Chapter 2: The Skull Mask (Vincent/Eris- C Support)

[Eris Coulson]

Moving along from that prior unpleasantness, apparently Vincent didn't really have anything to add in terms of the status of the mission. Well, she didn't really know what she expected on that front, but at least they had more to go off of than when they had first got the job. It was too late to back out of it all as well, at least as far as Eris was concerned. So she'd be in it for the long haul then.

Seemed Vincent felt a bit bad for not having more intel to share, or maybe he was just trying to do that thing where you kept the conversation going. What was it called...being sociable, yeah. That thing Eris had never really gotten a grasp of. Always skipped that in favor of fuming at someone. She was pretty great at that. So Vincent had decided to turn it into a one-man open forum, where Eris could ask him anything at all.

The rookie merc leaned back into her seat and studied Vincent. There hadn't been anything major that she wanted to ask about him, but he did have a lot of experience working across Elibe. Eris had experience in Bern, scarce moments in Ilia and Sacae, and had only been in Lycia for about a month since Ilia.

Missions out on the sea, though. Now that was a touch more interesting. Eris figured she may as well shoot for that angle, then.

“Well I've been to Ilia and Sacae, but I've never been on a ship. What's it like? Did you ever fight on one, or just took a boat to wherever your mission objective was.” Being born on mainland Bern, nowhere especially near any coast, she had absolutely no experience with the ocean. Hell she'd never even seen it. A couple lakes and a few rivers, but very little beyond that.

It was fine by her. She wasn't really sure she ever wanted to experience the ocean, but she'd have to be prepared and all.

[Vincent]

And she brought up the sea ventures, he should have seen that one coming or not brought it up at all. At her taking that angle of questioning he leaned back in his seat this time and began to recall his trips on the open sea. There was the one with his father there and the other with Emil. For the moment he figured he would leave the second trip out of it.

"Well," he began. A real good start to it huh? "The mission was a trip north to a new Illian mining colony. They didn't have a land route there yet due to the mountains that were in the way so we had to go by boat. And going by boat meant traversing icy waters and dealing with pirates." He smirked. "The trip was a frozen hell. You were never warm and you were always working. Not to mention the man in charge was a real piece of work." He was starting to get into the groove of the story, a proper mercenary tale. Wasn't he supposed to save these for when he was old and graying? Oh wait, white hair, guess he could start now.

"As for fighting on the ship, we mostly fought the elements. No sane pirate would try anything while in the middle of those waters. Not that pirates are very sane in the first place, but I did do a lot of training and practice fights while I was there. The constant rocking would toss you and your enemy about, losing balance at critical moments. It's hard to describe without experiencing it first hand. Just know it is not easy." He took a sip from his drink. Oh, hey, the drinks were here. The food ought to follow soon he hoped.

"The real chaos came in the form of the mutiny staged by Etrurian insurgents. But we were ashore by then." He shrugged. "It was a very long eight months. When it is you and a small team on one side vs a whole lot of other guys you have to play smart. Or take advantage of an avalanche."

[Eris Coulson]

Eris listened as Vincent began his tale, staying silent even as the bar maid arrived with their drinks. Not like Eris had much to say to her in the first place. Eris took her mug and sipped from her drink silently until Vincent's tale came to an end. Or at least a pause. She wasn't quite sure if he had more to say on that particular voyage or what, so she decided to interject before the silence grew awkward.

“I guess I never thought about how awkward fighting on a ship would be. If the sea's rough that day standing is probably enough of a pain, let alone moving around like battle required.” Reminded Eris of mounted combat. Granted, yeah, she'd probably always be bitter she couldn't ride for crap...but she was getting over that. Besides, Eris was honestly grateful that she was pretty good on her own two feet. It had grown difficult to imagine doing battle without solid footing beneath her boots.

“That said, it sure sounds like one hell of a trip. I've only been to Ilia once, but if it was that cold on land I don't ever want to feel the wind rolling off that icy water.” Bern wasn't exactly warm either, at least where Eris was from, but it had nothing on Ilia. The country was so icy and cold they could barely grow anything out there. It was like permanently living in an actual tundra.

