Seeker of the Shadow Phoenix [Job ; Solo]

job info:

During his time with the cult, Vincent learned of a set guardian that they worshiped. He saw murals of these guardians in their ritual room. There were six murals - one on each wall. There were four phoenixes on each wall in a cardinal direction, colored to match their respective elements, one massive phoenix on the ground, and countless eyes and tendrils on the ceiling. It was believed that each of these phoenixes were guarding artifacts that would bring the worshipers closer to their most sacred of gods who was said to have created dark magic. Vincent didn't know about all that 'creating dark magic' business, but he was intrigued by this figure of theirs. If he supposed that their most sacred god was simply a very powerful dark magic entity, then it because reasonable to believe that their stories were easily verifiable if he could find these lower deities in their pantheon. Phoenixes, the creatures of rebirth. About as much is known about these beasts as the dragons, so if I could even find one... well, that would be quite a stroke of good luck. They claimed that they knew the approximate location of one of these creatures and they were just sitting on this knowledge? They deserved what I gave them. Selfish. he thought, standing in front of the Wakusei Portals. The phoenix of shadows was said to reside on the planet Nazo - a place he could only access through these magical portals.

Many from the cult had attempted to find the phoenix of Nazo and return with its artifact. None had succeeded. Thus, the elders of the cult forbade any more of its members from essentially committing suicide. Vincent couldn't respect a ruling which disallowed anyone from seeking knowledge is they so chose. Anyone who couldn't return was clearly not capable of acquiring worthwhile knowledge, but to stop anyone from seeing if they had what it took to come closer to their supposed deity. Well, that's simply unforgivable. Vincent took a step forward into the portal that would take him to Nazo and, after a length magical teleportation, he was standing on the ground. The wizard looked up at the black sky replete with stars as he walked forward, appreciating the beauty of the natural processes that governed space. He didn't know much about this planet other than its popular label: "the land of oddities."  The Crystal Swan mage wondered what could be meant by that as he observed the area around him. There was a large set of mountains to the east, a relatively large village to the north, and a massive hole to the west.

The mage figured that he might as well inspect the only one of those three things which he could not find in Fiore and so, made his way towards the unnaturally large opening in the planet. When he was at the edge, he peered into the void and kicked a rock in to see how deep it was. He never heard the rock land. "Deep, isn't it?" a voice said from behind him, prompting the wizard to turn around and gaze upon an old man. "Quite. Who're you and how did you get here?" Vincent replied, immediately suspicious of the stranger. "Lower your guard, Wizard. I'm what people would call a spirit guide in Nazo. I come to the lost and assist them in finding what they seek. As such, I know that you seek our land's guardian - the phoenix of shadows. Well, you're not the first, and you certainly won't be the last. Many have perished seeking what you came for, the song of the phoenix being the last sound they hear. Are you sure you really want to go through with this?" the old man said, looking at Vincent quite seriously. "If I fall to the phoenix, then I don't deserve to call myself a seeker of truth. If I'm not powerful enough to overcome a phoenix, what chance to I have in uncovering any secret worth knowing?" he replied, just as serious. "I see. I see, who am I to get in your way, then? Currently, the phoenix you seek may only be reached by jumping to the bottom of that hole. Don't worry, you'll be safe. There's a reason we're called the land of oddities." he said, disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

WC: 730
Total WC: 730

Strange old man. I hope he was telling the truth or I'm going to be here longer than I'd like Vincent thought, looking once more into the void into which he was expected to descend. Knowing he was going to go into this hole for one reason or another, he stepped off the edge and fell. As he fell, his hair was blown upwards as were his clothes. I can't remember the last time I fell from such a high place. Wait... I actually think I can. Yes, that's right. When I was learning how to fly he thought as he fell. When learning how to fly he was pushed off of a cliff overlooking what he believed was water. While he was never in any real danger, he really believed he was which was the point. It was then when he summoned the wind to save him from his fall and any subsequent falls which was why he didn't really mind plunging into a dark hole. Oddly enough, he could still see the walls of the hole behind him as well as his own two hands despite having fallen much farther than where the light could reach. Odd was his only thought before continuing to think of the past. After what felt like ten whole minutes of falling, he saw the bottom. Alright, time to slow down Vincent thought, summoning his trusty Wand of Storms, causing a breeze to surround him and gently carry him down to the bottom.

