And here we are, back with the longest chapter yet. I have mixed feelings about this one. Some scenes I'm rather proud of, others that just give me a headache when I reread it. Regardless, I hope you enjoy it... and hey, he finally got to using his magic, so there's that. That said, viewer discretion is advised, because this chapter covers some minor cursing.
This chapter covers certain characters and things with no prior description, similar to the protagonist. That's because, for the most part, this story is written from the OC's (who shall now be referred to as "Necro") point of view. After all, there's no need to describe something which you've already made yourself familiar with.
I apologize if that takes away from the story for some people, but like I said before, it's hard for me to describe appearances properly. Who knows... maybe I'll get better at it some day.
Anyways, like before and always, this chapter and those before it are still subject to change... so if it comes down to it I probably will add some more character details and information about them. Even if it's just during the author's notes. Now, onto the responses:
The Frankcisco asks:
"While this maybe a story that updates like a snail, it is very entertaining! I hope you can keep up the good work and hopefully update more frequently. Also, I wanna ask. Is Sir Benjamin of the Spiral Table gonna use his magic soon?"
I plan to update more frequently, but no promises. I've been studying every day in preparation for the GED, and that takes up a bit of my time and brain power, which results in a harder time for me to write. I don't want to half-ass this story and post something that I think will be "kinda okay" and call it a chapter. In regards to the magic thing, well, as you've read before, he uses some of it this chapter... though not for any form of combat. The next chapter will hopefully go into further detail on how the whole magic thing is supposed to work. Thank you for the kind words! But, please don't call him that again. It hurts... besides, in the Spiral, they're known as "The Order of the Silver Rose". :P
Guest(1) says:
'Acutely I thought the sword from the show was was pyrite (also known as fools gold).when Saito struck Fouquet's golem the sword shattered. Pyrite is brittle and shatters when struck,gold is malleable and it flattens or bend's when hit. I believe if the sword was gold Saito should have wound up with a metallic pretzel."
That's a very good point. I had considered that myself, but I figured I would stick to the idea that it was gold just because that's what it was labeled as. Who knows... it's possible that Necro had already known it was pyrite, and just didn't want to bother with a more in-depth explanation for it? There's that, or you could say that I have limited knowledge on how some metals work and didn't want to risk getting everything wrong.
Guest(2) says:
"Oh my god. I used to play wizard101 so much. I never thought I'd be reading fanfiction for it."
Is that so? Well, I hope you consider that a good thing, and thanks for the review!
The Arcanum. One of the most well-kept secrets of all time, known only to an extremely select group of spellcasters. In it, the most accomplished Scholars in the Spiral gather in the quest for knowledge and in the interest of protecting the Spiral. It exists in a place of its own, between worlds of the Spiral, enabling them to guard against threats both from within... and without.
That is, at least, according to the Myth scholar, Baba Yaga. If you were to ask somebody else in particular about it, though, he'd likely respond by saying it's a "colossal-sized frickin' space satellite, which was artificially constructed using magic and is probably older than all of us put together. At least, knowing my life."
Regardless of what the Arcanum is, or isn't, it exists... and it is here whence the most prominent spellcasters of the Spiral gather together with a common goal. What is that goal, you ask? Well, at the moment it is to find their newest initiate, the Wizard known as Benjamin, otherwise referred to as the Child of Light and Shadow.
It is in the Arcanum's very own Panopticon where they have gathered together. There's Baba Yaga, the witch from Avalon (not Polaris, that's a common misconception), who you already know as being the Myth Scholar. The Death Scholar, Qismah Shasa, the Black Cat from far off Mirage. The Life Scholar, Zander, the Koala of Wallaru. The Fire Scholar, Ignus Ferric, the far-famed Pyromancer from Avalon as well, and the Ice Scholar, Tarrak Hadfield, the Moosetaur from Polaris.
Then there's the Storm Scholar, Ione Virga, and the Balance Scholar, Jaki Whisperwind. Both of whom hail from far off... wait, hold on... time out. We don't know where they are from yet, do we? Are they even from the same place? Probably not. After all, Jaki is a jackrabbit, and Ione is a... what is she, exactly? No matter.
