Hey guys! This is my 4th chapter of Dark of Zero and it'll be mainly focused on the fight between Guiche de Gramont and the Chosen Undead along with its aftermath. As always I'll be answering questions/worries/comments in the reviews before I get started.
Lord Sigfry - Yes, I know how idiotic it makes them sound. Did you read the notes from Chapter 2 and Louise's segment? They're supposed to look idiotic and they're just grasping at straws because they didn't like what they saw. I'm not going to repeat what I stated in the previous chapters, so just look at the notes for chapter 2.
DragFire - I do plan something similar to that effect, though I've never actually read that piece of art. I'm scared that I'll be tempted to steal ideas from them, so I'm avoiding reading that, Unfamiliar, Zero's Shock, and The Hill of Swords until I manage to pass the Foquet arc. I did read the first two chapters of "On the Wings of an eagle", but that's it. My friend read it and he gave me some clues, but again it's nothing concrete. I really don't want to steal anything from the greats.
ArmorOfGeddon and everybody else who answered my question - Thank you for the clear and concise posts, and I do agree that it's similar to Devil you know (Nobles) vs Devil you don't know (Reconquista). I still have issue with the entire conflict being presented in the narration as wholly good vs bad rather than gray vs grayer. So I will be having Reconquista do some good things along with their bad, if only to make the populace actually consider supporting them against the nobles. Propaganda is one of the greatest tools in a war, and what better way to overthrow the current regime than tricking the populace to
Nix's Warden - Do you see bonfires in the world of Tsukaima? That answers your question on "what's up" with the bonfires. And I stated before that he does have all spells; he just can't use them since he doesn't have the talisman/pyromancy glove/catalyst that allows its use. The wands the Tsukaima cast use are different from the catalysts he has, so he can't use them.
Drake202 - The chapter should answer whether he still counts as Undead, though I did give some hints about his true nature now in the previous chapter. Also, he doesn't get a name yet and goes by a made up name if he has to introduce himself while keeping his nature hidden. It's not too hard to come up with a fake name.
Demons Anarchy - Yes, he'll have a combination of both, along with some new skills he'll learn from adapting. Also, no, there's no plans currently of the Chosen Undead meeting Boleteria's Champion. One strong undead warrior is already tipping the scales, so two strong undead warriors will destroy the scale altogether. It was mostly a throw it in reference. The picture is also a pretty accurate rendition of how this Chosen Undead ended the story, but obviously his epic gear and levels are gone for now. Burning for 10 years does that to you.
ArcherReborn2 - I'll keep the age thing in mind:) Anyway, I'm not completely taking it all from gameplay, as it also implies that the concept of climbing is completely alien to the Chosen Undead. As you'll see from the atrocity of a fight scene in this chapter, he'll already be able to do things that people wish they could do in gameplay.
Piterio - I'm making a list of the love interests and reasons at the end of the chapter. Please read it down there since it's way too big for up here.
Lunatic Pandora1 - Yeah, I noticed that problem actually. Any tips? I can't seem to go a single paragraph without adding "apostrophe but, apostrophe so, apostrophe which, apostrophe etc etc". It's the only way I can think of for extending sentences.
Chaos Theory - Yes, I'll be throwing in the occasional references to both this and other media from time to time. Since the land of Halgakenia takes place from about 1400's to 1700's at least aesthetically and politically, I'll make references to media that take place in those times.
Unknown Reader: No, he does not have the soul of Manus in his box on account of using it to get both the catalyst and the Abyssal Soulmass (a feat which is impossible in game since getting one makes the other lost forever.). And no, as of right now I don't plan to have him get special transformer powers from consuming souls. Where did this idea come from anyway? The Souls are there for equipment crafting because the game is equipment based. Even the original Tsukaima was equipment based given that Saito's powers only worked when he had one on hand. Considering one of the main benefits of the dragon cult is turning into a dragon head, making souls a transformation consumable just makes it redundant.
ZeroX1999 - Actually, the light novels revealed that one of the reasons Foquet does it is because she likes seeing Aristocrat's squirm. She's definitely not a good guy, but she does have the value of her vicims being mostly assholes and her relationship with Tiffania humanizing her somewhat. Seeing as she has no problem supporting Reconquista and has Wardes as a partner, she's also morally loose and somewhat power hungry.
On a general note, Louise seems to have an actual sense of humor in the novels. When they first went into the town, Louise pointed out the castle since they were on the road leading into it. Saito remarked that they should visit the queen and when prodded why he replies that he'd ask for a bigger portion of food from what Louise gives him. Rather than tell him to shut up or physically abuse him again, she actually laughs and just warns him about getting robbed by pickpockets. I guess there's something human in her after all.
And on an unrelated side-note, it is really annoying having to alternate between calling the CU either "The Undead", "The Familiar", or the "The Undead Familiar". Unfortunately I can't give him a fake name till the Fairy Inn arc, and that's way far off. Even further is giving him a permanent name to use for the rest of the story.
Now that all those questions are over with, let's start!
"Then meet me outside by the Vestri Courtyard. You shall see what your crimes against nobility get you."
With that last word echoing from his mouth, Guiche gave a flamboyant twirl of his rose wand and turned to leave through the large entrance of the dining hall. Behind him the crowd followed behind closely, some looking back warily to make sure the Familiar wouldn't try a sneak attack. Commoner's were so crass and lacking in honor, unlike nobles such as they. Some of them excepted him to attack Guiche when he couldn't possibly defend himself.
He didn't. He continued to stand there, doing his best to urge a reaction out of Siesta. The young maid continued to stare, wide eyed and afraid as the crowd got closer to the exit. Once they passed that threshold there would be nothing she or he could do to stop the duel. He would be killed trying to defend her.
"Mister Familiar, please go and apologize to the Lord Gramont right now!" Siesta finally managed to speak out, "Duels are forbidden on academy grounds, but his family is very powerful and influential! I-I don't know what will happen to you if you don't stop him!" She all but yelled out.
"...Really?" He gave a quick glance to the retreating group before giving a another titled head at the panicking maid, "...Nothing...scary...or dangerous..." He pointed at the blond fop, or rather at the general direction where he went. By this point he and the entire crowd had passed the door and only they and a select few stayed behind in the dining hall.
"You're wrong!" Siesta gripped his shoulders tightly, much to the Undead's discomfort, "He may not look like much, but Lord Gramont is a dot class mage! His constructions are durable and he can make them without casting!"
