Max_Striker
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Chapter 79: First Lessons at Kamar-Taj
🕑 Added 2025-09-13 16:03:54 +0000 UTCMordo had been giving Jay the tour of Kamar-Taj for the better part of an hour, his posture rigid and his explanations clipped with slight skepticism. Even Jay could feel the tension radiating from the master sorcerer like heat from a forge.
"This is where students learn to control their powers after being broken or damaged, physically and psychologically," Mordo explained as they passed through another corridor lined with ancient tapestries. His voice carried the weight of duty, but there was an edge to it that suggested he wasn't entirely comfortable with Jay's presence.
Jay paused, seeing a bench. "Mind if we sit for a moment? All this walking at this elevation is getting to me."
Mordo's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise that someone would admit weakness so readily, but he gestured to a stone bench carved into an alcove overlooking one of the monastery's courtyards. "Very well."
As they settled, Jay took in the breathtaking view. The architecture was full of ornate carved wooden panels, intricate stone work, and prayer wheels that spun lazily in the mountain breeze. The whole place had an aura of ancient wisdom that made Jay feel like an intruder.
"This place is incredible," Jay said genuinely, gesturing at the courtyard below where students practiced forming mandalas with glowing energy. "The way it's built into the mountainside, the integration with the natural surroundings... it's like something out of a dream."
His gaze stopped on a small figure moving through the courtyard—definitely not human. The creature was barely four feet tall, with greenish skin and what looked like horns protruding from its head.
"What's that?" Jay asked, pointing down at the unusual figure.
Mordo followed his gaze and, for the first time since they'd met, smiled genuinely. "That's Rintrah. He's one of our more... unique students."
Jay blinked. Seeing an actual Green Mage of Cyl walking around Kamar-Taj was jarring. "Right. Mystical arts students come from all over the universe, I suppose."
The atmosphere felt less tense, so Jay decided to address the elephant in the room. "Look, I can feel the hostility rolling off you in waves. Want to tell me why you've got such an attitude about me being here?"
Mordo's expression hardened again. He was known for being unyielding, never compromising on his principles, and Jay could see that rigidity in every line of his posture.
"The Ancient One informed me of your... situation," Mordo said carefully. "Your inability to perform even basic mystical arts, despite possessing significant inherent power." He turned to face Jay directly. "This place is not a school that just anyone can enter. It's meant for those who serve the mystic arts and protect this reality from threats beyond human comprehension."
He paused, his dark eyes studying Jay with obvious skepticism. "And then there's your reputation. The Power Broker. The news reports from America say violence follows you, and violence has no place in these halls of learning."
Jay absorbed the criticism without flinching. "Well, if you're as much of a stickler for rules as you seem to be, then you'll have to follow the Ancient One's instructions whether you like it or not. So it might be better for both of us if we try to be pleasant to each other."
Mordo just grunted with a ‘Hmph’, clearly not entirely convinced but unable to argue with the logic.
Jay muttered under his breath, just loud enough for his enhanced hearing to catch, "Why are all the strong black men around me tsunderes? First Fury, now Mordo..."
"What was that?"
"Nothing important." Jay stretched, feeling some of the tension ease. "So, when do we start this training?"
"Tomorrow. 4 AM sharp." Mordo stood, his expression stern once again. "And remember, be up before I need to wake you. Discipline is not negotiable here."
Jay had settled into his sparse quarters, a monk's cell with a simple bed, desk, and window overlooking the mountains. He'd changed into casual clothes and was finally allowing himself to relax when his mental planning kicked in.
‘The tour of the world is going to have to change,’ he thought, staring up at the ceiling. ‘Training here longer than I anticipated means I'll need to skip a few countries off the list. But there's nothing we can do about that now. This is too important.’
He was just drifting off to sleep when—
SPLASH!
Ice-cold lake water exploded over Jay's entire body, shocking him awake instantly. His danger sense had barely registered a threat before the freezing water hit him like a physical blow.
"WHAT THE—" Jay sputtered, leaping up from his soaked bed, water dripping from his hair. "There's still four years until the Ice Bucket Challenge!"
Mordo stood in the doorway, completely unmoved by Jay's distress, a glowing orange portal slowly closing behind him. "I told you not to be late. 4 means 4. Get ready—we're starting with combat training first."
