YEEEEES! THE OBLIGATORY GUICHE FIGHT!
Kira: This is the ONE reason you wrote this story, isn't it?
Nooooo. Well, it was one. Because just so you know [[supersecretspoiler: Guiche gets his ass kicked everytime]]
Kira: No subtlety, huh?
Nope. Now, if you're wondering why this took so long… blame Katawa Shoujo. I picked it up again and then it SUCKED ME IN DX Not to mention school's been limiting my time. Freaking Calculus... Also, this chapter I was feeling a little off-ish, but hopefully it's good and hopefully Gig doesn't come off as a Mary Sue.
Also, not exactly sure if I went through the same exact events as the light novel, I might have switched them up a bit, but then again, it's not too fun sticking exactly with the novel the whole way through.
Now, REVIEW REPLY… GOOOOOOOOOOO!
LV.10 Guest: Hell yes, this begins my crazy plot! *insert Laharl's evil laugh from Disgaea here*
Finaltrinity5: Well, I am a fan of that series, so expect to see a few more!
ViolatedMonkey: Yeah, I would agree the intro is pretty cliché, but I hope that that changes soon enough. Pretty much we get past the obligatory Guiche fight, and then things can start to really pan out.
Jeggetts: I'm hoping to avoid that with Gig. I mean, he is going to be quite powerful, but I've found a few ways for mages to get around his mass electricity manipulation. That, and it's not only power that makes a Mary Sue.
Argorok: Thanks for the support! Hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint!
Keeper Of All Lore: I won't abandon this, don't you worry about that!
Boz0: Glad to know that you do!
KO: YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES someone got the Gig reference! And of course, Gig is going to put MORE than just the fear of God into Guiche. Just read on and find out.
Fairystail: Well then, here it is! Hopefully it doesn't disappoint!
Kasumi Lynne: Thanks! I hope you keep on reading!
Cybernewbie202: Thanks for the support! And here's the chapter you were waiting for! I hope that it's good!
Chapter Two: One Hundred and One Ways to Kick Ass… or, you know, the Obligatory Guiche Fight *cough*Curbstompbattle*cough*
And there goes the twin moons that are trippy as all hell. I miss my singular white moon that waned and waxed on a normal schedule… or something like it, anyways. Though I do wonder how these moons influence tides. And how do I know there's water on this world? Because it's kinda a necessity for life. Civilization would've started near water and then branched outwards. Hooray science facts that are blatantly obvious. Or would that be history? Never mind.
…Man, waking up early is nice. Get to see the sun rise and all of that. But then again, I'm used to being on first watch in the morning. After all, a good electrical jolt down the nerve circuits does get one up and running without the need for caffeine. Could never stand coffee anyways.
You know, I wonder if I could control the 'shape' that lightning came down in. I could totally pull a God Hand during a storm just for kicks.
Though I suppose I could call myself "Darth Sidious" considering that my lightning tends to flare red when I'm doing not-so-good things and with the Gigawatt Blade, it might as well be a lightsaber.
Meh, whatever, I suppose. I obviously have way too much free time if I'm thinking about this.
As the sun began to rise I opened up the curtains in Louise's room and the ones that wrapped around her bed. And roughly ten minutes from now if I estimate the sun's rising rate here right, then it should be just enough to shine through the window and wake her up.
Three songs later, I was proven right as the oh-so-loveable pinkette woke up.
"Muunya…" she let out a yawn, sitting up, her white nightgown shifting around, "Huh…?"
"G'morning," I flipped a coin in the air and caught it, resisting the urge to railgun the window. I was met with silence, "So, I'm not sure if it's manners here or not, but in my world, it was kind of polite to say good morning back when someone greets you with that."
"Clothes."
"What?"
"Get me my clothes, familiar!" Louise commanded.
"No."
"You… you idiot familiar!"
"Are you six?" she froze at my question, "Because I remember the last time my mom ever had to get my clothes and dress me was when I was that age. So, I ask you, are you six?"
She mumbled a defeated "No."
"That's what I thought." I smirked, "Now, if you are ready to prove you are of age, change yourself." I stood up, "If you don't mind, I'mma wait outside."
Not bothering to wait for a response, I immediately went outside her room, slamming the door with enough force to get the message across that I was not going to listen to any more arguments. That, and I'm no pervert. I ain't gonna watch her change. Though I'd bet there are some guys that would… and I'd shock 'em dead if they tried peeping.
Then again, every boy at this school seems to be at the age where they see women as nothing but a chest and pair of legs. Sad, isn't it?
I could make it down to what might be the dining hall, since I had a fairly good idea of what was where in the school. It was well structured, as the rooms that would require a lot of space and would be a good place to come and go were in the middle of the school, such as the dining hall. That, and the hallways were actually marked by some weird elemental thing. There was a main water corridor which branched off into several subhallways, same for the others. This place was kind of like anime Hogwarts in a sense. Complete with ridiculous hair colors.
"Familiar." Louise said, coming out of her room.
"I do have a name, you know."
"Regardless, you are my familiar."
"Could you at least call me by my name?"
"Why should I? It's a lot easier to remember 'Familiar'."
"…Gig has less letters and syllables." I offered, "Whatever. Stubborn idiot…"
"What was that?"
"Nothing, nothing," I shook my head, "But it would be nice if you could actually call me by my name."
"Ahaha, it seems Louise the Zero still can't control her familiar!" Oh hey, it's Backpain, "Good morning, Louise."
I forced back a shiver as out of the corner of my eye I watched her scan me up and down.
"Good morning… Kirche," Oh, so you'll say good morning to her, one of your obvious tormenters, but not me, who hasn't done much else other than give her a reason to… oops.