Last but not least, there are the Celestian Astral Scholar, Qyburn Stellargaze, and the Shadow Scholar from Darkmoor, Velma Von Venkman. Oh, and did I mention the winged-monkey known as Fitzhume, the Librarian of the Arcanum? Silly me, I almost forgot about poor Fitzhume, didn't I? Oh well, I suppose it's only natural to try to forget the meanest one of the bunch.
"Let us review what we know." says Qismah.
"Approximately three Avalonian days ago, the Wizard Benjamin had gone with you, Baba Yaga, to Caliburn in order to create a nigh-unheard of dueling elixir..." she asks, waiting for confirmation.
"That's right, Qismah. What of it?" Baba Yaga responds, agitated.
"When, all of the sudden, a green teleporter circle appeared, and you urged him to go through it, without knowing of its true origin, or where it leads?" she asks once more, gesturing for another response.
"Yes..."
"Since then, numerous attempts have been made to contact him, and even to outright force him back to us, but to no avail. Is that right?" Qismah asks, crossing her arms.
"Come now, Qismah, you're wasting precious time. You're just repeating everything I told you a few minutes ago." Baba Yaga says, growing increasingly agitated.
"Honestly, what could have posessed you to do this, Baba?" Qismah sighs, rubbing her temples in exasperation.
"Don't go blaming me for this, dearie! He should've known better than to trust everything I say at face value. I'm just a crazy old witch, you know, heheh." she responds.
Fitzhume clears his throat, hoping to draw attention away from the impending argument between the two.
"I don't see what the big deal is. New initiates go missing all the time, why is he so special?" he asks.
Qismah glares at Fitzhume for his rudeness, clearly distraught at the disappearance of her newest disciple, but she quickly dismisses his rudeness and decides not to say anything. To her surprise, Velma Von Venkman decides to respond in her place instead.
"You mean besides the fact that he's the one who defeated The Rat?" she states, hands on her hips.
"How about when he stopped Morganthe from destroying the Spiral? Or Malistaire, or the Coven?"
"Oh, please. Morganthe was just an idiot who didn't understand the power she had. Malistaire was a stupid grieving man who didn't know how to let go of his lost love, and the Coven would've doomed itself before it doomed the rest of the Spiral." he argues.
"I can't help but notice that you didn't acknowledge the point I made about the Rat." Velma states, smirking at the weakness in his argument.
"Well, that's because-"
"Enough, both of you." Ione says, authoritatively. "Arguing will not get us anywhere. We need to... discuss how we are going to deal with this problem."
"Ione's right, don't ya know. That's why Baba Yaga brought us here, after all, isn't it?" Tarrak states, matter-of-factly.
"I say we go and hit the books, and try to figure out what kind of magic we're dealing with here. The arcanum has a copy of every book in the Spiral, after all. There's bound to be something on these mysterious teleportation circles." suggests Qyburn.
"A bright idea, Qyburn. Our personal studies can wait, we've gotta get Benjamin back!" agrees Ignus.
"Just one more thing..." Qismah starts. "Please, try not to get Merle Ambrose involved. We don't know how the old Wizard will respond to his former student's sudden disappearance."
"I don't know about that, Qismah. If I know Ambrose, and I do, I'd say he's already got it all figured out. He's got a knack for being on top of things without anybody else ever knowing about it... a traight I happen to hold a lot of respect for." Ignus counters.
"Regardless, we must try to keep this incident as quiet as possible. Nobody else must know of his disappearance." she insists.
"Agreed." they all say at once, short for Fitzhume, who simply stays quiet. Little did they know that he would be doing his own personal research into the manner. Out of simple curiosity, of course.
Back to Benjamin:
Today has been considerably different from the rest of my days here so far... and in a good way, too. Instead of being awoken by shouting, I was awoken by chirping. Instead of being challenged to a duel, I was challenged to arm wrestling. Instead of being dragged against my will into a dark room with no one but Kirche, I was... well, actually, that happened anyway.