When he got to the bottom, he decided to look around the surprisingly well lit chamber in which he now found himself. There were broken human bones scattered about the bottom. "How grim" he thought aloud before that familiar voice revealed itself once again. "I agree. You'd think that some of these powerful magi would think a little more before jumping into a deep hole. None of the mages whose bones you see around had any method of slowing their descent. Most died instantly." said the old man, gesturing for Vincent to walk with him. "I suppose they thought that their guide's recommendation constituted some implication of safety." he responded, following his guide closely. "You're probably right. The unlucky few told me as much before the light eventually left their eyes, but that's no fault of mine. I merely know the way, nothing more, nothing less." the old man said before stopping.

Vincent looked up at the obstacle which caused the man to stop. Upon further inspection, it looked like a massive pair of double doors with the crest of a black phoenix carved into the center. "I should probably warn you that once you go through these doors you're not coming out without that artifact that all of you eager mages are after. Without it, you'll be stuck. Then again, I doubt you'll mind being stuck behind the doors if you're willing to throw your life away to feed our guardian." he said, raising his arms and saying a phrase in a foreign tongue. The wizard watched as the two stone doors parted, allowing him to walk through which he did without hesitation. "Thank you, old man" he said, looking back. "Don't thank me, I'm merely following orders. Perhaps you can thank me if you manage to best the guardian - but good luck with that." the old man responded, turning into a puff of smoke again. The wizard shrugged - the possibility that he would fail was far from his mind. Presently, the only possibility he could realistically imagine was that of his inevitable victory over the mythical creature.

Once he walked through the massive stone doors as the end of the only path leading away from the bottom of the pit, he was greeted by small town. Interesting. Who would ever live down here? he thought, walking towards the collection of towns to inquire further before his meeting with the only beast he knew known to calm the unrelenting elemental dragons of legend. At the entrance of the town facing the doors was a guard, a Pergrande knight from the looks of it. Vincent had a strong disdain for the kingdom, but also a grudging respect or it. His history was intimately tied into the discriminatory nation of powerful knights. He had never wanted to learn how to use a weapon due to their pseudo sacred status among the nation's most skilled fighters. Still, though, he put his hatred aside for the sake of his own survival. Weapons were a necessity and the ability to use one was almost necessary for a career mage, he found.

"I know why you're here and if you'd like to continue then you need to prove that you're capable of besting me. I am the most powerful member of this town and, if you cannot defeat me, then you have no chance at defeating our guardian. You may still proceed to her if you wish, but most simply take up residence - not wanting to knowingly throw their lives away." the knight said, taking a step forward in Vincent's direction. The armor, the voice. He recognized them. While studying as an apprentice wizard, his teachers made sure that he was well versed in the history of Pergrande. Vincent didn't realize why they had him become to familiar with the history of the Kingdom until he was finally ready to leave his community of magi, but this knowledge flashed into his brain now. Yes, this was definitely one of the famous knights of Pergrande when Vincent was a child. "Richard the Lion?" he said, wanting to confirm his suspicion.

"Oh? That's a name I haven't heard in a long time. My hatred for your kind has dwindled over the years, but I know a wizard when I see one. I'm almost afraid to ask, but are you and I countrymen?" he said, taking another step forward. Vincent nodded slowly at the towering knight whose armor glistened in the light coming from above, from an unknown source. It was like the moon shined brightly in the sky, though he couldn't see such a body. The wizard gripped his wand tightly, feeling a mixture of anger and pity. "You're lucky to be alive then. A real Lovelorn. I never really believed the stories, given our reputation for snuffing out magic wherever it hides. Well, that's all in the past. I won't kill you, but we still need to fight. After that, do whatever you'd like." he said, readying a stance.

