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Agahnim      The third Great Fairy has been located, due to the efforts of Agahnim's forces. A small cave outside of Zora's Domain, along the river leading up to it. The entrance to the cave is, as of the moment, blocked by a gigantic boulder. Stone cracks are within the stone itself, showing it a bit weak. The landscape around the boulder makes it obvious that this large block on the path to the fountain is a recent thing. The soil is still freshly moved and hasn't been packed down by rain, there is a trail along the path of the dirty which has been moved, and it's half sitting on the wooden sign that labels this as the fountain of the Great Fairy of Wisdom. Who knows who decided to block the path, but there is one hint that makes it clear this is an intentional thing to keep people away. A wooden sign is hung on the front of the boulder, reading, 'THE FOUNTAIN IS CLOSED. GO AWAY.'

     The meeting place is just near the boulder, along the dirt path that leads along the river and to Zora's Domain. The weather is fairly beautiful, a clear day. A bit of a chill is in the air as the weather of winter has begun to come to the land of Hyrule. A cold breeze blows on occasion. The sound of birds can be heard overhead, most of them flying towards the Great Ocean, and warmer climates.
Sanary Rondel      Pretenses are all but gone this time around. The fairies already know, the Union knows, and Sanary's not really bothering to hide the fact she's here for one thing only. Her gunaxe is already in hand, her shield is within convenient reach at her hip, she's donned her heaviest armor, and she's got a few healing staves strapped to her back just in case. This probably won't end up being any sort of stealth mission for her, and that works just fine.

     She's also got a satchel with thermoses and chalk on her. It's cold here, after all! Arriving at the meeting place, the healer takes out one of the unmarked thermoses to take a long drink from it before slipping it back inside. She hops in place a few times to try and warm herself up a bit more than the drink already is, but she's already looking a little antsy. Itching for a fight, even!
Vergil      "Well... seems they've finally caught on."

    Strolling up with a relaxed pace toward the meeting place, Vergil soon appears with his coat trailing slightly behind him, looking - as always - indifferent to his surroundings. He regards the sign with a mix of bemusement and introspection, finding it slightly humorous yet odd that the fairies only waited until now, near the end of their days on this world to try and set up some form of defense... yet all they could manage was a large boulder.

     Were they simply not used to something or someone that could reliably kill them? Or had they just retained faith that someone chosen or blessed by their divinations would be able to overcome such threats before they themselves were threatened, never having fought an opponent personally? They obviously weren't used to fighting a threat themselves if the Fairy of Courage's death was any indication.

     Resting a hand against Yamato's pommel as he looks around, the Son of Sparda is unaffected by the chill, though he is still able to sense it - the winter that will likely be more extreme then seasons before, given all that befallen Hyrule.

     He also takes note of the somewhat-familiar sight of Sanary, giving her a sideways glance - he's become a bit well-acquantied with her, even sharing a bit of a kinship due to their similar quests for power. "I heard the Union's become aware of our part in this. Not much longer until a decisive confrontation, I'd guess... one we'll probably have to deal with before the job is finished, since they'll likely try to stop us before Agahnim can complete his goal. Hopefully he'll be able to deliver on his promises - I'd hate to think we've wasted so much effort for thus." He gives her a long, contemplating look, then glances to the boulder-

     *chink*

     -and swiftly slices it to pieces with Yamato, six strokes delivered swiftly as the blade is drawn and then soon returned to Vergil's side, clacking back into place within the sheath.

     Might as well clear the path so long as they're waiting, after all.
Agahnim      As the blade strikes the stone, the stone bursts into pieces, crumbling. The path behind is left open, the familiar darkness of the cave into a Fairy Fountain revealed. The stone path through the cave leads forward, as per usual. The Confederates can likely guess the layout fro mtheir times before. A stone cave, leading to the beautiful stonework of the cave.

     But, today, something is different. An additional presence is within the entrance. A number of balls of light. They are recognizable, from Kakariko village: normal fairies. These pink and white balls of light float in front of the entrance, before suddenly flying straight back into the cave. Their fairy wings flap hard, trying to speed them along to the back of the cave.

     There is another presence within the cave as well. Though the fairies have a magical sensation to them, the other magic located in the back of the cave is different.

     The Confederates are, almost certainly, expected now.
Sanary Rondel      Hearing Vergil's approach from nearby, Sanary turns around to give him a quick salute and confident grin. "Yeah, well. Figured they would sooner or later. I got two people that want me dead specifically, at least, so... Heat's off everyone else? Just means I'm finally getting into the big leagues." She laughs freely at that and adjusts her helmet and eyepatch, going quiet for short while.