Still, today was a nice change of pace for me. It was as though everybody (but Kirche) decided all together that today should be an off day for me... not that I'm complaining.
Even so, I can't help but feel like there's something I'm missing. Like there's something that needs to be stopped and that I'm the only one that can stop it, but I don't know what "it" is. I get that feeling a lot, nowadays. It may sound cool to some people, to feel like you and only you have that kind of power, but it's not. The responsibility that comes with it is awful. What was that one saying? With great power comes... never mind. You get the idea.
I decided to take a walk around the courtyard once more, but this time it wasn't in search for a familiar sighting. This time, it was just to clear my head.
After I finished my walk, I start to head back to the dorms, when, you guessed it, Siesta showed up, which leaves me to wonder if she's doing this sort of thing on purpose.
"Hey Siesta, what's up?" I greet.
"Hello. I hope you don't mind, but... I wanted to ask you a question that's been bothering me lately." she says.
She came all this way just to ask me a question? What's so important?
"Shoot."
"It's just that... your speech and mannerisms are very different from what I'm used to. Your clothes are different as well." she says, fidgeting her fingers.
Wait, what's wrong with my clothes? I mean, sure, I haven't been able to change them since I arrived, but they're not dirty. I've got a couple special charms on them that clean them whenever they get dirty. Magic is convenient that way.
"I guess what I'm asking is... Where exactly did you come from?"
Earth... then Wizard City. She doesn't need to know that though.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." I respond.
Um, excuse me, mister... I mean... Ben." she starts, correcting herself.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for all that you've done." she says, bowing.
"For what?" I inquire.
"For never giving up no matter what happens. You're even willing to stand against the nobility." she says, smiling at me.
"This again? I seriously didn't do anything." I think to myself.
"Seeing you like that gives me a lot of courage. I can continue to do my best because of you." she tells me.
"Oh, uh... good, I guess." I spit out, not really knowing what to say.
Hearing her say all that makes me feel awkward, much like the awkwardness that the author must be feeling for having written this scene... but you didn't hear that from me.
"Well, good night." she says, leaving the courtyard.
What exactly was that? There's definitely something going on with her, isn't there?
Once more on my way back to the dorm, my journey is interrupted by a half-naked Kirche, standing outside her door anxiously. Her look of impatience turns into a look of excitement when she notices me walking by.
"You've been waiting for me to come by, haven't you?" I ask rhetorically.
"You know me so well, and we've only just met." she responds, grinning.
Of course she was. Seriously, between her and Siesta, I'd swear there must be some kind of conspiracy going on which keeps me from going back to Louise's dorm when I mean to.
"What do you want, Kirche?" I ask her, trying to find a "safe" place to look.
I guess the wall's safe, right?
"Actually, it's about that sword I bought the other day." she starts.
"No." I quickly say, before she gets the chance to say anything else.
"I don't really have much need for it, and since I can't just give it back to the shop, I thought I'd give it to you." she says, ignoring my refusal.
"That's very kind of you. My answer is still no."
"Come on, won't you just come and talk about it?" she pouts.
"Go with you, in a dark room in the middle of the night? No thanks, I learned my lesson last time." but before I can do anything else, I find myself being forced, yes, forced into her room by a quick pull in her direction.
"I won't let you leave." she states, predatorily.
"You won't have a choice in a few seconds." I growl at her.
"Targets that are the hardest to obtain turn me on the most." she tells me, rubbing her breasts against my back.
"You don't say?"
I know I said this before, but... this isn't happening, right?
"Thankfully, this is just a fictional situation inside a fictional world involving fictional characters in a fictional setting. So no, it's not really happening and it doesn't really matter." a voice which sounds very much like my own says.
"Wait, who said that? No, it doesn't matter. I've got to get out of here... but how can I do that without hurting her?" I think to myself.
My memories flash back to my first night here at the academy. I remember how that, despite my inability to teleport outside of this world, I was still able to bring about my SwiftShadow Wings for flight. This suggests that my magic, while currently limited to this world alone, still works to some degree.
