow him to etch symbols onto items to provide them special properties.  Such an ability would come in handy but the quill was not something that Warren could see himself carrying around on a regular basis.  Given he’d need to carry ink and what not,  he decided the quill was not the item he would particularly choose for himself in these circumstances. The sword was formidable but due to being around it giving him the willies,  Warren wasn’t sure such a blade was a wise idea. Sure the blade might be potent,  but he didn’t want a sword that could scare his own allies.   “The sword and the quill aren’t things I could see myself wielding… actually.”    At those words the pedestals that held both the Quill and the sword disappeared into a rift of darkness,  being completely consumed by said rift. The old man nodded. “Good. You’re learning to reject the ones that could go to your head and make you too dependent on them.  This part of your training is to help you learn what not to choose.” 

The examination continued.  But as he examined each of the items,  Warren realized something. Magic was a mysterious force that he didn’t fully understand. Unless he understood the science behind it,  he couldn’t allow himself to use a magical item that he didn’t create himself.  Finally he made up his mind and decided to voice his opinion on the subject. “I’ve made up my mind. The magical items you offer are generous.  However given that the magical items are something I’ve never encountered and know little about I must reject each and every last one of them. After all I don’t know anything about each of the magical items. I don’t know if they contain brainwashing sells or anything else that could potentially cause problems for me.”    The old man cracked a smile and busted a gut laughing. “Clever boy. You passed my trial and rejected the temptation of power.  Of course now you realize that there is no further training. You’ve learned what you needed to and eventually will be able to wield magic on your own. You now understand that magic is not without trade offs.  But as for actually learning how to wield magic,  I'll leave that to you. You should be intelligent enough to figure it out on your own anyway,  given you were smart enough to see through my trick. ”

So this is what it took to learn regular magic.  But there had to be something that people like himself who walked the lonely path most people deemed criminal could learn on their own.  Otherwise there was little point to him coming here actually.  Given that,  Warren started to consider what he’d learned.  In the forest from fighting the targets,  he’d learned he had some sort of fast movement ability within his arsenal and knew he could use that power to protect himself in the coming days. But it wasn’t a power he really needed,   now was it?  Yet he had passed whatever mission or trial that the man had wanted him to do and had done so with flying colors. Yet he didn't feel any different. It was at that moment that realization donned on Warren like he'd been struck by lightning.  Magic was something that no one could ever truly understand or comprehend. It was a power that few mastered.  Sure there had been myths of those who had done so on his world. 

Merlin was one of the examples of a Good Guy who had wielded magic.  Having mentored King Arthur,  and provided him the means to obtain Excalibur Warren had to admit the guy was immensely powerful as a mage. But there was also his enemy,  Morgan Le Fay.  She was certainly like him in that she was both cunning and ruthless.  Still her intelligence had to be worked on,  as she had fallen for many of of the tricks and plans of her enemy,  Merlin.  She was not Warren however.  Neither of them were him and Warren didn't intend on repeating any of their mistakes. To that end he needed to prove himself ready for what would come soon.  After all he was almost done with his lessons.  Walking out of the ancient library,  Warren noticed the place crumble and fall in on itself the moment he had left it.  It was to be expected of course. Even magic could only preserve an item like that library for so long before it would crumble to ruins. They'd probably rebuild it to test the next person,  but meh. That wasn't the problem of Warren. For now all he needed to worry about was heading back home. 

"Well, I've got a long road to travel home." 

For him to come here had been a mistake.  There hadn't been much that he had learned here.  If anything the entire journey had been little more than a complete and utter waste of his time.  Sure on the one hand he had really wanted the ability known as 'magic' for himself but he honestly believed he could have achieved it.  Unfortunately he had not learned anything that really could have been of any use to him. There were no scrolls in his possession and taking any of the items had felt... wrong on some level.  Of course this could have been because he didn't want the items. power that was not his was not something that interested Warren in the slightest.  Such power could only be turned against him by someone who was more experienced with such things than he was.  It was far better that he learn what true power was on his own and learn how to harness it to the best of his ability,  most likely.  Doing so would mean that he could survive. 

But as he continued towards the Gate he realized something.  Chances are he would likely not be able to learn magic in the future.  Ah well magic really wasn't worth learning to be honest anyway. If it were worth anything he wouldn't have had to go through a nightmarish forest that even gave him goose bumps earlier. Sure he had overcome his fear as he'd progressed into the Forest.  But well? Warren was not the kind of person who liked wasting his time and that was what the journey had amounted to.   About the only positive thing to come out of the journey was the fact he had rediscovered his ability to shoot energy blasts to a degree.  It wasn't anywhere near as powerful as the original blasts had been but it was still something he could work with and improve upon at least.  After about three hours the very exhausted Warren Zimmer was near the Gate. 

Once he was near the Gate he'd jump into it and head back to the Nexus. "Tally Ho!