A Wizard's Grace [Job | Solo]

Well, after those damned skelletons had had their asses handed to them by the Devil's Arms user, Vargas found himself travelling to Beanstalk Village, where apparently, their crops had began to suffer from a strange condition. Thinking that it was magic, they had called out for any mage's help. While the young man was no botanic expert, they did pay well, and he might find a way to return those crops to normal. Well, he'd have to at least take a close look at them.

Once the train had left him in the small village, the teenager, clad in his red trenchcoat as usual, traversed through the streets until he found the one client, who in turn guided him to the main grounds where the majority of the crops was grown.

-So, apart from the crops, have you noticed anything weird? Any clues, monster prints, anything? -he asked, wanting to see if he could discard the magic theory before they arrived. However, the man didn't reveal anything that was worth mentioning, other than the fact that it was from an unknown source, which Vargas already figured.

Well, he'd need to investigate for a little bit.

It did not take long for Vargas to feel that something was wrong... he could feel the souls of his demons wriggling, as if something was off. They resonated with each step he took, a feeling envelopping the Seig. It was not familiarity, instead... something like similarity, or a deja vu? He could not describe the exact sensation, yet he knew that something was off even as he simply walked towards the crop fields.

Why was his soul, and those inside, reacting to the area? -"To be fair, I don't even know what Asag and the other demons might be doing to my spirit. Honestly, as far as they are kept in check, it should be alright" -Vargas thought, not wanting to waste any more time in unnecessary thoughts. At that moment, he'd just need to focus on the task at hand, which was freeing the village from whatever was destroying its crops.

Standing before the weird-looking vegetables and plants, the Seig let out a rather dumbfounded look, since he had no idea what could they be.

-I'd say this is probably the result of dark magic, chief -Vargas blatantly stated, without having any idea if he was right. It had been a wild guess to earn some credibility. He snapped his fingers, entering Swordmaster style. Maybe he'd harvest one or two with Ghoul to see the plants in more detail.

However, things would be made clear once he would take a step forward, into the laboured earth.

Dicemerollin', they hatin'

The member 'akashi' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

It didn't take a single second for something strange to happen. Upon contact with the mage's feet, a small tremor shook the harvesting area. Small voices could be heard... coming from the underground?

-Guys, do you feel that?
-I feel that.
-I didn't feel anything, idiot.
-Shut up, Josh, nobody asked for your opinion!
-You just did, Ergerr!!

As those sounds came out of Earth, some creatures, way bigger than the vegetables, but still much shorter than Vargas. They were... corn looking creatures? Vargas could feel his magic resonating with them. Demons...
With a gaze, he indicated the chief to get out of the area as soon as possible, while he summoned Ghoul to do the promised crop harvesting.
-Well, well, looks like the menu's bringing itself to the table! -Fiore never ceased to amaze him, ever since his arrival.

Quickly enough, he darted towards them. The fact that he could not use his explosive shells nor area of effect abilities would make that battle much tougher.
First, he targeted one of the corns, slashing him twice in rapid succession, with Ghoul devouring in each strike. The demon fell to the ground, knocked out, and Vargas smirked.
-Alright, one down!

The others were quick to react to the male, doing somewhat flamboyant movements, as if... showing off? At any rate, two corns attempted to outright tackle him; a rather idiotic move, for the male just held tight onto his dagger, which he let slide inside the demon's head as he charged towards him with a head... I mean, cornbutt? Afterwards, he'd wildly swing his arm from right to left, the dagger severing the creature from the inside while still filling up with energy.

The others did not attempt something as reckless, and merely pointed at him with their mouths.
-Hah! You gonna try a corn breath or something? You should've let me grab a bucket first! -Vargas taunted them.

However, they suddenly released a barrage of rapid travelling bullets. Although he managed to avoid two of them reflexively, the third one impacted directly in his stomach, for he had taken steps in the wrong direction.

Well, well... those things hurt like hell. It was at that moment Vargas knew... he'd fucked up.
-"Wait, what? What the hell is wrong with these things? They deal way too much damage, more than the skelletons!"

