Turn 01: The Artificer of Zero, Lloyd Kreis
"Who are you?!"
Lloyd Kreis had no immediate answer for the pinkette before him, instead trying to figure out where he was, because it was certainly different from the place he'd been in before. He was in some kind of grassy plain, surrounded by people who looked like they should be attending Hogwarts, what with their black robes and all. Some of them appeared to have creatures with them as well. And all of them were staring, intrigued, at Lloyd.
"Answer the question, commoner!" the pinkette continued, glaring at him. She was fairly small, all things considered, with a petite build and holding a small wooden stick in her hand that looked suspiciously like a wand. "What are you doing here!?"
"Commoner…?" Lloyd asked, blinking owlishly. Who still uses that word anymore? "My name is Lloyd Kreis. Who in the bluish flaming hell are you?"
The reply probably would've earned some kind of angry or snappy remark, but strangely, the girl recoiled, a look of dawning realization and horror appearing on her face. "No…don't tell me-!" This apparently got quite a kick out of the audience, as most of them were now laughing.
"As expected from Louise the Zero!"
"She summoned a commoner as a Familiar! How does such failure exist!?"
"Oh, my sides!"
Lloyd was now more confused than ever, and his interrogator even angrier. "Sh-shut up!" the girl said, turning to someone behind Lloyd. "This is a mistake! Professor Colbert, please let me try again!"
Looking behind him, Lloyd saw that there was an older man, balding and bespectacled and carrying a long staff, but clad in the same robes as everyone else. He simply shook his head. "You know I can't let you do that. The Summoning Ritual is sacred and any attempt to redo the spell would be an insult to the ceremony itself. It's been decided this commoner, if he is one, is to be your Familiar Spirit. You'll have to take him."
"I must say, this makes everything you said earlier worth it!" a tanned woman with dark red hair said. The front of her blouse was opened to create a neckline to expose her quite ample bosom. "Summoning a commoner only just proves your own lack of skill!"
The pinkette looked ready to start mauling her right then and there. "You shut up, Kirche! I'll show you, I can fix this!"
"Louise, there is no 'fixing' this, as you say. Lloyd is to be your Familiar, and that is that," Professor Colbert repeated, silencing further conversation. "Now, complete the Ritual."
Louise, finally defeated, turned her attention back to Lloyd, her face somewhere seething rage and complete devastation. Taking the wand in her hand, which sparked at the tip, she tapped Lloyd on the forehead and spoke again. "Pentagon of the five elements, grant your blessing on this creature and bind it as my familiar." She then grabbed Lloyd by the chin and kissed him, squarely upon the lips.
Once they separated, Lloyd wiped his mouth on his arm, trying to clear out the taste on his tongue. While the sensation was actually pretty good, the surprise had caught him off guard and the taste of her was a little unpleasant. "I'm flattered, miss, but what was that for?"
"It was for the ritual! Don't you know anything?" Louise snapped angrily at him. "I can't believe I wasted my first kiss on you!"
"Feeling's mutual," Lloyd countered dryly as he got to his feet. "You're a horrible kisser."
The class roared with laughter again.
"This one's got some lip on him!"
"Yet another thing Louise the Zero fails at!"
"Even he hates her! I like this commoner!"
Louise's response was to sock him right on the chest. Admittedly, it wasn't a wrong response to the back-sass, but it still felt like getting punched with a steel ball. As Lloyd massaged his sternum, he noticed that there was now something being etched into his hand. They looked a lot like Nordic runes, but he couldn't make heads or tails of it. Professor Colbert noticed the runes as well and leaned into observe them closer. "Ah, your Familiar Runes…I don't think I've seen runes like these before. It must be for a specific contract. I'll make a note of them and see if I can find out more."
"Uh…right. Thanks," Lloyd said, still having no real idea what the hell was going on.
"That concludes the ceremony, everyone! There's no classes tomorrow so you and your Familiar can get to know each other. Class dismissed!"
The magical words that any student wanted to hear apparently still had the same effect here, as many of them went off on their own way and mingled with their friends. Of course, this left Lloyd alone with Louise, and it was clear that the young girl next to him (and apparently one that he towered over) was still quite furious over her perceived failure. Then, much to Lloyd's shock, many of the students suddenly took off into the air and flew off into the distance. They didn't appear to have anything that allowed them to fly, and had only heard something sounded a lot like French.
"Close your mouth, you're going to attract flies!" Louise snapped at him. Lloyd glared at Louise, but complied.
"My, my, Louise. You have summoned quite the Familiar," the one Louise identified as Kirche said, coming over. She was actually quite attractive now that Lloyd could see her properly, and Kirche, noticing where Lloyd's eyes were going, actually leaned in to stare into his eyes, a smoky look in her eyes. But Lloyd could tell she was, in reality, giving him an opportunity to stare down her blouse's neckline.
"Kirche, you listen here!" Louise snapped, playing killjoy. "I don't need you to-"
"Do what?" asked Kirche. "I'm not doing anything to him…yet." She leaned in to whisper in Lloyd's ear, "I'll be sure to greet you properly later." She then went off to be with her compatriot, a bookish girl with blue hair and glasses, and took off into the air with the rest, with her friend not far behind. And behind them, a large blue dragon.
Louise grumbled something snide, then pulled on Lloyd's shirt to lead him on. "Come, Familiar! We're going back as well!"
"Going? Where?" asked Lloyd.
"The academy! Now follow me!"
"Geez, relax, will ya, I'm coming…" Lloyd said, following Louise on the ground, but when he tried to walk alongside, she shoved him backward. Not much longer after that, they apparently arrived at their destination. It was a castle, torn right from the pages of history, with white walls and towers to protect the keep. However, behind the castle that garnered even more of Lloyd's attention was the suns. Yes, suns. Plural.
"…am I alive? Am I in Dominaria? I'm so confused right now…!" Lloyd said, looking around.
