A straw hat?
So basically Yuuka's dressed up in all her attire ASIDE from the hat? Jesus christ that is wrong for a touhou.
:flowerpower:
How about Louise's hat? (http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Louise) ;)A pink hat on top of pink hair. Wouldn't that just camouflage it? Give it the next hat, Elly's hat.
also is yuuka not yuka jeebus
I could see assortments of berets, witch hats, turbans, baseball caps, really?even things that aren?t even supposed to be here like the head dress of a shaman.
Yuuka? A violin master? Do want.Ditto.
I can only assume the plants that shoot fire are the reference.
I am ver surprised that you didn't notice that the piranha plants are from SUPER MARIO BROTHERS,You know, thats one of the two main references I should get, with the other being za warudo.
The Jojo reference was at the very end, making Louise fight without making the wine spill...it's a long story.
The Jojo reference was at the very end, making Louise fight without making the wine spill...it's a long story.
"Monster, you do not belong in this world..." I muttered under my breath while purposely looking away from it.
"Aaaahhn~! But it was not by my hand that I was given this flesh~! I was called here by a friend who wished to ask for my aid~!" The creature replied before doing more poses. I looked back at it in shock. It heard me? Impossible. I snarled at it and stood up, trying very hard to suppress the fear building up within me.
?Aid? Who would want the aid of one who parades around acting like something that it is not?? I said directly to the creature, making sure to show my killing intent. I was once again shocked when the creature did not even flinch and merely did another pose. Why? Why do I feel such fear when this creature is near me when it isn't even hostile? Why did it not seem to be affected by my aura of terror? What. The. Hell.
?Ooohh~! Perhaps the same could be said of all mankind~? The creature retorted. It was comparing itself to nobles now?
?Your words are as empty as your clothing! Tristain ill needs a citizen such as you!? I yelled, making a few heads turn. I didn't care. This man. This thing was not natural. It goes against everything that nature had intended and I don't like that. I can't even imagine what would happen if my master was to meet such a thing.
?Auuuhh~! What is a man? A delectable little pile of repressed emotions! But enough talk, have at-?
I'm sorry but, I was really thinking of a Mr. Armstrong from Phoenix Wright and how he also owned a "Tres Bien" restaurant.
“Tres Bien!” A clearly masculine voice that, for some ungodly reason was trying to sound feminine, yelled out. I turned to the source of the voice and I froze. Standing before me, doing poses and flexing fully developed muscles, was a man...or I thought it was a man. This...creature...was a tall and well built human male that seemed well into the middle of his life, if his receding hairline suggested, and was even sporting a mustache and a beard. All in all, one would think that he would be a soldier or working class man but...he was wearing a magenta tank top that was around five sizes too small for him and dark blue shorts that was also around five sizes too small for him. The creature turned to me and winked before it started another round of posing and flexing.
...
Master Spark
It was the very first magic spell I had ever created, though it would not be named for a few more centuries. Well, no. Calling it a spell would have been a bit of a stretch back then. I was simply dabbling with power I had no knowledge off when I first came up with it. I did not have the finesse nor the wisdom I have now so, when I discovered the power of magic, I simply gathered as much of it as I could before releasing it and watched what happened. The result was a ray of light that cut through everything like a sword from heaven. It was then that I decided that I liked that spell. I used to simply use my hands to focus the power and release it, gathering as much of it within my grasp and directing the resulting beam of light at my intended target. That did not pan out as well as I had hoped since I was roasting my hands every time I did it that way, rendering me unable to go to hand to hand combat as effectively as I wanted and limiting me to only one shot.
Since then, I tried out various other objects to use as a foci for the Master Spark. Unfortunately, they all ended up as being inadequate in one way or another and bringing me back to square one. That was until I met her. She was a strange one, I'll admit that. A beautiful woman with hair of gold, a human, who wasn't afraid of youkai. A woman that radiated a kind of power that I have never felt before in golden light. She simply walked up to me and asked what was wrong? I had been so frustrated at all my failures that I simply vented everything on her. The woman stood there in silence while twirling her white parasol as she listened, her brown dress laced with gold making her look like a giant doll. After I finished, she started giggling before breaking out into a full cackle. I felt insulted at the woman's reaction and called out rose vines to restrain her, the woman stopped cackling when she found herself caught with my vines. I gave her a vicious smile before setting up a Master Spark. I cackled back at her as I released the energy gathered within my hands, one shot or not, only one should have been enough to vaporize that arrogant woman. My eyes went wide when the woman gave me an equally vicious smile before her entire body suddenly broke down into countless butterflies made of golden light. The golden butterflies dispersed and flew all around me. I tried to aim the Master Spark at them but they were too fast and they simply kept evading the death ray until it ran out of power. I gazed at my hands and confirmed that they were once again burned to a crisp and would take hours to fully heal.
The butterflies converged together and combined, once again turning into the woman. I asked her who she was and how she was able to do that. She smiled at me and only said that it was because of magic. I asked her what her name was and she responded my asking me if my hands were okay. I snarled at her and asked her who she was one more time before I charged at her, trying to deliver a shoulder tackle. I should have known better really. The woman merely turned into butterflies once again and I ended up eating dirt when I lost my balance and tripping on a rock. I stood back up, ignoring the pain coming from my hands, before asking for the woman's name one more time. She smiled at me, opened her mouth, and told me her name. It wasn't anything special or spectacular, a rather ordinary name when I think about it now. I then asked her what she was, reasoning that no human should be able to do what she did. The woman blinked at me a few times before she started cackling once again, I waited for her to finish and got my answer.
The Golden Witch
I asked her what she was doing in Gensokyo and she told me that she was looking for someone, a man most dear to her. They were separated because of a certain event that occurred in their home realm and she said that she was trying to find him through the sea of countless possibilities, a kaleidoscope of different realms and fragments of worlds. Back then I didn't believe her, only commenting that it would be impossible to be able to find one person in all of that. I told her straight to her face that there was a zero percent chance for her to be able to find that man, that it would take a miracle for that to happen. She simply smiled at me and told me that she would try anyway, and that it wouldn't be the first time she had to go against certainty to find her miracle. She sounded so certain that she would be reunited with that person that I was starting to root for her so I asked her why she was so confident about it. She simply shrugged and looked up at the endless sky and said:
After all...without love, the truth cannot be seen.
The woman switched the topic back to my problem. I can gather energy and direct it just fine, it was just that I kept destroying whatever I focus the power into whenever I try. She thought about it for a moment before snapping her fingers, her expression had the word 'Eureka' written all over it. The woman closed her white parasol before giving the object to me. I looked it over and said that it was a very pretty parasol, which it was. The Golden Witch smiled at my words and told me to try to use to cast a Master Spark using her parasol. I looked at her like she just turned into a giant two-headed snail before asking her is she was insane. She giggled softly and answered 'once upon a time' before asking me to do a Master Spark with her parasol again. I asked her if she was sure about this and she confidently nodded. I muttered an apology to her parasol before pointing the tip at a boulder in the distance. I started gathering energy just like normal and I noticed that it was easier this time, I was able to gather energy faster and more smoothly. I was about to stop when I felt that I was reaching the amount that I normally considered as the limit for gathered energy but I noticed that the parasol seemed like it could still hold more. I bit my bottom lip and decided to risk it. I poured as much power into the parasol as I could until I felt it fill up, opening like a blooming flower as it reached its limit. I felt my heart race in anticipation as I carefully aimed the parasol before releasing all the energy built up at once.
I wished that I had picked a larger target.
The boulder, which was around the size of a small shack, was erased from existence along with a nice chunk of the forest behind it. I looked at the resulting damage from the Master Spark, then back at the woman's parasol, then back at the damage caused by my spell, then I smiled like I was the happiest girl in the world. I turned back to the woman and pointed at the effect of my spell and held up her parasol to show her that it was fine. The woman nodded sagely and explained the reason why I had all that trouble in casting that particular spell. It turned out that I wasn't actually casting a magic spell whenever I used Master Spark. Instead, I was simply clumping energy together and pointing it at someone I didn't like before releasing the gathered energy. The problem with that was there wasn't anything regulating the energy while being gathered or released. The reason why everything I have used to focus that energy gets destroyed was because they keep getting overwhelmed by the sheer amount of power I was forcing into them. The Golden Witch's parasol was different. She said that it was created using powerful magic to be used specifically as a foci for magical energy, regardless of type of magical energy used. As an added bonus, it also meant that it can take the stress of being filled up with a lot of energy, meaning that it was physically more durable than any parasol ever made. I simply stared at the object in sheer awe. Who would have ever thought that such a simple object could be used in such a way?
The Golden Witch laughed at my reaction to how I was creating my Master Sparks and what her parasol does. She may have done it on a whim. She may have done it because she no longer had use for it. She may have done it because she had taken a shine to me. She may have done it because, somehow, someway, she knew that I will need it someday. Regardless, when I tried to give her parasol back, the simply shook her head and told me to keep it. I was stunned and confused as to why she would try to part with such a useful artifact. She simply said that it suited me and made me promise to take good care of it. I promised her and she said goodbye before vanishing in a whirlwind of golden butterflies.
That was the last time I ever saw her.
...
The various incidents in Gensokyo that I've shown or hinted in this story were either references to other works by other people or stuff I just pulled out of my ass...except the Lunarian Invasion. That is something I always wanted to write but I can never get the groundwork for it finished.I'm now expecting a list of all these things at the stories conclusion, you know.
...
The Sixty-Sixth Griffin Knight Squadron of the Sixth Fleet of the Kingdom of Tristain fell into question and ridicule after what happened to their former Captain Wardes. The official report was that he died in the line of duty fulfilling a secret mission for Princess Henrietta. Of course, the rumor mill had other things to say about that.
Wardes defected to Albion!
The Captain of the Sixty-Sixth tried to secretly assassinate the Prince of Albion in order to curry favor to the current King of Albion!
Wardes was a traitor to our Kingdom!
The entire Sixty-Sixth are all probably traitors as well!
They should all be discharged and exiled before they bring any more shame to the Griffin Knights!
Obviously, their superiors and other high-ranking nobles got wind of this and decided to go along with the rumors as a way to 'pacify' the rest of the enlisted men. Because of this, the Sixty-Sixth was very nearly disbanded. The loyal knights that were once known as the 'Winds of Tristain', the promising young men who were said to have been the successors to the legendary 'Manticore Knights of the Heavy Wind', were either discharged or reassigned to different posts...usually far less grander than what they used to have. And now...now there were only six of them left. Six out of the once fifteen strong Sixty-Sixth Squadron. Those who remained wore their newfound stigma grimly but they refused to let all their hard work and sacrifice to be washed away because of the actions of one man, even if he was their Captain.
After pulling a few favors with families that they had good ties with, the former Second-in-Command and current Captain of the Sixty-Sixth managed to prevent the complete liquidation of the squadron in exchange for them being relegated to border patrol duty. The newly minted Captain Hans Solan Millennius de Falcone personally took the lead in their daily patrols across the northern border of Tristain...the part nearest to Albion. What's more is that they were the only squadron assigned to that little patch of border, so there weren't any other ships or squadrons for miles.
All of them knew that this was a test from their superiors. If they really were the traitors that they were accused of being, then they would use that chance to run to Albion and thusly be charged with treason and become fugitives for the rest of their days. If they were still loyal to Tristain then they would do their jobs well. In the event of an Albion invasion, they would have to face off against everything the enemy threw at them without any immediate reinforcements. If they stood their ground and fought...and died...then they will be considered as heroes and the honor of the Sixty-Sixth would be restored.
"For all the good that'll do if there isn't a Sixty-Sixth anymore..." Griffin Knight Charles Casval la Fontaine drawled out as he maintained formation to the left of their Captain. Charles or 'Char' was a very promising young knight in his early twenties who graduated second in his class back in the prestigious Tristain Magic Academy before enlisting along with his familiar, Quattro, the very Griffin he was riding on. Char was a legend in the Tristain Magic Academy for being the second best in the entire class even though he was only a Line-Class Wind Mage, with the rest of the top-ten graduates being all Triangle-Class Mages or higher.
His Griffin also became famous amongst the knights for the reddish sheen of its feathers and the fact that it was approximately three times faster than standard Griffins when flying at high-speeds. He had short blonde hair and blue eyes, typical traits in his family. He was wearing standard Griffin Knight equipment like the rest of his squadron, their emblem -The Growling Hell Hound- emblazoned on his cape. It was more stylish than practical as the most protection their clothing provided was the leather vest that their former Captain Wardes insisted that they all wear. 'Some protection is better than no protection' was his exact words.
Char was originally arranged to be wed to the beautiful Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Valliere in three years. Of course, after what his Captain allegedly did, that will likely be annulled considering Captain Wardes was the fiance of Cattleya's younger sister. Char was neither for nor against to the arranged marriage. He had only met Cattleya once of twice in their whole lives and he fond her very likable but he was on the fence on his feelings toward the woman.
"We either die as heroes or live the rest of our lives as villains. Captain Wardes really gave us one hell of a going away present." Griffin Knight Stephan Alexander de Morris or simply 'Stephan' added with a shake of his head. Like Char, Stephan attended the Tristain Magic Academy before enlisting and was of the same age as his squadmate. He and Char attended school together and he managed to earn top-of-class honors with his friend taking second...if only barely.
He insisted on becoming a Griffin Knight even though he was a Triangle-Class Water Mage who was more talented at healing and misdirection rather than straight combat. He was a few inches taller than Char was and had cropped chestnut colored hair and green eyes. His face and body structure had a certain sense of ruggedness that one would not normally attribute to a Water Mage. Like Char, he was wearing a standard Griffin Knight uniform, the leather vest that they all had made him look even more rugged than he already was.
"Stow it guys. Complaining about it won't make the problem go away. As it stands, we just have to continue doing our job until the generals give us the green light to return to regular service. Invasion or not, I don't really plan on dying any time soon." Griffin Knight and current Second-in-Command James Terrance la Raynore or 'Trombe' laid out the reality for the rest of them. Trombe was an adopted son of the la Raynore clan and was the third oldest sibling in his family.
Due to various circumstances, he had to be put up for adoption after his real family -Germanian- disowned him for reasons known only by his biological father. He was home schooled by a private instructor in both academics and magic because his parents didn't want anyone finding out his true heritage at the time. His teacher was strict, inhumanly so. He heard that she originally didn't want to teach him because she would simply be wasting her time when she could be raising her daughters instead. For better or for worse, his step-mother was able to convince his instructor to continue teaching him until he was able to graduate after he turned twenty around six years ago. The first and last graduate of the private Karin Desiree la Valliere school of hard knocks and a proud Square-Class Wind Mage.
His nickname stemmed from the fact that he was a powerful wind mage that matched their former Captain in raw power, it also helped that they were both trained by the same person. The word 'Trombe' was Germanian for 'Tornado', Trombe's favorite kind of wind magic. It had originally been a joke but somehow the nickname stuck and he carried it ever since. He had long black hair that reached to his back and black eyes. His brownish skin betrayed his Germanian descent but no one in the unit ever gave him a hard time about it.
"No one ever plans on dying on the day they do." Griffin Knight Lawrence Masters de Foulke or 'Larry' shot back, earning a glare from his squadmate. Larry was originally a famed mercenary that went by the nickname of 'Solo-Wing' because he was a Triangle-Class Wind Mage that always worked alone. He became famous during the border skirmishes between Tristain and Germania, having even fought Wardes and their current Captain on multiple occasions.
He was already in his early thirties but was still as sharp and as deadly as he was back then. He was defeated by Wardes during a failed ambush attempt and was slated to be executed until the man who defeated him asked if he wanted to join a squadron he was forming instead. He, his current Captain, and Wardes were the founding members of the Sixty-Sixth.
He had wavy chestnut hair that was parted in the middle and he had amber eyes that spoke of many years of combat experience. Wardes' choice of bringing him into the Griffin Knights was met with much disapproval from his superiors and peers but all the man said was that 'this guy would work better as an ally than as a potential enemy'. Larry had to go through a rigorous screening process as well as training to become a Griffin Knight. It wasn't an easy thing to do since he was already much older than the other cadets were when he started his training. In the end though, he passed and the rest was history.
"....." Griffin Knight Lyner Alec la Pyrean or 'Red' simply remained quiet and chose to study the surrounding airspace. Red was the newest addition to the squadron before Wardes suddenly dropped off the map and was thought to have betrayed the whole country. The young man looked up to Wardes as a hero back when he was still at the military academy. The final student of 'The Heavy Wind' was thought to have been the best of the legendary Manticore Knight's apprentices and Red wanted nothing more than to follow in his footsteps and become a legendary flame mage amongst the Griffin Knights.
It wasn't easy for him though. He was still fresh from graduating from the Tristain Magic Academy two years ago and was barely out of military training before he was assigned to the Sixty-Sixth. He had mediocre grades and was only a Line-Class Fire Mage but he was so frighteningly skilled at riding his mount that rumors state that Captain Wardes himself requested that he was to be transferred to the squadron. Unlike the others that either summoned their mounts as familiars or was provided them by the military, Red actually captured and tamed his mount...or so the story went.
The young man wanted to be the very best, like no one ever was. Capturing his Griffin was his true test, to train it was his cause.
Because of the training he did with his Griffin, his control of it was second to none. Red had dark red hair that reached his shoulders, with his eyes matching his hair color, his nickname was a no-brainer to come up with.
"Stay focused and do your jobs. We're in deep enough as it is and we can't afford to screw up. Everything we say and do will be used against us and the only way for us to survive with our squadron and our honor intact is to make sure that they don't have anything to use against us. Buckle down and ride out the storm, gentlemen. The Sixty-Sixth will rise again!" Captain Hans Solan Millennius de Falcone or 'Scarface' yelled out from the front of the formation. The current Captain of the Sixty-Sixth was a close friend of Wardes back during their school days. They were rivals of sorts that always tried to one up one another but it was all friendly competition to motivate each other to strive harder to succeed.
Larry was the one responsible for Scarface's nickname after he took a razor wind spell in the face during an ambush by the then 'Solo-Wing'. Scarface was able to survive thanks to his comrades as Wardes expertly defeated the mercenary in single combat but he still came away with a large scar that ran from his right eyebrow to his left cheek. He short brown hair, blue eyes, and was clean shaven...basically the opposite of Wardes' image. The sudden disappearance and alleged betrayal of his long-time friend hit Scarface the hardest. Even though Wardes was always the better man when it came to many things, including magic since Scarface was only a Triangle-Class Wind Mage compared to Wardes being a Square-Class Wind Mage, he never felt that he was inferior to his former Captain.
He always had a way of bringing his squadron together and getting the best results out of all of them, he was the best and his squadron was the best as well.
So why? Scarface thought before taking a deep breath and discarding the thought. It didn't matter anymore. Whether or not Wardes really betrayed the crown will not change the fact that the Sixty-Sixth was in dire straights and it fell to him to do something about it.
"Hey boss, you should see this." Stephan called out to his Captain, getting the attention of the rest of the squadron. Scarface turned back to his squadmate and found that he was pointing at something to the right of their formation in the distance. The Knight Captain strained his vision and saw a single small shape breaking through the cloud cover. It was flying fast...and it was headed right at them.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Char voiced out from behind Stephan. Everyone else felt the same way. Whoever it was that was headed for them, he or she was coming from the direction of Albion. Scarface clenched his jaw as he entertained the thought that it could be Wardes heading back to Tristain after accomplishing whatever secret mission was assigned to him. That thought was quickly silenced as he noted that it wasn't a Griffin headed their way. It was a Dragon...a Wind Dragon.
"Heads up and stay alert! Hold your ground and prepare for intercept protocols! If that guy so much as twitches the wrong way, I want him grounded through any means necessary!" Scarface barked out as he led the formation to intercept the oncoming Wind Dragon and its rider. Red suddenly widened his eyes as he realized something.
"The rider and the mount are injured!" He yelled out from behind. If the rider and the mount were wounded and were still flying at that speed, it could either mean that they were escaping or being pursued. The answer to that made itself apparent when a very large military ship broke out from the cloud cover that the mystery rider came from.
"Shit! It's an Albion ship!" Larry yelled out after seeing the emblem on the sails. A few seconds later, about a dozen Fire Dragon Knights flew in formation around the ship...escorts.
"I think that the Wind Dragon is the least of our worries." Trombe mused casually. As if facing off against a squadron of Dragon Knights and an Albion Battleship wasn't something to panic about.
"Char! Secure the Wind Dragon and get its rider to safer skies! The rest of you, we're flying cover! Let's go!" Scarface gave the order and the entire squadron suddenly kicked into motion. Char and his Griffin displayed their speed as Quattro pulled ahead of everyone else and headed right to the pursued Wind Dragon. The Albion Fire Dragon Knights noticed the sudden advance and quickly broke from their formation with their ship to intercept the speedy Griffin.
"Cover Char!" Scarface barked out as he pulled out his wand, Trombe and Larry following his example, while Red and Stephan hung back. The three Wind Mages did their incantations and let loose three tornadoes that screamed past Char and the Wind Dragon and straight into the Fire Dragon Knight formation. The Fire Dragons were nowhere near as maneuverable as a Griffin or as a Wind Dragon, but the tornado spells were sent out far enough for them to avoid getting hit. That was the point though as Scarface wanted Char to secure the pursued rider and get him into Tristain hands. Whoever it was, he was important enough for Albion to send out a ship and a squadron of Fire Dragon Knights over the pond just to take him down.
"Break and run interference! Char and the Wind Dragon are the top priorities!" Scarface barked before the entire squadron broke off from each other to begin their mission. Buy time.
"Hey! Are you alright?" Char asked the rider as he pulled up next to the injured Wind Dragon. The poor thing didn't look like it will be able to make it to a Tristain base before falling out of the sky. The blue dragon had scorch marks all over its body and its wings even had some arrows stuck to it. Char shook his head and shook the rider's shoulders. The rider looked up at him and he gasped in surprise. It was a woman, middle aged and definitely not the type to ride on a Wind Dragon. She had brown hair that was fixed up into a fine updo. Her eyes, complexion, and clothing outside the brown cloak she was using as a cover from the wind indicated that she was at least a noble.
"Your Highness...?" The woman asked him with tired eyes.
Your Highness? Char asked himself in confusion. Further inquiry was put on hold as the Wind Dragon suddenly convulsed before its left wing went completely limp. The creature cried out in pain, its death wails made obvious to anyone who could hear.
"This is bad!" Char declared as he maneuvered Quattro to match the descent of the injured dragon. Hopefully, the others could keep the enemy off of him long enough to transfer this woman to his Griffin without making her fall off.
...
"I'm assuming this means Albion isn't going to play nice anymore?" Larry asked the two Fire Dragon Knights who were hot on his tail.
The former mercenary banked left and right to avoid getting hit by the flames of the two dragons. The fact that the knights themselves weren't belting out spells either meant that they didn't have any spells that would work in high speed aerial battles or they were holding back.
"Either way, I'm a lot more pragmatic about fights." Larry muttered to himself as he took out his wand again. He pointed hit over his shoulder and cast a razor wind spell blind. He didn't expect to hit anyone but it should be enough to get some distance between him and his pursuers.