Dot class? Constructions? What in the abyss was this girl talking about? Were there rankings in this continent that differed from Vinheim? As far as he could remember the rankings for sorcerer's were simply "Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master". He'd met the apprentice Griggs and the master (though he preferred to be called Seeker) Logan in his travels. Did dot class mean anything in coordination-
He got it! One dot most likely meant apprentice, two dots journeyman, and three for master. Construction was a bit harder to place, but he guessed she meant how fast and how powerful his soul arrows were. In his experience, apprentices could conjure them one at a time and a decent shield was usually enough to block it, provided his stamina was still alright. Speaking of shields...
The Undead remained quiet at the news, though his hand removed itself from her shoulder and found its place onto the table next to them. Siesta wondered if he finally realized the gravity of the situation before she saw what he was grasping.
He was holding onto the tray they meant to serve to the nobles before the fight began; examining the entire thing slowly like it was a work of art.
"Um...Mister Familiar?" She couldn't keep the incredulousness that seeped into her voice, "Why are you holding the tray?"
The Familiar didn't answer her and continued to examine the tray he had in his hands. While it was shorter than what he was used to, he couldn't deny that any protection against soul arrows would be invaluable right now. Still, the lack of grip on its flat side worried him. How was he supposed to use this thing properly with a weapon? He could grip the edges and use it as shield, but he wouldn't be able to use it like that in case he need to grip a weapon or use his right fist.
The material was something he wasn't used to; some kind of bendable metal, but no less strong and durable despite the fact. To be frank it was actually better than some of the shields he'd used. Days where he lost Sanctus and had to make do with using a plank shield resurfaced at the back of his mind. If he could fight crystalized Hollows with a plank, he could fight an apprentice sorcerer with something better.
"Familiar!" The Undead turned and found his master stomping over to him with a look that promised him pain. A promise which was about to be fulfilled by the fact that the raging mage raised a hand up and prepared to slap him. Instinct immediately took over and he raised the impromptu shield against his left cheek. The result was instantaneous: A rather loud clang echoed all over the hall and he found his master comically jumping up and down, holding her rapidly reddening hand painfully as she tried to stop herself from grimacing.
The stats on the thing were pretty good as well. Despite being used to carry around confectioneries and small meals, the scaling was pretty decent. While it did focus on dexterity rather than strength despite its build, it was still good for taking hits as seen when his master tried to attack him.
"...Master?" Oh right, he had almost forgotten about her in the heat of the situation. He really need to remember to ask her about the bonfires before he fought. Not that he was scared of dying against the sorcerer, but it never hurt to be careful, "...All right?" He asked hesitantly.
"What do you think!?" She raised her other hand and prepared to slap him before stopping. He'd held up the shield against his right cheek now and it would've no doubt led to both her hands getting hurt. And so she did the only thing that came to mind.
With a quick charge up, she put her leg back and aimed a kick at his lower shin, "OW!" Only to be met with disappointment as he one again blocked the low attack with some quick placement of the metal tray. She on the other hand was now forced to hp on one foot as her other one felt like it had kicked a stone wall at full pelt, "Will you drop that stupid tray already! It looks ridiculous!" She yelled out in frustration.
The Undead watched his master's actions with a look of utter confusion, "...You're...okay?" He asked again, giving his soon to be signature tilted head at the furious girl. Her hands and feet looked like it hurt, though he couldn't imagine why. Blocking an attack didn't mean it accounted to damage...unless this shield had reflective properties? Hmm, maybe he should consider trading up.
He couldn't help but notice that she refused to look at him directly, unlike Siesta. It was the burns most likely: Siesta had already seen them last night and had time to get used to it. This was his master's first time looking at the scars directly, save that one time where he had recently gotten out of the Kiln. He really couldn't blame her; he really did look like a monster with the scars and injuries on his body.
"No, you idiot!" She was tempted to kick him again, consequences be damned. First he starts a fight with a noble and now he has the gall to act clueless? She was beginning to think maybe a corpse would've been a better familiar; at least it wouldn't have gotten into so much trouble! "You picked a fight with Guiche! What were you thinking!?"
Even his master was scared? It was pretty ridiculous. Why were they so scared? His master was a sorcerer just like he was. He could at least partially understand Siesta's fear of the blond sorcerer, but his master's fear came off as really silly to the Familiar. Sorcery didn't make one invincible nor did it make them particularly smart. He could still remember that forest guardian who kept falling for the same trick every time he wanted him to jump off the cliff. Well, him and his 4 other friends who never seemed to get that maybe doing a pounce attack at the edge of a cliff was a bad idea.
Unless...she was scared for a different reason? "Master's...friend?" He inquired at her. It would make sense. They were both of the so called upper class, they had similarities in being Sorcerer's, and they both had that heightened sense of self that he hadn't seen since Patches or Lautrec. They were practically alike, gender and body structure notwithstanding. Not even so much in the latter point considering their chest heights were practically identical despite the different genders.
The response was quick, "No! By the founder, no! He's not my friend!" Louise stomped on the ground, ignoring the pain that shot up her foot at the action, "He's a stupid playboy that relies on his father's reputation to seduce young maidens! I would never be caught dead being his friend!" She denied fervently. And why did she feel like her Familiar just insulted her body?
Then why was she so scared? She outright stated he was nothing more than a playboy (what exactly was that? Some kind of new title?) that relied on his father's reputation for everything. Sorcery didn't suddenly make him invincible as neither did it do so for Seeker Logan.
"Do you really not realize what you've done?" Louise gritted out slowly, "Guiche will kill you! He will completely destroy and there won't be anything you can do about it!" She waved her hands theatrically for emphasis, "The only way to escape this is if the two of us apologize to him," She grimaced as the word apologize and him passed through her mouth, "Maybe then you'll get away with a lashing only, or a beating if we're lucky."
And again, why was she so worried? He died an average of three times a day, and that was when there was no surprise blade or spike pit around the next corner or some huge monster that took more hits to kill than Solaire on a sunny day. He remembered dying over ten times fighting a certain bed of chaos and dealing with a sorcerer would have him with only one death at most even without his Estus. Soul arrow's may have been accurate, but they certainly weren't fast.
Granted making his way back to the fight would certainly be a pain in the backside. He still didn't see a single bonfire in the entire time he'd been here, meaning that it was either behind a false wall or it was nestled deep into the academy and through even more complicated hallways. And that was if they were even active to begin with. He didn't know what would happen if he got killed without an active bonfire nearby. Perhaps he'd be transported to the nearest one, regardless of location? If so, then making his way back to the battle would be even more tedious.