     "He better give us what he promised. I didn't do all this for my health." Her voice takes on a significantly more serious tone at that, although she's soon back to her usual relaxed tone once Vergil takes apart the boulder with ease. "Very nice~ Is that a... Are you just that fast normally or something? All I got is enough strength to maybe break it, but none of the..." She mimics drawing a blade out the same way and putting it back just as quickly, but she's definitely nowhere near as fast on the draw even without an actual object to do it with.

     Note to self: More speed and blind combat training.

     Stepping into the cave proper, the healer takes out an old cell phone before tapping on the screen rapidly. Despite how long it's taking for anything to happen (damn gauntlets), she's clearly got some practice using it to summon Forneus, the... Flying tiara-wearing manta ray. The demon flaps its fins a few times while hovering in mid-air, almost as if stretching itself out before turning to the cleric.

     "Keep an eye on the entrance, and give us a signal if anyone shows up." It gives her a long look as she says that, eventually drawing a sigh from Sanary. "I'll bring you some fried calamari later, okay?" It seems to perk up at that, then stands guard at the entrance to the cave! How inconspicuous.
Vergil      Vergil regards Sanary with a quizzical look before simply shrugging shrugging. "Well, that's one way of putting it, I suppose."

     "Perhaps. Though I've yet to meet him in person, I feel I can guess his kind" Vergil shrugs, mind drifting back to his memory of the human Arkham. "Once he has what he wants, he may eschew payment for our services in favor of bolstering his own power. Granted, we ought to ensure the Union doesn't dispute the claim, but..." he gives Sanary something of a questioning glance, as if trying to confirm something. "If there's any chance he may back out of the agreement... or if, possibly, an opportunity to claim more then the original reward, becomes apparent, I'd more then agree with acting on it."

     A silent message is hidden in those words; 'if he betrays us after the Union are dealt with, we take him down.... but if get the chance to take Majora's Mask and it's power for /ourselves/... well, why not?'

     It's as much a suggestion as it is a test - of Agahnim gives them something of equal power and value to the mask, he'd accept it... but if more could be acquired by standing alone, he'd take that route. However, knowing whether or not he'd have an ally in this is equally important.

     Vergil additionally gives Sanary a more bemused look when she asks about his swordsmanship. "A combination of things, truthfully. Speed and reflexes superior to humans is something I was naturally blessed with, though years of training helped me hone that power. Combined with by sword's power, it allows me the display you witnessed as merely one of many feats I can accomplish." Vergil replies, speaking informatively about what he feels is a fact.

     As the fairies flee deeper into the cavern, Vergil sighs but does not stop their retreat - there's no sport or dignity in striking down opponents that can't truly oppose him, let alone while they have their backs turned to him and are fleeing. "Well, I guess we'll be expected now." He likewise gives a curious look when Sanary summons a familiar with a phone - and inwardly he's more genuinely surprised. "Huh. Interesting - I was unaware you could use pieces of technology for summonings."

     He does inwardly applause her for setting up a sentry guard, though, as he casually follows her into the cave - it was always a good call to keep one's bases covered.
Agahnim      Forneus, despite his oddity, fits right in with the other monsters of the Zelda world. On the off chance a traveller makes their way through, he will be ignored and avoided.

     The path inside is the same as usual, at least at first. Stone cave, leading to stone tile and elgant designs. Thankfully, there is no endless hallway spell as per the last encounter here. The magical force inside gets stronger and more palpable. A sensation fills the air. It's almost as if the duo is being watched.

     There is suddenly a voice. A firm, booming male voice. "Turn back. We will not permit you to travel further within the Fairy Spring." Swirls of light appear all about. They start as wispy figures, before eventually taking on vaguely humanoid shapes. They take more and more shape with time. Ten males, all dressed in similar garb. Chainmail, metal chestplates, iron helmets. In their right hands, they hold blades. Their eyes are covered by the metal helmets, but they still seem to be staring towards the two, surrounding them from all sides.
Vergil      Vergil takes note of the lack of endless hallways with one eyebrow raised questioningly. Was it that each fairy had a different method of defense... or had the damage inflicted on Hyrule weakened their power?

     He doesn't react with evident surprise hearing the sudden voices, though is quickly on guard, his gaze narrowing as the ten forms materialize before them.

     However... if anything, he seems to give a more contemplative expression at them - glancing over to check their relative strength - before almost glancing to Sanary as if dismissing the guards as mere annoyances. "Well, given the lack of alert from your sentry... it seems it's just you and me, today" he states offhandedly, giving a bemused smile. "So..." he gestures to the warriors, thumb resting under Yamato's guard to flick it out of the sheath at a moment's notice "assuming you can keep up, do you want the five on the left or the five on the right?"