"Sooo," Backpain smirked (still gonna call her that, even if I know her name), "This is your familiar?"
"You say it like that's something to be ashamed of. What's wrong with being human?" And yet, I'm sure as hell not a human. Though I can't just say: "what's wrong with being a guy who can suck up a lightning bolt?"
"It's just like you, Louise the Zero," she blatantly ignored me, sparking the urge to shock her right there, "To summon a commoner."
"Who can use knives like a crazed madman," I never did show my knife skills to Louise now, did I? "What good's a wand if your opponent can throw a knife in your face first?"
Louise did not look amused. In fact, she had a face that looked like I had just said something blasphemous.
Oh right, commoner beating noble with magic thing here.
"Haha!" Okay, seriously wanting to just railgun the crap out of this girl, "As if a commoner could ever beat a noble!" Would you like to watch that right now? "Besides, if you're going to have a familiar, it should be a good one! Come, Flame!"
The urge to make a Charmander or Charmeleon joke was heavily suppressed as her fire lizard came out, heating up the hallway considerably. Thank goodness for being heat resistant.
"What is that thing?!" Louise asked, taking a step back.
Backpain smiled, "It's a fire salamander, silly!"
"No, it's not. It's a lizard," I growled, inner scientist getting the best of me. I hate it when that sort of stuff gets mixed up, "A lizard is a reptile and thrives in heat as they're cold-blooded, and salamanders are amphibious, and I doubt your little fire lizard swims in water."
"Silly Familiar of Zero," That title is ridiculous, "As if a commoner would know anything about that!" Well, my score of a five on the AP Bio exam begs to differ! "Also Louise, doesn't it match my elemental affinity just perfectly?"
"Your affinity is fire, isn't it?" Thank you, Captain Obvious.
"Obviously, as I am Kirche the Ardent," Ardent means something about passion if I remember correctly. English, again, was not my best subject, "Everywhere I go I have boys falling for me, unlike you." More like your chest.
"I don't have the time to go flirting, unlike you." Louise retorted, rather weakly might I add.
Backpain only let out a hint of a grin before turning to me, and I felt the urge to throw myself out of the closest window, "And what would your name be?"
"Back home they call me Gig." I apathetically replied. I'd say Kurt Bright, but if the stuff Siesta mentioned to me in the information dump last night is true, commoners don't have last names. So my name would be Kurtbright which sounds stupid.
"Hm, a bit of an odd name. Well then, I'll be off~!"
As she left Louise clenched her fist, "Ugh, that girl just gets on my nerves! Just because she summoned a salamander-"
"Lizard."
"-I don't care! Just because she summoned something from the Fire Mountains she thinks she's all great or something!"
"Well, you have me."
"Exactly!"
"Hey, to be fair, I could kill that thing easily." I twirled a knife in my hands and launched it down the corridor with just some magnetic field manipulation, which didn't actually have any flashy sights, allowing me to remain seemingly normal. Louise's face paled at my casual use of weapons and sharp objects in a hallway with plenty of students, "See?" As we walked, I went ahead and retrieved the knife out of the wall, "So, what's up with that nickname, 'Louise the Zero'?"
"It's just a nickname." She seethed, though I'm reading that there's a lot more considering she seems to be a victim of bullying, "You don't need to know."
"Well, would you believe me if I wanted to know? You did call me your familiar, and I thought I was supposed to help you."
"You certainly don't act like you like being a familiar."
"Then, not as a familiar, but as a concerned person. Bullying is a terrible thing. And I've got time to listen."
"…You don't need to know!" she shouted, slapping me but not really doing much, "Follow me, familiar!"
Yanno… for being a mage, she surely uses her words and fists a lot more than a wand… There's a reason somewhere, I know there has to be…
Okay, my comment about this place being like anime Hogwarts?
I totally take it back.
And then put it back out with a times ten multiplier.
Well, except for the stupid obnoxious nobility. But they could all be in Slytherin for all I care.
I noted that the children here were wearing different colored capes and most of them mingled with ones of the same color, which means it's some sort of indicator… might be class years? Yes… the ones wearing purple cloaks are definitely older in appearance. The brown cloaks seem to be younger as well. I suppose that would place Louise, who wears a black cloak, in second year.
Unfortunately, I realized that the whole decorative appeal was probably built using magic, and not by the hands of people, which ruins the whole 'architectural monument/wonder' thing a lot.
"Tristain's Academy of Magic doesn't teach only magic," Louise stated like a stuck up tour guide, "Almost all mages are nobles. There's a saying that goes 'nobles achieve nobility through the use of magic', which serves as the foundation for our education. Therefore, our dining hall must fit the standards of a noble."
"Right." I rolled my eyes. Because I believe that nobility shouldn't exist. Hooray Enlightenment and all of the philosophes we had back home!
"Normally, a commoner like you would never set foot inside the Alviss Dining Hall."
"The hell's an Alviss?" I asked, seeing that they wouldn't just name a supposedly 'noble' dining hall for nothing.
"It's a name for little people. Like those statues over there."
"…Do they come alive or what?"
"Oh, so you knew that?" she stated 'matter-of-factly', "Anyways, pull out my chair already. You're not a very competent familiar."
"Except in knife throwing." I watched her double take as I said that. Guess that knife toss really must've done something. Then again it might've just invoked a natural sense of 'get the hell away from the crazy guy with the knife'.
"W-whatever." She stammered as I pulled out the chair, deeming it to be a lot better in the long run.
"Sooo…" I looked at all the food, which by the way is a lot more than what breakfast should be. Who eats a whole flipping chicken for breakfast anyways? "If you decided to bring me in here, then I'm eating in here, right?"
