Author's Note From Gray Q. Gregory
Sorry for the late update, I've been stuck with a few projects at school and had trouble finding time to write, but by god, it felt good to write this chapter.
Annual Reviewer Responses.
MultiHydralisk - Thank you, that means a lot to me. I'm glad that I'm going in the right direction this time. Hopefully I stay on the right track without diluting the pacing or over exemplifying details. I can't wait to hear from you again, fine sir.
DarkBlight - I'm proud that all the work that I've put into rebooting the series isn't all for naught. I'm eager to hear your next review.
Quentin3655 - It was so funny I couldn't take it out. Honestly I feel that it's bad foreshadowing to show how much of a fire mage Louise was being with how legendary her burn was.
Guest Numero Uno - I was having a lot of difficulties writing Louise on my first try with this series. This reconstruction truly does help, plus I did some background research on the characters to have a better understanding of who they are. Anyways, thank you, can't wait to hear from you again.
TO MY 100TH REVIEWER. THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME REACH THIS MILESTONE. I APPRECIATE YOU.
Ceps - It's nice hearing from you again after so long, thanks for giving this series another go. I hope this new rendition is more to your liking. Anyways, I see The Champion of Cyrodiil as an underused trope in fanfiction, I would say that the Dovahkiin is more overused. And I need to stress, if Sheogorath was released at his full potential, then this entire universe would be fucked. There would be no hope for a plot because he could do anything he wants, and the series would be malformed into a crackfic. But, I love Sheogorath, and I want to incorporate him as he truly is, a euphoric maniac with a sinister undertone.
Sheogorath will be kept in the reigns for now, but I can promise, the moments he is unleashed will be more epic than cheese raining from the sky on a Tuesday.
Though you probably know this, The Champion of Zero by Cakes Blargh is an excellent fanfiction that fits your needs. Funny story too, when I came up with this idea years ago, I checked to see if anyone else did it. Unfortunately, Cakes Blargh did it first, so I read it and tried to see how I could stray away from his plot direction. Although the man is a really good author, the story needed some background information before reading it. Still a good experience.
Thank you again for voicing your opinion, and for helping me reach a milestone. I hope to hear from you again.
I just want to immortalize the people who helped me through my milestones.
On The Hall of Madness.
Fire of the Void - First Favorite on my series. Thank you, buddy.
InterferingSpeedwagon - First Follow on my series. What better to follow me than a speedwagon?
Uknowndeath 2565 - First Review on my series. Still eating my popcorn...alone.
Aether0119 - My 100th Favorite. I still haven't forgotten about you.
LordFiolr - My 100th Follow. Popping my cherry since 2017.
Ceps - My 100th Review. I appreciate that you give me your opinion when most people shy away from it. Thank you.
This may not seem like anything spectacular to any folks reading this. But to me, this shows that my fanfiction has purpose, that it has meaning, that it invoked some sort of emotion out you guys. I appreciate you all and I don't take you for granted. All these milestones continue to make my passion for this series grow. The smallest things you do to my series has the biggest impact. Hell, I restarted my series because I wasn't satisfied with it, and neither did other people. This will be a series I will be proud of.
Thank you all, and I hope to keep entertaining you all.
*Confetti!*
If anybody feels the need to express their opinions about this series, whether negative or positive, criticism or light hearted comedy, or even just a few simple questions. Will receive a response.
I will respond to anything you folks have to say, if you go out of your way to formulate a comment, I'll go out of my way to formulate a response.
If you wish for more detailed responses, I do respond to PM as well.
Please don't forget to vote.
And without further ado,
May madness bless you. Enjoy.
Chapter 3 Neophytes of Lunacy
Sir Osmond laced his fingers together while his elbows rested on the sequoia desk, his smoking pipe laid beside his arms, unlit. His luscious white beard was long enough to rest on his lap. Sir Osmond's eyes were unnaturally tainted with anger and disappointment.
"Let me reiterate," Sir Osmond's eyes were alternating between the two nobles involved with the recent duel. "You both knew that dueling was prohibited on academy grounds, yet you still proceeded to duel because of a small squabble."
"Louise antagonized me!" Guiche defended himself. Half of his face was covered in surgical tape. His attitude didn't change much considering the duel he's endured. Guiche then pointed an accusing finger over to Louise. "She called me Guiche the Bitch!"
"Kah!" he slammed his fist on his desk, causing the pipe to jump slightly in the air, and his familiar, Motsognir ran from underneath his clothes in fear.
"You're a noble! Not a three year-old!" Sir Osmond reprimanded. "Louise," the old man looked at the young mage. "I forbid such vulgar language on our premise, do you understand!?"
"Guiche is playing the victim's role, he and everyone else calls me by a disgusting moniker too," Louise argued.
Osmond's eye twitched when he heard this. "Louise de la Valliere! You are no better than Guiche. Not only did you go down to his level, but you scarred his face and probably caused him an irreversible injury!"
"But-" Louise said.
"Ha, Louise-" Guiche began.
"ENOUGH!" Osmond interrupted. "You are both in the wrong! I do not condone bullying on my academy grounds, but regardless of what trivial matters lead up to the fight, it does not change the fact that you both dueled!"
"Now! If you will, recount the events that transpired."
"Let us review the rules of the duel," The Champion of Cyrodiil announced.
A crowd of nobles huddled in a circular formation around the two combatants. Louise de la Vallière and Guiche de Gramont.
The pink-haired mage seemed a bit squeamish, and she fiddled around with her wand. Louise held anxieties over her spell succession rate, which was zero percent, that was until she resurrected her familiar. That thought alone, that she held the capacity to conjure magic was enough confidence for her to work with.
The other mage was a blond casanova. He gleamed his eyes around the crowd, checking to see if any fine ladies were observing his duel. Guiche knew that this would have a negative impact on his reputation, whether he lost to Louise the Zero or won violently, he knew that many would gossip behind his back regardless of the result.
"Enough commoner, we both know how to due-" Guiche stated how redundant it was to gloss over the rules.
