"Uhng… Who ran my ass over with the battle-bus…" The gruff groan cutting through the quiet morning air, as Cole MacGrath woke to find himself on a cot instead of the couch in his rooftop hideout. Lowering the hand from his face, he finally took of where he was, the brown haired man found himself in a furnished bedroom. It was a vast step up from the imagined cell his thoughts first snapped to.
Still, he felt like shit, joints aching even as he threw his legs over the side of the cot, the bottom of his sneakers sinking into the plush carpet.
Looking around in the early morning gloom coming in from the window, Cole saw what you'd expect from a bedroom; a table with two chairs; one with his stuff on it, a storage trunk, clothes wardrobe and a double bed. He let out a breath, as he reached over to grab his jacket and courier backpack.
Looking his yellow and white leather jacket, Cole let out another annoyed breath, noting that all the holes and worn spots that had been inflicted to it over the past few weeks. Bullet holes, stabs and cuts, along with scrapes and tears covered his jacket, along with the patches and stitches he'd done to hold it all together.
A soft moan broke the silence, causing Cole to freeze. A quick pulse of electro-sense flashed through the room, showing that he definitely wasn't alone, a person asleep in the double bed.
Oddly, his senses were saying this person, a child, was an 'ally'.
It also showed that there was no electricity within range. It wasn't completely surprising, as parts of Empire City still suffered blackouts, even with him restarting the power stations.
Pushing himself up to standing, Cole shrugged on the jacket and backpack before moving over towards the bed. "Let's see just who you are…" He muttered to himself, seeing more color in the room as the sun's morning light grew stronger.
It was a girl, hair glowing pink in the morning light splayed around her head as she slept peacefully under the covers.
'Okay, so I'm not a prisoner to the First Sons and the girl's friendly.' He thought to himself, rubbing his crew cut before turning to look out the window. 'I've got all my stuff and…' He froze for the second time. "...and I'm not in Empire City."
Out the window, he could see a large courtyard with a stone perimeter wall in the distance, with an actual medieval tower built in. Outside of the wall, he could see trees and hints of a small city off near the horizon.
Cole finally shook out of his shock when he heard a yawn and sheets moving behind him. Turning around, he noted how small the girl was, as she sat up in the bed to rub her eyes but was still relatively tiny.
As she finished rubbing her eyes and yawning a second time, she looked around and noticed she wasn't alone.
Cole expected her to scream in fear after seeing her eyes widening to a comical level. He prepared himself as she inhaled, getting ready to bust out the window to escape. Then, she started squealing like a kid at Christmas…
...in French.
It took a few seconds for Cole's brain to dredge up his old unused language skills, not really having used the language since college. It also didn't help that she was babbling at a mile a minute, though thankfully, she seemed to be repeating herself.
"...did it! Thank you, Brimir! Familiar! I've got a familiar!" She squealed again in joy, freezing immediately when she heard Cole chuckle. Almost like a kid caught in a lie, her smile snapped to a scowl and she glared at him. "What are you laughing at, familiar?!"
The emotional about-face caused Cole to quirk an eyebrow at the girl still in the bed. "You but now I want to know what 'familiar' is."
The girl huffed, crossing her arms over her flat chest. It made it really hard for Cole to peg down how old she was. "You are my familiar and I am your faster. That's all you need to know!"
That set Cole scowling, crossing his own arms. "Yeah? Well, I'm no one's slave, so you better clear this up and fast."
The girl huffed before pointing towards the man standing in her room. "I completed the summoning and you were summoned. I even completed the ritual and that means you're my familiar!"
"Still not making any sense there, girly." Cole replied with a shake of his head.
"Do not call me 'girly'!" The girl snipped imperiously. "I am Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière and you will not speak to me like that, familiar."
"Yeah? Well, my name's Cole MacGrath, girl, and you've got one last chance to speak clearly or else I'm out of here. Why was I brought here and where am I?"
"I just said, I summoned you as my familiar!" The girl, Louise, growled out before waving her arm to the room around her. "And, like every other familiar, you're in your master's room!"
"Yeah, I'm out of here." Cole dismissed the girl's rambling, turning to unlatch the window and swing it open.
"Where do you think you're going, familiar?!" The girl demanded, as Cole already had one leg through.
"To figure out where I am and how to get back." The man replied, fully climbing out and flashing a smirk at the girl just now scrambling out of the bed. "See ya, 'Master'."
He heard the shocked shriek from the girl just as gravity took hold, a quick drop slamming him to the ground below. A few weeks ago, the three story drop would have broke both his legs, but now he just had to stand straight and walk away.
Glancing up, Cole saw the shocked face of the girl poking out the window. Flashing another grin, he waved over his shoulder and walked towards the tower in the distance. Maybe the extra height could give him an idea where he was.
oO0Oo
Not really in a hurry, it was a couple minutes before Cole reached the tower, just in time for someone to exit it and notice him.
"Good morning!" The balding man greeted before blinking in surprise. Cole looked the man over curiously too, considering he was wearing actual robes and carrying a stave… like a younger bald Gandalf.
"Morning." Cole replied with a nod, noticing the man wasn't 'hostile', at least yet. "Name's Cole. You know what's going on here?"
"Oh!" The man had a flash of recognition. "My apologies! I'm Professor Jean Colbert. It's a pleasure to meet you and I'm glad to see you're looking much better than yesterday!"