Louise apparently decided to take pity on him and explain in her own way. "This is the Tristain Academy, here in the Kingdom of Tristain in Halgekinia. Now keep up, and don't get lost!" As Louise led the way through the halls, he was fairly surprised how many other teenagers were in attendance. Even more interesting was that apparently there was a maid staff on call, carrying laundry, trays of food, and cleaning supplies. The more he saw, the more he was starting to pick up the aristocratic tendencies in the school, which would explain the commoner part from before. Speaking of which…
"This is the worst day ever…" Louise groaned, flopping onto her bed in her room. "I was supposed to summon a magnificent familiar to show up everyone who called me Louise the Zero, and instead I summon some lousy commoner…"
"Again with the commoner thing…?" Lloyd grunted, entering the room and closing the door behind them. "Look, I don't know where you get off calling me a commoner, but I do have a name and I want to be called it. It can't be that hard, right?"
"I am a noble, you ingrate of a Familiar! I will call you whatever I want and that will be that!" Louise snapped at him. "Now make yourself useful and bring me some tea."
"First, how? Second, why?" Lloyd said, glaring at his pink-haired captor. "You don't get to kidnap from me from my own house, make me into your 'familiar' or whatever, and then order me around like I'm your personal gopher!"
"Kidnapped you? I am your master, I summoned you here with magic!" Louise countered. "You should be honored to be in service to a noble!"
"Like hell I'm honored to serve my captor! Plus, you just admitted to bringing me here against my will! That's textbook kidnapping!"
"Why you…! Clearly they didn't teach you manners where you're from!"
"My manners are fine! I'm just not using them for you! You don't deserve that respect from me!"
"Respect!?" Louise screeched. Finally having had enough of Lloyd's lip, she got to her feet and whipped out her wand. "I'll teach you about respect! Know your place, Familiar!"
The wand came down, and the resultant explosion sent Lloyd flying into the wall, knocked unconscious by the magical blast.
When Lloyd came around, it was the middle of the night and Louise had already fallen asleep. His body seemed to have recovered from being knocked backward by whatever force was in that explosion, but his muscles were still aching, his ears were still ringing slightly, and his mouth tasted like iron. Clutching his aching head, Lloyd made his way to his feet and stumbled towards the door, hoping to get some fresh air.
And when he stepped outside to look up at the stars from a nearby window, he saw two moons hanging in the sky. Yup. He was officially no longer home. Continuing down the stairs to the next floor, he quickly stumbled back when he saw two people talking in the hall. One of them was a young blonde boy around Louise's age, wearing a ruffled shirt, talking with a girl in a brown robe to contrast with the boy's black one.
"You know, I've been told I'm really good at baking soufflés," the girl was saying.
"Well, I'd love to sample one of those sometimes," the boy replied, practically oozing charm out of his skin.
"You really mean it?"
"Of course, Katie. I would never lie to you."
"Oh, Lord Guiche…" the girl sighed, now practically putty in his hand.
As Guiche continued to put the moves on Katie, Lloyd took the opportunity to sneak past them and down the opposite stairs, but Guiche happened to spot him on his way out. "Hold it right there, you!" Lloyd froze, cursing under his breath at his failed escape. "A commoner Familiar causing trouble for a noble, and not even so much as a word of thanks?"
"Uh, sure, whatever. Thanks for your time, now I'm afraid I really must dash, so…ta-ta," Lloyd said, taking a bow and quickly making his way down the stairs. "Stuck-up Casanova…"
Guiche grinned, putting his arm around Katie. "You'll have to excuse him. He's a restless fellow."
Lloyd finally made it to ground level, where a great big fountain was apparently in the middle of the room, where two more people were apparently also meeting for a midnight rendezvous. One of them Lloyd recognized as Kirche, the redhead he'd met earlier, and some other guy.
"It's a dream that I could be together with you like this, Kirche the Fever…"
"And tonight won't be ending with just a fever…"
Lloyd mentally groaned. This wasn't just a school for nobles, it was also a high school with more out-of-control animal instinct than Yavimaya on Valentine's Day! With the two of them focused on each other (and really not wanting to stick around for what could come next), Lloyd tried to sneak past them, but he could tell he'd gotten their attention as well. "Oh for the love of God…" And thusly he ran out of the room.
"Hey, who was that?"
"That was the Familiar Louise the Zero summoned, I think…"
Lloyd finally made it outside, taking a moment to flop into the grass. He willed himself not to burst into tears from the strain. He'd gotten through tougher than this in the past. At least, as far as Magic went. But this was real life, and unless he discovered some answers that he could understand from someone that wouldn't try to blow him up over trifles, he was just about ready to call this place Hell.
"Ugh…what did I do to deserve this? Getting roped out of my house to serve some trigger-happy noble with a chip on her shoulder! What am I supposed to do? How do I survive with only one set of clothes and a deck of cards! Or a towel! Don't you need a towel for this sort of thing!? Gah…!"
Lloyd felt something poking into his side. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his deck case, which was now the only thing of home he had on him. He opened it, staring at the card on the bottom, Gold Myr, and held it close to his chest, trying to find familiarity in the feel of the deck in his hands. It didn't really help.
Suddenly, something began to glow in the cards between his hands. The Gold Myr against his palms suddenly wiggled free of its brothers and moved over to the side on its own, and suddenly transformed. Now in the place of the card was a small gold-plated droid about two and a half feet tall, with three-fingered hands and ovoid, almost avian-like heads. It gave an electrical squeak, as if awaiting a command for him.
The thing was, what it got was totally something else as a reply.
"OH MY GOOOOOD!"
Louise was furious with herself. She wasn't expecting her Familiar to wander off in the middle of the night! At least it forgot to close the door behind it, otherwise she'd never would've known and it'd be halfway to Germania by now. Thankfully, she'd managed to catch Guiche on her way down and got him to help. Unfortunately, thanks to Guiche, Kirche had abandoned her lover for the night and was now also present.