"Yes." She pointed to the floor offhandedly. A bowl. You're kidding me.
"It's a flipping bowl."
"Does it look like anything else?"
"What the hell's inside of it?" I growled. Whatever was inside the bowl looks like stale bread and what amounts to maybe a square inch of chicken skin.
"Familiars are supposed to stay outside. You're only in here because I specifically requested it." She said, completely blowing off the question.
"Well… you know what I think of that?" An angry look came onto my face, and I felt my 'trying to be good' side of me be stabbed and thrown aside, but still barely alive as I stood up.
"What is it? You should be grateful." Oh, that's it. I'm ditching this bitch right now.
"Just leave me outside then." I stomped on the wooden bowl's edge, causing it to flip up in the air before I caught it and threw it across the hall, surrounding it in a magnetic field and then using my powers to propel it faster, causing it to shatter rather loudly, getting everyone's attention.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Louise hissed.
"Leaving. They say that having good company can make a bad meal a grand feast, but bad company such as yourself makes a grand feast no better than a pile of shit." I replied, not missing a beat while leaving.
I ignored her cries and shouts for me to get back to her side, kicking the doors to the place open as I walked (well, more like magnetically opening them), the entire attention of the hall on us.
"Well, well, well… if it isn't the commoner that Louise the Zero 'summoned'," Oh, it's Back Pain. Must be past breakfast if the students are out and about. I turned to face her while still lying on the ground, and noticed that the blue haired girl from the other day at the summoning place was with her, "So, tell me: How much is she paying you for this charade? You are just a commoner she snuck in so she could fool everyone after she failed her summoning spell, right?."
I laughed out loud, causing her some confusion, "Back home I might've been considered a monster, I am not nearly monstrous enough to falsely fulfill a young girl's dreams for money." After all, I have my own dreams as well, and I'd hate for someone to make me think I accomplished them, but in the end, didn't.
"So… is there anything you require of me then?" I yawned, getting up, "Because if you're out here I'm pretty sure that Louise isn't far behind to check on her familiar."
"FAMILIAR!" the tyrannical shout echoed across the field. Damn, she shouts loud. I think a jet engine would deal less hearing damage. Or a rock concert. Damn, I'm gonna miss those in this world…
"For the last damn time, I HAVE A NAME!" I roared back, "For the love of all things good in this world, learn to call people by something they'd like to be known as!"
Again, all the attention was on us, considering that one, I was a familiar defying their supposed master, and two, I was a commoner defying a noble.
Hey, maybe I can pull an Animal Farm and take over the school! That would be hilarious…
Yes, I should become a hero to the commoners and lead them in a French Revolution style rebellion in which the nobility is exterminated! Except, with me heading it and knowing what will eventually happen, I can avert the Reign of Terror that might happen! …And obviously this is the wrong way of doing things. Mass slaughter doesn't really help in the end… And it ain't really my thing, anyways.
She stormed off as she refused to at least treat me like an equal, social standards here be damned, screaming about how her familiar was an incompetent good for nothing commoner.
Why don't you listen to her? Wouldn't it be better? What… I thought I stopped this thing!
I looked at my left hand, and even though I could feel my suppression of it, it was glowing a bright red, my hand now starting to hurt a bit.
Growling, I decreased the flow of the nerve circuits that I thought were the ones carrying the electrical pulses that gave me the thoughts.
"Ha, Louise, you might have your pocket emptied if your 'familiar' is being this stubborn about being here." Backpain laughed, throwing her head back for dramatic effect.
"What are you talking about?!"
"She seems to think that you are faking summoning a familiar, that I'm a commoner that you brought in to play said role, and now she seems to now think that I am demanding compensation for dealing with all of the crap here." I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.
"How long have you been spreading this slander?!" Louise seethed at Backpain, "Why, Kirche?!"
My inner heroics kicked in as Louise was on the verge of tears, "Get out."
"Excuse me?" she looked offended, "I can understand why you do it to Louise, but to another noble?"
"I said get out." I pointed a finger away, growling, "Take your words elsewhere, for those that want to listen. As for Louise, I'm sure she's had enough."
"Hmph, I suppose you would protect the source of your-"
"I said get the fuck out!" she flinched at the swear, realizing how pissed off I was. I can take death and killing, but something like this… something that erodes someone's will to even live and keep on going… that is what I consider monstrous.
I noted that everyone's attention was on us, which was not very pleasant. A glare didn't really do much considering they all thought I was below them, but after a while they just got bored and left.
Pricks.
Louise eventually stopped being about to cry, dusted herself off, then yelled at me for not actually denying what Kirche said (though I had before she got here), and with a final frustrated huff, left to her class.
Alright, so now for my first goal: Decipher the reasons for Louise's actions.
Well, besides the obvious bullying-displacement thing.
So far, it seemed that she was teased with the moniker 'Louise the Zero'. Zero would indicate lack of something. Also, she would rather use physical force (which a lot considering her lack of visible muscle. That riding crop actually stung a bit) than throw a fireball at me. Hm, if I had known her elemental affinity… wow, look at me, the scientist applying reason to magic. Meh, sufficiently analyzed magic and all that. Then again this is more psychology… Hm… well, I already know the psychological justifications behind her actions, but what about her actual elemental affinity here?
Okay, I know fire is an affinity, as confirmed by Backpain. Now, take the giant mole from the other day, I would assume that is earth. Hm, let's take the Avatar path and assume the last two to balance those out would be air and water. Though that makes four. So, if Louise had been good in any of those separate elements, she would've done something with it, whether it be douse me in water (actually kinda lethal to me) or hurl me with a tornado of sorts.