"Fool! Rules are rules, regardless if you want to hear them or not, it's a required formality, it also helps spectators spot a cheater," The Champion of Cyrodiil interrupted. He acted as a moderator, establishing the rules and carefully observing the match.
"Watch your tongue commoner, less I take it from you," Guiche threatened the commoner who has bad mouthed him for the second time.
The moderator decided to not even give the threat the attention Guiche seeked, nor the reaction Guiche thought he deserved. So he moved on with the formalities of a duel.
"This duel held in Vestri Court, it is a match between two nobles. On my left is Louise de la Valliere, on my right is Guiche de Gramont," this wasn't the first match that the Champion of Cyrodiil moderated, his voice boomed to the combatants and the crowd of nobles. "The rules are simple, the first person to yield or be rendered unconscious will forfeit the match, therefore losing the duel."
"I will be your moderator today, you may refer to me as…" The Champion of Cyrodiil hesitated for a moment, thinking about the name that eludes him. After some quick thinking and a useful title, he filled in the sudden pause. "Sheogorath."
"Hold on a moment," Sir Osmond interrupted the story. So far he's been hearing both perspectives of the story, cutting away personal bias and filling it in with factual information. He was creating a clear story inside of his mind.
"Who is Sheogorath?" Sir Osmond queried.
This brought a mix of confusion to both of their eyes. Guiche seemed a bit hazy about the answer, while Louise had eyes that seemed unsure rather than hazy.
"Now that you mention it, Louise mentioned something about him being her familiar, I only assumed he was a commoner," Guiche admitted, cupping his chin with his hand. "He dressed like one, he talked like one, and he-"
"That's enough out of you," the man in question startled the blond noble. He grasped Guiche's shoulder with his right hand. "I am Sheogorath, and you are?"
"I am Sir Osmond, headmaster of Tristain Academy of Magic," the old man rushed through the formalities to get to the core of the issue. He then repeated his question, since he wasn't satisfied with the original answer. "Who are you?"
"I am the one summoned by Louise," The Champion of Cyrodiil explained simply. The man utilized his title as a placeholder, as his real name is forgotten by time at the moment.
"So you are Miss Valliere's familiar?" the old man asked in a daze. He wasn't prepared to hear that. He had enough issues on his plate at the moment, a human familiar was another ordeal for another day.
"No, I am not, although she has my respect as my equal," there was a glint in his eyes as he gazed at Louise for a moment.
"I do not understand, how can you be summoned by a mage, yet, not be a familiar?" Sir Osmond posed his new question, pursing his lips as he awaited their reply.
"Anyone can summon a familiar, I on the other hand, never complied to become a familiar," The Champion of Cyrodiil confessed. He never agreed to serve someone, why should he? What kind of incentive could this young mage provide?
"Compliance or not, what determines a familiar is the runes engraved from the Springtime Familiar Summoning," Sir Osmond motioned for the champion to come closer to his desk. To which he grasped both of his hands, checking them for any indication of the contract being sealed.
"Aha!" the old man let his revelation known. "This is the mark of your servitude."
The Champion of Cyrodiil glanced at the daedric runes seared into his hand.
"It may be a mark, but it is against my will. She may try to control me, but be assured I am no pushover," the man said with gusto.
"You certainly are a defiant man, are you not?" the old man inquired with a small chuckle.
"I've offered challenges for Louise to overcome, to have an opportunity to become my master, although it's a long journey to hold the reigns to my will."
Sir Osmond drummed his fingers across his desk. It rolled in a methodical pattern, maintaining a firm beat.
"What sorts of challenges did you offer?" Osmond had a grievous feeling in the pits of his stomach, that these challenges were connected to the duel today.
"Just two simple challenges," the champion rose two fingers in the air. "One, to prove her worth," one of the fingers descended to the palm. "Two, beat me in combat."
Sir Osmond grasped his tobacco pipe, conjuring a fire-typed spell to ignite the stress relieving leaves. Osmond took two deep hits from his pipe, earning large, billowing clouds of smoke.
The old man had a better understanding of the situation now. This duel was much more than a trivial fight over the mistreatment of a servant. Well, for one side atleast. Guiche had nothing to justify his participation in the fight, besides the fact he was called a 'bad name'. Louise on the other hand had to seek out an opportunity to fight someone, even if that meant that she had to antagonize them to fight and break a few rules.
By no means does this justify her reason to seek out and perform a duel on academy grounds. But it gave Sir Osmond a better understanding of the situation, and what factors lead up to the event.
Sir Osmond waved his hand, motioning for both of the perpetrators to continue on with their story. While taking another deep puff from his pipe.
"LET THE DUEL COMMENCE!" The Champion of Cyrodiil yelled at the top of his lungs.
Guiche flaunted his wand which was designed as a rose, truly a symbolic mark of his flamboyant nature. Guiche closed his eyes before casting a quiet incantation. A singular red petal cascaded through the air, making contact with the ground and causing the petal to glow intensely before sinking into the ground. A glowing circle of light manifested from the ground.
From the spot the rose petal landed rose an armored suit in the circle of light, its eyes were painted white with black slits. Two wing like feathers were on both sides of the helmet. The suit of armor held a spear by it's side, and it had no sentient presence.
"Whoa! Guiche that's cheating! Unfair!" Louise shrieked her disagreement with his summoning.
"Life is not fair, Louise," Guiche had a smug smile plastered on his face. "The rules only stated that we must have our opponent yield or rendered unconscious, it never stated the means of reaching that goal."
The two combatants were ten paces away from one another. The wind seemed to be dead for a moment and everyone stood quietly.
"Charge, my Valkyrie," Guiche gave an audible order to his golem.
The Champion of Cyrodiil was impressed with Guiche. Summoning a metal golem was no easy task. An atronach is a construct of a singular substance. A golem and atronach were one of the same, although a notable difference from what he could see, is that an atronach has some sort of sentience, while this manmade golem is lacking that spark of life. Nevertheless, it's still rather impressive to see a metal golem in person as the only metal golems he could think of were Dwarven Automatons.