Jay's enhanced physiology quickly adjusted to the temperature shock, but his temper was another matter entirely. The casual disrespect, the cold awakening, the smug satisfaction on Mordo's face—it all combined into a surge of genuine anger.
"Fine," Jay said through gritted teeth, water still streaming from his clothes. "Give me two minutes."
By the time he was dressed, his initial shock had transformed into focused determination. If Mordo wanted to play games, Jay was more than ready to show him what he could do.
The central training hall buzzed with early morning energy. The space was vast and open, with training grounds designed for both mystical and physical combat. Students of various ages and backgrounds gathered in a loose circle as Mordo took his position at the center.
"Physical combat mastery," Mordo announced, his voice carrying clearly through the hall, "is a necessity for sorcerers. Your magic will not always be available. Your artifacts may be stripped away. In those moments, your body becomes your only weapon."
His gaze found Jay among the assembled students. "Traditional sorcerer behavior of relying solely on mystical arts will get you killed when facing enemies who can nullify magic or fight in dimensions where sorcery doesn't function."
Jay felt every eye in the room turn toward him as Mordo continued.
"Our newest... student... will demonstrate why physical preparation is crucial." Mordo's tone made it clear this wasn't really a demonstration; it was a test. "Jay, join me."
Jay stepped forward, his senses automatically sharpening. His danger sense expanded to its full readiness, and he could feel Mordo's barely contained eagerness for combat.
They faced each other in the center of the hall. Mordo fell into a combat stance that Jay couldn't recognize, seemingly a blend of martial arts styles that suggested extensive training in multiple disciplines. Jay settled into his own stance, drawing on everything Bobby had taught him, enhanced by his superhuman reflexes and danger sense.
"Begin," Mordo said simply.
They started slowly, testing each other with probing strikes and defensive movements. Mordo fought with the precision of someone who'd trained for decades, his movements economical and purposeful. Jay relied on his enhanced speed and danger sense, letting his precognition guide his blocks and counters.
The pace gradually quickened. Mordo's strikes became faster, more complex, his footwork shifting into patterns that spoke of harsh martial arts training. Jay found himself pushed harder than he'd been since his early days with Bobby, his enhanced physique working overtime to keep up with Mordo's sorcery-enhanced capabilities.
The watching students began to murmur as the fighters moved faster than normal human perception could easily follow. What had started as a demonstration was becoming something much more serious.
Mordo launched a series of rapid strikes that would have overwhelmed a normal fighter, but Jay's danger sense painted the incoming attacks in his mind like a painting. He slipped past a palm strike aimed at his solar plexus, ducked under a spinning heel kick, and saw his opening—
Jay drove his fist forward in a devastating straight punch. Mordo got his arms up to block, but the enhanced force behind the blow was far beyond what he'd expected. The impact sent him flying backward across the training hall, his body slamming into the stone wall with enough force to crack the ancient masonry.
The entire hall fell silent.
Jay stood breathing heavily despite his enhanced stamina, adrenaline still coursing through his system. When the dust settled, Mordo emerged from the rubble, a flickering mystical shield fading from around his back where it had absorbed most of the impact.
Both men were smiling with the fierce grins of warriors who'd found a worthy opponent.
"Impressive," Mordo said, rotating his shoulders to work out the impact. "But now we get serious."
His hands moved in complex patterns, and suddenly artifacts materialized around him—a staff crackling with mystical energy that Jay recognized as the Staff of the Living Tribunal, and glowing mandalas forming around his fists as mystical brass knuckles.
Jay's heart raced as adrenaline flooded his system. He reached for Carl Creel's absorption power, feeling the familiar weight of the adamantium bullet necklace Tom had given him and Domino's lucky quarter pressing against his chest. The change swept through him like wildfire. His hands and forearms transformed, flesh becoming dense adamantium studded with jagged spikes that could tear through steel like paper.
What followed was a fight straight out of an action movie.
Mordo moved like liquid lightning, the Staff of the Living Tribunal extending his reach and adding mystical force to every strike. He spun it in complex patterns, each movement creating barriers of energy while simultaneously attacking. The mandalas on his fists left trails of golden light as he wove offensive spells between physical strikes.
Jay fought like a living battering ram, his spiked fists crashing through Mordo's mystical barriers and leaving craters in the training hall floor. He used his enhanced speed to stay inside Mordo's reach, preventing the sorcerer from fully utilizing his staff's length advantage.