Making it outside, she saw the oncoming figure of Lloyd, looking rather happy for some unknown reason, and whistling some kind of jaunty tune. But then it was replaced by loud screaming as Guiche proceeded to snatch him off the ground with a levitation spell. "What the hell!? Hey! Who's doing this!? Put me down!"
"Oh, hush you," Guiche commented from the ground. "This is the second time I've had to keep you afloat."
"What does that even mean!? Though if you want to answer that, put me down fi-i-i-i-i-rst-!" Lloyd fired back as Guiche used his wand to swing Lloyd back and forth up in the air.
"This is hilarious! I don't think any Familiar has ever tried to escape his Master!" Kirche said around her giggles.
Guiche finally stopped swinging Lloyd around in the air, and from his position, Lloyd saw something else that continued to challenge his perceptions. Hanging in the air were two moons, one pink and one blue. Hank Green wasn't kidding when he said the universe was weird, but this? "Two suns and now two moons? HOW IS THIS PLANET NOT EXTRA CRISPY!?"
Louise finally had had enough, mostly because she just wanted to stop Kirche teasing her and get her Familiar back so she could go back to sleep. "Guiche, put him down."
Guiche obeyed, lowering his rose. Lloyd finally came down to earth, although the landing was a little hard. "Well then, if nothing else, I'll be returning to my room. Do not hesitate to call upon my services again." With that, Guiche left, leaving Lloyd to glare at his retreating back.
We'll be seeing each other again real soon, jackass…
Having recaptured her Familiar, the first thing she did was put a chain on his neck to make sure he didn't run anymore. For a commoner that was almost twice her size, he really didn't put up much of a fight, although he had been complaining of something called "vertigo" thanks to Guiche's levitation spell. He then promptly fell against the wall and took a nap once they got back to her room, which was all the opportunity she needed to snap the chains on before he woke up a few minutes later.
"So you say you're from a place called Earth?"
"Yup," Lloyd replied. "I was on my way to school in Hemet, California, I saw this green thing hanging out in the middle of open space, and when I touched it swallowed me and the next thing I know I'm getting yelled at by you in a place with two suns and two moons."
"Well, I don't believe it," said Louise flatly. "I don't believe that such a world exists."
"Then where the heck do you think you pulled me from? 'cause it's friggin' obvious I'm not local! Look, just send me back and we can both sleep this off like a really bad hangover."
"I can't."
"You could at least try!" Lloyd snapped, but then something fell on his face: Louise's cloak.
"It's not that simple, commoner. Once the Ritual is complete, it's absolute. There's no way I could send you home even if I wanted to," Louise said, proceeding to unbutton her blouse and take off her skirt, throwing them in Lloyd's face with her cloak.
"The hell was that for?" Lloyd asked, pulling them off his head as Louise then took off the undershirt she had underneath, much to his shock. "Good God, cover yourself! Or at least turn around, will ya!?"
"Why?" Louise asked, completely unfazed by her Familiar's sudden reaction.
"I'm a guy! Why on earth are you so cavalier about undressing in front of one?"
"You're just a Familiar," Louise said calmly, throwing her undershirt at Lloyd. "It's no different than undressing in front of a dog." Then, next came her panties, which sparked an even bigger reaction as he squawked embarrassedly, pulled it off with just a finger, and threw it away with the rest of her clothes as though it were covered in sewage. "I want those washed when I wake up."
"You want me to what? How am I supposed to do anything while I'm chained to the friggin' wall!?" Lloyd asked indignantly. "Screw your laundry!"
"Who do you expect will be feeding you?" Louise countered idly as she put on a nightgown and slid into bed. "Look, you're my Familiar. You're expected to be doing this kind of stuff for me. If you don't cause any trouble and do what you're told, I'll be sure to feed you, okay?"
"Well, don't I feel special," frowned Lloyd. A reply was not forthcoming, though, as Louise had fallen asleep. As he stared at the pile of Louis clothes, he tried to think of a solution to his predicament. There was no way he'd be able to do this without attempting to rip the chains out, and that was just not gonna happen. If he could get someone to help him –
A thought, so completely out of the blue and yet somehow completely doable, suddenly struck him. If he wasn't dreaming and he did summon that Gold Myr somehow…He quickly fished out his deck, pulling three cards off the top: Palladium Myr, Iron Myr, and Shimmer Myr. As the cards suddenly began to glow in his hand, Lloyd smirked.
Maybe this Familiar business wasn't so impossible after all.
The next morning, Louise woke up to find her Familiar having a whispered conversation with something she couldn't see. As she sat up, Lloyd quickly did an about-face, a bright glimmer of light coming out of his back (or was it just something behind him?) for just a second. "Good morning, dear Master!"
"Muh…oh, the Familiar," she mumbled blearily.
"Here you are. Fresh clothes, as expected," said Lloyd, holding out neatly-folded laundry.
Louise was fairly impressed, considering the circumstances, but there was something clearly missing. "Where are my panties?" Lloyd made a grunting noise that sounded like "check inside," and she found them, also folded, between her blouse and skirt. She was starting to become a bit confused. Did something happen overnight? Because last night they were barely on speaking terms, and now he seemed to be perfectly happy.
"Okay, I got your laundry. Now can you get this chain off of me?"
"No," Louise said bluntly.
"Look, even if I did run, where would I go? I figure I got a better chance of figuring out what really happened if I hang around here, anyway," Lloyd replied, although he promptly turned away with a squeak as Louise started getting dressed.
"Okay, fine! Now shut up and dress me!"
Lloyd stiffened, and his voice went deathly flat. "You have got to be kidding."
"The nobility never dress themselves!"
"Aw, muffin," Lloyd's voice started dripping with sarcasm. "Some of us have to dress ourselves everyday. At least show me you can take care of yourself."
"Then you'll go without breakfast and stay chained to the wall."