     It's a rare gesture of sardonicism - he's treating Sanary more like a comrade compared to some others he's worked with. Dare one say it, it might even sound a bit like sarcastic teasing.

     It doesn't stop him from making his move, the ringing of metal echoing out as Yamato is torn free of it's scabbard and dealing five quick slashes at the guards on whichever side Sanary didn't choose to take.

     It wasn't as though they were going to let them pass, after all.
Sanary Rondel      Sanary chuckles lightly while heading further inside, that silent suggestion not going ignored (and hopefully properly interpreted). "I found the phone in this place called the 'Vortex World'. Weird place, but worth looking into if you ever have the time. And if you don't get annoyed easily." Surely Vergil didn't have any relatives that ever went in there, right? Right.

     As those armored figures appear, the cleric sizes them up one after the other while removing the shield from her side to hold it properly. "Yeah... Well, just means we get more chances to show off." Even though she's trying to sound confident about that, there is just a hint of doubt in her voice after Vergil appears to question her ability to keep up.

     "Heh... It's not always about going the fastest, You gotta be able to last, too." There's a brief bout of immature giggling at that before she charges at the guards in front of her. "Your left or mine?" Even as she asks that, she's already begun swinging that gunaxe wildly, taking broad flaming swings (courtesy of the Fire shell loaded inside) to try and cleave through at several of them with each swing rather than going with the more... Finesse-y approach.
Agahnim      The guards are slashed through. The high-speed slashes split through five of them, while Sanary managed to cut through a number of them at once. In fact, the slash from Sanary meant to go through several at once can easily cut through all five of them. This, of course, is not a good sign. The guards stand still, their blades pointing forward. They are held close to Sanary and Vergil, the sharp swords right near their necks. They remain still, unmoving. One of them speaks, while the others remain stoic.

     "Turn back, now. This is the last warning. If you flee, we will let you go."

     The pressure in the room is getting intense. At least, it seems the slash did /some/ sort of damage. The parts where they were cut look cut, empty space filling where the slashes struck.
Vergil      Hopefully the gist of his insinuation would gain him an ally if opportunity presented itself by the end of this... and he takes note of Sanary's explanation, tilting his head in light-but-visible fascination. "I'll keep that in mind, then." Thankfully for Sanary, Vergil technically had only one living relative... and it was't exactly one he would go out of the way to help. Though how easy it was to annoy him and how hard it was to make him show it were two different things.

     Vergil doesn't argue against Sanary's logic, though he's not sure if she knew his quip to her keeping up was humor or not... and inwardly makes him wonder if she doesn't know herself if she can keep up.

     "True enough, I suppose" he admits when Sanary points out that endurance is just as necessary as agility - and he even lets out a single half-chuckle when she charges ahead asking which side to take. "Surprise me."

     However, his expression turns from bemused to quizzical as he notes the guards hardly seem blunted in spite of the injuries. "They're more like spiritual constructs then flesh-and-blood, it seems" Vergil openly muses, before letting out a sigh. "I suppose after what happened to the last fairy that they wouldn't want it to be easy for us."

     Swinging both Yamato and it's scabbard up to parry away several of the blades pointed at him - and potentially form an opening - Vergil concentrates his demonic energy to form six Summoned Swords, the astral blades shooting forward for the guards's heads or torsos to test if assaulting them with his own energy-based constructs will be more then effective physical weapons had been in slaying them.

     If not... he would have to try Beowulf and see if light-based energy and blunt force would dispel them better then cutting or stabbing did. They were't invulnerable after all - the lasting marks from the prior attacks proved it. It was just a matter of finding what their weaknesses were.
Sanary Rondel      Cutting through them so easily is unexpected to say the least, and Sanary staggers to a stop since she had apparently been expecting to use the guards' armor to slow her momentum more than what actually happened. Seeing the swords so close to her, she takes a deep breath to feign compliance, even going as far as setting her axe down on the ground slowly.

     "Easy. Easy. No need to get crazy now. We'll just be on our way, and-" Hearing Vergil doing something that sounds distinctly like not-surrendering, the cleric springs into action as well! Not forward, but backwards this time as she brings the shield up in front of her. As she falls back, she fires a laser from her eye at the mass of guards and detonating it in a firey explosion only about two feet away from herself, the force launching herself even further back.