Without taking time to breathe, he decided to take out those corns as quickly as possible. Ghoul noticed the injury his wielder had gone through, and repaired a large portion of it with its ability to restore health based on the blood and flesh consumed.

It would take Vargas a lot of effort, but in the end, he managed to put down the little demons with a combination of unarmed strikes and cold slashes coming from his knife. Once the last one finally bit the dust, the Seig realized that he could not be careless that time around.
-"If more than two of those things hit me again, I'm screwed".

OOC: (D-Rank Damage+ghoul passive)*2hits is enough to kill one corn.
HP: 100-40+15 from Ghoul's healing: 75 HP remaining.

The member 'akashi' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Monster Dice' :

Upon driving the last dagger through the demon's head, and feeling Ghoul feast upon them, Vargas felt a rather powerful presence in the near. Without being able to avoid it, an excited grin formed on his face, coupled with a gaze that could be described as aching for the fight. He turned back, and found one lone person, clad in black clothes, who looked at him in a rather despective manner.
-So you are the one that has been disrupting my work in this village... How quaint. You don't appear to be more than a novice. -the mysterious man stated.

Vargas looked at him, his trademark carefree half-grin drawn on his lips. -So you're the one who brought those midgets to the village? I'm impressed... that's a solid performance for a guy that would rather let others handle his dirty work.

-Laugh all you can, boy. You won't be able to even move your mouth once I'm done with you.
-Is that so... watch out, mate. I wouldn't want you to get a cranky neck from looking down on me!

With those words, Vargas flew towards the Dark Wizard with a single jump. In his hand, Ghoul trembled for a second, as he revved up a slash, way too soon to hit with the dagger. Noticing that, his new opponent laughed. -You don't even know when to begin your attacks, you id...

However, that sentence would not be completed, for Ghoul suddenly turned into a massive broadsword with a monster-like maw design. Vargas, with a violent swing, made the tusks rip part of the wizard's flesh as he launched him upwards with brute strength alone. The foe was able to partially block it with an arm, which for the Seig meant that he would not be able to use it immediately.

However, the black mage would then prepare a spell of his own.

OOC: Damage dealt: 1 D-Rank +Ghoul's passive*2(active)= 2 D-Rank damage on the foe, +50% from Swordmaster: 3 D-Rank damage. 12 more to be brought down.
HP: 70%
MP: 90%
Active used: Consumed and Adapt.

The member 'akashi' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Block Dice' :

The white haired male darted towards his opponent from the left, given that the enemy's right arm was left useless for the time being thanks to Ghoul's might. The wizard attempted a desperate maneuver and fired some weird black ball at him, a spell, he guessed. The dark wizard who had infected the village with his curse would then try to do the same against Vargas; however, that effort would prove fruitless, for Vargas deflected it with a rather well-aimed strike. Normally it wouldn't have been possible, but on its augmented form, Ghoul packed quite a punch.

As the dark wizard realized that he was going to take some more hits, he grimaced while muttering a simple sentence. -Oh shit...
Ghoul, once more, struck its body, although that time the blade would not rip any flesh, instead just hitting at him with full force. However, its passive devouring skill had increased in strength, which should've been enough to deal quite some damage.

-So... you were saying? -the Seig stated as he snapped his fingers, entering Gunslingerstyle and wanting to prove to that guy that he would be more than enough to take him out. The Dark Wizard was getting angry, and he let him know before preparing another spell.
-Don't get too cocky... brat!!!

-Sorry, what did you say? Get that pubic hair out of your face and talk again, pal! -the Seig taunted his foe, with no other intention than to make him mad. If such curses took a good amount of concentration to execute, then his best bet would obviously be use his best asset to its fullest: his capability to not give a fuck and annoy people by just doing his own thing.

Now all that was left to see was if whether the foe would take the bait... or not. Needless to say, the Seig was incredibly excited about that whole encounter: it was the first time he faced a mage that attacked him directly. Yes, his encounter with those two at the port, while a little tense, did not fall under the same category.