That nugget of information got Cole's blue eyes to widen. "So, you know what's going on, then." It was less of a question and more a statement.
"Of course." The professor replied with a nod, adjusting his spectacles. "I was there when Miss Vallière summoned you, thought you were looking more… worse for wear than today."
"See, that girl said something about that but what do you mean 'summoned'? Like magic?" Cole asked, quirking his brow in scepticism.
"Of course." Jean confirmed with a nod, though his face gained a focused look as he studied the younger man before him. "Miss Vallière used a magical ritual yesterday to summon a familiar, just like the rest of the students in her year. It's said that the being summoned reflects on the mage that summons it, though… I've never heard of a human being summoned." He ended with another adjustment of his glasses.
"Look, I'm not trying to be rude, but magic doesn't exist. Yeah, I know some crazy stuff's happened in the past few weeks but nothing magical about it." Cole responded, thinking back to everything that happened to Empire City after the Ray Sphere went off and all the Conduits started popping up. Still nothing magical about what happened, though it was more science fiction than real science, if he had to say.
The professor frowned before pointing his staff to the side and shooting a small gout of flame into the air. "Magic exists, thanks to the Founder Brimir. I'm wondering where you came from if you don't believe it exists."
Cole frowned in return but decided against showing his powers. "Fine. Let's say it exists. How about you tell me where I am and how I can get back to Empire City. I've got things that I need to fix there."
Jean's eyebrows rose at that. "I've not heard of an… Empire City, but you find yourself at the Tristain Academy of Magic in the Kingdom of Tristain."
"Tristain? Never heard of it…" Cole muttered, rubbing at a temple. "So, we're not in France?"
"France?"
"Guess not…" Cole confirmed off the professor's confusion. "Whatever. How do I get back to America."
"I've not heard of that place either…" Jean heasistantly replied, though starting to get curious as to where the man before him came from. "Could you point it out on a map if I showed you one?"
"Point it out on a map?" Cole repeated incredulously. "The States is a world superpower, how do you not know about it?"
"I…" The professor started before coughing into a fist. "It is not known exactly where some familiars are summoned from, as some are more banal than others and beneath investigation. Some, though are more… mystical in nature and there are theories that these come from… well, other worlds."
"Another world…" Cole repeated, starting to feel a chill up his spine. "You're telling me this isn't Earth?"
"Well, yes, it is." Jean slowly answered, much to Cole's visible confusion. "Just… maybe not 'your' Earth?"
"Wait. You're telling me that whole 'multiple worlds' bullshit Zeke talked about is real?" Cole responded with a sour look on his face, for multiple reasons.
"It hasn't been proven but it would explain some questions as to where the beings summoned come from." Jean reasoned with a nod.
"So, how do I get back?"
Jean blinked at that. "What?"
"How do I get back? You guys can send me back, right?" Cole asked, just shy of demanding.
Cole's hopes died as the professor just sighed and shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately, I know of no way to… reverse the summoning, and it could be considered heretical if certain parties even heard the suggestion."
"Wait… heretical?"
"Yes." Jean affirmed with a nod, adopting a lecturing pose. "I understand how you might not know yet, but the Church of Brimir holds a vast amount of power, sometimes even greater than the Kingdoms. It wields that power in things involving the Founder Brimir's teachings and, considering he's heralded as the one to spread magic to the human race, the summoning ritual falls under that perview."
"Great… so, on top of figuring out a way home, I've got to worry about the fantasy Inquisition, too." Cole groused under his breath, though loud enough for the professor to hear.
"Not… quite, though not completely wrong either." Jean said, gesturing towards Cole's hand. "If you show me your hand, sans glove, I'll explain what I can."
Cole quirked an eyebrow but did as requested, eyes widening as he spotted the weird tattoo on the back of it. "The hell?"
"Those are Familiar Runes, that both mark the… creature baring them as a familiar, as well as linking them to the summoning mage magically." The professor explained, though understanding the undercurrent of the topic at hand. "Unfortunately, the laws in place consider familiars more as a… companion animal, than a separate entity."
"You're saying I'm just that girl's dog to the law." Cole said with growing disdain.
"Essentially, though… Well, yours is an odd instance, what with you being human instead of an animal, like all other known familiars." Jean replied with another adjustment to his glasses to peer at the runes more closely. "Though… these runes aren't the standard runes."
"So, what does that mean? I'm not bound to that girl?"
"Well… no. You would still be seen as Miss Vallière's familiar by the government and church, but…" Jean paused and hummed, eyes narrowing. "I'm sure I've seen these runes somewhere before and it might change things… though I'm not sure."
"So, what am I supposed to do now?" Cole asked, feeling this guy might be able to help him out somehow.
"As Miss Vallière's familiar, you have permissions to explore the Academy, within reason. If you haven't had breakfast yet, if you head that way to the kitchens and speak with those within, they should provide for you. After that… well, it will take some time to research these runes, so I'd suggest getting to know Miss Vallière and maybe explaining the situation."
"Yeah, already tried that and it didn't go over to well." Cole replied, thinking back on the girl's reaction.
"Hmm… She tries her best but she comes from a proud family." Colbert diplomatically said, trying to ease the easily seen tension. "I can empathise with how troubling this might be for you but successfully completing the summoning ritual could be considered a monumental occasion for her, more so than any other student."