"Why am I even telling you this?" Louise wondered aloud, "I'm your master and you have to do what I say. I'm going out there right now and telling Guiche to stop this stupid farce of a duel," She turned and glared at him, "Don't make this any worse than it already is, got it?" With that final order, Louise quickly turned around and rushed out of the banquet hall, leaving only him and Siesta in the desolate dining room.
Regardless of what his master or Siesta told him, he would not back down from this. Maybe it would've been better to apologize for his actions, but he certainly felt no reason to. He was clearly in the wrong and he just reacted to his mistakes. The Familiar nodded to himself before strapping the tray against his back. Siesta stared in surprise as the flat tray stuck to his back despite his lack of a sling or a handhold.
"Mister Familiar, please reconsider," Siesta grasped his shoulder again, though noticeably more gentle this time, "I'm sure that we'll both be alright so long as we both apologize to Lord Gramont." That was a lie. The Undead could see that she was lying even without trying to. Her voice shook when she talked and she refused to look him in the eye. It was just like Frampt when he started asking too many questions.
""It'll be...alright..." The Undead placed a hand softly atop her head. He didn't know why, it just felt natural to do so, "Don't...worry..."
"Oh, I'm surprised you managed to find your way here!" Was it just him, or did the blond fop's voice get even more annoying ? ...Nah, it couldn't be him. It definitely got more annoying in the short time he was away, "I assumed your brain had degraded along with the rest of your body. I am glad to see this wasn't the case. I would have felt bad fighting someone who was mentally handicapped."
The Undead didn't bother giving a reaction to the insults, instead choosing to scan the area for viable tactics, 'Wide circular area...but the crowd is blocking the entire thing and making it narrower,' It felt oddly satisfying being able to talk without having to pause, even in his own mind. Regardless, he was already able to come up with a strategy that was both simple and effective: Use the shield and rush forward, but strafe left and right to avoid as much of the arrows as he could. When he got close enough, he would stick the shield on his back and then try to either steal or destroy his opponent's catalyst. Without that, he would be helpless.
"Guiche, stop this right now!" Louise stomped forward and blocked her familiar from moving forward, "You know that duels are forbidden on academy grounds!"
"As I remember, that rule only applies to nobles dueling one another," Guiche laughed as Louise sputtered for another explanation, "And as I also remember, it was not I who challenged your Familiar to a duel. He attacked me as I was attempting to clear my good name and I responded accordingly like a true aristocrat should." An unsettling smirk made its way to his mouth, "Of course I don't expect a pretender like you to understand how an aristocrat would act."
Like self righteous psychopaths? Was this how nobility acted? The Undead felt something inside him wither at the thought. Perhaps he had gotten too idealistic when he came here. On the first night he actually felt calm and, for the first time in a long while, safe. But every place was the same: Just filled with people desperate to do evil and harm to others for their own benefit. It didn't surprise him that Humanity's soul was so black. Even the God's in all their selfishness could barely compare to humanity's collected hatred and despair. His choice in the Kiln may have been a mistake.
"Guiche, you know he can't fight back!" Louise yelled back furiously, "This isn't a duel, it's a massacre! He'll die if you allow the duel to happen!" Guiche yawned at the plea and the crowd ignored her protests. Louise used her trump card, "Stop the duel, please!" With a heavy heart, she stooped forward and bowed, facing straight at the ground like a common servant.
Guiche stopped mid-yawn and gave a look of genuine surprise to the bowing pinkette, "Do you truly care for this actor that you would bow your head for his offense?" The young noble didn't give a reply, though she also didn't raise her head up, "Well well, I never thought I would see the day that the Zero Valliere would lower her head."
"...So you'll forgive him?" A trace of hopefulness managed to eke its way into her voice. She didn't even know why she went so far for a Familiar that she didn't even want. Was she truly so desperate to prove that she was a mage, to prove her family (sans Cattleya) wrong for calling her a problem child, that she was willing to toss her reputation away for something as flimsy as a Familiar she wasn't even sure of?
"Yes, I forgive him," Guiche gave a flamboyant point of his rose wand at the staring Undead, "Provided that he also bows and admits he was wrong. I was simply trying to prove my innocence and he unjustly attacked me. I think it's fair that he get at least a beating for not knowing his place."
The look Louise gave him was something he'd never seen before: Desperation, pure and unbridled. She was begging him to bow like she did, to take the beating in the hopes nothing worse would happen to either of them. But what about Siesta? If he followed his master's orders and bowed, then the maid would have no one to vouch for her innocence. In saving himself he would doom Siesta to whatever plans this noble had for her.
He couldn't do it. Even if he died a hundred fold he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he allowed someone who'd done something for him without reward or motive to suffer if he could do something about. With a purposely slow breath, the Undead shook his head in refusal and bent his body slightly in anticipation. If he was going to fight then he'd need to be ready to dodge the spells as they came.
Louise gave her Familiar a look of utter disappointment. Anger didn't cloud her face, but rather melancholy. She'd tried, Founder be her witness she did. Was she so pathetic that she couldn't control her Familiar's actions even with sincerity? With pursed lips, she stood up from her position and escaped into the crowd. She didn't want to see what would happen to him. Part of her tried to convince herself it was because she didn't care, but she knew this was a lie.
"Hmph, very disappointing," Guiche gave a careless shrug at his non-verbal refusal, "Very well then. I gave a chance for you to escape and you spit on my generosity," Another flamboyant gesture followed the statement, "Very well. If it is a duel you seek, then I shall not be the one deny you." The crowd gave a rambunctious cheer at the announcement.
"My name is Guiche de Gramont and my runic name is 'The Bronze'," He waved the rose in his hand and a petal fluttered down from the base down to the ground, "Accordingly, you will be fighting my bronze golem Vakyrie as your real opponent."
Whatever the Familiar was expecting, it certainly wasn't what he was seeing right now. The second the petal touched the ground, a bright light engulfed the small area in the shape of a suit of armor. The very next second he found himself face to face with a bronze knight, cloaked in a suit of armor made of bronze and wielding a spear that was at least half his body height. The Bronze being was also taller than him by a landslide, the top of its head reaching at least a foot taller than him. If it was trying to intimidate him then it was working.
He didn't get much of a chance to observe the weird creation before he was forced to move. With blinding speed, the bronze Golem raised the spear and aimed straight at his gut. Instinct once again took over and the Undead found himself rolling frantically to side and barely dodging the spear. The makeshift shield at his back bent slightly when he landed on it but he was unharmed.