Lloyd opened his mouth, then closed it, then sighed in defeat. "Days like this make me wish I stayed in bed."
After unchaining Lloyd, the unlikely duo made their way back down to breakfast. Lloyd's initial enthusiasm had already waned, but there was just something about Louise that made her actually quite pretty to his eyes. She was a petite girl with pink hair and pink eyes, and when she wasn't speaking the way she carried herself seemed to give a kind of noble air, but a kinder one than when she wasn't attempting to blow him up with her magic.
They did seem to make an interesting duo, with her in her school uniform and shorter than the average student of her class, whereas Lloyd seemed to tower over everyone and stood out with his AC*DC "For Those About to Rock" shirt, jeans, and gray striped hoodie with black synthetic fur on the inside, and when they entered the great hall, more than a few people were whispering already, throwing out speculations and guesses about what was really happening between them both.
Of course, Lloyd was more focused on the table than what was going around it.
"Damn, man!" he said, looking at the spread in front of him. It appeared breakfast was some kind of hotcake with soup on the side, and he spotted fresh slices of fruit a little farther off. "Is this an honors school? You guys live like friggin' kings!"
"Of course we do," Louise said airily. "Now be considerate pull out the chair for me."
Lloyd complied, grumbling something about manners, but as he went for the empty seat next to her, she smacked his hand off the chair and pointed down at the ground, where a single lonely plate next to where she was sitting. Clearly, this was where he was supposed to be in all this. And for Lloyd, that was the last straw. "Screw this! I'm gonna go find food on my own!"
"You get back here!" Louise snapped at him, grabbing the back of his hoodie.
Lloyd yanked it right back out of her hand. "Or what? You'll chain me to the wall again? You'd better be wearing some pretty tight leather if you want to run that trick again! Then again, I don't think it'd actually work, because your nickname must also mean zero sex appeal!"
Apparently the entire hall had heard that one, because the entire student body started roaring with laughter. Louise went deathly pale, trying to hide her face in her hands as Lloyd spun on his heel and left through the opposite doors.
Ten minutes later, Lloyd was even more hungry before and he was pretty sure he was lost. It did feel good to finally get away from that pink-haired she-devil, but without her he had no idea where he had to go, and the maids were all too busy with their own work that he didn't want to bother them. It didn't help that he was already starting to feel a little guilty with his snapping at Louise earlier.
"Um…excuse me…aren't you Miss Valiere's Familiar?"
The speaker was a maid, a little taller than Louise, with black hair in a short pageboy-style haircut and, much to his surprise, Asian facial features. It took Lloyd everything he had to not ask her if she was from Earth as well, and instead answered her question. "I might be. How did you know?"
"News travels fast around the school," she said. Already Lloyd was starting to like this girl. Her sweet-sounding voice was definitely a nice change compared to Louise's sharp voice. "Nobody was expecting someone to summon a commoner as a Familiar."
"Well, congrats, you figured me out," Lloyd said. "Lloyd Kreis is the name."
"My name is Siesta," the girl said. "It's nice to meet you, finally." Lloyd nodded in agreement, but his stomach decided to make itself known. Siesta tilted her head. "Didn't Miss Valiere feed you? It's the Master's responsibility to care for their Familiars."
"No, unfortunately," Lloyd scratched the back of his head. "We kinda had a parting of the ways in view of the whole school, so I'm kinda on my own for breakfast."
"Oh, no!" Siesta looked absolutely scandalized at the very notion of Lloyd not being fed, almost like he'd just said Louise was taking a lit match to a cat's tail. She quickly clenched her hands under her chin for a moment for a moment, then took him by the hand. "That's not right at all! Please, come with me, I'll get you a nice meal!"
"Now you're talking my language!" Lloyd grinned, following Siesta down the hall.
In the kitchen, Lloyd was treated to a breakfast of fresh buns, a bowl of stew, and a glass of fruit juice. Despite being fairly basic, it was incredibly delicious. As he ate, Siesta was also happy enough to give him the information that he'd been looking for since he came here. The world, which was referred to as Halgekinia, was a place where magic was the common practice, instead of technology. However, the number of people who could actually use magic were actually fewer than one would expect, and usually they came from noble families. As a result, the nobles tended to look down on the magic-less commoners, so there was a clear rift between the two groups.
"So that's why you freaked out when I told you Louise and I had a falling out?" Lloyd asked around a mouthful of bun. "Suddenly, it makes a lot of sense."
"Yes. You must have a lot of courage to stand up for yourself!" Siesta nodded, but her smile soon faded into a look of fear. "But if you anger her too much, it could bring down horrible consequences. A commoner just can't stand up to the nobility."
"Fair enough," Lloyd said as he took a gulp of juice. "Then again, I come from a country that was built on that very principle, so what'cha gonna do?" Siesta's eyes widened, unable to conceive the very notion of it in her mind. Lloyd chuckled as he quickly put his dishes in a small pile. "But that's a story for another time. Do you need help with anything? I feel kinda bad for freeloading like this."
"Really?" Siesta blinked. This Familiar was something else, especially compared to the usual type of person that typically called the Academy home. When Lloyd nodded, she beamed like the sun. "Then could you help me deliver the cakes for dessert? Most of the other servants have their hands full already and it would take me a while to do it myself."
"No problem. Just show me what I'm supposed to do," Lloyd smiled back.
After showing where the boxed desserts were and the trolleys they were to be delivered on, Siesta took point as they went outside to where a bunch of students were sitting out on café tables. Finally, he had a real sense of the school and what it was all about, and unfortunately, Siesta's explanation about nobility from earlier was absolutely spot-on. The gathered students were either still eating lunch, talking about their studies, or bragging about their family and their exploits for the crown. Lloyd's high school wasn't all that much different, except for the bragging part, but if he didn't know any better, he'd think he was still in a regular school. Of course, that promptly went out the window as a couple of students poring over tomes were practicing minor spells at the table. But despite the ruckus from earlier, nobody really seemed to give him a second glance as he placed their cakes on the table.