     Does it hurt? Yes. But does it get her out of the range of the swords? Hopefully, also yes. It's not the most refined or technical way of doing it, but between the shield and her fire-resistant armor taking most of the actual fire out of the equation? She might not be getting hurt nearly as much as she could be.
Agahnim      The swords at the necks are fought against in multiple ways. As Vergil swings his blade and scabbard at the blades of the ghostly beings, the ghostly swords vanish. The explosive escape from Sanary blasts away some of the beings, their ghostly shapes now missing chunks from them.

     And, despite the closeness of their weapons? They don't attack. They line up in a path in front of Sanary and Vergil. Though they look battered and beaten, they stand tall and stoicly as before, their swords out. The intense pressure in the hallway remains, and they pose with their blades in both hands. The leader of them speaks again.

     "Fine. So be it."

     They start stepping forward. They lift their blades above their head, walking in. A battle cry comes from the leader, and then the others. Five rush for Sanary, the others movein for Vergil. Their swords come down, swinging down at their foes. Of course, seeing how little of their bodies and blades are left, there isn't much weapon left for them to strike with.
Vergil      Keeping note of Sanary out of the corner of his eye, Vergil is a bit bemused by how determined, if not reckless, that she is.

     She was nothing if not impulsive and bold. In a way, it reminded Vergil of his brother's antics and how the younger Son of Sparda would always be the first to leap into a conflict before even knowing if it was prudent to do so.

     In this case, battle had been unavoidable... but Sanary's approach to it, from the cockiness to the wise-cracking attitude were all things that made her similar to Dante. Or at least a more tolerable version of him that wasn't so stuck on human concerns.

     When the guards still refuse to go down even as entire chunks of them are torn and blown away, Vergil sighs and holds his ground, dropping into a ready-stance as Yamato is leveled against the charging opponents.

     Then he steps forward-

     -and stops on the other side of his attackers, dealing three swift strokes and, upon stepping past and behind them, spins on the ball of his foot and delivers one more strike to any enemies that managed turning around to face him again, this one charged with a glowing demonic aura with potent enough energy to cause light ripples in the air as it cuts for their necks.

     He doesn't strike at those with their backs turned to him, though - there isn't any honor, sport or even enjoyment in such a thing.
Sanary Rondel      Skidding on her back after that explosion, Sanary winces slightly as she scrambles back onto her feet. She takes a moment to size up the guards again, taking note of how much more they've deteriorated since the last attack. "You... Whoevers talk real big for how little you're doing to us. If you're even alive in there and want to stay that way, it's not too late for you to leave." Of course, those words would probably have a little more weight if they weren't getting slashed at by a blade she can't even see.

     That's definitely something she'll need to work on later. "Last chance." Bracing her shield in front of herself to withstand the strikes from what's left of their swords, she gives the guards a few seconds to flee before barrelling straight at (and hopefully) through them. She scoops up her axe on the way over to Vergil, aiming the weapon at whoever might still be left and giving them another moment to lay down their arms before firing blasts of flame at whoever's still standing against them.
Agahnim      The guards struck by Vergil remain standing, unphased as he appears behind them. The blades cut through their necks, leaving them decapitated. The heads remain floating above their necks, and they simply turn to face Vergil once again. In unison, they walk towards him yet again. They lunge, stabbing forward towards him.

     Sanary is struck by the blades, the swords passing right through her. Completely through her. No wound, not even a cut at the entrance and exit. The blades pass through like they aren't even there. Just like the guards don't seem to even be there. They do not bother to lower their blades at all. They do not set them on the ground at all. No retreat, despite the fact they can, seemingly, do literally no damage.

     They lift their blades, swinging down at Sanary. Their blades try to slash into her head, but even that will have them simply go through it.

     These knights are either illusions, or ghosts incapable of touching the two. They likely pose no real threat, and are nothing but an attempt to scare people away.
Vergil      Vergil at this point sighs irritably - if they were competent opponents instead of persistent, malignant presences, he might be more tolerant. As is though, he doesn't even bother speaking back to them at this point - he simply backsteps away from their lunging strikes and launches another group of Summoned Swords at them.

     At the same time though, he notes - with some curiosity - how the blades seem to pass through Sanary and look to inflict no damage.

     That wasn't exactly grounds to take chances, though... but it did hint to the idea that either their attacks had robbed theses specters of the ability to harm them... or they never could do so in the first place.

     Either way, it was obvious this was hardly what they should spend their efforts on... and a suspicion dawns on him, gaze narrowed as he glances around the camber. "They're just stalling us out... or maybe covering an escape."

     Testing this theory, he slashes with Yamato, sending an air-pressure cut up any visible pathway ahead. He moves at a mixed pace, as if trying to draw the guards after him - or rather, test to see if they will pursue him once he starts pulling back toward the fairy's chamber.

