Disclaimer: Still don't own Final fantasy or Familiar of Zero, but wouldn't it be awesome if I did?
Sorry for the wait got hooked on writing another story, and finally finished it at 670k+ words and 98% positive feedback! I'm going to now be working on Louise, Red, Mass effect, and FAO simultaneously and they will get updated whenever they do. Can't promise consistence but it probably won't take as long as this chapter did by a long shot.
Sorry for the inconvenience now let's continue this!
PLAY
Chapter 5: Hiding in Plain Sight
-1 week later-
If one had asked Matilda a week ago if Louise the Zero and an academy maid could ever face her in combat she would have laughed to the point of tears before sending them to a water mage to check for brain damages. The two girls simply could never hope to be on her level.
…Now as she watched them spar with Lightning
She wasn't so sure…
BGM: Last Hunter- Final Fantasy XIII-2
*BOOOOM*
Lightning looked on impassively as she side-stepped a powerful slash from a blue-eyed Louise. The young pinkette glared up at the woman as the ground beneath her blade cracked. Lightning kicked Louise hard in her stomach, sending the young noble flying back but before she could hit the ground Siesta caught her effortlessly and placed her on her feet.
"Watch my back." Siesta said making Louise nod as the brunette shot forward with a glare.
"Blizzaga."Lightning muttered as she released a powerful ice spell at the maid whom narrowed her eyes as the spell collided into her, entrapping her in large crystals of ice. Lightning quirked an eyebrow as Louise darted from around the frozen Siesta and charged Lightning head on.
"Derflinger, your sword play is on par with mine but even when you reinforce her body I am still physically stronger than you. You can't fight me head on." Lightning said making Louise smirk.
"Don't underestimate us sparky!" Louise shouted as she threw the blade at Lightning. Lightning deflected the blade with her own without batting an eye, sending it spiraling back. Poor Louise looked like she was going to keel over as Derflinger's influence left her body, but to Lightning's pleasant surprise the girl continued forward and aimed her hands at Lightning. "THUNDAGA!"
"Thundaga."Lightning said as she countered the attack effortlessly with one hand.
*CRASH*
The ice trapping Siesta shattered suddenly as the maid shot high into the air and descended towards Lightning with her fist cocked back.
"EAT THIS!" Siesta shouted with a glare just as the spells died out giving Lightning enough time to raise her shield in time to block the powerful attack.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
Lightning stood strong but the ground beneath her exploded from the force.
"Not bad." Lightning complimented as she shield bashed Siesta away only for the young maid to recover and land in a crouch. Siesta panted tiredly as she wiped some blood from her lip while Louise slipped past Lightning to catch the still air born Derflinger which was knocked even higher into the air due to Siesta's attack. Spinning around swiftly Lightning raised her blade high in the air as she prepared to end the spar. "Don't leave your back unprotected!" Lightning said coldly as she brought the sword down.
*CLANG!*
"What?" Lightning asked in mild surprise as Siesta appeared before her and blocked her sword with her crossed forearms.
"Steelguard." Siesta said as she fell down to one knee due to the force of Lightning's blow.
"She mastered that move already?" Lightning mused. "She may end up as annoying as Snow in a battle."
"It's never unprotected if someone you trust is watching it!" Louise shouted as she jumped up towards the descending Derflinger.
"Catch me girly!" The sword cried loudly.
"Bravery!" Louise said as she felt her strength increase dramatically just as she caught her companion. Landing in a crouch, Louise spun around with her sword gripped tightly as her eyes shone blue. She grinned as she dashed towards Lightning, holding the sword with far more ease than she ever could. Siesta jumped back as Louise shot passed her with far more speed that she thought the young noble was capable of.
*CLANG!*
Louise saw something that both frightened and filled her with pride at the same time.
Lightning's smirk.
"Oh?" Lightning said as her sword was slowly pushed back. "Guess I can't hold back against you two anymore." Instantly both she and the pinkette found themselves clashing blades at unprecedented speeds. Each clash sounded like miniature explosions as the two danced around each other. With a shout Louise continued slashing at the woman even as she flipped over her, never once letting up her assault. This went on for a few moments before Lightning found herself side-stepping a vicious blow from Siesta.
"Forgot about me?" Siesta asked as she released a barrage of blows at the woman. Lightning smiled slightly as she found herself fighting back both Louise and Siesta as their surroundings suddenly disappeared to the three combatants. At this point they were all too focused on the fight to even worry about the destruction they were probably causing in the forest.
"Derflinger is being backed up with bravery. That level of swordsmanship with that much strength backing it means I can't go easy on them. I can't even cast my own bravery due to them not letting up this assault." Lightning thought as she raised her shield to block a vicious right from Siesta. "Then there's Siesta, one well placed blow is all she needs to give them a clear advantage. Though I am nowhere close to going all out…from now on the kiddy gloves are off during training."
Jumping back, Lightning closed her eyes for a second before snapping them open with an icy glare.
