A/N: This chapter is going to be a bit different, think of it as an intermission I suppose. Remember how I said it was half completed? Well it was 90% done like four months ago and I just sorta tossed it into some deep dark flood infected corner and forgot about it until just recently. Now that I've rescued this story from the gravemind, hopefully it won't send the guardians after me once I leave it again. I also extended the chapter by about 30% to make up for the delay and hopefully the next chapter won't take forever again.
It had been fun, at first she was disturbed with the killing of the gentle animals but eventually got used to it. When she first witnessed another person spasm, transforming through a round skull sized organism burrowing into his chest, she would have thrown up everything she had eaten in her life had she control of her body. Now though, it was almost as if it were an everyday occurrence to her.
The droning from the skull sized tentacled things no longer bothered her like it did at first, becoming rather soothing, like a melody which rung throughout the forest. It disgusted her that such a creepy sound was turning normal for her but was dragged from her thoughts when a noble came into view.
Taking a closer look, the one before her was a student of the academy, and a third year judging by the cape. She then remembered they were near the academy, she saw it when her body leapt sky high and landed in this forest after fleeing her family estate. After the routine attack and infestation however, was something unexpected, she picked up the noble's wand and attempted to cast a spell, creating an explosion.
'So I can still use my magic? Well not that it'll be any good since it seems I haven't improved at all.'
The next moment, her body rallied the other flood and began moving at a fast speed towards somewhere deep in the forest. What transpired later was unsettlingly brutal as Louise saw, through the eyes of her body, bloated goblins being hosts to grow more of those skull like things which were used to transform people.
Later that night, while her mind was unconscious and sleeping, her body began to move. Stirred from her slumber, Louise tried to grasp the situation as best as she could with her groggy mind still adjusting from the sudden burst of activity. By the time she could clearly understand what was going on amidst the screams, infected versions of her ex-classmates surrounded her as they moved towards something bright.
'Is that…'
A ring of flames protected two lone figures as the occasional ice spike shot out, further amplifying the glare. Recognizing them now that she was closer, it was indeed Kirche and Tabitha holding out in a valiant last stand with Sylphid heavily wounded behind them. The noble still remaining in Louise wanted her to struggle against the control to help her fellow students but a darker part of her wanted to see the redhead suffer.
Reasoning that the control was absolute after a short resistance, Louise mentally sat back and saw the scene unfold, the monsters throwing magic at them. The two were slowly overwhelmed by the unending stream of flood and they too, joined the fold. Disappointed that they died because there would be no one to speak to, Louise rested her mind again, completely ignoring the present situation.
Before drifting off into dreams again, Louise questioned why the thing controlling her was doing this and why she wasn't the least bit freaked out in any way by what it was doing. The slimy tentacled students, teachers around her were no longer disturbing. It was actually rather concerning, though thinking it through, Louise eventually concluded that the sickness had done something to her.
She wasn't complaining though, it would have been terrible to still be affected by all this murder and mutation without the ability to do anything but watch and slowly lose her sanity more than it was likely already lost. What happened next caught her completely off guard. With so many screams echoing into her dream, the Alpha Form's host was awakened and she looked around to see herself in the capital terrorizing civilians.
'No!'
Her faith to Brimir still strong, she cried out in pain when she saw her body, and many others, literally rip people in half without any remorse.
'Their going to attack the Princess! I need to stop whatever is controlling me!'
Resisting with all her mental strength, she tried her best to break through but alas could not. While she resisted, her feelings seemed to resurface and she couldn't control stop herself from feeling sick when people around her started to spasm while the small round ones burrowed into them. Unable to close her eyes, she couldn't keep focused for any longer than five seconds before her mental need to mentally heave broke her concentration.
When she finally reached the Queen's chamber and saw the infected swarm, her fervour reignited seeing the Princess struggle to survive. Fighting against the control as much as possible, willing herself to do something, anything, Louise tried to stop the flood from taking her one and only friend. She failed.
A flood infection form had an opening and managed to jump onto the General's face, quickly disabling him. With their defense taken down, the three remaining stood no chance as they were swiftly taken in. Even then Louise still tried to resist, wanting to at least put the Princess out of her misery.