     If he was right... these specters were just a ruse, either to trick people into thinking they were in an unwinnable battle... or a diversion for those fairies from earlier to evacuate the Fairy of Wisdom.

     Either way, it pointed to much of this fight having been a stalling measure... and now it was time to start turning the tables a bit.
Sanary Rondel      Sanary blinks slowly as those blades pass right through her, her mouth opening and closing several times before she just starts breaking into laughter. "Not bad! Not... Not bad at all. But.. Yeah, we've wasted enough time." Resting the gunaxe against her shoulder, she watches what's left of those guards and even waves her gauntleted hand through them a few times before turning to Vergil.

     "... So. You feeling as dumb I am right about now?" She laughs lightly despite that and continues onwards, shaking the numbness out of her arms from all that tumbling she had done. Come to think of it...

     She did more damage to herself than anything here so far, didn't she? Well. That's not a good feeling to have. "... Assholes." She sounds a little more irritated at that, following after Vergil and keeping her shield raised just in case something real finally shows up. "Good tactic, but still. Fairy's just putting off the invettid... Mm. She's going to die, anyway. Might as well go down with dignity."
Agahnim      The slash ahead travels the length the attack can go before dissipating. The ghosts stop even bothering to fight, simply standing still and staring ahead. They remain quiet, watching as the two go on. There is nothing more they can do at the moment. They stood no chance at guarding the path forward.

     The path forward is a bit long. More walking through the darkness of the hallway. Eventually, they central chamber is reached. The Great Fairy is already within, sitting in her pool of water. She sits with her legs crossed, her hands on her knees, and her eyes closed. A radiant magic emits from her.

     Attempting to step into the room will be hard, though. A blue barrier blocks the path forward. The barrier seems to be a similar magic to that being emitted by the Great Fairy.
Vergil      Vergil actually seems to wince a bit when Sanary points out that they were effectively had for a short time, not quite so amused as she is by the situation but not disagreeing with her assessment either. "That's one way to put it."

     It was not the first time Vergil had been deceived by something or someone - Arkham once again came to mind here - and likely would not be the last... and Sanary's words characterize why it had happened.

     He'd expected beings like this to meet their end with some form of dignity - to at least regard their inevitable deaths with a measure of self-respect.

     ...

     Well, either way, it hardly mattered. He did however give a consenting nod to Sanary when she noted the Fairy's situation. "It would make it easier to think she was as noble as these beings claim to be, if nothing else."

     When they reach the camber, Vergil notes that the fairy is at least not bothering to try and keep inside the pool. "Well, at least she's not trying to hide. That alone has more bravery then the so called 'Great Fairy of Courage' did.

     Glancing at Sanary, Vergil gestures to the barrier off-handedly. "You're the mage. Any tricks for this, or should we just use the direct approach?"
Sanary Rondel      Putting those illusionary guards in the back of her mind, Sanary continues onward! "It was a warmup, at least. Won't have worry about any cramps once we get to the real thing." She bites back another laugh when Vergil doesn't quite disagree with what she said, instead just cricking her neck loudly. She doesn't answer right away at his comment about the whole situation, although she does nod after a few moments. "Let's hope so. This... Eh."

     Is she having second thoughts? No, but the air here is definitely different than it was in the previous caves. Upon reaching the Great Fairy's room, Sanary stops at the sight of the barrier. She can't blame her for trying to stop or at least stall them with that, at least, and she even goes as far as giving the Great Fairy a light wave in greeting!

     "You ready in there?" She taps her knuckle against the barrier experimentally, then steps back to level the barrel of her gunaxe at it. "Ain't anything personal, but... You know how it's gonna go already." She couldn't even bring herself to get mad or excited or anything. Sure, the illusion thing did make her feel pretty dumb, but there was something... Sad about this time.

     "I am? Oh.. Right. I am." Just saying that knowing she's technically the magic muscle here feels wrong. "Direct approach should work fine. No such thing as a completely indestructible barrier, so." And with that, she starts firing fireball after fireball at the barrier!
Agahnim      As the fireball flies at the barrier, they disperse into nothingness. The Great Fairy within remains quiet at first, eyes remaining closed. There is some visible stress on her body, tensing up as she focuses on holding up the barrier. She tries to maintain her breathing. At least, it is most likely that damage to the barrier causes her a bit more stress. Her hands remain on her knees still.

     She finally speaks. Her voice is somewhat shrill, just like the other Great Fairies. But, she is a bit calmer in comparison.

     "Please. Do not kill me. You will gain nothing. By leaving me alive, you will have the potential to gain more. Killing me will help your ally. But."

     She opens her eyes, smirking at the two. The barrier stays up, though it weakens a little. She smiles.

