Only a few minutes had passed since Vigil revealed himself as Dread to everyone inside their transport vehicle.
Thankfully, due to the help of Marya, the dryad to his left, and Vin, the demon on his right, no one blew the whole thing out of proportion. This was something that, although he didn't let show, made the boy quite happy.
Afterall, he had still not gotten used to the attention in which he's accumulated just for being a Child of War and probably never will.
As time passed the conversation swiftly redirected itself from people introducing themselves to one another, back to what they were talking about before Vigil had purposefully grabbed everyone's attention.
However, there were a few new discussions that were added to the cacophony of voices.
The main one being between the three conspirators sitting side by side with one another, accompanied by an onlooker or two that was also interested in their talk but did not want to actually join in.
With the large demon, Vin, giving the boy a sidelong glance, he asked in a curious tone:
"So, Dread... Mind showing us what you look like? I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to but..."
Turning his head slightly towards the large demon, Vigil contemplated on what to say for a moment, thinking that he did owe the man at least a little for helping him a few minutes ago.
'Should I just take it off...? Wait, what am I thinking?! I made it this far by being as cautious as can be. What happens if I take off my helmet and something bad were to occur?'
Over time, Vigil had come to learn that, if War Field was a sentient being... Then it had one messed up sense of humor.
For some inexplicable reason that he couldn't wrap his head around, a situation would always wind up happening whenever he had a moment of respite.
When he was trying to get some sleep a storm would appear out of nowhere. When he finally got some food, a monster that was much too strong for him would show itself, causing Vigil to run away and abandon his much needed sustenance.
And he wasn't the only one that was on the receiving end of this terrible timing. Hell, he was sometimes the cause of it.
With that in mind, Vigil decided that he would not take off his helmet and show his face... That was until it was time to eat, at least.
But when he had finished up with his thoughts and opened his mouth to speak, he was soon cut off by the voice of the kind Dryad sitting to his other side.
"Use your head, Vin. Dread had been wandering War Field for years. He probably knows better than anyone that taking off something like his helmet can only lead to making that damned curse act up."
In response to her words, Vin let out a light sight then replied:
"You are right. No point in making our life even more difficult just to satiate my curiosity. Sorry about asking Dread."
Hearing the conversation that the two of them were having, Vigil picked up a certain word that left him a little more than slightly concerned.
Not once in his life had he ever heard of this so-called curse before. But something about the mentioning of it made him feel...
... Really angry.
So instead of leaving himself with needless worry and a bit of seething rage, Vigil decided to ask his two new... companions?... honestly, he does not know what to call them... about said curse. When he had done so, it was in a tone that was just slightly too loud, making some of the mercs closest to him stop and stare in silence.
"This curse that the two of you are talking about... What is it?"
When they heard this, Vin and Marya shot a quick, questioning glance at the boy, looked back up at each other, then returned their attention back to the boy.
After a few moments, Marya opened her mouth to speak.
"Have you... Have you really never heard about the Jester's Curse?"
'I am starting to think that Gravolta's teaching system was kind of- scratch that, absolutely horrid.'
He thought while looking off into nowhere and at no one.
It was only a few moments later when he then responded in a slightly monotonic voice.
"No, I do not know of the 'Jester's Curse'. Oh and before you say anything, yes, I am from the sticks, no need to ask me."
A few moments after Vigil finished speaking, Maraya let out an exaggerated sigh while leaning on her hand, cupping the side of her face.
"Hah... What do they even teach you kids these days? Even if you grew up in the middle of nowhere you still should have been taught such a basic need to know."
She then took her head out of her hands, looked at Vigil, then continued.
"To begin with, allow me to ask. When you were still by yourself on your two year journey, did things ever seem... inconvenient? And when I say inconvenient I mean much too inconvenient, almost as though someone was playing a prank on you?"
In response to her question, Vigil gave her a dubious stare then answered in a voice laced with confusion.
"Yes, but what of it?"
It was then that the sound of Vin's voice could be heard answering him.
"That is just the thing. The Jester's Curse is something that encapsulates the entirety of War Field, making a good chunk of inconvenient situations that could happen, actually happen. For example, you just set up a fire to cook some food, then out of nowhere, a sudden rainstorm appears. That is the work of the curse."
And the puzzle pieces inside the boy's mind started to come together.
For a while now he had been wondering about the cause behind many of these odd unlucky situations occurring.
It had become so bad that for a few weeks he even began to think of himself as some sort of main character in those books that he would read together with Princess Arvayne in the past.
However those thoughts of his were crushed soon after when he almost had all of his intestines get sliced out of his stomach during a pretty bad fight.
Marya, knocking Vigil out of his thoughts, continued their shared explanation on the Jester's Curse.
"Now before you ask, the reason as to why the curse exists is because of one of the thirteen Calamities, Jester, the Mischievous Calamity. If you do not know about it, which I am sure you don't, then please do some research when we get back to Mercy... For everyone's sake."
That last part only served to make Vigil even more puzzled than he already was.
But before he could voice any of his concerns, he was cut off by Marya who began to continue with her explanation.
"There are a few rules that you should know about the Jester's Curse. First of all, never - And I mean never! - let your guard down while in War Field. But I am sure that you have already figured that out for yourself. Second, do not say anything too soon and jinx yourself."
After she had finished, Vin began to explain yet another rule about the curse.
"There is also a rule that-... Oh, shit."
He stopped mid-sentence while putting both of his hands on his face, letting silence flood the transport vehicle.
Now that the duo had gone silent for a little bit, Vigil was able to notice that as of right now, no one was speaking and instead was just staring at the three of them. Actually, people had stopped speaking and started starring only a few moments after Vigil asked about the Jester's Curse.
*Bang*
It was then that Vigil was able to hear the thunderous sounds of gunfire going off just outside the transport vehicle that they were sitting in. And there weren't just a few gunshots here and there, it was more like a flood of them.
'... That can't be a good sign.'
Soon after he thought that, Vin slowly dragged his hands off of his face and remarked in a deadpan tone.
"So, about that rule that I was just about to explain... Whenever someone mentions the Jester's Curse for the first time and they just so happen to be out in War Fields expanse, the curse will activate soon after."
He then stopped for a moment then pointed outside.
"And this just so happens to be the aftereffect of you mentioning the curse for the first time ever... Welp, them's the consequences of our actions, let's go."
He finished up his sentence as he began to stand up.
As he did so, Vigil could feel the vehicle begin to slow down until it had come to a complete stop. When it did, the people inside the vehicle began to pour out while readying themselves for a fight.
When Vigil had exited the vehicle right behind Vin, he noticed how all of the other vehicles, both combat and transport, had stopped in their tracks, now preparing for a fight.
Looking to his right, in the same direction that everyone else was, Vigil saw what looked to be thousands- if not tens of thousands of different beings running towards their convoy.
"You see, kid..."
Vin said, grabbing the boy's attention.
"That is what happens when the Curse is activated when surrounded by a lot of people."
After finishing his statement, he began to crack his neck while doing the same with his fingers.
Looking back at the massive horde of monsters, Vigil did not even take a second longer before putting his right hand on the hilt of his sword and unsheathing it, preparing himself for a fight.
From the looks of it, today was going to be a long one.