It was when multiple combat forms started changing into a strange goop right in front of her eyes, making a large suspended cocoon that she started to panic more. As she had feared, the bodies of the room's previous occupants were thrown into it while more flood forms melted to seal the cocoon, the bodies within reanimated just enough to be able to consciously draw information from. As Louise gazed upon the permanently frozen facial outline of terrified Henrietta, she broke.
For the longest time, the flood form just stood there, as if knowing that she didn't want to look at it and doing so on purpose to torture her. After what felt like an eternity of waiting, her body finally turned away but stopped when it reached the mirror, deciding to examine itself. Finally gazing on herself after all this time, she saw the monstrosity she had become.
While not mutated beyond recognition like the others, the greenish hue of her skin reminded her of zombies raised from necromancy and the pulsating protruding veins only served to further increase the disgust she felt from gazing upon her new self. But by far the most disturbing part was her smile.
Stuck permanently on her face was just this smile, slanted and wide eyed, her face only supported the creepiness. It was a look you would find on a psychopath who had just finished a torture session with his favourite victim after a long break spent torturing others who just never felt the same. It was unsettling, the way the smile was positioned to suggest whoever controlling her enjoyed the act very much.
The last ounce of sanity remaining in her slipped away as she focused on that smile, her sight seemingly forced to stare at it as it sucked her in. The eyes didn't help either as Louise was unable to focus on anything but either the smile or eyes, those wide, soul piercing eyes which seemed to gaze into her very being, criticizing her for not helping her friend...
Unable to properly think anymore, her weak mind went blank, completely ignoring anything else in the world. It was only much later that she regained some form of consciousness, all around her, the world was falling apart as buildings burned and explosions were heard far and wide from what little resistance remained by harnessing the power of cannons and firearms.
It was the only thing which kept them alive since, unlike willpower, it depended solely on physical projectiles and could be used endlessly so long as ammo existed whereas willpower was easily depleted over time in the fight with the never ending flood. Finding herself able to move, she shuffled towards the sounds of battle and saw as a Juggernaut tearing through a line of musketeers who were unable to flee in time in favour of firing off another volley.
The small amount of territory maintained by the humans was reduced to an even smaller area as they struggled to protect the next checkpoint. Reaching out to the survivors despite the immeasurable distance, the scenery changed, as if she were going through a warp tunnel, all the background whizzing past her as she got closer to the unstable watchtower being attacked by multiple combat forms while others charged through.
Trying to get even closer, the world suddenly shook, holes opening all around. In an attempt to dodge, Louise jumped around the unstable looking parts but eventually was trapped and could only wait for her demise. After falling through the abyss for some time, she suddenly regained sight and tried to move forward while her eyes adjusted to the light.
She seemed to be in some noble's manor. There were sounds of fear and destruction coming outside the walls as she wandered around the hallways. Then, just as suddenly as she arrived, she was wrenched back into the darkness, up the abyss and continued to dream, wondering if what happened before was part of a dream as well…
Requests had just come in from the few Tristain who survived and fled to other countries. They all sought an audience with the leaders to inform them of the invasion but were denied on grounds of insanity, some even thrown in the cells. Thus the threat was ignored despite the desperate pleas of those who knew and the truth of the terror on the horizon would only be taken seriously once their own people and traders either failed to return or became rambling messes like the Tristainians.
However, that is a story for another time, now is the telling of the fate of a certain academy's survivors. While it was never explicitly made known, one had to be pretty well trained to work at a noble's academy, able to act as substitute bodyguards in a crisis. Now obviously, in a true emergency no commoner would even think of giving their lives for the noble brats they were serving but they were indeed capable fighters should the situation arise.
Butlers and other male employees were generally trained as what would be known as monks in another world's context, fist fighters utilizing their own body to take out their enemies. On the other hand, the females who were largely maids, were trained to be reconnaissance and silent strikers, or so called ninjas and shinobi while the less agile would receive firearms training so that they wouldn't be completely useless in a fight.