He looked back and found that the knights split off and one of them was above his plane of flight while the other was to his right. Both knights seemed to be unharmed but were still a comfortable distance away from him.
Larry decided that it was time to use an old trick he learned from his old Captain. He gestured his Griffin to ease right before climbing steep. The Fire Dragons followed him but they simply didn't have the speed to keep up. Once a good enough distance was established, Larry pointed his wand to behind him as he chanted another spell. Instead of letting loose another attack spell, he maneuvered his Griffin into a summersault before barrel-rolling to get their bearings straight.
Larry let loose his spell, which was still pointed behind him. A powerful gust spell propelled him and his Griffin forwards at a speed that would normally be reserved for Quattro, with the Griffin tucked its wings to gain more speed for the attack. Larry went right at one of the knights, who was trying to take evasive action against the sudden turn of events, before putting away his wand in exchange for his sword-wand. Larry never liked using a sword-wand, too heavy for his tastes to use as a foci for spells.
He did appreciate the 'sword' part of it though. Larry showed just how much by slicing the Fire Dragon across its right wing, clipping the beast and rendering much slower that it once was. This was the fighting style of the Sixty-Sixth, the style that Wardes pounded into their heads. Pure Pragmatism.
Dead men's words hold no meaning on the battlefield.
The Sixty-Sixth did not fight to win. They fight to survive and fight again. That way of thinking was the reason why their squadron had the lowest casualty rate of any squadron in any branch of the Tristain military. Their way is to fight to survive. Incidentally, they needed to make sure that their enemies were rendered helpless for them to do just that. Their main way of doing so in tactical combat against other airborne units like themselves was to disable the mounts. The rider is secondary, take out the thing being ridden on first.
They used that style to much success, though some view it as being cowardly and not honorable enough for the battlefield. That was fine with them. It didn?ft matter if their methods were cowardly. They live, the enemy dies, Tristain remains safe. That was all that mattered. However, something didn't sit well with Larry. These knights were surprisingly good. Even with slower Fire Dragons, they were still the ones doing the pursuing instead of the other way around. The fact that they were up against such skilled knights meant one thing.
This wasn't a mere pursuit mission.
"Hey! Do you mind?! I'm contemplating here!" Larry yelled out after a jet of flame rushed past him. He looked back and saw that the Fire Dragon that he managed to clip was trailing back so that meant that the fight was now one on one.
"Time to see how good you really are." The former mercenary muttered with a smile before sending his Griffin into a steep rolling dive. Larry tucked his body as close to his mount's back as he could.
After five more seconds of this, he broke left. The Griffin's wings spreading out to catch as much air as it could to facilitate the turn. Larry glanced back and noted that the knight that was still on him was barely keeping up. The greater weight and bulk of the Fire Dragon made it much harder to perform acrobatics at this speed. Larry kept this up for one reason, to get behind the Fire Dragon.
Larry led his mount into a rolling turn to the left before climbing up and breaking right. The distance between him and the pursuing knight was getting wider and wider. The difference was that he was starting to get closer and closer to chasing the tail of the Fire Dragon instead of the other way around.
That was when he saw a jet of flame coming right at him from the upper left corner of his vision.
"Oh right...I forgot about the other one." Larry remarked before rolling away from the sneak attack.
...
"Guh!" Red grunted as he forced his Griffin into a tight turn to avoid another jet of flame coming from one of the dragons that was chasing him.
He was originally only being pursued by one of the knights when he noticed that another two of them were headed straight toward Char. He threw out a fireball from above the two knights, hoping to catch one of them off guard. Unfortunately, they were a lot more alert than he thought. He drove his Griffin past them but it only served to make him their target instead.
So now, he was being pursued by not one but three Albion Fire Dragon Knights. Several gouts of flame kept missing him and his Griffin by only a couple of feet. Red could literally feel the heat as the flames flew by. It was only thanks to his skill at maneuvering his Griffin that he was able to last this long. However, it was only a matter of time before he made a mistake or one of the dragons gets a lucky hit in. He had to somehow get behind them or take one of them out.
"Dammit!" The young Griffin Knight cursed as he twisted his body around and pointed his wand at his pursuers. The knights quickly broke away from his line of fire just as he let out another fireball from his wand.
Red cursed under his breath once again before turning back and putting his wand away. He won't be able to take them out with his magic because he would need to turn around and aim first, more than enough time for his pursuers to get out of the way. He couldn't use his sword-wand because of the same reason. He had to find a way to shake them off!
He looked around his immediate airspace for anything he could use. He saw the rest of his squadron holding off their own pursuers but he couldn't think much about it as another jet of flame flew past him. Red clenched his jaw and focused on making precision movements instead of buzzing around like a fly. It would slow him down but it would lower the chance of him overshooting his movement and flying right into enemy fire.
He once again looked around for anything he could use and have a silent prayer of thanks when he saw something that he could use. A large cloud rolled in a few hundred yards above him to his left. He maneuvered his Griffin to get inside the cloud cover as fast as it could. The flame attacks became more frequent as the Albion knights realized what he was trying to do.
Red was able to get into the cloud though and he quickly moved within it before diving down and moving back to the point where he originally entered the cloud from. As expected, his pursuers got into the cloud and started firing all over the place to flush him out. Red drew out his sword-wand and prepared to rush at the first knight that comes out of the cloud.
He hit pay dirt as one of the knights flew out of the cloud before stopping mid-air to get his bearings back. Blaze used this chance to rush forward to attack the knight at close range. He saw the knight turn to him in surprise as he was about to swing his sword-wand to take out the dragon's wing.
That was when two jets of flame came out from within the cloud.
"Shiiiit!" Red cursed as he abruptly abandoned his attack and focused on evading. He barrel rolled away from the jets of flame and also narrowly avoided the sword of the knight he originally intended to attack. It was a trap.
"These guys are good..." The young Griffin Knight muttered as the chase resumed once again. Red knew that he'd get another chance at it. He just needed to stay alive.
Just stay alive!
Red made his mount bob and weave its way though the constant assault by the Fire Dragons. The young knight was so focused on making sure not to get hit by the flames that he didn't notice that he was slowing down too much in the process. Red's eyes went wide when to glanced back to the knights and saw that they were only a couple of hundred yards away from him.
"Dammit! Why the hell did I make such a rookie mistake?!" Red screamed as he willed his mount to speed up. The knight at the front of the pursuit formation managed to squeeze out a sudden burst of speed from his mount. The Fire Dragon managed to pull up beside Red and reared its head back to finish of the young knight with a breath of flame.
"Dive!" Red commanded and his mount complied. The Griffin tucked its wings, rolled once to point itself downward, and dove just as a streak of flame tore through the spot where they were a moment ago.
Red's Griffin opened up its wings to stop its descent but it quickly rolled left and right to avoid the jets of flame that were now coming from above. He noticed something in the distance and smiled. It was Trombe and he was also being pursued by three Fire Dragons.
The two knights made eye contact and they both smiled. Red adjusted his mount's flight pattern and sent it into a collision course right at his senior before pulling out his sword-wand.
The young knight did his best not to panic as he carefully avoided getting hit by the jets of flame coming from the front and behind. Trombe was doing the same and Red wondered just how the man was able to stay so calm despite getting attacked from both sides.
"I guess that's the difference between a rookie and a regular." Red said with a bitter smile as he prepared a fireball spell. The two knights came closer and closer to crashing into one another.
One hundred yards and Red's spell was ready.
Seventy yards and he made his Griffin fly as fast as it could.
Thirty yards and his Griffin's left wing almost got fried by a shot that came too close for comfort.
Twenty.
Ten.
Five.
Both knights rolled left and missed each other by a manner of inches. Red pointed his sword-wand in front of him and saw that he was lined up perfectly with a Fire Dragon Knight. The enemy knight flinched long enough for Red to get his spell off.
"Fireball!" Red declared as a ball of flame launched from his sword-wand and screamed toward one of the knights that were after him. He also heard Trombe declare his trademark 'Tornado' spell from behind him. The knight he aimed for frantically tried to get his mount out of the way, probably too panicked at the sudden stunt by the two knights to consider countering the spell with a jet of flame from his mount, but was too close to avoid the spell.
Red quickly bid his mount to climb after letting his spell off and heard the sound of his fireball hitting something and detonating. The roar of the Fire Dragon was more due to surprise at the sudden attack than actually being hurt...it was a Fire Dragon after all. Too bad the rider wasn't as flame retardant as its mount. Red didn't bother to check on the condition of the knight he hit and instead looked back to see how Trombe's attack went.
"Wha..." Was the only thing Red could get out of his mouth as he watched two of the three Fire Dragons that were after him drop out of the sky. The three knights pulled their dragons closer to each other in a bid to concentrate their attacks at Red. That left them as sitting ducks when Trombe aimed his wand right at them and let loose a spell.
The remaining knight broke right hard to avoid getting caught in the attack and was trying to get back on course to go after Red. The young knight noticed that the two remaining knights that were after Trombe were resuming their pursuit as well.
"Thank you!" Red yelled out after looking up to the skies in thanks for whatever force of luck that gave him that break. Now that it was one-on-one, Red concentrated on getting the jump on the knight who was once again hot on his tail.
...
"Tornado!" Trombe declared after lining up his sword-wand at the three Fire Dragon Knights that were running down his junior. His favorite spell tore through the skies and right in between two of the three dragons. The mounts roared in pain as their wings got torn to shreds from the force of the attack before they both fell from the sky.
"Woo!" The Griffin Knight let out before breaking right and climbing. The spared a glance at the damage that Red caused and was happy to see that their rookie managed to take out one of the knights that were after him. Trombe thanked Lady Luck for letting him and Red cross paths in the first place. He didn't even notice his fellow knight until he was already deliberately heading right at him. Confident that Red could take care of that one remaining knight on his ass, Trombe turned his attention to the two who were still after him.
He had to hand it to those Albion Fire Dragon Knights. Even after watching three of their comrades drop out of the sky because of a near-suicidal counterattack, they still got their act together and resumed their pursuit.
"I really want to meet the guy to trained these guys and punch him in the face, repeatedly." Trombe mused as he savored the lull in combat because he was out of range of the knights that were pursuing him.
"That reminds me..." The former student of Karin added before he turned back and aimed his sword-wand in the general direction of his foes. He did his incantation and let loose razor wind spell after razor wind spell.
'Razor Wind' was a lot easier to cast and didn't drain as much willpower as 'Tornado' so Trombe was able to rapid-cast it pretty easily. The spell also had the advantage of being hard to detect with human vision as it was literally a really, really, really, strong gust of wind that was focused on a very small area. Lastly, a windspell going downwind will be faster and will have better range than a jet of flame from a Fire Dragon going upwind.
Because of the range and speed advantage, aside from the morale advantage, the tables have suddenly turned even though Trombe was still the one being chased around.
"Hold still you buggers!" Trombe complained as he continued to take pot shots at the two Albion Fire Dragon Knights. They were starting to break their two-person formation after they noticed the razor wind spells coming at them. You can't really see it but you can definitely tell that the spell was there once it gets close enough.
"To hell with this!" The Griffin Knight yelled when he suddenly ordered his mount to stop and turn around to face the Fire Dragons head on. He was still out of their range so he was able to get his Griffin up to speed before letting loose another batch of razor wind spells.
"Oh no you don't!" Trombe declared as he let loose a tornado spell when the two Fire Dragons started breathing fire at him again. The two knight broke to either side of the tornado spell, making them pass each other without anyone getting a clean shot.
Both parties turned around and prepared for another joust when one of his squadmates suddenly dove about a few dozen yards in front of him, a cold fog of water appearing in his wake before it was blown away by jets of flame.
"Hey! Watch it!" Trombe complained after Stephan, and the two Fire Dragons who were after him, passed. He heard a faint 'Sorry' from his squadmate and Trombe could only shake his head before turning back to the oncoming knights and resuming hostilities.
...
"Sorry!" Stephan yelled out after hearing the complaint of his squadmate, whether or not Trombe heard him was up in the air.
The good news was that Stephan was well versed at neutralizing threats caused by fire attacks, being a Water-Mage helps with that significantly.
The bad news was that he was pursued from behind by two Albion Fire Dragon Knights and that he was more used to dealing with threats when they didn't know where he was.
Stephan was the ambush specialist.
He could go out alone on raids by going high, quiet, and slow, creating mists of cold water to confuse and misdirect before he went in for the kill.
It went without saying that he was currently out his element with this being an open pursuit instead of his usual hit and runs. He went ahead and tried to confuse them by throwing a cloud of mist right in their faces but it was met with failure when the dragons just blew the cloud away with jets of flame.
"Just keep dodging. Stay alive. We have to buy time for Char. Just stay calm and keep dodging until Scarface calls the retreat." Stephan muttered to himself as he cringed against the heat of another jet of flame flew across his side. The game plan they had was fine but the fact remained that he needed get the heat off his back.
He pulled out his wand and cast another cloud of mist before climbing up to a higher altitude, he needed more water to be able to mount a good offense against the knights who were after him. Predictably, the two knights just burned through the mist and continued their chase after him.
Stephan flew straight up and cast a large bubble of water directly behind him, right in the path of the knights. They tried to maneuver around the bubble as they were about to pass it but it suddenly burst into a spray of water right at them. The well disciplined knights barely even flinched at the diversion and maintained their speed, even their Fire Dragons didn't seem to be bothered by the sudden shower.
Stephan clicked his tongue as he leveled out his mount and broke left. Normally, a sudden surprise like that would have at least warranted pause from a rider, especially being as high up in the sky as they currently were.
"I hate situations like this." The Griffin Knight muttered before he eyed some clouds in the distance. He smiled as he put away his wand and exchanged it for his sword-wand. He drove his Griffin right into the cloud before he started his incantation. He waited until he could sense the two pursuing knights enter the cloud before releasing his spell.
The entire cloud suddenly glowed and shimmered blue. Stephan drove his Griffin hard to get out of the cloud before the spell kicked in, the speed difference between his Griffin and the Fire Dragons was his saving grace as he broke into the open skies just before he heard the familiar sound of ice forming behind him.
Stephan didn't have the raw magical power to flash freeze so much water that quickly by himself. He had to conjure up enough water to freeze before freezing it altogether, that would have taken too much time. Instead, he used the water in the clouds to act as the base of his spell. All he needed to do was concentrate it enough to freeze the whole cloud in one go.
Stephan looked back to inspect his handy work, he saw the massive chunk of frozen cloud plummet to the ground but he grimaced when he saw that one of the knights managed to escape in time to avoid getting encased in ice.
"What the hell..." Stephan muttered to himself as he once again tried to out maneuver his remaining pursuer. Hopefully, it will be easier to do now that it was one-on-one.
That was when he noticed a very tempting target.
There was a Fire Dragon that was going after one of his squadmates, he couldn't tell who because of the distance. There were two knights in pursuit but that one knight was flying a lot slower than everyone else. That means that the dragon was injured and the idiot didn't pull back. Stephan smiled and checked back to make sure that his own pursuer was far enough away so he could do this properly.
Stephan quietly maneuvered his Griffin behind the limping Fire Dragon and exchanged his sword-wand for his regular want. He incanted his spell just as his mount got up right behind the Fire Dragon. His target's mount sensed them when they were so close, jerking its head to check what it was that sneaked up behind it, but it was too late.
In one well practiced motion, Stephan rolled his Griffin upside down and above the hapless knight before pointing his wand a few inches above the knight's head.
"Water Bubble." Stephan cast his spell and the knight suddenly found himself drowning as his head was encased in a magical bubble of water. The knight tried to shake off the bubble by making his mount do erratic maneuvers but the bubble stuck and the knight eventually ceased all movement and fell off his mount. This was how Stephan fought.
Really, who would expect that one could drown in mid-air?
"That's more like it." The Griffin Knight said to himself before wincing as a jet of flame from his pursuer passed close. The stealth attack he did slowed him down enough for the other knight to catch up but it was worth it. The ambush knight clenched his jaw as he once again focused on avoiding getting shot out of the sky by his foe.
...
"Not bad!" Scarface yelled out as he and one of the two pursuers that were after him crossed blades before breaking off. The Captain didn't even bother trying to outrun the knights that were after him and simply opted to face them head on.
It was a risky move since a Griffin would not fare well in a scrap with a Fire Dragon, but Scarface already knew that. Instead of employing the method of attack that Wardes taught them, disable the mount no matter what, he chose to go after the rider instead.
Fire Dragons have two blind spots when being used as a mount. The space directly above them and the space directly behind them. The dragons cannot simply crane their head up or behind them to fire a jet of flame because there was a chance that they could injure their rider accidentally in the process. There was also the fact that the dragon wouldn't be looking at direction where it was flying at so there was a risk of getting blindsided as well.
Scarface tried to get behind the knights by either slowing down to make them overshoot or by simply trying to get behind them through sheer acrobatics. However, the Dragon Knights wouldn't allow him to get behind them using either method.
Scarface was honestly impressed.
To be able to keep up with him so well, the Griffin Knight could easily tell that these guys were extremely well trained. Since getting behind the dragons wasn't going to work, he decided to work on the other way to take out the rider.
He suddenly pulled his Griffin to a stop, the beast's wings flapping frantically to comply with its rider's orders. The two knights did their best to keep in pace with him but they were too close for them to prevent him to at least get alongside one of the dragons. The two beasts started trying to bite, peck, and claw at each other when they were close enough. They were going at it so hard that Scarface was a bit worried that they might just tangle each other up and bring them both down. The Albion knight pulled out his sword and swung it at Scarface where it met the Captain's sword-wand. Scarface noted that the knight was using a regular sword and not a sword-wand.
They're not nobles? The Captain wondered as he and the knight clashed steel. It was a bit strange for him to think that such skilled riders were commoners. Scarface smiled despite himself. They were all either naturally skilled or whoever trained them was a monster.
He then noticed that the other knight was making his way to his other side in an attempt to get him in a pincer. Scarface clicking his tongue as he parried a sword swing aimed at his neck. Before pointing his sword-wand at the Fire Dragon and let out a quick gust spell.
The force of the wind made the dragon and the rider grunt out as the spell hit them like a sledgehammer. Nowhere near enough force to knock them out of the sky, but it was enough to get some distance so Scarface can deal with the other knight. He swung his sword-wand at his left side, just in time to block a strike from the other knight's sword.
Scarface pulled his Griffin back and somehow managed to get behind the other knight quick enough before the knight could react. The Captain said a silent prayer of thanks at the sudden stroke of luck. He didn't hesitate as he unleashed razor wind spells one after another at the Fire Dragon behind him. It only took seconds for the wings of the Fire Dragon to be shredded into strips of membrane. The knight and his mount screamed their death wails as they both plummeted to their doom.
"One down..." Scarface muttered as he turned his attention to the other knight who was already trying to retreat. He let him go and looked around for his squadmates. He narrowed his eyes when he noticed Trombe engaged in a bout of air jousting with two Albion Fire Dragon Knights. The Captain quickly moved his Griffin into an intercept trajectory to give aid to his second-in-command.
...
"Damn..." Char cursed as he watched helplessly as the brave Wind Dragon that managed to get this far plummeted to the ground as soon as the Griffin Knight managed to secure the rider onto his own mount. He checked the woman one more time and noted that she was unconscious, either from shock or from exhaustion or both. He placed the woman in front of him to make sure that she was secure between his arms before he took out his wand and pointed it skyward. He cast a minor fire spell that was taught to every Tristain Griffin Knight in the academy.
A small ball of fire streaked upwards before it exploded into a large flare of light. It was the retreat signal. He turned to check where his squadmates were and noticed a Fire Dragon dropping out of the sky. He smiled when he saw that it was Trombe that made the kill with help from Scarface. The others were holding on pretty well, with Red and Larry flying together while holding off two Fire Dragon Knights. Stephan was already headed toward him and he saw that the knight that was on his tail was already headed to retreat. In fact...the remaining Fire Dragon Knights were all pulling back as well. Char wondered why for a moment before he got his answer...he really wished he hadn't asked himself why.
"Oh shit..." Char muttered in fear when he saw the clouds in the distance separate to reveal something he didn't really want to see.
Albion ships...a lot of Albion ships.
The young knight could do nothing but gape at the imposing wall of ships that was the mighty Albion Armada. The ship that they initially encountered was just an advance unit that went after the rider of the Wind Dragon. He motioned for his familiar to move when he noticed the rest his squadmates start to make their way toward him. He saw Scarface who was screaming something at him while gesturing him to get moving. So he flew. He didn't push Quattro to his top speed in fear of his passenger suddenly getting sick from the speed. It was slow enough for the rest of his squadron to catch up to him and that meant that it was slow enough for a pursuit squadron to catch up as well.
"What the hell are you doing?! Get going already!" Scarface barked at him when he pulled up to Char's side.
"Boss! The passenger is a civilian! Female! Middle-aged! I can't just let Quattro loose with someone like this with me! She could die if we flew too fast!" Char shot back. Scarface grimaced but he understood that Char was right. Albion was after that woman for a reason, getting her killed before they knew why would be bad. They had to get her to friendly skies while holding off a squadron of Fire Dragon Knights and making sure they don't get blown out of the sky by the Albion Armada. Every last one of the Sixty-Sixth knew it. They didn't want to admit it, but they knew.
Albion was invading...and they had to stay alive to warn their country.
"Listen up!" Scarface barked as soon as the rest of his squadron formed up around Char in a defensive formation.
"Precious cargo is injured will not survive pursuit speeds! That means that we're carrying dead weight! I'm assuming you all know what that means?!" Scarface laid out the situation for all of them. Everyone glanced at the unconscious woman on Char's mount before looking back to their Captain and nodding.
"Alright! Here's what we-" Scarface's order was cut off when he heard the telltale whistling sound of a wind spell.
"Scatter!" He screamed and everyone, including Char, broke off from each other just in time to avoid getting caught in a cluster of three tornadoes that ripped to the patch of sky that they were on a moment ago.
"What the hell?! Now they use magic?!" Larry screamed in annoyance. He and the rest of the squadron looked back to the source of the tornadoes, fully expecting at least three knights to be there.
"No way..." Larry muttered, unable to say anything else.
"Oh...oh...oh..." Char could only repeat that word at what he saw.
"Aww...hell..." Stephan said as he pulled out his sword wand and got behind Char.
"Well, what do you know..." Trombe bitterly stated as he pulled out his own sword-wand.
"It can't be...why...why...why?" Red asked in shock at what was closing in on them.
"Jaaaaaques!" Scarface screamed as he moved his Griffin into an intercept vector before pulling out his sword-wand. He didn't want to believe it. He wished. He prayed. He hoped that it wasn't true. That the man in front of him was merely an impostor or a doppleganger.
"Why?!" He screamed as he unleashed a tornado spell right at the figure before him once he was in range. The rider maneuvered his mount away and Scarface could only stare in utter disbelief.
It was Wardes...but it wasn't him either...
The...thing...that had evaded his attack definitely looked like his former Captain. Hell, he was wearing the same uniform as them. But the differences were almost too much for Scarface to bear.
Wardes was still wearing the same uniform but it looked like it was haphazardly stiched back together with several tears and scorch marks everywhere. His cape was mostly shredded and it was barely even a cape anymore. His hat also looked like it was stiched back together and the trademark feather on it was gone. The long silky hair and perfect beard that he was so proud of was now grey in color, almost white even. Even his skin complexion was so pale, you'd mistake him for a corpse. And then the eyes...