"It might be a bit much, but Siesta already used Sovereign Fist on me…it's only fair." Lightning concluded as she shot forward. "Army of One!" Now let it be known that not many things can catch Lightning off guard…
Her signature move changing randomly, however, is one of those things. Unlike Legion of One, this move is weaker as she didn't want to traumatize the young girls like she did Guiche.
Army of One is a full on assault that Lightning uses when she gives in to her instincts in battle and that particular assault had stayed the same since she started using it. So when her body decided to flip back and put on her sunglasses rather than charge forward Lightning knew something was amiss. Somewhere Lightning knew she should have stopped her assault, be her gut told her to continue…it never led her astray before…
…Well there was that one time she almost made a young depressed teen kill her brother-in-law but that's a story for another time.
Lightning flew forward with a small red light trailing behind her as she blasted towards the surprised young women. Lightning raised her blade as her body continued to levitate towards them and rapid speed.
*SLASH*
*SLASH*
*SLASH*
After slashing at them from three different angles, Lightning flew up to the sky and stared down at the moment as her eyes widened behind her glasses.
"I…I can fly?" Lightning asked herself incredulously as the red light continued to follow her. It was then something else happened that would later make Lightning re-evaluate her entire combat style.
*CRASH!*
BRONZE TROPHY UNLOCKED: KEEPIN' IT STYLISH! (Change Garbs mid-fight for the first time)
+600 gold
Even Lightning could not keep her cool façade as she blatantly gaped at her clothes and weapon shattering and transforming before her very eyes. She blinked as she once again found herself wearing her Knight of Etro armor before blasting down towards them again and slashing the teens at a much faster speed from all directions five times, sending the both flying into the air. Lightning found herself flipping back in mid-air once again after the second assault.
*CRASH!*
Her armor shattered once more as she found herself in her old Guardian Corps uniform before blasting off towards them and slashing at them an uncountable amount of times in a lightning fast cyclone of destruction before finally flying high in to the air with her sword raised high above her head, both hands wrapped tightly around its hilt.
*CRASH!*
Shattering once more, Lightning's clothes and weapons finally returned to their original state as she blasted down and slammed her blade into the ground, engulfing the girls in a fiery pillar of light.
*BOOOOOOOOOOM!*
BGM: END
-Later-
Louise woke up several hours later in a daze and found her head resting in Siesta's lap. The maid looked irritated but softened her expression when she saw that Louise was now conscious.
"W-what…happened?" Louise asked weakly making Siesta's eye twitch slightly.
"Your familiar that's what." Siesta said as she blatantly glared forward at the older pinkette who was walking towards them. To Louise's surprise the terrifyingly cold woman looked almost sheepish…
…well as sheepish as one would expect Lightning to be at least.
"Once again I apologize, I honestly had no idea I could do that." Lightning said sounding slightly exasperated.
"How do you not know if you can fly!?" Siesta asked incredulously. "Or change clothes mid-combat! Better yet, after the first armor change why didn't you-oh I don't know Ms. Farron- stop fighting!?"
Wow. Siesta was pissed, Louise realized with morbid fascination but the young pinkette thought it was a bit much considering they were okay.
"Siesta, calm down we're okay right-"
"We died." Siesta snapped making Lightning sigh as Louise looked at her incredulously.
"You didn't die-"
"Close enough." Matilda piped up getting a glare from Lightning. "For all intents in purposes you both would have died if she didn't use those weird feathers on you."
"Feathers?" Louise blinked slowly as she tried to come to terms with her near death. It made her fear and respect Lightning even more. She realized she had a long way to go if Lightning could kill both her and Siesta that easily by accident.
"Phoenix Downs, they have powerful healing properties and can bring you back from the brink of death." Lightning informed her. "To be honest I thought I had reached the limit of my power long ago; guess I still have some new abilities to grow in to."
The fact that Lightning could get stronger nearly made Louise cry, but she was far too proud to let her fear show!
*Sniffle*
Never mind.
Siesta held the now sobbing pinkette tightly as she frowned at Lightning.
"Oh honestly, I am not that terrifying of a trainer am I? I'm not even that powerful-"The deadpanned expressions she received from Siesta, Matilda, and even Derflinger unnerved her.
"What exactly was that anyway?" Matilda questioned curiously. "I have never seen a magic that altered appearance that much, especially not combative magic."
"Certain outfits apparently give me new abilities." Lightning said and at their expressions she explained a bit more. "After I did it, the knowledge began to fill my head. It was like I was regaining memories that weren't mine. If I wear the Garb once I can go back to it whenever I need to."
"Because that's fair." Matilda deadpanned, sarcasm lacing her words. She had been with the woman for a week and realized that she just might be the most terrifying being on the planet.
Karin? Elves? HA! They had nothing on the monster before her.
"I currently have three that I know of, I guess I'll find some more on this journey." Lightning said as they got ready to leave the now destroyed forest. "Hopefully they are all modest…"
She had no idea why she got a chill just then.