That got Cole to quirk an eyebrow. "Yeah? How?"
"That… well, I can't divulge the full story, I have neither the time nor all the information, but while she excels with the academic side of the coursework, she has… trouble with the practical side."
"You're saying she sucks at magic." Cole summarised.
"Unfortunately correct." Jean agreed with a nod. "The fact that it took her four tries to summon you… And considering all the students from noble families, both great and small, are here specifically how to be mages…"
"She's being treated like the runt by everyone else." Cole finished, when Jean trailed off.
"Indeed." Jean answered with a nod before looking towards the sky. "Unfortunately, I'm needed for a meeting with the Headmaster soon. As I've said, I'll work on researching these runes and try to get back to you. It's an interesting mystery."
"Yeah, I got you, Prof." Looking towards where the kitchens were, Cole nodded. "Food sounds good right about now, anyways."
"Well, then. I will see you around then, Mr Cole." Jean said with a smile, holding a hand out which Cole shook.
"Yeah, you too."
oO0Oo
The late morning soon found Cole reclining under a tree idly peeling a savory orange, still within the Academy walls but far from the main building. Breakfast of oatmeal and warm cider had filled the stomach but he'd snagged a few fruits on his way out.
A short trek through the halls filled with students and feeling like a sideshow reject with all the pointing and whispers had led to Cole's current situation. Actually, everything that'd occured this morning, the solitude was pleasant.
"There you are, Familiar!"
Well, it 'was' pleasant before being shattered by the girl's voice as she stomped towards him. Pulling free another wedge of the fruit, Cole ignored her as she closed the distance.
"Familiar! Where have you been?" The girl demanded imperiously as she got close enough to not be shouting.
Seconds passed as Cole reflected on how long it's been since he'd had fresh fruit. Since that first airdrop, he guessed, where he and Zeke were able to take a few apples before the crowd got too frenzied.
"Do not ignore me while I'm speaking to you, Familiar." The girl's tone changed to a more warning growl. She flinched as Cole jerked his head to spear her with a glare, his blue eyes glowing in the morning light.
"Stop." He ordered the pink haired girl, not raising his voice but still demanding compliance. "My name is Cole and the next time you try to treat me like a slave or a dog, I'll pull you over my knee and tan your ass."
The girl just gapped at the still reclining man, as he popped another orange wedge into his mouth. Then her face grew with indignant anger. "Know your place! I am Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière of the noble House Vallièr!"
"And I don't give two shits about your 'noble family'." Cole shot back, making Louise gape in shock as he spit out a seed. "I'm dealing with you, girl, a child who's yet to reach puberty, not your parents."
"How dare you!?" Louise cried in indignation, rearing back as if slapped. "I'm sixteen years of age, not a child for you to insult!"
"And I'm a human being, not some animal you can control." Cole stated calmly but forcefully. "So long as you remember that, we can talk. Got it?"
"Now listen here! I completed the ritual! I felt the magic working!" Louise declared, placing her hands on her hips with a victorious pose. "You are my familiar!"
"So?"
That brought her aback. "What do you mean 'so'?! You are my familiar!"
Cole stared at the girl for a moment. "So, you ripped me away from my home, to some crazy fantasy land, and just expect me to follow you blindly because… what? Because 'magic' says so?"
"Well… Yes!" Louise answered back, though Cole could see the unsure look in her eyes. Maybe it's because she was thinking of the human slavery part or maybe just wondering if she did something wrong and he 'should' be a mindless slave. He didn't know for sure, but he did know one thing.
"That's retarded."
"I… what?!"
"I said that's retarded." Cole repeated, before standing up and brushing himself off. "And if that's how it's supposed to work, I'm glad you screwed up."
Cole was kind of surprised at how incensed Louise reacted to his last comment.
"I did not 'screw up'!" She yelled him, stomping a foot into the grass. "I studied and memorized the Springtime Familiar Summoning ritual for weeks and practiced reciting the chants to perfection! I did not 'screw up'!"
"And it still took you four tries." Cole added with a chuckle.
"Ragh! You dog!" Louise screamed in rage, flashing a hand forward.
An explosion filled the air, smoke slowly blowing away with the morning breeze to reveal Cole standing defensively, his left hand before him. Louise's eyes widened as she saw the shimmering wall between herself and her familiar.
Her very pissed familiar.
She barely had time to register this fact before the wall dissipated and her wand was smacked from her hand. A moment later, the world blurred till she found herself bent in half, looking towards the grass. Then the hand landed against her rear.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Stop!" She squealed as the man actually spanked her, trying to squirm away but couldn't. It was over almost as soon as it started though, as he released her and she jumped away, face burning red. "How dare you?!"
"No! How dare 'you'!?" Cole towered over the short girl, looking down at her with disdain. "You're lucky that's all I did! If you're going to act like a child, I'll treat you like one! Especially if you start trying to blow me up!"
Louise just scowled at the man before her, eyes tearing as she rubbed her stinging rear. "For that, no food for two days and you can sleep on the floor!"
Cole just rolled his eyes, leaning over to pick the thin stick of wood off the ground. "Yeah, been there done that." He waved the wand before him, noticing the girl's wide eyes follow it.
"Give that here!"