His former Captain's eyes glowed red when he saw them, like he was being possessed by some sort of demon. In his gloved hands, which were also damaged and stiched together, were two large Lance-Wands or 'Boom Sticks' as they were commonly called. The dark grey, runed lances were treated like sword-wands, weapons that were forged as spell foci. The nickname for them stemmed from the fact that a Lance-Wand can amplify and cast a much larger spell than a regular wand or even a sword-wand ever could. The trade off was that it drained so much willpower in the process that it was extremely difficult to use...and Wardes have two of them.
"No...even he couldn't dual-wield tho-" Scarface couldn't finish his musing when his eyes strayed away from the Lance-Wands. He didn't have any legs...Wardes didn't have any legs. His upper torso was directly connected to the back of his Griffin with several steel latches. Now that he thought about it, Wardes' Griffin also looked different. Its plume was as grey as its rider's hair. Its eyes were glowing as red as its rider's was. In some sort of sick and twisted way...Wardes had become one with his mount.
"What the fuck did they do to you?" Scarface asked in abject horror at what happened to his close friend. Wardes did not answer him. The abomination simply pointed its lance-wands at him before casting another triple-tornado spell. The three twisters spun around each other as they made their way toward Scarface. The current Captain of the Sixty-Sixth motioned his Griffin away from the spell before pointing his sword-wand at the abomination.
"Jacques!" Scarface called out, hoping that calling Wardes by his name would provoke a human reaction from him. When the response was another triple-tornado, Scarface knew that...thing...wasn't his friend anymore.
"Hey! Traitor!" Larry's voice interrupted the duel as a combination of razor wind and tornado spells from Larry and Trombe streaked right at the abomination. Wardes expertly guided his...lower half...to avoid the sudden attack by his former squadron.
"Holy shit! What the hell happened to him?!" Trombe yelled out as he finally noticed the state of his former Captain, or what was left of him.
"Boss! What do we do?! Stephan and Red are escorting Char away from the combat zone, do we pull back too?!" Larry asked his Captain. Scarface scowled as he watched Wardes maneuver back a good distance away to take stock of the new development.
"I cannot authorize a retreat with that thing still in the sky." Scarface somberly stated as he pointed his sword-wand at his former friend.
"Intercept the hostile and blow it out of the sky." He added as he started incanting a spell.
"I knew you'd say that...hey, the Albion ships aren't moving..." Trombe pointed out in wonder.
"Probably watching the show. You know, seeing how well their new toy fares against its old squadron." Larry responded as he readied his sword-wand to face his former Captain.
"That thing doesn't get past us. Got it?" Scarface ordered as he watched Trombe and Larry form up to his sides.
"Sir!" They both responded at the same time. Wardes suddenly motioned his Griffin forward and flew at them at a speed thought only reserved to Quattro.
"Watch it! It's faster that anything we've come across!" Scarface barked out as the three of them broke formation to avoid the sudden charge. Wardes chose his target and started pursuing Scarface with Trombe and Larry on his tail.
...
"I don't believe it...Captain Wardes really is a traitor..." Red muttered bitterly as he looked back to the tiny shapes buzzing around in the sky that represented the battle being waged between his squadmates and his former Captain...his hero.
"Keep your head in the game, Red. We need to get that woman to friendlies as soon as we can." Stephan stated. He and Red were serving as the wings of the 'V' formation that Char was leading, it was the easiest way to protect their squadmate and their precious cargo from pursuits.
"Besides, with the whole damn Albion Armada behind us, the Captain is the least of our worries." Char added. He still couldn't believe that Albion would actually go ahead and invade Tristain. That country just came from a brutal civil war that killed the entire Royal Family except for the crowned prince who was still missing! How the hell did they find the time to gather this many forces to launch an invasion so soon?!
"Something is way too wrong about this whole situation..." Char muttered as he glanced down at the woman in his arms. He just hoped that, whoever she was, she could give them answers before it was too late.
...
"That's just cheap!!!" Trombe complained as his attempt at a direct strike on Wardes with his sword-wand was parried by a razor wind spell from the lance-wand in his left hand...while casting a tornado spell at Larry and Scarface using his other lance-wand in his right hand.
"What the hell happened to you?!" Trombe yelled out at his former Captain as he pulled back in time to avoid getting shredded by the same razor wind spell that blocked his sword strike. The Second-in-Command of the Sixty-Sixth couldn't understand it. Physical modifications aside, no human mage should be able to throw around spells that powerful at that frequency using two Boom Sticks! Even his former teacher, the legendary Karin 'The Heavy Wind', could only use a single Lance-Wand in combat!
"Albion turned him into a monster! That's what happened!" Scarface responded as he pulled back away from Wardes. He pointed his sword-wand to the sky before moving it in a circular motion, the signal to form up.
"We won't win if we keep trying to fight him like we would a human opponent. He'd just rip us to shreds." Scarface pointed out as soon as his two wingmen formed up beside him.
"So what do we do?" Larry asked, anxious to get this over with.
"We don't fight him like we'd fight a human opponent. We fight him like we would a monster." Trombe answered and Scarface nodded.
"No more holding back. We throw everything we have at him. He's not our old Captain anymore...Albion turned him into an abomination and the least we can do is to let him finally rest in peace." Scarface said with a tone that was partly regretful and partly determined.
"Shit..." Larry summed up the entire situation nicely as all three of them turned back to their opponent.
"Why didn't he attack while we were talking?" Larry added the question.
"Who cares." Trombe responded.
"Everybody ready?" Scarface asked one more time and got affimative nods from his wingmen.
"Let's do this!" The current Captain of the Sixty-Sixth declared as he and his wingmen charged at Wardes. The abomination pointed both his Boom Sticks at the three knights and let loose another triple-tornado spell. The knights countered with their own tornado spells and the skies rocked at the sudden turbulence caused by the clash of wind spells.
"We won't win like this! Break and pound him to the ground!" Scarface ordered and he and his knights broke off in three directions after cancelling their spells. Even if he has two Boom Sticks and cast a triple-tornado with it, he can only aim at two separate targets at once...or that was what they thought.
"Oh come on!" Trombe complained as he discovered the reason why Wardes could cast a triple-tornado with only two spell foci. The abomination let loose three separate tornado spells. The Lance-Wand in his right hand launched one aimed at Scarface. The Lance-Wand in his left hand lauched on aimed at Larry. Then the Griffin...the Griffin that was serving as Wardes' lower half opened its beak and out came the third tornado spell.
"This is insane..." Scarface said to himself as he and his wingmen started evading the tornado spells launched at him. Wardes was currently breaking a lot of rules when it comes to magic combat. The magic he was throwing around was far beyond what any single Square-Class Wind Mage could possibly do. He really was a monster. Scarface knew that the three of them won't be able to defeat him...not by themselves. The Captain of the Sixty-Sixth set his jaw as he made his decision.
"We hold him here!" Scarface roared, hoping to all heaven that his wingmen could hear him.
"This monster is not allowed to go anywhere near that precious cargo!" He added as he rolled left and right to avoid gust boosted razor wind spells. He can dual-cast now too?!
"We hold him! As long as we can! No matter the cost!" Scarface declared for all to hear. They would fight to the end to buy their squadmates enough time to warn their country.
That was when the onslaught abruptly ended.
Like a massive storm that suddenly disappeared, the attacks from the abomination ceased. Scarface looked at Wardes dumbfounded as the abomination casually lowered his Lance-Wands and turned around before flying to the direction of the Albion Armada. Scarface was livid. He was ready to fight and die against his former friend and he just up and left. The message was clear. He was sent after them to test out his combat ability against the Griffin Knights.
They were simply not worth fighting anymore.
"What the hell happened?! Why'd he pull back?!" Larry asked as he and Trombe formed up with their Captain. Scarface closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down.
"It doesn't matter. They're not sending anyone else after us. Do not pursue Jean-Jacques. We're pulling back." He stated before motioning for his mount to retreat, his wingmen in tow. For now, they had to regroup and report the invasion as soon as possible. However...
Scarface swore to himself that Wardes would regret not finishing them off that day.
...
Sidney Meier la HighwindAll this little references make me giggle.
...
Running Systems Check...
Energy Levels...Nominal...
Erde Kaiser Sigma Type-Seven Efficiency...Nominal...
Processing Systems...Nominal...
Memory Systems...Nominal...
Sensors...Nominal...
Frame Integrity...Physical Damage to Frame Nintey-Nine Percent Repaired...Continuing with Self-Repair Protocols...
Communications...Nominal...
Weapons Systems...Those available are nominal...
Special Abilities...Those available are nominal....
...
I finish my daily self system check within the esitimated time of completion. I refer back to my internal clock for the relative time on this world. Four Twenty-Six in the morning. I open my eyes and begin an automatic scan of my surroundings. My location had not changed nor did I expect it to. I gaze upon the sleeping form of my current employer, Mistress Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere. After a quick check on the internal nanomachines that my mistress had, I quickly concluded that she was of excellent physical health.
I stood from the chair I was using for the night and silently took a closer look at my mistress. She was a small child by the standards of all the realms I have been on. Mistress Louise was already well within adolescence in terms of age but her body had not seemed to develop like a normal young woman would. I had originally inferred that it was due to poor health or malnutrition. However, I had since concluded that the cause was because of a hormonal imbalance in her body. Because of the rate of her development through puberty, I concluded that she was to expect a significant growth spurt on all accounts of her physical development within the next three to five years. Her often abrupt change in mood could also be attributed to her hormonal imbalance as well.
I left the room after confirming my mistress' safety, health and comfort. Based on past experiences and the fact that Yuka Kazami was still absent from the bedroom, I concluded that they were both still in the dream realm of Mugenkan. As such, the expected time of Mistress Louise's awakening was between Seven to Eight in the morning, local time.
I walked through the halls of the main dormitory tower of the Tristain Magic Academy in relative silence. It was still dark out and the students were not expected to awaken until Five in the morning, local time, with Miss Tabitha of Gallia being the usual one to awaken first.
I step outside and detected a slow but constant decrease in the early morning temperature in relation to previous mornings. I concluded that the seasons were starting to change. I detected movement from outside one of the main buildings and inferred that it was one of the servants preparing for the day's duties. A small bit of curiosity and the general sense of having nothing to do for the next few hours fueled my impulse to investigate the movement I detected.
"Good morning to you Ruukoto, early as always I see." The source of the detected movement said to me. It was Siesta, the Great Grand Daughter of the man who first found me in this realm. Her bloodline could somehow be traced back to Gensokyo, through the specifics on how a human from the Eastern Wonderland ended up here was kept secret even from me by a certain entity.
"Fuga." I returned the greeting with a bow. There were only two beings that I know of in this realm that could understand me without the use of Professor Uzuki's translation software, Siesta is one of them.
"Fuga?" I offered after noticing the bundle of laundry in her arms. Despite the young woman's polite and unassuming appearance, she had physical strength and endurance that one would usually attribute more with a professional athlete.
"That's okay, this isn't anything I can't take care of on my own. Though, I would enjoy some company while I take care of these." Siesta turned down my offer while providing a counter-offer with an acceptable compromise. The young woman was a consummate professional in her craft whether anyone realizes this or not...even Siesta herself. I nodded in acceptance and we walked together to her usual spot when doing the laundry.
Despite my prowess and accomplishments in combat and the like, I was still a maid at the core. Seeing Siesta perform duties that I usually do evoked a strange strange sense of nostaliga. I still remember the days when Mistress Reimu made me perform all the chores at the shrine. It had already been a little over five hundred years since she passed away.
I never did manage to bring back the groceries she asked for...
"I would like to thank you again..." I heard Siesta say just as she started the initial soaking process of her laundry bundle. She said in softly but I was still able to pick it up thanks to my audio sensors.
"Fuga?" I asked her with a tilt of my head for clarification. I could not recall any instance that would prompt such thanks in my memory banks aside from our usual professional courtesies.
"For saving Tarbes, silly." Siesta answered with a small laugh as she begun her work. I remained silent as I inferred that she still had something she wanted to say.
"If it wasn't for you, Yuka, and Louise, my family wouldn't have a home anymore." Siesta clarified after noticing my silence.
"Fuga. Fuga Fuga." I immediately stated with a shake of my head. I did not believe that I deserve thanks or praise for my actions at the village of Tarbes. While I was known as the Steel Goddess of Tarbes, it was through the initiative and volition of Mistress Louise that I was even given the opportunity to protect it. If anyone deserved thanks, it would be Mistress Louise. Siesta gave me another one of those small laughs before looking at me with a wry smile.
"Even so, you fought and protected our village. For that, you have my heartfelt thanks." The young woman told me with a geniunely grateful smile.
"...Fuga." And all I could do was acknowledge that and tell her that she was welcome.
...
I made my way back to Mistress Louise's room as soon as I noticed her vital signs start to pick up, indicative of someone rising from sleep.
I entered the room and closed the door, just as my mistress started to wake up. I immediately want to the wardrobe and picked out some clothes for my mistress.
"Haaaaahhh~! Good Morning Ruukoto~" Louise greeted before going beginning her morning ritual of scratching her chest while making 'Munya~!' noises and looking around lazily. It usually takes Mistress Louise an average of ten to fifteen minutes for her to fully wake up, by which time I would already have all her clothes ready and waiting for her.
As per our standard routine, my mistress blinked away the last specks of sleepiness before standing up and taking off her night gown. I had heard from her and Yuka that she had originally tried to get the flower youkai to dress her when they first encountered each other. The notion that the Sleeping Terror of Gensokyo would do such a thing was rather absurd, even moreso the fact that someone had the courage to try to ask.
However, my mistress had grown to learn the value of self-reliance as she has been actively changing her clothes by herself. The most I really had to do was prepare her clothes beforehand and assist her whenever needed.
"Yuka won't be back until later this afternoon," Mistress Louise suddenly started a conversation.
"Fuga?" I asked while tilting my head to the side and got an 'urk' in response. She then sighed before looking at me intently while humming to herself as she continued to change her clothes. While she did not explicitly understand my words when I was using my standard operating parameters, Mistress Louise had somehow started developing a means approximating what my words mean based of my reactions to her own words as well as my gestures. Yuka was correct when he once told me that my mistress has become far more skilled than even she herself realized. Although he also said that he would never admit it to her face as it may end up 'inflating her ego' as the genderbent youkai put it.
"If your asking why Yuka's staying behind, it's because he need to talk to someone named Nitori about the rest of your abilities and such. He said that he wanted to know more about what you can do and if we can unlock some new things for you to do as well." Mistress Louise provided and I nodded in acknowledgement. While I appreciate Yuka's thoroughness when it came to knowing more about my capabilites and his willingness to help in removing some of the Level Five Locks on my systems, I had hoped that he could have told me beforehand first. I may need to speak to him about that later.
I turned my attention back to Mistress Louise just as she placed the Founder's Prayer Book on her head before putting her hat on to cover it. From what I could sense, there was an enchantment placed on the hat that would prevent anything from removing it short of Mistress Louise herself doing so or if the spell was removed somehow.
I have also tried to scan the Founder's Prayer Book on request from Yuka and my mistress after it was revealed that it had imparted two new Void Element spells for my mistress' use. However, I was not able to effectively decipher anything useful from the book that hasn't already been revealed. The system of magic being used for it was already a mystery to the very civilization where it originated from, much more for an outsider who was used to completely different magic systems. Without a proper reference guide or software to be able to unlock its secrets, I was not able to find out anything new about the book.
"Since there won't be any school until further notice, I'll be doing some independent training for the rest of the day." My mistress informed me as she placed her spare wand in her clothes while putting her normal wand in her skirt pocket. I looked at her as inquisitively as possible. She either immediately picked it up or was anticipating anticipating my confusion as Mistress Louise continued.
"It's not like there's anything else to do with everyone else gone." She somewhat bitterly said with a shrug. The main cause of her distress was because all her friends had left the academy for various reasons. Miss Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst was called back by her family in the country of Germania due to the events at Tarbes.
Miss Kirche said that she never told her family about her involvement in the battle and simply concluded that her family was simply worried about her. She had also made it a point to bring Miss Tabitha of Gallia with her since she wanted to introduce her best friend to her family. Miss Tabitha did not seem opposed to the idea and simply made sure that she had an ample supply of books with her.
Miss Kirche also extended the same offer to my mistress and Yuka, to which they automatically declined.
Miss Montmorency Margarita la Fere de Montmorency also went back to her family home but for a different reason. She had told my mistress that she wanted to formally introduce Sir Guiche de Gramont to her family as her lover and potential husband.
Sir Guiche pointedly ignored my mistress' question if she was really sure that she wanted to introduce Sir Guiche to her family in that way.
Miss Montmorency assured Mistress Louise that she was sure and she hoped that my mistress found someone whom she could think of the same way.
Mistress Louise pointedly ignored Miss Kirche waving to her when Miss Montmorency said those words.
"Fuga?" I inquired from my mistress. She looked at me for a few moments, probably trying to figure out what my question was and how to respond to it. She hummed thoughtfully while rubbing her chin with her right hand. In all honestly, it would have been more efficient if she had called Siesta here or she could have told me to use 'White Noise' so she could understand me.
"If you're still asking me something even after I already told you what I was doing, that means..." Mistress Louise muttered while seemingly thinking about the possible questions I could have made based on the circumstances.
"There is a clearing in the woods to the southwest of the academy. I'll be training there. If you're planning on bringing me anything for lunch, please bring something light but tasty and would give me energy. Oh, and bring water if you can instead of wine. Cirno-nee said that water beats wine any day when it comes to quenching your thirst. Anything else?" She laid out most of the things I wanted to ask her with her specific requests for each. Although she was still missing some thing so I slowly nodded. Louise narrowed her eyes at me before humming in contemplation.
"Bring a change of clothes for me and a bucket of water and something I can use to wash with. If I'll be out there as long as I expect, I will probably work up quite the sweat. Did I get everything now?" Mistress Louise asked me with a slightly irritated expression...which softened the moment I nodded in response.
"Fuga." I stated before pulling out a 'Hey-Listen' and offering it to her. She smiled and nodded before taking it and putting it in her ear.
"Oh, and you can do whatever you want until you have to bring me all those things. See you later Ruukoto." My mistress said before opening the door to leave.
"Fuga." I acknowledge with a low bow before standing back up straight when I heard the door close behind her.
Mistress Louise just gave me the morning off...and I wasn't sure what I should do with it.
...
I tried to pass the extra time my mistress gave me by preparing what she requested earlier. However, I found that I was able to accomplish all the tasks in an hour and a half.
I looked at the basket filled with bread, cooked ham, cheese, and two bottles of water. I was not sure what would constitute as light but tasty and would provide her energy as far as my mistress' personal taste was concerned. That was why I decided to go with a favorite midnight snack of Professor Uzuki whenever she had projects she needed to finish...Ham and Cheese Sandwiches...or the main components of it.
I quietly lamented the lack of sliced bread in this realm.
The water bottles were harder to come by, relatively speaking. The relative time era that Halkeginia was in lacked the proper means to properly distill water into something remotely safe to drink, which was part of the reason why wine became a staple drink in the realm for nobility aside from their aristocratic origins.
Due to the inability to properly distill the drinking water using normal means, the only other way to be able to do remove any dangerous microorganisms would be through boiling the water enought to eliminate all threats. Normally, one would need to boil water multiple times to be able to get the full effect of a pure distillation...however, I cheated. I borrowed a large unused iron pot, used by the kitchen staff to make the amounts of stew that would satisfy the student body, and filled it with water before using my R-Blade to superheat the water. The reaction produced an incredible amount of steam and reduced the amount of water in the pot to ten percent of the original amount. It was horribly inefficient but it produced the desired effect, enough pure clean water to fill two wine bottles.
I then turned to the bucket of water and rag I set aside for my mistress' washing purposes. That was a more straightforward objective, though finding a clean enough piece of cloth for Mistress Louise to wash herself with took a bit of time as well.
Finally, I turned to the folded set of clothes for my mistress to change in should she need them...that was the easiest objective to accomplish.
I blinked before checking my internal clock. It was just past nine in the morning. Much too early to go to my mistress' training ground. I idly noted that her vitals were going up at a steady rate...it seemed that she was stepping up her training there.
I covered the food basket with a clean piece of cloth before exiting my mistress' room. I stared at the door handle as I wondered what I could for the duration of my free time. I usually spent my days here helping the servants of the academy with their chores until either Mistress Louise or Yuka called for me or until I needed to find either of them. However, with most of the students gone because of the suspension of classes, the only ones left were a few students, staff, and servants. As such, the amount of active chores to do lessened significantly so the remaining servants were more than enough to take care of them.
I closed my eyes and checked for known human life forms within the academy premises.
A moment later I walked off to find a place to pass the time.
...
After I wandered around for a while...or specifically, set a route in which I would eventually end up at my destination after a certain amount of time...I found myself standing in front of the workshop of one Professor Jean Colbert. Based of the words of my mistress, Yuka, as well as my own experience with the professor, I found him to be a rare breed of magician in this realm. He was one who was open to new avenues of thought and concepts when it came to the applications of magic.
Upon further observation, he was one who did not care for the boundaries between science and magic and strived to be able to utilize both as much as possible. An innovator in a world that was culturally and technologically stagnant for six thousand years. A very dangerous and difficult road to take for one person alone.
"Miss Ruukoto?" As predicted, the professor returned from the academy library moments after I arrived in front of his shop.
"Fuga." I greeted the man with a low bow. The professor blinked at me before giving a good natured smile.
"Good morning to you too. You are not with Miss Valliere or Mister Yuka today?" He returned my greeting, likely deducting context of my bow despite his inability to understand my words, before asking his question.
"Fuga." I responded with a shake of my head. The man stared at me for a moment before shaking his head with a sigh. I tilted my head to the side in silent query at his abrupt change in demeanor.
"Sometimes I forget that you aren't human. It will be a very long time before we can even hope to create something like you." The man responded after a while. That was what he was worrying about? That I was so far more advanced than any machine they had or would likely have in centuries. The closest approximation that I knew of to an android in this realm would be mechanical magic powered dolls. However, they were not sentient and required a dedicated mage to be able to control them dynamically outside of a very specific control spell that will only make them do a few things.
"Would you like to come inside? Since you are here, I wanted your insight on something." Professor Colbert offered before opening the door to his workshop. Having nothing else to do, I followed him in. I scanned the surroundings and noted that he had the same cleaning habits that Professor Uzuki had, which was none. I inferred that this was a traditional trademark of innovators regardless of specified field. Senors also picked up traces of magical energy, experiments most likely.
"I apologize for the mess, I will get this room clean someday. Please have a seat." The professor said while gesturing to a nearby chair. I complied and waited for him to prepare whatever it was he wanted my opinion on. Normally I would offer to clean the room if possible, but I have learned through my experience with Professor Uzuki that these kinds of rooms were untidy for a reason...and the owners of these kinds of rooms don't appreciate someone cleaning it without their supervision.