Hm, that would fit 'Louise the Zero'. Zero refers to lack of magical talent, which is something people in a school for magic would make fun of! Okay, so that makes sense.
Therefore, by process of elimination, as she doesn't fit the other elements, Louise must fit this mystery fifth element. I know there has to be some sort of 'magical energy' because she brought me somehow through dimensions and timelines. And that isn't done with just any sort of-
BOOM!
"SHIT!" I screamed, hearing what probably was a massive explosion.
Instinct kicked in, and I sprinted to the source of the explosion and all but kicked the door of its hinges.
Okay, what are we under attack from and-
Why does the classroom look like someone detonated a bomb inside here?
"L-looks like I messed up a little…" said a disheveled and embarrassed Louise.
"That wasn't a little, Louise the Zero!"
"Your success rate is always ZERO!"
Well… looks like I correctly deduced the origins of her name. I guess her tyrant-like tendencies are probably just displacement and a need to assert herself as higher than others because of this bullying problem so she pushes down whoever she can. Still doesn't excuse her from it though. Luckily I got through most of AP Psych so I think I can solve this problem, but it'll take time.
Anyways, she had to clean up, along with me, giving a bit of a crash course in magic, which greatly aided me. No one was actually hurt, though the teacher was KOed from sheer concussive force. Huh, there aren't any burn marks though that would indicate an explosion, but there definitely was a dust cloud if the kids talking were any hint. How does her supposed 'magic' work then…?
"Louise the Zero, a fitting moniker," I mused to no one in particular, "So, where would the power of nothingness come from?" No response from Louise, "If anything from your classmates have said is anything to go by, you're great in the matters of the theoretical, but not the practical. Hm… you also said that transmutations don't allow for anything to go wrong like that, as it's based off your element. You said you tried every element?" It couldn't hurt to possibly check again, right?
"Except for the lost one, Void." Hey, there's the mystery fifth element that I was looking for… I guess I could present my theory now.
"Hm… process of elimination might be a bit tricky to use here then. By eliminating the others as your affinity, that leaves only Void. Then, let us assume you are a 'Void Mage', then by all means, The Zero is a fitting name! Void, Zero, Nothingness, all similar."
At this, Louise stormed out. Well, so much for that working…
…I really should learn some tact.
Well, Louise was pissed because of my earlier comments, even though they were logical. Then again I'm talking logic to a group of magicians for crying out loud…
Though, this means I am currently going without lunch. And no breakfast earlier sucks. But this grass makes a much better bed than concrete, so I guess there's a silver lining there.
…Hey, that's a bird familiar…
…I need salt, pepper, some garlic, a bit of breading, a small bit of oil, and then we can have fried chicken.
"Are you alright, Gig?" a familiar female voice asked.
"Oh," I rolled up, finding the black haired maid from yesterday, dressed in uniform, "Hey Siesta. And sure, why not? Been better, though."
"Have you eaten lunch?" she asked, genuinely concerned.
"Not at all," I shrugged, "Been through worse, though. Times were tough back home. And Louise is pissed off at the moment."
"…Hm? She… erm…"
"She's upset at me." Right, vernacular here… ugh, that's gonna be annoying. Didn't the translation spell or whatever take care of this? Bleh, whatever…
"Oh, I see…" she nodded, "Ah! I know, follow me, please."
I didn't really see a reason to deny that request, so I got up and walked with her. She led me to a kitchen by the rear end of the dining hall and we entered, the smell of freshly cooked food instantly washing over me. Then, she walked me to a table, pulled out a chair and had me sit down, and a few minutes later came back with a warm bowl of soup, the steam still rising from it, "It's some of the leftovers, please eat it."
I raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure? I don't need all of it. And I'm sure all of you guys here could use a bit more food."
"I am. Please, eat it."
Her actions were… very touching. I'm glad to see there exists some sort of good in this world. A far cry from Louise's actions, at the least. Though, how good is this soup-
"Holy hell," I mumbled, nearly dropping the spoon, "Siesta, this soup is delicious."
She put on a wonderful smile, tilting her head as well, "Great! There's more if you'd like some!" …bless this woman's heart. Seriously, I've only met one other person with such kindness.
I slowly ate afterwards, feeling guilty. But meanwhile, Siesta just stood there and smiled the whole time.
"Hehe," she giggled, "You ate quite a bit. Were you given anything to eat this morning?"
"Besides moldy bread, not really. That, and my pride got in the way of me eating like a dog," I snorted, "She wanted me to eat out of a damn bowl! Imagine that! A person getting down on all fours and eating like a dog! Stupid, I tell you."
"Oh no! You shouldn't act like that! It's just how nobles are to us commoners. They're a lot more important…" she trailed off, looking away.
"Noble?" I snorted again, "The only action that fits the definition of 'noble' has come from you."
Her entire face was covered in a blush, "M-me? Noble? That's nice of you to say, but I'm only a commoner… Though you are very brave to stand up for yourself."
"Back in my home, we believed in the common equality of man, and that no man is more important than any other man." I finished the last bit of my soup and stood up, then gave a slight bow of respect, "Siesta, it has been far too long since I have had food that great. For what it is worth, thank you."
"It's great you liked it. Feel free to visit whenever you're hungry. We'd be happy to share!" There's that completely benevolent and innocent smile of hers again.
"Thanks… Hold up, is there anything I can do then, to repay this?"
"Well, could you please help me serve desserts?" she kindly asked, maintaining her smile.
"No problem," I flashed a grin, "And also… thanks for saying 'please'. First time I've heard that around here."
