Authors notes: Hey people, first time writing a fic so any constructive criticism would be welcome and hope you enjoy it. In addition, I do not own anything. I have borrowed, stolen or ripped it from somewhere else so if you recognize anything from somewhere else, it is a sure bet I have seen/read/heard it from there too.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
*Telepathy*
[Stat adjustment]
Oh and I do not have that much time on my hand, so do not expect this fic to be updated with regular intervals. Might be a day or several months between update, depending on my time and inspiration.
UPDATE: After having read my first chapter a hundred times since, I posted it (Which I should never have done). I have concluded that I need to do better. Therefor I have retouched and improved the first chapter A LOT. R/R with your thoughts.
Chapter 1: Collision of intentions
After having prevented the Protoss from sending shuttles through their warp network on Kaldor and warn the capital world of Shakuras of her presence. Kerrigan unfortunately could not stop a single shuttle that left through real space. Nevertheless, like all great leaders, she had a plan.
In the main chamber aboard Kerrigans mid-boggling-colossal living spaceship, a single captive female Protoss stood bound by tentacles waiting for her undoubtedly painful and violent demise. The room itself was what you could expect from a location placed within the interior of a living ship. The walls and ceiling where a mass of tentacles, purple leathery skin covering bone and muscle and pulsating veins. Every thing spasm rhythmically as uncountable muscles contracted and relaxed in an effort to pump whatever it was pumping around this massive beast. The floor was a hard and durable cetin surface covered in purple sticky creep and small tentacles. This was making the floor slippery and hazardous to tread, if you did not have claws or an insane balance. One wall was nothing more than a huge opening giving way to the frozen landscape of Kaldor. Frozen hills and jagged ice formations cowered the landscape and in the distance, a monstrous biological construction of flesh, muscle and bone was visible. In the centre of the room, a large pool ringed with teeth and muscular membrane was located. Within, a green glowing and bubbling liquid was contained. To the side of the chamber, the tentacles holding the Protoss were regularly constricting the captive's body when it sensed her plasma shield had recharged.
The female Protoss herself was clad in the usual intricate and stylised power armour of her race, thou it was a much smaller version then the combat oriented Zerlot Warrior suit. It consisted primarily of a large pair of shoulder guards, a helmet, cuffs, an ankle long skirt and a simple chest piece. It was all made of the durable gold-looking metal the Protoss race was known for, and each piece had a single crystal adorning them, which gave off a soft light blue glow.
The Protoss' name was Lasarra, and she was currently lamenting her situation. She had been out in the wastes of Kaldor to study the effect of the flash freeze phenomenon, when the Zerg swarm had come charging through the landscape. As her small plasma shield had failed under their quick strikes with clawed appendages, they tackled her instead of slaying her, and brought her back alive to their living base.
From the large opening in the wall, a human female stepped through. She was clad in a grey skin-tight full-body-suit with obvious high-tech functions glowing along parts of her body. The tentacle-like hair looked like dreadlocks even while set up in a ponytail, but that was all that told she was not fully human. She looked around the chamber for a moment before settling her eyes on Lasarra with a hatful look.
"One of your ships escaped" Kerrigan stated annoyed as she approached and stood a few steps from Lasarra.
"Then you only need to await the Golden Armada. Your death will be swift." Lasarra said smugly. She found pleasure in the knowledge that she would get her revenge, if indirectly.
Looking at Lasarra for only a second, Kerrigan said, "I am sorry" with genuine regret in her voice as she raised her right hand and channelled her Psionic powers into the palm of it. Proteins, matter and liquid began collecting and with her will alone, she formed them into genetic sequences, muscles, bones and organs. A small bauble of green ooze quickly formed and grew above her hand as she levitated it there. She then poured the waste knowledge she had access to, from the telepathic link she shared with the Zerg she controlled, into the small creature quickly growing in the green ooze bauble.
"For what, slaughtering my people? " Lasarra asked angrily while eyeing the growing creature with apprehension. She was not sure what creature it was, but it looked like a cross between a snake, a larva and some kind of nightmare.
"For what I must do to you." Kerrigan stated before willing the parasite into her prisoner. It shot from her hand and collided with its target with an audible liquid "splat!" and "Whoosh" of psionic energy.
"Uaaarh!" Lasarra screamed as the parasite melded into her body and began to settle. The pain sent her toppling over, but the tentacles held her up.
"Your friends on that ship can sense you. They know they left one behind." Kerrigan said with a falls pitying look that Lasarra did not believe for one second, and Kerrigan knew it.
"No!" Lasarra pleaded as she felt her own psionic energies warp to cope with the sudden change in her body. It was a wile experience. Her normally blue inner glow changed to a poisonous green colour and she could feel a heavy weight grow in her chest. The feeling of something pressing against her organs sent a momentary white-hot pain through her body. Her suit's life support systems tried to cope by releasing pain dulling psioninc pulses into her brain and injecting something similar to adrenalin and antitoxin into her body.