"While we're on the move, Matilda can start tutoring you Louise." Lightning continued making Louise blink in confusion.
"Tutor me about what?"
"Magical Theory." Matilda answered as she turned to the younger pinkette. "Lightning can only show you spells that she has, now that you've discovered how our magic works I can help you develop your own spells which it appears you may need."
"What do you mean?" Louise questioned curiously as Matilda pointed at a large crater that was formed by Siesta's Sovereign Fist. The sheer size of it made Louise pale slightly.
"Siesta has that absurdly powerful punch, Lightning has that…whatever it was that basically killed you two, and I'll admit to having one or two powerful Earth spells of my own design under my belt. You on the other hand, despite being incredibly skilled for your age, are lacking something that makes your magic stand out." Matilda explained calmly. "Even your mother has her Heavy Windspell; so on our way to the next city I shall teach you how to construct your own spell that may even rival your mother's given how much potential you seem to have." Matilda said making Louise's eyes widen. "Now let's begin there is much to explain."
-Six Day's earlier: Tristan Academy of Magic-
Kirche was not a particularly happy woman at this moment. Louise was out traveling the world getting in to Brimir knows how many near death situations and she was stuck there learning pointless lessons. By this point in the curriculum the school had pretty much taught everything that was needed to be a half-decent mage and everything else was just wasting time. Still the poor educational system was not completely the source of her ire.
No.
The main problem was that the last mission to capture Fouquet had showed her just how weak of a mage she was compared to the former Zero. In the little amount of time since the summoning, somehow Louise had quickly surpassed her in strength; in fact, the only one that even held their own in the last mission was Tabitha. The rogue commoner maid had proven herself to be quite the threat by taking out Agnes and humiliating the golem like she had. After they made it back Tabitha had locked herself in the library.
"Training."
That was the last thing the blue-haired girl had told her when Kirche asked what she was doing. It was at this moment that Kirche realized that if she didn't take things more seriously she'd never catch up to her beloved and that just wouldn't do. A Zerbst always got what they wanted in the end, but that led her to another problem.
"How exactly am I supposed to get stronger?" Kirche asked helplessly. She was far too energetic to sit in a library all day, nearly all of the teachers at the school were a joke, and it wasn't like she had summoned a magic knight that was apparently the most dangerous human walking.
"I just sent the letter out; Founder that woman will kill us all if she realizes we've taken this long to inform her of her daughter's disappearance. It's a shame she doesn't pay attention to the wanted posters or else she could have probably stopped them before they got too far." A voice muttered and Kirche blinked and sat up as she saw Professor Colbert walking through the courtyard. The man was clearly distressed, and given what she could hear she understood perfectly and shuddered.
Despite the feud between their families and how much Kirche teased Louise, she like all the other students knew not to take it too far unless they were willing to take on the Heavy Wind's wrath. Louise's mother terrified everyone and no one was brave enough risk enraging her. Deep down Kirche had always respected Louise for not running home to her mother when she got teased; Founder knows what consequences would befall them.
"Poor professor." Kirche mumbled sadly as she figured he had to be the one to inform Karin. She truly did pity the fire mage-
Wait.
That's it!
Jumping up with a grin, Kirche quickly chased down the balding professor.
"Oh Colbert~" Kirche called out making the man blink owlishly and turn to the young firebrand.
"Ms. Zerbst? How can I help you?" The man questioned curiously making her grin.
"Well you can privately train me, you can fool everyone else but I know exactly how hot your flames of passion burn, they put mine to shame at the moment." Zerbst said making the man blinked before chuckling as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Now Ms. Zerbst, you know I cannot show favoritism to my students." Colbert said with a smile making her smirk.
"Oh? But we can both benefit from it greatly~" Kirche said slyly making him look at her in confusion. "You teach me all you know about fire magic and hopefully you'll be busy enough to avoid the Heavy Wind when she comes." Kirche said making his eyes widen behind his glasses. "After all when she realizes that teasing may have caused her daughter to become a wanted felon she'll wonder why the teachers didn't do more to stop it…" Kirche trailed off as she watched the man pale. "Besides it's not like it would take too long, I am a prodigy when it concerns my magic after all."
Colbert seemed to honestly be considering her offer.
"Besides imagine how Karin will feel if she finds out that at least one teacher went out his way to help one of her daughter's classmates get strong enough to bring her back home." Kirche said knowingly, though honestly she would try to bring Louise back but if the pinkette didn't want to come back, she had no qualms about joining Louise on her little adventure.
"You know Ms. Zerbst; I do believe I have accumulated a fair number of vacation days." Colbert said nervously before clearing his throat. "Who am I to deny an eager student further education? We can practice in the forest clearing until you're ready. Though this is extremely inappropriate I suggest you pack your bags as returning to the academy might prove fatal -er- detrimental to your studies. We need you strong to bring back Louise!" With a giggle Kirche nodded her head.
