Break the Curse [Job; Elvira Arcade and Vincent Gauss]

Continued from: https://www.fairytail-rp.com/t33820-find-the-lost-saint-job-elvira-arcade-and-vincent-gauss?nid=23#339577

Elvira's reaction to his heeding of her title was exactly what he wanted - something he had never seen from her before. She seemed to be quite embarrassed about her actions while asleep, much to Vincent's amusement. Later, once he and the Saint were finished speaking, he felt a force and pain emanate from his side - a feeling caused by his partner for presumably striking up yet another unreasonable deal. If that's the price I need to pay to get her on board, then so be it. Getting back into Seven was a bit of a hassle due to the political situation between the nation and Iceberg, though after a long while of waiting and rather invasive search procedures the three were allowed passage to the train station they had used earlier to get to the border. Much to the white haired wizard's dismay, the final train departed not seconds before the four arrived at the platform. Before Vincent had the chance to think of an alternative means of transportation, the summoner spotted the rabbit which had been part of the vetting process and managed to use her silver tongue to guarantee their party passage to the center of Sevenwood. Vincent would give the precise coordinates of their destination when prompted by his partner. Despite the protests of who was presumably a security officer of some kind with a very coincidental name, the four would find themselves being escorted by foot by fully armored elk knights. Zenshin remained quiet and focused throughout the trip to the center of Sevenwood, seemingly stuck in his own thoughts while following behind the curious strangers.

Eventually the four and their escort would arrive at the precise coordinates disseminated by the scholar from Crystal Swan which was revealed to be a large clearing with a large totem pole at the center. "That'll be all Hopkins. I'll make sure that the Magic Council hears of how cooperative Seven was in our official duty." While the rabbit wasn't too happy about being late for supper, he wasn't too unhappy at the outcome of his detour. Thanks to his cooperation, the relationship between Seven and Fiore would be made just that much stronger. Once Vincent was sure they were gone, he approached Elvira while Zenshin walked over to lean again the totem pole. "It's just over here." Vincent led her about two meters southwest of the totem pole before pointing to a mundane spot on the ground. The white haired mage would speak the same words he did the first time he was here in the dead language of Seven which caused to spot of grass to raise, revealing a narrow passage downwards into a well lit corridor. Thorny vines could be seen on the walls and ceiling of this corridor which would instinctively cause those traveling through to do so carefully and slowly. "Ladies first~" he said, sweeping his right arm outwards with a small bow towards his companion. The corridor would still be inexplicably lit and, at the end, would open up into the familiar dome shaped chamber once the four carefully got past the red thorned vines.

Lush red grass filled the chamber which contained similarly colored flora and butterflies. Four statues of fully armored knights made of a shiny black material stood with their arms up to sustain a kind of force field and formed an "x" around the circular blue basin at the center of the chamber. A small stone pedestal could be seen facing the entrance to the chamber with an inscription written in the same language Vincent had spoken earlier. "Beautiful, isn't it?" The wizard couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of this place before asking Zenshin to approach the pedestal. Zenshin silently complied and, once he got close enough to the pedestal, caused the four onyx knights to lower their arms and slowly turn towards the Saint. Just as slowly, the golems knelt as a sign of reverence and the barrier was lowered. "Excellent! I'm glad that our temporary partner was exactly what we needed. Now I assume we just enter the basin. I don't mind testing the waters." Vincent's eagerness made him the first to enter the water which was a lot deeper than he expected. Once his foot made contact with the brilliant water, he was pulled far underneath the water. After his three companions made their way in after him, the four would sink lower and lower while surrounded by crystal clear water. His lungs would burn and eventually give out, causing him to realize that the water surrounding him was breathable - a nice coincidence. After about five minutes of descending with all manner of sea creatures passing by the magi to simply observe them, the four would find themselves standing on a large circular platform while the water around them drained over the edges.