"Well hello, Louise's Familiar."
The redhead from the day before, Kirche, was giving him the "come hither" gesture with that smoky look in her eyes. She was joined by what Lloyd guessed was her Familiar, a bright red frilled lizard with steam coming out of its mouth. Her blue-haired friend was sitting across from her, her nose in a book and her big blue dragon curled around her seat. Lloyd quickly looked down at his trolley, and son of a gun, there were two cakes, one of which with Kirche's name and the other for someone named Tabitha, probably the bluenette.
"Where is Louise?" Kirche asked as Lloyd came over. "This is the day we and our Familiars are supposed to get acquainted. Did she send you ahead to find a table?"
Lloyd shrugged. "I haven't seen her since our spat at breakfast. Truth be told, I kinda want to be as far away from Louise as possible right now."
"So wait, that wasn't an act?" Kirche blinked, surprised. "How strange. A Familiar and their master should get along splendidly. Take me and Flame, we've only been together for a day and we're nigh inseparable." Flame promptly made a "nyuk-nyuk-nyuk" sound as Kirche stroked the lizard's ridges on its head.
"We'd been sniping at each other since we got together last night," Lloyd sighed as he placed their cakes on the table. "Breakfast was just me reaching the end of my tether. I may be a Familiar, but I have my pride, too. If she won't respect that, then I'm in no mood to work with her."
"Point," Tabitha piped up from her book.
"Well, I guess Tabitha's right, there. Honestly, if I was in your position I wouldn't be so tolerant, either," Kirche said. "But, I guess it's to be expected of Louise the Zero."
"You know, I kept hearing that all yesterday. You want to tell me what this 'Louise the Zero' thing is all about? Because I'm pretty sure my guess from earlier wasn't even close."
"Well, yes, but then again, it's hard not to think of her that way," Kirche replied as she leaned forward ever so slightly just to show off her breasts. "You see, magic is divided into five elements: fire, water, earth, wind, and void, though that element's been lost to time and nobody we know can cast it. All magicians can practice one of these elements. I, for example, practice fire magic. But Louise appears to be unable to cast any of these. Any time she casts a spell, she just creates an explosion and fails."
"Muh…?" Lloyd, having been hypnotized by Kirche's seduction, suddenly snapped back to reality and cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment. "So you're saying all she can do is create explosions? But she summoned me, right? I would think if the spell she used to summon me here failed, then she'd just make another explosion. Why am I here, then? Doesn't that mean she succeeded for once?"
"Correct." Tabitha said.
"Say wot?"
"Tabitha means you're actually not that far off the mark. As far as we can tell, the ritual was a success. All she ended up doing was pulling you from wherever you came from," Kirche explained, licking her lips and playing with the ends of one lock of red hair. "This makes you the biggest talking point in the school right now, and I would certainly love to learn more…"
Lloyd quickly went back to the trolley, trying to hide his rapidly-reddening cheeks. "We'll see. But right now, I'd better get back to work. Thanks for the info." While he couldn't get away from Kirche fast enough, once he was out of earshot he shook his head, hoping to clear whatever dank thoughts had been accruing since their conversation started. Kirche wasn't exactly his type of girl he'd like to date, but be damned if she couldn't put the moves on him. As he walked, by, however, another conversation caught his ears.
"What's wrong with Louise? She barely touched breakfast and then just went back to her room."
"Her Familiar shouted at her before breakfast and stormed off. A couple of the maids were talking about how she's been crying in her room all morning."
"Guess she finally got what was coming to her. She may be a child of the Valliere family but she's still just a zero in the end…"
Lloyd moved a little faster, guilt replacing the arousal he'd chased away. As much as snapping at Louise felt good when he did it, and did allow him a degree of freedom he hadn't had since coming here, it wasn't totally justified. Plus, now that he knew that she actually did cast a spell right, it was clear she wasn't a complete zero, and more importantly, completely misunderstood. Maybe once he was done with helping Siesta, he'd go back to her and try to make amends.
"Is my cake ready yet?"
Lloyd could recognize that voice anywhere. Sure enough, that blonde playboy Guiche was also at a table, with a blonde girl he didn't recognize before. Remembering that Katie girl from the night before, a sudden idea flickered into Lloyd's mind, and he grinned. Hello, opportunity. I've been expecting you. Siesta was in the middle of going back to her trolley, and immediately Lloyd intercepted her. "Tell you what, Siesta, why don't we switch? I'll handle this guy for you."
"But that's…"
"Don't worry about it. I've got a bone to pick with this guy, anyhow," Lloyd insisted. Siesta acquiesced, passing the plate to him. Now armed with cake, he was ready to put this guy in his place. "Cake for you, sir."
"Ah, bring me seconds on tea as well," Guiche said, not aware of Lloyd's presence. "Your Familiar really resembles you in how cute it is, Montmorency," he said to his female guest.
"You flatter me like always. But recently, I heard a rumor that you've started dating a first year," the woman said, to which Lloyd saw Guiche flinch at oh-so-slightly.
"Nonsense! There's never a-"
"Hidden side in my affection for you," Lloyd finished, in what he thought was a good mimicry of Guiche.
"Wh-what are you saying?" Guiche said, already backpedaling.
"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but everybody seems to be wearing different cloaks. You and your friend are wearing black cloaks, so I assume that means you're in the same class year. But that girl I saw you with last night, she had a brown cloak. Tell me, is brown the color of a first year?"
"What is he talking about, Guiche?" Montmorency asked suspiciously.
"Get back to your work, pageboy!" Guiche snapped at Lloyd, standing up to feign righteous indignation.
"What, you don't recognize me from last night? I'm hurt, Guiche," Lloyd smirked. "Anyway, thanks for last night, dude. I'll be seeing you around." With that, Lloyd turned around and made his way back to Siesta's trolley, waiting for the fireworks to start.