“But what exactly WAS the mission? You mentioned your destination, and talked about some mutiny at the end there, but what was the actual objective?”

As she asked her question, it dawned on Eris just how far this career path would take her. Selling her skills for gold didn't just mean she'd be fighting battles like she did in the army. No, it opened her up to a wider variety of encounters. An infinite number. Less battles like those she fought on the fields in Bern, and more like her bout with those raiders or her escape from that Ilian town. It made Eris aware that she'd...need to keep an open mind, and be ready to adapt to anything.

Even rocky boats on an icy lake.

[Vincent]

Vincent laughed at the part of what the mission was. Did he forget to mention that? Maybe he did, he was focused on the part with the ship after all. "So, the mission was to bring supplies to a forming Illian colony. After that we would be staying around to provide security until a path through the mountains could be formed." He took another sip of his drink.

"You see, it was a mining colony they were forming. The mountains had quite a few valuable metals and minerals. While in limited quantity, they even had what is known as Regal metal." He doubted she knew what that was, most people did not. "Regal metal is a metal of incomparable quality and rarity. It is indestructible and can even disrupt the flow of magic. One tap on that and a magic weapon shuts down, or a mage is stopped from casting outright. Its an incredible thing, but..." He trailed off. "It is also nigh impossible to work with. I was gifted a small amount for my contributions during my mission but its near impossible to find someone capable of molding it." He shrugged.

"The complications to the mission came in the name of a man Gerard who turned out to be working for Etruria to disrupt the formation of the colony proper. If he was successful he would have given Etruria a supply of valuable minerals and another place to invade from." He shook his head. "I have taken work all over but never will I work for Etruria." He admitted getting off topic a bit.

[Eris Coulson]

“Uh huh...” ...Was this what all those drunk fools got so riled up to hear? Nah, Eris knew better. The stories people wanted to hear from mercenaries were seeing great sights and fighting great battles. Turned out the logistics and finer details were actually pretty boring. Still, it was useful for Eris – she could wind up on similar missions herself!

Then there was this whole “Regal Metal” thing. First off – that was a stupid as hell name for a type of metal. What the hell made it so regal? Because it's indestructible and could cut through magic or whatever? Most nobility were far from indestructible. Most were soft, alcoholic, debaucherous saps who lounged about while other, more capable individuals carried out their work for them. Now if this metal was so useless it could only accomplish anything by...okay this metaphor was going to work but bottom-line was that Eris hated the name.

As for the metal itself, it sure as hell sounded valuable. Likely rare, too. If Eris had a lance forged with regal metal she would have stood a chance against that stupid mage. As it stood if her lance had clashed with those electric whips she'd just wind up with burnt hands. “Where can I find some regal metal?” It was cheaper to get something forged if you could provide the materials yourself.

...took the redhead a moment to realize that Vincent had said a whole lot more than just mention regal metal. Crap. “Uh, sorry. First, I'll say that it's an interesting story. Mostly because of the regal metal, but also regarding Etruria.” Funny thing was that Eris had a bigger bone to pick with Ilia than she did with Etruria. She didn't really care more for one over the other, but only Ilia had ever directly wronged her. Given how strongly Vincent seemed to feel about Etruria, it was probably best that she didn't mention that.

“I'm guessing you turned on Gerard then. So did you axe him or what?” She asked as she threw back another swig of her drink.

[Vincent]

"Pfft! Pah! Bahahahahahah!" He did not try very hard to hide his amusement as Eris took very great interest in regal metal. Well, how could he blame her for it when he too got a bit fixated the first he heard of it. "Well, I guess you're quite right to be a mercenary, you've got the priorities straight!" He continued to laugh but he made sure she knew it was all good natured jabs. Well, he could hope she knew they were at least.

"Gerard was..." He trailed off, "Let's get your first question out of the way first." The food arrived just before he could begin to speak on it. "AH! Thank you!" The waitress had little humor for Vincent now either; sheesh, take Eris's side and everyone turns on you. On the up and up the arrival gave him a moment to stuff his face and collect his thoughts on Gerard.