Vincent was familiar with the conventions of the Pergranden duels and so he mirrored the stance, turning his wand into a curved sword like the kind Elvira had trained him to use. "Even growing up as a mage in our country, you still respect our customs? Very peculiar indeed. It's a shame you were born cursed, I feel you would have made a great knight." he said, commenting on Vincent's stance. "Yes, yes, now let's get this over with." Vincent's said, making the first move with a quick overhead slice. His strike was quickly met by a polished long sword and a powerful kick to the chest, knocking him backwards. The wind caught him and quickly moved him towards the rear of the knight in full plate armor. Before the relatively immobile man could turn, Vincent had the wind thrust him into The Lion's back.

"I'll never stop being repulsed by such displays of arrogance. Using nature itself as a crutch in battle." came from behind the helmet. "As a crutch? I've studied harder than you can imagine for the most basic magical abilities. While I was born with the ability to harness magical energy, I wasn't born with the knowledge or skill that I needed to develop to actually utilize that latent talent." he said, flying back to dodge a response to his ramming. "What good is all that studying when a knight can match your little tricks with half the physical training!" The Lion retorted, jumping towards Vincent and making a slashing motion. Vincent had the wind take him under the leaping knight. "Strength is all you get from your training, I gain understanding, insight into the world around us. That alone is invaluable and gives me a meaning you could never understand." Vincent responded as he faced the knight's back. "Such a pretty sentiment is what gets men killed trying to defend their country. Monsters don't care about how you understand the world, all they care about is destruction. The only meaning you should need is that which comes from the strength to protecting your country and your family. That wasteful attitude and complacency to waste time studying potentially worthless topics is exactly why I'll never completely lose my disdain for your kind."

It was clear that Vincent and Richard disagreed fundamentally about what one should prioritize. While it was true that studying magic allowed him to become a stronger combatant, power was never the primary concern of his studies, it was knowledge. This knowledge is what he would use to better understand the world around him and feel as though his life had some sort of meaning. Richard, on the other hand, was raised in an environment which produced powerful fighters whose only concern was their ability to best monsters in battle. Their strength allowed them to defend their loved ones from the monsters that bordered their kingdom and this sense of duty and protection gave Richard his own meaning in life. Even now, he was defending all who entered the town from themselves.

"You want to see what all of this 'complacency' has gotten me? Fine then!" Vincent said, his blood getting hotter and hotter. His clothes glowed and he changed into his Magician's Robes. Then, without hesitation, he changed once more into a suit of full armor that once belonged to the now defunct Warlock branch of the Pergranden military. Richard looked in awe at the faithful recreation of an armor that was from even before his time. The Lion nodded before rushing towards Vincent who put his sword in the ground. He caught his opponent's sword with his left hand during an overhead slice and transported his own sword into his right hand. Vincent stabbed forward, his wind sword slicing through the plate armor and striking a non-vital point. "I should have been more careful against a trickster. Wind magic is notorious for its empowerment to cutting ability." he said, dropping to his knee.

While duels were customarily a fight to the death, Vincent didn't kill other people. "After showing me that armor, after showing me your stance, and after exchanging blows with me, you won't grant me the honor of dying to a stronger opponent?" Richard asked the mage as he walked past. "I won't honor customs that I don't respect. Besides, you don't deserve an honorable death." he responded, walking into the town.


HP: 400
MP: 421
WC: 1818
Total WC: 2548

After that little battle and walk through memory lane, Vincent wanted to stop at the nearest baker and take a bit of a rest. The architecture was simple, but functional. There were signs outside the shops and the houses were clearly indicated by signs with what appeared to be surnames next to the doors. After enough searching, Vincent came across a little shop with a wooden sign over the door. On the sign he could see what appeared to be a loaf of bread engraved on both sides. Vincent walked inside and was immediately greeted by a man with a tall chef's hat. "I haven't seen that armor before. You must be here to challenge the phoenix. The name's William." the man said, his accent the same as Richard's. "I'm Vincent, pleasure to meet you William. Could you bake me a loaf of bread?" he asked, hoping that William wouldn't mind. "A whole loaf? You must be hungry after that battle with Richard. Understandable, though." William replied, going to the back section of the bakery and beginning the request.

