Markus Hotaru

Markus Hotaru (マーカスほたる Mākasu Hotaru) is a powerful mage who used to secretly worked as the famous vigilante/thief Infamous. He now works as the Guild Ace for the Twilight Phoenix Guild.

Appearance
Markus is a tall well built mage covered in irezumi style tattoos and scars, sporting pure white hair and eye that seem to blend amber and red to give them a almost demonic appearance. He also has two red lines going over his left eye starting from his eyebrow to the underside of his chin. He is known for his black & red sleeveless sometimes with sleeves trench coat, Black trousers that have 4 stapes on them; one half way up the shins, another just below the knees another just above the knees and the last halfway up the thigh. He also wears black cowboy/combat hybrid boots with a special spur on the left boot. He has a strange habit of wearing 2-3 belts as well all at different angles. Under his trenchcoat he normally wears a black vest with red highlights that look like wings wrapping around his torso.

When wearing his mask and armor his hair take a black star burst pattern and his tattoos turn black and grey instead of full color as usual. This makes it harder to figure out his identity. After forming the Twilight Phoenix guild Markus applied the guild mark to the back of his left hand.

Personality
Markus has a simple personality upholding honor, loyalty, justice and respect. but he also has some quirks such as his seemingly slacker attitude to most things except food and fighting, He's normally seen napping in various spots around the towns and cities he stops off at. Despite this he's always up for a fight and loves ones that are stacked against him.

As Infamous he takes a much more grim attitude focused on his task and brutal in his execution of them. He seems to prefer ambush and terror tactics when in combat and prefers to talk very little. Though after founding the Twilight Phoenix Guild he seemed to keep the Infamous attitude when in combat but seemed to blend his regular laid back attitude making jokes and wise crack lines every so often. Outside he takes a laid back wise man kinda of attitude and a brother to his most loved and cherished friends.

His anger is also one of his most deadly traits, he can be a vicious animal when pushed and destroy anyone who gets in his way, however he dislikes giving in to it as it automatically releases the restraints on his magical power making his power destructive to everyone around him. However he has 3 stages of anger; angry, pissed and demonic. Once he hits demonic take cover and stay out of his way.

History
Not much is known about Markus even to him. All that is known is when he was a child (about 4-5) his home was attacked by Dark Mages and his family was killed the shock of what he saw forced his mind to give him amnesia. He was eventually found wondering the country side by The Storm Phoenix Bolterus, who after much persuation taught the young Markus as Bolterus refered to him the power of The Storm Phoenix Slayer magic a form of magic designed to hunt and kill feral Phoenix. After years of training Bolterus left to dwell inside of a mighty storm, Markus on the other hand went to bring justice to the world and look for a strong guild or group of mages to fight with. He eventually takes the persona of Infamous to act without the restirctions of law and the magic council, attack corrupt officials, crimelords and dark mages without permission or what could be seen as a reason other than the search for justice.

Synopsis
Fairy Tail: Twilight

Magic and Abilities.

 * Storm Phoenix Slayer Magic: (暴風雨の滅鳳凰魔法 Bōfūu no Metsuhōō Mahō) This is one of the most powerful of the Phoenix Slayer types; it uses both sound in the form of concussive blasts and lightning to boost physical abilities and unleash devasting damage. The most iconic spell of this as well as all the Phoenix slayer is the Diving Phoenix spell which in the Storm version's case will take the form of a phoenix made of lightning dive down on their opponant causing a huge explosion. The only main weaknesses of this slayer style is none-conductive material. This style also gives him incredible boosts in his healing when needed and the potentual to ressurect once a week. Despite it's huge potentual for ranged damage Markus uses it mainly in close quaters coating his legs and arms in lightning and getting in close. The Magic also has minor wind magic abilities (1 spell only) that allows him to move matter via wind currents.
 * Burning Storm Phoenix Slayer Magic: (嵐鳳凰特効魔法を焼く, Arashi hōō tokkō mahō o yaku) After years of training Markus gained the ability to absorb fire to create anew style of his Pheonix Slayer Magic. While it doens't increase his overall pwoer it does make his spells more damaging due to the lingering effects of fire. It also allows him to absorb mroe fire to maintain the form and also makes him largely immune ot the effects of most fire (excluding unique or immensely powerful forms). The reason it is seen rarely is not because it's difficult to use but Markus finds it unfair to use without a really good reason.
 * Phoenix Force: (鳳凰力, Hōō-ryoku) The ultimate form of Phoenix Slayer Magic, when activated Markus takes a unique appearence. First he gains feather liek markings across his body and his nails grow slightly long to make claws (which are blunt to his skin). Also lightning seems to jump across his body constantly.
 * Burning Phoenix Force: (鳳凰力を焼く, Hōō-ryoku o yaku) This form is only accessable when Burning Storm Phoenix Slayer Magic is available. It is exactly the same as Phoenix Force Mode but has fire added to the form (licks of flame come off Markus' body while in the form).
 * Sword Magic: (剣の魔法, ken no mahō) Markus doesn't have amazing skill in Sword Magic but it's great enough to use it effectivly in combat and when using his personalised version it can out match many experts in the magic.
 * Personalised Sword Magic: (個人剣の魔法, Kojin ken no mahō) Markus uses a personalised form of Sword Magic that channels his Phoenix Slayer Magic through his sword and extends the reach of it's blade.
 * Telekinesis:  (テレキネシス Terekineshisu) Due to his knowledge of Sword Magic Markus has the power of telekinesis to return his swords to his hand incase he looses it.
 * Twilight's Creed: (夕暮れの信条, Yūgure no shinjō) The unique spell of the Twilight Phoenix Guild. It draws in and absorbs the spiritual dark and light around him and amplifies the power before releasing it to destroy all who are truely evil. There only time Markus has used it so far was to test it's capabilities, after that he's planning to use it to finish Daimon and his Guild ocne and for all.