"But they can't warp you to their ship, because I am blocking them" Kerrigan continued conversationally, enjoying the despair Lasarra was about to experience as she would realise what Kerrigan had in mind.
"No! No!" Lasarra screamed in panic, as Kerrigan knew she would.
"But if I drop the wail…"She said conspiringly, clearly hinting at what would undoubtedly happen.
As realisation struck Lasarra like a crashing Terran Battlecruise she screamed into the air "Do not warp me in Templar! DO NOT!" as she tried to warn her brethren. However, Kerrigan had already dropped her psionic wail and Lasarra was beginning to disintegrate into the blue energy which heralded protoss teleportation. The parasite in her coming along for the ride, since it was within her suits teleportation zone.
When Lasarra and the parasite was gone, the tentacles holding her fell limp to the floor and began retracting along the floor and up the walls. From the roof of the chamber, a creature resembling something between a female human, an octopus, a woodlouse and a serpent lowered itself to hang besides Kerrigan.
"You let the other Protoss take her?" Izsha asked her queen. She did not understand her queens reasoning for doing so as it was very unzerg like.
"She will be their death" Kerrigan stated with a confident smirk on her face.
~o~ Dimensional shift ~o~
Tearing down the fourth wall for a moment and jumping from one, dimensional possibility, to another. We dive into a world much different from the war torn galaxy which Kerrigan, Lasarra and Izsha exists in.
In this world, a certain pink haired girl was waking up. With a stretch that made a few audible popping sounds. She was a pretty thing, with her long strawberry pink hair, short and slim body and soft pale skin. However, you would have to ignore the morning hair, sleepy and baggy eyes and crumbled nightdress to realise this. Her brain was clearly not fully awake, as she went through a well-practiced morning ritual of making herself presentable, and stumbling a bit as she almost fell over the countless obstacles on the floor. The normally pristine and orderly room, filled with master crafted and expensive furniture, had books, scrolls and stone tablets littering and stacked on every horizontal surface. Large sheets of paper, covered with arcane runes and symbols, hung on most of the vertical surfaces and crumbled pieces of failed and discarded attempts, littered the area around a bin in a corner. Some part of the girl's brain noted she should get a servant to clean up later and return the books and tablets to the library, but that part was ignored as other parts began going through the preparations for the day.
The girls name was Louise Francoise Le Blanc De La Vallière or just Louise by those who knew her. She was a student at Tristein Magical Academy. Later that day, she and her classmates would all undergo a holy summoning ritual, called "the spring ritual", meant to call forth a creature that would become their companion for the rest of their lives. Louise had plans, to both succeed and to outdo all her classmates. She had studied, researched and practiced the ritual so thoroughly that she could probably do it in her current quarter-awake state. Her sleepiness told of her dedication to succeed. Staying up late and going through vast amounts of dry text and theory tend to exhaust you mentally.
When she finally finished her morning-ritual, she dug through a pile of paper sheets to retrieve her wand and had to restack a pile of books to get to the ones she needed during her day. She left the room, throwing a last glance at her disordered room and let out a nervous sigh. Make or break, right?
As she closed the door and turned to leave, she spotted her arch nemesis. A tall tanned girl with flaming red hair and a chest that made every male turn their head towards her when she walked past. Now she was walking towards Louise with a very smug expression. "Good morning Zero. Ready for today's ritual?" she asked while folding her arms underneath her breasts. The unsaid challenge in that move was not lost on Louise.
Straightening her back and puffing out her own washboard chest, not standing down from the challenge. She forced a smug smile to spreading across her own features while ranting mentally about big-breasted monster and the conspiracies the world made against Louise herself. "Morning Zerbst, and thank you for asking. Yes, I am ready for today's ritual." She waved a dismissive hand towards Zerbst "But I am sure what ever lowly insect you might summon will suite you just fine." The redhead raised an amused eyebrow at that "Ooh? The little Zero bares her teeth this morning. Well, I am just as confident in my ritual." She turned to leave and said over her shoulder "I have a feeling it will be a real blast to watch whatever meager rat you might call into service." With that she walked off with a gentle laugh echoing down the corridor.
Louise was fuming inside. She had to remind her self of her mother's teachings about outwards appearance just so she would not begin ranting and make a scene so early in the morning. However, her rage needed an outlet. So later when the servants came around to tidy up rooms while the students where in class, a large web of cracks in one of the corridor walls had them wondering where it came from.