Eventually, Vincent got a whiff of the fresh bread before actually seeing it brought out. "Here you are, fresh as fresh can be. I hope you're not taking your loss too badly, most of us here lost to Richard when first coming here. The others lost to the guy who was in charge of testing the new entries before him, which would be me, haha! Say, you wouldn't also be Pergranden would you Vincent? Your armor seems awfully familiar." William said happily. "I'm from Pergrande, yes. The armor is that which the wizards in the Pergranden military would use before they were betrayed by their fellow soldiers and driven out of the country. Warlocks, I think they were called. And to set the record straight, I didn't lose." he said, grabbing the loaf whole and taking a bite.

"You didn't lose? Well then, you must be quite powerful. I was only a rookie when I set out here, so I was no match for The Lion himself." William responded, shocked that someone could defeat such a famous knight. "Well, he's old now and not as quick as he was in his prime. Now he's just an imitation of The Lion." Vincent replied, taking another bite. "That's a bit harsh don't you think?" "Look, you seem to be oblivious to what I am or you must have never had the opportunity to appropriately internalize our country's hatred towards magic and all those who use it. I am a wizard, William, so excuse me if I don't sing the praises of famed knights from our homeland as loudly as possible." Vincent responded bitterly. The two didn't talk for the rest of the time that Vincent was inside the bakery. "What do I owe you, William?" he asked after finishing his meal, but William simply shook his head. "We're isolated down here, money's worthless. People take what they need and give what they can. You don't owe me anything, just get out." he said. Vincent nodded and turned towards the door before exiting.

William looked to be around his age, and although he wanted to apologize for taking his anger towards the Pergrande Kingdom out on him, he was too stubborn and too focused to turn back now. Now, Vincent was on his way to the stone steps on the other side of the town. When he got to them, he inspected the construct thoroughly. The craftsmanship was impeccable and there were so many of them leading up to massive cylindrical structure on the far side of the massive opening in which the small town was built. With a sigh, Vincent began to scale the steps leading to the cylindrical platform. Eventually, he got to the top and noticed two things: the first was the massive phoenix carved into the stone underneath his feet. Again, he couldn't help but marvel at the quality of the craftsmanship. The second thing that Vincent noticed was  some kind of shrine. At the center of the platform was a small pillar which held a small black orb - this was what he was here to collect. To the north, east, west, and south of the small pillar containing the black orb were four other pillars which were empty. How strange. It looks like they're designed to carry the orb that's already safely contained by the central pillar. Hmm... he thought walking towards the artifact. He reached out, but before he could touch it, he fell off balance due to some unseen force.

In that same instant, the glow from the unidentified light source intensified on the platform and all of the pillars retracted into the platform with the orb firmly stuck, though still showing, on the center of the structure. Before Vincent could get his bearings, a massive creature flew up from behind the far side of the platform in front of Vincent and let out a deafening caw. After its theatrical appearance, the mythical bird slowly descended onto the ground in front of him. It looked down and Vincent could hear a voice in his head which sounded like it was feminine. "Welcome young mage. You've done well in tracking down my orb, but I cannot allow just anyone to take such a precious treasure from me. You'll have to prove yourself in battle, or die trying." she said before flapping her wings and causing a wall of blood to rise from the borders of the massive platform on which they both currently stood. Vincent nodded, he knew that this challenge was coming so he was mentally prepared.

"When I win, though, could you tell me a little bit about your kind? I'm curious and it's not very often that one gets the chance to speak with a mythical beast." he said as he requipped his dark magic spell book. "When? Awfully confident don't you think? I know I don't have to tell you about the trappings of such confidence. But if you win I wouldn't mind telling you what you would like to know." "Excellent!" he said, pointing a hand towards the phoenix and launching the first attack: Black Blight.

Phoenix HP: 1940

HP: 400
MP: 381
WC: 1035
Total WC: 3583

The phoenix was visibly shocked by Vincent's dark magic, not expecting the mage to open with the same element as it. Vincent could swear that she smiled before she took in a large breath before letting out a breath of dark magic and blood magic. Her attack was so fast that he didn't have the chance to move, so he took a direct hit from the breath attack and was sent backwards towards the barrier of darkness. He stood and shook off the attack. Thanks to his natural affinity for the elements as well as his armor's incredible resistance towards magical attacks, the attack barely took off a chunk of his armor's shield. He burst forward into a sprint as the phoenix rose from the ground with a mighty flap of its wings. Vincent changed the element of his tome from darkness to light and cast Blessing beneath his feet primarily to enhance his next spell as well as his current one eating away at the phoenix. After casting blessing, Vincent brought down a lightning instantly bolt onto the mythical beast using his new ability: Scholar's Gambit. The phoenix of darkness, being weak to the light element, took more damage from this spell than she had his last and visibly appeared damaged as she fell to the ground.