 * Repair Magic (修理魔法 Shūri Mahō) If his clothes are damaged, instead of having to buy new ones or pay to get them repaired, Markus has learned Repair Magic to fix any rips, tears and other forms of damages to his clothes and armor.


 * Requip: Markus has basic skill in this form of magic he mainly uses it to summon his armour & mask, sword or headphones.
 * Unison Raid: Markus is able to use Unison Raid with Zero and Ellena creating new devastating spells that causes huge destruction but are reserved for the most difficult and dangerous creatures due to the spells being wide spread and somewhat unfocused.


 * Master Martial Artist: Markus is a martial arts master creating a style known as Twilight Phoenix Kenpo, the style is a powerful form of combat using mainly kicks and other techniques infused with magic. A common tactic is Markus using ambush tactics to open the fight and during the fight using the enviroment to his advantage. The style is unique only to Markus and his guild it is always evolving and improving, he constantly takes tricks from other fighters and adapts them to his own fighting style. The stance is very loose and adaptable as well, it involves his legs out to roughly shoulder length and his arms are postioned in certain positions; his left arm is extended slightly bend with his two middle fingers slightly bent inwards while the index, pinky and thumb are extended. The right is tucked up as if ready to throw a punch with his hand slightly clenched. See the page here for techniques


 * Weapon Master: Markus is also a very talented weapons master due to his training and is able to out match most soldiers in a duel. These are examples of the weapons he'll commonly pick up and use in a fight.
 * Sword: Markus has masterful skill in a blade, able to use a veriaty of attacks when he needs. His main usage of the sword is fast attacks darting in and out of attack range while deflecting and countering any attacks that get close. He also uses it's hook to great effect binding or stabbing enemies form a distance. With his cleaver he relies on wide, somewhat slow (to a swordsmaster), powerful swings and lunges.
 * Dual Swords: Like a single blade Markus can weild two he uses the same tactics as with a single sword but more aggressivly. Whne using both his own swords together he uses the Cleaver as a shield defending himself from attacks while using the Piercer for attack and occasionally changing the roles of each sword.
 * Spear: With a spear Markus uses it's reach to his advantage. He attacks with rapid lunges and thrusts and uses wide swings when needed.
 * Staff: Like the spear Markus uses the staff's reach to his advantage but utilizes more strikes and locks with the staff itself.
 * Fighting Sticks: With fighting sticks Markus uses fast and painful strike at the enemy getting inside their guard and pounding at joints and soft spots.
 * Axe: Markus basicly cleaves at his enemies with this weapon. Using it's heavy head to crash down onto the skulls of his foes.


 * Immense Magic Power: Markus' power is inhuman but due to his limited control over it's full power he has applied 'breakers' to limit his magical output, these breakers are 4 tattoos on his body. 2 are located at the base of the neck and about an inche above the base of his spine, the last two are located on his shoulder blades. The reason for this hard to control power is due to his second origin, he unlocked it at an early age while he body wasn't truely ready. When released it looks like white and black lightning but sounds like thunder.