A large cylindrical structure could be seen about five meters north of their current position on which a throne sat. In this throne, a black haired woman in a deep blue dress sat and watched the four who had arrived in her domain. A woman wearing light clothing designed for hunting in Seven stood by her side with a bow on her back and a spear in her hand. "You four do not appear to be natives to this sacred land which is quite surprising to me. Nonetheless, you managed to find the basin and so I may presume you have some ailment that needs remedy?" Vincent stepped forward to respond: "Me and my female companion here are cursed and have come to the basin to have this curse removed. Would that be possible?" "A curse? The basin was designed with more... conventional ailments in mind - though I see no reason why a curse could not be broken. Due to this fact, the Trial of the Basin will now commence. Historically, this Trial was undertaking by an individual, so I will make this a bit more interesting." A door made of a black wood and a door made of a white wood materialized in front of the group. "Two of you will enter the black door. This door is the trial of strength. Vicious enemies in an equally oppressive environment await those who decide to undertake this trial. The white door is a trial of the mind. Powerful and unpleasant self revelations will be faced and, ideally, conquered. I will allow you to make the decision of who goes to what door within your group." Once this information was given to them, the Crystal Swan mage would turn to Elvira. "My intuition tells me that you and I are best suited for the white door while Virgo and Zenshin take on the test of strength, though I feel like I should at least ask before making yet another decision."

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The last thing Vincent saw was a blinding white light as he made his way through the white door. When he came to he realized that the ground was a noticeable bit closer to his periphery. Knowing that the ground could not possibly have raised, he looked down to see that he was dressed in the robes of a student. What is going on here? I haven't worn these in over a decade? Before he could come up with a working theory as to why he was both shorter and wore robes fitting of one who had just begun their studies of magic, his partner called to him. He looked in her direction and it seemed that, she too, had been aged down by the magic of the basin. "Yeah." The girl calling to him had to have been Elvira, the young mage figured. Once she got her bearings on their location, Elvira bolted down the alley in which the two magi found themselves which Vincent took as a sign to follow her. When he emerged from the alleyway he noticed the absolute chaos that gripped the city. The sign and the architecture are clear. We're in Minstrel. Is this a memory of Elvira's... or something else? His body was jerked in a direction after his thought and he saw that Elvira was panicked and running with him towards a crowd of people down the street. Once the two children arrived at the crowd, the boy took notice of both the crowd and the platform. The crowd looked humanoid in shape, but deformed by some unseen force. While they had the shape of humans, they had the eyes of monsters. The platform was equally monstrous. Vincent knew that the guillotine which sat upon the raised stone surface was a signature execution device used by Minstrel in the past.

The crowd was loud and eager to see the executioner initiate the execution of the alleged criminals, but Vincent could still clearly make out Elvira's cries of protest in her native language. Without even processing a thought he tried to requip his strongest sword and teleport onto the platform, but instead a spark of magic exited his hand and he dropped to his knee, exhausted. This body must be from before I underwent my magical training... He breathed heavily as he watched his partner in her white dress ram the crowd of rabid onlookers. The two were powerless to stop the execution of what Vincent presumed must be Elvira's guardians. When the crowd went silent, he knew it was too late to save the couple which found themselves at the business end of a blade. Blood rained upon a cheering crowd, but the white haired boy was focused on his partner rather than the spectacle of the public execution. Elvira was on her knees and was abjectly resigned to the fate of the two on the stage. When the blood rained down she screamed and Vincent's vision blurred. When his eyes focused again, they adjusted to the light and he saw that there was an elaborate arrangement of tea and pastries. Across from him he saw Elvira with a red, puffy face and dressed in what seemed to be an ornate style. When a voice said that it was time to leave, Elvira marched across the room and looked the door while protesting. She was clearly not okay - the young mage saw about as much in her eyes. Not knowing what to say to someone so utterly distraught with such little information that he had, Vincent took a cup of tea and drank from it. Pleasantly surprised, he tried one of the pastries and was equally impressed with the quality.