"No." Cole rejected her order, sliding it into his jacket. "I'll be seeing you around, 'Master'." With that, he turned away towards the nearby perimeter stone wall.
"Hey! Give me back my wand! Familiar, don't you dare walk away from me!" Louise yelled at the retreating man before he reached the wall and started climbing. "Where do you think you're going?! Get back here! Familiar! Give me my wand!"
Cole reached the top of the wall quickly, finding so many handholds it was almost childsplay. Looking over, he waved towards the girl, showing her one last look of her fancy stick before he jumped down the other side.
The last thing he heard was the girl still screaming her head off in impotent rage.
o0O0o
As the minutes passed, Louise slowed down and finally stopped yelling for her errant familiar. It wasn't until the bells started tolling for the start of instruction that the fear really hit her.
"He's not coming back…" She whispered, glancing around her. She let out a breath as she realised that even with her yelling, they were still too far out to gain any attention, any other student in sight worried more about getting towards whatever tower their class was being held in.
A new spike of fear shot through her as the next realisation hit her; she was going to have to complete her classes without her wand...
And a mage without her wand wasn't a mage.
Worrying her lip, Louise glanced towards the Tower of Earth, the location of her first class of the day.
Taking a deep breath, she shook herself. "Okay, I can do this. This is the only class today anyways. Just make it through it and then get the wand back. I can do this!"
It took another deep breath before she trusted her legs not to fold, as she turned and veritably marched towards what felt like her doom.
A few minutes later, she found herself mixed in with the other students, thankful that familiars weren't allowed in this class. It meant fewer questions asked, with answers she didn't want to share.
Slipping into her chair, she folded her hands in her lap as she waited for the woman on the lower dias to start the instruction. Soon enough, the older woman in the purple cloak coughed into her hand, bringing the scattered conversations to a close.
"Welcome back, students. I am Professor Chevreuse and I hope the Springtime Familiar Summoning ritual was everything you hoped for and that you're bonding well with your new familiars." She intoned with a smile, looking at the mixed reactions around the room.
Louise just held what she hoped to be a neutral look, though she felt her stomach twist slightly.
"Now today, we will be covering, what I consider to be, the most important element of magic: Earth." She declared, picking up her wand and saying some words before pointing towards a slab of stone placed on a table beside her. Out of the slab formed multiple spheres of granite, which settled into the forming divot. "The element of Earth is important due to how it governs the creation and manipulation of all matter."
Stepping over towards the table, she picked up the largest sphere, at least three times the size as any other, and placed it on a separate pedestal. "If it wasn't for the Earth spells, our industry and civilisation would fail, as we would be unable to locate and refine all the metals used in items you use every day. Not only that, but buildings would be vastly more difficult to build, if not impossible. Even the farms that provide our food are dependant on Earth magics, from boulder removal to enriching the soil."
"Eventually, with enough skill, an Earth mage can even transmute the elements of earth into rarer materials!" Professor Chevreuse declared with a smile before concentrating and intoning a chant under her breath. Sweat beaded on her brow before she finished and touched the tip of her wand to the stone orb and it gained a metallic sheen, turning to copper.
Taking a breath, the middle aged woman dabbed at her forehead with a kerchief before smiling to the students, identifying the ones specialising in the earthly element by their awe. "As you can see, I've transmuted it from stone to copper. This is the limit of a Triangle class mage, though the few elite mages who obtain Square classification have the ability to transmute directly to gold!"
She allowed the students some seconds to chatter amongst themselves about how wonderful it would be to literally make your own money before dashing that idea. "Wisely, the Royal Family has put strict regulations on the transmutation of gold, to prevent the collapse of our currency. You will cover that at a later date, however."
Indicating the spheres still on the table, Professor Chevreuse smiled towards the class. "Now, today, you will be transmuting these much smaller orbs from stone to brass. Not only is the size of the orbs easier to work with, but brass is a less pure metal, which will make the transmutation process vastly easier for you students."
Louise saw the woman scan the room before settling her eyes on her.
"Miss Vallière, please come down." The kindly woman directed, even as the rest of the class stiffened. Seeing the hesitation in the pink haired girls face, the professor tutted. "Come along, now. It's rather quite simple."
"I… I can't."
Hearing that caused the class to freeze before snickers started breaking out.
"You haven't even tried yet. How do you know you can't?" The woman questioned, a little irritated but still wondering what this was about.
"Because she's the 'Zero'!" A boy called out in answer, causing the room to explode with laughter.
Louise's face lit ablaze with ashamed anger. "Shut up! I don't have my wand!"
The professor's eyebrow quirked at the admission. "And where is it, Miss Vallière?"
Louise mumbled something in shame, not loud enough for anyone to understand.
"Speak loud and clear, Miss Vallière." The woman directed, tapping the podium with her wand pointedly.
"I… My familiar took it."
As expected, the other students burst out into more laughter, causing the small girl to curl up slightly. It was an unmitigated disaster.
"I completely understand." A voice broke through, causing the laugher to die down, though Louise just groaned more and the sound of the Germanian harlot. "Why, my dear flame stole away all my brassieres last night and made a nest of them!"
There was more laughter but some whistling mixed in from some of the boys at her rival's rather riske statement.