Despite landing on her feet, he could tell that she wasn't in great condition. She was literally and figuratively shocked. "Light magic! How! You're last attack was clearly one imbued with the most subtle of elements!" she roared into his head while lightning visibly coursed around her now weakly paralyzed body. "I'm a master of the elements, Phoenix. If you think that light and darkness are all I have, then I hope you're prepared." he said, running up underneath the beast and activating an enchantment known as Lightning Blitz which called down yet another lightning bolt from the sky to his current position which caused the lightning to surge through the head of the phoenix which let out a cry in pain. Vincent smiled and dashed towards the right with his newfound speed. He was moving quite fast now thanks to his spell book's passive effect as well as the primary effect of Lightning Blitz. Before he could get used to his newfound speed, though, the phoenix caught him in under her talons and squeezed.

It was as if he was caught in a vice grip. "I see.... That magical armor of yours is only designed to protect against magic, is it? Well, then I guess I'll just have to squeeze until either my talons pierce through the plates or until your bones break under the pressure. Either way, I hope you have a way out of this you tricky little wizard." the phoenix said, though Vincent could hardly pay attention due to the crushing pain he now felt all around his body. His bones were creaking and, if he couldn't think of something soon, he would die just as quickly as he defeated Richard. He had dropped his spell book, but that was of no concern. Vincent used his spell book's active ability and summoned four shadowy specters to fly over to where he was being crushed to try and lift the talons off of him. "Your puny little specters aren't strong enough to stop my talons. Come on, I know you're smarter than-" before she could finish her taught a magical bolt exploded outwards from his tome and directly hit the phoenix in her head, causing her to stagger and slightly loosen her grip.

This stagger and loosened grip was all Vincent needed, for once it happened his specters managed to get him out from under the mythical beast and carry him to safety. He held his hand out and transported his book from the ground to his hand. "That was a close one. You won't get me twice" he said, letting out a sigh. Her claws had pierced through his armor somewhat and he was currently bleeding at a constant rate. "You always have some trick up your sleeve, don't you?" she responded.

Phoenix HP: 875 [Taking "weak to light and soul" to mean that light and soul spells do x2 damage]

HP: 210
MP: 221
WC: 685
Total WC: 4268

Vincent huffed at the phoenix's observation. It was true, he did have a way to out of most situation. Now, however, he was effectively out of offensive spells barring switching to different spell weapons. Those, though, didn't take advantage of the weakness of the beast and would thus but less effective. Still, Vincent had come too far just to fail now. "Let's see how your broken armor will fare against a rain of blood magic!" the phoenix roared into his mind before a torrent of blood magic came down upon him and his specters. The summoned specters were quickly destroyed by the rain and the invisible field of magic which covered his armor wasn't going to last long under such pressure. The Crystal Swan mage needed to end this battle quickly. He ran towards the phoenix which swiped its wing aside in an attempt to hit Vincent with a large surface. Vincent hoped she would attempt a move like that, so he was prepared to grab onto her wing and begin climbing up the feathers and onto her back. "What are you doing! Get off of me!" she shouted before summoning four smaller versions of herself to deal with the problem.

No time to deal with the little ones, I need to focus he thought, raising up his book and transforming it into a massive two handed sword with its sharp point facing the phoenix's neck. He let gravity to most of the work as he plunged it into her, causing the phoenix to let out a cry of pain that outdid all of those he had heard so far. The sword of light was long enough and to go in through the back and come out the front of her neck, causing the phoenix's head to fall to the ground which allowed Vincent to transform his sword back into his spell book and get back onto solid footing. Before he could do this, though, the four little versions of the shadow beast each let out a breath attack, sending Vincent flying backwards into the bloody wall of the arena with his sword still firmly planted in the neck of the phoenix which was now recovering from his strike.