     "You've already planned to turn against him. It's inevitable. Killing me will help him. It will make your inevitable betrayal all the more difficult. Won't it?"
Vergil      Vergil narrows his gaze a bit as the fireballs impact the barrier, straining the fairy. It seemed this fairy was focused more on defense then offense.

    Hearing Sanary's suggestion, he simply nods. Drawing Beowulf back, Vergil delivers a solid right hook into the barrier, testing to see how many such strikes will be needed to break it if it comes down to it.

     he can tilts his head at the so-called 'Fairy of Wisdom's' plea, seeming somewhat surprised that she is willing to make such an offer. At the same time, he gives an off-handed shrug. "Maybe... but sparing you would make him more likely to realize we're turning on him. It would be... dangerous to telegraph that too soon. That's assuming we even /need/ to turn on him." he fixes the Fairy with something of a questioning gaze, deciding to test what she knows and what Agahnim told them... as well as how willing she is to cooperate.

     It might be the only chance to learn from an outside source about what they were after. This was the first time one of the fairies had actually tried to negotiate or even speak with them negotiably - he at least wanted to see what could come of it.

     "... say we listened to you. What exactly do /we/ get out of sparing you aside from the claim it will weaken Agahnim?" Vergil crosses his arms idly while taking a step closer to the barrier, making it clear he can strike at it again if he wishes. "Perhaps you could give us something a bit more... tangible? For starters... what do you know of what Agahnim's goals and ours? What exactly are you offering?"

     From a business perspective, the Confederates had agreed to help Agahnim restore Majora's Mask... but to his knowledge, they never claimed they had to help him keep it. And that in turn opened up opportunities. Then again, he wasn't exactly one to betray another with deception - he would rather it be a blade barred from the front then a knife in the back, his honor conflicting with his ambition in times like this, so he may not precisely take her offer.

     But if nothing else, he was willing to see what she'd say.
Sanary Rondel      Sanary raises an eyebrow as the Great Fairy speaks, actually looking somewhat surprised that she's trying to reason with them. It draws a slight grin from the cleric as she glances at Vergil, then back at the Fairy through the barrier. The flincing and the weakening don't go unnoticed, but the cleric does halt in her firing to respond.

     "So you've been listening, then. Smart lady. But..." Another glance at Vergil. She hasn't started firing again yet, at least! "That doesn't tell us how we're gaining any more by leaving you alive. How's that actually get us anything with or without a /possible/ betrayal?"

     She does have a point about a potential betrayal being more difficult. But inevitable? Vergil seems to have the same idea, but in a more coherent form. The healer doesn't lower her weapon as she watches the barrier and the Fairy, but she also isn't firing just yet. It's an opportunity for information, after all, and the white-haired man seems to have the situation well in hand.
Agahnim      The Great Fairy remains with her eyes open, the smile lingering on her face. Her long hair flows behind her, her raw magical power lifting it up. She looks as if she is barely phased, but each word is being picked very carefully. After all, it is her life on the line.

     "Agahnim's goal is the same as any other like him: Conquest of Hyrule. Power, for Power's Sake. I know little of him personally. But. I know that like so many before him, he will fail."

     She looks around her, to the barrier protecting her. "And, what I have to offer you? I am the Great Fairy of Wisdom. I am a being of great magic. Spare me now, and I can offer you support, in a way. I can teach you, with time, how to cast barriers such as this. If you are injured, I can provide healing. And, I can teach you the secret of the Fairies of my world, and how to enlist their aid."
Vergil      Vergil tilts his head contemplatively with the power she is displaying... though it doesn't seem to be enough for her to confront them directly.

     "Perhaps" Vergil shrugged, not revealing that, for all intents and purposes, the Confederates were largely using Agahnim themselves - the unanswered question thus far had been whether or not they were going to leave Agahnim in charge. "Though I'm curious - what guarantee do you have we will be any different? What do you know about us? I assume you have some idea, considering you consider us the better party to negotiate with."

     "Not enough power to have saved the others of your kind" Vergil points out somewhat dispassionately. "Sanary here has proven herself rather adept in healing, and these barriers... they likely aren't strong enough to matter."

     He does pause hearing the offer to have the fairies on their side... but would that offer be any good if they learned about Majora's Mask? That's not clear... but he does offer a glance to Sanary, as if wordlessly asking her opinion - the fairies would likely be a good ally to have on their side against Agahnim... but what about the Union?

     At times like this, it payed to have someone to confer with.
Sanary Rondel      The offer is certainly tempting. Flawed, but very tempting. Sanary's arm actually wavers a bit as she glances over at Vergil, trying to gauge his reaction. Still, this isn't the first time she's ran into the risk of being double-crossed. "How do we know you're not just saying this to save your own..."