With that said, I've only got one shot at this. If I'm wrong, well... I don't want to be wrong. So, with all this in mind, I decided to at least attempt to teleport back to Louise's dorm, using her as an achor.
I see a bright flash of black and white light surround my body briefly, before disappearing entirely, then reappearing again as I see that the environment around me had managed to change. It worked!
I start to get off of the floor, turning to Louise.
"Lock the door." I tell her.
"What the? How did you..."
"There's no time! Lock the door, now!" I command her. She oblidges, grabbing a key from inside her dresser drawers and locking the door to her room immediately.
"What happened?" she asks, cautiously.
"Kirche happened." I respond.
"But how did you just appear from out of no where? It's like you teleported or something." she asks.
She saw me sprout wings on my back, but the idea of teleportation surprises her? I know I mentioned it before, didn't I?
"Who cares? I'm just glad I got out of there before she tried to... do something to me." I say, sighing.
I should've known that a break would just be asking for too much. I really hate this place... and the author for putting me here.
Will Benjamin ever grow out of his self-loathing on account of these stupid scenes? Will the author ever stop making such painfully awful fourth-wall breaking jokes? Find out on the next exciting episode of... This very same chapter!
The next morning:
True to what I said before, it seems that a break really would've been asking for too much. Despite the fact that she was completely at peace with me yesterday, it seems Louise still hasn't quite yet accepted me as... a person.
She informs me that, from now on, due to "my obnoxious behavior", I'll have to wait outside with the rest of the familiars until she finishes her class. When asked about what kind of obnoxious behavior she was referring to, she said she swore she caught me trying to look up some other girl's skirts the last time I was there... a thing which I've never done and will never do.
Seriously... what's with all these ridiculous mood swings? Is it just part of her character? Maybe it's just the time of...
No! Get that out of your head, right now, Ben!
I shake my head dismissively, trying to rid myself of such vulgar thoughts and assumptions.
Not like it all matters too much. If nothing else, it gives me an excuse to spark up a conversation with some of the familiars. I'm curious as to how they perceive this whole nonsense.
Speaking of... it looks like I've made a friend, in the form of a giant green snake.
As the serpent begins to eye me closely, I feel a sense of calm coming from the creature, as though it's just decided that I'm to be seen as a friend and not a foe. Upon finishing its "examination", it leans its head farther and farther away, though it never seems to want to take its eyes off of me in the process.
I guess I'm not the only one around here who's curious about how things work.
A few awkward seconds pass, and although the snake still has yet to have taken its eyes off of me, it still hasn't done much else in terms of acknowledging my existence.
Looks like I'll have to be the one to start the conversation.
"Lovely weather we're having." I say nonchalantly, hoping to garner further attention.
A few more seconds pass, and the snake turns its head in different directions as though to confirm that it was who I was talking to. After confirming there were no other humans nearby, it turns to me, and hesitantly states "Indeed... I do so love this hot summer day."
"Why would you respond to the human? Can't you see he can't understand you? Besides, it's not even Summer, it's Spring." somebody says, speaking with a smooth British accent. Or is it Marleybonian? I never can tell anymore.
Looking over to the right, I can see the small beholder-like creature from my second day here as being the source of the new voice.
"You misunderstand, Irisss... the human spoke to me first. I believe this one can understand us."
"Eye don't think so... isn't he the one that Vallière summoned? The one with the jokes? He may have been mocking you."
"I do not believe such is the case... I sense great magic within him. He may be able to hear usss, even now..."
"Eye don't know what you are talking about. Eye don't sense anything all that important, and Eye can see everything!" the Beholder, now dubbed Iris, responds.
I fight the urge to cover myself instinctively following the implications at what that's supposed to mean. Hopefully, it's nothing like it sounded.
"I've an idea... why don't we asssk him ourselvesss?" the snake suggests.
"Yep." I say in confirmation. "I understand both of you."