"So," He began between bites. "If we are going to get you regal metal I know of only two options. There is the amount I have, or you can go to the far north of Illia and get it from the mines there." He shrugged. "That said it is incredibly hard to mine and expensive to buy so..." So, unless she could convince him to hand his bit over he did not expect it to be possible for her to get some of her own. Well, if she did a lot of good paying jobs maybe, maybe.

[Eris Coulson]

Well at least Vincent seemed to find Eris' rudeness charming. The woman had to admit – that took a load off. She didn't really concern herself with what others thought, not for a while now at any rate, but it was still...nice, she guessed, to know that she could speak as earnestly as possible and not wind up in some sort of trouble. As fiery and aggressive as Eris could be, she did honestly prefer peaceful interactions. It wasn't like she got some sick thrill out of getting angry – it was only when she WAS angry that she tried to make the most of it, given it was too late by that point.

Better still was that Vincent decided to focus on her interest in regal metal before he finished his story! Well, the more experienced merc was certainly earning some brownie points...whatever worth those held from Eris. After he thanked the waitress for delivering the meals they'd ordered – Eris merely gave the woman a nod and a grunt of acknowledgement – he began to tear into the food almost...savagely.

Not that Eris really cared. She was hungry too. The redhead wasted little time into digging into her meal as Vincent began to speak between mouthfuls. Apparently her only options, according to him, were to buy the ore or metal that Vincent had on him, or to travel up to the mines in Ilia. Yeeeeeeah, unless Eris picked up a fantastic job that took her up north she really didn't plan on going back to that craphole.

“I'll pass on Ilia.” Eris said, swallowing some food. She sat back and eyed Vin. “And it doesn't sound like I'm about to get an amazing discount for that metal, so I doubt I have the coin for a significant amount.” Eris wasn't angry about that, either. If the metal was that valuable then Vincent had every right to sell it for a heavy price. She'd do the same thing in his position.

“So unless I get lucky it looks like I'm going to need a lot more work if I want to infuse some regal metal into my lance. Or forge a new one entirely.” The young woman nodded before she took another bite. As she chewed she briefly contemplated that if she were to forge an entire lance with regal metal then she'd need even MORE coin, to pay the smith and to purchase the ore itself. Reforging her current weapon with some regal metal was likely the superior option.

All the more reason for her to crack down on this career path.

“...Anyway. What about that Gerard guy?”

[Vincent]

Vincent smirked at Eris's observation. It did not take a keen eye to know he did not intend to part with the ore lightly. "If I am being honest with you, the aspect of regal metal that is the most difficult is not the price or obtaining it. It is finding a smith capable of working it. I have had mine for months now and I have yet to find a man skilled enough." He lamented the difficulties lightly, he was not pressed to find a smith for it but it would help him counter mages. He was prepared for all manner of fighters, but not them. Not yet.

"A lance of regal metal would be worth a small fortune." He explained. "Well, unless it suddenly became much more affordable. So, I would suggest implementing regal lining, perhaps work it into a vein-like design that stretched the length of the shaft. Get the most out of it." And so that seemed to close out that discussion as she brought him back to Gerard.

"I don't know what actually became of him. I did get to have one final battle with him but before I could finish it..." He sighed, "Before I could finish it his men blew up the side of the mountain, destroying over half the mines and setting off an avalanche. It consumed the town and threatened to take us both. I barely escaped it but he was swept away. I would assume he did not survive it but I have a track record of the dead coming back to face me again." He took another drink.

"Anyway, he is an Etrurian knight, general judging by his armor. If he was buried, there is no way he got out on his own, but his men were loyal and surely looked for him, so its possible he was saved." He thumped his fingers on the table in reflective thought. "Oh, you won't believe the name they gave the town!" He laughed, "They named it- they named it- he was having difficulty getting the words out. "Proschar!" It was a weird name for sure but why so funny? Well, "They kept arguing over Prosperity or Charity and decided to meet in the middle!"

[Eris Coulson]

Uh huh, yeah, so basically Eris was shite outta luck when it came to easily obtaining regal metal. It was rare and valuable, and as thus it was costly to purchase. Worse still was that it was apparently trick to work with. Made sense, not every smith could work even standard steel just as well as the next. If the metal was rare that meant few smiths had regular exposure to it and little experience. Even Vincent hadn't found a smith who knew how to work the ore. And even then, when she did, it was best that she just have the smith reforge her current lance with regal metal rather than smith a brand-new one using purely regal metal, due to costs and time and the like.