The academy staff all had secretly agreed amongst themselves long ago that should any attack on the school ground happen which would lead to certain destruction, there was no point in everyone dying together and so they would all flee and meet up near the Germanian border. Since most servants had to work through the night, it was them who managed to sound the alarm bell of the school but, as agreed, ringed it an additional two times more than protocol to signify a true emergency.
Following this, the commoner combat force grabbed their equipment if possible and fought through the waves of unknown enemies which for some reason were focused on the nobles rather than commoners, as if the leader had explicitly ordered for all mages to be wiped out as a number one priority.
Soon the ex-employees fought off their pursuers and regrouped at the location they had marked on their maps beforehand. A roll call was conducted after no one else joined and it seemed that only about half of them, mostly the maids as one would expect, made it out. No, it was more accurate to say half of them actually managed to make it out from that hellhole of zombies unlike any seen before.
Deciding to high tail it before the enemy realized they disappeared, the strange band of travelling servants made their way through the open plains towards Germania. At the front of the herd was Marteau, the head chef at the academy, better known as Mart the Mighty from his days as an adventurer. Trained in the art of the sword from young as a necessity to survive the slums, the young boy easily grew into a force to be reckoned with by adulthood and made a name for himself as one of the best the guild had to offer before retiring early in pursuit of better food which he never had as a lad.
Marteau eventually found himself working for the academy since they paid well and ordered generously but soon regretted it once he saw the sheer amount of wastage after every meal, loathing to cook for the nobles he had agreed to feed. Finally feeling the adrenaline pumping again after years of peace, the former chef wielded a well maintained great sword on his back while cautiously, yet still swiftly, advancing towards the border while protecting his comrades...
A/N: Sorry if the Louise part isn't well done, not particularly good with psychological aspects of a story, better in the ridiculous ideas department. As you can tell, instead of feeling constant physical pain like Jenkins, Louise suffers a different kind of torture which is worse in its own right. At least Jenkins had some military training, Louise is just some spoiled kid and so feels powerless the most important things to her in the world have been destroyed, taken by the one controlling her.
As always, review, favourite and follow if you've enjoyed. Don't forget to check out my other stories, community and poll as well. Story status information can be found on my profile and you can make suggestions on my forum. Next is the delayed reviews I guess.
The Keeper of Worlds: Not bad at all, it was a good description, and shows just how much of the core that is Louise remained after the infection. In some sense.
Thanks!
king Quinn The Last Heir: It seems Albion is screwed but joseph king of gallie have magic bombs that are like a nuke in a way and it vaporizer anything in it's path so maybe gallic will last longer
I'm pretty sure those required "Explosion" to activate which is in the hands of the flood now so if anything, once they take over Gallia, they'll take their stash of nukes and use it themselves lol.
Quelthias: I feel like I am playing pandemic, let the infection grow!
Pandemic has cures while, unfortunately for them, this doesn't.
Salvare: I'm interested what does Derf think about the whole situation. Would he feel Alpha Form as his "partner" if they had met? Also I know nothing about Halo aside from franchise face Master Chief, but I've heard Flood can infect (corrupt?) AI somehow, so is the chatty sword susceptible as well?
You make a good point but I'll most likely not be including Derf into this story. However, I will consider it.
ARcan: I predict that at the end, a small UNSC patrol group would end in the orbit of Halkeginia and start dropping nukes and kinetic strike indiscriminately, until the whole planet surface looks like Mars.
Good prediction, but that is assuming I intend a happy ending.
Akshka: I am looking at the reviews at the bottom and the gravemother idea if you don't want to do that on this fic make another one where that happens cuse that is awesome anyways I really like please continue
Lol gravemother, that would be something else but I'll leave it to someone somewhere else to write that story, sorry.
Guest: Please just have the flood win I really want a flood Galaxy
Sure they'll win, just not sure if it'll spread to a galactic scale lol...
McCree114: Regarding elves keep in mind that not all elves know how to use the counter spell that makes them invulnerable, at least to weapons of their world. IIRC only council/senate members can use it as well as high level and experienced military officers. Luctiana, her fiance Ari, and Ari's friend Madarf would be completely vulnerable as far as infection forms are concerned. They go skulking around infected human territory and it's lunch time for infection forms. Most elf civilians and basic infantry will be just as vulnerable for that matter.