"Well well, I wasn't expecting you to dodge so well," He could hear Guiche's mocking voice patronizing him, "Don't worry, I am not without mercy. The spears have been blunted so they will not kill you. I just hope you know how to take a few hits for your master's sake."
Once again the Golem turned and rushed to him, and once again he found himself dodging frantically to stop himself from being impaled. All around him he could hear the crowd laughing, pointing at him as if he were some amusement that came along to brighten their day.
What was going on? What were these things? Summoning magic was an impossibility in Lordran. Or at least the summoning of Artificial beings. The golem attacking him was no doubt lacking in sentience, and yet it moved like clockwork in its strikes and targeting. Was this why Siesta and his master were so afraid of facing him? Perhaps he should have kept his assumptions to himself.
Another hit and another dodge came and went. The Undead couldn't do this forever, "Come on..." He stood up as fast as he could and grabbed the shield stuck to his back, forming a makeshift barrier. The Golem took the tray as a sign of challenge and stalked forward, spear raised and ready to strike at him.
Just before the spear hit, the Undead turned the tray to the side. The spear scratched loudly against the metallic wall before before being forced away with a hard push. The Golem made to do another strike but the Undead was faster. Dropping the shield to one hand, he reared his right fist back before ramming the unarmed hand forward in a strong punch.
The sounds of bending metal resounded all over the field. Guiche watched with utter surprise as his Golem stepped back, it's face caved inward and it's spear held loosely in its hand. The Undead gave a grimace and shook his hand slightly. That hurt, but the question in his mind was why. Before he could punch armored knights and his fist barely shook from the strain. Why was punching armored copies so painful now?
Murmurs began to spread through the crowd. Vaguely he could see his master look up with a look of utter surprise on her face at the sight of her Familiar not being...dead, or at the very least heavily maimed. Siesta was there as well, even more shocked though he could see relief breaking into it as well.
"H-Hmph, so I see you have some skill," Guiche waved his wand and gave a strained laugh, "However, do not expect this duel to go your way simply because you damaged one of my Valkyries," To prove his point, the damaged Valkyrie jumped back and readied another stance, despite the damage to it's cranium, "Damage has no effect on my Valkyrie's, so a single punch will do nothing to stop it."
The same technique followed again. The Valkyrie charged forward intending to skewer him and he dodged against the strike as best he could. Rather than use his hands again however, he kicked hard against the Valkyrie's shins and caused it to topple over from lack of balance. Immediately he made as much distance as he could from the bronze monstrosity. As long as it held the spear then it had the advantage in terms of power. And he wasn't even sure if any amount of damage could destroy it.
"Coward! Stop running away and face my Valkyries!"
More petals flew from the rose and two more Valkyries were summoned; one with a spear of similar design and the other with a longsword. He could see the damaged one get engulfed in a bright light before disappearing quickly. Shame, he would've liked to get a few souls from it.
The Undead once again detached the tray from his back. Fighting with two opponents was difficult, but he had faced worse in the past. First he needed to deal with the one holding the spear; longer reach and more piercing capability. Afterwards he would have to deal with the one holding the longsword before facing Guiche himself. The rose was obviously the catalyst summoning them and this would go on forever if he didn't stop him.
He charged forward, aiming at the spear wielder and preparing to strike again. The spear wielding Valkyrie seemed to read his mind as it charged forward again, spear raised and prepared to strike. Making a quick mental countdown, the Undead raised up the tray and held it straight as the spear pierced forward.
This time there was no parrying or scratches. The spear met barely any resistance from the metal tray before it pierced through, rendering the shield (though it was a stretch to call it even that) useless. Guiche gave a large smirk at the sight. Finally he was going to stop being humiliated by that commoner wielding a tray like some kind of warrior servant.
The spear continued to lurch forward, slowly but surely inching forever more inward...before suddenly stopping. The bronze Valkyrie seemed to pause in its advance before once again trying to nudge the spear forward. Again it was met with a lack of success. It took Guiche a few seconds to realize why.
He'd bent the tray inwards. Half the spears tip was already through the makeshift shield, but the large half was still penetrating when the tray was folded. As a result the Valkyrie found its weapon stuck and it wouldn't budge so long as the Undead held it in his hands.
'Now!' As the Valkyrie once again made to push forward he quickly pulled back. The spear was launched out of its hands and tossed into the crowd, all of whom avoided the spears path as if it was some cursed object. With the spear out of its hands the Valkyrie found itself woefully under-equipped and could do nothing to stop the Undead's fist from meeting it's face. Again and again his attacks hit before he felt the golem crumple beneath the constant assault. The pain from using his hand had already dulled.
Immediately afterwards a surge of power filled him. It was short and barely noticeable, but it was undoubtedly the one thing he'd been searching for: Souls, the energy that powered anything from the lowest Undead to the highest God. The crowd behind him began to murmur once again.
"Hey, did you see that bright light just now?" A rather plump blond pointed at the destroyed remains of the Valkyrie. The crowd winced in response when they saw how bent the metal had gotten simply by a few well placed punches.
"Wasn't it just the Valkyrie dispelling?"
"Can't be. The Valkyrie's still there."
As soon as those words came out, the Valkyrie immediately vanished in a flash of light. Much to the Undead's disappointment, the spear also disappeared with the Valkyrie. Shame, he would've liked to use the spear as a weapon in place of his fists.
"You are...strong, I must admit..." Guiche commented once again. Personally the Undead wondered why he didn't send the sword wielding construct to stab him from behind while he was busy dealing with the spear wielder. Perhaps he was trying to fight fairly? He did spout about honor and various other concepts that he never believed in earlier. Even the most fervent Darkmoon Blades had a sense of fairness about them.
The truth of the matter was that Guiche simply didn't think about it. When he saw the spear pierce through the flimsy tray he assumed he had won. By the time he realized he should mobilize the next Valkyrie it was already too late.
"...Last..." The focused on the sword wielding Valkyrie, which responded to his stare by going into a battle stance, 'If it's anything like the silver knights, then it'll charge forward and leave its sides and back open,' The Undead's eyes narrowed when the knight's- wait, he meant Vakyrie. Needed to focus on the present. The Valkyrie charged forward, raising the sword above its head and preparing to strike
Rather than roll to the side again, the Undead quickly hopped back and barely avoid the sword as it crashed down in front of his feet. The Valkyrie didn't bother giving him a chance to recuperate before slashing upwards. This time he did get slashed, though just barely. The loose shirt he wore tore open and he grimaced slightly as the burns felt open air. The bandage had been thinly sliced as well and parts of the reddish skin started poking out.