It was crappy news for Eris, but still she'd learned a fair bit about a potential valuable asset for the future. She'd have to make sure to take this new information to heart.

With no real comments left for the regal metal topic, beyond snarky albeit useless ones, Eris decided to keep the rest of her focus on Gerard. Basically he was some strong Etrurian knight, probably a high-ranking and heavily armored one given Vincent's description. Still, Vincent had been able to beat him, but before he could kill him, his underlings went and detonated the mines? With magic, Eris assumed, but the “how” wasn't what bothered her.

“Wasn't the bastard's plan to steal the ore in the mines for Etruria? Or claim the mines proper? Why did his men sabotage the joint then? An act of spite or counter-measure in case he failed to claim the mines?” That had to be it. Etruria invaded Ilia recently, yeah? If that invasion had been a long time coming then Gerard could have known about it, given his supposed status and such.

Either way Vincent seemed to believe there was a chance Gerard survived...not that it mattered to Eris at all. She didn't know the guy, so whether he lived or died was irrelevant to her. Neither was the god awful name the mining town had apparently been given, but she didn't give a damn about that. “Anyway, about the name. Charpros would have been a better pick. And that's saying something.”

[Vincent]

"Essentially yes," he answered to the countermeasure plan. "It was all a short time before Etruria's invasions had begun in the North. There was talk of the potential for it sure, but no one was really prepared for it. What we learned about it was that he was sent to act as a mutineer and claim the colony in order to act as a forward staging base. If he did it would enable Etruria to hit hard from the North AND gain access to an incredible wealth of mineral resources to further reinforce themselves and pay for the war effort."

"As for how the whole destroying the mines part, after we got to the colony we knew we were going to be there a while, the oceans froze over due to the cold for parts of the year and the road to the rest of Illia was still not open." Yup, they went even knowing they would be trapped in there. Looking back at that Vincent knew he would never do that again. The risk was just too great. "Gerard knew he was found out and when things were not going his way he had decided to make sure that all of us mercenaries and the colonists would not make it out. Destroying the mines allowed him to simultaneously set back months of work and send the snowfall into the village. It... was devastating."

So many people died and to look back on it was not a pleasant memory for him. Not to mention how his father Davian had sided with Gerard during the whole event. But, no need to talk about that bastard. "Charpros is not a much better name, you're right." He smiled chuckling to that.

As he began to wind down on his part of the meal he turned his thoughts to the fights ahead and a proposition. "Tell you what." He rubbed his chin in contemplation. "I want to train with you. The riders we were up against are only a portion of what is ahead and I have a magical weapon like them. I imagine that if you can get to the point of fighting me on equal footing, or even besting me, we'll be in a good place."

[Eris Coulson]

So Eris was right on the money about Gerard's whole plan. Originally it was to claim the mines apparently as another sect of land for Etruria to invade from...but that still sounded weird. From the sounds of it the mine was too far from Etruria for that. They'd have to have their ships take the long route around. Ilia wasn't exactly famous for its navy, but the northern sea sure is famous for ice floes. That'd be hell for Etruria to try and sneak ships around, especially since that'd be the long way to the mines.

...But Eris didn't really care. Vincent clearly wasn't lying, the plan just didn't add up right in her head. Not that it mattered anyway since Gerard was probably dead and the mines were definitely blown up. Though Vincent didn't seem so easy to admit the fact the second time. Eris quirked her brow at his reaction, not quite sure why he paused...but he moved on with a joke all the same. Again, not much sense in prying into that.

“Sounds rough. f**k**g Etruria...” Etruria today was like Bern during the Hargus era. Sticking their nose, and their army, where it didn't belong. She was too young to really grasp what went down when Bern fell...until it was too late, anyway. She didn't even hate Ilians like most other Bernese did, at least during the rebellion. All she'd wanted was...

...More importantly,Vincent wanted to train with her? His logic was sound and correct – as it stood Eris wasn't a match for those riders. Vincent could go up against them, but not by himself, especially when with Eris dragging him down...but the mission was personal to her, even if for petty reasons. If she wasn't going to back down from this mission then she'd sure as hell better become a better fighter.