"Guiche, what is this about!?"
"U-uh, you remember what I said, right? That peasant Familiar is a restless fellow, that's all…"
"Lord Guiche…where is he?"
Just as Lloyd was about to go and carry on with what he was doing, the Katie girl that Guiche had been schmoozing the night before also arrived with a basket. There was no way Lloyd was going to pass this up now. "Lord Guiche is over there," he said to her, jerking with his head. "I've been told he's been expecting you."
Katie immediately followed his direction as Lloyd resisted the urge to cackle insanely. The trap was set, and the fuse on this bomb was getting dangerously short. "Lord Guiche, I've been looking for you. I thought I'd bring the soufflé that I was talking about last night…"
Guiche immediately dropped Montmorency like a forgotten sack of potatoes. "K-katie! Hello!"
"Last night…?" Montmorency was starting to get quite angry now.
"Man, you're so lucky," Lloyd said, adding more fuel to what was soon to be Guiche's funeral pyre. "You did say you'd love to have a taste of that soufflé last night, yes?"
"What are you talking about, peasant?! You're making these ladies get the wrong idea!" Guiche snapped at him.
"Wrong idea? You're the one double-dipping, I'm just standing here enjoying the show!" Lloyd said innocently.
"So you DID lay your fingers on this first year!"
"You're horrible! You said I'm the only one!"
"A-anyway, both of you calm down…" Guiche pleaded.
"LIAR!"
SMACK.
Guiche fell to the ground, his face now sporting two bright red hand marks.
Katie and Montmorency both left the table in a huff. Well, Montmorency did, anyway, Katie looked like she was about to cry.
Lloyd pumped his fist. Mission accomplished.
"And that's my good deed for the day. I'll be here all week, ladies and gentlemen," Lloyd immediately went back to pushing his trolley, rapping to himself as he went on his way. "Chiggity-check yourself before you wreck yourself, check yourself before you wreck yourself, check yourself before you wreck yourself, 'cause shotgun bullets are bad for your health…"
"You there…" Lloyd suddenly froze against his will, a feeling he was familiar with. Guiche had gotten to his feet, and with rose in hand started to make his way over to him. "I hope you are prepared for the consequences of your actions here today. You've spoken out of turn to an aristocrat, engaged in slander, and made two innocent women cry. I expect a full apology out of you."
"Call me less of a man if you like," Lloyd said, turning his head towards Guiche. His voice was low, almost that same deathly flat he'd pulled on Louise earlier. "But playing with the hearts of two women to satisfy your own ego makes you less of a man, too. Have you no shame at all?"
The students in the area oohed, sensing violence coming in a hurry. Guiche flicked his rose, sneering behind its petals. "Such impudence! If you won't respond to words, then perhaps a sound beating will. I challenge you to a duel!" he said, pointing his rose at him.
Lloyd turned around, putting his hand on his deck case to make sure it was still there. This guy thought he was just another commoner? Well, he was going to figure out the hard way he was anything but another commoner. "A duel, you say? I'm down with that. Name your time and place."
"NOOOO!" Siesta suddenly came barreling out of nowhere, trying to drag him away from Guiche. "Lloyd, you can't! There's no way a peasant can duel a noble! If you just apologize now, maybe he'll let you go!"
Guiche actually considered it. "Well, I am feeling rather generous. You have only been here two days, after all. If you apologize right now, I'll call the whole thing off and even forgive you."
Lloyd was now running red-hot. This spoiled snot wanted to throw the blame on him for getting something he brought on himself? Plus, he had a good feeling his act of "mercy" was nothing less than an attempt to save face and maybe get in the good graces of Siesta, who was also quite pretty, all things considered. But it was that tone of voice, that oily feeling of pure sleaze, that really set him off. And to quote a certain red-clad hero, "Daddy needs to express some rage."
"If you won't accept your bad karma, then I'll shove it right down your throat, if that's what it takes," Lloyd replied. "If you want blood, Guiche, you got it." The gathered students gasped, and Siesta was about to have another freak-out. "Now, I say again. Name your time and place."
"We will duel one hour hence, in Vestri Court."
"Bring it on."
Guiche merely shrugged and walked away, letting the students talk animatedly about the upcoming fight. Lloyd exhaled, trying to calm himself down, but Siesta…
"You'll be killed!" Siesta was already starting to cry. "Why would you do that? You'll be torn apart against Guiche!"
"Hey hey hey hey!" Lloyd said, trying to calm down the maid. "Siesta, listen to me. I can win this!" He put his hand on her head, trying to calm her down. "Besides. Unbeknownst to Guiche," Lloyd pulled out his deck case from his hoodie pocket, shaking it at her. "I've got an Induraga Mano in my back pocket."
Siesta looked up, her eyes still welling up with tears, but she seemed less distraught and more confused. "Indura-what?"
Louise had finally managed to calm down, washing her face to take out the tear tracks. Her Familiar was going to pay for making a fool of her, in front of the whole school, no less! After she'd stopped crying, she was already going through various ideas she had to punish the accursed Familiar. She was the Master, she was the one who called the shots, and after starving him for a couple of days she was certain he would never forget it.
That's when she heard it.
"Did you hear? Guiche challenged Louise's Familiar to a duel and he accepted it!"
"Everyone's already headed for Vestri Court! If he lasts more than five minutes against Guiche he might actually have some merit as a Familiar!"
"THAT IDIOT!" Louise screamed, quickly picking up her pace. Guiche was only a Dot Class Mage, but a Familiar with no magic was going to get killed going up against him in a duel! She was going to have to hurry to make sure she saved her Familiar. And then punish him.
Siesta led Lloyd to Vestri Court, and already they were attracting quite the audience. Guiche was already waiting for them one side of the area. Poor Siesta was still so terrified for her new friend's safety that she had insisted on holding his hand the entire way, as if he was being taken to the gallows, and her grip was like a vice. Kirche and Tabitha were also watching from the nearby wall, away from most of the other gathered students.