The Valkyrie sprinted far faster than Louise could have imagined. It cleared the ten paces between them in an instant. Before she could have a chance to react, a spear was jabbed against her stomach. Luckily, saliva erupted from her mouth, not blood.
The metal golem jumped back to keep the distance between them.
Louise dropped to the ground on her knees, as she held her stomach in pain. No blood greeted her as there was only a bruise on her stomach.
"Worry not Louise," Guiche began to comfort her. "The spear has no point, instead it is just a blunt weapon."
Louise rose in anguish, as the pain was still fresh. Her face contorted as she managed to keep her posture straight standing up.
"If you want, you may call off the duel and admit defeat," Guiche fashioned a twisted grin. "You were lucky that the spear was dull, you would have been dead where you stand."
"No."
"What?" Guiche cupped his hand near his ear, attempting to strain his ear more to hear her answer again.
"No. Guiche. I. Will. Not. Fail."
Determination was burning in her eyes. A wild beast was uncaged from its dormant life to fight.
Louise held her wand into the air. The wand was wooden and engraved with ancient symbols and carved by Valliere artists. It was pointed straight at Guiche's construct.
Louise performed a nice trick, she made a Valkyrie disappear.
Spell of Fireball
The Valkyrie stood still for a moment. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the inevitable result. The metal of the construct began to malform and bubble before the delayed reaction took effect, a mushroom cloud explosion detonated on the Valkyrie.
Not a single trace of the Valkyrie existed after that.
Guiche let out an egotistical smile before laughing hysterically.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"What's so funny?" Louise stressed every word with deep breaths.
"You couldn't even cast a simple spell!" Guiche clutched his stomach from laughing to hard, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
The blond casanova finally stopped laughing after a couple of minutes, taking a few short breaths to recuperate. "Here."
Two petals began to swing towards the ground, disappearing into the grass and creating circles of light. Two more Valkyries were created from Guiche, both were more detailed with a not so dull spear.
"Charge," Guiche's eyes seemed more, lethal, this time around.
The two Valkyries left a trail in a double helix formation.
Louise was ready this time, her wand was pointed at one of the two Valkyries. She announced her spell one more time, hoping for a different result. Truly, madness.
Spell of Fire Ball
This time it didn't even give Louise a response, there was no effect to her action. It caused Louise a moment of panic when even her spell explosion failed her as well.
The moderator sighed, he knew the answer to the mystery at hand. Louise put forth all of her magicka well that she draws upon to conjure a magical effect. She didn't have enough Willpower to regenerate her magicka well in time.
Both of the Valkyries stabbed Louise. The spears crossed over one another to stab both shoulders. Each shoulder stained her clothes with blood, the spears were sharper than before.
"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" Louise screamed in pain.
The smell of iron filled the air, as crimson dripped from the two spear heads.
"Do you yield yet?" Guiche inquired with a sadistic grin.
"NO." Louise clenched her teeth in pain, and decided now was the time to reveal the ace up her sleeve.
The Valkyries withdrew their weapons, temporarily making contact with both spears as they retracted from Louise's flesh.
Louise in her spite of anger and anguish, lifted her wand and aimed it at their weapons. She didn't need to say these words but she did it out of reflex.
Spell of Lightning Bolt
For a half second, everyone cracked a smile and was prepared to laugh. But a full second later, streaks of lightning burst from her wand and lunged at the two bronze weapons that made contact with one another. Although bronze isn't the greatest conductor of electricity, the intensity of the spell was enough to melt not only the weapons, but the Valkyries to the point of being immobile. Their joints fused together and their figures became distorted.
The moderator couldn't help but crack a grin, she may have depleted her magicka well but she was resourceful enough to use the scroll she pilfered from the drunken mudcrab. What made him proud was that she used a scroll, and thought of its proper name, while dubbing it by a different name verbally. Giving her the image that she could use magic. Smart.
Kaff! Kaff! - Kaff! Kaff!
Osmond began to choke on his smoke. A burning sensation encompassed his throat as he attempted to comprehend what he just heard.
"You-Kaff!-Did-Kaff!-What?!" Sir Osmond could barely speak.
"You heard right," The Champion of Cyrodiil asserted. "Little Louise over here conjured lightning."
"Is that...bad?" Louise queried squeamish.
"No, its astounding!" Sir Osmond wheezed heavily.
Kaff! Kaff! - Kaff! Kaff!
"Manipulating lightning -Kaff!-Kaff!- is unheard of, the element of Void-Kaff!-Kaff!-was manipulated more than lightning!" Sir Osmond waved the staff by his side.
Spell of Levitation
A pitcher of water and a glass began to float towards the Headmaster. The moment it approached his desk, he grasped both items from their levitated states and poured a glass of water for himself. Gulping down water with great haste, then sighing with blissful relief.
"The problem is, you are the only mage to control the element of lightning. There is no teacher or mage in Tristain that could teach you," Sir Osmond confessed, his sorrow leaking through his voice. The inability to teach a student is the greatest failure of any teacher or headmaster. "By Founder's name, we do not know if lightning is an element in itself or a combination of multiple elements."
"Well," Louise glanced at The Champion of Cyrodiil, then glanced back at Sir Osmond. "Saying I'm the only mage that can control lightning is an incorrect statement."
Osmond nearly choked on his water. He became more attentive and gazed at Louise, attempting to understand what she was leading at. "What do you mean, Miss Valliere?"
"Louise, I can believe, that you can use that type of magic now. But there is no way that anyone else coul-" Guiche voiced his disbelief.
"Mr Gramont! Be silent!" Osmond interrupted. "What do you mean, Miss Valliere?"
"My familiar is well versed in magic," Louise admitted.
Osmond stood still for a moment, as did Guiche.
…
"What?" Both Osmond and Guiche began to stare at The Champion of Cyrodiil.