“Fine. When and where?” There wasn't much more to say. Besides, Eris was still chowing down on the rest of her meal. “Oh, and you better not hold back. I don't want to be at the mercy of those assholes ever again.”

[Vincent]

Vincent was mildly taken aback at the directness of Eris's agreement to train with him. His eyebrows raised and he leaned back in his seat, "Uh, well, let's give it a few minutes after we finish eating. So we don't puke. Nasty business that." he laughed. He really should have expected a response like that, perhaps it was less the snappiness of it, but more the lack of cynicism. So she could answer earnestly to a question or two... good to know.

"As for where we can do it, there is a place around here they use for uh... nah, I won't sugarcoat it. There is a fighting pit we can use. They don't run it during the day so by all means we can use it then. Shoot. If you want a quick buck maybe we can stay and let you do a fight or two. Most are bare knuckle but not all." He was getting off topic now.

He could sense something driving her in those last words. She must have felt terribly vulnerable. His eyes fell to his empty plate as he considered how she may have felt. But he did not know her mind in true so he ought to continue on as normal. She did not strike him as the type to accept sympathy. "If I don't hold back I will kill you in a searing light." He teased, in a not so much a tease as a stated fact. "But you can expect to get a few scrapes and bruises. I promise." He crossed his heart with a finger and grinned cheekily. "We'll head out when you're ready."

[Eris Coulson]

“Bruises and scrapes. Just what a girl wants.” Eris said with a snort. There wasn't the usual bite to her tone, though. The statement was an honest jest rather than a backhanded one. There was a bit of excitement brewing in Eris, actually. It'd...been a while since she'd actually received any direction from someone. Pretty much since the end of the rebellion she'd just gone about things her own way at her own pace. A lot of good had come out of it, yeah, but that...didn't meant she had to KEEP going at things just by herself.

Vincent seemed like the kind of guy she could trust...at least for something as simple as sparring. Heh, when was the last time she'd met someone trustworthy? Comma...Ilheod, probably. He was a big shot now, Dragon General of Bern. That was a pretty high ladder to climb, but Eris was set on climbing even higher, and not within any damned military either. The underground? The mercenary scene? Didn't matter – Eris was going to go straight for the top, and this was another big step.

“Well, I don't feel quite as terrible now that I've eaten. How about we start as soon as our stomachs settle, huh?” Eris replied with a smirk before she continued to chow down. Yeah, now she was feeling pretty motivated. Next time she saw that mage she'd shove her spear so far up his ass she could bring him back and serve him as Elibe's largest shish kabob. “Oh, yeah, and the fighting pit sounds fine to me. So long as it's got the proper amount of space for a spar then I don't care.”

As for actually FIGHTING in the pit...eh, Eris would think about it. She could use some extra money, but she wasn't all that well trained in bare-knuckle brawling. Sure it'd be good experience but it'd likely cost money, too. She'd have to think about that one, at any rate.

[Vincent]

"That is all a girl wants?" He asked in mock confusion. "Here I thought that was called abuse! Perhaps that does explain very much about the world. But, at least I know I don't need to get you jewelry eh?" Vincent allowed Eris to finish eating her fill and made menial small chat at this point. But once the two were finished and ready they were able to set out for the pits.

"By the time we get there our food should be settled." He stated.

'You are going to teach this one? Have you ever taught someone in your life?'

'No. I have not, but it is never too soon to give it a go, besides I am sure she will do just fine. If nothing else then pain will be the teacher for me. We are dealing with magic weaponry after all. You have to counter fast or that is your head.'

'You say this as though I am not intimately aware of these details.'

Vincent laughed allowed to that randomly. He knew he must look like a bizarre one. "Sorry, I just thought of something funny." Oof, he had better actually think of something funny if she asks.

"So, Eris, before we begin, I would like to ask you a bit about your personal fighting theory. If you don't know what I mean, I for example aim to always be able to counter anything an opponent can throw at me. For this I have a lot of customized gear, but I also train with all sorts of masters when I can. I can be unpredictable, but the lack of specialization has been troublesome against true experts of their craft."