Vincent dispelled his book of darkness turned light turned sword to make room for his current magical weapon: the wand of light. Before the four little phoenixes could close in on him, he summoned a magical circle above the arena itself and called down a storm of light orbs which traveled straight down and pierced through all of the smaller versions of the shadow phoenix as well as the main monster herself. Vincent switched his Wand of Light to his Staff of Blaze before raising his staff up and firing off a fully charged fireball in the same instant it was cast, once against using his Scholar's Gambit to empower an attack that would otherwise take a long time prepare. The wizard was beginning to run out of attacks, but he still had one in mind. His Staff of Blaze was immediately swapped out for his tome labeled "Herbology 101" which utilized earthen magic for powerful attacking potential. Without hesitation, he created a large magical circle out of which a Venus fly trap emerged with its sights set on the downed phoenix.

It knew what to do and thus sent a massive toxic spine flying at the phoenix before wilting. The projectile, like all of his attacks, landed. This one in particular pierced through the shadowy wing of his opponent, poisoning her in the process. Vincent was now exhausted and walking towards the phoenix at a brisk pace to continue his assault. "What's the matter? Running out of energy so soon? Maybe you should have paced yourself, young wizard." she said from her downed position. "You're not fooling anyone. Your wing has a hole in it, you're poisoned from two different sources, and you have a wounded neck. You, too, are running out of time in this fight." he said, taking a knee before reaching the phoenix. "Be that as it may, we phoenix rise from our ashes. As far as I'm concerned, you humans cannot say the same." With that, it felt as though lightning was shot through Vincent's heart. She was right, even if he managed to just barely defeat her, she would simply come back to life. "Yeah, you're right. I suppose I never had a chance at defeating you to begin with, huh? Still, though, how many can say they've vanquished a phoenix?" he responded with false bravery.

Phoenix HP: 362

HP: 120
MP: 156
WC: 762
Total WC: 5030

Vincent turned his current spell book into a curved sword that was a near perfect replica of the kind that Elvira had used in his jobs with her. The phoenix then flapped her wings, sending a mix of wind and shadow magic over the entire floor of the arena which was enough to finally overcome Vincent's spell shield and inflict damage to him. He stood in place and looked up at his enemy. This was it, his last chance. He dashed forward with all the energy he had left and the phoenix flapped her wings again to try and push back his advance. Vincent withstood the gale and leapt up and sliced the chest of the phoenix, causing her to move back. "A sword? You really think that that little thing will be enough to slay me? My, my, you're not as bright as I thought" she said, but her taunts fell on deaf ears. He avoided another swing of the wing, spun, and cut the attacker gracefully - the blood of the phoenix splashing in a perfectly straight line in the path of the traveling blade. The wizard matched the same graceful movements he had seen from the one who had trained him, almost dancing while cutting the phoenix more and more. The flurry of blows was unchallenged except by attacks which he either avoided or ignored until, at long last, the phoenix fell.

Vincent too, fell - his armor dissipating and his back hitting the cold stone of the pedestal upon which he fought. "Not bad... wouldn't you agree?" he said to the phoenix whose eyes were closed and whose head rested upon the same stone as him. The rain of blood which was burning him slowly faded into a drizzle and eventually petered out completely. It was silent. Then, in a massive spectacle, the shadow phoenix glowed brightly before rising from its downed state - completely unharmed. "My my, I never expected you to actually cause me to have to come back to life. Now that I get to see you without armor, I can definitely say you don't look like the warrior type. Still, a deal is a deal and you may ask me any question you...." It was at that moment when Vincent blacked out. The damage he sustained in the battle was a bit too much to bear, even with the adrenaline pumping through his blood, and thus he fainted.

Three days later, Vincent awoke and found himself at the center of a magical circle. He slowly sat up and looked around to see five different mages pumping their own magical energy into the complex magical circle in order to heal his wounds. "You're finally awake. I was afraid you weren't going to make it. The wounds you sustained during our guardian's trial looked quite deadly." a woman dressed in a white coat said. Vincent watched her dismiss the five tired mages in similar white coats so that the two could talk. "I'm surprised I'm not dead. You must be proficient in healing magic to have brought me back from the brink." he said as he stood up, noticing that he wasn't wearing his normal attire, but rather a thin coat which draped down from his neck to his ankles. "Yes, I was sent down here with a party of three other mages in order to challenge and defeat our guardian. We failed, but she spared us because the village needed our magical specialties. You, on the other hand, accomplished what we couldn't do." she said, leading Vincent to a changing room which had his clothing and little black bag tucked safely inside a trunk.