 * Immense Physical Capabilities: Markus' physical abilities even without his Slayer magic giving him a boost is amazing, he is feared in many places as a demon in human form. Out fo fairness though he does limit his capabilities till he needs to go all out with them.
 * Strength: Markus' strength is scary he able to crush steel with one hand and leaving giant craters making it look like a meteor landing at full power. His leg strength is great enough he can jump high into the sky to avoid any ground effecting attacks.
 * Speed: Markus in terms of speed is crazy, even without his Phoenix Slayer Magic he can move at blinding speeds that benifit his role as a thief and night-stalking vigilante. Able to appea640px-C005.jpg behind someone and vanish in a split second. After forming his guild and semi-retiring for the vigilante life, his speed still benifits him greatly. When using his Slayer Magic his speed can increase to almost match a lightning bolt.
 * Durability: Markus is no stranger to taking hits. During his training with Bolterus he gained incredibly tough flesh, he is able to be hit with powerful elemental attacks and hard be effected. Even his mental durability is amazing able to withstand psychological punishment that would break a normal mage and keep fighting.
 * Reflexes: Markus can block and catch attacks and incoming object with great skill. Even fighting 25 experienced bandits attacking from all sides at once can barely touch him.
 * Agility: Markus is amazingly agile he can proform acrobatic stuns even while incombat with little effort. To get around cities easily he uses a fast flowing method of movements using flips, rolls and vaults ot get over walls and other obstructions. Due to this his balance is also amazing able to run even when the floor shifts under his feet with subtle but effective repositioning of his feet.
 * Senses: Markus due to his Phoenix Slayer Magic has amazing senses. His senses of smell, taste, touch and hearing are amazing able to out do everyone without some kinda of trick to increase their own. However his eyesight is the major strength, thanks to the magic he can see miles with fully clarety and even see through walls, also by focusing he cna see other "etherial energies" like magic itself..


 * Master Theif: Due to living on the streets Markus taught himself how to steal and became proficiant in the art and uses it when tailing dark mages and their minions.


 * Genius: Markus is a proven genius in various feilds due to his training from Bolterus who trained him in more than just combat and magic.
 * Tactical Mastery: Markus is able to create a tactic from nothing. Even if everything seems hopeless to someone else he is able to create a tactic that'll allow him to come out on top. When he stalked the night as Infamous he would use fear and deception to weed out the weak and cowardly and finish the last off with a frontal assualt.
 * Perceptive Mind: Markus is able to notice things that even a master detective would miss thanks to his senses and habit of checking everything from his vigilante days. This aids in his tactics and who to trust and who to remove from a situation.
 * Historian: Markus is also a great historian tutored in the history of the world by Bolterus who's been living for hundreds of years. His skill is so great he can state events in great detail from the top of his head.
 * Great Magical Knowledge: Despite not knowing other magic styles he does have enough knowledge to tutor others in their magic style. He can also identify magic from seeing it's effects making investigations a relative breeze.