"Here it is." Professor Colbert said from within an adjacent room. He emerged after a moment with a metal doll, which had small gears fitted in specific places inside. After a quick scan, I found that it was made completely out of copper. It was an inadvisable material to create exposed machinery with due to issues with durability, conductivity to heat and electricity, as well as a low melting point relative to other available metals. However, it was also cheap and readily available. So, as a work-in-progress prototype, it was an acceptable temporary work material.
"This was sent to me by a friend in Germania. He works as an alchemist and specializes in metallurgy. He is currently working on a new series of mechanical dolls that will be able to move on their own without the specific need for an Earth Mage to be present to create, maintain, and move them. He hopes to be able to one day move dolls such as this using any kind of magical energy." The professor gave a background of the origin of the doll as he placed it on a table for me to examine. An interesting idea. The current magic system dictates that the only ones most suited to using golems and other mechanical constructs were Earth Mages. The possibility of being able to move those kinds of constructs or those of similar make using other sources of energy would be revolutionary to say the least. However, as with all innovative concepts, the actual probability of success will only increase through constant experimentation, learning and experience.
Unfortunately, such concepts would likely have significant challenges outside the controlled environments of laboratories and work shops. The current system of Magocratic Monarchy that Halkeginia has will likely frown upon the general use of this invention as it goes against the status quo that has been maintained for the past six-millennia. Likely, the first actual application for such an invention was destined in the battlefield instead of a classroom.
More on the invention itself. I found little differences between it and the magically controlled dolls that Earth Mages use. However, the most significant difference was the added weight due to additional internal components. Gears were places strategically throughout the body and at the joints to facilitate transfer of energy from the source before converting it into kinetic motion. However, the current setup of gears, as well as the complete reliance on them, will lower efficiency while increasing the chance of breakdown.
From what I could find, it seemed that the framework and components of the invention were based on the fundamental concepts found in the human skeletal system. However, a body working soley using a skeletal structure alone will quickly break down due to lack of additional support as well as from wear and tear. This invention did not take into account a body's need for muscles, tendons, and ligaments...or at least equivalents of them.
"Well, do you think it has promise? I know that this might seem like a poor attempt at a cheap toy compared to you, but I still wanted to know if we even had a chance to try." Professor Colbert asked me excitedly, his eyes glittering in anticipation. I considered the man's words and weighed the currently known factors that would help or hinder the development and production of such an invention.
I concluded that it was improbable in this era barring a massive technological upheaval or a radical, and likely dangerous, new innovation. It was too soon. The materials and technology required to make something that would quantify as a machine that would satisfy the goals set by Professor Colbert's friend simply did not exist.
I lifted the prototype in my hands and gave it one more scan before placing it back down. I turned to the professor and shook my head. The concept was sound and was definitely possible, otherwise I would not exist. However, there were too many constraints in this realm for such a thing to be accomplished.
"I...see..." Professor Colbert responded in disappointment. I noted that his saddened expression cleared up in but a moment before he returned to his usual demeanor.
"Well, I suppose that it was to be expected. Although I don't think my friend will be giving up so easily. I will also provide him any help that he needs as well." The man said with a smile. This was also a known cornerstone of true innovators, to persevere in despite possible obstacles that would hinder success.
Professor Colbert then showed me some other inventions that he and several people he was in contact with were developing. Some were more practical to develop and use than most but it did show that at the very least, he was not the only one who was trying to progress their society through technological innovation in addition to established magic.
...
I left the academy premises to meet with Mistress Louise just as my internal clock struck eleven-thirty in the morning. Based on the vitals scan I did before I left, I concluded that my mistress was tired, hungry, and thirsty. With that in mind, I set off with a basket of food and drink in one hand and a bucket of water with a towel in the other.
Here I was, saving the day.
I crossed a small copse of trees before arriving at the clearing my mistress specified as our rendezvous point. I realized that I was at the right place when I noticed several small craters as well as destroyed tress and boulders that show evidence of explosive detonation. I looked around and found my mistress sitting down while facing away from me. She had her legs spead out and was leaning back with her arms supporting her weight. Her head was tilted back and it looked like she had her eyes closed and had sweat all over her face.
All in all, it was not the kind of position one would expect from a young noble woman...or any young woman in general.
"Fuga." I called out to my mistress before approching her.
"What took you so loooong? I'm thirsty!" Mistress Louise complained out loud without moving from her position. I blinked at her complaint. Since she never asked for any drinking water aside from the water she will use for lunch and the rest of the afternoon, I had expected that she already had a means of rehydrating herself in the interim. It appears that I had overestimated my mistress' capacity for self-reliance.
I walked up to her and pulled out one of the wine bottles that was filled with clean water and handed it my mistress. She immediately grabbed it before sitting up straight and started drinking.
"Fuga..." I tried to caution her to drink slower, as drinking water or any other liquid too quickly while dehydrated tended to result in--
"Augh! Augh!" That. I rubbed her back at a steady rhythm as she struggled to catch her breath after a coughing fit. When she finally calmed down, she once again tried to down the bottle of water but I stopped her from repeating her mistake my grabbing the end of the bottle. She glared at me but I ignored it and simply gestured with my movement that she should drink slower. She finally understood my intention and safely managed to drink a little over half of the bottle's capacity.
"Gwaaaaahh! You could have just told me to drink slower." She stated in mild annoyance even though I did try to tell her and that she would not have understood my regardless.
"Fuga." I decided to move us forward and revealed the foodstuffs I had prepared for her lunch. She looked at the food before unconsciously swallowing, her rumbling stomach soon after indicated that she approved of my selection. It appeared that Mistress Louise did not bother to get breakfast before setting of to her training either. I will need to talk to Yuka about how our mistress handles herself without any supervision.
"Haaah...I just can't believe they were right..." My mistress spoke out before taking another bite from her cheese. I blinked at the sudden start of a conversation and tilted my head in response, my most effective sign that I had no idea what she was talking about. She glanced at me before looking at the field she was using for training.
"Cirno-nee and Yuka both commented last night that my broken spells were weaker from before. They said that my range, force, and area of effect went down even though my accuracy was improving a lot." She continued as if she was talking through me rather than at me. Her words were a bit concerning though. Spells don't normally become weaker, even the broken spells my mistress uses. A magician can run low on magical energy and not be able to cast a spell because of it, but the lowering of statistics of the spell itself was rather unusual. I inferred that it may have something to do with the triple-casted Void Element spell she used during the battle at Tarbes.
"They said that the Void Fusion spell I used that combined Dispel and Explosion caused it." And it seemed that Yuka and the ice fairy Cirno came to the same conclusion.
I thought about it for a moment before changing the scanning parameters of my nanomachines in order to measure my mistress' magical energy. I blinked when I found that her energy levels were only at fifteen percent of what the estimated capacity was. I sensed that her body was producing more energy to make up for it, but the rate of replenishment was rather low. It would take her an estimated eighty-six days to be able to fully replenish her reserves provided that she does not use any Void Element spells in the mean time.
"Cirno-nee thought that my body was just not used to actually casting proper spells, not even talking about what I did at Tarbes, which was why I'm having a harder time to recover." Again, they managed to get roughly the same conclusion. While I expect that Mistress Louise's efficiency at casting true Void spells will improve the more she uses them, she will need to deal with the aftermath of each major spell she casts until she gets better at it.
It was a very inefficient system. Even though the output could easily outclass any convensional spell this realm had if given the right opportunity, the requirements for casting and the energy cost made them impractical.
Mistress Louise continued her meal in silence after that, likely thinking about what to do about her situation and what to do about it in the future.
...
I stayed with Mistress Louise through her afternoon training to be able to confirm the phenomenon of the drop in her spells' range and output. The effective range of her broken spells fell by fifteen percent. The force of each explosion dropped by twenty-two percent. The area of effect of each spell dropped by forty percent. However, her accuracy had increased by thirty percent and the delay between casting to actual explosion decreased by twenty percent.
In conclusion, the effectiveness of her broken spells decreased but her efficiency at casting them and hitting a target increased.
Mistress Louise was visibly tired from her training and was almost unable to walk the entire distance back to her room. I had dropped off the bucket of water at the entrance of the dormitory tower to take care of it later. I planned on bringing the basket and the empty wine bottles back to the kitchen after attending to my mistress.
"Finally...I thought I wasn't going to make it..." She stated tiredly as she opened the door to her room, eager to get some rest.
"And where have you been?! Hmmmm?!" The voice of a woman, estimated to be at her mid to late twenties based on tone and inflection, startled my mistress. I did no have my sensors active at the time so I was not able to detect the presence of the woman beforehand.
She had long blonde wavy hair and was about as tall as Miss Matilda. She had sharp amber eyes and was wearing glasses, likely because of poor vision for one reason or another. She had a flat chest and a modest figure, but the way she stood before my mistress had a presence that dictated that she was not one to be trifled with. She also seemed very familiar for some reason.
"Big Sister Eleanor!" My master exclaimed, solving the mystery. The older woman, now designated as Eleanor, suddenly closed the distance between her and her sister and proceeded to pinch my mistress' cheeks.
"Don't you 'Big Sis Eleanor' me! Do you have any idea how long I waited here?!" Miss Eleanor said with no small sense of annoyance.
"I'm showee~!" My mistress quickly apologized as she continued to be pinched by her elder sister. I was not certain how to deal with this sort of situation. While Miss Eleanor was obviously causing my mistress great distress, I do not think she would appreciate me 'removing' the threat. The blonde woman continued to pinch her sister's cheecks before finally noticing that I was there. She gave me a measured look before narrowing here eyes on the exposed parts of my armor.
"And who are you?" She asked me, while continuing her assault on my apparently helpless mistress.
"Fuga." I answered impassively, making the woman stop altogether.
"What did you say? Who is this, little runt?" She suddenly asked before escalating her attacks from cheek pinching to a headlock.
"She's my maid! Her name is Ruukoto! She's from a far away place!" My mistress yelled out while struggling from the hold. Her sister let her go before looking right into my eyes for a long while.
"You're...not alive...are you?" She suddenly asked, making my mistress gasp in surprise. I was impressed at her skill at observation and her intuition to be able to figure that out simply by looking at me. It wasn't like it was obvious or anything.
"Where did you find this? Is it a golem? Where did it come from? What are you using to move it? Amazing lifelike texture..." Miss Eleanore quickly asked a series of questions before commenting on the artificial skin on my face. It seemed that her attention was completely shifted from my mistress to me. From the preciseness and deductive order of her questions, I inferred that Miss Eleanor was an academic...or one who pursued an intelectual field at least.
"I can't tell you." Louise quietly said, painting her as the main target once more.
"What do you mean you don't know! It works for you right?! How did you find it? How did you activate it? How. Does. It. Work?" Miss Eleanore resumed her assault on my master with a series of questions while digging her fists into the sides of my mistress' head. While I always appreciated a healthy sense of curiosity, I did not appreciate the way she was interrogating her sister. I decided to save my mistress further pain and insult by activating 'White-Noise' to speak with Miss Eleanore directly.
"Please cease your actions at once. Mistress Louise has a very good reason for refusing to answer your inquiries." I stated in fluent Halkeginian, making both sisters look at me in surprise, though likely for different reasons.
"It speaks!" Miss Eleanore suddenly exclaimed before releasing her sister and walking right up to me.
"What are you? A golem? Who made you? Where did you come from? Are there more of you? Why are you with my bratty little sister--" She started another series of questioning to which...
"Hey!" My mistress reacted with offense. She continued with the questions before waiting for me to respond, her expression serious and her eyes sharp.
"I'm afraid I cannot disclose any information. All I can provide is that I am Combat Maid Gynoid Ruukoto Unit-One Version-Four. While I cannot divulge any information about my origins or abilities, please know that I am in a lifelong contract of service under you younger sister." I clearly stated before shifting back to my normal operating parameters.
"What?! You can't do that! I'm a noble! You have to answer my questions!" Miss Eleanor did not seem to appreciate my response and started to show her resemblence to my mistress my going into a fit.
"Fuga." I responded. Miss Eleanore froze with an incredulous expression while Mistress Louise snorted out a laugh. Her elder sister heard that and quickly glared at my mistress.
"You don't want to talk, fine! I'll have plenty of time for that once you and the little runt come back home! Mother and father summoned you back. I don't know what you did, but you better be ready." Miss Eleanor stated and explained the reason she was even here. My mistress' only response was to gulp audibly at what was in store for her back in her home.
I made sure to leave a note and a 'Hey-Listen' for Yuka since he was yet to return by the time we left. Mistress Louise made no mention of her familar as she packed her things and got on the carriage that her sister brought with her. Since I was a servant, a separate and more simple carriage was arranged for me. I looked at my mistress for her reaction and she simply shrugged and told me to get on. It seemed that she was apprehensive about letting her elder sister know about my capabilities and even the existence of Yuka. She seemed determined to delay the inevitable as much as possble even as we left the academy.
At the very least, this trip will give me a chance to further update my internal map of Tristain.
...
...
I took a deep breath while basking in the afternoon sun as I laze about on my chair. The view from the porch was much better than I had originally expected it to be when I first settled in this simple house on a hill care of an old friend from Gallia.
How long has it been?
I gave out a soft chuckle when I remembered that I really didn't care. My time here, the epilogue of my sixteen-hundred year life, was arguably my most loved. The silly incidents, the people and beings I have met here and beyond were all precious memories to me.
My peaceful afternoon relaxation was suddenly interrupted when I noticed a figure flying in the distance and was approaching me. I raised a brow when I recognized the silhouette of what was approaching. I did not expect any visitors right now but I supposed that I should have known that this particular one would show up.
My visitor landed a distance away in front of the house. The manticore that served as the means of transport gently let its rider dismount before folding its wings and lying down to relax. My visitor walked up to me in a relaxed but purposeful manner.
"Marseille." I greeted the young woman when she was close enough. Her pristine light blue and gold trimmed clothing and wide brimmed hat were all to be expected from the Captain of the new Tristain Manticore Knight Squadron. She regarded me for a moment, her left hand slightly trembling as she held onto the hilt of her sword-wand. I saw a mix of emotions in her eyes before she gave out a sigh and smiled at me.
"How...how have you been?" She asked me a bit awkwardly as she walked up to stand at my side.
"I am as I have always been." I replied with a shrug. Marseille did not appreciate this and flicked the side of my head with her finger.
"You know what I'm talking about. I've had...a feeling." She quickly stated before folding her arms and leaning back. Her expression was not of the smug confidence that I was accustomed to. Instead, it held uncertainty and concern.
"I suppose that I shouldn't have expected anything less from you." I commented before a comfortable silence settled between us.
"So, how is life?" I finally asked her in honest curiosity rather than simply to break the silence. Marseille blinked at me for a moment before turning back to gaze at the view from the hill.
"I've been getting by. Being a woman in the military has started becoming easier over time. There are still the nay sayers that keep arguing that a battlefield is soley the realm of men. They either get with the program or they were dumb enough to try to challenge me in order to 'prove their point'." She bit out with a huff as she scoffed at the people that kept saying that she couldn't make it as a full-time knight. Of course, with her being a Square-Class Water Mage, she did not back down easily.
"You've endured well. Or should I say that you're just stubborn?" I casually commented with a handwave. Instead of being offended by it, Marseille actually laughed at my words.
"What can I say, I learned from the best." She shot back before another wave of silence went between the two of us.
"Thank you for coming." I finally stated after a few moments. The young woman shifted a bit before letting out a breath through her mouth.
"Is there nothing that can be done?" She asked me even though she should already know the answer.
"No. I have lived a good life. My time is simply up. I consider myself lucky to have lived as I had in my final century." I admitted. Marseille lowered her head after I confirmed that this was to be my last day. The final day of the Flower Master of the Four Seasons.
"So you will just leave me alone then?" She muttered as she turned away from me.
"You are hardly alone. You may seem to be a young woman but you've been around for decades now." I pointed out and was met with a sigh.
"Yes...my life span was kind of hard to explain after everyone noticed that I didn't seem to age normally. Thankfully I was able to play it off as an experimental Square-Level Water enchantment I've been working on." Marseille said before finally turning back to me, a small smile on her lips.
"I am proud of you Marseille. I am glad to have been able to watch over you as long as I have." I wondered why I suddenly said that out of the blue as I felt my eyelids start to get heavier...but I supposed that it was only appropriate.
"I'm proud to be me too...I'll try to live the best I can." She responded as I saw tears starting to fall from her eyes.
"That is all I ask..." I muttered before the darkness took me. My last memory of the realm of Halkeginia was the tearful smile that my daughter gave me as she sent me off. Her strawberry-pink hair and beautiful amber eyes glittered against the sunlight so much like her mother's did.
...
"That's one hell of an ending eh?" One Komachi Onozuka commented as she continued to row the gondola I was riding on.
I honestly did not expect to be suddenly wake up as a ghost in Hakugyokuro. It was rather nostalgic to be there again but I did not feel like meeting Yuyuko or anyone else I knew so I decided to head straight to the Sanzu for my boatride. It was rather odd that I ended up with my male form even as a ghost. Although, I did recall Yuyuko once saying that the ghosts that have enough willpower in life tend to take the form they wanted the most.
I should have expected to run into the shinigami as soon as I got to the riverbank. She enthusiastically greeted me and teased me about staying as a guy even as a ghost. Komachi was the first local I've encountered here, which made sense since this was the realm of the dead. After exchanging pleasantries, and heading off across the Sanzu, Komachi started asking me what my life was like ever since I got pulled out of Gensokyo. I raised a brow but told her anyway. I assumed that her ability to manipulate distance was the reason why I was able to tell her the whole story before we reached the Higan.
"I apologize if my end was sitting on a chair and not going down in a blaze of glory." I deadpanned but Komachi simply chuckled at my response.
"I never said that it was a bad thing. Though you really shouldn't keep a girl waiting you know." She suddenly stated with a sly grin. I raised a brow as to what she was talking about when I heard footsteps approaching.
"Well, I'd back to work before Shikieiki-sama gets mad again." I heard Komachi say as her voice progressively started to become more distant. I was never able to look back at her because I doubted my own ectoplasmic eyes as I saw who was approaching.
"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." The one in question smugly said while folding her arms and leaning back. Her amber eyes looked right at me with clarity I have not seen in years while her pink hair flowed down her back like a stream of cotton candy.
"You'd forgive me for reacting as such. It has been a while since I've seen you that..." I trailed off before clearing my throat. I saw her slowly move closer to me, like a cat stalking a potential meal, before looking up at me. Even after all the years we've known each other, she was still a bit shorter than I am.
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that last part. Could you repeat it for me Yuka?" She asked me in mock wonder complete with her cheshire smile.
"Now really isn't the time for those kinds of jokes Louise." I stated as flatly as I could. The woman in front of me merely widened her grin before grabbing the collar of my shirt and pulling me closer.
"This is the perfect time for this. Do you have any idea how long I've waited to see you again?" Louise suddenly stated in a more serious tone even as our faces were only a few centimeters apart.
"Yes...I apologize for taking so long. And you look beautiful by the way." I stated with a smile before giving my master, my partner, and the woman I fell in love with a kiss. We ended the kiss after a few more seconds and Louise settled on wrapping her arms around my sides and burying her face in my right shoulder.
"How's our little girl?" Louise asked me with obvious curiosity and concern for our daughter.
"Marseille is, as Cirno would put it, kicking ass and taking names. She recently became the captain of her own manticore knight squadron. They call themselves the Guildenstern Squardron. I'm pretty sure her grandparents would have been very proud of her." I told her as I returned Louise's embrace. Karin would have been very proud of Marseille for summoning a manticore as her familiar and becoming a magic knight. Eugene would have been proud of her since she is an extremely formidable and creative water mage.
"Of course they would be...we're proud of her after all." Louise replied matter-of-factly.
"I missed you..." She added after a short moment.
"As did I. I love you Louise." I stated before leaning in for another kiss.
Never did I expect that I would ever find love in my life as a youkai. Never did I expect that I would be summoned as a familiar. . Never did I expect to care for humans as much as I have these past few decades. Never did I expect to be able to raise a family. Never did I expect that I would experience all those things because of one woman.
I only wished for a change in my life one day at the start of spring. Yukari once told me to Be Careful What I Wished For...now as I stand here on the other side of Higan with the woman I love. I didn't really regret that wish at all.
"By the way...how did you end up here anyway? I thought Halkeginian souls would have ended up elsewhere." I asked when I finally though it odd for Louise to be in the Netherworld connected to Gensokyo. Louise looked up to me and gave me another of those silly smiles that I loved so before responding.
"Yukari was fooling around again..." Was all she said and I simply laughed it off before giving Louise another hug.
So ends my tale. So ends my life. I have experienced much in my life and all of them were precious to me. I am content to be able to pass on with the person I love with me. The girl with pink hair and amber eyes that was able to reach out and call to me beyond the border between worlds.
...
...
The Voile Magic Library inside the Scarlet Devil Mansion was, and still is, the single largest repository of scrolls, tomes, and grimoires of anything that had to do with magic in Gensokyo. Nearly every system of magic that mankind had ever discovered or engineered was represented with at least one literary work inside the nigh-labyrinthian depths of the library.
The place itself was created and maintained by the magician known as Patchouli Knowledge: The Unmoving Great Library of Gensokyo. Although, due to her usually poor health, the actual upkeep of cleaning and cataloguing the immense number of books therein rested upon the shoulders of her assistant and succubus familiar Koakuma: The Little Devil of Voile. Patchouli never really explained 'why' she chose a succubus as a familiar and assistant. Unconfirmed rumors and teasing by the mistress of the mansion, one Remilia Scarlet: The Eternally Young Scarlet Moon, can lead one to assume that Koakuma's summoning and subsequent binding to Patchouli was entirely accidental.
The center of the massive library which was very large circular open space, in order to facilitate as a central reading area as well as a point where one can easily reach most parts of the library, was not occupied by the magician. Instead of the magician who was clad in clothing of varying shades of purple, the one occupying the rather comfortable reclining chair in the middle of this central area was a fairy...an Ice Fairy to be exact. The fairy in question was once one who Patchouli reluctantly took in as a student in magic centuries ago. It was something she did in order to pay back a debt that the household collectively owed a certain youkai of flowers. The ice fairy Cirno: Gensokyo's Strongest Fairy, was currently relaxing while reading a book of fiction. One that detailed the life of Abraham Lincoln as a vampire hunter, a concept which amused Remilia to no conceivable end. Cirno made a curious hum before lifting her eyes from her book and smiling at a seemingly unseen audience.
?Hello there! Welcome to Cirno-nee?s Corner Library!? Cirno said before taking off a pair of glasses that were made of ice?that she created in the amount of time it took her to smile at the apparent audience and greet them.
"You're all probably wondering why you are here and what this whole thing is about. Don't worry, that kind of thing happens at times. It's only normal to be confused about such things." She stated before placing both her book and her 'glasses' on a small nearby table.
"Due to some recent events, it has come to the attention of both Teach and myself that the magic system in Louise's realm is vague to the point of being nearly outright bonkers." Cirno explained while leaning back into the chair to make herself more comfortable.
"As such, it would likely be to the benefit of a lot of people to give some kind of plausible and logical explanation as to how the system itself works. That being said, let's get to it!" The ice fairy declared before snapping her fingers. A crystal clear white board made of the purest ice appeared at her side, likely to be used as a visual aid of sorts.