"It makes sense that a familiar represents the affinity of the mage," Sir Osmond reasoned. "Although it does not solve the perplexing issue of someone teaching you the element of lightning."
"Actually," the champion voiced his concern. "I was previously Archmage."
"A-an Archmage?" Headmaster Osmond's jaw nearly dropped when he heard that word. "We do not have such a title, what is an...Archmage."
Osmond knew nothing about the title of an Archmage, although going by the etymology of the word, which means chief; principle. Then he could assume that it meant he was the chief of mages, the best of the best. Although, there was no equivalent of the word in Tristain, nor was there a rank similar to it.
"I have been summoned from a different world," he clarified his situation before the explanation. "In my world, there is an organization dedicated to collecting, preserving and distributing magical information. This organization is called The Mage's Guild, and its highest position is that of the Archmage. The responsibilities I held while in this position, was making critical decisions for the guild's future, research and development of spells, guiding students, and most importantly," he closed his eyes for a moment, before letting his voice die. "Paperwork."
"Hoho!" Old man Osmond chuckled at the description of his position. "Sounds exactly like my position as Headmaster of Tristain Academy. Especially the paperwork, so much paperwork."
"The similarities are eerie," The Champion of Cyrodiil confessed. "Our positions are more then likely similar, although the Mage's Guild spreads across my province of Cyrodiil. Entrance into my Arcane University requires recommendations from seven different Mage's Guild. The Arcane University is a prestigious academy which only molds the best of the best."
"Seven recommendations!" Osmond nearly had a heart attack. His academy was also prestigious but it doesn't require such a ludicrous prerequisites for entry. All that was required to attend Tristain Academy of Magic was to simply be born a noble and have the incentive to learn and improve.
"We don't accept anybody, you must prove yourself. Of course that doesn't mean we're withholding information from the public. Any local mage's guild can recruit and train any initiate, although entry in the Arcane University requires diligence and willpower."
Sir Osmond quickly realized that he was being sidetracked, there was a time and a place for understanding a new world, but the issue of the matter is a dispute on academy grounds. Although, before getting to the issue, he needed to address one more issue.
"What makes you an Archmage?" Osmond inquired. He hasn't shown any extraordinary ability for the arcane arts.
The Champion of Cyrodiil was a firm believer of 'Actions Speak Louder Than Words.'
He could've equipped a minor spell version of lightning bolt giving the impression that he knows an unknown element. He could've conjured an atronach to disprove the fact he was a familiar. He could've even chopped his arm off and use the spell of heal legendary wounds to regenerate a new limb.
No. He didn't. Osmond questioned what makes him an Archmage and he was more than willing to show him. The spell he had in mind wasn't a master-tier spell, just a simple adept-tier spell. But, the spell would be the most impressive spell to showcase in a non-hostile environment.
The spell came to mind.
Lightning Cloak
Rizzzz-Rizzzz-Rizzzz-Rizzzz
A low pitched electrical hum filled the room with unease. Streaks of white tendrils wrapped around The Champion of Cyrodiil entire frame. Sparks of electricity would manifest then dissolve instantly. An aurora of purple and black shrouded him, as the tendrils of light flickered faster than a blink of the eye. Sparks of electricity would shoot from his frame in various directions, but all of the lightning would wrap around him, like a cloak.
His eyes were completely focused on the Headmaster, Sir Osmond was completely stunned. He had no idea what to say, not only was Louise utilizing a previously unknown element, but her familiar was wearing it like a cloak. The type of mastery to bend such a destructive force without hurting yourself was a title above master. This man was indeed an Archmage.
"Oh Founder," Sir Osmond was at a loss for words, wearing an element as a cloak is one of the most difficult tasks for a mage to perform.
Guiche, was not as stunned as he was scared. He still has post traumatic stress disorder from what Louise did to him. He crawled to the corner of the room to avoid being shocked. He felt the bandaged part of his face and a phantom pain flared. His bandaged eye was twitching.
"My...eye…" Guiche broke his calm facade, in truth, he's been terrified of Louise the moment he entered the room with her. Because of their duel, he lost an important piece of him.
"O-osmond...we have not reached the climax of the story," Guiche spoke in a sinister tone as a shadow encompassed half of his face.
"..." Sir Osmond thought intensely about what he just witnessed. Many scenarios and outcomes manifested inside of his mind. He needed time to think, so this golden opportunity was perfect for him. "Please regale and finish this tale."
Huh-Phoo Huh-Phoo Huh-Phoo Huh-Phoo
Guiche had streams of sweat racing down his flushed face. He lost himself in hyperventilation, panic held the flamboyant mage in a tight grip. Never in his life did he expect, Louise the Zero to bend lightning to her will.
The crowd of nobles murmured to one another, they gossiped, sharing their thoughts and ideas.
"How could Louise the Zero control lightning?!" one of them said.
"I'm wondering what kind of element Lightning is apart of?" another said.
"I'm thinking that this is just a parlor trick, she's not really controlling lightning," the last one said.
"Y-y-you…" he could barely speak a word. "CHEATER!"
Louise took a few deep breaths before striding towards her opponent. "Life is not fair, Guiche."
She stopped for a moment and thought and chuckled. "I believe you were the one to say. 'The rules only stated that we must have our opponent yield or rendered unconscious, it never stated the means of reaching that goal.'"
The pink-haired mage uncovered a waterskin that she's hid under cloak. The Champion of Cyrodiil was honestly curious what she had planning in that twisted little mind of hers.
"S-s-s-s-stay a-away!" Guiche stuttered his words, lashing his wand around, causing petals to fall to the ground.
Nine circles of light manifested on the grass. Rising from them were nine armored Valkyries, each one held extremely sharp spears. As they ascended into existence, they waited patiently to hear their order.
Louise halted in the meantime, pouring the waterskin on the grass and extending the puddle into a rather large length. It glistened in the grass, while half of the water she poured was absorbed into the soil. She then backed away from the puddle.
"CHARGE!" his order came out violently.
This time Guiche spread himself thin, he was operating too many Valkyries at once. Causing them to have slower movements and speed.