The member 'akashi' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Block Dice' :

OOC: Forgot to state: damage dealt last post: (1-D-Rank 0.5*2 D-Rank (passive))*1.5 from Swordmaster = 3 D-Rank damage. Only 9 more to take him out.

As Vargas tried to charge at the foe once again, his enemy, now having regained control of his damaged hand, would try his luck again. This time, the Seig could feel his senses going somewhat... numb? However, right after he noticed, he let the Ethernano in his body burst outwards, dissolving the effect with a wave of his own magic. It had been a quite unorthodox maneuver, and he was unsure of whether he'd be able to pull it off again, specially once his magical power reserves began dwindling. As of that

-"What the heck is wrong with this scum? -the wizard thought. Not only had him blocked his previous attack, but now he had even shattered a much more direct curse? Perhaps things would go a bit harder than he had anticipated at first. While he ran, Vargas saw Ghoul beginning to fade away into light, entering his own soul once again. He knew how much his weapons could last, hence why he had already changed styles in advance.

-Alright then, let's dance! -he shouted, summoning Daeva. Now that the curse had vanished from the crops, he could not allow his destructive AoE weaponry to destroy them, no. He'd have to somewhat hold back during the fight... but how? That was pretty much a spell for doom. Hopefully the enemy wouldn't caught up on his inability to employ the rest of his spells.

Vargas took the chance and fired two arrows at the already damaged arm, wanting to inutilize it for good. Given that the dark wizard was still in shock from him dispelling all his curses, he was unable to dodge one of them, although the other one missed by a small margin.
As the attack pierced the flesh, the arrow's anti-ethernano particles began doing their own thing, further damaging the limb. As the magic entered his flesh, he realized...

-Guh... this is demonic... magic?

Still, he wasn't going to let that pushover put an end to his efforts to ruin the town. For the glory of his guild, he wouldn't. Thus, he prepared another spell...

OOC:
HP: 70%
MP: 80%
Damage dealt now: (1 D-Rank + 0.25 D-Rank)*1.5 from Gunslinger = 1.9 D-Rank damage -> 7.1 D-Rank hits left to kill.

The member 'akashi' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Block Dice' :

That time, Vargas was unable to shake off the curse, which seeped deep into his body, grabbed his very essence, and then proceeded to unleash the worst of fates possible for the Seig. No. It couldn't be. He tried to, he tried to with all his might, but he could not do so. No matter how he pushed, nothing would come out. -Hahahaha! Finally, you will shut the hell up, you idiot! -the Dark Wizard laughed like a maniac, as Vargas panicked over the loss of his voice.

How did he allow this to happen?! His best asset was now lost! No more snark would be delivered, no more jokes would be cracked. It was truly the severest punishment for one such as him!!! -"You bastard, that was my speech freedom!" -he attempted to say, quoting some fat guy he had met while travelling to Fiore. The thought made him cringe, but thankfully, he returned to the fight.

Now, the other wizard took the initiative. He seemed somehow brave now that his mouth was shut... oh, perhaps he might've expected his other spells to need some sort of incantation he couldn't stop to say in the middle of the fray, and was just making sure? Jokes on him, that wouldn't do.

The wizard fired a dark blast at him, which did collide with Vargas's body, albeit it wasn't as strong as the corn's blast... maybe that wizard specialized in disruptive spells? At any rate, after taking the hit, Vargas would take his chance to shot an extra couple of arrows. Oh, how he longed for the ability to speak and inform that his pitiful corns packed a heavier punch than him...

-"If killin' you is the only way to regain my voice, I'll gladly will." -the male decided, just as the dark wizard took one hit again, and prepared himself to fire a new curse. What dreadful effects would it bring to Vargas that time?

OOC: HP: 55%
MP: 80%
Damage dealt: same as previous post: 1.9 D-Rank damage: 5.2 D-Rank damage to finish him.

The member 'akashi' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Block Dice' :

Vargas was absolutely livid about the fact that his opponent had sealed his mouth shut. So far, nobody had managed such a feat, and boy had he met people! Whether he was so angry that he paid no attention to that wizard's spells or not was a matter of question, but the truth was that he managed to avoid a second dark orb coming at him. God knew what nasty effect that magic might've had should it have collided with his body.