"Back to basics first." Cirno once again snapped her fingers and four icons sudden appeared on the board. A tongue of fire, a teardrop of water, a jagged piece of earth, and a swirling clump of wind.
"The modern magic system in Halkeginia is entirely based on elemental manipulation and all the fun things you can do with them. The elements that are the most used and accepted are Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind. You can imagine that Patchy could potentially be the supreme mage in that realm if she ever ended up there considering that Elementalism is her lifelong specialty. I wonder what would have happened if she got 'ported by Louise instead of Teach? Nah, she'd probably bop the poor kid with a book for disturbing her reading before 'porting right back to the library." She mused before shaking her head in order to clear her thoughts and shift back onto the actual topic at hand.
"In addition to the use of elements, the mages there also employ a ranking system based on something as weird as 'connect the dots'. Each dot is taken up by an element and the addition of more dots induces the need for a line to form between them, up to a maximum of four. That is why their ranking system is classified into Dot, Line, Triangle, and Square." Cirno continued and the icons on the board were replaced with a dot, two dots connected by a line, three dots connected by three lines, and four dots connected by four lines.
"There are also unconfirmed instances of Pentagon Rank Spells being available for use. However, such spells can only be done by combining the power of two mages who have a high affinity to one another. It doesn't seem to go any higher than that though. It seems that even combining the power of two Squares still cap out as a Pentagon, so no Hexagon, Heptagon, or Octagon class spells." She continued and three additional shapes appeared on the board. Five dots connected by five lines, six dots connected by six lines, seven dots connected by seven lines, and eight dots connected by eight lines. All of the new patterns except the Pentagon one had a large 'X' on them, indications that they were an incorrect assumption of how the mage ranking system in Halkeginia works.
"Another major factor in their system is Elemental Affinity. Basically, a mage is expected to excel at wielding one element over any of the others. Theoretically, any mage should be access to all the elements. However, depending on their overall affinity to something, they will have the easiest time to cast a spell with their elemental affinity than one which is not. We'll go deeper into that later." The ice fairy continued as she waved her hand at the board, erasing all the contents therein.
"Back to the ranking system. As I stated before, each dot in the rank represents an element. A new rank, or an additional new dot as it were, means that the mage in question has the option of adding either the same element again or adding a completely different one." Cirno explained before gesturing back to the board. Two new sets of icons appear on the clear frozen surface. Two icons of fire that were connected with a line as well as an icon for fire and an icon for wind that were similarly connected by a line.
"This is where affinity rears its head once again. Usually, once a mage finds out what their primary element is, they don't bother trying to use a different one. Why mess with something that works after all, right?" Cirno points out with a grin while gesturing her left hand forward and creating a small ice sculpture of Yuka and Louise dramatically posing back-to-back, showing off her own specialization of solely using ice.
"There are of course mages that try to mix it up, sometimes to even greater success than their elemental purist counterparts. Apparently, the use of more than a single element allows the mage to create spells and effects that would have otherwise been impossible with a single element." The ice fairy stated with a wry smile before adopting a more contemplative expression while rubbing her chin with her right hand.
"That's actually one of the more freaky things about this system. From what I know, a mage can create Electric element spells like lightning bolt by combining Wind and Fire. A mage can also create Ice element spells by combining Wind and Water. The overall power output of hybrid spells don't suffer from penalties in power though. Even if the hybrid spell is made up of two different elements, in the end, it's still has the power of two elements. So a lightning bolt, a combination of Wind and Fire, has roughly the same output as an empowered fireball, which is simply Fire added with more Fire." Cirno paused from her explanations in order to reach out for a glass of water that was most assuredly not there during the start of her lecture. Finishing the glass with a satisfied sigh, she set the glass back on the table before continuing.
"What was I talking about again? Oh right! Again, a mage pretty much as free reign on what element to use as he or she advances in rank. They can be a specialist that only uses their primary element or they can try other combinations. Hell, they can even be a Square Class Universalist and have a unit of each element at their disposal. I'm not sure if they can change elements after picking one though...I personally think that they increase their rank by improving on one or more elements rather than picking an element to use after they increase their rank. Apparently, Halkeginia at large also believes the former." Cirno continues to explain before sighing.
"It's a painfully simple yet versatile system really. In fact, the reason why Patchy got into Elementalism in the first place is because of all the possible combinations with them." The ice fairy commented before clearing her throat and waggling her finger at her unseen audience.
"A magician is only limited in the possibilities of their magic by their knowledge, skill, motivation and creativity." Cirno stated in a crude imitation of Patchouli's voice. She laughed to herself at the apparent inside joke of mocking his former instructor before taking a breath to settle down.
"Back on topic. We move on from the basic outlined aspects of the system and to the more technical mechanics of it." She stated, showing the apparent progress of her lecture, before adjusting herself in her seat to make herself more comfortable.
"Now, one of the main concerns Teach had while training Louise over at her realm was her endurance. Not her actual physical endurance, mind you. Thanks to all the workouts in Mugenkan and her real-world experience she's been getting, Louise is probably the most athletic student in her entire school." Cirno pointed out with a smile that held no small sense of pride.
"Rather than physical endurance, Teach was concerned about her magical endurance. Specifically, to find the upper limit of Louise's endurance and to see if there was any way to improve that. Halkeginians call it 'Willpower' instead of Prana or Mana or Od or straight out Magic Points. Apparently, it has to do with the way their faith works in regards to their magic." The ice fairy said while pursing her lips and tilting her head to the side. In the end, she simply shrugged away her apparent concerns and reached out for the cup of tea that was on the nearby table. Cirno did not bother with the obvious question of where the cup of tea came from or where the previously placed empty glass she drank water out of went.
"Willpower is apparently the amount of desire a mage has to cast a spell...umm...to put it in a way you can understand, it's like 'clap your hands if you believe' but on a more complicated scale." Cirno stated with less certainty than her previous explanations. Possibly because she cannot seem to put her intent into the proper words.
"That was a terrible analogy." A concise and slightly disinterested voice spoke from within the depths of the library. Cirno visibly flinched at the voice before slowly turning to the direction where it came from. There she saw Patchouli Knowledge slowly floating towards her with a book held close to her chest.
"H-h-hey there...umm..." As previously pointed out by Yuka some time ago, while Cirno had become more intelligent and matured over the centuries thanks to great effort by all parties involved, she was still vulnerable to suddenly blanking out on occasion when faced with something she knew that she could not overcome...or was too scared to even try. Without any more words, Patchouli made a gesture with her left hand and conjured a chair identical to the one Cirno was sitting on. Said chair was on the other side of the table the ice fairy was also conveniently using. With another swift, if overly simple wave of the hand, Cirno suddenly found herself backside over teakettle in the air before landing perfectly on the new chair Patchouli made. The ice fairy blinked dumbly several times at the sudden and rather dynamic change of seats. Patchouli used that time to float over to her chair before settling down on it. The bookworm proceeded to ignore the dumbstruck look Cirno was giving her and opened the book in her hand to continue reading it. She was re-reading '2001: A Space Odyssey'.
"Halkeginian belief system is integrally tied to their magic. Up to that point your supposition was accurate." Patchouli acknowledged part of Cirno's previous explanation before reaching over to the table and picking up small cookie. Again, the plate of cookies on the table was not there prior to Patchouli's arrival. Neither occupant seemed to care.
"Willpower is simply what it says. Willpower. The spellcasting method of Halkeginian mages do not draw magical power from within in order to cast a spell. Instead, they use their willpower to gather, focus, and shape the ambient magic around them into their intended spell. That is the reason why they need a focus in order to use magic, be it a wand, a staff, a sword, or rose petals." The bookworm spontaneously started to say without once looking up from her book. Cirno looked like she wanted to say something but the mistress of the library spoke up before she could say anything.
"Incantations are a red herring, a placebo effect. They are not actually required to be able to cast a spell with their system. Words and gestures are placeholders in order to allow the mind to focus on the effect a mage wanted to create with the gathered magical energy. This explains why Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere is capable of Keyword Casting despite initially not having the talent for such a casting method. I also expect that there are mages who have noticed this and have taken advantage of that facet in their magic system." The librarian continued her explanation before finishing the cookie she was snacking on and reaching out for a cup of tea, a different cup from the one Cirno was using.
"Take advantage? How so?" The ice fairy asked, intrigued at the words her former instructor was saying. She had similar theories about the magic system in Louise's realm but nothing as detailed as what Patchouli was providing.
"High speed casting. Silent casting. Or high speed silent casting under pressure. All are possible through that system with the correct discipline and mindset." Patchouli elaborated after taking a sip from her tea and placing it back on the table.
"Makes sense. The caster is only limited to their rank, element, and willpower then. More on that, apparently, that is the reason why the concept of willpower seems so vague." Cirno pointed out while leaning towards Patchouli. The librarian regarded the ice fairy for a moment before nodding.
"A conflict between factors and human samples in the continent." The asthmatic agreed before voicing the possible reason why.
"With so many mages, each of them should behave differently to each element based on their affinity and rank. With their technological level the way it is, there's no way to be able to come up with a standard unit to define willpower." Cirno added with enthusiasm before humming and snapping her fingers at the apparent realization of something,
"There's also the thing where the number and quality of mages in the realm is allegedly at a constant decline with each generation." The girl stated. Patchouli shook her head and went back to her book.
"It's not an allegation. Six-thousand years is more than enough time for something to rot away. Also, the condition is only isolated to human magic users. The overall amount of ambient magic in their realm has been surprisingly consistent over the millennia...far more than Earth's anyway." She explained with the patience developed from dealing with Marisa as well as having Cirno as a pupil in magic.
"Yeah...I never thought of that in that light..." Cirno stated while nodding appreciatively at the opinion from a different viewpoint.
"The decay in the quality of human mages and their own system of government is to thank for that, ironically enough." Patchouli continued with a small yet still sardonic smile while glancing at Cirno.
"...because they're magic hasn't really changed or advanced for the past six-thousand years? In fact, I think it's been getting progressivly worse..." The girl with blue hair postulated.
"Ten points. Indeed, the six-thousand year stagnation of the social, technological, and magical aspects of their civilization is the cause of their current situation. They continue to adhere to warped obsolete teachings of a church that barely knows the founder of their civilization anymore. To put it in a way that most others out there can understand, the status quo is their god now." Patchouli stated, which elicited a delighted 'whoop' from Cirno for getting it right.
"Wait...wouldn't going down this road eventually break their civilization? Eventually, they're gonna run out of mages. Why are there fewer and fewer mages per generation anyway? If the environment is not to blame then...the people?" Cirno asked as she thought about the possible ultimate end of the line for that kind of civilization.
"Yes, I estimate that the population of human Halkeginian mages will eventually dry out within the next three-hundred years. Thankfully, long after Miss Valliere lives out her life." Patchouli paused for a few moments in order to once again pick up her cup of tea and finishing it. She took a moment of silence to savor the after taste before placing the cup back on the table.
"You are correct in your assumption by the way. One way or another, the people are to blame for the continuous decline of human spell casters. The cause could be the progressive degradation of genetic quality due to inbreeding. As disgusting as it seems, it is a plausible and logical...and honestly stupid way humans have tried to keep their respective bloodlines 'pure'. The possibility of such actions increases dramatically if the system of government follows a monarchy. Guess what kind of government most of Halkeginia has." The librarian continued with a straight face despite Cirno showing a creeped out expression at the implication of widespread incest amongst the nobility in Louise's realm.
"Of course, that is only one factor. Another major factor is the simple lack of innovation in their magic." Patchouli said in a much darker tone of voice than what she usually uses. She said those words with so much contempt that Cirno could feel the disapproval radiating from the magician.
"The human mages there have been using the same system and basic set of spells for six-thousand years. Six-thousand years and they only have one magic system. In half that span of time, humans on Earth have created dozens upon dozens of ways to use magic...and that was with the steady decline in the ambient magic in the surroundings. It is not incorrect to assume that their system had rolled over, died, and is currently in the process of slowly decomposing." Patchouli bit out with such pathos and venom that Cirno was honestly getting genuinely frightened with their proximity. She had learned from experience that things nearest an upset Patchouli, which weren't books of course, tend to immolate in a rather abrupt fashion. Cirno didn't even want to think about what a thoroughly pissed off Patchouli would be capable or willing to do.
"Huh...well, them's pretty much the basics of the main four elements of the Halkeginian magic system. Next, we'll deal with Louise's personal element and how everything we talked about affects it. It is none other than the apparently legendary Void Element!" Cirno declared enthusiastically to change the subject to something else...hopefully in order to cool down her former instructor's head.
"Not today." Patchouli's simple declaration caught Cirno off guard for a moment.
"What? Why not? You were so enthused about the whole thing a while ago?" Cirno asked while leaning toward the librarian and pointing a finger at her.
"Vocal explanations tire me greatly. I wish to sleep for a while." The magician stated simply before placing a bookmark on her novel and placing it on the now empty table.
"Oh, okay. That's fine then, I'll just--" Cirno's words were interrupted when Patchouli leveled an open palm in her general direction.
"Out." Was all she said before a portal appeared next to Cirno and the ice fairy was blown through it with a powerful gust of wind.
"Creativity and hard work are some of the most important things when learning magic. At times, they eclipse even knowledge, talent, and experience. Marisa Kirisame and Cirno prove that concept soundly. Of course, a combination off all aforementioned would still be the most optimal." She gave her parting words to the unseen audience with a ghost of a smile before once more adopting her usual expression.
"Now leave me to my rest, lest I throw you out using a portal as well." Patchouli states with a dismissive wave before adjusting herself in her chair.
The world slowly fades to black.
...
...
The Night of the Two Moons
...
Burning. All I can remember is burning.
The heat of the flames.
The red-orange glow that dominated my vision.
The odd smell of cooked human flesh.
The screams.
My feet hurt as I walked barefoot through the streets.
My eyes hurt from the smoke.
My nose hurt from the heat.
My skin hurt from the flames.
Then the screaming stopped and all I heard was the crackling of fire.
Then I fell.
And there was darkness. But the burning remained.
"Guh!" I grunted and cursed at myself for having that dream again. I had thought myself better than that. I thought that I have already gotten over that. I lifted my head and noted that I was using my arms as a makeshift pillow. It seemed that I had fallen asleep inside the library of the Tristain Magic Academy. I had more or less set myself up here after I had found out the truth of what happened to my village of D'Angleterre.
Minister Richmon, then a Judge who was snugly settled within the pocket of an unspecified faction of the Church, wanted the village off the map because it was harboring and protecting someone who was advocating a belief that goes against the teachings of Brimir. A so called 'heretic' who taught dark wisdom to the poor commoner fools.
He set up a rather convincing argument that the village was overcome with a plague. He managed to convince a panel of representatives from the Church and the Crown even though the village never had any history of any major pandemic since its founding. I still could not understand why he did not simply have the village searched for the heretic via an official inquisition. There was still a piece missing in the motive, a piece that was not documented in the records and reports I found in the hidden archives of the academy. Was there someone else pulling Richmon's strings? I shook my head to clear it of tangential thoughts. I can look into that once it was time to return to the capital.
He then managed to get a commissioned Square-Class Fire Mage Knight to lead a group of Mercenaries to do the job. Yuka Kazami, the Winged Demon of Tarbes, was likely correct in his assessment. That would give Richmon the deniability to simply say that Jean Colbert was acting on his own in case anything went wrong.
Like if someone managed to expose the truth about the incident.
That fact made me very glad I killed Richmon before I found out the truth.
After we exited the Tristain Magic Academy's Hidden Archive, I once again went through the records of enlistment in the entire Tristain Military for Fire Mages of at least Line Rank that would match what I found in the archives. I just wanted to make sure. I wanted to make sure I had other people to kill before I had to turn my sword to the man who saved my life.
I grit my teeth when I realized that I was just looking for an excuse not to kill Jean Colbert for his involvement in the incident.
I pinched the bridge of my nose when I noted that my vision was starting to get blurry. I stood up before I started to clean up the documents that ended up strewn all over the table because of my unplanned nap.
"Captain!" Helgarose suddenly burst through the doors in a near-frantic manner. I picked up my sword and strapped it to my waist. Her demeanor alone told me that something had happened. Dame Falkenmayer did not panic easily.
"Casualties?" I asked as I strode up to her while she closed the library doors.
"Three of ours are injured. Six fatalities. We lost our patrols around the dormitory tower first, then the teachers' living quarters, and then the servants wing. It was a well planned raid by a group of unknown armed men. They number at least thirty. No evidence of any mages among them." Helgarose gave her report after she managed to catch her breath. A raid at the academy in the middle of the night? What were they after? Why here? Why now?
"Where are the others?" I asked as I led my second-in-command through the academy library to a backdoor that lead to a part of the main hallway. The help were kind enough to inform us about the various passageways and doors that were only just hidden away from obvious view. Those were the means by which the servants were able to get from one point to another in the academy without running into any nobles. They were not secret passages by any means, but they were inconspicuous enough for most to miss.
"What the hell?! He-Guh!" Not inconspicuous enough it seemed. I walked up to the corpse and pulled Helgarose's throwing knife out of his forehead. I wiped the blade clean of blood using the dead man's pants before handing the knife back to my fellow knight.
"I apologize. I reacted on reflex. We could have been able to interrogate this one for some additional information." My second stated with a bow while sheathing her knife.
"What's done is done. Where are we regrouping?" I asked as we dragged the body back into the door we just came out of for some semblance of concealment. I was thankful that Helgarose's aim with a knife was unmatched. Concealing the body would have been problematic if there was blood everywhere.
"Lunateresia and Ilfriede were rallying everyone to one of the classrooms in the fire tower. It was the furthest place from the areas that were hit and is defensible enough should it come down to a battle." I nodded in acknowledgement. It was a good choice. The fire tower was apparently designed to withstand great damage from fire spells in case they went out of control during classes. That was why it was placed so far away from the other buildings and why Helgarose termed it as defensible.
Whoever it was that was attacking was able to get past everyone it seemed. They got past the scant number of token hired guards who looked like they couldn't even catch a death of cold in winter. They got past the teaching staff. They got past the servants. They got past the students. They got past my knights.
Whoever was attacking knew what they were doing. Sad that they did not seem to know who they were dealing with.
I stopped walking when I realized something.
How did they get past Dame Valliere's familiar and maid?
"Captain?" Helgarose called out from a short distance in front of me.
"It is nothing. Let's go. We need to come up with an action plan to deal with these pests." I stated before we started walking again. Those men came at a good time. I felt the need to stab something in the face anyway.
...
Transfer Complete...
Readjusting Sensors...
Visuals Online...
There was something wrong.
That was the immediate conclusion I had made after going through the divide between Mugenkan and the Tristain Magic Academy. My internal sensors counted several human life signs that were not registered as known values.
Situation unknown.
Unable to make contact with Mistress Louise or Yuka Kazami. They had returned the 'Hey-Listen' units I provided to them after they returned safely from their investigations.
More data required. Course of action determined was silent reconnaissance.
Shifting Visual Sensors to thermal...
Unknown human contacts were inbound and will gain visual on me within the next three seconds. I immediately bounded to the rooftop of the nearby building and laid low against the shadows.
"What was that noise?!" Human. Male. Age range between late twenties to early thirties. Three contacts. Armed. Steel swords and rudimentary leather armoring. No signs of magical ability. Marked as potential hostiles until more information is gathered.
"Check out the corners of the building! Quick!" Contact One seemed to be in charge of the squad. Contact Two and Contact Three began to sweep the immediate area. Evidence of training but subpar at best or just a lack of skill. Contacts did not look up. Amateurish.
"Could it be that group of whores trying to get back in?" Contact Three spoke. Signs of stress and anxiety noted. Terminology used noted. The only known female groups at the Academy aside from the students were the resident maids and the Royal Musketeer Squadron. The more probable possibility was the latter. It was a curious situation if true. Finding a member of the Musketeer Squadron for a situation report was added to my list of objectives.
Within the second that it took me to update my assessment of the situation. Contact Three was tasked to check around the building I was on. Alone. Contacts One and Two remained in the garden proper, potentially as reinforcements should Contact Three find any hostiles.
Trained, but poorly so.
I quietly shifted myself to the edge of the roof where Contact Three was apparently poking at some crates. Contact Three did not even have his weapon out.
There was almost no effort expended on my part when I simply dropped down behind him as he was walking by. I had known early on since my activation in my Version-Two frame that snapping the neck of most vertebrate life forms, especially those with actual necks, was the fastest way to kill them without making a mess. There was no struggle. Only a surprised stiffening of his shoulders when I grabbed onto his head before the almost too quiet snap that immediately followed. I did not need all three of them alive. Only the one who was giving the other two orders needed to live long enough to answer my inquiries.
I settled the body down to a sitting position against the wall with his head lolled to the side. In the darkness of the night, it made it look more like Contact Three was asleep or knocked out instead of being already dead. I then turned to the crates he was poking around and knocked one over before bounding back to the rooftop. The way Contact One ordered Contact Two to investigate the noise when Contact Three did not respond to their calls was like clockwork.
Contact Two immediately ran up to Contact Three when he saw his comrade sitting against the wall with evidence of violence in the immediate area. I jumped behind him just as he was crouching down to check on his fallen comrade. And then there was one. I grabbed both bodies and went back up to the rooftop where I deposited them out of sight. The only thing left was to wait for what Contact One would do. Predictably, he chose to follow the other two around the corner where two others have already disappeared without further contact. He really should have known better. At least he made my work easier. He had his sword out and was looking around frantically for any signs of anyone at all.
I jumped down just as he was turning back around and grabbed his head with my right hand. I made sure that my grip was over his eyes in order to prevent positive visual identification of who his assailant was. Better safe than sorry obviously. I then shoved him against the wall in order to restrain any further movements. He grabbed my arm with his free hand and tried to pull it off. When he realized that it wasn't really going to work, he proceeded to try to stab me with the sword in his right hand. It was clearly not working since my uniform was made of material which was far more durable than the weapon in his hand. I took his sword away after his third try because it was getting irritating.
"Who the hell are you?! Do you have any idea who we are?!" Onto the standard questions already? Rather cliche choices as well. The former was a rather loaded question while the latter was something I wanted answered anyway. I blinked at the reasoning Contact One had for asking me for my identity. Was he hoping that he would get some information back to his comrades in case he would be able to escape from be or if I let him go? I discarded the idle thought within the same second it took me to activate White Noise and augment my vocals into something else, something as far from my regular voice as possible. Yes, that would work. Deep, gravelly, and male. I then leaned in closer and answered his question.
"I am the Night." I let him ponder on that for a few seconds before speaking again.
"Who are you and why are you here? What is your command structure? Who is in charge? What are your objectives?" I asked him in the same augmented voice. Oddly, Contact One actually managed a smile at my inquiry.
"Do you honestly think I'll talk? You don't know anything so you can burn with the rest! You will never get anything out of me." It was a rather poor, if predictable, choice on his part really. I grabbed his right wrist, which was now trying to pry my right hand from his face along with his other hand, and forced it to his side.
"Everyone talks." I mused with a small smile while shifting my grip from his wrist to his hand.