"This is excellent Elvira, you should try this. I know it's not real, but it's good enough to trick my tongue. Let's just... rest for a little while after that." The young mage was still exhausted from his pitiful attempt to use magic that was far beyond the physical capability of his current body. His entire body ached and he could feel a lingering pain in his hand, but figured that this pain was nothing compared to what Elvira must be feeling after that sick "show." Vincent couldn't recall every seeing Elvira expressing anything other than cynicism or aggression, but seeing someone close to him in such emotional agony twisted his heart. His face did not change as he took more sips of tea and consumed more of the pastries laid out in front of him, but still he noticed that a few tears had escaped from his eyes. "So who was that at the door and what did I just witness?"

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The white haired mage finished off the pastries and the tea as he listened to Elvira's attempt to speak Fioran. Her speech was broken and heavily accented. He had a feeling that this might happen due to his own slowness on picking up on what little spoken Minstrel he had heard. Vincent hadn't noticed until he had heard his partner speak, but his own speech had been tinged with the distinct pronunciations of the Pergrande Kingdom. From what he had gathered and attempted to piece together - Elvira and him were currently further in the past from what had occurred a little while ago. Some powerful illusion magic. Some of the best I've ever seen. I wish I had my notebook with me he thought, looking around the room. This was Elvira's last memory of her parents, it seemed, for it was the day that she was sent to Fiore. Then the execution we saw before was all of her own construction... what a terrible thing to think happened to your parents. I wonder how they really died. He wasn't naive enough to try and satisfy this curiosity at the present, for he knew that his teammate was in a less than stable state. She thought that there was a possibility that she could save her parents, though Vincent was sure that somewhere she knew that this was all an illusion. Even time magic had its limits and this was far beyond what would be possible for even the most powerful mage. If she wants to think, then I'll wait patiently. And so he did, for an hour. Once the hour was up and it was clear that for this "trial" or "memory" to continue, input of some kind would be required from the two magi. "We can't stay Elvira, it's not safe here no matter how it looks." he began as he stood up and walked over to the key that had been thrown earlier. Vincent picked it up and walked over to Elvira who, at the moment, was lying flat on her back with her limbs splayed out. The young man crouched down and put the key in her hand. "We need to leave, together. You can unlock the door whenever you are ready, but it must be opened."

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Vincent found himself starting down at a newspaper to see if the actions of him and his team had yet been reported on by the press. He, Elvira, and a few others were currently within the borders of the Pergrande Kingdom - a dangerous place for mages to be sure. The young wizard had formed a team in order to try and sway public opinion of magi in a positive direction, but the news outlets didn't exactly paint them in a great light. Still, some of the younger soldiers were beginning to warm up to them and some even turned a blind eye whenever they showed up to assist in protecting the wall against the monsters of Sin. The scholar blinked a few times and all of the previous events that the had just experienced flooded into his memory. He looked back towards his partner and saw that she was standing close to him and was dressed similarly to himself in dark clothing and a mask modeled after that of an animal which covered their faces from the nose up. "I'm sorry that I was present to intrude on what was seemingly something very personal to you, Elvira - but once this is all over we need to have a bit of a chat regarding your background, if you wouldn't mind. Your father's blade is not something that anyone would come by easily." Inevitably, the wizard's eyes found their way to the date which initially confused him. "This is dated in the immediate future. That doesn't bode well." Vincent knew that the power of the Basin didn't seem to create any illusions that weren't already present within the minds of those it affected, so a sense of impending doom was beginning to settle over the mage.

It felt as though Vincent could recall memories from the recent past that had not yet happened including the formation of his team, talking Elvira into joining him, and organizing different plans of actions for various parts of his group despite the fact that none of these things had actually happened. In contrast to the feeling of helplessness and frailty that he experienced while spectating the memories of his partner, he felt more powerful than usual. Elvira, undoubtedly, would be stronger as well. The new moon gazed down upon the two magi situated on top of the thick wall separating the nation of knights from the chaos of Sin leading. The new moon would shed very little light on the landscape and Vincent could recall planning for such an event. "It seems I have memories of events that haven't happened yet; I'm sure you are experiencing something similar? I suppose that, in my mind, I could talk you into doing something so foolhardy such as this. I hope you are okay enough to proceed through this little imaginary expedition of mind, for we are definitely not safe where we are currently." The newspaper in his hands blew gently in the soft breeze that passed along the top of the wall. This night was particularly silent and he knew that this part of the wall wouldn't be patrolled for another forty-five minutes. "Rogue mages from lands unknown interfere with the protection of the wall. How does that sound to you? I knew that we couldn't expect the reporters to be on our side, but I didn't expect outright falsehoods. Even so, rumors go a long way among the younger soldiers."

