I was disoriented when I landed roughly on soft grass. Smoke was cutting off all my visibility and stinging my eyes while also trying to choke my lungs as I coughed. Sitting up, ignoring the pain that laced up my back, I was ever grateful that my very sensitive wings were sealed away inside my body. I took a moment to look around as the breeze cleared away the smoke from around me, tensing, ready to fight if I had to. I found myself in the sunny courtyard of an unfamiliar castle of some kind. When I fell out of that odd green summoning oval thing I half expected to fall out in the midst of a fight or something - I myself, when the art of summoning was still available, used to summon during battle. I had not expected to find myself in some castle's courtyard surrounded by a large group of what looked like unsuspecting, if snickering, teenage students.
At the sight of my surroundings, however, I began to allow myself to relax a bit. Even though I was a bit curious, when the beginnings of laughter began to sound before becoming uproarious.
After my initial sweep of the area, my eyes had come to land on the person who stood before me, the one who summoned me away from my home.
Tiny. That was among the first things I thought of when I looked at her. She had a cute face, had a small, petite body frame with a head of long, somewhat wavy, pink hair and large brown eyes that were currently staring at him, wide in shocked disbelief. She wore a white blouse and plait skirt with matching stockings and shoes. There was also a red necktie at her throat held together by a gold clip, and a black cloak hanging off her shoulders.
The girl looked at me as if I had slapped her. When she opened her mouth to speak to me, if reluctantly… I understood nothing of the incomprehensible tongue she spoke. The phonics was vaguely similar to my own native language, yet the words and sentence structure themselves went over my head.
Out of the crowd, one of the students, a well endowed redhead girl with richly tanned skin who wore her uniform in a somewhat provocative way, stepped forward, gaining my summoner's unwilling attention. This new girl said something that sounded almost cruelly mocking and laughed, causing most of the other students to also laugh. My little summoner bristled like a cat and said something in rebuke. Other members of the crowd began pitching in their own little quips and the laughter grew louder. I watched as the pinkette's face grew red with embarrassment and rage before she exploded and yelled something loudly that caused everyone to quiet down. She then turned to an older, bolding, spectacles-wearing gentleman who wore long purple mage's robe with a well worn carrier bag across his left shoulder and a simple looking staff loosely clutched in one hand, and started ranting in a desperate, pleading tone. The man's sympathetic negative reply caused the girl to plead harder before he spoke to her again in a much more firm voice that left no room for argument.
The pink summoner looked at me again as I sat there in the grass watching the proceedings, this time with a half resigned air about her, saying something defiant, making everyone around us laugh at her again, which made her seethe.
As the girl and man continued to argue, my attention briefly flickered around me once more in a more critical way. I now noticed that the outfit my summoner wore seem to be a female uniform since all the other girls in the courtyard were all also wearing it. The boys wore their version of it too. I also noted the wide variety of creatures, some of which I recognized as simple animals while others were slightly different versions of beasts that inhabited the fields and forests of my world, that were paired off with the students. I tensed minutely at the sight of the large blue and white scaled dragon collapsed lazily next to a small blue haired girl calmly reading a book, belatedly nonchalant about the beast's close proximity to her person.
Logic dictated that my summoning to this place seemed to be part of a group ritual or ceremony of some kind. Likely a summoning of familiars. I gave a subtle sigh of irritation in realization. If that was the fact of the matter, then things just got more complicated for me.
The mage spoke again in the same, more final, and somewhat threatening tone. My summoner seemed to finally cave immediately as the fight in her drained as she turned back to me unhappily and glared, face flushed and chin up. When she spoke to me again, it was an embarrassed sneer as she lifted her wand.