~o~ Scene shift ~o~
"Everyone, congratulations as you proceed to your second year" the friendly purple clad women said as she welcomed her students to the class. "I have been appointed to the Tristian School of Magic starting this year. My name is Mrs. Chevreuse, and my attribute is earth" she introduced while looking around the small auditorium at her students. Most were listening politely except the boys sitting near or around a tanned red-haired girl and a pink haired on furthest back who appeared to be scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment. Oh well it was the start of the year and Mrs Chevreuse was a new teacher so this did not surprise her. "My secondary name is Chevreuse the clay. And for this following year, I will be educating you on earth elemental magic." She forced a warm smile on her face as she noted how the red head was basking in the attention of the males and with a slight adjustment to the way she sat, got even more of the males to divide their attention between her and Mrs. Chevreuse. "Now I will presume that the previous year taught you how to call forth and control you willpower, and also about how magic is divided into groups. Therefore, can anyone recite the elemental categories for me?" She asked giving the redhead a pointed stare.
Not noticing the teachers stare the redhead just ignored her and adjusted her own blouse a little with masterful skill. This conjured a content sigh from the nearest boys and the full attention from the ones only half focusing on her. Oh how the redhead loved their stares.
A blond boy who had pointedly ignored the redhead raised his rose wand and stated with confidents while posing dramatically "Fire, water, earth and wind are the Four Elements everything else is composed of. By combining these elements in different quantities, you can create other subtypes such as mud, lava, dust and metal, and what a coincidence my attribute is earth like yours. My second name is Guiche D. Gramon, the Bronze".
A few of the other students around him face palmed or looked embarrassed that they knew him. "Please remember this" he asked while posing with his rose between his teeth.
Mrs Chevreues forced smile became a bit more genuine while acknowledging Guiches answer and introduction. Continuing the class, she said, "Earth is the principle magic that leads to the creation of all things. To understand this better, I would like for you all to learn the basic alchemy spell" She took out a handful of pebbles and placed them on the table in front of her. Then she fished out her wand and pointed it at the pebbles. With a slight wave and a word that definitely was not Halkeginian, the pebbles turned golden. Suddenly every student had his or her attention on the teacher, even the redhead and the pinket.
"Is that gold?" Someone asked disbelieving. "No it is brass. Gold requires a square-class mage" Mrs Chevreuse clarified. "I myself am a triangle- class mage" she stated with pride "Now, let's have someone else try" she said while replacing the brass pebbles with new stone ones from her pocket.
Her eyes wandered over the assembled students and landed on the pinket who was again scribing furiously. Taking notes? A small huff of annoyance and a crumpled piece of parchment hinted at, no it was not notes. "How about you, you over there" she said while pointing out Louise who looked up from her scribbling like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Your name?" Mrs. Chevreuse asked with the warmest smile she had. "Louise" the pinket answered "Louise de la Vallière". Mrs. Chevreuse remembered she had been told about this student, but could not recall what precise had been said. "Well come down her and give it a try my dear"
"Uhm professor?" a large blond boy asked from the middle of the atrium. "Do you think that is such a good idea? You do know it is Louise the Zero you are asking, right"
Louise huffed and before the professor could comment, she proclaimed, "I will do it!" and marched down to the podium, ignoring how people were beginning to hide behind their tables and pleading her to reconsider. A blue haired girl with most of her face hidden behind a book got up and walked out the auditorium without lowering her book once.
"Well then" Mrs Chevreuse said, while mentally noting the students' behaviour, especially the one who left. "Just focus your will and think of glass as you say [none Helkeginian words]" she smiled reassuringly at Louise.
Louise nervously smile back. 'This time it will work, right? It is a simple spell, only a dot alchemy spell. I can do that.' She raised her wand, concentrated to trigger her magic, and did as told. She thought of the stone turning into glass and willed it to happen as she said the magical words. The stones began glowing like the spell was working… and then they promptly exploded with a loud "BOOOM!".
Ah yes, that is why she was special. Of all the students, here at the Tristian School of Magic, she is the one with the lowest score in practical magic and the one with fewest successful spells cast. A score and count of zero to be exact. Hench her nickname…
The explosion sent both Louise and Mrs Chevreuse flying. Louise landed in the isles between tables and got the wind knocked out of her, and Mrs Chevreuse hit the wall behind the podium, knocking her unconscious. The explosion pushed the first two rows of tables back and the students got the mandatory bruises from that. Wooden pieces and splinters were scattered everywhere from the podium and centre-stage as they were blasted apart. Guiche noticed with shock, a large wooden piece had penetrated his table and had stopped inches from his head.
"By the founder, ZERO!" He screeched, his voice hitting a few high notes "You nearly killed us this time!"
"Yes, look at this mess" another one said, a brown haired boy with square glasses. He was massaging a bruised shoulder "You know you can't cast spells!"
Picking herself up from the floor Louise held back her tears and put on an indifferent mask, while she was crying like a wounded animal in her head. "I may have put a little too much will behind the spell" she stated nonchalantly.
"A LITTLE TOO MUCH WILL?!" the redhead shouted disbelieving while dusting herself off.