"Quiet down! Students, I will have silence!" Professor Chevreuse called out, bringing order back to her classroom. Focusing once more on the young Vallière. "What's done is done, but I expect for you to have your wand for my next class or we will be speaking to the Headmaster. Understood?"
"Yes, Professor." Louise meekly replied, grateful when the woman immediately called up a different student to perform the task.
Even still, she could still hear snickers throughout the rest of class.
oO0Oo
Her bedroom was empty, the evening sun casting the room in a crimson glow.
It still had all the furniture and her things but there was no sign of her familiar or, more importantly, her wand.
The day had been a disaster. The one day that should have been her triumph had been anything but.
"Oh, Brimir… once Mother finds out…" Louise sat down at her desk in a daze, thinking about how her mother was going to react. She'd lost her wand and to her brand new familiar who ran away from it's master.
"She's going to kill me." Louise groaned, leaning forward to thump her head into the desk.
Not counting the morning class, the students had the day to get to know their familiars. She, on the other hand, had ran herself ragged all afternoon and evening just trying to find hers!
"Where in Brimir's name is he?!" She half growled, half whined, tugging lightly at her hair. "I looked all over for him!"
He wasn't in the kitchens, or the baths, or the library or the bell tower… it was like he didn't exist! But, the servants kept pointing her in a direction they 'just saw him' in.
She wondered if it was one giant game to them but not once did a servant laugh at her. The servants just answered her questions and went about their work.
It just felt like she was always barely one step behind the familiar. Such as when she arrived to the kitchen just minutes after he had lunch. One of the cooks pointed to the plate on a small table in a corner, saying he'd just left.
Even that walking flotation device, Kirche, said she'd seen him, after Louise had literally ran into her trying to catch him. Of course, the young Vallière didn't bother to answer the Germainian's questions but quickly moved on.
Louise was tired. Exhausted really.
Letting out a long sigh, the young noble pushed herself out of the chair to gather up a spare set of clothes. After all the running she'd done today, more than she'd done in a long while, she really needed a nice bath.
She just hoped Kirche wasn't there when she arrived…
oO0Oo
Just outside the bedroom window, Cole sat on a small ledge as he listened in on the girl's mutterings.
He knew she had been looking for him all day. It was kind of hard not to know, with how he could sense her as the sole 'ally' amidst a sea of 'neutral' signals.
He twirled the wand in his fingers, flicking it to rotate around his thumb. Of course he tried to use it earlier but it was just a polished stick to the Conduit.
He held it before his face, pondering what he was going to do next. What he 'should' do next.
Fighting back a yawn, he put the wand back into his jacket and figured it could wait till tomorrow. He still had to find that Professor and see if he found anything, anyways.
oO0Oo
Cole shook himself awake as water splashed on his face.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" A young woman's voice cried out, abashed. "I didn't see you there!"
Wiping the water and sleep out of his eyes, Cole scratched at his short brown hair as he noticed the young maid standing nearby, hands to her mouth. "Eh… don't worry about it." Standing up, he stretched his back until it popped.
"If you don't mind me asking, why are you sleeping outside, Mister…?" The maid inquired, gesturing to the servant's clothes washing area in the pre-morning gloom.
"Cole." He answered before cracking his neck. "And you?"
"Oh, sorry! It's Siesta, Mister Cole!" The maid answered with a curtsey.
"No need for the 'Mister'. Just relax, I'm not one of those 'nobles'." Waved off her supplication before looking at the washbasins. "Hey, think you can fill up one of these for me?" He'd do it himself but he didn't see how she'd done it when she woke him.
"Of course! Just a moment." She answered with a smile, moving the square shute to an empty basin before pulling a rope to start the flow of water.
"Thanks." Cole said as he took off his jacket and t-shirt. He noticed the younger woman flush slightly and glance away but he also saw she'd set aside some soap and a washrag. "Thanks, again."
"You're welcome. Though…" Siesta hesitates slightly. "Why are you sleeping outside? Why aren't you in the visitor's quarters?"
"Technically, I'm a familiar to one of those nobles." Cole answered, preparing dunking the rag into the water before realising he wasn't discharging jolts of electricity. Pulling the hand out and putting it back in, his eyebrows rose as he muttered under his breath. "That's interesting…"
It took a moment before Siesta realised what was just said to her. "Oh! You're the one Marian was talking about yesterday!"
"Who?" Cole hadn't heard the name before but started soaping up the rag to start cleaning himself.
"She works on the fourth floor and said a noble was looking for you." The maid replied over the sound of her running clothes over a washboard.
"Yeah, I was staying out of her way. We didn't hit it off, you could say." Cole said with a chuckle before starting to scrub his arms.
"How so?" She asked, glancing towards his bare chest with a mild flush on her cheeks.
"She treated me like a dog and I disagreed with it." Cole replied with a blasee air before starting to scrub at his face.
Seeing him dunk his head into the basin and then shake it clear of water soon after had her giggling at the sight. "I've no idea how she could mistake you for a dog."
Cole chuckled at the joke, rubbing a hand down his face. "Hardy har har." That caused her to giggle even more. "Anyways, after she tried to use magic on me to 'discipline' me, I took her wand and played hide-n-seek with her the rest of the day."
"Oh, dear…" The maid worried, setting aside the cleaned shirt and grabbing another. "I hope you don't get in trouble."