While he knew that his clothes had to be changed at some point due to the fact that they were covered in blood, he didn't like thinking about strangers undressing him. He collected his clothes and changed into them before walking out to continue speaking with the woman who had essentially saved his life. "There's a reason we kept the clothes locked in a trunk. I didn't expect you to put them back on - they smell something fierce if you haven't picked up on that already." "Is it that bad? Allow me to fix that." With those words, Vincent reached into his drawstring back and pulled out a relatively thick piece of blue chalk. He crouched down and drew a simple looking magical circle around him with inscriptions like those found in water and fire magic. Once he had finished drawing the last line, the magical circle glowed and his clothes looked completely new. "There we go, washed and dried with a smell of the ocean" he said aloud, happy to have developed a simple spell.

"Impressive. Most forget about how useful magic can really be in improving your quality of life, choosing instead to focus on how damaging they can get their magic." she said, leading him towards the entrance of the small clinic she ran. "Thanks for saving my life." he said before turning and walking away. "Don't thank me, I was only doing what our guardian asked me to do. Thank her instead. She wanted you to go back up to the pedestal to claim what you have earned." the doctor told him, and so he did. Vincent walked up the steps once more to meet with the being that came close to ending his life. Irony. The phoenix was waiting for him and, once he got to the top, it began to speak once more. "That was close. You humans are quite fragile. As I was saying, we had a deal. I would answer any questions you had if you bested my trial." she said to him. "My first question pertains to how to truly vanquish a phoenix. Surely there is a way to truly kill your kind." he stated, his sentence implying a question he wanted answered.

"Yes, that is the question isn't it? Because you bested me in battle, I'll tell you, but you mustn't let anyone know about this. I am sharing this with you out of respect for your prowess in battle, but should I hear that one of my brethren has truly been slain, I will find you and you will regret ever wanting this knowledge in the first place." she warned before telling him what he wanted to know. The answer was long and took the form of a story rather than a straightforward statement. This involved process described by the phoenix was so lengthy and so specific that no one could ever stumble upon it by accident. Vincent was taken aback by the level of detail she gave as well as the amount of information with which he was unfamiliar. After the tale was over, he simply stared at the one called guardian with wide eyes. "And there you have it. How to truly kill one of our kind. Thankfully you can spare me the details of killing humans, both magical and otherwise are quite frail." she said condescendingly.

"My next question pertains to your followers. They all call you their 'guardian-' is that out of fear or out of genuine reverence? Also, there's a whole village down there. I doubt that everyone who walked beyond the point of no return decided at the last minute not to challenge you." he asked curious as to the true intent of the mystical beast that stood before him. "Well, that's a fine question. More interesting than the last, at least. The truth about the village is that I do guard them, I see them as my children in some sense. They worship me, as humans should, and I provide them with light and plentiful harvests. I spare about a quarter of those who lose to me provided their skills are needed in the village. Skills like cooking, sewing, woodworking and such are all valuable to a functioning village and so those that face me and have value outside their meager strength get to live. As for the question of fear and reverence, well, that's a question better suited for my followers rather than me."

"Alright, now what about this orb? What makes it so special? What can I do with it?" he asked, puzzled at the artifact which inspired so many to throw their old lives away and, at best, live underground and, at worst, end up in a cemetery. "Haha! You challenged me for my artifact without even knowing what it does? That's quite amusing, human!" Vincent nodded in response to this. He supposed that it was quite a funny situation. He had been so caught up in the action of fighting the beast that he'd never really thought about for what he was really fighting. The thought was a bit humorous, but also a bit sad. "I came so that I may see and question a phoenix. I just so happened to need to pass your trial in order to do that and leave. It was well worth it for the opportunity." "Your flattery is appreciated, though pales in comparison to what my worshipers do for me. Anyways, my artifact is one of four different orbs - each of which belong to a different one of my kind. Collect all four, head to the planet I believe is called 'Terasu' in your tongue, and find a mountain with a similar shrine to this one. There, you will fight a very powerful phoenix which contains a mixture of all our elements. I doubt you'll even be able to make it up to that shrine, but, if you do. And by some miracle you manage to defeat that most powerful of phoenixes. Well, then you'll be rewarded quite handsomely." she said.