"What happened here?" a bolding man in his late years asked from the entrance to the auditory. He was clad in a dark blue coat and carrying a staff held at the ready. He was surveying the ravaged auditory with its ruined podium and stage, bruised and cursing students, disordered tables riddled with wooden projectiles and in the middle stood a pinket quietly fixing her appearance with an expression of bored indifference.
"Professor Colbert. I think Mrs Chevreues needs to see a water-mage" a grey haired student said while checking the unconscious professor. Colbert quickly approached and looked her over himself. "You, you and you" he said while pointing out the three least hurt students "take her to the tower of water and inform professor Bardinas of her condition. Those of you who are badly bruised head over there too. Class is dismissed" He got up on his feet with the help of his staff and sighed heavily. The students did as told and began leaving the auditorium, taking Mrs Chevreuse with them.
"Ms. Vallière stay with me for a moment" he said as she made for the door after collecting her things. Knowing what was to come Louise sighed in defeat and unwillingly walked over to Professor Colbert.
When the last student had left Colbert fixed Louise with a withering stare and began, "What are we going to do with you? This is the beginning of your second year and you are already destroying the academy. How many rooms have you damaged so fare? 10? 12?"
"21" Louise corrected him in a tiny voice. Now that none of her classmates could see her, her mask was quickly crumbling.
"If it wasn't for your family supporting this academy so much you would have been expelled a long time ago." He sighed tiredly and looked at her friendlier.
"But professor! I am doing everything correctly, but my magic just will not work properly!" She lamented while wiping her tears away. Colbert was one of the few teachers who treated her nicely and tried to help her.
Colbert squatted down to look her in the eyes while smiling and placing his right hand on her left shoulder. "I know that Ms Valliére. I taught you will-control last year, as you surely remember. However, even if I know you are not fully at fault, you should have refused Mrs Chevreuse. That would have saved you more face then this."
"But Professor!" Louise began, but was interrupted as Colbert became serious. "No ´but´!" His expression softened while Louise's became resigned. "As punishment for forgetting your magic's condition, endangering your classmates and injuring a professor you will clean this atrium" He got up to leave, but turned around and winked at Louise. "Maybe you should do it without magic, as for you it would probably be counterproductive."
"Please professor! It was not my intention to hurt Mrs Chevreuse" Louise pleaded. Her ego was struggling to regain its footing, and even if it was early in the day, she felt mentally tired. The stress of the importance of the day and now this, was taxing her truly.
While leaving a defeated and resign Louise to her punishment, he answered. "I know. That is why I am punishing you with a task that should keep you away from your classmates until the ritual later today."
Louise looked around at the damaged room and sighed. Why did her life have to be like this?
~o~ Scene shift ~o~
"And next, the final person is… Lousie!" Professor Colbert proclaimed while looking up from his clipboard.
No one seemed to step forward. All the students present turned their heads looking for her.
Mr. Colbert sighed and took another breath before calling again, "Louise Francoise Le Blanc De La Vallière !"
"Yes!" came the reply. She had been hiding at the back and mentally going through the ritual. She had a determined look on her face as she walked forth. Her classmates made audible speculation on what she would summon or how large a crater she would create when the ritual would blow up in her face.
"I wonder what Zero will summon?" said a girl in the front.
"Probably nothing or something pathetic like maybe a commoner. HA!" said a boy nearby. This made a few of them chuckle at the insult as that would have been even more embarrassing then nothing at all.
Ignoring them, Louise concentrated on the task. She had studied, memorized, practiced and researched the ritual to make sure it would work. She was sure she would succeed! However, she had done the same with every other spell, every other subject. She was the top of her class academically. She could recite a number of useful spells and theoretical applications of magic, but without a single successful spell to show for it, it was all worthless.
Mentally praying to the five elements and the founder before forcing herself to calm down. She raised her hands and did the first couple of wand movements to prepare before beginning.
"My name is Louise Francoise Le Blanc De La Vallière …" she began to chant.
~o~ Dimensional shift ~o~
A shimmering green portal, ringed with arcane runes along the edge and a crisscross of pentagrams, appeared out in the crushing vacuum of real space, approximately at the same time a certain queen was beginning to talk with her prisoner. The portal was changing in all the colours of the world and gently spinning in its place. Completely unnoticed by anything or anyone.
~o~ Dimensional shift ~o~
"Pentagon of the five elemental powers and the mystical source of all magic…" Louise chanted with closed eyes and focused her will into the spell as she was supposed to. Her hands drew geometric shapes in the air with her wand and as she completed them, they flared up in a rainbow of colours before fading. A few students was gaping in awe.
~o~ Dimensional shift ~o~
A colossal gold and grey ship speed through space in an attempt to flee the horrors behind it and heading for the safe haven of a Protoss capital world, Shakuras. However, unknown to the occupants of this ship, fate was about to deal them, and the plans of a certain queen, a horrifying hand. As they zoomed through space, their path led them to the location of a shimmering portal. It was only a millionth the size of the ship and none of the ships advanced and complex instruments detected it. However, when they collided the powerful shields protecting the hull simply ceased to exist. Or rather, what the portal touched ceased to exist, the rest of the shield short-circuited and dissipated as the complex technology that held the shield in place was thrown for loop and had to restart.