Also the shield is not really indestructible as I recall Saito using an Earth weapon of some sort to break Bidashal's counterspell. If anything the spell works like a really buffed overshield.
Last thing. Along with the fact that the Flood will eventually discover the void's ability to create a World Door to other galaxies/dimensions, the elves harbor a magic gate which may have the same ability. The consumption of Halkeginia may seem harmless due to their lack of space faring technology but in reality the entire multiverse may be screwed.
Oh the bit on only higher ranked can use it is very interesting and informative so I thank you for that. As for Saito, I recall he used enchanted Derf to break the personal version and an enchanted flak cannon to pierce the giant golem version. If you could show me the part where Saito actually did manage it with an Earth weapon I would be grateful but until then I will treat Counter as if it is invulnerable.
UDLLORD: well I hope to see tiffania westwood and children which is in albion now be infected lolz
Evil man, wanting to see innocents get infected, not that I'm good lol…
A Random Troll: I heartily agree with the consensus for the Familiar of Zero world (I don't actually know the name of their world/planet, what is it?) to be utterly consumed, no deus ex machina to save their world. However, consider the following:
Why not have a UNSC ship come along near the end? They can't and therefore don't save the world, but they could possibly evac a few survivors, I'd encourage OCs as you've gloriously murdered pretty much the entire canon cast now (not like it's a bad thing). Said survivors' stories could then make for a nice follow-up series should you desire. Also serves to knock nobles down yet another peg because the UNSC gives Zero (pun intended) fucks about your stuck up nobility bloodline and your prissy magic tricks are nothing before 26th-century planet-devastating weaponry, and the UNSC has the strength to back this up against such a primitive, stagnant culture, especially with how anything they'd recover would be in complete tatters.
Alternately, Arby and friends (and ginormous fleet) show up to glass the planet, no survivors, no mercy. LET THE GALAXY BUUUUUURN! Oh, sorry, wrong franchise. But still, it's not like you're pulling the punches on these people or anything, right
I call it Halk, following Tech of Zero which was sadly discontinued. You pose a very fun scenario and yea I sorta realized the "killed the entire cast part" was actually what I did lol but don't worry, as seen above, I didn't kill everyone since OCs aren't easy for my mind to conjure lol.
The Weeping Prophet: i guess every body is going to drown from the flood ba-dum tiss~
How terrible, people in Halk could have eaten that drum set.
Proxy4818: Liking the story so far and am awaiting chapter 4 I want to see the look on cromwell's face when he finds out he should have listened to wardes.
I also wonder what Joseph will do he has to at least no something's up with Tabitha and everyone in tristain being dead and all.
Also I want to see how the emperor of germania reacts because many fanfics portray him as overconfident. If he's like that in this story I can easily imagine him underestimating the situation thinking that having all of Germania behind him will guarantee an easy win only to be in for the most terrible shock of his life.
I hope you were still waiting… Cromwell should despair by next chapter since the Flood will finally sweep Albion. He'll probably think his toy finally died and go pay his sister a visit or something, I don't know, he's crazy. Not really sure about Germania so will leave it in the air for now but Germania with it's large size will surely be a fun time…
Demon-255: I don't see enough Flood crossovers these days. Thank you for making this you sadistic son of a b**ch, and keep up the good work.
Many thanks, the Flood is cool.
A Random Troll: Hold up, I just realized: though it'd have to have happened in Chapter 2, you didn't actually write out Siesta's death/infection, did you? She's the only character in the show that I even remotely care about, so I'd appreciate it if you went back and edited Chapter 2 to at least grant her the dignity of her own death scene. Better yet, have her somehow have escaped Tristain and have her be one of the few survivors that some stray UNSC ship picks up before they cleanse the planet.
Now how'd you predict that? Siesta and Tabitha/Irukuku are generally people's favorites so I decided to save one for now but I didn't think someone would actually notice me glossing over it once I posted the next chapter already so good on you!