"Eh, she can't do anything without her fancy stick except yell at me and I've already spanked her ass once for treating me like an animal. If she does it again…" He left it unsaid and just shrugged.
"Oh, my!" Siesta looked scandalized. "You didn't!"
"Yup. Right near those trees over there." He affirmed, pointing into the distance.
"You need to be careful." The maid cautioned, looking him in the eyes. "The nobles could have you flogged or worse for something like that!"
"Heh. They can try but I doubt it." Cole dismissed the warning before putting a spare washboard into his bin and starting to scrub his t-shirt.
"If you say so…" She hedged but continued her work.
"Don't worry about it. So, what do you do here, other than wash clothes?"
"Well, since I'm new, I help with the cleaning and kitchens… basically anywhere they need help." She answered, slowly working through the basket of clothes.
"Ah. Always hated being the 'new guy'." Cole commiserate. "Always got the worst jobs."
"Oh, it's not that bad." She smiled at him. "I earn much more than I would at my home village and there's a chance I could find a good husband here."
"So, where's home, then?" Cole asked, rinsing out his T-shirt and setting it aside before grabbing something from her basket. Once he identified the pair of panties, he put them back and grabbed a handful of socks.
Smiling at the man now helping her and giving her some company, Siesta spoke cheerfully. "The Village of Tarbes, a few days travel from here. My parents and siblings still live there."
"Trying to set out on your own, then, huh?"
"A little. Though I'm sending most of my pay back home to help support my siblings." Siesta answered with a smile.
Quirking an eyebrow, Cole reached into the quickly emptying basket. "How many are there?"
"Four sisters and three brothers, with me being the eldest."
"Wow… your parents were busy!" Cole was surprised, having been an only child himself.
"I… I try not to think about that." Siesta responded with a rather fragile smile. Realising that the basket was empty, she smiled brightly once more. "Thank you for the help, Cole!"
"No problem." The twenty-something man replied, pulling on the damp t-shirt. It'd dry on it's own or he could just flash dry it with his powers later. Glancing towards the east and the growing lances of sunlight turning the sky red, he stretched his back again. "Well, I'm going to go get some breakfast before it gets too busy."
"I need to head to the kitchens anyways, so I'll accompany you." The maid said with a smile, though she blinked when he took the basket from her hands. "Thank you!"
"Not a problem. Just put a good word in with the cooks for me." Cole joked with a smirk as they started walking.
oO0Oo
"You really don't have to do this, you know." Siesta mildly discouraged the man holding a tray behind her.
"Eh." Cole shrugged carefully, making sure not to tip the tray. "I've got nothing better to do and you're good company."
Siesta flashed a warm smile before pausing before a door. "Now remember, we're not to be talking out there and just ignore anything they say unless it's a request."
"Yeah, I get it, Siesta. Be seen but not heard." Cole rolled his eyes jokingly with a smirk. "Heck, I'm just going to be following you around and letting you handle them."
"How thoughtful of you." Her smile took a sardonic tinge to it before she giggled. She quickly schooled her features to a pleasant neutral smile as she backed into the door between the servant's section and the dining hall. Cole just pushed in after her, his yellow and white outfit completely out of place for a servant.
Surprisingly, none of the students really paid any attention to him as Siesta started her rounds.
After a few minutes, it actually got quite boring watching the cute looking maid serve the students.
Letting his gaze drift around the room, he idly looked for a head of pink hair, which could have been his 'master'. Now that he was looking, Cole was kind of surprised at how many different colors he found, including greens and blues. It really was a fantasy magical highschool.
'Wouldn't be surprised to see dwarves and elves soon.' He silently snarked to himself as he followed along, carrying bottles of drink for Siesta to select from.
"Watch what you're doing, you imbecile!"
The incensed yell and following silence shot through Cole's ponderings. A young noble was standing before Siesta, who was bowing in supplication.
"My apologies, sir, but your companion bumped my arm." Siesta tried to explain, but Cole could see the panic starting to hit the young woman. Looking towards where the young man was dabbing at his shirt, Cole saw a red stain.
"A likely story, you clumsy cow!" The blonde boy imperiously disregarded her explanation. "I could have you flogged for this!" Causing Siesta's face to go white with shock.
At that, Cole had enough, setting the platter of bottles down and glancing around.
The blonde teenager just opened his mouth to harass Siesta some more when he suddenly found a pie smashed into it.
"Oops. My bad. I slipped." Cole flatly said, not an ounce of apology in his voice. Looking towards the maid, who was gaping at him, Cole jerked his head back towards the kitchens. She nodded and bolted away, holding her skirt hem for full flight.
For the boy before him, Cole saw the young man calmly reach up and peel the plate off his face before softly wiping at the pie. All the while, the silence in the room was waiting on a knife's edge.
"Do you have any idea who I am?" The teenager asked, voice calm.
"Don't know, don't care." Cole replied crossing his arms with a shrug.
Finishing his cleaning, for what he could, he frowned towards the taller man. "I am Guiche de Gramont of House Gramont."
"Cole MacGrath."
Guiche looked into Cole's eyes and harrumphed. "I see you are unrepentant in your transgression."
"How observant of you." Cole commented back with a nod, obviously mocking the boy.
"Very well." Guiche nodded back. "I challenge you do a duel."