~o~ Dimensional shift ~o~
"Designers of the mountains strength. Instigators of the infernos flickering emotions. Delvers into the seas of thought. Beings of stormy activities and Guardians of the void and time…" as she chanted runes lit up in numerous colours within her mind in response. She continued to draw the geometric shapes and with each element described, she drew one of the runes in her mind. The rune would hover in the air in front of her before falling to the ground and begin circling her.
Mr. Colbert and the other students stepped back at the amount of magic being collected and some of the students actually ran for cover.
~o~ Dimensional shift ~o~
When the shields failed the on-board artificial intelligence of the vast ship immediately began searching for the cause of the shields failing, but when it locate the strange energy readings and tried to change curse, the hull met the portal… and disappeared. The portal cut a circular tube or tunnel through the turning ship, slicing critical systems and ruining important machinery. Life-support, artificial-gravity, long range communication and finally teleportation capabilities.
But not before a terrified escapee was warped into the loading bay of the ship.
~o~ Dimensional shift ~o~
"As promised in ages past and sanctioned by those who came before me. I call upon you to grant me a powerful, loyal and never before seen creature…" The runes and geometric shapes began only to change into the colours of green, purple, brown and red. A strong wind began to blow around Louise with large droplets of clear water. The ground around her began to sprout chair-sized rocks and the grass at her feet were being singed black from an unseen flame.
~o~ Dimensional shift ~o~
"Ah!" 'The Templar must be warned.' Lasarra thought as she stepped away from the teleportation platform. The room was filled with animals behind power fields and plant life in artificial environments. The many caged animals were growling, roaring and passing in their cages. Lasarra could clearly hear they were agitated over something. They could probably sense the doom she carried in her chest, but then she noticed the alarms and telepathic shouts erupting all over the ship. They could not have detected her presence that quick. Could they? She headed for the nearest terminal but a sudden series of explosions and tremors shock the room. Looking in the direction where a telepathic scream got silenced mid-scream, Lasarra saw a glimmering green circle create a hole going through the nearest wall. Behind the circle she could see through the ship all way out into real space. A Protoss warrior was falling over on the other side of the wall with his left side missing and before she even had a chance to register the horror or the decompression of space. She heard a voice say *Now*.
~o~ Dimensional shift ~o~
"to serve and protect me as long as we both live. Heed my summoning and bring forth…" Louias commanded and opened one eye in anticipation of the completion of the ritual. What would she summon? A mammal? A bird? A dragon? The runes in her mind spun and twisted around and within each other until they finally formed a pentagram that overlapped with the glowing geometric shapes she had been drawing in the air.
~o~ Dimensional shift ~o~
In an explosion of organic matter and psionic energy the escapee exploded, showering the nearest caged and containers in purple corrupted blood and flesh. However, the now freed parasite burst free, it only escaped into a gently shimmering green opening between dimensions along with the psionic remains of Lasarra.
As the portal finally passed all the way through the ship, it winked out of existence and left a heavy damaged vessel. Which soon after exploded as energy cores melted down and the hull cracked open and split. Spilling its content to the uncaring and unforgiving vacuum of the void.
Somewhere aboard a monster of indescribable size, a queen was overcome with confusion and rage.
~o~ Last Dimensional shift ~o~
"My familiar!" Lousie shouted and with a final swing of her wand pointed at the ground a few steps ahead of her. All the glowing runes and shapes faded out and the wind around her died down, letting the water droplet fall to the ground and then… Nothing happened.
"Ha! The Zero couldn't eve….." The mocking student was interrupted, as a huge explosion that literally sent every student, except our lovely pink haired Louise and a blue haired girl who had raised her gnarled staff and summoned a shield, flying in all directions. A series of smaller explosions erupted right after all over the yard throwing already disorientated students around even more.
As the smoke began to clear, the shouts of anger and insults quickly died down as the students realized that something was different.
The yard was littered with golden chucks the size of horses, some of them burning with blue flames and others crackling with white lightning. However, the most surprising thing was that something was wriggling on the ground in front of Louise.
"That… that is my familiar?" disbelief was clearly heard in Louises voice as she stared with a combination of revulsion and horror at the worm like thing lying on the ground. It was thrashing around as if in pain or in terror. Its short sharp pincers where twitching and clicking together as it emitted a shrilled shriek or chitter.
To be fair, it was not that revolting. Sure, it had multiple green eyes and a looked more like a woodlouse without legs and tentacles at the end. It was twitching a pair of small pincers but Louise could not clearly see any mouth, but the three segments of carapace that covered its body had green bulbs that looked to contain some liquid. It was about the length of her arm (that being about 40 cm, give or take) and as thick around the head as both her fists together (around 15 to 20 cm in diameter).