     She shakes her head. Of course the fairy's saying it to save herself. She wouldn't be offering this to them otherwise. "... How do we know you won't just turn on us like you want us to turn on him?" There's some relief at Vergil being willing to question the Fairy as well, and the cleric finally lowers her gunaxe.

     A moment later, she starts rotating that arm in wide circles. Holding it up for so long gets tiring! She does grin slightly at Vergil's compliment to her healing abilities, and she puffs up just a bit. "He's got a point. This..." She taps on the barrier lightly with her armored knuckles again, glancing at the man again. "... Looks like it's taking a lot outta you. Wouldn't mind learning how to do it myself, but Agahnim's a powerful mage with allies to put on our side, too. He can even make feasts with it, so... You got anything better than that?"

     Priorities.
Agahnim      The Great Fairy keeps smiling, her eyes locked onto the two before her. She looks between them both in turn as they speak. "Well. You, likely, won't be much different. It's not my job to save Hyrule, though." Despite her calm tone, the way she says it gives the feeling that there is something left unsaid with those words.

     "And, the barrier can be strong. I am keeping it up constantly, but you can use it just briefly as well. It will hold off most magic, though the stronger the spell, the more it will drain you to sustain the barrier. Though... If it is other Magic you desire. Other Magic does exist in Hyrule. Spare me, and return after the Crisis? I might be able to give you hints towards other secrets, hidden through Hyrule."
Vergil      She's dodging the question. Hiding something - if it's not her job to save Hyrule, who's is it? Wouldn't she know? Moreover... she'd been conspicuously silent on whether or not she knew about the Confederacy's plans in Hyrule.

     So in the end, he decided to try a more... direct line of questioning; "If you know that much... you surely must know there are others to ally with" he sees what she knows of the Union. "If you were to ally with us... what would stop you from siding with them after Agahnim was gone? If the fairies swore loyalty to us... would that bond be permanent, or one of convenience only?"

    He crosses his arms here, tilting his head. "At the very least, we /know/ Agahnim needs us enough that he can't afford to betray us" - or at least not until the very end, after the Union was repelled - "but we don't have that guarantee from you."

    For all intents and purposes, this sounded like simply trading one possible betrayal for a confirmed double-betrayal - they betray Agahnim, which would help the Union and the fairies... and if the fairies betrayed them, they would have both the fairies and the Union on their backs. In fact, one could say that Agahnim was so dependent on the Confederacy to repel the Union that, after the Union was gone, he wouldn't have the strength to defy them either way.

     "All attacks and defenses can require power to maintain. What you're offering sounds like a technique I could learn from her" - he gestures to Sanary - "or other mages in the Confederacy." Vergil sounds dismissive, as if saying it's hardly enough for him to consider turning on his stated goals.

    However... the offer of other secrets in Hyrule gets his interest, sparing another glance to Sanary. Inwardly, he also curses that it is only the two of them - if only the witch from before were here. She might have been capable of capturing this fairy to question later. As it is, they are operating on nothing but her word that this 'IOU' is valid. "Hints? You're asking us to spare you for hints and a claim that the fairies will help us overthrow /Agahnim/ but nothing past that as far as I can tell. You want us to take your help in a confirmed betrayal against someone who is, at the moment, /dependent/ on us for his goal to work, without any any to confirm you are a safer bet besides your sole word."

     He gives another glance to Sanary, then opens a private comm to confirm with her that their thoughts are the same - this is starting to drag on and so far the Fairy hasn't said anything they could solidly bank on. It was basically a choice of blind faith between someone they /knew/ needed them until the end and someone who claimed could give more but had no way to prove it... and in the end... it wasn't truly worth the risk.

     Therefore, after ensuring the 'plan'... Vergil sighs and shakes his head, lifting a hand up in a gesturing motion... and those keen of magical sense will note the glow increasing minutely as energy builds into the greaves and gauntlets. "The promise is tempting... but in the end, you're a complete unknown. And there's simply not enough to risk banking on a maybe."

     The next instant, his hand swings into the barrier full-force with a swift strike, followed up by a harsh triple-roundhouse and finally a left reverse-kick as Beowulf's light-infused strikes start hammering the barrier full-force.