The beholder blinks (I think?) in response, seemingly surprised by my ability to understand them.
"You... understand us?" it asks, for reassurance.
"Indeed. I see and understand you both." I say, pointing at my eyes for emphasis.
"Fascinating... I've never met a human who could understand our speech. Not even my own massster can pull off such a feat." the snake says, excitedly.
"What an extraordinary spectacle! I must say, to not only see, but also to hear that you can understand us... you truly are a sight for sore eyes."
"So tell us, young Wizard... what is your name?"
Wow, it's been a while since somebody's called me that. In fact, I think the last time it happened might have been back in Khrysalis.
"You can call me Ben. Good to meet you both." I say.
"My name is Opheodrys Gigantormusss... but you may call me Syther." the snake responds. "As for him-"
"Oh, don't remind me." the beholder interrupts, sighing. "My newly-given name is Iris... but as you can see, Eye am clearly a male specimem."
"Can you believe it? Giving such a feminine name to someone as masculine as me? It's like my master is blind!"
"Stop whining... at least your master doesn't quiver in fear of you every time you show your tongue." the snake argues.
"Actually, that's something I wanted to ask about." I tell them. "If you don't mind my asking... what do you think about your masters?"
"They are rather... interesting, to say the least." Syther tells me.
"Interesting? They're imbeciles! Every last one of them, it's like they have the mind of a child!"
That's because they are children.
"But do you resent them? If you had the chance to take it all back, and make it so that you never become their familiar, would you take that chance?" I ask.
"I wouldn't... my master, though unrightfully fearful of me, is also very kind." Syther says.
"And you?"
"Oh, she's no visionnaire, mind you, but I wouldn't part with her for the world!" Iris tells me.
Interesting. So the familiars actually like their masters? Maybe the nobility aren't as bad as I thought. Is it all just Louise then? Wait, he said world.
"That reminds me of something. I know this is kind of a stupid question, but can you tell me the name of this - I mean, our world?" I ask them.
"The name? What do you mean by name? It's just the world, it doesn't need a name." Iris responds.
"Indeed... I do not think even the humans themselves have given it a name, and they like to name everything." Syther remarks.
That... complicates things.
"Why do you ask?" Syther questions.
"No reason." I tell them, standing up.
"It's been fun talking to you both, but I've got some things I need to think about. I'll see you later."
"Yesss... Do come speak with us again. I enjoyed our little chat."
"Ta-ta! Good bye! I hope to see you soon!"
Once Eye was... I mean... once I was out of their lign of sight, I made it a point to pause for a couple of minutes in preperation that someone might try to whisk me away to some other particular destination. Once it seemed clear that no such event was going to occur, I started my way back towards the dorm for some unnecessary brooding.
Unfortunately for me, it seems the Spiral had different plans for me, because as soon as I started on my way back, I could hear the sound of foot steps running quickly towards my direction. I turn around and can quickly recognize the source of the noise coming from Marto.
"Well if it isn't our very own Sword! What a coincidence it is meeting you all the way out here." he says, smiling mischievously.
He calls it coincidence, but I can't shake the feeling that he must've been waiting for this moment.
"Hi Marto, what can I do for you?" I ask politely, though I already have an idea of what he might want.
"If you'd be so kind, we here at the Kitchen Staff would love for you to drop by again some time."
Bingo.
"Sure. Want to go now?" I ask, trying to mask the fact that I skipped breakfast. Again.
The meal they had set out had a striking resemblence to the one which was laid out for me previously in that it was mostly just a collection of bread, not that I'm complaining. I remember them saying beforehand that the best they had available was only left overs.
Still, I am a simple man. A simple man with simple wants and needs. I don't care where it's from, so long as it is edible, hasn't been digested, left out to rot, or spat on, I can eat whatever's set out for me, so the sight of the delicious bread from before was a more than welcoming sight for me.
Still, I felt rather cautious about eating food which was already prepared for different people, so when nobody was looking, I uttered a small spell on the food to detect harmful germs.
I'll have what little time I spent in Moolinda Wu's Life school classes to thank for that.