Another broad swing and the Undead found himself rolling to the side to avoid being caught. All around him the crowd started to laugh as he was forced to continue to roll and jump back to avoid being caught in one of the Valkyrie's wide arcs.
"Haha, so I see you have difficulties fighting against those who wield the sword!" Guiche chuckled as the Valkyrie continued to try and skewer him. Already he could feel his confidence beginning to bolster once again, "Why not step down and accept your defeat? I will grant you mercy in light of the struggle you've put up." The Undead didn't want to admit that the blond brat had a point: He had always had difficulty fighting those who wielded the blade more than everything else.
Not a chance! The Undead quickly scrambled back as another swing aimed at his neck barely hit against him. He wouldn't be able to fight against this thing if it continued to strike against him. He needed a way to distract it- Aha!
"Oh, what are you up to now?" Guiche gave another loud laugh as the Familiar quickly scrambled to get the folded tray, "Even if you get that pathetic tray back, my Valkyrie will simply tear it down!"
He wasn't planning on using it as a shield. With a hard grip, he picked up the bent metal again and observed it slowly, 'Durability's nearly gone. One hit and it'll be destroyed,' Rather than place it in front of him against as cover, the Familiar tightened his hold against the shield and raised it above his head. With a deep breath, he launched the tray forward and threw it straight at the Valkyrie's head.
Guiche stopped and stared, mouth open at a loss for words. The crowd as well, though some sputtering could be heard from them. The entire Valkyrie's head had been chopped clean off, cut off perfectly from the neck up. The Bronze creation gave no reaction before quickly dropping its sword and crumpling to the ground and disappearing. The tray that had been used for the act smashed against the ground before shattering into many pieces. Sham, it made a pretty good shield.
Once again he could feel a piddling amount of souls being added to his repertoire. Nobody bothered to comment on the spectacle; they were still shocked from the sight of a tray being used to cut off a a golem's head.
"Th-This is impossible!" For once, the over-dramatic statement wasn't followed by another twirl of his rose. The Undead gave a small smile at that. He always loved it when his enemies commented how impossible it was for them to be beaten and how insulting it was for them specifically to be beaten by someone as 'puny and mortal' as him.
The crowd's momentum immediately changed.
"Haha, Guiche can't even beat a commoner!"
"Your runic name doesn't suit you, Guiche. Perhaps you should change it to 'The Rust!"
The crowd immediately turned on him once he no longer had the advantage. The Familiar felt no joy or satisfaction from it. They would turn on anyone and side with the one who was winning, regardless if it was him or his opponent. Perhaps Gough was right; it was simply human nature to be selfish and only look out for oneself, damning all the rest.
"Guiche, stop this duel now!" He could see his master pushing her way to the front of the crowd, "My Familiar's proven to be more than your match. Stop it now before it escalates!"
The crowd added a few more jeers. Guiche tightened his grip on the rose wand and gritted his teeth. This commoner dared to insult him? Him, the fourth son of the House of Gramont and his father's youngest son? He was not about to lose his honor against a commoner actor using a serving tray!
Much to the Undead's non-surprise, Guiche refused to surrender and another petal fluttered from the wand down onto the green earth. Another Golem was summoned, but this time it was different. While the previous golem's were obviously armored, they were lacking in detail and much protection.
The one in front of him was more detailed, with ornate signs and symbols on different parts of its body and thicker plating that needed either a strong weapon or warrior to pierce. Rather than the short sword or spears wielded by the previous three construct's, this one held an ornate longsword which glistened well under the midday sun on its right hand and a rather large kite shield on its left. The construct reminded him eerily of the Black Knight's he'd fought on his way to the Kiln: Stoic, focused, and extremely dangerous. He could feel his nerves shoot up nervously at the memory.
With a wave of his hand the construct rushed forward quickly, quicker than those who came before it. The Undead found himself frozen before he heard it, "Familiar,duck!" Instinctively he followed the command and not a second later as the golem cleaved a wide arc with the sword that would have no doubt left him lacking a head if it hit.
"Are you trembling at the sight of my powerful Valkyrie?" Damn it, his voice had gotten annoying again, "The ones you fought previously were simply imitations, frail copies that pale in comparison to the construct you see before you. No you will see the true power of the Gramont name!"
The Valkyrie gripped the sword tightly and lunged forward, aiming down at him with the intent of impaling him to the green earth below him. The Familiar had no choice but to roll to the side. He felt his breath momentarily hitch when the sword landed just a few inches from his ear. Another few inches and he would've been impaled by the ornate weapon.
Too much, it reminded him too much of his early days. When the Black Knights in the Undead Burg chased after him. Unfeeling and relentless they attacked, ignoring every plea or grunt of pain that passed from his mouth. Death reached him many times when he fought the loyal soldiers of Gwyn and, thoughthe Valkyrie was not the same, it reminded him too much regardless.
"Guiche, stop! You're going to kill him!" Louise once again tried to fight her way through the crowd, but none of them budged. Their interest in the conflict had renewed now that it was beginning to get exciting again.
The blond noble ignored her pleas and complaints. He was initially satisfied with simply beating the poor commoner; to make an example of him to ensure that crimes against nobility would not be punished. He wasn't even going to continue to press charges on the maid if he had his way. But now, now that the upstart commoner had refused to take his rightful punishment and had the gall to embarrass him in front of everyone, he didn't care. This commoner might or might not die, but he didn't care. If he did pass from this world then it wouldn't be much trouble for him to not get in trouble.
The Undead stood up quickly and aimed a low kick at the construct's shins, which was met with a general lack of success as the metal barely dented from the strike, "Dance, commoner, dance!" With every wave of Guiche's hands the construct continued to strike. Also unlike its former brethren, the strikes the Valkyrie put out were balanced and professional. The Undead could see why he was proud of it.
He needed to aim for Guiche directly. With that plan of actions in mind the Undead rolled forward and began rushing straight at the blond summoner. Unfortunately for him the Valkyrie sensed his intent and blocked his path, pushing him back with a smash of its shield and a swipe of its longsword. Behind it Guiche smirked at his simply strategy.
Fleeing was the only option he had. Immediately he backpedaled as far as he could go and took deep breaths. He needed to find a way to distract the knight long enough for him to take a shot at its master. Even if he ran at full pelt the construct's enchantments ensured that it would still be able to beat him in both overall speed and agility.