A wave of chatter broke out over the waiting teenagers, the young nobles expecting less of a duel and more of a slaughter to soon happen.
"You're shitting me, right?"
"How vulgar, but no, I am not 'shitting you', peasant." Guiche looked like he sucked a lemon having to say that.
"Okay, let's get going. I don't have all day." Cole agreed, pushing by the young noble and heading outside.
"Where are you going, cretin?" The blonde boy asked, confused at where Cole was headed.
"Outside. You challenged me, idiot. We duel outside, right now." Cole answered over his shoulder as he pushed open the door, pausing just a moment with a smirk. "Unless you're scared of a simple 'peasant', that is."
Like any group of boys, they started verbally ripping into the blonde noble as Cole exited the building into the morning light.
oO0Oo
"I give you one chance to kiss my boot and beg forgiveness." The blonde teen offered magnanimously.
"I'll pass on that." Cole rolled his eyes before loosening up his shoulders. "But I'll let you make the first move, since you'll probably need it."
"So be it, peasant." Guiche accepted, pulling a bronze rose from under his coat. Cole narrowed his eyes at it, wondering what it said about the wielder.
"Familiar! What do you think you're doing?!" A female's voice broke through the pre-fight standoff as the diminutive girl pushed through into the ring of nobles.
"I'm about to kill this boy in a duel unless you want to kiss his boot and beg forgiveness for me." Cole answered offhandedly, smirking towards the teen across from him. Waiting a moment for anything else, and finding Louise struck speechless, he nodded towards his opponent. "Waiting on you, boy."
"Come forth, my Valkyrie!" Guiche declared with a wave of his wand. A single petal fell to touch the ground and a bronze statue of a warrior goddess emerged. A moment later, it took a defensive stance with its sword and shield, ready for its master's command.
Seeing Cole raise an eyebrow at the display of magic, the blonde teen smirked. "I give you one final chance to surrender, peasant."
Cole just threw his arms before him, a wave of electromagnetic force flying out to hit the bronze golem with a gust of air. Instead of flying back, it started floating into the air, a blue haze clinging to its curves. The next moment, a humming noise cut thru the silence of the garden before Cole sliced the fake woman in twain with a plasma blade. The Conduit was mildly surprised to find the statue hollow but it explained the lack of resistance.
A second later, gravity took hold once more, the two masses of bronze crashing to the ground once more.
After a few more seconds of silence, Cole dispelled the blade and looked at the shocked nobles. "That it? Kind of… anticlimactic."
"Come forth, Valkyries!" Guiche called out franticly, sweat beading on his brow, as four petals sprouted into four more bronze statues.
Cole had just enough time to acknowledge that the boy at least spread the new golems out, but not quite enough. Taking two steps to the left, Cole shot another electromatic wave, hitting two of the four golems. As their feet lost grip with the ground, he dashed towards the remaining two, one with a spear, the other with a mace.
Dodging a spear thrust by hairs, he ignited his plasma blades and spun, the blades going thru bronze like a hot knife through butter. After literally disarming and disemboweling the moving statue, Cole grunted as the bronze mace slammed into his side.
The impact hurt and rocked his ribs, but it wasn't a five-five-six round punching through him.
Rolling to the side, another flurry of bright blue blades minced the second statue, same as the ones before it. Hearing the loud impacts that heralded the remaining two golems slamming back to the ground, Cole turned about and blitzed the golems as they tried to stand back up.
All in all, it had taken less than thirty seconds.
Taking a breath, Cole stood straight and dispelled his blades once more. "Strike two, boy."
The blonde teen was visibly sweating, the bronze rose in his hand visibly shaking before he thrust it forward once more, petals exploding off it to fall into a pile. "Valkyrie!"
While the previous golems were a respectable six feet, this one was set to be truly massive.
It never even fully formed.
"Grahhh!"
Thunder roiled from the sky, the calm clouds turning dark within seconds.
Then the bolt of judgement fell from the heavens, striking the forming Valkyrie with the fury of the skys. The world turned white as sound had no meaning.
Once Guiche could blink his eyes clear, only a mound of slag bronze remained.
He never even noticed the white ball of energy at his feet until it exploded, knocking the wind out of him and locking his limbs to the ground.
"Strike three, kid."
The words swam into Guiche's addled brain, finally clearing just as Cole's face appeared above him, a grim look on it before a blue blade filled his vision.
"Any last words?"
"W-what a-are you!?" Guiche whispered, afraid to touch the blade not quite kissing his throat.
The older man in the yellow and white leather jacket just looked down on him, as if in pity. "I'm Cole MacGrath… and you're never going to forget it."
"Nooooo!" A girl screamed out, rushing from the crowd to fall beside the prone boy. "Don't kill him!"
Cole just looked at her with apathy before it turned to disdain. "You make me sick. You all disgust me!" He turned his words to the crowd even as he kept his eyes locked on the fallen blonde boy. "It's all fine to throw your weight around and bay for blood, like dogs chasing a fox, but here you are, ready to shit yourselves because the fox isn't as helpless as you thought."
"Cole!"
Hearing his name roll across the courtyard, Cole turned his head slightly to see the pink haired girl standing before the wall of kids scared shitless that they were about to witness one of their own die by a 'commoner's' hand.
"Yeah, 'Master'?"
The girl swallowed at the intense disgust contained in that title. "Cole… Let him go… please." Louise's voice requested, even as it got closer.