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Foggy memories began to become more clear to him which were beginning to help explain what seemed to be an odd reaction from his partner. Later, Elvira gave her strong and harsh assessment of the Pergrandian press and the knights who protect the wall which caused the mage to nod. He waited patiently for her to tell him of the idealists and those conscripted before speaking. "Your assessment is more or less accurate, but very few guards of the kingdom are actually conscripted. It's debatable whether or not all of the volunteers really volunteered of their own free will, but to reject your duty as a soldier - there's no better way to 'taint' yourself, so to speak. I'm sure just the threat of conscription as well as the stigma associated with refusing to become a soldier is enough to convince many fine young men and women to 'volunteer.' That threat and that stigma, though, are precisely the reason why I think that we have a good chance of succeeding in our mission to fundamentally change the way that the youngest generation of soldiers thinks about magi. That said - the longer we operate and to do just that the more dangerous it becomes. At this point we're far beyond public execution as far as punishment is concerned. Death would be the greatest mercy if we were caught." Vincent paused and took at a long look at Elvira and, for a moment, regretted bringing her along. To him, his mission was just and he was willing to suffer the consequences should he falter - but the thought of her being subjected to the Court's "justice" if he had made some minor miscalculation, well that thought was quite frightening.

He pushed this thought out of his mind by speaking in response to something that his partner was unsure about. "There aren't many knights relative to the number of soldiers, but they're required to be stationed in special camps at equal distances along the wall. They typically do not patrol the wall, but they are obligated to be the ones to respond first to any monsters that attempt to break through. The ones typically leading these charges are the Paladins. Though if a knight were to have a connection to a royal or a Paladin then they could of course be stationed at a camp tasked with defending a portion of the wall known for its infrequent monster attacks." The only person who knew his true identity of their five man team was Elvira and he was the only one who knew hers. All of the other members of their team only knew him by his pseudonym: Fox - which was fitting given his attire. Everyone knew what each of their partners looked like under their masks, but Vincent made an effort to make sure that everyone knew as little about each other as possible. The youngest among the group made his appearance with important reconnaissance information which increased the white haired mage's confidence in his time-table. He wore similarly dark clothing and had an ebony mask with the likeness of a crow which covered the top half of his face. While Vincent initially worried about his age and experience such matters, Crow was turning out to be quite an asset to the team. The final two members of the team joined him, Elvira, and Crow on the wall shortly after. Both of these women specialized in a type of magic that was invaluable to the team. Wolf was one of the most knowledgeable mages on healing and empowerment that Vincent had ever seen while Shark preyed upon people's fears with a masterful manipulation of illusions. The two magi both gave similarly important information, but from the part of the wall in the opposite direction to Crow.

"Excellent work you three. Now that we're all here I would like to make sure we all know how we will proceed. We wait until a beast strikes at the wall and we wait until the knights at the camp I've designated delta have been dispatched. Only engage once the Paladin engages, is that understood?" The three new arrivals nodded. "Good. I expect that this should go no differently than the many times we've done exactly this." As expected, a monster attacked eventually - but it was nothing like he had ever seen. This monster was more ferocious, more cunning, and more brutal than even the worst that he believed Sin had to offer. The beast was so threatening that the knights of camp delta needed to call in reinforcements from the adjacent camps: gamma and epsilon. By the end of the bloody battle many knights lay dead on the Sin side of the wall. Two Paladins fell in battle leaving only one with a small band of knights which lay in a small group against the wall on the Pergrande side. Shark had Crow had been badly wounded and Vincent had Wolf tend to their wounds. He and Elvira were tired, undoubtedly, but thankfully unscathed. The death of one Paladin was considered to be a national tragedy and happened with such infrequency that often decades would pass without one falling in battle. Once his team was fully recovered, Vincent had Wolf tend to the nearly dead knights and the mortally wounded Paladin all of whom spat either literally or figuratively at her or pleaded with her not to help them, for they were obligated to cut them down. Still, she tended to their wounds just enough so that they wouldn't die but not enough so that they would be in a condition to fight.