The Valkyries sprinted towards their target, their spears readied to kill. As they ran, Louise pointed her wand, yet she didn't say a word for a few moments. The golem blitzkrieg would halt for no one. The moderator was considering to stop the duel, but it was Louise's unique actions that made his curiosity peak and he held his tongue. It wasn't until the Valkyries stepped into the puddle that it clicked.
Spell of Lightning Bolt
Rizzzz-Rizzzz-Rizzzz-Rizzzz
The crackle of lightning filled everyone's ears with heavy dread. The water conducted the electricity, melting the bronze feet and legs of the Valkyries. A blinding light shone and sparks flew from the puddle of water, traveling through the entire frame of the Valkyries. The golem blitzkrieg was immobilized, although the Valkyries were still responsive, they just couldn't follow any orders with no legs.
The moderator was shocked. He was impressed that Louise thought this far ahead, not to mention she was resourceful and more smart than he could have ever imagined. In this single action, she has easily earned his respect.
Louise walked around the legless Valkyries, eventually she began walking towards her opponent once more.
Guiche had a puddle of urine stained on his crotch, in a moment of hysteria he used his last petal on his wand to conjure one more thing.
The last petal fell gently into the ground, a bright light shone and a sword constructed itself from the petal.
Guiche grasped the sword and aimed it at Louise. "S-stop where you are! I'm warning you!"
"Guiche, do you yield?" Louise questioned. She would stop her havok if he admitted defeat.
Guiche thought about the repercussions of his actions. If he didn't yield, he may die. On the other hand, if he did yield he would tarnish his family name and his peers would mock him to no end.
"Death would be more preferable!" Guiche made his ending thought audible. He may have sounded convicted through his voice, but his body language said the very opposite.
"As you wish," her words sent a chill down Guiche's spine. He began to charge, with no skill in the way he handled his sword. He slashed his sword in the air with his eyes closed.
Louise aimed her wand and thought of the name of her last scroll. She was silent as an electrical charge leapt from her wand towards Guiche.
Guiche couldn't keep his eyes closed, he widened both of his eyes when he heard that demented crackle of lightning. His eye saw the bolt, but he couldn't react to it. That very bolt penetrated his eye, causing it to rupture.
"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" Guiche shrieked in agony. Dropping to the ground like a puppet whose strings were cut. The moderator approached the blond mage and checked his vitals.
"He's not dead."
Louise sighed in relief, she had no intent to hit his eye nor kill him.
"Louise de la Valliere is declared the winner of this duel."
"Your eye was destroyed," Osmond queried with beads of sweat racing down his forehead.
"Yes, I can't see out of my left eye anymore," tears of blood soaked through Guiche's bandages. His left eye would twitch and phantom pain would follow. "The nurse tried to heal it, but there was nothing water magic could do to save my eye."
Sir Osmond only had one option to follow through with, since this new information arose.
"I'm sorry Miss Valliere, since you caused irreversible damage to your peer than I'll have no choice but to expel you," Sir Osmond didn't want to do this, he truly didn't. The chance to learn about a new element was too tantalizing.
Louise didn't know what to say, if she wasn't be able to attend the academy anymore, she would bring so much shame and dishonor to her family. Sorrow enveloped her very being.
"So, Louise is being expelled because she caused irreversible damage to her peer?" The Champion of Cyrodiil reiterated the cause for the action, only to receive a nod from Osmond. "So, hypothetically, if the wound was healed, would you reconsider your decision?"
Osmond was unsure what the man was leading at, but his way of thinking was correct. "Of course I would."
"Thought so," The Champion of Cyrodiil walked towards Guiche. His shroud of lightning still dressed him like a cloak.
Guiche began to crawl closer and closer to the corner of the wall, as far away as possible from Louise's familiar. Osmond thought about intervening but he allowed him to approach his student, his curiosity was perked.
"No-no-no-no!" Guiche screamed his disapproval.
"Don't worry, you fought as well as typical noble could," he got close to the young noble, then extended his open palm toward the injured man.
"NO! I'm not ready to die!" Guiche thought the worst, his end was at hand.
Heal Allies Legendary Wounds
Restore Health for 30 points for 6 seconds on target.
A yellow orb manifested in his open palm, and shot towards Guiche's injured eye. The blond mage yelped in anticipated pain before a warmth took hold of his injury.
Guiche ripped off his bandage, and everyone saw the incredible magic taking hold of his eye.
His eye was deflated and an opening was visible, crimson fluids gushed from his eye. Blackened skin surrounded the eye and red flesh was visible around the black skin. The amazing thing was that the eye began to reconstruct itself, the eye's hole sowed itself up with white flesh, the blue iris was building up from the white flesh. After six seconds, his eye was a little red and glazed but it was functioning once more.
Guiche blinked his eye a couple of times before a smile grew on his face.
"By Founder Brimir…" Sir Osmond could only say his lord's name.
"What sort of punishment will you consider for Louise in substitute for expulsion," the healer asked.
Sir Osmond needed to give some kind of penalty for dueling on academy grounds. Though he wasn't sure what would be proper, but he knew that he had to keep Louise at the academy at all costs.
"Very well. Miss Valliere, Mr Gramont, you are both suspended for a month. be thankful that you will be back before the Familiar Exhibition," Osmond gave mercy on both of the duel participants. Considering the usual consequence was expulsion.
"Thank you," all three people in the room said in unison.
"Are you being serious?!" Louise squealed in joy, her worries of suspension was replaced with uncontainable joy.
"Yes, Louise, I'm willing to train you," The Champion of Cyrodiil asserted. "You showed your worth to me, I see your potential and I'm willing to mold you into the greatest mage in Tristain." the champion fiddled around with his golden ring, he enchanted the item himself.
The ring was given to him by a representative of Cyrodiil, acting on the behalf of the entire populace.
It has an inscription that read, 'He who saves a single soul , saves the world entire.' The moment he received it was the first time he ever cried, it was a heartfelt moment. The enchantment he gave it was the strongest enchantment an item has ever endured while keeping its form.