Okay it was ugly.
"Well that was anticlimactic," Someone said dejectedly.
"Ha! Louise has summoned a worm!" some shouted.
"Fits you perfectly Louise! Ha ha!" someone else teased.
"You will always be crawling underneath everyone else with that useless magic of yours. Ha ha!" a third person said.
"This thing can't possibly be my familiar!" Louise shouted while pointing an accusatory finger at the worm, which had stopped thrashing and was looking at her with its multiple green eyes. 'Uuuhhh creepy!' she thought. "It is a mistake I just messed up a little!" Louise continued.
"Just a mistake huh? But aren't you always like that Louis?" asked the well-endowed nemesis, Zerbst, as she walked past the blue haired girl who had not moved at all, apart from turning a page in the book she had been reading the whole time.
"I'll fix this!" Louise shouted with barely contained tears gathering at the edge of her eyes "I'll just summon another one!"
Mr Colbert came over while adjusted his glasses. "Every one please be quiet!" He shouted. "Miss Vallière . This is a holy ritual of summoning, and there will be no such thing as resummoing allowed!" He looked at her sternly while gesturing to the worm on the ground, who at that moment was eating the grass around it with a tentacle it extruded from between its pincers. 'So it do have a mouth?' Louise absentmindedly thought. "You have called it to service; therefore it shall be your familiar." He sighed a tired sigh and looked at her with pitying look "please just continue with the ritual"
With barely withheld tears, Louise croaked an affirmative and turned to the worm thing who, in about 30 seconds, had cleaned a small area the size a large plate (50cm radius?) of any grass. The only thing left was bare earth, and even that looked cleaned of any nutrients.
Louise walked forth and bend down, intending to pick up the worm and finish this humiliating and painful ritual (painful to her pride at least). However, as she reached out for the worm, it spun around and hissed at her. It coiled its tentacles underneath it and propelled itself at her. Colliding with her head with an audible "Tud!" A roar of laughter accompanied this from the other students and a surprised yelp form Louise as she flailed and lost her balance. Suffice to say, she landed on her ass. As she massaged her bruised face and showed the squirming worm away from her and got to her feet. With watering eyes, she lost her temper.
"You stupid, ungrateful maggot!" she cried as she dusted herself off. "How dare you attack your summoner!" she said as she stomped over to the worm, who clearly understood it had done something not to smart. It tried to burrow into the ground as Louise drew nearer.
"Pentagons of the five elemental powers, grant your blessing upon this creature which has answered my call. By the ancient contract that are, bind it as my familiar." Louise chanted through clenched teeth and heavy footfall. She reached the worm as its tentacles was about to disappear into the hole but she grabbed one and yanked it out in one go. Tapped it on the head, and only with a second hesitation kissed it.
Considering that the thing had been about to head-butt her a second time, her timing was perfect. She kissed it over its multiple green eyes, between the two welts of green liquid as it swung up to knock her in the face again, but as soon as she had kissed it, it stopped.
"Amazing! Louise the Zero actually made a contract!" Someone stated in amazement.
For a moment, everything seemed to calm down. Louise who had let go with one of her hands to wipe her mouth and face, turned to Mr. Colbert about to beg permission to leave when a sizzling sound could be heard. A collection of runes appeared down the ridge of the segmented carapace of the worm as if they were being branded into it. Obviously, the worm began to thrash violently. Moreover, holding a thrashing animal in one hand requires a strong grip and large hands… and Louise had neither.
The worm was thrown out of her hand and hit the ground where it quickly righted itself and zoomed with amazing speed back into its hole with a tine trail of smoke followed it the whole way.
"Aaaaah! Get back here!" Louise screamed as her ego took another barrage of laughter from the other students and she ran over and dug her hand onto the hole in an attempt to yank her familiar back out. She got a taste of how sharp those pincers where for her trouble, and even more laughter. "And with that the ritual is now complete. You may all return to your dormitories." Mr. Colbert announced "Louise when you get your familiar out of that hole I would like to see both of you, as I need to log the runes on your familiar. Dismissed!" He looked around at the scattered golden objects that had appeared along with Louises familiar.
"Miss Vallière. I will be taking these to my workshop." He said as he waved his staff and doused the flames "They were summoned along with your familiar so they might have a connection." He then levitated them all with a visible effort and began heading out of the courtyard. "We can try and figure out what later. Good day miss Vallière"
Everyone else also began leaving, by levitation spell or on his or her familiar; Louise just slumped down beside the hole. "Why is it always like this for me?" She asked no in in particular. She felt really sorry for herself, with all the humiliation and such.
"Cheer up Louise!" A voice said to Louise's annoyance, "Go away Kirche" she just glared at the big breasted redhead. "Awe come now. Is that anyway to speak to someone congratulating you on actually succeeding a spell, albeit with some tell-tale explosion and extra sparkling junk, but it worked, did it not? You got yourself a familiar and don't need to be sent home to your parents." Smirked Kirche as she teased her rival.