"There are two hundred and six bones in an adult human body." I continued to mutter into his ear before quickly snapping both bones that made up his right thumb. I then let go of his hand and clamped my left hand over his mouth to prevent any needless noise.
"Now, you have two hundred and eight. Would you like to find out how many bones you can end up having by the time I'm done with you? Oh, and if you scream, I'll do it anyway." I asked him before slowly letting go of his mouth.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" He was very helpful and informative after that. I made sure to make his death as quick as possible in payment for his assistance.
...
"How many are combat ready?" I immediately asked after I opened the doors to the classroom that served as the temporary rally point of my knights. Lunateresia walked up to me and gave me a salute, which my second and I returned, before giving her report.
"Isara, Juno, and Alvina are wounded and will not be combat ready unless the can get healed by a Water Mage." The green haired knight stated before closing her eyes and taking a breath.
"We...we lost Misha, Salinas, Audrey, Rosina, Camille, and Claudia." She added with a mix of sadness and anger in her voice. Dammit! Three wounded and six dead right at the start. I was sent here by the princess with thirty of my knights, including Helgarose, and now I was down nearly a third of them already.
The rest of us were still in the capital so we could still be on hand should Princess Henrietta need us in any way. My third-in-command, Michelle, should be more than capable of leading them while Helgarose and I were here.
"Do you know how they were killed? We do not die easily." I asked before reminding her just how hard I've trained them all in combat. We were not the types who would fall in such numbers so quickly.
"It was a very well timed strike. Evidence suggest that they hit our active patrols all at once at a very precise moment when they would be the most vulnerable. Misha and Audrey were patrolling the dormitory towers. Salinas and Claudia were supposed to be ending their rounds in the teachers' living quarters. Finally, Camille and Rosina should have been checking up on the servant's wing at the time of attack." Helgarose answered with a frown. The three of us then lapsed into a moment of silence before Lunateresia excused herself to help the others in their preparations.
"How were you alerted of the attack?" I asked my second while watching my remaining knights prepare themselves for the moment when we would strike back. They looked much more heated than usual as they did so. Likely because of how the attackers were able to get past us, even costing us six of our sisters.
Yes, they would pay for spilling the blood of my knights.
"Ilfriede was wandering around on her own again and saw Salinas and Claudia being attacked by several men. She was unable to assist them because she was greatly outnumbered but undetected at the time. She reported what she saw to me and we quickly found the fate of the others. We had lost control of those areas and decided to regroup first before I went off to find you." Helgarose explained. So it was Ilfriede who found out then. She always did have a habit of taking walks at night on her own when not assigned to anything.
"We were lucky to have been able to come to the aid of Isara, Juno, and Alvina before they were overwhelmed. They were eating in the kitchen when they were attacked. Thankfully, we were nearby and were able to dispatch their attackers through a combined effort." Helgarose added, giving the answer to why Isara and the others were only wounded and not dead. We then turned around to the sound of footsteps and saw a very somber looking Ilfriede. She gave us a salute before speaking without prompt.
"I shouldn't have run away. Those men killed Salinas and Claudia. I should have--" I stopped her from continuing with a raised right hand. The doors were still open so it was not unusual for her to have overheard us if she came from the hallway.
"You made the correct decision. If they found and killed you, more of us would have been struck down before we knew what was going on." I pointed out, both as fact and as a way for the woman to stop blaming herself for deaths she was not able to prevent. The woman before us was not stupid, so I attributed her unwillingness to see my point to seeing two of her comrades be cut down without being able to do anything about it.
"I just--" She started but was interrupted, this time by her long-time friend and my second.
"Do you have something to report, Ilfriede?" Helgarose asked with a stern expression. The blonde knight stared at her friend for a moment before nodding.
"I took Alicia, Marina, and Wendy with me for some reconnaissance. The dormitories and the teachers' quarters are completely deserted while there are men posted at the servants wing." Ilfriede answered. I nodded in acknowledgement before noting that both Marina and Wendy did not accompany her back.
"Were there signs of violence?" Helgarose asked.
"Only to property. There were no signs of blood that we noticed." The blonde knight answered with a shake of her head.
"I assume that there is a reason why Marina and Wendy are not here yet." I asked the woman.
"Yes. We found out that the students and the teachers are being held inside the Alviss Hall. They have all the doors and windows secured. It seems that most of the attackers are in there. I had Marina and Wendy keep an eye on the building in case the situation changes." Ilfriede answered. Good. Both of the knights she left behind are skilled at reconnaissance and would be best suited to such a task.
"Good work. At least we know where the teachers and students are." I acknowledged with a nod before turning to Helgarose when she gave out a seemingly deliberate hum.
"None of the men we've encountered so far have used any magic. How were they able to subdue and capture not only the students, but the teachers as well?" Helgarose raised a very interesting and very important point.
"There wasn't any evidence that anyone has used magic either. It would have been rather obvious if they did. It was like no one even fought back." Ilfriede added another piece to the puzzle. I gave the matter a thought before realizing how they likely accomplished what they did.
"They struck under the cover of night when most were already in bed. Even with all of us here, there was no way for us to completely secure the academy at all times. It was not an impossible thing for them to slip through if they are as organized as they seem. Besides, most mages without a wand can do little else." I pointed out. The two of them looked between each other and myself before nodding in understanding.
"Regardless, we need to get ready to move. Helgarose, stay here until everyone if fully ready to be deployed. Once they are, find and rendezvous with Marina and Wendy. Secure the perimeter outside the Alviss Hall but try not to draw attention to yourselves. The last thing we want is for those fools to start panicking." I said to my second. Our priority now was to ensure the safety and freedom of the hostages.
"Understood." Helgarose responded with a nod before walking off to where the others were. I saw that my knights were already preparing the muskets and pistols that they were apparently able to gather before going to the tower. Let no one say that the Royal Musketeer Squadron took threats like this lying down.
"Ilfriede, get me Alicia, Brigitte, and Catherine. The five of us are going hunting." I said to the blonde knight who eagerly nodded before going off to gather the others I asked for. I looked over at the nineteen women who were preparing to risk their lives once more. Along with the two who were keeping watch on the Alviss Hall, I would make sure that we would be able to get through this without losing anyone else. My knights are capable enough to accomplish that much.
...
Mission Log Update...
A raid in the middle of the night on the Tristain Magic Academy by a group of mercenaries who were apparently of no affiliation to one another or to anyone else. It would explain the lack of unit cohesion demonstrated by my first three kills. A weak and risky strategy but one that had the merit of complete plausible deniability for the benefactors. Nothing to trace back to them. Contact One repeatedly confirmed that he was hired through an intermediary at a tavern in Gallia. His companions were also apparently recruited the same way from different parts of the continent. Contact One insisted on that truth even after I was done breaking all the bones in his right hand.
The only thing that he knew was that they were all taking orders from one man, a fire mage of sorts apparently. He would then be very generously compensated for his efforts after everything was over and done with.
I began to question the wisdom of the newly confirmed hostiles when they did not seem to question the terms of the contract provided to them. After all, there was no reason to pay anyone if they cannot trace the contract back to the one who was supposed to pay them. There was also the more practical option of simply disposing of them after they had outlived their usefulness.
I stuck to the rooftops as I moved between buildings until I finally got to the dormitory towers. There were a few guards posted at the entrance but they were as easy to dispatch as the others. I then went into the towers and checked the rooms. Evidence of forced entry and varied degrees of struggle in all the rooms, including Mistress' room. I picked up the discarded Founder's Prayer Book on the floor and placed it inside one of my pockets. While it was doubtful that the attackers knew of the true value of the book, it was better to keep it with me instead of leaving it out in the open.
I then noted that Yuka Kazami's hat now sported several cuts and tears. Unwearable by the terms that the flower youkai normally deemed worthy. He was going to be rather cross once he returns. Thankfully, Mistress Louise's hat only had minor scuffs but was entirely intact.
I placed both hats back on the desk and exiting the room. I then noted a slight oddity in the state the rooms were in. There were varied signs of physical struggle, yes. However, there were no signs of any use of magic anywhere in the immediate vicinity. Not even residual signs of magic was evident anywhere. There were two possibilities for that kind of situation. Either the attackers had a means of neutralizing the use of magic in a large area or they were able to capture everyone before they were able to get to their wands and defend themselves. The latter seemed more plausible, especially after seeing discarded wands in some rooms.
With that in mind, I made sure to pick up Mistress' spare wand back in her room. She had left it there before changing and going into Mugenkan earlier. I was certain that she would not mind lending it to someone who might be able to help considering the situation. I concluded that there was nothing else here and decided to move on to check if Lady Eleanore and Lady Cattleya somehow managed to get away from the chaos and find a safe place to hide.
"Finally managed to slip away from those idiots. Now then, it's time to do some looting~" I ducked into one of the open rooms near the main stairwell after hearing a male voice approaching from below. Voice printing did not match any known values in my records. Considering the nature of his statement and the apparent nature of the attackers, it was obvious that he had come to the dormitory tower in order to take personal valuables owned by the students.
Visual was confirmed after a few more seconds when he took his first step out of the stairwell and into the hallway. Attire of new contact matches that of the previous ones I've already dealt with. This suggests that the mercenaries were given outfitted to a standard before being deployed. Training was also possible if that was the case but it was more likely that the time was just spent to make sure everyone knew who was in charge.
I moved back into the shadows after the new contact took his second step into the hallway. Head movement was rapid but unfocused. Possible indecisiveness on which room to start with. A fortuitous coincidence then that he decided to started with the room that I was hiding in. I pressed myself against the wall and ceased all movement. Human senses are not the sharpest provided by nature. They mainly depend on three things in order to notice something out of place that they could not readily see. Movement, breathing, and heat.
Fortunate that I can neutralize all three. That, coupled with the darkness in the room made sure that the would-be thief did not even turn my way when he entered the room. Instead walked directly up to the desks and cabinets in order to search for anything of value. There was also two factors that certain humans can sense if their skill was high enough, usually through experience in combat or martial training. It was the ability to sense 'intent' and 'life'. I had neither. That was why he did not stand a chance when I quietly walked up behind him before clamping my hand over his mouth and forcing him to his knees.
R-Blade
"I have two questions." I stated in the same augmented voice I used before. His struggling ceased after seeing my left arm be converted into my R-Blade. I had found that the soft blue glow and the low hum generated by the particle edged weapon was oddly mesmerizing to humans once they see it up close. More so if the blade itself was poised to slice out your neck.
"Where are the students of this academy? Who is in command of this attack?" I asked before letting go of his mouth and grabbing his hair instead to keep him in place. The man did not speak but detected vitals suggested that he was very stressed about the current situation.
"Speak while you still have the means to do so. If not, I can simply find someone else who will." I stated after a few seconds of silence. I pulled his head back two centimeters and moved the edge of my R-Blade three centimeters closer to his neck in order to emphasize urgency.
"We're holding all the mages in the Alviss Hall! The man in charge is a crazy blind fire mage called Menvil!" The man immediately stated out in panic. Indeed, the hall used to host meals would be both large enough and defensible enough to be the most effective location to hold several hostages. By his statement of 'all mages', it would be prudent to assume that they had also managed to capture the teaching staff as well. Likely, even both of Mistress' sisters were among the hostages. Though, his last point seemed to be the most interesting one. A blind, and apparently mentally unstable, fire mage was in charge of the assault. More and more, the logic behind the attack seemed to be questionable. Even if they were able to capture all the mages of the academy and make them hostages, what then?
"Are there other mages in your ranks?" I asked after the second it took me to record and analyze the information provided by his previous statement.
"No! He should be the only mage we have! He's supposed to be some sort of veteran merc! That's why he's in charge even though he's blind as a bat and crazy as a loon!" The man answered in a rather timely manner. Experience was always a good way to pick leadership. Although, most would not consider it even then due to his apparent physical disability and mental state.
"Thank you for the information." I stated. The man started squirming in my grasp after I did not do anything afterwards.
"Well? Aren't you going to let me go? I answered your questions!" He demanded from me albeit almost desperately. I tilted my head to the side at his request before responding.
"Hm? I never said that I would release you." I pointed out before quickly snapping his neck with my right hand. I recalled R-Blade while the man's body dropped lifelessly on its side. I flexed the fingers of my left hand after it reverted back to normal. I then picked up the body before exiting the dormitory tower. After making sure there were no other contacts in the vicinity, I deposited the body behind some bushes for concealment. I made it a point to keep track of where I was hiding my kills for proper disposal later. It wouldn't do if they suddenly started giving off a smell as they decomposed simply because I left them somewhere hidden.
I made my way to the room used by Lady Eleanore and Lady Cattleya located in the teachers' quarters. The state of the room mirrored that of my Mistress' in that there was evidence of violence but no traces of magic. I looked down when I noticed something seemingly out of place. It was a discarded wand. I picked it up and confirmed that it was intact. I momentarily wondered why it was left on the floor but dismissed it just as quickly since it mattered little anyway. I secured the wand in my dress before leaving through the nearby window in order to get back to the rooftops. At the very least, I will be able to arm up to two friendly mages should the situation demand it.
The Alviss Hall was my ultimate objective but there was one more place I wanted to check before I moved there. I wanted to confirm that Siesta and the rest of the servants were unharmed at least. With that objective in mind, I silently made my way to the servants wing.
...
"What was that noise?" Ilfriede whispered as we walked through the halls of the teachers' quarters. We made this detour in hopes that some of the attackers were dumber than we had originally anticipated and decided to rob the place. The student dormitory towers were already completely deserted so we quickly proceeded here instead. We were met with absolutely no resistance along the way. It was almost unnerving. It was like the entire academy was suddenly void of any other life at all save for the evidence of violence in the rooms. We had expected at least a few patrols along the way, that was why I brought the others with me on this hunt. I was hoping to catch a few hares unawares in order to interrogate them for more information.
"Where did it come from?" Alicia inquired in an equally hushed tone from the rear of our formation, her oddly styled twin-tailed brown hair swiveling around along with her head. She was standing beside her fellow brunette, formed into twin buns, Brigitte. Ilfriede was in front of them with the oldest member of the squadron, the black haired Catherine. I personally headed the formation as we moved through the hallways.
"Down the hall. It sounded like a door or a window being opened." Catherine answered with narrowed eyes instead. The short haired woman was easily our best reconnaissance specialist and personally trained our second best, Marina. If she says that she saw or heard something, it was usually wise to listen to her.
"Slow and low. Catherine, with me. The rest of you, follow three steps behind. Pistols and knives only for close combat." I ordered before we all pulled out our knives and pistols. Swords and muskets would only be a liability in such a cramped environment, so our only practical option for weapons were knives and the like. Such was the basics of Close Quarters Combat that was taught to me by me old instructor. There was no one else better than she was before she died on a secret mission a year before the Musketeer Squadron was formed. I had hoped to have shared command with her if not for her death.
We advanced through the hallway as quietly as our armor would allow. I then felt a hand tap on my shoulder and I immediately stopped. I turned to Catherine and she pointed to a room in the distance. I remembered that room as the one used by the elder Valliere sisters. I narrowed my eyes and nodded before proceeding. We put our backs to the wall as we got closer to the room in question.
I signaled for the others to hold their positions while I moved in on my own first. It was risky but, if there really were any enemies in there, it would allow the others to get the jump on them while the attacker or attackers were too busy with me. I peered into what was visible through the doorway. The door itself was broken and forgotten on the floor and the room itself was not spared the same fate as the other rooms we have encountered.
None of the magelights survived the attack so the room itself was much darker that I'd like. Nevertheless, I proceeded cautiously in a crouch with my knife in a reverse grip in my right hand as I used both hands to hold my pistol steady in case I needed to shoot something. I only had one shot with my pistol, but that was why I had my knife out already. One of the most important lessons taught to me was to make sure I was always armed and able to fight at any range. Having both my knife and my pistol equipped at the same time allowed me to switch between them in the blink of an eye instead of wasting precious time trying to pull one or the other out. Of course, this was only intended and was most effective to be used for close quarters. Other tactics and techniques were required for different ranges and situations.
Adapt or die, as it were.
There were shadows everywhere but I took advantage of them as well to inch my way through the room. Fine clothing, books, parchments, even some of the notes the professor took when we went into the hidden archive were damaged in some way. The woman would not be happy about this. At all. I idly wondered if those men knew who Professor Eleanore and Lady Cattleya actually were when they attacked. I shook off the unnecessary thoughts and proceeded to check the rest of the room. I eventually found the cause of the sound that Ilfriede and Catherine heard. It was a partially open window that led to a three-story drop. I narrowed my eyes at the possibility that someone just casually jumped out the window before we arrived. In the end, I just dismissed the thought and went back to my knights with a signal to indicate that the room was clear.
"Since I don't see any bodies anywhere, I'm assuming that it was just nothing or whoever it was already escaped." Catherine asked as she and Ilfriede entered the room. Alicia and Brigitte stayed outside to serve as lookouts just in case.
"The former seems more likely since the cause of the noise was an open window." I stated while sheathing my knife and holstering my pistol.
"Aww...what a waste." Ilfriede lamented the clothes that were destroyed and discarded on the floor. I ignored the comment from the blonde and instead inspected the room more thoroughly. There were signs of struggle and even some blood on some cloth. Those two sisters must have given their attackers quite a time before they were subdued.
I silently wished for their safety as it would have been a great waste if they were killed. To say nothing of what the Valliere family would do if they found out that two of their eldest daughters died inside the academy on our watch. And even that was nothing compared to what the youngest sister and her followers would do if that had come to pass.
"This is all wrong." Catherine mused as she closed the window that caused our little jump earlier.
"They were able to get the jump on us at the best possible moment to do so. They took out all the regular guards, took down six of our squadmates, injured three, blocked in all the servants in their own quarters, and captured all of the mages in the academy. Then they hole up in a large building with all the hostages and do nothing else. Do you think they're waiting for something or someone?" Catherine continued before turning to me with a concerned expression.
"Possibly. Transporting that many people, even under the cover of night, would be quite a task and would be laughably easy to track down and intercept. Killing them is also an option but that many nobles are worth far more alive than dead." I reasoned out with a nod. She was right though. As far as their opening move went, it was tactically brilliant. However, the problem stemmed from what would happen afterwards.
"What do we do now? Rendezvous with Helga and the others?" Ilfriede asked while giving a token effort to at least reorganize the books and parchments that were scattered everywhere. She turned back to us for an answer after placing them on the bed.
"If they really are going to just hole up inside the Alviss Hall then we'll make sure that there aren't any other stragglers wandering around. Afterwards, we're going to prevent any chance of escape, rescue the hostages, and make them pay for thinking that they can get away just like that after killing six of our sisters." I stated after deciding our next course of action.
"The servants wing next then." Catherine stated with a nod, which I returned. The three of us left the room and started to make our way to the servants wing. Hopefully, we'd be able to gain more information about the attackers before we made plans on moving in to save the hostages.
...
Mission Log Update...
"Come on! All those maids in their rooms all cold and scared. You can't possibly not want to be able to get your hands on a few of those!" One of the men who were guarding the entrance to the servants wing stated while nudging his companion with his elbow.
"Of course I do! But we'll have a chance eat up those women once we're done with the job. Hell, the boss might even let us sample some of those nobles too. Did you see those two with the red and pink hair? It's like they were born to please men! Gwahahaha!" I blinked as I continued to listen in on the conversation of the two men from the rooftop of another building. The need for guards and the nature of their conversation implied that the servants were safe and were being held inside. Sad that those two would not be able to enact their delusions since I was certain that no one would have approved of the inappropriate talk they were having about Miss Kirche and Lady Cattleya.
Switching Visuals to Thermal...
Confirmed no other contacts in immediate vicinity.
Switching Visuals back to Normal Low-Light Enhancement Mode...
I decided to take a more direct approach in the matter since there was no viable vantage point to be able to dispose of them without detection. I moved across the rooftop of the building I was on and dropped down on the ground behind it. I then calmly walked around the building with my hands behind my back until I was walking up directly at the two men. It took twelve-point-seven more seconds for them to notice me and the two of them looked rather surprised to see a maid walking around freely.
"Hey! How did you get out! Come over here!" One of the two men yelled out before stomping towards me and drawing his sword. The other man simply started laughing and did not seem to see me as a threat. Good.
"Come over here you--" He said while reaching out at my left arm. It was a very poor choice on his part.
Blood Dragon Tooth
"Wha--" He exclaimed as a golden light suddenly flashed behind me. I then pulled out my right hand which held the weapon that Mistress recently unlocked for me.
The red colored handheld weapon was, as its core, a variable energy emitter. The size of the weapon itself was much smaller than the original Dragon Tooth, reduced to a size that was only slightly larger than the G-Revolver. It held the same basic design and was simply made much more compact because of the technological advancements that Professor Uzuki learned from my predecessor and Professor Shirakawa. The Blood Dragon Tooth boasted a more compact frame without any loss in yield and even had improved efficiency in energy consumption and cooling. The weapon's energy emitter could both discharge energy bolts to hit targets at range or create a charged particle blade of adjustable length and intensity. It was originally meant to be a pair to be used in each hand by me. The hope was to replace both the G-Revolver and the R-Blade with a more practical weapon system that can easily be used and maintained. Sadly, time constraints demanded that I kept all three weapons as a second Blood Dragon Tooth was impossible to create at that point due to certain circumstances. The one in my inventory was the only one of its kind ever made.
It was rather obvious that human flesh was far easier to cut than most other things I've used this weapon on in the past. One down.
"Why you little--" The other target was quickly silenced after I switched weapon modes to ranged and relieved him of the need for a head. Two down. Another advantage of the energy weapon at range compared to the G-Revolver was that it was safer to use during situations where high yield armor piercing explosive rounds would cause too much noise or too big a mess.
I moved quickly into the building that held the servants. Stealth was no longer an option after my latest kills so quickly neutralizing all other threats in the area was priority-one to prevent alerting the main enemy force.
R-Blade
"What the hell is with all that noi--" Three down. There seemed to be more men assigned to guard this building than the others. It was likely due to the fact that they needed to make sure that the servants would not cause any problems.
"Please! Don't! Help! Someone please help me!" I moved the the room where the cries for help were coming from and kicked down the door. I then aimed my Blood Dragon Tooth at the obvious target.
"Stop moving you little-whaaaggh!" Four down. I continued my sweep after confirming the death of the assailant. I would have done more to comfort for the now hysterical maid who was almost raped and now had a headless body on top of her, but I needed to make sure that all threats in the servants wing were neutralized first.
"You two! Check the entrance way for any--Look out!" Six down. I dropped the bodies of the two men who were impaled by my blades before jumping back to avoid getting hit by the sword of the one trying to give them orders. The weapon would not have done any damage, but it was more or less a reflex action on my part anyway. I pointed my Blood Dragon Tooth at him the moment I got off the ground and he dropped dead by the time I landed. Seven down.
"Don't even think about it freak!" I turned around and pointed my Blood Dragon Tooth at the source of the voice. Unfortunately, I had to rethink my course of action after I noted that the enemy that yelled at me was holding a human shield.
"Ruukoto!" And of all the people he could have chosen to use, it was Siesta. I lowered my weapons while analyzing for any possible firing solutions or angles of attack I could use without endangering Siesta. It was unfortunate that I was neither designed nor equipped to deal with tense hostage situations. That was the whole reason for my insistence at striking down hostiles before they could use the hostages against me.