It was only three enchantments.
Fortify Strength 100 points.
Banish Daedra on Touch
And a the hardest enchantment of them all.
The power to Summon a Lich once a week.
It took him a decade to prepare this enchantment, and it took many failed experiments and many tarnished golden rings. Many of his colleges said it was impossible and that he would go mad attempting to enchant this ring with those perimeters. Little did they know they were right, the god of insanity would a come a calling for him, fulfilling his wish.
It was his pride and joy. He named it, The Band of Humanity.
"Ah~" she couldn't make any words, she just squealed even more.
They were both traversing the halls of the academy, approaching Louise's room to pack up to leave on suspension and also train with her soon to be familiar.
"Don't get too excited, we have to assess what kind of training you'll be going through," he admitted.
"Hello!" a woman practically yelled with her eyes closed shut.
A brunette maid stood near Louise's room with a nervous expression plastered on her face. She wore a maid's outfit and her hair was above shoulder length. Her dim blue eyes began to travel up and down the champion.
"Hello?" the champion was confused by the abrupt introduction. "How may we help you?"
"No need to," Louise informed the champion. "She's a commoner, a servant at that, at most she wants to know how she may help us."
"Really?" the champion was still becoming accustomed to the weird traditions and customs of this new world. It was similar to his own world but there were distinct differences. "What brings you to us?"
"I wanted to thank both of you," she clasped the hands of the champion, shaking it with vigor. She withdrew her hands, making the champion feel weaker, he thought it must have been his heart fluttering from praise. She also went over to Louise and bowed in thanks for her help.
"What did we do?" Louise questioned, the woman was a brunette maid. Why would she be thanking both of them.
"Thanks to both of you I still have my job, after Mr. Gramont tried to fire me," her face began to blush deep shades of red. "My name is Siesta."
"No worries, Siesta," the champion waved off the praise, while Louise just gave a smug nod to the woman.
"By the by, Siesta, why did Guiche throw a fit?" the champion queried.
Siesta then blushed to the color of crimson, her face was practically steaming.
"I-Um-Alright, I accidently stole Mr. Gramont's cologne," Siesta confessed to her crime.
"Is that so?" the champion queried with incredible confusion.
Siesta waved her hands in the air. "It's not what you think-"
"How is it not," Louise interrupted. "We defended a rightful criminal that should have been punished," the hypocrisy was rich coming from the woman who stole the scrolls.
"I'M SORRY!" Siesta attempted to apologize. "I don't steal because I want to, I steal because I have to, I'm a kleptomaniac cursed with kleptophobia."
"Huh?" the champion was honestly confused.
"I have an insatiable urge to steal, but I find stealing morally wrong. I just have trouble giving back what I stole. It's always awkward and people usually hate me afterwards," Siesta expressed her woes to her saviors.
"So you tried to give the cologne back to Guiche?" the champion queried.
"Yeah, I tried, but he denied that he owned the cologne. Next thing I knew, I was in the middle of a love triangle and the two girls involved smacked Guiche."
The Champion of Cyrodiil cupped his hand around his chin, processing the information that was shoved in front of him. Till a dreadful revelation made itself known when he felt his weakness and noticed his hand that was too soft. He glanced at his fingers, then gazed at Siesta with an awestruck face.
"You-you stole my ring…" he didn't know how to feel. The diversion she used wasn't anything special, but the fact that she slid off a ring off his finger without him noticing was a feat that deserved praise.
He was known as the Gray Fox. He was a pupil of the original Gray Fox, a man of legend responsible for the greatest thefts known to man. Stealing was more than a hobby, it was an art that he perfected.
Stealing from the pupil of the Gray Fox was an incredible feat.
"How. Dare. You."
Louise was about to pop her top, her anger was radiating off of her.
"IF YOU THOUGHT GUICHE WAS GOING TO GET YOU FIRED, THEN YOU HAVE ANOTHER THING COMING FOR Y-"
The Champion of Cyrodiil held up his hand, interrupting Louise's rant of punishment.
"You stole my ring…" he couldn't do anything, besides repeat himself in astonishment.
"I'm so sorry, here have it back," she held The Band of Humanity in her palm. Her tongue was stuck out in a goofy fashion that could only be described as cute from many different people.
The Champion lept towards the maid and held the maid from the midsection of her back, letting his other hand travel around her body as he drew her closer.
"W-w-w-w-what are you d-d-doing?!" Louise couldn't speak from the abnormal behavior in front of her.
"Siesta…" he said softly, his face glowed with the warmth and hearth of a fireplace.
"Sir?" she said with a confused face, blushing with various shades of red.
The champion leaned in closer, whispering into her ear.
"You're pretty impressive."
"T-thank you," she stuttered at the compliment.
"Although you have to improve," the champion stated while letting go of the maid and giving her some distance.
"What?" Siesta was honestly confused by the statement.
"Here."
The champion unveiled a myriad of different items that struck a sense of familiarity with Siesta. He had her orange scarf, her pendant, her coin purse, two personal letters, and last but not least, her bra.
He stole it all in less than a minute.
"W-W-W-WHA-HOW-WHERE DID HER BRA COME FROM!" Louise shrieked in shock that he managed to steal her underclothing without anyone knowing.
"Oh, that's a good trick," Siesta opened her mouth in surprise. "Here."
She then smiled and handed a weapon back to the champion which also struck a sense of familiarity with him.
Duskfang.
"Oh. Oh you're good," he was so busy setting a distraction and pickpocketing the maid that he didn't notice that she too was pilfering him. "Siesta!"
"Yes!" she grasped her items back.
"You're coming with us, you've proven your worth to me," the champion announced his decision.
"What?! You're bringing a commoner?" Louise voiced her complaint.
"Where am I going?!" Siesta had no idea what was going on.
"I'm going to train both of you for a month, pack your things," The Champion of Cyrodiil elaborated.
"What could you train me in?" Siesta was confused on what she could excel at.