"But you will still be a zero no matter what happen. And that boasting that you did earlier today only came back to bit you, literally." She indicated Louises wounded hand and began laughing at her own little joke as she rose into the air and headed for the dormitories.
"Stupid Kirche" Louise muttered under her breath.
After a few minutes of sniffing and silent crying, Louises self-esteem seemed to regenerate and she began to look at her surroundings. The sun was setting and many servants were beginning to move about doing the preparations for the next day. Looking down at the hole, she sighed with annoyance. "If you are going to hide the entire night I am going to leave you here." She half-heartedly threatened. A series of clicking noises emitted from the hole in response and she could swearer that she heard the words "don't leave" inside her head. She sighed again and looked around the yard. The huge lumps that had appeared along her familiar had left some decent dents in the terrain and Louise was sure the gardener was going to have a fit at the ruined lawn.
Looking at her wounded hands, she noticed they were an angry red and a little swollen. Apparently, the thing was poisonous. Great! She ought to find the schools healer soon then. She looked back at the hole and saw her familiar had ventured to the surface. Not wanting to sit her the entire night she quickly grabbed the thing and got to her feet with it wriggling in her arms. "Would you stay still you stupid familiar!" She screeched and punched it on the head. That seemed to calm it down as it just slumped defeated and clicked its pincers once.
"Hmpf. It is late so we will go see Mr. Colbert tomorrow, and since you bit me. I need to go see the healer" Louise stated and headed for the dormitories on foot. The worm clicked and chittered and Louise thought she heard the words "Soar? Soar?" in her head. "So you are a telepath. Well at least you can do something other than dig holes and poisonous bites. And I can't levitate" she huffed in annoyance and the worm tried to turn in her grip to look at her but Luoise held it under her arm with both hands.
After a minute of walking, she reached the healer's office. Louise was not that fond of seeing Madam Marine. The local water mage healer was not happy with the amount of students Louise had a habit of sending to her office on a regular basis. However, when Louise showed her now quite swollen and purple hand and wrist Madam Marine turned serious. "What in the founders name and the queen's mercy have you been doing Miss Vallière?" Madam Marine asked in surprise as she inspected the hand. "My familiar bit me when I tried to get it to listen to me" Louise was fighting her voice and facial expression to not let the pain show in either, but by the elements her hand hurt! Whatever her familiar was. It was poisonous as hell. She looked at the offending creature under her arm with an angry stare and it just twitched its pincers warningly in response.
"Well, I would suggest you make sure not to get bitten again, or let it bit anyone else for that matter. You are lucky it was only your hand." Madam Marine said as she weaved her wand around Louise's hand and muttered a long and complex healing spell. The swelling quickly subsided and the pain disappeared but the purple tinge to Louises skin remained. "I can't remove the discolouring without preparing some ingredients, but it is only your skin and it should change back with time" Madam Marine said with an apologetic smile. Louise looked at her purple hand in mild horror. 'Oh the nicknames and teasing this thing can fuel!'
But she quickly reminded herself 'I am a Vallière! Let the peasants say what they want. They are beneath me!' "Thank you for your effort Madam Marine" Louise said as she curtsied before heading back to the dorm.
When she turned to her room, she sat the worm down on a pile of hey before closing the door undressed. She was tired and tomorrow would be even worse. She spared her familiar a glance as she collapsed on her bed. It had devoured all the hay and was looking at her expectantly.
"What?" She asked "You can't be hungry?" she said in disbelief. The worm just chittered and clicked something Louise did not understand, but had the distinct felling the word "grow" was echoing in her head.
"You will have to wait till tomorrow, then I will get the servants to get you something" she sighed and turned around in her bed, ignoring the whining chitter and letting her exhaustion overtake her while she looked in terror at her purple hand and lower arm.
~o~ Time shift ~o~
The next day Louise woke up to find her room in a somewhat ruined state. Every single furniture and numerous scrolls, books and even some of the stone tablets had signs of nibbling, corrosion and purple stains on them. As she shrieked in angry disbelief, her familiar just look at her from its position on the table. It was currently munching on the flowers from the vase it had toppled and seamed to project a state of pure innocence.
"By Brimire's beard!" She cursed "What have you done to my room!" The guilty parasite just continued munching and slurped up the spilled water from the vase.
"Don't you ignore me!" Louise shouted and drew her wand and pointed it at her familiar. She intended to shock her familiar with a tiny lightning bolt. Instead, she got an explosion. With an ear-popping bang, the room filled with smoke, paper and the shrilled screech of a wounded insect. Since the window was open, the smoke quickly cleared and revealed a now completely ruined table and a thrashing worm at the door.