"I don't know what the hell you are or where you came from but don't think that you can just get away with killing the others like that! Now don't try anything if you don't want this pretty little face splattered all over the walls!" The man threatened. I noted that both his vitals and Siesta's were almost matching in regards to stress levels. It was clear that he was more frightened than angry. I was unable to make any moves because I did not have the means to be able to neutralize the threat without otherwise harming or killing Siesta in the process. They were four-point-seven-two meters in front of me with most of Siesta's body covering the man behind her. They were both fidgeting around so much that her head would block his at random intervals. The odds were simply too poor to risk even an instant strike. That would have gone against Mistress Louise's direct order to me in regards to protecting the lives of those residing in the academy.
"Here is what's going to happ--UGHH!" Thankfully, It became apparent that did not have to.
"Return that life to God, you scum!" A voice from behind the man stated with authority. Voice imprint indicated that it came from Musketeer Squadron member Brigitte Chevalier de La Stark, otherwise known by close associates as 'Rosie'. Two more members of the Musketeer Squadron grabbed onto each of his arms to prevent him from attempting any harm on Siesta. Confirmed new arrivals as Alicia Chevalier de Melchiott and Ilfriede Chevalier de La Feulner.
I then immediately dismissed both of my weapons and closed in before pulling Siesta away from the hostile. She quickly huddled behind me for protection just as two more friendlies appeared. They were Catherine Chevalier de La O'Hara and Captain Agnes Chevalier de Milan herself. The captain gave be an acknowledging nod before turning to the man who was forced to his knees by the other knights. It appeared that Dame Stark only stabbed him with a knife to the right shoulder and was currently keeping the blade embedded inside him to keep the man from struggling. The reason why she did so instead of outright killing the man became evident once Captain Milan walked up before the kneeling form of the assailant.
"Congratulations. You have been chosen to assist in resolving a hostage incident in the Tristain Magic Academy. All you have to do is provide information as to the command structure, number of men involved, and motive for this unprovoked assault upon Tristainian soil." Captain Milan said to the man in an obviously condescending tone of voice before pulling at his hair so he could look up to meet her eyes.
"I'll never tell you anything you stupid dirty little whor--aaaarrrgh!" The man's defiance was poorly timed and rather pointless considering his current situation. It was demonstrated by Dame Stark by twisting the knife that she stabbed into the man, causing him to groan in pain.
"Language! There are ladies present!" Dame Stark reprimanded the man. It was at this point that I stepped forward and tapped Captain Milan on the shoulder.
"I have already interrogated a few hostiles before clearing this area of enemies. This unit can provide you with all the information about the current situation that I know of. Anything else, you can ask this gentleman." I offered. Instead of being relieved, Captain Milan and the other people there, including the captured hostile, simply looked at me with varying degrees of confusion and concern.
"Why does your voice sound like that?" Captain Milan asked me. I blinked when I realized that I still had my vocals modulated.
...
"I apologize. Please allow me a moment." It was strange enough to see that maid, the so-called Steel Goddess of Tarbes, standing there with a trail of dead men in her wake...but to hear a rough male voice coming from that mouth of hers was very strange.
"Monster! Get that monster away from me! Aaargh!" The fool we've managed to restrain started screaming in panic until Brigitte shut him up with another twist of the knife.
"I had to previously modulate my voice into something different in order to maintain anonymity when I first arrived. This unit noted that something was wrong, but was uncertain as to what the exact cause was. The information that I was able to extract from my first contacts did not inspire confidence in the situation." The maid Ruukoto explained while the other maid, whom I know as Dame Louise's other maid Siesta, was peeking out from behind her. We all knew that she and Yuka Kazami were not human so her demonstrations of power was not as jarring as one would expect. It did not really matter what their nature was anyway. So long as they and their Mistress were loyal to the Tristain Royal Family and are considered as personal allies of Princess Henrietta, then we would accept their assistance without resentment or judgement.
"What do you know?" I asked her with a nod.
"That man is part of a strike force composed of mercenaries gathered from various parts of the continent. The men making up the strike force are of no relation or affiliation to one another. This unit assumes that this was done in order to maintain secrecy for the mastermind or masterminds." I nodded at the new information. Whoever set this whole debacle up did not want anyone finding out who was behind the scenes pulling the strings. That made things more inconvenient.
"Do you know who is in charge of the men here?" I asked and got a nod from the maid.
"One of the men referred to the one in charge as a blind fire mage called Menvil. The one I spoke to did not seem to know anything else about him aside from the fact that he is to be their commander, is a fire mage, is blind, and seems to be mentally unstable." My breath hitched in my throat when I heard that name.
"Ugh! A crazy blind fire mage is in charge? Who was the idiot who though that was a good idea?" Brigitte asked in an overly exasperated tone of voice.
"Wahahaha! The boss might be blind and crazy but he's a freaking triangle fire mage! You are all going to burn before dawn!" I rolled my eyes at the sudden burst bravado from the captured idiot.
"Please shut him up." I requested and Catherine quickly knocked him out with a knife pommel to the side of the head. It wasn't exactly what I had in mind but it did the job. We could always wake him up later anyway.
"Are you sure about that name?" I asked Ruukoto again just to be certain. If she was telling the truth then...
"Positive. Unless I, or the one I was interrogating at the time, was lied to." Ruukoto confirmed with a nod. I see...so the one in charge of the assault was Jean Colbert's second during the purge of my village and was likely keeping his former commander hostage along with all the other nobles. The irony of the situation was almost amusing if it wasn't so twisted. I did note that Menvil had apparently been blinded at some point. Did it happen when he attacked Colbert during the purge? I shook my head and decided that such questions would be better suited to after the current crisis was dealt with and Menvil had at least two feet of steel inserted into his chest or whatever was still left of his face.
"Do you know how many men are part of the attack?" Catherine asked Ruukoto. I blinked and turned to the older woman and saw that she was giving me a look. I ignored it but noted that I must have been lost in thought for a moment too long than was necessary.
"No. However, I do know that the students, and likely the teaching staff as well, are being held inside the Alviss Hall. Considering the number of people they would need to keep track of and the need for a stable defense, I assume that the bulk of their forces are situated there as well. This unit can scan for the definite number of hostile forces and their positions if I can get close enough to the structure." Ruukoto answered and confirmed what Ilfriede and her group encountered when they went to the Alviss Hall. Her admission of being able to tell us exactly how many enemies were inside the hall and where they were inside the building was something I was going to make sure to take advantage of later on.
"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Alicia asked, looking anxious to finally do something about those men who attacked the academy. I looked around and saw that my other knights also looked eager to finally get the job done.
"Alright then, we'll move in as soon as we're ready. Restrain him for interrogation later in case we have to kill all the other mercenaries in the Alviss Hall. Do you need to be at a specific place to be able to--what's wrong?" I ordered to my knights before turning back to Ruukoto to confirm what she needed in order to accomplish what she said she could. I then asked her if there was something wrong because she had her head turned to the side and was seemingly staring at the wall with great intent.
"No...it is nothing to be concerned about Captain. In regards to your intended question, the most ideal vantage point would be in front of a window that goes into the building itself. This unit can also accomplish the task by forcing a scan through a wall but it will take longer and the results will not be as accurate." She responded after dismissing my prior inquiry. I decided not to push the issue since we had other things to worry about. I then pointed at the maid that was hiding behind Ruukoto to get her attention.
"You there! You are Dame Valliere's maid are you not?" I asked the maid who I remembered having the name Siesta. She cowered behind Ruukoto for a moment before peaking out and nodding in an affirmative.
"Is there anywhere we can keep this fool while we take care of his friends?" I asked Siesta while jerking my right thumb at the now unconscious thug.
"Yes! We have a storage room with no windows and you can bar the door from the outside! I'll show you!" Siesta responded a little bit too enthusiastically before pointing down the hall behind her. Regardless I turned to my knights and both Brigitte and Ilfriede quickly picked up the thug and we were led to the storage room that the maid indicated.
"Allow me." Ruukoto said before effortlessly lifting the heavy wooden bar that was keeping the door barricaded with one hand. We all blinked at the casual feat of strength before Siesta opened the door and we tossed the thug in face first. Siesta was about to close the door again until Brigitte stopped her.
"Sorry!" The brunette said before quickly hopping into the room and pulling her knife out of the back of the thug, eliciting a pained groan from the man.
"Almost forgot this!" She yelled out before cleaning the blade of her knife on the man's shirt before trotting out and helping Siesta close the door. I nodded towards Ruukoto, who replaced the wooden bar to lock the thug inside.
"Alright, now we can deal with those mercenaries in the Alviss Hall." I stated to Ruukoto and my knights before turning back to Siesta.
"Gather all the servants and take them to the library. That's the last place those men will try to look for you. They'll all likely be focused on the hostages and us but don't attract any attention to yourselves anyway." I instructed the maid. She nodded before speaking.
"I understand, Captain. Please be careful, all of you." The maid said before running off to get the other servants.
"Alright, let's get to work." I ordered before the rest of us moved out to rendezvoused with Helgarose and the other knights.
...
...
Mission Log Update...
After rendezvousing with the rest of the Musketeer Squadron, I was instructed to go to the vantage point that was used by two recon specialists who were assigned to monitor any changes at the Alviss Hall. The vantage point Marina Chevalier de Wulfstan and Wendy Chevalier de La Cheslock was not the most optimal one available in the area, but was logically the best one to use by human recon specialists. It was situated at a balcony with an overlooking view of the Alviss hall that provided ample overwatch of most of the forward area. A rooftop vantage point would have been better, however the one provided was more than ample to scan the inside of the hall.
I blinked when my scanners suddenly detected the same presence that I had noted back in the Servants Wing. It was faint and was originating in the direction of the capital city. However, it was approaching at high speeds and seemed to have the same magical energy signature as Lady Eleanore. I tagged it for monitoring in case it gets any closer for a better scan.
I gave my thanks to the two knights after finishing my scan before returning to Captain Milan. She and her second in command were discussing their plan of action in order to rescue the hostages inside the hall. I walked up to them deliberately in order to make my approach known.
"Were you successful?" The captain asked immediately. Her expression of anticipation was mirrored by her second, Dame Falkenmayer.
"Affirmative. All missing mages accounted for inside the Alviss Hall. I count thirty unknown contacts including one with a magic signature. Due to current circumstances, I have opted to tag all unknowns as hostile forces." I provided and saw the captain's expression tighten when I mentioned that there was a mage amongst the hostiles. I dismissed it as a standard reaction to finding out that her enemy has someone who can pose as a threat to her and her units. Dame Falkenmayer then called out to another one of the knights, identified as Freesia Chevalier de York, who gave her a large parchment that had the floor plan of the hall.
"Can you show me where they are located on this?" Captain Milan asked as Dame Falkenmayer spread the floor plan on a nearby table. I nodded and proceeded to point out where all the contacts were located. I had already long since scanned and mapped out the inside of the hall during the times I had accompanied Mistress Louise during mealtime, which was why I was able to pinpoint everyone's locations as quickly as I did.
"Damn..." I heard Captain Milan curse out through gritted teeth after I had finished my report.
"They have all the entrances covered. There's no way for us to be able to get in without it turning into a big fight. At that point, we might as well have killed the hostages ourselves. The fact that all the nobles are bunched together within that fire mage's striking distance..." Dame Falkenmayer commented after looking across the locations that I pointed out.
"A raid will result with a lot of lives lost. That's why they haven't moved despite the fact that they should already know that they're completely surrounded. We can't do anything to them like this." Captain Milan stated with a nod.
"A quandary." Dame Falkenmayer added in a displeased voice.
"Where are Dame Valliere and Mister Yuka? I highly doubt that he would allow the two of them to be captured just like that." Captain Milan suddenly asked me.
"Both Mistress Louise and Yuka Kazami are currently not within the bounds of the academy. I am afraid that I cannot disclose any more information than that under a direct request by Yuka Kazami. Please know that they are both safe but no one has the means to contact or reach them aside from Lady Cattleya and Lady Eleanore, both of whom are counted as hostages." I answered with a shake of my head. Captain Milan sighed before pinching the bridge of her nose and turning back to her second.
"Disseminate this information to the others. At the very least, it will keep everyone up to date with accurate information once we decide what to do." The captain ordered and then it was just the two of us.
"Do you have any experience in a situation like this that could help us without getting everyone killed?" Captain Milan asked me after she was sure that Dame Falkenmayer was no longer within hearing distance.
"I am afraid that my experience with hostage situations is nonexistent. My primary purpose was to combat and destroy non-human entities that cannot be fought effectively by conventional forces without unacceptable casualty rates." I explained to her with a shake of my head.
"Then we're stuck. If we wait too long, we risk agitating them and force them to do something stupid." Captain Milan commented while rubbing her forehead with her left hand.
"Are you unwell Captain?" I asked and simply received a sigh and a shake of her head.
"I don't have time to be unwell." She defiantly responded before turning back in the direction of the Alviss Hall.
"If I may..." I trailed off and waited for confirmation that it was fine for me to continue. The nod that was given by the captain was ample affirmation.
"While I do not have experience in dealing with such situations, I am not uneducated in the doctrines of such engagements. I have since learned that a sudden, unexpected, and often excessive use of force on a door or wall can be used to great effect in order to distract hostile forces long enough to be neutralized before safely securing hostages. It is a tactic known as Breach and Clear." I explained the concept of a certain tactic used by several armed forces that have adopted the widespread use of firearms and explosives in combat.
"And? Can you utilize this concept safely in this situation?" Captain Milan asked me with a raised brow, clearly intrigued with the concept itself.
"No. In this situation, we require at least two points of breaching in order to maximize the effect. A single point of entry has the risk of compromising either the strike team or the hostages. A distraction is required to prevent loss of life among friendlies." I clarified with another shake of my head.
"Then we still have nothing since we didn't exactly pack any explosives for our assignment here aside from our supply of black powder for our weapons. We certainly don't have enough to blow off a door or a wall." Captain Milan mused to herself in frustration.
"That will be unnecessary. I believe that Lady Eleanore is less than pleased with the current situation and has taken measures to deal with it her own way. From what I can tell, it likely involves a great deal of violence. I wish to take advantage of her apparent plan as the distraction we need to breach the hall and secure the hostages." I told the captain while glancing in the direction where my tag indicated that the new contact was moving even faster.
"Explain." She prompted in response.
"There is a fast mover approaching here from the direction of the capital that has Lady Eleanore's magic signature. Moreover, this contact seems to be moving underground with increasing speed. We have plus-minus eight minutes and twenty-three seconds before it arrives at the given rate of movement." I reported while pointing in the direction where Lady Eleanore's contact was coming from.
"I'll gather a strike team." Agnes said simply with a nod.
"Then please meet me on the west side of the hall once you are ready." I stated and she went off to gather who she wanted to use for the operation.
I waited patiently in front of the west wall of the hall that would best serve as the insertion point for any units. This location allowed us to effectively secure the hostages and deal with any hostiles with the least amount of risk to our side. I turned to the side and saw Captain Milan and eight others with her. Her subordinates were all armed with a musket in their hands and two more strapped on their backs. Each of them also had at two flintlock pistols equipped, one in a holster on their right hip and one strapped to a bandolier across their torso. They also had their swords in their scabbards strapped to their left hip. A heavy anti-personnel loadout for conventional forces in this era by my estimates.
In contrast, Captain Milan had a lighter loadout than her subordinates. Her sword was now strapped to her back instead of on her side. Also, instead of wielding a balanced combination of muskets and pistols, she opted to use as many flintlock pistols as she could carry. Two holstered to the back of her hip, two more strapped to each thigh, one strapped on a bandolier across her chest, and two more in each of her hands. It appeared that the captain was sacrificing range for the capability of firing more shots.
Identification protocols tagging strike team...
Agnes Chevalier de Milan
Alicia Chevalier de Melchiott
Nancy Chevalier de La Dufour
Ramona Chevalier de Linton
Brigitte Chevalier de La Stark
Lynn Chevalier de La Vidan
Jane Chevalier de La Turner
Wendy Chevalier de La Cheslock
Jannette Chevalier de La Walker
Logged...
The process itself took less time to do than the blink of an eye and I knew the value of identification friend or foe in an operation that involved several participants on all sides.
"Well? Where is this distraction you told me about?" Captain Milan asked me impatiently.
"T-minus twenty seconds and counting Captain. I would advise you to stay behind me for this initial gambit until we breach the building." I stated before walking up to the wall and feeling it with my left hand. It was not magically reinforced so breaking through should not prove troublesome.
"Gambit? What gambit?" Dame Melchiott asked with a tilt of her head. T-minus ten.
"It was a something taught to me by an infiltration and stealth specialist I used to work with. He coined this breaching method as..." I started to explain before pulling my right fist back in preparation for the breach. T-minus five. Four. Three. Two.
"Sneak Attack." I declared before striking the wall with my fist just as another loud crashing noise could be heard from within the hall.
Blood Dragon Tooth
I walked in and picked off two situated on the balcony near the windows before immediately moving to the hostages.
"Menvil!" I heard the captain roar out before shots erupted from behind me and several more hostiles were neutralized. I then noted that the cause of the other breach and the contact I detected that had Lady Eleanore's magic signature was actually some form of metal plated barbed giant scorpion. It was a scorpion the size of a large wolf which was currently ripping apart a number of hostiles closest to by its barbed metal pincers and tail.
"Miss Ruukoto! Please free me at once! Agnes cannot fight that man on her own!" Further observations on the metallic arachnid were interrupted by an urgent call from Professor Colbert. I moved to the bound professor and obliged in his request to be freed.
"They took my wand, I need to..." I interrupted him by pulling out Lady Eleanore's wand and offering it to him.
"You might need this." I provided with a nod.
"Thank you! Please free the students, I'll handle their leader!" The professor stated before getting up and moving towards the fire mage that was currently engaged by Captain Milan and two other members of her strike team. I was about to try for a kill shot with my Blood Dragon Tooth when I heard sounds of manic cackling. Manic cackling that matched vocal identification with Lady Eleanore. I turned in the direction of the cackling and saw Lady Eleanore on her feet and seemingly laughing at the carnage caused by the giant metal scorpion.
"Hahahahaha! You maggots honestly think that a daughter of the Valliere will allow herself to remain a hostage! Fools! I was simply biding my time!" Lady Eleanore declared with a vicious smile before noticing me in the immediate vicinity.
"Maid! Free me!" She yelled out at me with absolute authority before showing me her hands that were still bound to her back. I moved to her location and confirmed that Lady Cattleya, Sir Guiche, Miss Montmorency, Miss Kirche, and Miss Tabitha were with her. I broke the bonds that were holding Lady Eleanore and moved to offer her the other wand I had but she seemed to have another idea as she turned to Lady Cattleya and...
"Kyaa! Not there, Big Sister~" Several of the male students, and even Headmaster Osmond, raised their voices in awe in response to Lady Cattleya's reaction to Lady Eleanore reaching down the front of her dress. Sir Guiche was staring at the spectacle with great interest until Miss Montmorency elbowed his side.
"Aha!" Lady Eleanore declared triumphantly before pulling out her hand which was now holding a wand.
"Strad!" She then called out to the metal scorpion while pointing her wand in its general direction. The metal arachnid heeded her call and immediately jumped back to disengage itself from five hostiles.
"It's running away! Now's our chance!" One of the men declared as all five of them prepared to strike, only to be mocked by more laughter from Lady Eleanore.
"Fools!" She taunted the men moments before several large boulders fell from the ceiling and crushed the hostiles.
"My tactics are too subtle for you!" Lady Eleanore stated before laughing once more. During that entire time, I had managed to free Lady Cattleya and Mistress' friends. I had given Miss Tabitha Mistress' spare wand, which she took with an appreciative nod.
The other members of the strike team used the opportunity given by the timely distraction to open the main doors to the hall to allow access to the other knights. Dame Dufour and Dame Linton used that time to free the teaching staff for extraction.
"Maybe we should leave before my sister and Stradivarius brings the whole building down." Lady Cattleya advised as both Lady Eleanore and her scorpion continued to lay waste to the hostiles who got too close.
"Too subtle!" Lady Eleanore declared before three more hostiles posted on the upper balcony were launched into the sky by stone pillars that came from the very floor they were standing on. I then blinked when I noticed a spike of magical energy. I turned to the source and saw Professor Colbert and Captain Milan facing the leader of the hostiles. The man was surrounded with magical fire that was quickly growing in intensity.
"Get back, Agnes! You cannot fight him like this!" Professor Colbert warned before countering the flame with his own.
"How dare you try to--aaagh!" The captain's show of disapproval was cut off when the flames coming from the man known as Menvil grew even more. Upon a quick scan, it appeared that the captain had already used up and discarded her pistols and the sword in her hands was melted down to the hilt. Her armor also showed signs of burns and heat damage. The two other strike team members who initially engaged Menvil were being extracted through the hole in the wall I made to treat their wounds, mostly burns as well.
"Die! Everybody!" Menvil declared before his body was surrounded by a rapidly expanding sphere of combustive energy. I moved at the same time as Professor Colbert when he grabbed the captain and bodily threw her in our direction in a feat of strength attributed to a sudden surge of adrenaline.
"Colbert! You son of a--" Captain Milan started after landing past me but was unable to finish when she saw the professor be engulfed in the flames. I had detected that Professor Colbert was able to wrap himself in his own fire before the flames reached him so I had hoped that he could withstand the heat. The issue was that the flames were still spreading at great speed. The rate of expansion would have made it impossible for most of the friendlies still inside the hall to evacuate before the flames reached them. Impossible to get all friendlies out in time. Impossible to counter the expansion with another detonation without causing harm to friendlies. There was only one viable option available but it would render me combat ineffective for a time. Internal logic and probability engines debated the matter a total of fifteen-thousand two-hundred times in the span of one-point-seven-six-two seconds before a choice was made.
Disabling White Noise...
Engaging Overdrive System: NT-D...
The term is actually an acronym which means Negation Territory - Development. It was meant to become a system that combat gynoids such as myself could use in order to negate high-yield energy attacks. It would work by breaking down the unifying factor of the energy that comes into contact with the field and neutralizing it before converting the remaining energy into non-lethal formats such as light. The field does not block the energy directly but instead converts it into something that cannot harm me.
Due to my newly made fourth frame at the time, I was chosen to become the testbed for the technology in combat situations. The system that was installed into my frame was the development version of the Negation Territory System. It was incomplete and unrefined but I was assured by Professor Uzuki that a fully refined production type would be retrofitted into my frame once they have perfected the technology.
However, like the Blood Dragon Tooth, the Negation Territory was never fully completed. The Development version that was currently installed in my frame had complete functionality but was never fine-tuned or adjusted for efficiency. The maximum operation time for NT-D was exactly six-hundred seconds. A kill-switch was installed in order to prevent any and all attempts to exceed that final limit. Exceeding the maximum operation time carries the real risk of permanent damage to the internal components of my frame at best and a complete meltdown and detonation of the Erde Kaiser Sigma Type-Seven Engine at worst. Additionally, any period of use of NT-D requires a cooldown period which was directly proportional to the duration of deployment.