((O0O))
For all her boasting and claims of summoning a 'divine and beautiful, wise and powerful' familiar that would raise her standings in the view of her peers and finally help her rid herself of that wretched nickname 'Zero', this was not what she pictured her familiar would be like. Far from it in fact. Louise's new summon had, however, at least got one part of it right. Whoever he was, he was certainly handsome. He had an almost aristocratic face, pale unblemished flesh, and snow white shaggy hair that was barely held away from his face by a thin purple headband. His sharp violet eyes seemed to take in everything and miss nothing. He wore a short sleeved, wide necked navy shirt with light colored pants and dark leather boots, he also had bandages wrapped around his forearms, a belt hanging off his hip that had a small cloth pouch made from some king of odd shimmering color-changing material, and a small marble sized blue crystal hanging around his neck framed by feathers and beads.
But all the same! No matter how good looking he is, he was still a PEASANT! How could she, a daughter from the powerful and noble house of the Valliere family, have a peasant man for a familiar! It just wasn't fair! Not only that, but in order to finish the ritual, she would have to… kiss him! Kiss HIM, a peasant! Worse yet, it would be her first kiss! She would have to give away her first kiss to a peasant!
Oh, how badly wanted to try to resummon again to correct this mistake, but with Professor Colbert ordering her to either finish the ritual or be expelled, what choice does she have? To either live with the shame of having a peasant for a familiar for the rest of her life, or be expelled and bring shame to the Valliere family for all time as the only member to ever be kicked out of the Tristian Academy of Magic.
"I guess I have no choice." Decision in mind, Louise sighed piteously before she lifting her chin and glared down at the quiet man. He raised an unimpressed fine brow at her while Kirche, that Germanian bimbo, called out mocking encouragement, which caused a stab of anger to shoot through her to add to her embarrassment.
"You should be thankful for this. Normally someone of noble birth would never do like this for a peasant." she told him as haughtily as she could as she raised her wand and began the final step of the summoning ritual. "My name is Louise Francoise Lu Blanc de La Valliere," she waved her wand at him before kneeling down between the man's legs, bringing her closer to him and allowing her to look into his now suspiciously narrowed eyes. "Oh Pentagon that rules the five powers, bless this individual… and make him my familiar." she invoked with a grimace and blush as she reached around his neck and leaned in, sealing the contract with a kiss.
The man looked at her with wide eyes, in shock at her sheer audacity, as Louise pulled away. The pink haired girl looked at his scandalized face, still blushing, as the professor approached and complimented, "Very well, the contract has been completed and the bond has been made."
Louise stood and backed away just before he new familiar hissed in pain.
((O0O))
Hot magic was rushing through me as if someone was pouring liquid fire in my veins. I clenched my teeth stubbornly, refusing to cry out beyond my initial hiss of pain. I could take physical pain easily, as I had been conditioned to, but magically induced pain, however, wasn't as easy to throw off. My own magic was clashing with whatever was invading my body in self-defense. The internal ethereal battle was taking its toll on me as my body began heating up so much I was visibly letting off steam as a bright light overtook my right hand, the source of where the foreign magic was coming from. Looking at it, I could see a runic inscription of some kind burning itself into my flesh.
It was a contract, I knew it just had to be because it could be nothing else.
I grimaced as the pain grew and looked up at the girl and older man staring at me and my new rune in fascination as he said something I could still couldn't begin to understand and comprehend even as my world began going black.
((O0O))
When I woke up next I found myself laid out on a pile of hay. Sitting up, I looked around and saw myself in a rather nice room that reminded me of some of the more pricier inns I used to stay in when traveling back in my home world. The wide space was illuminated by warm candle light as the nearby window showed the darkness of night outside.
Just then someone spoke. My eye snapped to my right and saw my tiny summoner standing over me, arms crossed, wand in hand, and face the picture of resigned irritation. She announced something in that same haughty tone I was beginning to grow aggravated with as she walked over to the wardrobe. I know when someone was demeaning me when I heard it. Seriously, she may have summoned and slapped a contract on my hand, but I had never allowed anyone save my teachers in my boyhood years to talk down to me, not by anyone. Even my Lady never spoke out of turn with me, but that was mostly because she respected my position as a knight and one of her chosen protectors. She also was too good and genial to act like some snobby brat. Yet here I was allowing this girl to do it, if only because I did not understand her words.