The worm quickly righted itself and darted for cover underneath the dresser. The worm wriggled itself underneath and hid there. The green sacs of liquid on the back of the familiar leaked a little of its content as they were squished and the sound of dissolving wood could be heard. Louise exploded further, "My dresser! Get out of there you cowardly maggot, and take your punishment"
A couple of explosions and a completely demolished bedroom later, found Louise and her familiar in the great hall eating their respective breakfasts in silence. Louise with the cleanest (and most complete) uniform left which was still scorched and damaged a few places, and her familiar with several scorch marks along its carapace (unknown to Luoise she had done very little damage to her familiar except scare the living shit out of it).
However, Louises mood seamed to brighten as she ate. "Hmm!" she moaned in delight "By far the best breakfast is freshly baked cookberry pie and a serving of hot lamb soup full of meat" she stated as a smile crept onto her face. A series of clicks reminded her of her familiar behind her "ah… and for a worm familiar like you, dry bread and uncooked vegetables" she smiled, noticing that the plate in front of her familiar was empty and it was looking at her expectantly. It clicked and hissed something and Louise was sure someone in the dining hall was shouting "more, more!"
"That is all you are going to get" Louise stated annoyed "After what you made me do to my room, you are lucky I even let you have any at all". As she was about to put a piece of pie in her mouth as she felt two sharp points touch her leg. She froze. Looking down at her feet, she saw her familiar had gently placed its pincers on either side of her left leg.
"Uuuuh! Why you little" she raged and wiped out her wand, but held her hand as her familiar gently closed its pincers, not quite penetrating the skin but reminding Louise who was in control of the situation. Grinding her teeth and fighting to control an angry twitch of her left eyebrow, she slowly placed the plate with the remaining cookberry pie on the floor and stared daggers at her familiar. It just shrilled a victorious sound and let go of her leg. As it dived for the pie, Louise was about to strike like the angry incarnation of destruction that she was. When a well known redhead's voice grated on Louises awareness.
"By the founder, Zero! Have your family finally denounced you and demanded all their things back or did you purposefully dress in rags to appear like a commoner?" Kirch Zerbst asked in amazement at Louise's ruined clothing. With her temper already at dangerous levels, she was in no mood to deal with her annoying rival and barked through her teeth "A miss-cast spell, which is all. Now excuse me, I have a familiar I need to discipline".
Authors notes:
Okay before anyone asks these questions, I am going to answer them myself.
Q1) Why does the parasite not possess someone or begin eating every one?
A1) Because Louise subconsciously wills it not to harm anyone seriously.
Q2) If Louise is willing the parasite not to hurt people, why can't she control it then?
A2) Because there is a clear difference between verbally commanding someone like Louise is doing, and crushing their will and controlling them with psionic powers as Kerrigan is. But don't worry; she will get the hang of it at some point.
Q3) How fare are this story going to span?
A3) I am planning to do all three seasons though some episodes or event will be skipped or heavily altered. Especially since no love triangle or jealousy plots can be made with a Brood Mother (Unless you are into that kind of thing :-/ ). Also, this is a long project; my schedule does not allow me much time to write.
Q4) Will we be seeing infestations and hive structures?
A4)(Updated) I have been experimenting on merging the two and see what happens but all my ideas keept sounding extremely perverted so I have dropped that idea. People will be infested and Zergified to some extend and the different hive structures will be build as the story goes on. However it will be a while before that happens, I need to morph the Parasite into a Brood Mother first and begin spawning the first few waves of Zerglings :P
Q5) Are we going to hear more from the Starcraft universe?
A5) (Updated) Yes and no. Only basic Zerg units and equipment from the other factions will make appearances. I will be creating my own Zerg strains with the magical animals of Halkeginia.
The parasite is the same as the one in the game so it will automatically be able to spawn the same Zerg creatures (Zerglings, Hydraslisks and Roaches) and Drones naturally.
Q6) Zerg don't use weapons or equipment. Is that not going to make the Gandalfr useless?
A6) (Updated) I am going to change all the void familiars' powers, to better represent that part of god they are linked to, and also change who gets what rune. Might make the Void Familiars a tad broken :P
~~ Before ~~
Left hand of God: Gandalfr = Instinctive mastering of weapons.
Right hand of God: Vindálfr = Control of magical creature.
Mind of God: Miodaitnir = Free use of magical artifacts and abilities.
Heart of God: Lífprasir = Convert familiars life energy to additional magical power.
~~ Now (after a million revisions) ~~
C Right hand of God: Vindálfr = Can create any object at will as long as wielder has knowledge of about it.
R Mind of God: Miodaitnir = Can gain control of anything by touch.
U Heart of God: Lífprasir = Can change willing subjects or inanimate objects at will by touch.
D Left hand of God: Gandalfr = Can destroy anything at will by touch.
What the powers can do precisely, I have not decided yet, and the more broken the power the more taxing it will be on the mage when a familiar uses it. I might also make up other disadvantages just to balance things out a little.
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