     He puts all his weight into the strikes, so he won't recover from the momentum in time to attack the fairy immediately... meaning he is trusting Sanary to land the killing blow as soon as the barrier goes down.
Sanary Rondel      Someone's bound to save Hyrule, though. Even Sanary catches that implication, and she chuckles lightly while tapping the gunaxe against her helmet. "I get ya. It's easier to teach others the skills they'll need and let 'em handle the rest. Delegation, right?" She almost sounds impressed as she says that, giving the barrier another experimental tap. There isn't any doubt in her mind that a barrier spell could be useful. The possibility of learning other magic certainly isn't something she's willing to dismiss so easily, either.

     With that being the only concrete magic offered, however, it doesn't take the axe healer long to start moving, runningforward as the barrier comes down from Vergil's strikes and purple flames trailing behind the weapon's blade.

     The fact that Vergil's mentioning Sanary being a potential teacher just draws another proud smirk from the girl. Mental note: Learn and teach some time.

     "Sorry, lady. You should've come to us before this all started. Doesn't look good for us if we make a deal with someone and back out before the job's done, you know?" She could learn barrier magic elsewhere. Or at least feast creation from Agahnim himself. Possibly even both! As she draws closer, the healer charges forward and brings the axe down at the Fairy with all her might, then repeats those swings several times for good measure.

     She can't be too sure, after all.
Agahnim      The blast against the barrier from Vergil proves to be enough to break it. The barrier shatters, the magic fading. The Great Fairy keels over a bit, bending as if she was hurt herself. The barrier breaking has caused her body a fair amount of stress, and left her weakened. A sad look is upon her, and she glances one last time at the two Confederates before her.

     And then Sanary strikes. The first attacks slash deep into her. The repeated followups finish the job. It takes a number of strikes, but she finally bursts apart. The magic that comprises her body vanishes. The water in the Fairy Fountain begin to go still, the magic fading completely.

     The Great Fairy of Wisdom is now dead.
Vergil      Vergil sighs as he sees the fairy die... though he takes note of her sad expression, wondering belatedly what the reason was.

     Was that she was being honest? That she failed to convince them? Or that she was about to die without having been able to stop it.

     In the end though... it wasn't something they could risk, tempting as the offer had been. Trading a guaranteed enemy and untrustworthy ally for two guaranteed enemies and an untrustworthy ally wasn't worth the turnout, no matter how tantalizing the offer had been.

     Did he regret that they had no guarantees? That they had to kill this particular fairy and consign her secrets to oblivion? Yes - in that the chance for knowledge has been lost, that he did regret.

     But in the long run... this was the option that had more /guaranteed/ turnout behind it. That - the fact that the Fairy had no way to concretely back her promises aside from asking them to put blind faith in her - had been the deciding factor.

     Beowulf soon vanishes and Yamato returns to Vergil's side within it's sheath, the Son of Sparda feeling the magic in the area flee and evaporate, noting that, in all likelihood, what little force was keeping Hyrule together will likely start collapsing now.

     Meaning that Majora's Mask would likely soon be restored, in addition to Agahnim's mission being completed.

     Walking up to Sanary is, he takes note of her condition. "Well... it seems that one way or another, our goal - and Agahnim's - is complete... and perhaps what he gives us as payment for it will be worthwhile enough to have made this worth it." He then shrugs a bit. "But I suppose we'll wait until after the reward is in hand first."

     As he proceeds to, presumably, start leaving with Sanary, he does decide to offer her something of a rare commentary - "I think it's a safe bet that I outclass you in terms of combat potential... but you likely have me beat when it comes to using magic and the number of spells you can cast. So if nothing else, I suppose we make a good enough team?"

     ...

     It's meant in more then one sense of the word, though - both in their combat abilities... and in the silent question of whether or not they are of like mind on how to deal with Agahnim if the situation arises. After all... Vergil figured that he found her amicable enough to work with that he'd rather they both knew where the other stood and what they planned to do. And in the end, working with her would be more pleasant then having to fight her.

     With that mindset, she was one of the few he could probably work best with in the Confederacy... so It would be such a waste to have to kill her if they were on opposite sides.
Sanary Rondel      And that was that. Panting a bit as the brief rush of adrenaline wears off, Sanary straps the weapons back to her waist before turning to Vergil. "That's three now. Guess that means all we need to do now is report back and... Yeah." It feels a little too simple, but she's not about to complain about that. She starts heading out of the cave with Vergil, pausing briefly when he comments on the difference in their skills.

     Strangely enough, she laughs at that. "Yeah, sounds about right. If nothing else, I could even keep your energy up while you slice up everything. Besides, you could probably do some good stuff with magic if you learned it. And... Well, I need to get a lot stronger and faster." She's not delusional or anything. There's definitely something inhuman about Vergil's abilities, but that doesn't mean she can't at least try to learn from it!

     "So... You ever take any students or teachers? Maybe we can work something out here."