While all of their attention was on the beast, one of the more cowardly knights who noticed the five man team ran to call the Inquisition. This was a special team designed with slaying mages who methods were unknown to Vincent. He was always one step ahead of them, so he never got the information he would have acquired through encounters. On this day, though, his luck had run out. Three semi circles of about ten of knights who all specialized in the hunting of magi surrounded Vincent and his team on all sides. A single Paladin could could be seen standing within the circle and Vincent knew him. "Your group has committed capital crimes which are unforgivable. I will personally take you in with as much force as mages warrant." The way he said mages made Vincent's blood boil. "I don't recommend attempting to resist. We've set up a field which weakens magic to the point of ineffectiveness. Your attempted interference with the defense of the wall has given up more than enough time to prepare our arrest." "Attempted interference!? We've been helping you defend the wall at every turn and you still choose to believe such a ridiculous thing!?" "Oh? You can't be the one called Fox, can you? I heard that Fox was calm and quiet, but you seem to be easily." Vincent wanted so badly to raise his mask and show this man the face of his son, but he held himself back. "I know what fate for my team if you take us. As such..." Vincent walked over to the injured and tired Paladin who had survived the beast attack and took his bloody and chipped blade. The white haired wizard walked back over to where he stood before and faced his father. "I challenge you to a duel. You know the terms - if I lose then you must pretend as though you never encountered us and if you win then you may proceed with your arrest."

This tradition was almost as old as Pergrande itself. All citizens theoretically had the option of dueling the one which arrested them to get out of their arrest, but no one had such a death wish that they would challenge a knight or a Paladin. There were a few exceptions to this "Judicial Duel," such as when a knight was arrested then they would have to duel a Paladin. If a Paladin was charged then they were subject to royal authority which superseded this tradition, but Paladins and knights were typically selected based on their civil convictions and thus the actual number of them which committed crimes when compared to the total number of Paladins or knights enrolled was effectively zero.

All of the eyes of the knights of the Inquisition were now on Vincent. He was seriously challenging one of the most renowned Paladins to a Judicial Duel. It was essentially suicide in their minds - Vincent was taking the coward's way out and leaving his team to the mercy of the Pergrande "courts." "You've certainly done your research. I can't remember the last time someone invoked such a duel, but I am honor bound to accept. If you know enough to duel me then you know that a duel is only valid if both participants are face to face and know their names. I am William Gauss - the Silent Death of the Pergrande Kingdom." Each Paladin had their own nickname and signature weapon which would be given to them by the younger members of the guard. Reluctantly, Vincent took his mask off and dropped it to his side before introducing himself. "I am Vincent Gauss - the Fox." William's eyes widened at the striking resemblance to his wife as well as the coincidental family name. It clicked as to why he knew to invoke such an ancient rule and the Inquisitors began to speak among themselves. "I see you've dedicated your life to making a mockery of your culture and bringing untold shame to our family. I am honored to personally strike you down. The second my blade makes contact with your skin it will be over." "Try."

The battle that ensued was of equal or greater magnitude than the one fought moments prior - at least to Vincent. Not only was he tired, but his father was one of the most powerful warriors in the nation. Still, he had trained with many powerful swordsmen - Elvira, his mother, and even the echo of an old warrior king. Each of their lessons showed up in his battle and although killing other sentient beings was something that he was completely against to his core, he knew that if he didn't mortally wound his father then he would perish. His wiles simply weren't enough and, by some miracle, his blood soaked sword found its way through his father's stomach. The Inquisitors were as shocked as his own team was when they saw their leader kneel beside the warm corpse of the man who had been hunting him and begin to weep. This was the price of his hubris and it was a price that he was willing to pay. His father was not the only one he was morning for. The world around them began to fade until they were back on the platform from which they entered the doors.