"I'll see you soon Professor!" Kirche said as she skipped away while Colbert sighed. He silently begged that, despite her reputation, she was truly a prodigy like she said. Luckily for him Kirche didn't lie.
Unfortunately for him and possibly Tristan, Kirche didn't realize how much of one she truly was.
-Three Days Later: Valliere Estate-
"What?"
The word wasn't shouted but instead muttered with a cold fury. Karin glared down at the letter she received as she sat down at the dinner table with her family. Her husband was paralyzed by the look on her face and Eleanor found herself trembling as she stared at her mother, even Cattleya looked cautious as she stared at the Heavy Wind.
"W-what's wrong darling?" The Duke questioned nervously.
"It appears our wayward daughter has left the school and is now a felon after the familiar summonings." Karin said calmly though her voice held nothing but anger thus making her family shudder.
"Oh no!" Cattleya gasped out as she covered her mouth with her hands.
"W-what happened? Did she fail to summon anything?" Eleanore questioned, her fear of her mother was now replaced with concern for her sister.
"On the contrary, Louise had summoned a Magic Knight; one strong enough to take out the Gramont boy with no effort but with enough force to nearly destroy vestry court." Karin state as she leaned back in her chair.
"What!?" Eleanore questioned in shock. Sure the Gramont boy wasn't the most powerful mage, but a familiar beating a noble was unheard of.
"Well she couldn't have gotten too far." The Duke reasoned. "If we just got the letter she should still be relatively close."
"That's the problem. She left quite a few days ago and we are just now hearing about this." Karin snapped. "In the time she has gone she has apparently killed Count Mott, wounded his guards, and kidnapped one of his maids. After that she has helped Fouquet steal the staff of destruction and kidnapped one of the Academy's staff." Karin said as her family looked at her in disbelief.
"Surely she had a good reason." Cattleya questioned as she struggled to see her little sister becoming a criminal.
"It must be that familiar she summoned, that-that-thing must have kidnapped Louise and framed her!" Eleanore snapped making Karin fold her hands under her chin and shake her head.
"That's just it, all of the eye-witnesses say she fought the guards and killed Count Mott herself." Karin said making her family look at her in horror. "She has blood on her hands and while I doubt she sought to kill him, we can no longer hope to get her out of this without a trial after her alleged allegiance with Fouquet." Karin stated as she stood up. "There is more to this story than I have, but until we can hear from Louise I'll have to head out to her school and figure out what could have caused this."
"I'm coming too!" Eleanore said as she stood up followed by Cattleya.
"I as well." Cattleya said firmly making her sister turn to her in confusion.
"But-"
"She's my sister too." Cattleya said firmly making the blonde sigh as their mother nodded her head before turning to her husband.
"You continue to take care of everything while gone, we'll hopefully be back soon with Louise as well." Karin told her husband. "The Princess has sent out Wardes and the Griffin knights to retrieve her." Karin said making him nod. "Come; let's go find your sister."
-Present: Forest-
Matilda sighed as she placed her feet in a nearby stream as she sat back and stared at the sky.
"Just how long until we reach civilization?" Matilda wondered to herself. "Hopefully this goes well so we can at least make a little money." Matilda mused as she prepared to finally do what she was kidnapped-er- hired to do. It didn't take either herself or Lightning long to realize they were being followed. They assumed it was a band of bandits so she decided she would be the bait while the other three prepared to take their pursuers out. They hid close enough to hear whatever their pursuers' intentions may be in order to decide how much force they should exert.
"Well what do you know; we found one of you at least." A voice said and Matilda glanced back to see a man with long gray hair approach her. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized their pursuers were Wardes and three Griffin Knights.
Not bandits.
Not bandits by a long shot.
"Looks like your captors have abandoned you come with us we can take you back to the academy Lady Matilda." Wardes said with a charming smile.
"O-Oh? I'm so very glad to see you Lord Wardes, but I insist you leave my captors are more powerful than you imagine and I don't want you hurt!" Matilda said as she quickly glanced behind them to see where her companions were hiding in the tree-lines.
Something about Wardes almost put her on edge.
-With Louise-
"Oh Void its Wardes." Louise said quietly as she looked on in surprise while Siesta frowned slightly.
"Who?" Lightning questioned as they hid behind the trees.
"My fiancé. My parents arranged it when I was younger." Louise replied making both women look at her in surprise and slight horror in Lightning's case. The older pinkette was still under the impression that Louise was far younger than she actually was so for her to hear that the young noble was forcibly engaged to someone that much older… Lightning saw red for a moment.
"I actually hate someone more than Snow." Lightning whispered in morbid fascination, she'd never admit it but she at least admired her brother in law's heart if anything, he had definitely earned her respect when they tried to free her sister. Now Siesta didn't really know about Snow that much, except that she was apparently wearing his Jacket, but for some reason she found herself agreeing with the Familiar.
"We have to somehow get her out of there without conflict; he's a good man and we shouldn't fight him for trying to protect people, it's not right." Louise said quietly as Lightning's eyes narrowed as she stared at the man's smile.