'...Disarming would be the best course of action,' There was nothing for it; he had to attack the knight directly if he had any hope in getting to Guiche.
Closing his eyes briefly and muttering to himself that this was a horrible idea, he charged forward. Some of the nobles in the crowd laughed at his bravery (or as they called it, recklessness) and started guffawing quite loudly. The golem met his charge with the same stoic focus and readied its shield, "Look out!"That was Siesta's voice. Up he looked and he found the large golem holding its sword with both hands and preparing to strike down at him. It was too late for him to dodge it.
The sounds of metal cutting flesh resounded over the large courtyard. Louise, Siesta, and various other nobles in the crowd looked away and closed their eyes. None of them wanted to what had happened.
"W-What in the void!?" Guiche's shocked voice was the first to reach their ears. Hesitantly they all looked up and saw a sight most fascinating and morbid: The sword had been blocked, but by no shield. The Undead Familiar grimaced and resisted the urge to scream as the blade pierced against his left arm before stropping. No blood poured from the wound and the sounds of bones cracking were also eerily absent. Undead had naturally stronger bodies than most and it wasn't uncommon for swords, spears, and maces to be blocked by their limbs and bones alone.
The Valkyrie gave no reaction to his struggle and continued tying to press down. Not even an inch did the sword move downward, though the shaking of his hand continued to increase.
"F-Familar..."His master staring at him, somewhat surprised but mostly in fear. The Undead felt somewhat hurt but he knew he didn't have time for sentimentality right now.
"...Die!" In an unprecedented move, her Familiar leaned his head back before rushing forward. A headbutt, though nothing professional, was extremely painful for both the receiver and the giver. The Undead instantly felt a wave of dizziness spread across his head but the Valkyrie was even worst off. It stumbled back, sword dislodging rather audibly from the the pale young man's arm and its shield dropping with a dull thud against the earth.
It was now or never. Ignoring the pain in his arm, he gripped the ornate sword with both arms and pointed the tip straight at the chest before pushing as hard as he could. The sounds of bending metal once again echoed over the large field and the Undead kicked the stunned Valkyrie away with a well placed shot to the stomach.
"No...No way..." Guiche stared down in disbelief as the Valkyrie landed at its feet. One arm bent inwards and the other was missing its shield, like a marionette that had gotten its strings cut. Desperately it tried to move its arms and legs to try and get back up, but the sword ensured it would remain stuck to the ground unless a miracle were to somehow happen.
The Undead choked back a cry as he felt his arm flare up in pain. This was odd. Why was it hurting so much? Was his lack of Estus so debilitating that wounds he could usually ignore were now causing problems for him? Still, he had won. All that was left was to kill the sorcerer and he would be able to claim victory.
"S-Stay back, commoner!" Guiche started waving his wand in a panic, urging the marionette to stand up and defend him once again, "I-I will not allow you to make a fool of me! Stand down now!"
He was the one giving demands now that he'd lost? Truly pathetic. The Undead walked forward, slowly at first before he started rushing forward across the field and to the sniveling Gramont. One punch would be enough to injure him and then he could snap that catalyst in half.
"I said stay back!" With that last demand passing from his lips, he waved his wand around frantically and prayed for a miracle.
Louise and the entire crowd closed their eyes as the Undead was literally a breath away from smacking the poor boy back into the abyss. But no sound came, no cries of pain from Guiche as he begged for his life. Slowly and hesitantly they all opened their eyes, expecting the worst for the poor Gramont boy.
What they saw instead was the exact opposite. Guiche stood there, cowering and blubbering but completely unharmed. Louise's Familiar, on the other hand, was not so lucky.
A blade had impaled itself onto his stomach, the Valkyrie wielding it somehow managing to stab him despite its bent appendage. The Familair stared down in disbelief as the kneeling Valkyrie impaled the sword deeper against his stomach before stopping halfway. It's command to protect its master was complete and it would stab deeper only when he ordered it to.
No one was as shocked as Guiche himself. He felt many things at the moment: Relief that he didn't die, surprise that his Valkyrie managed to follow his command, and disgust at the sight in front of him. Now that the anger and adrenaline had disappeared did he truly realize what happened: He'd killed someone in cold blood. Spell or not, it was by his command and his command alone that the commoner's life was extinguished. His bravado from earlier was replaced with fear. He had killed someone, and there was nothing he could do to change that.
He felt sick. Wasn't this nobility? To duel with honor and to accept the death of the opponent when they came? Why did he feel so sick? His confidence and smug superiority eroded away.
The Familiar stared down at the Valkyrie once again before a coldness started to spread across his body. He was dying again, this familiar feeling was too unique for there to be another explanation. His knees buckled beneath him and with his fading breath he tried to pull out the sword. He could only reach the Valkyrie's shoulders before his life began to ebb away from him and he found himself too weak to retaliate.
"M-Mister Familiar!" Siesta tried to rush forward, only to be held back by some of the sympathetic nobles. Servant or not, staring into the face of a recently deceased friend as their life faded from them was a punishment that no one deserved.
Louise just stared forward, wide eyed and trying to form coherent thoughts and words. Her Familiar just died.
Guiche bounded forward slowly, hesitantly walking towards the barely breathing Familiar and the Valkyrie kneeling in front of one another like some kind of twisted statue. Once again there was no blood that poured forth from the wound, and yet he was obviously dying. He crouched down when he got close enough and couldn't stop the look of disgust that reached his face; the commoner was dead, his lips parted open slightly but no breath came out of his mouth. There was nothing that could be done for him now.
In a rather uncharacteristic fashion, Guiche separated the Commoner's hand from the Valkyrie's and let it slide down as a show of respect. With a solemn nod, he dropped the hand from his grasp and let it fall slowly to the hilt of the sword. As his father taught him, the dead needed to be shown some respect no matter their social class.
As soon as the pale hand touched the hilt, the runes atop his knuckles started to grow a bright blue. Guiche didn't have time to check what was happening before he felt a hand close around his neck and the air being choked out of him.
"...The darksign...brands the Undead..." The entire crowd stepped back as the recently deceased Familiar stood up from the ground. His left hand gripped the hilt of the longsword tightly and his left hand continued to choke Guiche as he stood up, "All humans...wish for death...but it shall never come to them..." He continued to intone in an emotionless voice.
Sensing its masters life was in peril, the Valkyrie once again stabbed the sword deeper into his stomach as hard as it could. The Undead gave a cry of pain and removed his hand from the struggling noble, who immediately backpedaled away from his attacker the first chance he got.