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Vincent spent a long time on his hands and knees with his gaze fixed on the stained glass platform under the group where his father lay dead moments ago. Virgo and Zenshin didn't seem to mind, for they relished the opportunity to rest after their trial which was as physically punishing as his and Elvira's was psychologically. When his eyes finally broke their line with the ground, they wandered up to see an outstretched hand. With his left hand he wiped his face and put it down before taking his teammate's hand with his right. He was careful not to make eye contact with her, but thanked her for offering him a hand all the same. His eyes were now staring up at the embodiment of the basin who seemed to be quite content with their performances. She smiled and, while clapping, addressed the group; "It has been quite a long time since I have seen such an expertly handled trial by those seeking the power of the basin! I would say a congratulations is in order, but let's save that for when you complete the final task!" The guardian of the basin remained stoic by the throne as her master rose from her seat and formed what appeared to be butterfly wings made of pure mana on her back. The likelihood of success are near zero... I didn't expect us to face such an enemy. "Actually. I think I'll let Lux battle in my stead. You four did such a fine job with the doors that I think it is only fair." Once she finished speaking the queen sat back down and made a hand gesture which was immediately followed by the basin's tender leaping from her post and landing on the platform on which the four magi rested.

While Vincent was currently in his peak magical condition, he felt as though he simply couldn't bring himself to raise a weapon or even attack at all. The nimble requip mage, recognizing this weakness of his, created what appeared to be an elegant wooden spear and charged at him. A blur in his periphery was followed by the blade of a strange weapon pushing the wooden spear off of its path towards his forehead and causing the point to miss his head by inches. The scholar observed that the blade belonged was attached to a long shaft which was held by the Wizard Saint. It seemed as though if the young requip mage couldn't defend himself than his group members were more than willing to do what he could not.

WC: >7500

The member 'Elvira Arcade' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

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'Normal Dice' :

"Is this what you wanted? Was this enough? Was this sufficiently entertaining for you?" Vincent was shouting up at the silent queen before walking over to his partner's scorched body. He had no idea that she held such a power - it was as if she constantly carried a bomb on her back. Virgo was gone and Zenshin was silently observing. "You need to fix this. We've done everything you've asked us to do. We had a deal." The white haired wizard picked up his teammate who was currently being tended to by Lux and transported both of them to the foot of the queen's throne. "You don't even have to break our curse - just don't let her die." "The power of the basin is great, but even I cannot raise the dead." His heart sank, but was quickly stopped when he heard the queen continue. "That said - your 'friend' here is grasping to life by a single strand of hair. That said - you still have yet to overcome me. You're not done here, I'm afraid - even if your group member is." "Some queen. I guess the blood shed so far hasn't been enough for you." Vincent gently set Elvira down on the ground and rose to his feet. While he couldn't see the look in his eye as his gaze met with the Queen of the Basin he could see hers. She would never admit it, but Vincent could swear that he saw a hint of fear. The two simply looked at each other in silence before the Queen rose from her throne and caused the air inside the basin to emit light which was dim at first but grew blinding. Zenshin and Vincent would awaken inside the chamber from which they had accessed the basin. Vincent paid the Saint no mind and scrambled to look for Elvira; had she been left behind? The brown haired girl was laying peacefully covered in what appeared to be a dress made from healthy green leaves on top of vines. The curse was the last thing on his mind; it didn't matter to the scholar if they were hex free - all that mattered was that everyone was alive and well. He would later find out that the Queen of the Basin had indeed upheld her end of the bargain and simply rejuvenated the Minstrel woman out of either respect for Vincent, or fear. That was a question which he would never satisfyingly answer. "A deal's a deal, Zenshin. I will ask that you wait until I determine that Elvira hasn't suffered any permanent harm from this little adventure. Look for us aboard the Crystalli when you're ready." He didn't wait for a response as he picked up his partner and carried her out of the cave and made the trek back to Fiore.

WC: >7500