Digital Flame Salamander
by Lunar Wave
Summary of this story's status: Has now been updated.
Summoning
I'll tell the tale of an interesting new world. This world is so much alike Earth, with life bustling and dancing, green plants, wild animals, and all miscellaneous creatures in between. However, there are also creatures you'll only expect to come out of Comic Books and Fairy Tales. Elves, Dragons, Griffins, Manticores: all these creatures exist and are in relative balance and harmony. And of course, in this world, there are humans. Humans of this world are interesting as some are special, some aren't. Those of special can manipulate elements of the earth and draw them together, forming what people call magic. Those of special bloodlines are proclaimed as nobles of this era, and they are certainly proud of this. This is the world of Halkeginia.
This tale begins on a forest clearing, near a school called the Tristain Academy of Magic. This forest clearing was normally bare, with no one daring to go and enter the area. But today was special. Today was when the young nobility trained in the school would summon a familiar. Surely, you've heard of a familiar, correct? A familiar is a being that exists to protect its master. They will also do their best to serve their master, especially.
There are three unspoken rules regarding being a familiar.
1. A familiar may not allow harm to come upon his master.
2. A familiar must obey the orders given to it by its master, except if it will conflict with the first rule.
3. A familiar must protect its own existence, as long as it will not conflict with the first two rules.
To ensure that these rules will be kept, a familiar rune is engraved onto the familiar and these rules will be subconsciously programmed into them, much like how a robot would have the Three Laws of Robotics.
Now, returning to the familiar summoning on the clearing. It had already been a while since the beginning of the summoning, and many have already succeeded in their summoning. A balding man inspected the area, checking if all the students have already called their familiar, "Has everyone summoned their respective familiars, yet?" This man was Professor Colbert, the Flame Snake, a man of high intellect and a rumored Square Class Mage. He was in charge of overseeing this year's familiar summoning. Colbert looked around, seeing if anyone was raising their hands. There were exactly two. Two girls, one a tall, busty, tanned redhead, and the other a short, pinkhead pettanko, who held an air of authority.
"Oh ho ho ho." This was the red-head. "Go on right ahead, Vallière. Why don't you show us how good you are, and summon your familiar~"
"Shut up, Zerbst." This was the reply of the girl known as Vallière. "Why don't you go first, to prove that bust of yours isn't just for show."
"Oh, are you scared, Vallière?"
"Of course not, you idiot. Maybe, you're scared instead."
Professor Colbert sighed and immediately got in between the two, "Girls, there's no reason to fight over this. Miss Vallière, please go first." The girl grudgingly nodded and chanted, "I, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, in the name of the great Five Pentagon Powers, following my fate, summon a familiar." Smoke rose from the ground where the girl, Louise, pointed her wand on, and what showed up was a boy in blue. This was truly an uncommon sight for the mages of Halkeginia, and it was simply amusing to them to see a boy, a non-magical person, to be summoned by the spell.
"What a fail!" "HAHAHAHAHAAA" "Nice job, Zero~" "She summoned a commoner! This is so funny!" Louise was up to her ears with shame, as she looked disdainfully at the confused boy. Louise immediately walked up to the professor.
"There must be a mistake! Allow me to summon again!" Of course, as a sacred ritual, the professor refused and told Louise to finish the ritual.
"My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the five elemental powers; bless this humble being, and make him my familiar." She chanted this as she pointed her wand on the boy. Finally, she leaned over to the boy and kissed him. And with this, Zerbst was satisfied, even as the boy fainted from the pain of the engraving.
"So much for your pride, Vallière." Zerbst laughed. "I thought you were going to surprise us with the best familiar ever, and yet you summoned a commoner! Now it's my turn." Zerbst laughed and told Vallière to stand away. Vallière grudgingly pulled the still confused boy away from the field. "I, Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst, in the name of the great Five Pentagon Powers, following my fate, summon a familiar." Smoke once more rose through the ground as a magic circle envelops the land. However, what she didn't expect to see was…
Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière was laughing up a storm, apparently forgetting the fact that she had just suffered a huge humiliation.
"No one likes a hypocrite, Vallière." Kirche scowled towards the Zero's direction. But Louise can't stop laughing at all.
"Look who was so high and mighty!"
"I don't want to hear that from someone who summoned a commoner."
"But didn't you summon a commoner as well?" And indeed, Kirche did. A boy, even younger than the boy Louise summoned, was scratching his head. His clothes were weird. He was wearing orange and red shoes, grey trousers, and a yellow shirt with a red polo on top. He also wore gloves, a strange hat and finally, a strange form of glasses over the hat. No matter how they looked at it, it was certainly a commoner. Kirche just stared at him. After she was through, she grinned, pointing her wand at the boy, "My name is Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst. Pentagon of the five elemental powers; bless this humble being, and make him my familiar." And then, nonchalantly kissed the boy on the forehead. In an instant, the boy was in immediate excruciating pain, as marks were suddenly written on the back of his neck. The boy was soon panting on the ground, as the pain subsided.
This boy's tough. Kirche grinned, seeing the boy moan in frustration. He didn't faint like Valliere's at any rate.
"… Fire." Colbert announced after reading the inscription. "Your runic name shall be based on fire, Miss Zerbst."
"But why was he summoned?" Kirche asked. "Isn't he just a mere commoner?"
"I don't know why, but he truly is your familiar Kirche. And he's a familiar for a Fire Mage." Colbert nodded and sighed.
"What about me, Professor Colbert?" Louise asked the man. "What is my element?"
"… I'm afraid that I'll have to research that. The runes are rather obscure." Louise sighed.
"Okay. Where in the Digital World am I?" the boy groaned as he stood up. "And what the hell are you guys supposed to be? The Caped Crusader's Apprentices?" The boy added sarcastically.
"I am Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst. You can call me Kirche like everyone else. And you are, boy?"
"I'm Kanbara Takuya. 14 years old. Friends call me Takuya."
"Takuya." Kirche smiled, "You will be my familiar. Hope we can get along well."
Takuya blinked thrice, and opened his mouth only to say "Huh?"
Chapter End
Just something random that came into mind. I don't own Digimon Frontier and Zero no Tsukaima.