"I see a master thief when I see one," the champion replied. "I'm going to make you the greatest thief in Tristain."
He rephrased with plans with Siesta in Louise's place.
"Wait! I thought you were going to train me to be the greatest mage in Tristain?!" Louise bellowed in irritation.
"I can do both," the champion defended himself.
"Hang on one second," Siesta stated. "I have a job, even if I wanted to go, I couldn't."
"Ha!" he let out a curt laugh before opening the door to Louise's room.
The man then went over to Louise's writing desk, grabbing a piece of parchment, a quill and an inkwell. He began to write hastily, before finishing off the message with his signature. He folded the message into an envelope, then he grabbed a wax stamp and equipped a Fireball spell, the spell radiated heat towards the wax stamp and sealed the envelope. Finishing the process with a good stamp.
"Here, deliver this message to Sir Osmond and pack your things, we leave at dawn."
Siesta nodded and held onto the envelope, opening the door and disappearing into the hallways.
"I can not believe you invited a commoner to come with us," Louise growled.
"You need a good partner, you two would make an excellent team," the champion stated.
"You are the only partner I need!" she yelled in frustration.
"I'm a mentor," he explained. "I won't be your partner until you can beat me in a duel."
"By Founder Brimir!" she rubbed her face in irritation.
"Pack your things, we leave at dawn."
Sir Osmond rubbed the temples of his head. He didn't expect to uncover a new element by investigating a duel.
Not to mention Louise's familiar became a person of interest to the old man, he may be an important figure to discover the mass episodes of memory loss during the Springtime Familiar Summoning. The anomaly still plagued his mind, even a week after the incident, he couldn't shake off a gut feeling that something was very wrong.
Jean Colbert, the teacher involved with supervising the Springtime Familiar Summoning made an enormous discovery and shared that information with Sir Osmond immediately. That information still held Sir Osmond's mind in a shroud of thoughts.
Goriaada.
That was one of the Mythical Six, Founder Brimir's familiars that drove most of the elves in hiding and a majority of the fiercest elves were forced to migrate to a subterranean life.
Goriaada was a very special familiar, basically Founder Brimir's right hand man, the most brilliant tactician there ever was. He was a symbol of sanity and order.
Miss Longueville entered shortly after Mr. Colbert finished relaying the information he unearthed, saying that he would research more into Goriaada.
His secretary was scribbling parchment and filing paperwork when there was a knock on the door.
Dunk-Dunk-Dunk
Miss Longueville answered the call, and opened the door. To her surprise it was a maid. Servants tend to stay away from noble areas as tradition would dictate that a servant shouldn't disturb a noble unless there is good reason to do so.
"What business do you have?" Miss Longueville queried.
"I have a letter to deliver to Sir Osmond," she said with a simple bow.
Miss Longueville raised an eyebrow, as a maid's job didn't include delivering letters, that job was for messengers.
She let the maid come in, and Siesta walked towards the sequoia desk. She placed the letter on the table, and Osmond quickly snatched it off the table.
His first observation was that the wax stamp had the symbol of the Valliere family. That was enough to peek Sir Osmond's interest. He cut the letter open and began reading it, beads of sweat raced down his head, and he could only say one thing.
"What?!"
The old man nearly had a stroke. The letter's content was too good to be true, but he was willing to take that risk.
His eyes began to twitch when he gazed at the maid, he developed bad cotton mouth in a matter of seconds.
"What's your name ma'am?" Sir Osmond inquired.
"Siesta, sir," she held up her bell shaped skirt with a curt bow.
"Siesta, pack your things, you're going on paid vacation," Sir Osmond made a hand motion to shoo her off.
Her face was in shock, as she didn't expect it to be that easy to just leave. She left with haste, she needed to pack her things for the tomorrow.
As she left, Miss Longueville gave a confused look at Osmond, wondering why he was freaking out.
"What's wrong with you Old man Osmond?" Miss Longueville questioned.
"25 pounds," he said softly.
"25 pounds of what?" she asked hesitantly.
"25 POUNDS OF GOLD! FOR A PAID VACATION!" the old man yelled his reasoning with joy.
"W-what?!" she was aware that nobles had money to burn, but that's an absurd amount.
"Hohoohoohoo!" Sir Osmond lit his tobacco pipe and smoked with the epitome of joy. "Life has it's ups and downs."
"It's a little much don't you think?" the champion asked.
"What?! This is a light load!" Louise defended herself.
"But still, two carriages worth of luggage is too much Louise." he pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "We may be going for a month, but you can only bring what you can carry."
"Hmmph!" the pink-haired mage crossed her arms and turned her back to him. "Fine!"
She got a small crowd of servants to unpack the carriage and had the spare carriage leave. After a half an hour of nitpicking she gathered all the necessities she would require.
"Happy?" Louise had only two suitcases and a cage with a carrier pigeon.
"Very."
A single carriage was near the gate of Tristain Academy of Magic. The horse guiding the carriage neighed and yawned. The sun attempted to crawl over the large walls from their point of view. Auburn sunlight dyed the landscape, and the trees waved from the breeze of the gentle wind. Today was an excellent day for a journey.
"I'm here!" Siesta was running towards the carriage. She held one suitcase in hand.
Louise rolled her eyes and let out a sound of irritation by the mere sight of the commoner.
Siesta wore her normal clothes instead of her maid clothes. She wore a simple green shirt. While Louise and The Champion of Cyrodiil wore their usual clothes. A black cloak, with a white blouse and a gray pleated skirt. And a red and purple striped attire.
Siesta packed her luggage and gave a reassuring smile.
The champion looked around one final time and took a deep breath, it has been awhile since he stretched his legs.
"Alright, let's get a move on."
They traveled for half a day on carriage till they reached a nearby village. A servant guided the carriage with ease as it came to a complete stop. The champion and the ladies exited from the carriage stretching their stiffness out.