"What in the..." I heard Captain Milan mutter from behind me as the panels lining my frame that were meant for the system deployed. The green particle field of the Negation Territory spread out in order to protect her and the others from the flames. All that remained was to see which one could last longer.
...
...
"What in the..." I muttered in awe as green glowing lines suddenly appeared all over Ruukoto before a literal explosion of green sparkling lights spread out from her body. The wall of fire that was made by that bastard Menvil hit the green sparkling lights before immediately being turned into white motes of light that slowly fell to the ground. It was surreal, like being exposed to a waterfall of lights. I could not even feel the heat of the flames which were less that two feet away from me, and I was one who intimately knew what the heat of open flames felt like.
"Captain!" I blinked with a start at hearing Helgarose's voice. I stood up, ignoring the pain I was feeling as I did so, and turned around to see my second with Ilfriede and Lunateresia at her side. They were looking between me and the spectacle happening behind me with concern and awe while clutching their muskets tightly.
"This building has become too dangerous to stay inside of! Get everyone out of here!" I commanded while pointing to the main doors where the rest of the squadron was already escorting both hostages and prisoners out of the Alviss Hall.
"What about you Captain?" Lunateresia asked with clear concern.
"I will remain here with Ruukoto to make sure Menvil is either rendered unable to do anyone any harm or is turned into a corpse. Preferrably the former so I can take my time with him in the dungeons later." I declared while waving what was left of my sword at them idly.
"It's too dangerous! Please reconsider!" Ilfriede pleaded while her eyes flitted between me and the raging fires behind me.
"This is a direct order! The three of you should know better than any of our sisters why I need to do this." I stepped in to make everything clear to all of them. Aside from Catherine and Michelle, the three knights before me were the only ones in our squadron that knew the truth behind my past and the scars on my body.
"This isn't worth your life Agnes!" Helgarose yelled at me using my name instead of my rank. The only times when she does that is when she believes that I was doing something stupid. She was one of the very few people who could do that without fear of retaliation. I chose her as my second over Michelle or even Catherine for good reason. She was one of the very few people in the squadron who would stand up to me if she had too and also had the capacity to lead the others if needed...to replace me if it had to come down to that.
"This is my life, Helga. I will choose if something is worth risking it or not. Now get out of here before I throw all three of you out myself." I stated with a shake of my head. Normally, I would have heeded her advice and would have just evacuated and let the Steel Goddess take care of the threat. Normally, I wouldn't have been so stubborn to a point where I wouldn't back down even after being reduced to wielding a sword hilt as my main weapon. This was not one of our normal missions. On the other side of that green wall made of light that Ruukoto made were the two men most directly responsible for the purge of my village. I couldn't back down from this even if I had wanted to, not anymore.
"At least take my musket then!" Helgarose said before offering her weapon for my use. I shook my head and pushed the weapon back to her.
"If seven pistol shots at close range can't penetrate his flames, then a single musket ball has little chance." I explained before turning my back to them, indicating that the conversation was over.
It frustrated me to no end how Menvil was able to burn through everything we shot at him, even reducing my sword to a molten puddle on the floor. That took at least a high triangle, borderline square, rank mage to be able to accomplish that kind of feat. It only meant that the madman became stronger that he was before because the report I read in the hidden archives stated that he shouldn't be anywhere near that powerful.
"You better not die on us, Agnes. I am not commanding these girls by myself. I'll drag you back out of this hell if I have to, you hear?" Helgarose stated in voice that held more emotion that what I was used to. I just gave a wave of my left hand to tell them to leave. At the very least, those girls won't be dragged into my personal problems any further.
"Fuga." I turned to Ruukoto when the made suddenly started speaking using that odd word again.
"Fuga." She repeated but this time her voice was echoing. A few seconds later, the firestorm started to weaken before another loud explosion could be heard deeper inside. Then, as suddenly as it started, the blazing fires receded and all but disappeared aside from small embers and small fires scattered everywhere. More importantly, both Colbert and Menvil were gone but there was a very prominent hole in the wall on the far end of the hall. The streams of fire coming from beyond answered the question of where those two men went. The green sparkles coming from Ruukoto's body slowly dissipated before the maid dropped to one knee.
"Are you alright?" I asked in genuine concern. No matter how she did it, she may have just saved everyone's lives just now by using those green sparkles of hers.
"Fuga." She responded with a shake of her head while holding up her right hand to keep me from touching her. Her eyes were closed and she looked tired. Before I could say anything else part of her shoulders suddenly popped open before steam started coming out.
"Will...will you be alright by yourself? If you think that you will, then I have to leave you to take care of Menvil." I said to the maid while tightening my grip on what was left of my sword. Ruukoto opened her eyes and turned to me and I flinched away for but a moment when I saw that she had green eyes. There was no mistake, they were as clear and hard as emerald. I have seen her eyes before in other occasions. The cold ruby orbs that appear whenever she acts like a lifeless doll and just says that Fuga word over and over again when speaking. I have also seen the warm sapphire jewels that show whenever she speaks perfectly fluent Halkeginian and, dare I say, seemed more open and caring. She glanced between me and my sword before shaking her head again.
G-Revolver
A large silver colored pistol appeared in her right hand. It had a strange cylindrical attachment near the pistol grip that had what looked like several chambers in it.
"Fuga." Ruukoto said before holding the weapon by the barrel and pointing the pistol grip at me.
"You want me to use it?" I asked after understanding the implication of the gesture. Ruukoto nodded in response before slightly waving the pistol at me.
"I don't even know how to fire it properly." I immediately pointed out that I had no idea how to effectively wield that weapon of hers. Even if it was vaguely in a similar shape as a matchlock pistol, I was no fool to think that it worked or fired the same way. I knew very well how badly things could go if you don't respect and understand firearms.
"Fuga." Ruukoto then reached out with her other arm and pulled me closer by my right hand. The action made me drop what was left of my sword and the maid quickly replaced it with her pistol. She then took my other hand and moved it to help my right hand hold the weapon.
It was heavy, moreso than the pistols I have used. I could almost feel the power of the weapon be transmitted by the weight I felt in my hands at that moment.
"Fuga." The maid guided my hands to lift up the weapon to eye level so I could sight it. With my hands stretched out to hold the weapon properly, the pistol felt even heavier. I doubted that I could keep it leveled for long, maybe just enough to properly aim and fire but not long enough to track or lead a moving target. There were two protrusions at the back end of the barrel near a strange looking lever at the end. I also noted the presence of a standard sighting marker at the tip of the barrel. When I tried to aim the weapon, I found out what the purpose of the other two protrusions was. The protrusions I saw lined up and aided in aiming the pistol, a much more accurate way than what we had on our own firearms. It was definitely something I wanted to talk about with our gunsmiths later on.
"Fuga." Ruukoto said while holding up her right index finger.
"Fuga." She repeated while emphasizing the finger she was showing me. After a moment, I understood what she was trying to tell me. One shot. I had one chance to be able to use the weapon in my hands.
"I understand. I will make that one chance count." I stated with a nod that Ruukoto returned before moving through the burnt part of the Alviss Hall and to that hole in the wall. Once outside I saw that there were small fires and scorch marks all over the field behind the hall.
"What's wrong Commander? Is your age starting to get to you?" I turned in the direction of the mocking voice and saw a manic looking Menvil standing a few feet away from Colbert, who was on his back and struggling to stand up. Both men showed signs of burns and singes all over their clothes and bodies but Colbert looked more affected by them than the blind madman.
"H-how? That kind...that kind of fire should be impossible to achieve...after only a few years...even with all the training in the world...how did you achieve that flame?" The man once known as the Flame Snake asked the madman in ragged breaths. In response, Menvil started laughing at his face.
"I have been blessed, Commander! The Sacred Lady empowered my flames to heights I could not even imagine back then! It is glorious! To think I was able to lay you low so easily! So very easily! Hahahaha!" Menvil stated grandly while spreading his arms wide to his sides. I had enough of this whole mess. I hefted the pistol in my hands and aimed...before freezing.
Ruukoto said I had one shot. I had two targets. Both men I had sought to kill since even before I became a knight. I had to kill them both. I had to!
They were the ones who took my life away from me!
They took my family away from me!
They took my childhood away from me!
I switched my aim between them over and over again. I only had one shot. I promised Ruukoto I would make this shot count. But...but...
"Now then! In order to thank you for what you did to my face that eventually led me to achieve this new power, let me thoroughly show you the glory of my flames! Enjoy it Commander!" Menvil declared before pointing his wand at Colbert and starting an incantation that wrapped his hand and wand in a strange purple flame.
"Not today!" Colbert countered before raising his own wand and conjuring a stream of blue flame in the shape of a serpent.
"Hahahahaha!" Menvil simply laughed the whole thing off just as the flame snake made contact with his own purple fire.
"Impossible...such a thing should not be possible with our magic..." I heard Colbert say after his flame snake was consumed and converted into the same purple flame as what Menvil was wielding.
"Nothing is impossible for the power given by the Sacred Lady! Now prepare to be consumed by my flames!" Menvil declared before his purple flames gathered around his wand.
"Aaaagh!" I didn't even realize that I had done what I had until I heard the boom. I felt my arms get forcefully swung over my head as my body looked like it was pushed back by an unseen wall of force. I was barely even able to keep my grip on the pistol that felt like it was being wrenched from my hands. Only when I fell on my backside that I had realized what had transpired. I rested the heavy pistol on the grass even as I kept it held fast with both of my hands.
In one loud violent instant, everything that was once Menvil was reduced to two stumps of flesh that were his legs. His body above his thighs was gone.
"Agnes..." I turned to the source of the voice and saw Colbert staring at me with an expression that was a mixture of fear, relief, and concern. I shook my head at that. He wasn't supposed to have that kind of face. Not the man who took everything from me. Not the man who saved only my life.
"No!" I screamed before forcing myself to my feet. My whole body shook despite my efforts to force myself to calm down. My breathing was hard and I could faintly tell that I was shaking my head with each step I took.
"Agnes! What is wrong Agnes?" I grit my teeth and ignored the words of that man and continued forward. Slowly. Step by agonizing step. Just like how I had walked the streets of my former home as it burned all around me. I continued forward until I was in front of that man who still looked too hurt to stand up.
"No." I muttered again before straddling him and pointing the barrel of Ruukoto's pistol right in the middle of his chest.
"Agnes? Why are you..." That man called out my name in a way that twisted my heart and made my breath hitch in my throat.
"...no..." I whispered before I felt something wet on my cheeks.
"Agn--" I did not let that man finish saying my name.
"NO! You're..." I trailed off while pushing the pistol into his chest even more in order to ignore the drops of water that started falling on his face.
"You're not supposed to have that kind of face! You're not supposed to be acting this way! You're supposed to be a monster! You're supposed to be something I have to kill! You're supposed to be something that has to be killed! You...you..." I yelled out at him for not acting the way he was supposed to. All I received in return was a look of genuine concern that made my shake my head over and over again.
"What are you saying Agnes? What is wrong?" The man asked me worriedly even though I was pushing a weapon, one that could reduce him to nothing like Menvil, at his chest.
"Silence! You took my family from me! You took my village and burned it into the ground! Worst of it is that you saved me! Why me?! Why not someone else and let me burn so I didn't have to bear this everyday of my life since then?! I have to kill you! It's the only way for me to be free from this! I have to kill you! I have to! If I don't...I'll..." I screamed at him. I was at the point where I wasn't even certain as to why I was saying all of those things. I could have simply struck him down like any other foe that I needed to kill, like how I ended Menvil's life. The look on that man's face when he started to piece everything together was almost comical if it wasn't so infuriating to see.
"No...it...it can't be...you are..." That man stuttered out in his own growing horror.
"That's right...I'm the girl you brought out of the flames, the only person who survived the slaughter of D'Angleterre." I said with a twisted sense of glee after seeing his eyes widen at my admission. I wasn't sure if I was smiling or not at that point...if I was, I didn't want to know what kind of smile I was showing to that man.
"I...I see...so you know..." He said with a pained wince. He then looked right into my eyes and I saw something in them I wasn't sure that I had wanted to see. Resignation.
"Then so be it..." He then stated with a solemn nod.
"Wh-what?" I asked him in obvious surprise. After his career as a knight and survived. After refusing to surrender to Menvil even after being struck down. Jean Colbert, I have learned, was not a man who would let himself die easily.
"I tried to dissuade you from trying to take revenge for whatever vendetta you had because I knew that it would just destroy you someday. However, I did not know the nature of your desire for vengeance." He continued with a helpless sigh.
"If...if what happened has been breaking you this much...if what happened is the cause for the pain you are showing right now then..." He trailed off before taking a deep breath.
"If it will finally give you peace, then I would gladly give my life for you." That man said without the fear and hesitation I saw in his face earlier.
"Why? You're supposed to fight. You should be struggling to kill me to save your own hide. You're..." I started as more drops of water started appearing on his face. No. No. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It was--
"I'm glad..." He then said with the same warm smile that I've seen him give the students he has taught.
"Wha--" The question died in my throat even before I could finish it.
"I had tried to look for that girl I brought to the church to be healed in order to help her look for a new family. When I was told that she was gone, I had thought the worst...just another life I was not able to save because of my mistakes. But now that I know who you are..." He started to say things that I did not want to hear, things that I did not need to hear. This kind of thing...
"I am happy that the girl I was able to pull out of that hell was able to grow up and live her own life..." He can't be saying all that with that smile...he can't...
"If this is what it will take to pay back the debt to you that I will never be able to repay then go ahead. My life is yours to take." He finally said before closing his eyes and showing me a contented smile. He can't...He can't do this to me!
"Raaaaaaaagh!" I screamed at him before forcing my eyes shut and squeezing the trigger. I grit my teeth when nothing happened so I squeezed it again. The trigger was wouldn't move. Nothing was happening but I kept squeezing the trigger over and over again. I kept screaming and trying to fire the shot that would finally end my suffering even if it meant that it would destroy my own body as well. That was when I felt a firm hand grip my left shoulder.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that Dave." A completely cold and slightly distorted feminine voice whispered from behind me. I turned around and saw Ruukoto standing there, once again having blue eyes instead of red or green. I did not know who this 'Dave' she was referring to was but her intent was obvious enough to warrant a direct response.
"Don't stop me! I have to do this!" I half-yelled-half-pleaded to the maid. Ruukoto simply tilted her head at me and blinked, her eyes rapidly shifting between blue-to-red-to-green even as streams of light passed across them.
"Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?" She responded in the same voice that sounded like she was trying to talk in the middle of a storm.
"What?" I asked after being caught off guard by her odd question. Ruukoto then closed her eyes for a few more seconds before part of her shoulders popped open again and cool wisps of air blew out from within whatever odd mechanism was inside.
"I apologize..." She then said in a much more normal version of her voice before opening her eyes to once again show her warm blue orbs.
"...forced cooling after using system NT-D has been known to temporarily leave me with...side-effects. Allow me to clarify my previous statements. I am afraid that I will have to intervene in your current course of action Captain." She explained before saying that she wasn't going to let me kill that man.
"You can't do this to me..." I growled at her dangerously.
"I had thought that you understood that you only had one shot allowed. A shot that was clearly intended for Menvil, which you were able to accomplish. Was I mistaken in my assumption?" Ruukoto reminded me of the gestures she made at me after she gave me hear weapon.
"That's..." I trailed off as my mind started to clear again and I started to understand what she meant.
"Additionally, I was ordered to protect the lives of everyone who resides in the Tristain Magic Academy to the best of my ability. This includes you and your fellow knights. Naturally, this also includes Professor Jean Colbert. The weapon in your hands will not fire unless I authorize it to be able to. I am afraid that I cannot allow you to kill this man." She then stated with perfect clarity and without hesitation but still somehow held the sentiment of seeming apologetic. A moment later, I felt the pistol in my hands slowly lose its shape before it was completely gone in a small flash of golden light.
"Then what am I supposed to do?!" I yelled at her in both anger and desperation as I started to feel my head throb painfully once more.
"Is it not the usual course of action for this kind of situation simple? To apologize and forgive? Depending on the severity of Professor Colbert's transgression to you, it may be more suitable for him to earn your forgiveness through great personal effort." Ruukoto asked me with a blink and a tilted of her head before providing me what I thought was an absurd suggestion.
"Do you honestly think that it would be that easy?" I asked her in a mocking tone of voice. The maid merely shook her head in response before speaking.
"Allow me to clarify. I stated that the solution it simple. I never implied that it would be easy." She said as if it was just some common fact of life.
"I..." I tried to come up with something more to say but I found myself unable to gather my thoughts. It was like my mind was wading through a quagmire.
"Please do not force me to have to kill you in order to protect Professor Colbert. Several individuals would not approve of such an action, but I will do so if I must in spite of that in order to fulfill my Mistress' direct order." Ruukoto then said something that cleared my mind in that very moment. The hand on my shoulder felt heavier by the time she finished her statement, showing that she was very serious about what she had said.
"No! I will not allow you to harm Agnes! Please, there has to be some other way!" Colbert suddenly yelled out and I felt him try to shift his weight under me. I pushed him down to stop him from moving around while Ruukoto looked between the two of us.
"A compromise. Take his life, make it your own, and use it to make the world a better place. That was the term used by another who was in a comparable situation." The maid then decided to pose the most absurd suggestion I have ever heard. I had thought that she had lost her mind.
"Agnes, you don't have to force yourself to--" I heard Colbert say in a worried voice before I felt his right hand touch my left arm.
"Quiet! You don't get a say in this!" That set me off and I yelled at him while swatting away his hand. I didn't need this right now. I couldn't think straight and anything I say or do here would probably be something I'd regret. With that in mind, I slowly stood up and started to walk back to the hall.
"Do you forgive him now?" I heard Ruukoto ask from behind me. It was a very unfair question to ask me at the time and I wasn't sure if the maid knew that or not.
There was a part of me that wanted to forgive him. There was another part of me that still wanted him dead. Then there was the part of me that just wanted to give up and collapse.
"Agnes!" I barely heard Colbert's fading voice before the darkness took me.
That last one was the part that won.
...
Mission Log Update...
"One night! I don't sleep in my room for one night and the whole academy gets taken hostage!" Mistress yelled as she struggled to pull out what was left of the shredded bed sheet that was still clinging onto her mattress.
"Fuga." I stated as I reorganized Mistress' clothing, pointing out the probability of such a thing happening again was almost nonexistent. Almost. The wardrobe was still missing one of the doors but it was still more or less intact. I turned to Mistress Louise after hearing her scream out in frustration and falling on her rear when the cloth she was holding onto abruptly ripped away from the rest of the bed sheet.
"Argh! Yuka! Stop moping there and help us clean up!" Mistress called out to Yuka Kazami. The flower youkai was sitting on a chair near Mistress' desk and was sighing every six-point-seven-two seconds while sadly looking at what was left of his shredded straw hat.
"Such a waste. I barely knew thee, my friend. Goodnight, sweet prince." Yuka Kazami openly lamented with a dejected sigh afterward. Mistress responded with a groan before getting back to her feet. I continued to fold Mistress' clothes and mostly ignored the usual byplay between the two of them but made sure to keep track of the conversation just in case.
"It's just a hat!" Mistress yelled at the flower youkai.
"It was my hat." He responded pointedly.
"It's just a stupid straw hat! Get over it!" Mistress dismissed Yuka Kazami's distress in the matter of his unwearable hat.
"You're just saying that because your hat is fine." Yuka Kazami pointed out accusingly while pointing at Mistress' own hat, which now once again had the Founder's Prayer Book hidden underneath.
"Oh for the love of...we'll just buy you a new damn hat on the next Day of the Void then!" Mistress Louise offered in exasperation simply in order to put the whole thing to rest. Yuka Kazami gave out a thoughtful him while staring intently at the remains if his straw hat before sighing and giving Mistress a nod.
"Very well. I will provide this one a proper burial in the garden later. It would only be proper to give that much respect for an old partner." Yuka Kazami stated solemnly while softly caressing his hat. Mistress simply rolled her eyes and gave a dismissive wave in his direction before turning back to the task of attempting to get her room back in order. The other students were also doing the same in their own rooms as well.
Due to the overall property damage all over the academy directly attributed of the incident last night, the cleaning staff as well as other workers and soldiers called in from the Tristain capital were tasked to repair the more damaged areas first as well as taking care of the dead bodies. Of course, I had made sure to add my stealth kills to the pile when they started gathering up the dead for burial.
That left the students to mostly try to reorganize their own rooms and belongings on their own. The scene inside Mistress' room was mirrored all throughout the dormitory tower which was why there was a significant increase in overall activity and noise levels in the immediate vicinity. Although, Headmaster Osmond stated that it was a unique opportunity for the students to be able to help one another in a time of great need for everyone. And indeed, several students were helping each other get their rooms back in order through deed and magic.
"Excuse me, Dame Valliere?" We all turned and saw Ilfriede Chevalier de La Feulner by the open doorframe.
"Yes, can we help you Dame Feulner?" Mistress immediately asked with a welcome, if slightly tired, smile.
"Actually, I was wondering if there was anything you needed...aside from a new door of course. Ahaha~" The knight stated before giving out a laugh at the current lack of a door to Mistress' room. The door that the room did have was far too damaged to be used or repaired, like several other rooms in the academy, so it was simply decided that it would be easier to dispose of them and have them replaced as soon as possible.
"Aside from the obvious, we're fine here." Mistress responded while gesturing at the current state of her room. Dame Feulner gave out an embarrassed laugh at that before rubbing the back of her head.
"I suppose. Well then..." Dame Feulner was about to leave but Mistress stepped forward before speaking.
"Wait! There is something...ummm...well...about Dame Milan. I had heard from Ruukoto that she had collapsed after the fighting ended and..." Mistress stated hesitantly and I noticed that Yuka Kazami had also turned to pay attention to the conversation.
I had carried both Captain Milan and Professor Colbert to where the members of the Musketeer Squardron were waiting after Captain Milan collapsed. I then assisted in bringing the wounded who needed further treatment, after being given first aid by the knights and available Water Mages, to the infirmary. Afterwhich, I was tasked by Dame Falkenmayer to maintain surveillance on the entirety of the academy until morning when Mistress and Yuka Kazami returned from Mugenkan.
"The Captain hasn't woken up yet but the healers said that it was just severe exhaustion that agitated her old scars. In fact, Professor Colbert has been by her side ever since once he was able to recover from his own willpower fatigue." Dame Feulner explained with an odd smile on her face when she reached the last part of her statement.
"Professor Colbert? Why would he be watching over her instead of one of the other knights?" Mistress asked with a blink. In response, Dame Feulner simply covered her mouth with her right hand and started trembling in an attempt to suppress what I assumed was amusement.
"I see...so that was the kind of resolution that happened. An unexpected but amusingly acceptable one I suppose." Yuka Kazami stated with his own very amused expression.
"What are you talking about?" Mistress Louise asked him with an even more confused expression.
"Don't think about it too hard, you'll just get a headache." And Yuka Kazami simply dismissed her concerns with a wave.
"Just start helping us clean up! I want some of this done by lunch! Thank you for telling us about that, Dame Feulner." And with Mistress' statement and thanks to the knight, we proceeded to try to get her room back to some semblance of order once again.
...