"Why should I? If he's man enough to start a duel, he's man enough to finish it." Cole mused, lifting the blade from beneath the boy's chin to float above his eyes.
Worrying her lip for a moment, Louise let out a breath. "Guiche!" Hearing his name shouted, the boy flinched slightly, still looking at the glowing blade above his face. "Surrender to him!" She waited for the boy to open his mouth before interrupting him. "Formally."
Guiche swallowed before locking eyes with the man still standing above him. Opening his mouth, he had to work it a couple times before the words started flowing. "I… I, G-guiche de G-gramont, d-do formally surrender to... Cole MacGrath and humbly ask your m-mercy."
Everyone waited for tense seconds before Cole snorted, dispelling his blade and the bonds holding the teen to the dirt. "You're lucky that she spoke up for you, boy."
With that, the man amongst children stepped away back towards the dining hall it had all started in, the nobles parting like water on the bow of a ship.
oO0Oo
"Thank Brimir you're alive!" A maid missile slammed into Cole, rocking his ribs again. Pulling back, Siesta smacked his chest with a hand, tears in her eyes. "You… You idiot! You could have been killed!" The maid sniffed. "Because of me! I'm so sorry!"
Letting out a sigh as the purple haired young woman buried her face into his jacket, Cole patted her on the back awkwardly. He'd never been good with crying women. "Hey, it's all good. Everything's fine."
He let out another sigh as the girl in his arms just continue to babble apologies, even as he heard the door to the servant's hallway open behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Louise standing there, looking more than a little awkward herself at the situation.
"Hey, Siesta." Cole turned his attention back to the maid still hugging his chest. Putting his hands to her shoulders, he gently pushed her away so she'd look at him. "Everything's going to be alright. Hell, I doubt he even remembers about you after what I did."
"And if he does, I'll talk to the headmaster myself to prevent anything." Louise broke in, getting both the maid and her familiar to look towards her.
"Ah!" Siesta pushed away from Cole before dropping into a curtsey. "Miss Vallièr! Please excuse me!"
"I need to speak with him." Louise told the taller woman. "Bring refreshments to my room."
"At once, Miss Vallièr." Siesta broke away to gather the requested refreshments.
Looking towards to her familiar, who cooly regarded her, Louise took a breath. "Follow me… please."
Nodding a the request instead of an order, the man waved towards the girl. "Lead on."
A few minutes later, he found himself sitting in a chair across the small table from his supposed 'master', in the same room he woke up in yesterday. Louise held a contemplative look on her face as Siesta finished pouring them hot tea and placing small pastries before them. In the center between them lay Louise's wand, untouched since Cole laid it there.
It seemed having something to focus on, other than the duel, had helped calm the maid's nerves. Maybe it was just having some time to decompress, he didn't know.
"Thank you. You may leave us." Louise dismissed the maid off-handedly, staring into her teacup.
Seeing Siesta look towards him with a little worry, he nodded. "Don't worry. I'll talk to you later." She nodded and silently vacated the room a moment later, the door softly latching behind her.
The pair just sat in silence, as the minutes ticked by and the tea turned cold.
"You never answered Guiche."
That wasn't what Cole was expecting. "What?"
"Guiche… when he asked what you were, you didn't answer him." Louise pointed out, looking into his eyes. "You said 'who' you are, not 'what' you are."
Cole just nodded and leaned back, taking a sip of the cold tea before cringing and putting it back. "I'm a Lightning Conduit."
Louise's pink eyes narrowed as she tried to parse that simple answer. "What's a… Conduit?"
"Hell if I know." Cole answered with a shrug. "I just know it's a human with powers, caused by the Ray Sphere blast."
"So… you are human." She saw Cole nod. "But you're not a mage?"
"Nope. Where I'm from, magic's just sleight of hand or mind tricks." He saw the girl let out a relieved breath at that. "Guessing that's against the law or something?"
Louise nodded somberly. "It's heresy to bind another mage to your will." The girl made a sour face but continued on. "It's punishable by death."
"So, you know I'm not a mage but I'm not just a normal person either. What are you going to do now?" Cole cut to the point, leaning forward to plop his elbows onto the table. "Where does that leave us?"
"No matter what we do, you'll still be my familiar in the eyes of the Church and Kingdom." Louise stated hesitantly.
"Screw the church and old farts who think they run things. I'm asking you." Cole replied, tapping the table.
The pink haired girl looked down into her tea once more.
"You are still a familiar and I am still a master." Louise finally stated after a minute past by. She looked back up into Cole's piercing blue eyes and locked with them. "The ritual is already completed and the magic cannot be undone… But you are not an animal, nor a slave."
"Again, where does that leave us? What am I to you?" Cole asked, curious where this girl was going.
Louise licked her lips, clasping her hands hard in her lap. She had the feeling that she had one chance at this. She wasn't getting a third try. "I… I'd like a companion… a friend?"
The knot in her gut twisted as the second went by until the man finally snorted in amusement.
"Hey, I'm Cole MacGrath. Pleased to meet you." He said with a grin, holding a hand out across the table.
She looked from it to his face and back, her lips letting out a ghost of a smile as she grasped it with her own tiny hand. "Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière of House Vallière. The pleasure is all mine."
END OF CHAPTER