A tavern was near the carriage, causing the adventurer in the champion to smile like a little kid. If he learned one thing about exploring new lands, is that taverns had all information anyone needed to know about anything. He told the ladies to stay put while he would talk to some people. By the look Louise was giving him, it seemed like she had the wrong impression of what he would do in the tavern. A scolding look for a crime he hasn't even done...yet.
He entered the tavern, and he wasn't surprised by what he saw. There were faces of people who drank their lives away while others had stress induced faces that needed a break from life. There were a few people at the stools near the bar while a couple of others occupied some booths.
The champion approached the owner of the tavern, she tended the bar while serving a few drinks to regular patrons.
"Excuse me ma'am," he began to say.
"Yes sir, welcome to The Goat's Hall, how may I help you today," she greeted with a friendly smile.
"I'm wanting to hear some rumors," he explained. He placed a gold piece on the table, it was a Tiber Septim but gold was gold.
She moved the coin under the table, then placed both of her elbows on the table while holding her chin with the back of her hands.
"What kind of rumors are you looking for, honey?" she asked with a seductive tone.
"Is there any difficult jobs people have been passing up," he inquired.
"Now that you say it honey, there is this one job that no one has been able to complete, they either die trying or run with their tail between their legs," the question helped spur her memory.
"What's the job and how much is the pay?" he knew the procedure, there wasn't a job too hard for him but ignorance was the greatest weakness of an adventurer.
"There is a fort called Fort Mercer, not too far from her. It's a ten minute walk, north-east from here to get to the fort. It's occupied by bandits and they raid nearby villages. They want somebody to get rid of the bandits, so they're willing to pay 750 gold pieces for the job to be done."
"Alright, consider it as good as done," the champion began to leave the tavern, only hearing the owner's final words to him.
"Famous last words."
The champion walked out of the tavern and said simply.
"Alright ladies, grab your supplies, we're walking from here on out."
"What?!" Louise voiced her confusion. "Where are we going, where will we sleep?"
"We're going to earn a place to sleep, let me show ya," the champion bumped his fist on the carriage to indicate to the servant that his job was done. He rode out of town with a cloud of dust trailing behind the carriage.
They traveled through the foliage of the forest, and after ten minutes of walking and whining from the participants in this training, they arrived at the Fort Mercer.
The place was abnormally quiet, if bandits did live out here there were usually people on patrol, that was the typical procedure for any bandit camp. If not, then they would celebrating a party, but there was none to be heard.
"They may be waiting for us."
The champion was no stranger to an ambush, he's had his fair share in his day.
"Ladies, this is Fort Mercer, currently occupied by bandits, we're going to clear the place and claim it as our own," he laid out objectives of traveling out here.
"Bandits!" they both shrieked in unison, they were not expecting to be taking over a fortress today.
"Hide your luggage in the bushes, we're going to have to sneak in, I'll scout out the location, you ladies stay put and hide for the moment."
They were reluctant but neither one wanted to go into a fortress occupied by bandits. So they both hid in the bushes while the champion waltzed on in.
Chameleon
Invisibility for 60 seconds.
The champion was always careful, one false move or step could always result in death.
There were a few traps here and there but a few seconds was all it took to disable them. He explored a variety of rooms, mess halls, and a library. But there was still no sign of enemies.
It wasn't until he passed through an antechamber that he realized where all the bandits were. There were ivory pillars on both sides of the room, tiles of white marble decorated the floor. Rows upon rows of pews lead up to an altar. The pews were scattered everywhere, while crimson stained the ivory and marble. Corpses decorated the room, all severely scarred, the cuts indicated the injury was by sword. All of the bandits were dead, and the one responsible was at the altar. Although he wasn't alive, the weapon he used to murder his comrades was self embedded through his chest and stuck into the wall behind him.
Rays of dim light penetrated the giant room, motes of dust glittered in the air as the champion walked passed the carcasses of many bandits. He ascended up the stairs leading to the altar, and reached for the sword.
The sword drank the blood of the fallen and was stained with crimson. It was a pitch black blade with a red spiral of veins acting as a guard from the hilt down to the pommel, it was a short blade but he knew from the cold touch alone the significance of the blade and its impossible existence.
"How?" the champion didn't understand. He was in a new world, there was no way this weapon could be here.
The Blade of Woe.
It was much larger than when it was a dagger, but this sword had the same design as the original, this was no coincidence.
"How…"
"I am blessed to see you once more, anew. I have always envisioned your progress, but never did I think you to ascend to godhood."
"L-lucien Lachance?" he didn't know how this was possible. A single tear was shed from his eye, joy caused the tear.
"I have returned, Bendu Olo."
Author's Note From Gray Q. Gregory
Bendu Olo was the placeholder name for the main character when they were creating Oblivion. For all that don't know, Bendu Olo he was the king of Anvil and he was the baron-admiral of the All Flags Navy which was a campaign to eliminate a race known as the Sload. Who induced a plague on Tamriel, killing half the population.
So this is the new Champion of Cyrodiil, I hope you are all liking the character so far. I've drastically changed the story from the original. By the by, if anyone is interested in reading the original rendition of Familiar with Madness, Pm and I will give you access if you agree on a few conditions.
As you noticed, Siesta isn't her normal self. Siesta's behavior in the grand scheme of things will be explained later on.
I want to bring attention to where attention is deserved. I like to shout out to good authors with good stories. This time I want to do a shout out for Boyzilla, he's crafting some fascinating stories with impressive premises. I would suggest his crossover Life of a Zero Dragon, which is a crossover between World of Warcraft/Familiar of Zero. And his series Digital Extra, which is a crossover between Digimon/Fate Stay Night. Both are interesting series, plus it's always nice when you can see all the love and care an author devotes to their projects.
As always, thanks to Jkysler to being an amazing beta.
Thank you all for reading. Without all of your input, this series wouldn't exist. Each review I read brings me joy and encourages me to keep writing. Whether good, bad or ugly, I love them all.
Don't forget to check out the polls on my profile.
And guys please if this piqued your interest, tell a friend about and then let it spread like madness itself.
Until Next Time...