"Wait…something's off here…."Lightning muttered. "His smile…it's fake." Lightning whispered as she gritted her teeth, she had faced enough deceit to know where this was headed.
"You spotted that too sparky?" Derflinger said quietly.
"Louise, get ready for combat." Lightning ordered Louise. The younger noble was concerned and confused but did what she was told.
-With Matilda-
"How about we stop these games instead Matilda?" Wardes said before his smile dropped slightly. "Or should I say Fouquet?"
Ah, there it was…
Now Matilda was on edge.
"We both know that there is no way Louise could even hope to fight you, the girl has power but she isn't even aware of what she is. The only logical conclusion is that you found out what she was somehow and kidnapped her. Now I was going to extend this offer to you anyway so consider it carefully." Wardes said as he placed a hand on his blade. "Give me the girl, and join me."
"Join you?" Matilda repeated in confusion.
"I want to offer you a position in the Reconquista." Wardes said seriously making her blink in shock before chuckling.
"Well I'll be damned, the Albion rebellion? You're a traitor aren't you?" Matilda questioned in amusement. "Well look at you, hiding in plain sight."
"I don't believe a thief can judge what I do." Wardes said with a smirk.
"And you just outed yourself in front of your knights? Wait let me guess they're with you too aren't they?" Matilda questioned getting a nod from the man.
"Never hurts to have a few friends in high places." Wardes mused. "Once we take over Albion, we'll attack Tristan and take it over; with Louise by our side we'll be unstoppable once we unlock her true potential that is."
"And you are so sure she'll agree to help you?" Matilda asked skeptically.
"Not really, but if I have to rip away her free will I'll do it, she'd make a powerful pet wouldn't you agree?"
"That' she would." Matilda mused as she stood up. "You know if this was any other time I would have joined you without hesitation." Matilda said honestly making him frown.
"Oh? What's stopping you?"
"Two things actually: one, I got to know the girl a bit-she grows on you after awhile. I never thought I'd meet someone that could potentially learn to hate nobility more than I do. She'll grow into a fine little Void Mage later."
"And the other reason?" Wardes questioned as he drew his blade now that he knew Matilda knew Louise's secret.
"That familiar and maid you didn't factor in to your brilliant hypothesis that I kidnapped Louise?" Matilda trailed off as she glanced behind Wardes and whistled. "Wow, you really pissed them off!" Wardes blink before spinning around to see Louise approaching them with her head bowed alongside her mysterious familiar and the missing maid. Matilda stepped from behind them and jogged up to her companions. As she approached them she looked at their faces and flinched slightly.
Lightning looked….well as icy as she normally did, but there was something in her eyes that nearly made her weep for the poor fools behind her. Every emotion that Lightning was probably feeling was blatantly shown on Siesta's face though. The way the maid cracked her knuckles and the fierce expression on her face made Matilda incredibly grateful that they had approached her before Wardes. Louise's head was bowed and her shoulders shook as she suddenly stopped moving.
Siesta didn't have that problem.
The maid shot forward towards them with her fist cocked back making Wardes scoff inwardly.
"Siesta, stop." Louise said softly making the made pause mid-stride and turn back to look at her in confusion.
"But-" Siesta said incredulously as she turned back to her friend.
"Ah my dear Louise, I'm so glad to see you! I've come to bring you back-your family misses you dearly." Wardes said passionately as he gazed at his fiancé. The look of pain and anger of the young pinkette's face almost made his heart clench, but sadly he didn't really care about her that much. "Quick come to me Louise, this scum has corrupted you enough. I will make sure this commoner and Fouquet are both punished to the full extent of Tristan law! Your familiar, however, will be spared of that I can assure you my precious Louise."
Wardes sounded completely sincere with his apparent concern for Louise's well-being and happiness. He watched bemused as a myriad of emotions crossed his fiancé's face before fading away; leaving nothing but an impassive mask despite the twin trail of tears cascading down her cheeks. A moment passed before Louise said the two words that changed everything.
BGM: Shadow Lord's Castle- NieR OST
"He's mine." Louise said calmly making Wardes tense slightly. Her monotonous voice somehow conveyed all of her negative emotions perfectly. Louise's eyes narrowed as she placed a hand behind herself. "Aerora!" Warde's eyes widened in surprise as Louise shot towards him like a bullet, passing his knights easily. Her eyes flashed blue as soon as she was within arm's reach-which for her stature was extremely close-before bringing Derflinger down upon him. Wardes cursed slightly as he parried her slash.
*Clang*
"What!?" Wardes wondered incredulously as he found his blade knocked away easily. He had not expected such force behind her swing and thus did not put as much strength behind his block as he should have. Gritting his teeth he leapt back and fired a bolt of lightning towards the sky.
"Why did he-crap that was a signal!" Matilda realized with narrowed eyes as she summoned her faithful golem.