There were all sorts of desserts arranged very carefully on a silver tray (and damn them, having crème puffs I can't eat… I'll have to steal some from these kids later). I held up the tray while Siesta would use tongs to pick up the desserts and serve them. There was this one kid that stood out as we went, this curly blonde haired guy who gave off the feeling of a douche that needs to be put in his place. Some people just tend to ooze an aura of annoyance, I guess. As we stopped nearby, I eavesdropped on their conversation.
"So, Guiche! Who's going out with you now?"
"Which girl's your lover, Guiche?"
So, the douche's name is Guiche. The feeling I get around him just makes me want to punch him in the gut.
"Go out? I hold no single woman in such high regard. After all, a rose blooms for many." Oh, a Casanova as well, huh? Well, karma certainly is going to bite him soon enough…
Something fell out of his pocket right then, marked only by a glint of sunlight coming through the window.
Siesta handed me the tray with a smile. I raised an eyebrow as she left, but watched as she picked up whatever Guiche had dropped, "Excuse me, Sir Gramont, but you seem to have dropped this."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" he shouted a bit too loudly, attracting the attention of several others who began to look at the ongoing scene.
"Hey, isn't that perfume from Montmorency?" one boy yelled. I noted Guiche's heart pulses continuing to rise. Ha, you're finished now.
"Mhm! That's the same purple that Montmorency mixes only for herself!"
"So, she's your lover now, Guiche?"
"No! Listen, I'll only say this for the sake of her reputation, but-"
He was cut off by a girl walking up behind him. Brown cloak, chestnut hair.
"Guiche…" was all she said, before breaking into tears, "I knew it…"
"It's a misunderstanding, Katie!" Guiche hastily lied, "The only person I hold in my heart is y-"
And DOWN goes the son of a bitch with a heavy slap! Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, after all. And man, karma is a bitch sometimes.
"That perfume you dropped is all the proof I need." she said before running off, tears streaming down her cheeks, some drops landing on the floor.
"Siesta," I hissed with urgency as Siesta didn't have it in her to move away, "Get to the teachers, inform them of the situation, and make sure that Katie doesn't end up committing suicide."
"S-she won't really, do that, will she?" she said, half shocked, half terrified.
"I've seen it happen," Well, in books anyways, but one can never be too sure, "Go!"
"Suicide?!" I whipped around and noticed that the professor from the other day had come to check up on the situation, "You don't really-"
"I do." I said with an icy tone, conveying the seriousness of the possibilities.
"…As a teacher, I will ensure the student's safety." With that, he quickly took off running in search of the girl.
Meanwhile, another girl came up to him. Blonde hair, drill-like hair. She looks pissed. And by that, I mean that instead of being a fool and trying to explain, Guiche should run before he gets himself killed by this girl. If he even gets the mercy of death.
"Montmorency! This is just a misunderstanding! All I did was-" he tried to explain, but his heart rate just kept skyrocketing. I saw sweat run down his neck as well.
"Just as I thought, you've been making advances on that first year!"
"Please, Montmorency the Fragrance, don't twist your rose-like face in anger like that!"
Oh shit she just grabbed a bottle! Those things can kill you know- Oh… she just poured it on him. Phew, and here I thought we'd have a possible murder. Then again she would've been doing a favor to the world.
He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his face in a slow, dramatic fashion, "It would seem that those two ladies do not understand the meaning of a rose's existence…" He then glared at Siesta, who still had not moved for the love of all hell, "And you, servant girl, you should not have picked up that bottle, and left it alone when I pretended not to know what it was!" He raised his hand to smack her, Siesta paralyzed in fear. I dumped off all the treats from the tray and ran down the aisle, electricity pumping through me to increase the nerve reactions for pumping my legs, allowing me a lot more speed.
He swung his hand down, meaning to backhand Siesta.
CLANG!
Guiche screamed as his hand hit the metal tray, "You leave her alone! Admit your mistakes, you piece of shit." The air in the room went heavy with tension at the swear, "Or what's the matter, you can't? Can't admit that this is your fault and now you're trying to blame it on somebody else, huh?"
I don't give a damn if I was a monster or a hero, but in the end, I too admitted my mistakes. I knew I had been selfish, I had a sense of entitlement because I had powers. But I learned that I was not above right and wrong. I too, would one day have to take responsibility for my actions. It's why this douche here annoyed me so much right now, he tried to take his faults and pin them on somebody else. Worse, he tried to hurt an innocent.
And that simply will not do.
"Ah, the Familiar of that Zero," Guiche scoffed, "I suppose the commoners would stick up for one another. I have to admit that I am impressed by both your bravery and stupidity."
"Stupidity?" I growled, ready to throw the tray at him and go for my knives.
Siesta spoke in a trembling and soft voice, "I-if you truly anger a noble…"
"You should not have interfered, and should have had enough respect for nobility to know not to interfere with matters such as this," Guiche said firmly, "I shall await you in the Vestri Court. I will teach you a lesson about respect."
With that, he turned and started walked away.
"Hey, you douche, you running away?" I yelled at him, grip tightening on the tray.
"Don't be stupid, commoner. I can't taint the dining tables of nobles with the blood of a commoner." Oh, but I'll be smearing the ground with yours soon enough, "As I said, I'll wait at the Vestri Court. Come when you are ready. Also, my name is Guiche. If you're going to complain about Louise the Zero calling you something other than your name, you should do the same."
"Well, ain't really name calling if it's the truth, eh?" I smirked as he got flushed momentarily, but resumed his dramatic walk away. Jackass. Then again, I'm not that different… Also, how does 'douche' translate into their language and not 'piss me off'? Best not to think of it for now…
Anyways, his friends got up, except for one, as if checking I didn't run.