I stood as she hung up her cloak and set aside her wand. "Tell me girl, who are you and where am I?" I asked, looking around further, not quite noticing her now state of undress.
The reply to my inquiry was her blouse and skirt thrown in my face, the articles of clothing wrapping around my head, and what was an obvious order. I removed her clothes from my head and gave an annoyed glare. She stood there with her fists on her hips in nothing more but a pale pink, sheer chemise and panties. I turned my head away. While the little pink mage didn't have much of anything to look at, I was still a knight and chivalry wasn't dead with me. "If you are trying some weird seduction technique on me, you are both obviously going about it the wrong way and a few too many years too young for me, young miss." I snarked coolly.
She looked at me in confusion and I honestly didn't blame her for it. This was the first time I had spoken since my trip between worlds so she never realized we wouldn't be able to understand each other. But apparently she was able to at least pick up on my witticism despite the language barrier between us and yelled in offence. She snatched up her wand and spoke an incantation and I found myself at the center of a pathetically weak explosive spell. When the aftereffects of the spell cleared away, I was still standing there relatively unharmed, covered in soot.
This girl was obviously short tempered. I couldn't help but think of another short fused woman with pink hair I knew.
"My, my," I said dryly. "such a violent summoner I have. So unladylike."
"I understood that!" she said, then bristled. "And what do you mean 'so unladylike'!"
I blinked in surprise. "Interesting. That was quite a forceful translation spell."
She sagged and groaned in despondent. "That was supposed to be a silencing spell." she admitted and I couldn't keep from sweat dropping at the confession. "Another failure." this time she muttered to herself. "I suppose now that we can understand one another, introductions are in order, familiar."
I looked her in the eye coolly, unimpressed with the condescending way she called me familiar, and said, "Very well. My name I Balmung." She nodded in understanding. "Now tell me, you are…?" I trailed off for her to finish.
"Hmph, I am Louise Francoise Lu Blanc de La Valliere." she informed with crossed arms. "And I will not allow a familiar, let alone a lowly peasant, to take such an informal tone with me!" she then stated to herself in despair, "Why does my familiar have to be a commoner peasant? Couldn't I have summoned something powerful and majestic like a dragon or a griffin? I wanted something cool like that!"
My eye twitched as I inwardly seethed, quietly taking the time to slip out the door as she ranted her pity-party. Whatever. I wasn't going to sit and listen to a childish belittling. I know when I wasn't wanted or welcomed. My long strides took me far away from her room fast as I walked through the corridors and down a flight of steps to the lower floors. All the while, I had to keep reminding myself of my mission, why I had volunteered myself to be called here in this new world and put up with such childish foolishness. In all truth, I didn't have to come to this strange world. Kite, Orca, or even Blackrose could very easily fit the criteria of the summon spell that girl wove. She asked for something that was 'divine and beautiful, wise and powerful', all four of us had that. The 'divine' aspect came from our blessings from Lady Aura, we were all physically 'beautiful' in our own ways, our 'wisdom' comes from both our accelerated age and experiences - despite our youthful appearances we weren't as mortal as we started out as in life -, and as for 'powerful', that went without saying. Not many can stand against evil goddesses and god-like monsters and their minions and still walk away alive in one piece.
I only just reached the threshold of the next floor when I noticed voices. "Would you like to try one of my soufflés, Guiche? I've been told I'm very good at baking them." a girl said hopefully.
"I would be honored to sample some." a boy's voice answered in what could pass as a grandly charming way.
I gave an inaudible sigh at the scene I had stumbled on. The pair were standing at what would likely be his or her door. The boy I recognized vaguely as one of the students from earlier during the summoning ritual. He had been the one kneeling with a half submerged giant mole. He had well cared for wavy blond hair and blue eyes and wore a frilly poet's shirt with purple trousers with a black cape while holding a false rose. The young girl had mid-length brown hair and eyes a lighter shade of violet than my own and wore a uniform similar to Louise's, except her cloak was brown. I couldn't place her like I could her companion.