CRACK! Jay's right cross shattered one of Mordo's defensive shields and sent stone chips flying.
FLASH! Mordo's staff swept upward, the mystical energy along its length barely missing Jay's jaw as he leaned backward with inhuman flexibility.
BOOM! The two combatants collided in the center of the hall, Jay's spiked fist meeting Mordo's mandala-encased palm in an impact that sent shockwaves through the ancient hall.
They broke apart, circled each other, then clashed again. Mordo conjured a dozen mystical projections of himself, each one attacking from a different angle. Jay's danger sense screamed warnings as he ducked, weaved, and struck back, his stone fists dispelling the illusions one by one until he found the real Mordo.
The staff came down in a crushing overhead strike that would have split Jay's skull. He caught it with both hands, the mystical energy burning against his adamantium skin, and used his enhanced strength to lever Mordo off his feet and send him spinning through the air.
Mordo recovered with experienced grace, landing in a crouch and immediately launching into a complex spell that filled the air around Jay with crackling energy nets. Jay bulled through them, accepting the magical damage in exchange for closing distance, and landed a thunderous uppercut that lifted Mordo six feet off the ground.
But Mordo twisted in mid-air, his free hand weaving another spell that created a platform of solid light beneath his feet. He used it as a springboard to dive back down, staff-first, in a strike that would have impaled a normal opponent.
Jay rolled aside at the last second, the staff embedding itself in the stone floor, and swept Mordo's legs. As the sorcerer fell, Jay's adamantine-enhanced fist came up in what would have been a fight-ending blow—
Mordo's hand caught Jay's wrist, his mandala flaring with binding energy that locked Jay's arm in place. For a frozen moment, they were locked together—Jay's spiked fist inches from Mordo's face, Mordo's mystical binding holding Jay immobile.
Then Mordo's other hand pressed against Jay's chest, and a pulse of force magic sent Jay flying backward across the entire length of the training hall.
Jay hit the far wall with bone-jarring impact, his adamantium absorption finally stopping as he slumped to the floor. His healing aura was already working overtime, mending the damage, but he was clearly done for the count.
Mordo knelt in the center of the hall, using his staff to support himself, breathing hard and nursing what looked like cracked ribs. Both fighters were battered, exhausted, and grinning with the satisfaction of a truly worthy fight.
It was only then that they both noticed their audience had grown considerably. Students, masters, and even the Ancient One herself stood around the training hall, watching the conclusion of their impromptu battle.
"It looks like you both got a bit carried away," the Ancient One observed mildly, though there was approval in her eyes.
Jay struggled to his feet, his muscles trembling not from pain alone but from adrenaline draining. His eyes searched the hall. He wanted to say more, but the enormity of the experience left him speechless.
His enhanced healing had stabilized the worst of the damage. "That was..." He paused, searching for words. "That was incredible. I haven't been pushed like that since..."
Mordo interrupted, managing a respectful nod. "Your combat skills are... adequate."
From Mordo, that was practically a glowing endorsement.
The Ancient One stepped forward, her serene expression hiding amusement. "Jay, please get some rest and recover. When you're ready, come to my hall for meditation practice. It seems you have much to learn about controlling not just your powers, but your enthusiasm."
Jay nodded, already analyzing the fight in his mind. He'd used only Creel's absorption abilities, deliberately avoiding his other powers. And still, he'd nearly won against one of Kamar-Taj's most skilled masters, and he deliberately avoided using the deadliest spells...like teleporting portals or mirror dimension, to name a few.
But there was so much he could have done better. His technique was still rough, relying too heavily on raw power instead of finesse. And most importantly, he'd let his anger drive him instead of maintaining the calm center that true mastery required.
As the crowd dispersed and the training hall slowly emptied, Jay caught Mordo's eye. The master sorcerer was gathering his mystical artifacts, but he paused to meet Jay's gaze.
"Tomorrow, we work on technique," Mordo said simply. "Your power is impressive, but power without discipline is just destruction."
Jay nodded, feeling a grudging respect for the man who'd just beaten him. "Looking forward to it... sensei."
Mordo's lips twitched. "Rest well, student. Tomorrow will be much harder."
As Jay limped a bit toward his quarters, he couldn't help but grin despite his aches and pains.
Comments
Gemaxter
Tsun Tsun. And battle respect earned.