"Do you think I'm going to run away?" I threw an apple at him and shouted, "Go over to that douche and tell him that I'll be coming soon."
I turned to Siesta, who was shaking in fear, "Heh, don't worry about me. I've taken down much tougher than a Casanova pretty boy."
"You… you'll be killed…" she was still shaking in fear, her knuckles white as she clenched her fists.
"Excuse me?" I raised an eyebrow.
"If you truly earn the wrath of a noble…" she repeated again, before she ran off, not finishing. Well… I guess I'll just have to defy the odds that they seem to have here.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Louise's voice hissed from behind me.
"Oh, hey there." I turned around and waved, "I think I'm about to go kick the ass of a playboy that needs to learn his place." Turning towards another kid, I asked, "Oi, where's Vestri Court?" The kid pointed in the direction of where I needed to go and I nodded back, "Thanks a bunch."
"Apologize to him!" Louise yelled as I kept on walking.
"Make me." I replied, not missing a beat.
"If you don't want to be hurt, go and apologize to him! He might forgive you if you do so right now!" she pleaded with what seemed to be genuine concern. If only she knew.
Anyways, I just rolled my eyes, "Again, make me."
"Just do it!" she said in an authoritative 'you will do as I command' voice, but I could still pick up on that hint of concern.
"I told you, you'll have to make me."
"You're too stubborn. But you know what, fine! Besides, you can't win. You'll be destroyed. A commoner has never defeated a mage!" Louise yelled, crossing her arms.
"There's a first time for everything." I smirked, breaking away from Louise, a smug grin coming onto my face. Oh, the poor sap didn't even know what was coming. I suppose I should feel sorry for him, but not really. Pompous ass, that guy was, and I'mma put him in his damn place.
I finally got around to the damn Court, and it was jam packed with people who had heard the rumors. Yells of who was going to duel filled the air, much to my annoyance.
"Gentlemen, it's a duel!" Guiche announced, exciting the audience.
"Out of the way," I growled, forcing my way through the crowd, "I said out of the way!"
The crowd quickly parted as I silently walked to face the douche here.
"Ah, there you are. I commend you for not running away."
"There's no reason to run from you," I snarled, cracking my knuckles as I stood right up next to him, sizing him up, "I have nothing to fear."
"Ha!" he let out a pompous and bragging laugh, "I shall put fear in you then. And I too, have nothing to fear, for a true noble fears nothing!"
"Riiiiight…"
"Then, let us begin." With that, he turned around, just like a Western quickdraw duel.
As we took our ten paces back, I asked him: "Any last words?"
He took out a rose silently, and I readied myself for what he could throw at me.
"I didn't mention it earlier," He flicked his wrist, a petal from the rose dancing in the air before hitting the ground, and a female warrior made of bronze rose up with a spear, "My Runic name is 'the Bronze', and therefore my Bronze Valkyrie will be your oppoenent!"
"Glad to know you can pleasure yourself on a lonely night," I let out a victorious grin as his face fell, "Seriously though, you could've been rich in my world. Except they'd say metal hurts and rather have it as rubber or whatever. Meh, whatever then."
It rushed towards me as Guiche cried out something in rage, and I sidestepped the Valkyrie's attack before touching it, manipulating the sea of electrons to stop, causing the Valkyrie to just vanish. Or, scientifically, caused whatever made it up to stop being held together, thusly disintegrating it. His smug look had a hint of panic in it as I calmly walked towards him, "Is that it?"
Hm, I don't believe bronze is a ferrous metal, so that means I'll need to put up magnetic fields around them so I can repel them. Good, strategy already in hand. Let's do this.
"Hmph, so what if you can destroy one!" He summoned two this time. As they rushed towards me I manipulated the magnetic field around the Valkyries, then changed a field around the ground to yank them down rather hard, crushing them with the sheer force of the magnetic attraction. Then he summoned three, and I immediately manipulated the magnetic field around them. When they came a little too close I changed my own field to repel them, throwing them over the crowd and into the walls.
"Come on, you've got to have something better." I grinned ferally as he hurriedly brought out four. They charged at me again, and against a swordsman might've been difficult as their attacks were definitely pinpoint and synchronized. Though against me, all they got was being thrown up into the air and then crushed into a ball, which I threw at Douche, who dive-dodged. For five, I made one float and then made it spin around, smashing the other golems down.
"Stay back!" he yelled, summoning six. Oh hey, there's a lot of iron dust lying around the ground, since I sorta am a human metal detector. Heh. Just like home. I could always make it into a sword… or you know, do the much more fun thing.
I stomped the ground, and in a heartbeat six spikes rose from the ground as the iron dust was raised and impaled the golems, before subsiding, "Get back, demon!"
"Oh, that's rich," I laughed as he summoned out seven golems. Fuck keeping my powers a secret, I'll just intimidate this whole school and show them just how powerful a 'commoner' can be, "You know, I've been hearing a lot of talk about there being a lightning bolt when I was summoned…" I let out a pulse and found one of his golems sneaking up behind me as it morphed out of the ground, "Allow me to show you why."
The world flashed white as I whipped around and brought out my right hand's Gigawatt blade, slicing through his golem like hot butter, the half melted scrap falling on the ground, lifeless. My left arm began to crackle with electricity, "Back home they called me a lot of things." I let the current flow through his golems, each and every single one of them falling down as they were shocked by the electricity coursing through them, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kurt Bright, but a hell of a lot of people call me Gig. Better known as the Master of the Storm!"
The air burned with a familiar smell as I cut through his rapidly summoned golems, each one still having the details of his original ones. I'm surprised he's even kept up enough concentration for that, if I'm assuming that it takes concentration to make these golems quite intricate.