Whatever it was, given that it had not hit, Vargas decided that it was about time to counter attack, and ran closer towards the mage. The damage coming from the arrow's aimed at the arm and the anti-magic particles spreading throughout the foe's limb were already taking their toll on the Dark Wizard. Hence why, Vargas approached and attempted a fake. He prepared his bow to fire right straight, but as he reached critical distance and his opponent began to prepare, he jumped upwards, over the mage's head, and released the arrows from there, aiming at his back.

Two more arrows were shot in quick succession, this time both embedding themselves in the enemy's skin. However, Daeva had reached his critical limit of usage, and vanished away, leaving Vargas defenseless for a bit. After all, Ghoul was the other weapon he could use while around there, and he hadn't got it ready yet.

In the meantime, the Dark Wizard took advantage of the gravity to shoot a potent projectile at him again, while preparing a curse at the same time. Well, that was quick. To be fair, Vargas had already taken quite some damage, but so had his opponent. The next part of the fight would probably play a decisive role in it...

OOC:
HP: 40%
MP: 80%
Damage dealt: [2(D-Rank per arrow) + 0.25 D-Rank from the DoT(last tick)]*1.5= 3.4-> 1.8 D-Rank attacks remaining to knockout/kill.

The member 'akashi' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Block Dice' :

Well, that was a complete letdown. The Dark Wizard was thoroughly beginning to think whether he should try to learn new magic, because his curses had, so far, taken almost nothing from his foe. -"What in the heck is wrong with this idiot? He's just a novice, an amateur! Yet still..." -he had to admit that his foe was quite strong. It was true that the mage before him was still green, but if he had never heard about him and he was putting up that much of a fight... To which heights would he be able to rise if he continued his journey, if he did not stop him there and at that moment?

Yes. That mage, whoever he was, was a dangerous person. Not at that moment, but rather, his future self. Perhaps it would be about time to recognize him...

-Hey, you. What is your name? -the man asked, calmly, as he breathed as best as he could. He was genuinely interested in knowing his enemy's identity, probably to hunt him down later. At first, he expected an answer, though the bearded man had forgotten something quite important: however he may have wanted him to speak, he was met by some angry, really rude gestures from Vargas, who was apparently trying to shout but was unable to; quite a commical scene.

It took at least ten seconds for the enemy mage to understand the situation; a mischievous grin was drawn on his face, albeit hidden by his garments and facial hair.
-Oh, true. I forgot I had shut your mouth to keep you from saying anything stupid again.

Well, what do you know. The only cursed that had somewhat worked, and it even backfired in the end. Still, that time, when Vargas rushed at his opponent, he was carrying no weapon, hence why his attempt to strike was parried by the other mage, as best as he could. They stood there, locked in that position as the white haired male tried to hit that idiot on the face. With his left arm, a hook was attempted, but the other mage dodged it.

Breaking free from each other's grasp, they both jumped backwards. While the dark mage attempted yet another spell, Vargas rapidly switched to Swordmaster style. In little time, Ghoul would be ready for him to use again...

The member 'akashi' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Block Dice' :

Well, that was probably going to spell the last compasses of the battle. The mage, once more, tried to take hold of Vargas's senses. This time, the attempt would be on his sight, but it would prove futile, for the Dark Wizard was already too weak for him to affect his opponent with his powers. Vargas's reserves of energy and magical power, which were surely above his at the time, just outdid the attempt.

The white haired male would then call forth Ghoul once more, now that it was ready to be used again. He would not lose time with the sealed form, but instead, attacked with the augmented form. Consume and Adapt would be outright executed with no delay, as Vargas plunged into battle once more. The Dark Wizard, who had been unable to do anything with his curses so far, fired another dark bolt that directly hit Vargas. However, it did not do enough to faze him, and continued the charge, thus leading his foe to try and block the hit...

Yet Ghoul's raw power, combined with its increased size and the fact that it tore away part of the foe's flesh again, proved to be fatal. A vertical swing, with the aid of gravity, brought down the massive sword onto the enemy, lacerating skin and making him crash onto the ground.
Panting heavily, Vargas fixed his gaze on where his foe laid. The dark mage's fingers moved again, probably attempting yet another curse at him.