"Louise!" Siesta shouted as she found her friend in the middle of a duel with the skilled noble. Her eyes narrowed as the Griffin Knights blocked her view. "Move!" Siesta shouted as she rammed her fist into his chest plate, making it shatter, before releasing a devastating uppercut that slammed into his head with a sickening crunch. She glared as he slumped to the ground and quickly crossed her arms to block two powerful slashes from the remaining knights.
*KRANG!*
She didn't budge as their blades rested on her sleeves. She would have smirked if a fireball hadn't slammed into her side sending her crashing to the left. Siesta rolled on the ground for a moment before flipping backwards and landing on the ground in a crouch. She looked up into the sky and paled as she saw dozens of Griffin knights circling the sky. For a woman whom spent most of her life serving nobles in fear of their power, the sight before her was nothing less than horrifying. Her body trembled slightly as she saw what must have been the knight that attacked her prepare a second fireball.
"Fire-"
*SHING!"
The Knight's incantation was cut in half due to him being cut in half by an air-born Lightning who was clad in her guardian corps uniform. She back flipped mid-air and transformed her gun blade into its gun form and shot the second Knight in between his eyes with pin-point accuracy, her emotionless expression never changing. Lightning actually almost seemed bored.
*Clang!*
*Clang!*
*Clang!*
Glancing to the side she saw Louise was still locked in her fierce duel with Wardes, both looked as though they we're dancing as the struck at each other. Siesta closed her eyes and shook her head fiercely as she dispelled her fears and charged towards the two Griffin Knights whom had begun their incantations while she was distracted.
"Come on you can't be scared with everything you've faced so far! You knew what you signed up for when you followed Louise!" Siesta scolded herself harshly as she raised her fists and bobbed and weaved through two blasts of water and fire before leaping in the air cocking her right fist back as she raised her leg. "Eat it!"Siesta shouted as she descended upon them and released her punch towards the flame user.
*BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Her fist ripped through his chest while the resulting explosion blasted both him and the water mage into oblivion. Siesta glared into the sky where she saw Lightning fighting the air-born knights while Matilda used her golem to throw large pieces of earth up towards them. And idea hit her that nearly made her grin.
"Matilda!" Siesta shouted gaining the green-haired woman's attention. Siesta shot towards her in a mad dash as she pointed to the sky. "Throw me!" Quickly catching on, Matilda gaped at her in disbelief as her golem opened its palm towards the maid that was dodging a myriad of spells from the air-born nobles that decided to switch targets.
"You're insane!" Matilda shouted as Siesta leapt into the golem's hand.
"Better crazy than dead!" Siesta countered before being launched into the sky. Siesta quickly used her Steelguard and slammed through a blast of wind before drop-kicking a knight off of his griffin sending him plummeting to his death as she landed on the griffin before jumping off in to the sky towards a second knight.
Back on the ground the formerly engaged nobles found themselves staring into each other's eyes as their blades battled for dominance. Louise's eyes returned to their normal color as she glared up at the man.
"You traitor!" Louise said venomously making him smirk.
"Are you the pot or kettle my dear Louise?" Wardes questioned curiously as they leapt back and began circling each other carefully. Louise knew not to take Wardes lightly and the man found himself facing her cautiously, Louise was more skilled than he expected. "It doesn't have to be this way. Even if you know my plans you can still join me! I'll admit that brainwashing you may be taking it too far but you can still rule Albion with me as my willing Queen! Surely you must know of your power by now!?"
"I'd never rule alongside the likes of you!" Louise shouted in defiance. "Bravery!"
"Forgive me for making it seem as though you had a choice!" Wardes shouted as he stabbed his blade towards her. "Air Strike!" Louise barely had time to block the spell with Derflinger.
"Thanks for the treat, partner!" Derflinger shouted as Louise raised her hand towards Wardes while he kept his blade trained on her.
"Thundaga!/Electro Bolt!"
*BOOOOM!*
The explosion from the two spells created a large dust cloud that blocked the nobles from each other's views. Wardes gritted his teeth in anger; he couldn't believe that a novice like Louise had managed to counter his signature spell. His expression of anger quickly turned to one of horror as a blue eyed Louise shot from the cloud with her blade aimed to kill.
*SCHLIK!*
"AHHHH!" Wardes shouted in agony as he barely managed to side-step the attack. Though his head avoided the attack, the same could not be said for his sword-arm which found itself cut from his body. He cursed loudly as he held his bleeding stub and quickly attempted to retreat from the pinkette. Wardes made a dash for his griffin as Louise shot towards him before freezing mid-step as her eyes returned to normal as her fatigue finally caught up to her.
BGM: END
"D-damn!" Louise muttered as her vision blurred the last thing she saw was Warde's climbing on the back of his Griffin before her vision went black. As Wardes flew away he glanced back and paled as he saw his knights being ruthlessly slaughtered by Lightning and Siesta. Realizing that staying would be detrimental to his health, Wardes left while they were still distracted. Lightning flipped and gunned down the last knight, consequently causing Siesta to miss her mark and begin free-falling towards the unforgiving ground. Luckily for her, Lightning was more than fast enough to catch her and land safely.