Never the less, no matter how detailed they looked, they were still the enemy, which meant they were cut down in a heartbeat. Scraps of metal flew, crumbling back into the ground as the Valkyries were dispersed. Guiche was looking much more panicked with each passing seconds as I slowly made my way closer and closer to him.
"Is he facing a god?!" one student cried out in fear, "Guiche, s-surrender!"
All he got back was a paralyzed murmur, Guiche being too afraid to say anything at this point. Of course, it didn't help that he thought he was going to kick my ass and a few seconds later have a man essentially hurling lightning at his creations.
"You know what else they call me?" I spun on my toes, Gigawatt Blades erupting on both arms, cutting the Valkyries that surrounded me, "The Wrath of Odin, and at times Zeus' Rage. All perhaps fitting, seeing as they were seen as the gods of lightning in my world."
It only served to make him even more scared, as my psychological warfare was successful; making him think he was really facing down the wrath of a god personified. He let out a whimper, backing into a wall, as my Gigawatt Blades dissipated away.
Surprisingly, he then summoned out seven all in a line to my right, all holding onto a battering ram. Well, that could actually hurt. You know, if I couldn't just make it disintegrate.
Hold up, I have just the thing for dealing with them.
I smirked while I took a single coin out of my wallet and threw it into the air.
"Remember this day, Douche or whatever your name is. The day that a mere commoner defeated you… By the way, you all might want to look the hell away." I watched the coin come back down near my hands. I'd rather have my own techniques, but you have to admit it is damn effective, "Railgun!"
In the blink of an eye the seven golems had been torn through, and a burning trail that went right up to the castle walls, which had scorch marks as well, was very visible, "I hope you've noticed by now, but your creations won't save you."
He created a sword, intending to fight me himself. Probably just a reflex of pride at this point.
"For all of you who believe I'm some sort of god…" I let Guiche weakly lunge out, cutting me across the cheek, a drop of blood trickling out, "Remember that gods don't bleed."
With that phrase, I rushed him, red tinted Gigawatt Blade forming on my left hand and cutting right through his blade with the sheer heat. My right hand grabbed his collar before he could get away and I pressed him up against the nearby wall, my left hand desparking as I twisted his wand hand and caught the falling wand after letting go of his hand, breaking it in my grasp. I then held my left hand just above his heart, reaching through the spaces in his shirt, "A duel, huh? You thought you'd be able to do something like this to me but never expected it to end up happening to you. Now look, you're the one shaking in fear, and your heartbeat is rather high. How high do you think it'll go, before it explodes?"
I saw the fear in his eyes as I glared into them. He couldn't speak, too paralyzed by fear and the possibility of death.
"You sought to humiliate me, maybe kill me, thinking you were so great with your magic. You claimed yourself as a noble but proved yourself to be nothing but a piece of shit. Oh, how easy it would be just to connect the electricity to your heart and overload it, killing you. Or maybe I negate all the pulses in your body, killing you from the inside out. But that's fine, because 'nobles' can take anything, right? RIGHT?!" he weakly nodded, "So, how many more ways should I list on how I can kill you? Heh, maybe I should render your brain inoperable, you seem to use it so little. Why bother with it?"
My good side was currently in a deep ditch, my anti-hero/villain coming into full power here. My lightning regained its reddish hue as it ran down my arm, and out of the corner of my eye I saw that blue haired girl grip her staff a little tighter, probably ready to take action should I do anything drastic. She's probably the only one that could deal some damage considering how she brought a freaking dragon, if that was her from the summoning day, anyways. Though is everyone here besides her a coward?
"Stop it!" Louise's voice yelled out. Huh, it seems that we have another brave soul. I suppose I could always test how brave she really is…
"Why should I stop, Louise?" I growled, an angry scowl coming to my face, "See, a victor has yet to be decided."
"B-but you've won!"
"Oh, but he hasn't said the key words," I moved my hand closer to his heart, watching him squirm, trying to break free but couldn't, "So Louise, your supposed familiar," I spat out the term coldly, "Is listening to you right now. Do I kill him?"
"W-what?!" she stammered, "You c-can't!"
"But I'm in a great position to. All it would take is a few movements and he'd be dead in the next five seconds. Besides, it's not like you really liked this guy anyways."
"Of course not! He cheated on so many girls and-"
"Then no argument whatsoever is needed. You obviously don't want him here, I don't want him here. So now… he gets to die. Any last words, pretty boy?"
"Don't!" Louise screeched, starting to cry, sinking to her knees, "Please don't kill him…"
Let's think about this one. Option A, I could kill the poor sap and be merrily on my way, or option B, I could leave him there.
Damn you inner heroics. Also, damn my impossible dream to redeem myself, and damn me wanting to fulfill it.
I took a deep breath, allowing myself to calm down. The red lightning around my hands vanished, instead becoming a blue, which then dissipated away. I remembered who had died for my dream, and I wasn't about to toss it all away.
But still, this ass wipe isn't getting off scot free.
"Be grateful that Louise was here to plead for your life, you worthless piece of shit," I hit his head against the wall and knocked him out, before spitting on the remains of his broken wand, "He's fine, just unconscious. Go check him out yourself if you so wish."
The two girls that he had cheated on recently came running up to him. I shrugged and turned around, walking away from the scene. I had no business left with him, after all. The little prick got what he deserved.
Meanwhile, I left the scene, Louise following behind me a bit hesitantly as if she was next, considering what she had done to me so far. The crowd parted as I walked past, all of them afraid. Spineless idiots, even citizens back in New Marias would throw rocks at me despite what I could do. If non-magical people could do it, I don't see why these morons don't.