"I respect you, commoner, for actually showing up. You are as brave as you are stupid," Guiche commented airily.
"Uh, thanks, I guess," grunted Lloyd, finally extricating himself from Siesta's grasp. "Though if you were worried I'd be running for the hills, you needn't have bothered. I wouldn't miss kicking your ass for the world."
"Wait!" The group groaned as Louise fought her way through the crowd. "Stop this, Guiche! You know duels are forbidden!"
"Well yes, but only if they're duels between nobles. If one of the parties is a peasant, then there's really no cause for alarm. After all, the teachers have yet to intervene," Guiche replied.
"But that's only because this hasn't happened before…" Louise said lamely.
"My my, Louise, you seem rather attached to this peasant Familiar of yours…you wouldn't happen to be falling in love with him, would you?" Guiche asked, unable to resist taking a potshot at Louise.
Louise almost went as pink as her hair. "How DARE you!? Nobody with any decency would just stand by and watch their Familiar get torn to shreds!"
"Oh, now you care about me," Lloyd snarked.
"Well, no matter what you say, the duel has already begun. Now move aside if you don't want to get hurt alongside your idiot Familiar," Guiche said, waving his rose. A single petal fell off the flower, and a pillar of light shot forth from it, transforming into a bronze statue wielding a spear and shield. "My name is Guiche de Gramont, but my Runic name is Guiche the Bronze. As such, this bronze golem, Valkyrie, shall be your opponent in my stead."
"Wait…what?" Lloyd asked. The next question never came out, as the Valkyrie surged forward and smashed its fist right into his stomach, sending the Vanguard Fighter to the ground in a heap of pain. "Ow…! Cheap shot…!"
"Oh, don't act all surprised. It should stand to reason that a mage as myself would use magic to fight, after all."
Louise dashed over to Lloyd's side. "You see? A peasant has no hope of fighting against mages!"
"Move over, will ya? I don't want you getting hurt," Lloyd replied, slowly getting to his feet, then crouching to allow his body to recover.
"Why did you get back up, you idiot!?" Louise asked.
"Because I'm not done fighting," Lloyd replied flatly.
"Oh. Guess I went a little too easy on you," said Guiche.
"Well, you got one good shot on me. However, now that I know what I'm up against, I'm ready to show off my true power." Lloyd clipped his deck case to his belt and opened it, pulling seven cards off the top. "So doll yourself up and get ready for a night on the town, Guiche de Gramont! 'cause Lloyd Kreis is about to take you on a ballroom blitz!" He looked at the seven cards. He'd specifically stacked his deck beforehand so he could call on his less expensive spells first, and one spell in particular seemed to stand out. So he took the card and held it forward. "Master's Call!"
The card shot out of his hand, glowing with white light before splitting into two orbs. As they disappeared, two small Myrs made of steel appeared in their place. The two of them smashed their fists together and faced off against Guiche and the Valkyrie, humming dangerously. The gathered students were in complete shock.
"He created golems just like Guiche!"
"He's gotta be a noble!"
"Are we sure Louise didn't summon this guy?"
Guiche was rapidly getting bent out of shape, seeing his opponent's hidden skill. Louise was, too, but it was for a different reason. "Where did you get this power from? AND WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!?"
"Well, with the two of us going at it like we were, it got pushed to the wayside," Lloyd explained. "Well, Guiche, how about it? Still willing to dance? Come at me, bro!"
Guiche found his sneer again, but it was quite forced. "You're going to regret taunting me, commoner!" The Valkyrie charged again. Lloyd gestured, and one of the Myrs charged forward to meet it. The two golems collided in the air, but the Valkyrie's spear impaled the Myr, causing it to explode into motes of silver dust.
So it's at least a 1/2… Lloyd mused grimly. He'd used Master's Call specifically to use 1/1 Myrs to gauge Guiche's strength. Clearly this was no going to be no cakewalk. He quickly pulled out another card from his deck to replace Master's Call. But, he had plenty of other options in hand to deal with the Valkyrie. "Perilous Myr!" Another Myr appeared next to his compatriot, this one fatter and with pulsating green lines in its armor. Let's see how he likes a little explosive maneuver….
"Get him!" The Valkyrie shot forward once again. The Perilous Myr immediately trundled forward, impaling himself on the Valkyrie's spear. "Another one destroyed."
"Don't be so sure!" Lloyd countered. At once, the Perilous Myr's pulsing light increased in frequency, and Lloyd covered his head and hit the floor. "Everybody down!"
Everyone surrounding Guiche and Lloyd immediately took cover as the Myr exploded in a wave of green light, taking the Valkyrie with it as it was destroyed. Lloyd was the first one up, grinning. "Guess that answers that. Your Valkyries are 1/2 at worst and 1/3 at best. Tough, but I've seen worse."
"This isn't over yet!" Guiche waved his rose, summoning two more Valkyries to face off against Lloyd and his remaining Myr. Lloyd steeled himself for the next assault.
As this was going on, Professor Colbert had sought out the Academy headmaster. Old Man Osmond was a wizened wizard with a magnificent white beard and a black robe, and if there was anyone who could confirm his most recent findings, it was him.
"These Familiar Runes are only known to exist in legend," Osmond said, tapping a picture of the runes he was describing. Incidentally, they were the runes that had appeared on Lloyd's hand when he was first summoned. "Furthermore, considering it was the third girl of the Valliere family that summoned him…I'd venture to say this has something to do with one lost corner of the Pentagon…"
"That can't be...!" Colbet breathed, realizing the implications of that statement.
"Whatever this is, you must not speak of this to anyone. If you're going to investigate this further, please do it quietly."
"Yes, sir, I understand."