He had an arm around her, pulling her closer to him. "Ah, you mean it?" she gushed happily, a becoming flush across her cheeks.
"But of course, Katie. I can not tell lies in front of your eyes." he smiled as he waxed poetically, showing off his pearly whites in a come hither look. Sparkle would not look out of place around him. His lines were good, I'll concede, but had too much of a scripted feel to them.
"Oh, Lord Guiche…" I could practically see the hearts about her.
"Can you not see how I feel for you? I hide them not from you." I almost felt like gagging at the display of false 'young love'. Having enough of listening to such rabble, I walked passed them. The boy, Guiche, finally seemed to take not of my presence. "Hmm? Well, well, it's that commoner peasant. Louise's familiar." he spoke out, bringing that Katie girl's attention to me as well.
"Really?" Katie looked at me more closely. She seemed to blush a bit at the sight of my looks - not a reaction I was unfamiliar with - before turning back to Guiche. "He's the one? There was quite the stir among us first years because of him." I heard her say before Guiche added, "Yes, he fainted after his summoning so we had to levitate him to Louise's dorm room."
I rolled my eyes and ignored him. This, he seemed to notice and called after me in an indignant tone as I kept walking. "What a rude peasant you are. To trouble us nobles into helping you without a word of thanks. How boorish commoners are these days."
"Yes, thank you. Good bye." I answered shortly, disappearing around the corner, never once stopping the entire time.
((O0O))
Louise ran down the steps as quickly as she could without risking a fall. As she came to the first floor she saw Guiche and his new girl of the week hanging on his arm, some underclassmen she didn't know.
"Oh Louise, your familiar just passed through a few moments ago." the blond fop informed.
"Don't just stand there! Go help me catch him!" she ordered, panting. She wasn't used to running so fast. "He ran away!"
"I'd expect nothing less." Guiche said with a smirk. "Why should I? He's your familiar. Can't keep him on a leash?"
"Just help me!"
Guiche gave a dramatic sigh. "It would seem I have no choice but to once more offer my aid this damsel in distress."
((O0O))
Louise and Guiche reached the common hall just a few minutes after Balmung had left it behind. There were only two people currently occupying the space. Sitting closely together at the fountain in the middle of the room, yet headless of their couple's embraces as they stared after the doorway on the opposite side of the room was Kirche and, like with Guiche earlier, some nameless upperclassmen boy.
"He had to have come through here!" Louise groused.
Kirche turned to look at Louise and Guiche in question. "Hey, what are you two doing? Did something happen?"
Guiche gave Kirche an amused look as he answered, "Oh, it's so amusing-"
"ENOUGH! He's getting away!" Louise cut the blond off as she ran past.
Guiche chuckled. "Oh, all right." he waved at Kirche and called over his shoulder as he continued the hunt, "I'll tell you some other time!" Kirche and her boy toy blinked after them before raising to follow after.
((O0O))
Balmung sighed as he stepped out into the cool night air and walked across the lawn. He had managed to get halfway across when his next step faltered and he found himself rising into the air. He was surprised and flailed a bit as he suddenly became airborne without the use of his wings. He could feel bands of magic wrapped around him as he hovered more than a dozen feet off the ground. As he started floating back the way he came, Guiche's voice rang out, "Just give yourself up, peasant familiar."
Looking down over his shoulder, he spied, much to his chagrin, Louise and Guiche. The blond waved his rose in the air and Bulmung's body followed the motion. "This is the second time I've had to help Louise for you."
Kirche laughed as she and he upperclassmen companion came upon the spectacle. "You must not be a good master if your familiar ran away." she commented.
Louise glared at the taller girl before giving her familiar a hard stare, contemplating how best to punish him.
"I was not running away." Balmung muttered to himself before he looked up at the two moons floating in the sky, one was small and pink while the other was large and blue and hovering over the smaller one almost protectively. In a way, it was like the two heavenly figures were symbolizing his new relationship with his summoner. "This is going to be a long mission." he said dourly.