The Familiar gripped the sword with both hands before loudly kicking the struggling Valkyrie away. Unlike his previous efforts, this time the armor tore away from his attack and shattered into many pieces once it hit the ground again. Ignoring the larger intakes of souls he received, the Undead grabbed the hilt of the longsword with both hands before pulling as hard as he could against it.
The cocky noble could only blanch as the Undead Familiar pulled the sword out of his body before depositing it for use in his right hand. Guiche's reaction to the scene in front of him would have been comical if not for the fact that he was most likely going to get very injured from the rather angry and now recently armed Undead.
'What's happening?' The Undead felt lightheaded and he gripped the sword in his right hand. An unfamiliar power continued to surge through him and he felt...good. Better than good, he felt powerful. It was the same feeling he got when he received a massive intake of souls from killing a particularly powerful and stupidly cheap monster (Bed of Chaos).
Guiche waved his rose wand and three more Valkyries were summoned. These ones wore crude armor and even cruder weapons, worse than even the first ones he'd summoned. Magic required focus and calmness, so it wasn't a surprise that he couldn't do much in his panicked.
The first construct sloppily charged forward, raising the spear it held in a clumsy attempt to impale him. The Undead didn't even bother to take his sight off Guiche and simply grabbed the messy golem's hand mid swing before snapping it off with some slight movement. He kept the spear in his left hand before stabbing the construct with the sword on his right.
The second construct used a mace and attempted to attack him from above. The Undead gave a slight look up before slashing the entire arm clean off its hinges, taking making the mace fall down rather lamely. Before the construct could hit the ground he impaled it with his spear before nonchalantly tossing it aside like a doll.
That was two down, and now he only had one to go. What was happening to him? Power kept flooding his system and the runes on his left hand continued to brighten as he held both the spear and sword in tandem. He could also feel his wounds healing rapidly; the holes on his stomach and arm started to heal and the burns on his skin slowly disappeared from view till they were no longer there. It was like a healing miracle or multiple Estus flasks thrust upon him.
The third one was hardly any more of a challenge that its last two brethren. It tried to lunge forward and attack his chest, but a dodge to the side and a single arc from his new sword later and it found itself missing most of its upper body before crumpling rather anti-climactically against the ground. Now there was only one left.
"Stay back!" Guiche waved his hand in order to summon more golem's, but none came. He tried again, this time trying to dispel the weapons he created in order to buy himself some time, but his grip on them remained strong even as the discarded golem's were dispelled with the wave.
The Familiar didn't need two weapons for this. He threw the spear close to the young man's foot, causing him to let out a yell as he stumbled back trying to avoid it. Keeping the momentum, the Undead charged forward and grabbed the young man's neck with his left hand and placed the sword against it with his right. One slash, one movement and the sorcerer would find himself having a hard time breathing.
"Please..." Guiche held his left hand frantically and stared at him eye to eye, "Please...don't kill me...I'm sorry..."
He was sorry? Apologies weren't enough to erase the grueling fight he had just been put through. Death came for them all, and subsequently death left them all once they revived in the nearest bonfire. Why was he so scared of dying? It was painless and a minor annoyance at most.
"Don't kill him!" His right hand was pulled back forcefully by the ringlet haired girl from earlier. Where did she come from? "Don't kill him! He may be a womanizing pervert, but he's still my fiancee! Don't kill him, please! I'm begging you!" Try as she might, she couldn't move the Undead's grip for even a single inch, "Please, I'll make sure he apologizes to you and your master for what he's done. So please don't kill him!"
"M-Montomrency..!" Guiche choked out at the sight of his fiancee.
Again this girl confused him. She was angry and violent with him earlier, but now that he was in danger she suddenly feared for his life? If she was so worried then she should just stay in the nearest bonfire and wait for him to revive there, maybe with a humanity on hand to stop him from Hollowing and retain his boyishly handsome appearance intact.
"Familiar, let him go right now!" Louise stomped forward and grabbed his left hand, "You've won! You don't need to kill him!"
His master as well. All three of them feared death so much that they were willing to beg that even their enemies be spared? Why? He couldn't understand it. Why were they so scared? Why did his master want to stop him? He would be alright even if he did kill him. His choice in the Kiln practically ensured that the bonfires would remain powered for thousands of years to come.
"A-Ah...Montmorency, run..." With his free hand, he grabbed his fiencee's hand and held it tightly, "Remember that nickname I got you," Montmorency nodded rapidly, "At least...I get to see my Sun one last time before I go."
"Ahhh, the sun! Finally, I have found it!"
"Aaaarrrgggh!" The Undead's grip on his sword loosened and a terrible pain began to spread across his head. Montmorency took his careless loss of grip as the chance to grab her Fiancee's hand and pull him away from the struggling Undead. The two stared at the Undead as he flailed against the ground and screamed.
"I have...I've found my very own sun!"
He saw it again. The cramp passageway leading to Lost Izalith, the giant bugs that impeded his way with every step, and then the door. The shortcut that would allow him to skip passing the lava-beds and go directly to the Bed of Chaos.
"I...am the sun!"
Solaire stood there, smiling as he entered. On his head stood a maggot burning brightly than anything he had ever seen before. Solaire laughed as he pointed it out before trying to impale his friend, a manic grin on his face and a a bolt of lightning on his left hand.
"Yes, I did it...I did!"
"Solaire...please stop..." Louise frantically gripped her Familiar's shoulders as he continued to spout out words she didn't understand, "Fight it...please...I don't want...to kill you!" The burns from his body started to re-appear again as the runes on his hand continued to dull. Louise felt herself sicken at the sight but she continued to grip her Familiar tightly. She wasn't going to let him go.
"Rejoice! I have found what I've been seeking!"
He struggled against his friend. Blow against blow, shield against magic. Solaire continued to attack him despite his pleas and the Chosen Undead had to face him as a true enemy. He didn't know how long their struggle lasted, but he found himself the eventual winner of their match. Even as the life continued to ebb away from him slowly, Solaire's smile never left his face.
"Ahh...it's over. ...My sun...is setting...it's so dark."
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry..." Pain started to overwhelm him again. His power was gone, replaced only with the hollow feeling of emptiness at his victory. He had won against his friend and proved the better champion...but he felt no joy at the inevitable conclusion. All he had was the life of his friend, the life he had taken because he wasn't good enough to protect him.
His regrets were the last thing that passed through his mind before everything turned to black.