"I see. Are your fellow phoenix as receptive to answering questions as you are? If so, I'd happily best them all in combat if I get to question them as I do you." Vincent said, excited at the prospect of questioning more mythical creatures and perhaps even collecting some of their feathers. "I wouldn't count on it. The one guarding the bloodfire orb is ruthless and will stop at nothing to kill you unless you best it in battle. The one guarding the ice orb is cold and will most likely not even speak to you. Finally, we have the soulsmoke's guardian. Well, I think she'll be the most likely to speak with you but she's a bit... difficult for lack of a better word. If you do go down this path, I wish you luck. Now, though, I must go, for I must take a long rest after our battle. The guide should be able to take you back to the surface. The orb is yours" she said, bowing to him as a show of respect.

As she said, he walked forward to the pedestal which was now raised back to how it was when he first arrived on the platform and touched it. Visions of all of the planets with their respective climates flashed into his head. These were all different planets which could be accessed from the Wakusei portals. In his head, he saw the sky bleed, he saw a land replete with magical energy, and he saw a snow covered wasteland. It was almost as if he was looking into his future. Vincent was set on the task at hand - he needed to collect these orbs and best the phoenixes guarding them. After he made up his mind, he noticed a pile of feathers on the floor - another gift to him from the guardian of the cavern. "Thank you, shadow phoenix." the mage said aloud before kneeling down to pick them up and carefully put them in his bag which would transport them into an appropriate container in his study. "So you actually did it. You bested our guardian. Well done." a voice said from behind, prompting the wizard to stand up and turn around. "Yes. It wasn't easy, but I earned my freedom. And this." he said, holding up the orb to eye level. It was a purple tinted black color.

"Before you go, we have a custom here where all those who manage to best the trial of our guardian carve their names into stone so that we never forget who you are. We will remember you highly as one blessed by our guardian, so please, follow me." he said, turning around and walking down the stone steps. Vincent was not about to argue with being remembered for generations to come, so he followed closely behind the 'spirit guide' who turned out to simply be yet another mage spared by the shadow phoenix. Once they got to the massive stone wall on the edge of the town, Vincent spoke to the stone worker and told him his name. Immediately, the carver got to work and expertly etched Vincent's name into the side of the cave which housed his people. "Believe it or not, there are a more altars around Nazo with their own guardian shadow phoenixes, but they're quite few and far between. You just so happened to unluckily stumble upon one which would seal your fate if you lost." the old man smiled before leading Vincent to the massive stone doors which opened only to those who could present the shadow orb. The old man told him as much and thus the mage from Crystal Swan produced the artifact that he had just earned, causing the immovable and unbreakable stone doors to come to life, opening in a direction that they hadn't gone in a long time.

"You're magic must be more or less depleted. Don't worry about getting to the top of this hole, it's the least I can do for you, champion" the old man said before grabbing Vincent and flying upwards at a remarkable fast speed. Before he knew it, he was back at the top of the hole with the Wakusei Portal in his sights. "I guess that's all, then. Thank you for your assistance 'spirit guide.'" Vincent said, squinting at the old man who had clearly lied about his status. "It was easier than stating that I was a proxy for the shadow phoenix which most of you mages come here for to begin with. It worked out, didn't it?" The wizard nodded. Before he could continue talking with the old mage, his guide disappeared one last time into a puff of smoke. With a sigh, Vincent silently celebrated the valuable resources and information he acquired from his quest to Nazo. He got much more than he expected and now he knew that there were other orbs that needed collecting. With a determined expression on his face, he stepped through the Wakusei Portal back into Fiore so that he could prepare for his next expedition: his expedition to acquire the ice orb!

WC: 2478
Total WC: 7508