"What in Brimir's name are you?!" Surprisingly, it wasn't a shout, but more like a feared whisper. Probably she was thinking of what I could do at this point now that I had kinda nearly killed Guiche with ease.
I took a deep breath, then took a swig of the water we had and sighed, "I am a Conduit. Now, I suppose that you're going to ask what a Conduit is?" She nodded, "A Conduit is a person from my world with special powers such as mine. Not everyone has my powers, they vary, such as pyrokinesis, so they can control fire and whatnot."
She looked shocked, since I had figured while they could cast fire spells like in a video game, they didn't have the same control like Conduits did.
Siesta came by and refilled my water (which somehow did not harm me when I was drinking it), before scampering away to a good enough distance where she could listen on us but could duck behind cover if need be, almost out of my view. I suppose that was a reasonable reaction, considering that I actually caused damage to the school walls which are supposed to be resistant to cannon blasts. And I did a hell of a lot of damage for a small coin. However, she had this admiring gaze in her eyes, most likely from me defending her and all that. It wasn't much, honestly, and for someone with my… skills, it would be wrong of me to stand by and watch the innocent be injured through inaction.
"And you…?"
"Electrokinesis, obviously," I rolled my eyes while continuing to talk, "Though it's not like your magic. I can't create electricity. It all has to come from somewhere. While it's not my favorite way to do it, I can absorb the electricity of downed foes… though it kills them."
"E-eh?!"
"Electricity flows through everyone, and also regulates your heartbeat. I wasn't joking when I threatened to stop Guiche's heart earlier." Siesta ducked further away behind shelter, "But on the other hand, I can do the opposite. I can use electricity to heal. It's really odd how I do it though." Siesta now moved further out behind shelter, "Though I suppose it's time for me to tell my story now, right?"
"That would be in order."
"Well, I'm not going to." I asserted, leaving little room for discussion, "Because honestly, it's not something I'm proud of. I don't want to tell you, flat out, unless I happen to be very, very drunk, which I can assure you I am not letting happen again. I trust you have at least enough respect for me now to not try to force it from me with physical force?"
A very scared "Yes" came out.
"You're scared of dying, aren't you? Afraid that I'll lash out at you based on how you treated me and you'll end up dying?" I asked, getting another small nod, "Well, for one, I know why you did what you did, and while you weren't justified in your actions, you still had some insecurities that I suppose I can let slide… and also Louise, just remember that there is a day where things die. You are no different. Hell, I would've met my end had you not dragged me here."
"R-really…?"
"I was about to die, so yeah. I guess I should thank you for that much, at least… except for the fact you've kinda done nothing but abuse me and try to humiliate me since I've been here. Death by being splattered out on a sidewalk was much more appealing."
"What?!"
"Yeah. I would've liked to be wherever I'd end up rather than at the hands of jail bait."
"J-jail bait?! What do you mean by that?! I'm not a criminal!"
It was very hard not to burst out laughing at this point, "Never mind." I stood up and put out a hand, "However… I don't want to be your familiar. The only reason I let you even brand me with that tattoo-brand-thing is that I pitied how the other students were mocking you." Siesta now moved further out from her shelter and started taking tentative steps towards me, "But still, I don't want to be your familiar…"
Louise looked absolutely terrified. Without her familiar, she might be kicked out. That, and she knew I could probably just kill her and walk out without much opposition, which would get me out of the whole familiar thing.
But, instead of sparks, I let out a small smirk, "I want to be your partner."
That look of terror melted away into one of confusion, "What?"
"No Master-Slave crap. No commands. Just suggestions on what to do. I'm pretty sure you can handle that now, can't you?" A flash of electricity sparked down my arm for further reminder, which did make me feel somewhat guilty, but they weren't actually under my control. Sometimes they did kinda just spark at times, "You're well aware that I could've fried you and walked away. So, partners, then?"
She took my hand, "Partners."
Well, fear of being fried like a fish certainly helps now, doesn't it?
Gig: Nah, I'm sure Louise is just coming around.
With a bit of help, anyways.
Gig: Hehheh, no shit, man. *flips a coin* Though you had to go with the To Aru reference?
Uh, yes? What anime-manga-visual novel-light novel-TvTropes addict would I be if I had a character with electrokinesis but didn't let them have the Railgun?
I think I was a little more liberal on Gig's power usage, especially with the iron spikes of death. What Gig does in that is he creates a magnetic field that starts off small to bring up the point, but then expands, creating spikes of sorts. I'm not actually sure if that's how magnetic fields work, but I talked to a friend of mine that has done a bit of studying in electromagnetism forces, and he said that it was plausible… yanno, given the ability to manipulate magnetic fields.
But yes, character development! And I made Guiche a little less sympathetic, but then of course, Gig looks even more like a villain, I suppose. But ugh, I don't think I did exactly the best when it came to this chapter.
Anyways, I did feel that Louise made too big of a personality shift, but then again, she's thinking more about the fact Gig could fry her like a bug at the moment, so it's not exactly true partnership yet, but more of Louise just being fearful of him. Whether or not that changes... we'll find out.
Also, while Gig may have made the correct Karmic Decision here, and also have it be blatantly obvious what was right and wrong… don't expect that to happen every time. I will also start listing the Karmic Decisions made in the chapter just in case they aren't completely obvious.
Karmic Decision: Kill Guiche [Evil Karma] or Spare Guiche [Good Karma]
Choice Taken: Spare Guiche
Karmic Ranking: Neutral
Now, to be teasing like BioWare. Hint for the next chapter: "An old friend returns."