Equipment

 * Magic Headphones: Markus also has a set of magic headphones which play his favourite type of music (Thrash Metal & Melodic Death Metal) He normally has them around his neck or summons them. The Headphones can also turn into a black and red face mask that covers his entire head, when in this form they keep their ability to play music and also broadcast it like a radio.
 * Armour: Markus makes use of a unique armour when using his Infamous persona. All the armour comprises of is a lightly armoured left shoulder which covers the left side of his chest. That links to a black leather frame on the upper arm which finally ends with a armoured gauntlet, his other arm is just the same armoured gauntlet with both has an enchantment that allows Markus to slide down surfaces he can't jump from. This kicks in when he charges his lightning through to the tips of the fingers. His boots are covered with the same segmented plate armour than the gauntlets but only covers the top side of the boots.
 * Mask: To protect his face and identity he wears a white and red fox mask (later black and red). The mask has an enchantment that allows him to use Transformation magic while wearing it, this makes it easier than learning the magic he jsut thinks of a disguise and mimics someone almost perfectly. The mask is also very durable able to take a serious bit of punishment before cracking.
 * The Charge: A handy tool Zero gave Markus when they first fought together. This small crystal can absorb and store near limitless amounts of elemental magic. Markus store lightning in this small gem and gets Zero to charge it after use. When squeezed it release it's power into whatever it's touching like Markus who absorbs it and lets him enter Phoenix Force. However Markus rarely uses this unless he absolutly needs to.
 * Swords: Markus can requip two blades currently a slender jian style blade for speed and attack and a giant broad cleaver for attack and defence. Both are used to deadly effect and are sometimes used as a pair.
 * The Phoenix Cleaver: A giant (6 foot in length & roughly a foot wide) cleaver of a sword which he can use with one hand due to his immense strength. The blade is know as The Phoenix Cleaver due to it's apparent ability to kill a phoneix perminantly. It is a giant single edged broadsword with a gold hand guard and rBuster_Sword.jpg hilt. The blade is black with a white edge, it has 4 traits that define it;
 * Nigh-Unbreakable: The blade is forged of Micain Steel a nearly unbreakable but very rare metal found only in the Crescent Final_Fantasy_Buster_Sword_by_Kenshiro_FDP.jpgelago. It can be broken but only with an amazing level of power.
 * Weight: While most swords weight only several pounds this weighs over a ton (8 tons). This weight allows more powerful strikes.
 * Magical Alignment: This allows the sword to channel magic through it. Markus channels his Phoenix Magic through it to create devastating cuts. It can also make use of other people's magic for example if catches a fire ball mid air with the sword he can reflected back or at someone else..
 * Mage Link: Ths sword can only be used by those who summon it. while others may pick it up but if they try to attack with it they'll be unable to.
 * The Phoenix Piercer: One of the smaller and faster cousins to The Phoenix Cleaver. After finding his younger brother Markus was given this sword as head of The Hotaru Family (as per tradition). The blade is used for more fast paced combat due to it's lighter weight and smaller size. It has a rope dart attached to one end with purple tassels to catch any blood on the blade. The rope itself can extand to nearly a mile in length.
 * Nigh-Unbreakable: Like it's cousin and siblings the blade is nearly unbreakable despite it's small slender blade and distinct lack of weight. The blade will bend though but alwaySword_&_Hook_-_4th_Weapon_(DW8).png retains it shape in the end.
 * Weight: The blade weights the same as every other regular sword in the Earth-Land.
 * Magical Alighnment: Like it's cousin and siblings the blade can absorb and use magic to attack and enhance certain magic attacks, by catching the attack and redirecting it back, but unlike it's cousin in the forms of magic homing arrows.
 * Mage Link: Once aligned to the user it must be given to someone else to be used by anyone different from it's owner.

Trivia

 * Markus' hand to hand combat style is based on a combination of Jeet Kune Do, Five Animals Kung Fu (Tiger, Leopard, Dragon, Crane and Snake variation), Capoeria, Lethwei, Taekwondo, Boxing, Ninjutsu and Aiki-jujutsu. The stance is based on Bruce Lee's classic stance (basicly this http://browse.deviantart.com/art/DSC-Dashiell-Badhorse-185550752). His weapon based style is a mash up of free style techniques and chinese swordsmanship with elements of fencing and kenjutsu.


 * When relaxing he's either seen sleeping, reading, meditating or training.


 * Markus' theme(s) are [[File:This Will Be the Day (Rooster Teeth's RWBY) - By Jeff Williams feat Casey Lee Williams (With Lyrics)|thumb|right|301px|This will be the day by Jeff and Casey Lee Williams]]This Will Be The Day from RWBY done by Jeff Williams and Casey Lee Williams when in a fight, GAbandon All Ships - Guardian Angel (HD) with lyricsan Angel by Abandon All Ships for everyday things and a random song (can't think of one atm) for when those two songs don't apply.
 * Alittle known fact its that Markus is an amazing guitarist, Zero states he helped him learn by transfering the knowledge into his mind via his Archive Magic.
 * Markus' fav saying is "Walk towards death, fight for life."
 * Here's a list of facts not mentioned in the articles above:
 * His favirote food(s) is Ramen and Onion Rings.
 * His favirote drink is Mochina Sake and Phoenix Pop (a fizzy drink made on Mochina Island).
 * He has an I.Q. of 196 mainly focused around tactics, history and philosophy.
 * He loves music (Heavy Metal and Rock).
 * Markus would love to face the S-Class/S-Class level Mages from Fairy Tail. Especially Natsu and Gildarts.
 * Hates tyrants, bullies and scumbag criminals.
 * Loves cats & dogs.
 * Can let out a battle cry that mimics a Phoenix/Eagles cry
 * HATES wearing suits or any formal attire. Always seen in either his casual appearence or when in serious combat in his armour.
 * His tattoos were rewards he gave himself after completing every 4 jobs. it took him 24 jobs to get his arms, legs, chest and back covered and another 4 to get the tattoos on his face.

Stats
During the last Crescent Archipelago Tournment, Markus wowed the crowd and judges with a flawless victory score and was voted to be one of the strongest mages to have lived by The Mochina Weekly newspaper. They done a huge spread that took up the bulk of the issue about his past, magic and combat skills, this included the power chart.