-"You just don't know when to quit..." -the Seig thought, unable to pronounce even a single word. He also had been badly damaged... hopefully, nothing weird would be pulled by that mage. However, he did not want to kill him... so he'd have to hold on for a while. After all, nothing about the job said that he had to end a human life.

OOC: HP: 25%
MP: 70%
Damage dealt: (1 D-Rank+0.5D-Rank*2)*1.5= 3 D-Rank: knocked unconscious.
Rolling for shenanigans, since the battle was over.

The member 'akashi' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Block Dice' :

Vargas could feel the last attempt of curse numbing his sight and blackening the world around him. However, that experience would prove short-lived, for his opponent's consciousness faded away, which in turn reverted the effects of the nasty spells placed upon the Seig. Having won the battle, he sighed, as a weak smile formed on his lips. He had taken a beating as bad as the previous time, and he hadn't even fought one quarter of the enemies he destroyed that time.

Is that how powerful mages were? For if that was the case, he'd need to increase his power... a lot. For the time being, however, he just answered his foe's previous question, even if he couldn't hear him. -I'm Vargas... Vargas Seig.

The Devil Arm's user dismissed Ghoul with a flick of his wrist, and picked up the now unconscious body. He'd hand it to the authorities of town, and await there upon any confirmation that he would be sent to prison, given normal guards couldn't stand up to him. The chief, who had been watching from afar, was happy: his village was back to normal, and the damage to his crops had been pretty much minimal.

When he saw that there was no furhter way that the Dark Mage would be able to damage his village, the old man approached the Devil Arm's wizard, and spoke out of gratitude. However, Vargas's senses were not focused on such a speech, but rather, on the encounter he had just experienced. That wizard, while arrogant and apparently powerful, was surely of about his own power. Which meant that in Fiore there would still be a lot more mages, awaiting for their chance. Sooner or later, more battles would come, and he'd better be ready to do so.

Now, what was the best way...? Well, he'd have to begin by increasing his arsenal, that was for sure. That simply meant that he'd need to pump up his own business for a little, refraining from doing any further normal requests. Wait, should he do them instead, promotioning himself along the way? But how was he going to do even that when he hadn't even thought of a name?

-"I wonder if the iLac has some sort of... name generator, or anything. I've got no imagination when it comes to stuff like this." -the young, white haired male thought, nodding his head instinctively as if wanting to communicate that yes, he was paying attention to the chief.

Yep, he had always been quite unimaginative when deciding how he'd name something. Thankfully his weapons did (usually) take their own demonic name, which saved him quite a lot of work in the process. As the old man finished talking, Vargas stood up as best as he could, still shaking a bit from his injuries.

-My, my. You do have taken quite a trouncing. Nevertheless, as I've already said, this village owes you a lot, mister...

-Vargas. Vargas Seig. -he completed the sentence, not very interested at first... however, when he was asked something else, his attention got snatched.
-When you came here, I first noticed that you were carrying one of those new iLacs. I happen to have one myself, although this cursed thing drives me crazy. Still... our requests take a lot of time to reach the more crowded areas, so would it be okay if we ask you for help when we have similar problems? -the man asked him, politely.

Wait, wait, wait. So that would mean that... Customers?!
-Yeah! Yeah, yeah... Allow me.

He took the old man's iLac in his hands, entering his number and registering it.
-I gotta say... demons are my kind of thing. Don't hesitate to call if you've got one around here. I'll come by and kick its ass. -the Seig replied, handing him the device once more. -I have to warn you, though! I'm not a charity. I'll be expecting payment with each request, as usual...

-Of course, of course! I would've not have had it any other way. It's just a means for communicating faster.

Soon enough, guards arrived into the scene, taking the black mage's limp body with them.
Vargas, on the other hand, was taken in by the nearest doctor, who worked hard on healing his wounds. After all, he had just saved that season's produce, so he'd deserve extra care.

[MISSION ACCOMPLISHED]