Well, thank fuck that atrocity of a fight scene is over and done with. Thank you anyone who struggled through that catastrophe with me and I hope it wasn't too bad that you got turned off from the story. I didn't have a beta when doing the fight scene and I hope it's alright. I'll re-do it if it's so horrible that it turns people off from the story.
Anyway, another question for you guys: Can anybody clue me in on the actions of the Germanian Emperor (if he even shows up in the canon) and/or the Pope of Romalia? I know at least that the pope is not well liked in the spacebattle forums apparently because of his actions. The thing is, what exactly did he do to earn so much ire? I'll need to know since the politics are a main topic in this fic.
I've also figured out what I'm going to replace what the staff of destruction with, seeing as a rocket launcher wouldn't make sense for this fic. Many of you will know it when you see it...or read it, as the case may be.
And for Piterio and anybody else interested in romance. Look below.
Now let's get to something some of you have commented on: The romance. Let's nip this in the bud before it gets problematic later on. I'll be listing each and every possible option and giving why they can and can't be an LI. I'd like everybody's comments on this and what they think.
Siesta of Tarbes - Now she's the safe option here. The nice girl, the girl next door, the down to earth hard working girl that puts a smile on your face. Her idealistic ideas of romance make her a great foil to the Chosen Undead's cynical view of trusting relationships. So she seems like an awesome option, right? Well...not so much.
Siesta is the Undead's first friend in Halgakenia and the first person who hasn't tried to stab him or order him around yet. And, as many of you may have tried, trying to romance a friend is stupidly awkward when you don't know what you're doing; and the Chosen Undead definitely has no idea what he's doing. Sure the anime portrays Siesta as - pardon my language - pretty slutty, the novel and manga shows her to be more meek and more emotionally deep in comparison so I'm using that. That and the Chosen Undead doesn't respond much to fanservice in general since, again as many of you probably know, removing armor mid-combat is a very viable strategy many of us use to lighten our load and save endurance (saved me when fighting against Ornstein/Smough, Kalameet, and 4 kings). Being naked doesn't elicit much of a reaction out of him.
Tabitha/Charlotte Helene Orleans - I'm not arguing these two got seriously screwed over and had their skills used by a bunch of assholes. The difference is scale: Charlotte's was more personal since they targeted her mother and then used her afterwards. Not to mention the fact it was her own uncle and family who did this, so the only people she thought she could turn to were gone as well. By contrast the Chosen Undead was dicked over by...a bunch of people he never really trusted or had a personal connection to. Okay, his end fate was arguably more horrible than what could happen to Tabitha, but the emotional impact of betrayal was never present.
So the saying "Birds of a feather flock together" also apply here. The thing is, is it really a good idea to place two emotionally and mentally scarred people together and expect nothing bad to happen? In my experience, you need someone their polar opposite in order to coax them out of their shells and make them come out. That and, though this might come off as petty, her appearance doesn't exactly inspire romance. When I see her I don't think "Wow, that just makes me want to romance her" but "Damn, I want to give her hug after all she's been through". She seems more like a sister than a lover, at least in my personal opinion.
Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst - If anyone deserves the phrase "Really gets around", it would have to be Kirche. Not only does she take multiple boyfriends/lovers in all forms of the media, the anime heavily implies that she sleeps with them to boot (though given that this is the anime we're talking about, it could just be adaptation decay in effect). Despite this she does show a kind side and she doesn't seem to care about social standing, class, or even age/appearance provided she likes them well enough, as established by her attraction to Colbert later in the story. That's also the main reason against pairing with her: She already has an established attraction to someone who isn't the MC. I know Colbert doesn't share her attraction, but hey, it doesn't stop her from trying.
Tiffania Westwood - Ah, the nicest elf I've ever seen in anime; in more ways than one - and I'm not talking about her weapons. Not only is her personality and innocence extremely likeable, but her extreme selflessness and taking care of orphans despite her own ordeals really puts her in a very good light. She also has void magic similar to Louise, and yet she shows more control and lacks the temper or unpredictability the pinkette has. So again she sounds like the perfect girl to be both a lover and a friend.
The problem? She looks way too similar to Dusk of Oolacile. Seeing as I'm adding originality and connections to the Dark Souls media in this fic, her similar appearance is way too juicy to pass up as a plot point. And given the Chosen Undead's interactions with Dusk include simply saving her and then finding her corpse 1000 years later, it's extremely awkward for the both of them. I'm not saying that Tiffania is Dusk or something silly like that, but she reminds him way too much of her and his experiences fighting Manus. Considering how Tiffania also has trouble with romance in general, the romance might turn shoujo-esque if I pair them together.
Henrietta de Tristain - Princess of Tristain and soon to be its Crown Sovereign. This one is arguably the hardest for both parties: The Chosen Undead has...issues with princesses (and leaders in general) due to Anor Londo and Henrietta's in a political marriage with the King of Germania; the most warlike country, but ironically also the most progressive of them all. I'd like to focus on her political actions more and show that sometimes you have to do some evil to do a lot of good. Along with actually showing Germania since I don't think it's ever appeared in the Tsukaima canon, despite every other country being shown. I'm rather interested in the so-called barbarian country and how different it must be.
She also has the same problem as Tabitha: Any lover she takes is an instant target or looked on as a gold digger after power. It's one thing to have an affair with a noble, it's completely something else to have one with someone who's royalty. You can see Henrietta struggling with this in season 4 of the anime. Now I might be a bit biased in my choice since Henrietta's one of my favorite girls in the series, so I want your opinions on this.
Irukwukwu/Sylphid - Seeing as she's an attractive female that at least looks like a teenager, I'm just listing her down here for randomness' sake. This romance is non-existent and I'll only go this route if I want to get a good laugh out of some people. The Chosen Undead is attracted to Sylphid...just not in the ay you'd expect. You'll see what I mean when the next chapter comes out. That and this Chosen Undead has dragon phobia, Syplhid seems to love eating way too much, and he's practically a walking barbecue so...yeah.
The Chosen Undead himself - He's the biggest problem when it comes to romance. He has no problem staring at the opposite gender even if they're completely naked, but holding their hand is already a prize accomplishment for him. A kiss for him is basically tantamount to declaring his eternal dedication for a person, hence why it's a good thing he doesn't remember Louise's ritual. He's actually pretty innocent when it comes to something other than fighting or strategy.
That's all the LI's I'm listing so this chapter doesn't pad out. I'll add the rest of the possible romances like Agnes or Cattleya depending on where I take the story, but as of now these are the mains.
Anyway, that's all for now. Please read, review, and comment on what you liked and disliked.