"Nice work up there, you did well." Lightning said with an approving nod.
"T-thanks." Siesta panted out tiredly as her feet touched the ground.
"Will you be okay?" Lightning asked calmly as she gestured towards her bloodstained fists. Realizing what she was talking about Siesta gave a solemn nod.
"It was them or us, they didn't hesitate to try to burn me to death and Wardes plans to enslave Louise-I won't lose sleep." Siesta said seriously as a grim resolve showed on her face making Lightning nod. After all like the maid said it was either the enemies or them, though who all made the enemy list seemed to be growing. "Louise!" Siesta shouted suddenly as she looked for the pinkette. The maid paled slightly as she saw Louise's unmoving form. Siesta went towards Louise only to crash down to her knees as her exhaustion made itself known.
"Be careful she's okay, just tired. Cura." Lightning said as she released a healing light upon the wounded mage whom released a sigh of relief. Though whether it was due to her injuries healing or Louise being okay, Lightning wasn't sure. As Siesta rested for a second, Lightning went over to go pick up Louise.
"Well…That was a thing." Matilda drawled as she approached the maid.
"That it was."Siesta agreed with a small smile before glancing around a tall of the corpses in the clearing.
"You have to be the most dangerous commoner alive." Matilda chuckled as Lightning returned with a panting Louise. Lightning opened her mouth but before she could say anything…
BGM: Victory Fanfare- Final Fantasy VII
They jumped as music seemed to blast from nowhere and began looking around frantically.
Enemies defeated: 30
Lightning: 18
Siesta: 6
Matilda: 6
Bosses Defeated: 1
Louise: 1
Stars: Five
Gold: +5000
Items: Garb: SOLDIER 1st Class (Lightning only), Warde's Magic Sword (Louise Only)
Bronze Trophy unlocked: Quality is everything (Get 5 stars in a battle)
+700 Gold
Silver Trophy Unlocked: Need a hand? (Dismember Viscount Wardes)
+1000 Gold
BGM: END
"Please tell me I'm not the only one who heard music." Siesta pleaded as if her sanity depended on it.
"I…I'm just going to pretend that didn't happen." Matilda deadpanned as Lightning shook her head.
"Let's just go, you said a town was nearby right Matilda? Let's head over."
Hours Later: Inn
BGM: Song of the ancients- NieR OST (Devola)
"For the fiftieth time Siesta, I am okay!" Louise shouted good naturedly as the maid continued to fuss over her while Lightning stood out on the balcony and gazed up at the night sky with a scowl.
"How a woman that scowls as much as you has no wrinkles, I'll never know." Matilda chuckled as she walked next to the soldier. "Tell me what has our fearless leader thinking so deeply?" The green haired woman questioned curiously.
"That traitor was hiding in plain sight according to Louise, I'm just thinking about how many other enemies we're bound to unearth." Lightning said honestly. "Also I'm thinking about Louise's death." Lightning added quietly making Matilda blink in surprise.
"Well like you said you only wounded her greatly but you didn't actually kill her." Matilda said seriously, assuming that Lightning was referring to the training incident. Lightning shook her head with a wry smile.
"No. What I mean is that for awhile now Louise has been dying." Lightning stated making look at her in both slight horror and confusion. "She can smile now, but today has devastated her. This world will only get crueler and crueler to her until it becomes apparent that she needs to change. When that happens 'Louise' will die and something else will take her place. I saw a glimpse of it when she challenged her fiancé. That look in her eyes was all too familiar."
"I think I know what you're talking about now. You mean when the rest of that innocence of hers shatters and she sees what kind of hell hole we really live in?" Matilda questioned curiously before nodding to herself. "Yeah I can see how that will kill that girl."
"Personal experience?" Lightning asked though it really didn't come out as a question.
"This damned nobility screwed me over, I reached rock bottom and before I knew it Matilda was killed by Fouquet." Matilda chuckled humorlessly as she turned to Lightning. "Is it bad that Fouquet feels more comfortable to use than my actual name?"
"Not at all. I recruited the thief Fouquet, not some secretary named Matilda." Lightning said honestly.
"What about you? Do you also have personal experiences or is this an 'I know a guy' situation?" Matilda questioned curiously.
"Personal. When I first decided to help Louise it was because she reminded me of my sister so I figured I could keep her safe and that she'd live through this journey. But you can't protect someone from their destiny, and after awhile I realized it wasn't my sister I saw in her but rather myself. When I realized that I knew without a doubt 'Louise' was going to be killed and her killer was hiding in plain sight."
"Sounds like a story." Matilda grinned making Lightning shake her head.
"No an observation." Lightning corrected. "When I look at her I see a little girl that's going find herself alone in a cruel world."
*Flashback:?*
A young pink-haired girl cried loudly as she found herself alone with a young pink-haired toddler that was also bawling her eyes out. It was storming hard as the flashes of lightning illuminated the dark room.