The fight between Guiche and Lloyd continued. Despite unveiling his Myrs, it was still dead even as Lloyd, now flanked by a Gold Myr and a Palladium Myr, was knocked to the ground again by a blow from one of Guiche's Valkyries, cards flying everywhere. Despite this, he still got back up, picking his cards up from the ground.
"Why are you getting back up again!?" asked Louise.
"I said I'm not done yet!" Lloyd snapped at her. "Palladium Myr, help me out here!" The silver-gray-plated Myr obeyed, silver energy swirling around him as brought out yet another card. "Myr Reservoir!" A large crater erupted in the ground behind Lloyd, forcing the crowd to expand the circle even more. "Gold Myr!" Gold Myr also summoned a wisp of white energy, which Lloyd used to power yet another card, forming into a gold-plated sphere. "Origin Spellbomb!" The Valkyries came at him yet again, and Lloyd called upon the same white energy as he threw it at one of them. "Hot potato!" The bomb exploded in white light, and yet another Myr appeared to intercept one Valkyrie, but the second broke through, smashing him to the ground for a third time.
It was clear the fight was taking its toll on Lloyd as he tried to get back up again. Louise quickly got in between them, her frustration now replaced with outright panic. "Guiche, please! Stop it already!"
"Leave him, Louise! I won't tell you again!"
Louise went to her knees, trying to keep Lloyd down. "Come on, that's enough. You did really well. You're really something different for a Familiar."
Despite his aching body, Lloyd forced himself to his feet. "I'm fine, Louise. Please, get out of the way." He grimaced, touching at his ribs. The repeated blows were enough to make him think he'd bruised a couple of them, if not broken them outright.
"Why did you think this wasn't going to hurt?" Louise asked him, practically on the verge of tears. "This makes no sense, why are you doing this!?"
Lloyd cracked a weak smile at her. "Hey, no crying now. I'm beat up, but I'm not down for the count yet."
"NO WAY AM I CRYING!" Louise screamed, punching Lloyd in the chest again.
"Gah! Geez, you still pack a wallop…"
Guiche scoffed lightly. "It seems you're still willing to fight. If you're going to continue…" Guiche waved his rose, and a petal fell to the ground. In a burst of light, a simple sword appeared in front of Lloyd and Louise. "Then pick up this sword. If not, then all you have to do is get on your knees and tell me that you're very, very sorry."
"Guiche, stop!" Louise snapped. However, Lloyd smashed his fists together and took a couple of uneasy steps forward. "Wait, stop! If you go any further with this, Guiche will not show you any mercy!"
"Mercy? I was under the impression that he wasn't going to show any to begin with," Lloyd replied. "Unless you call that back there mercy?"
"Stop it, Lloyd! I won't let you hurt yourself any further! As your Master, I order you to stop fighting right now!" Louise insisted, grabbing the artificer's arm. "Please! Just stop hurting yourself for this!"
Lloyd blinked. That had to be the first time since they met that Louise had actually used his name. And in that moment, Lloyd had a revelation as clear as the afternoon sky above them.
"...you wanted an awesome Familiar, right?"
Louise blinked, and then gasped a little as Lloyd patted her on the head a couple of times. "I freely admit, Louise: I was wrong about you. You're a good girl, even if your exterior's a bit thorny. So that's why I'm going to show you something. You're going to see your Familiar do something spectacular!" Pulling his arm away from Louise, Lloyd took the sword from the ground.
(BGM: The Boy Who Shattered Time [Ekko's Theme] - League of Legends)
Guiche took that as his cue, and one of the Valkyries charged at him, thrusting its spear for a vital blow. But Lloyd, the Familiar Runes on his hand burning brightly, was ready for him. "Metalcraft Dispatch!" At once, Lloyd's sword ignited in white fire, and he swung. The Valkyrie fell to the ground in two halves.
A cry of surprise went out from the crowd. Louise, Kirche, and Siesta could only stare in shock as Lloyd expertly spun the blade in his hand, preparing it for another attack as red energy swirled around him. "Now let's really bring down the house! Metalcraft Galvanic Blast!" Gold Myr, Palladium Myr, the walls of the Myr Reservoir, and Lloyd's sword crackled with electricity, and then let fly at the second Valkyrie. It promptly fell apart.
"What is going on!?" Guiche asked in shock.
"You gave an artificer a sword. Basically, you dun goofed!" Lloyd said.
"An artificer?" repeated Kirche.
"What on earth is an 'artificer!?'" Louise demanded.
"Talk later! Kicking ass now!" Lloyd produced yet another card. "Palladium Myr!" Palladium Myr unleashed its energy again as Lloyd threw the card. "Myr Superion!" Another Myr appeared, but this one was much bigger than its compatriots, almost Lloyd's height and armored like a mecha, appeared in the fray, smacking its fists. "Gold Myr!" Gold Myr unleashed white energy as more silver energy flowed out of the Myr Reservoir. "Myr Galvanizer!" Another Myr, this one plated in brass, appeared, with a pair of crackling lightning rods attached to its back.
Guiche responded by waving his rose twice in quick succession. Six petals fell off the rose and summoned six more Valkyries, sending them out all at once. Myr Superion charged, taking out two of them easily with its armored arms.
"Galvanizer! Reset!" Lloyd commanded. Myr Galvanizer unleashed arcs of lightning from its lightning rods in all directions, striking Myr Superion, Gold Myr, and Palladium Myr. At once, they shot up, fully alert, and shot into the air to counter. Gold Myr suicide blocked one, taking it out at its own expense, while Palladium Myr took down another one. As Myr Superion grabbed the last one out of the air in mid-flight, Lloyd himself entered the fray, cleaving it in half with a mighty slice as he ran past, menacing Guiche with the sword point.
"How about it, Guiche? Want to call it a day?" Lloyd asked.
"I…I yield…" Guiche lowered his head and dropped his rose.
"Good boy," Lloyd said, sticking the sword in the ground. Then, he promptly fell unconscious.