She'll blame everyone for her current state.
The young girl wiped her eyes and glared at the crying toddler. She gritted her teeth as she stood up and approached the younger girl menacingly.
Then eventually she'll look in the mirror…
The girl stopped her trek as she looked at a nearby mirror that was hanging behind the sobbing toddler. Her heart nearly stopped as she saw her own outraged expression staring back at her.
And realize that the only one she can blame is herself.
The girl clenched her fits tightly until her knuckles went white as she gazed into the mirror, completely drowning out the toddler's cries.
And then she'll die.
The girl's outraged expression turned completely blank as if a switch had been flipped while a bolt of lightning flashed with such intensity it nearly blinded her. Her hands relaxed and slowly the pain began to fade away. She looked down at the crying toddler and quickly picked her up before rubbing the smaller girl's back comfortingly.
"Shhh, shhh. Don't cry Serah they are in a better place now." The girl said calmly. "I'll always be here for you so please stop crying, we will live through this no matter what."
And that was a promise.
*Flashback: End*
"So that's why you are watching over her? So that when she gets 'killed' she'll end up like you?" Matilda questioned making Lightning shake her head.
"So that she won't." Lightning corrected as she began to walk back into the room. "She needs to be much better than I am."
"Not sure if that's possible." Matilda drawled as she turned back to look at the sky. "I mean sure you are a stick in the mud, a bit cold…sometimes borderline cruel but you're okay. You could be much worse; you just need to let more people in, Founder knows that's hypocritical coming from me but I'm a lost cause. Surely you didn't get where you are now alone?" Matilda asked giving her a teasing smile as Lightning paused in the doorway with her back to the thief.
A moment passed before Lightning glanced over her shoulder and stared at the thief with a single cold blue eye.
BGM: END
"Claire." The soldier said as she continued to walk towards the room.
"Who's that?" Matilda questioned in confusion.
"She was my first kill." Lightning said truthfully before turning back to the girls who were doing their best to pretend as though they hadn't eavesdropped on the conversation. Lightning simply shook her head with a small smile threatening to grace her lips before glaring at them. "Bed. Now. It was a long day and we need to be rested for tomorrow."
"Y-yes Lightning!" Louise and Siesta stuttered out as they scrambled to the two beds that they were sharing with Lightning and Matilda respectively. As they climbed to bed, Louise released a sad sigh.
"I can already feel my days are already numbered."
-The Next Day-
"So where next?" Siesta questioned curiously as the four fugitives stared at a map.
"Louise?" Lightning questioned as the younger pinkette frowned before nodding her head to herself as a mysterious resolve seemed to engulf her as she pointed out their next destination. Matilda released a whistle at the decided location.
"You sure don't waste time do you?" Matilda questioned curiously making Louise turn to them.
"After Wardes finishes fabricating his story to the Queen, our bounties are sure to skyrocket. We need to leave this country as soon as possible even if Lightning can solo Tristan's forces." Louise added the last part with a teasing smile to Lightning whom rolled her eyes. Louise's face then became void of emotion as she turned back to the map making both Lightning and Matilda share a knowingly glance. "We also need to deal with Wardes before he becomes a bigger nuisance. Albion will allow us to do both."
"So we're going head first into a civil war…I knew I should have just turned myself in." Matilda groaned as Lightning nodded her head.
"Then Albion is our target, lets head out." Lightning ordered as they left the inn. Little did they know that the trip to Albion would change Louise's journey in a way that even Lightning was prepared for.
-Tristan Academy of Magic-
Colbert fell to his knees in disbelief as he was surrounding by a burning inferno that threatened to engulf the forest. The intense heat made him sweat profusely.
BGM: Coulomb' Force Soundtrack (Defeat of Jibril) - (Just YouTube it)
"U-Unbelievable…that much talent is unheard of! What could have possibly driven her to bring out her full potential!?" Colbert wondered as he stared at a dark silhouette that was covered by the flames. "Listen, Louise was last seen en route to Albion. That place is riddle with war do not risk your life, you are just a student no matter how much talent you have!"
"What good are these flames of mine if I keep them from burning as bright as they can?" The silhouette questioned curiously. "If I can't get her this inferno in my heart will become nothing but useless embers."
"How will you even get there!?" Colbert questioned incredulously. "You'll never reach her in time!"
*Flap*
Colbert blinked as he looked up to see a familiar blue dragon circling above them.
"Oh I have my ways."
BGM: END
To be continued…
PAUSE
Next Chapter: To Albion!
Hey sorry for the wait but I had to finish that marvel story which consequently improved the quality of my writing dramatically, so I hope you enjoy my more refined style!
Also it's to my understanding that not many people know of Louise's mother's identity…well seeing how that makes absolutely no sense at all I'm just going use my creative license and ignore it. This AU after all.
Also after this chapter I'm going to start responding to reviews at the end of each chapter as well.
Read and Review
~ RebukeX7