Luckily there were no such germs to be seen. It's as if the food was just prepared freshly for me.
I guess I'll have Siesta to thank for that as well. Speaking of Siesta...
"Hey, have any of you seen Siesta? I've been meaning to ask her about something that happened last night." I ask, earning a look of surprise from Marto and the rest of the staff.
I don't like where this is headed.
"You mean, she didn't tell you?" Marto asks, vaguely.
"Tell me what?" I ask in return.
I really don't like where this is headed.
"It's just that... with all that's going on, I thought for sure that she would've told you about this." he says.
"Tell me what? Seriously, what are you talking about?" I ask again.
"Siesta's been sold to Count Mott."
"What does that mean? What do you mean by "sold"?"
I really, really don't like where this is headed.
"I mean she's no longer working here. She left to go serve Count Mott just this morning."
It's official. I hate where this was going.
"Tell me more about this 'Count Mott'." I request.
Back at Louise's dorm:
"Count Mott is a messenger from the Palace. He drops by the academy from time-to-time, but I don't like him because he's always so cocky." Louise says while brushing her hair.
"That much I already know about from Marto. I need something better than that, like why he'd be interested in purchasing a new maid... by name, no less." I respond. It was then that I could hear some muttering from the back of the room. Looks like Derfingler's got something to say.
"When a high-ranking noble requests for a female employee by name, it usually means he wants her to become his mistress. Wait a minute, shouldn't you know this?"
"See, that's the sort of information I'm talking about. Thank you, Derfin... what?" I ask in disbelief.
"Can you repeat that last part?"
"I said he wants her to become his mistress."
"Mistress... as in, his lover?" I ask.
"Lover, girlfriend, courtesan, it's all the same really." he says.
"No it's not!" I shout angrily.
It takes me a moment to calm down after hearing this news. Siesta, one of the only people in this entire school who doesn't give me a headache, gets taken away just to become the highlight of some wealthy man-child's Saturday night? Hell no I'm letting this happen.
"I'll be going away for a while." I tell Louise.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" she asks in disapproval.
"Something stupid." I say, not turning back to look at her.
"Hey Partner... mind if I come with you? It's been a while since I've seen some action." Derfingler requests.
"Sure, but I doubt it'll come down to that sort of thing." I say, picking him up with his sheath and carrying him on my back.
Despite the rush to get outside of the dorm, it ends up taking a few minutes for me to decide on a proper course of action to make. I just couldn't run the risk of trying to think clearly with Louise at my shoulder.
Should I just storm the whole mansion and fill it with undead, and force him to give Siesta back? That could work... or it could terrify her and make her lose trust in me. Should I challenge him to a duel with Derflinger at my side, and have Siesta as the reward for winning? I could... but it would be tacky, not to mention cliché... there's also the possibility that she might get the wrong implications from it.
A number of different overly-complicated plans flooded through my head at once, ranging between blackmail to flat out kidnapping... but no matter what I tried to think up on my own, everything always had a high possibility of backfiring somehow.
I guess this is just another side effect from having to take up all of those different quests from Ambrose and the lot. You spend so long following through to other people's different plans, you're never really put into the position to where you have to think up things on your own. It's made even more difficult when their plans start to make sense, which leaves less room for questioning, and thus, less room for critical thinking.
It was then that I came to the inevitable conclusion that the simplest course of action would be to try to negotiate a peaceful return. As much as I'd love to kick the ass of whoever tried to buy her virginity in the first place, it would probably be much better if everyone came to a "happy" conclusion. I don't want to run the risk of taking Siesta back only for Count Mott to show up at the academy one day looking for revenge.
Shortly thereafter an idea strikes me in the head. If Count Mott is as rich and as powerful as he seems, then there should be only one thing he cares about (aside from his libido), and that's money. After all, when money talks, idiots listen. There's only one problem with this idea... I don't actually know if I can do it. Sure, in most parts of the Spiral I'd be filthy rich... the spoils of an adventurer, I guess you could call it... but here, I might even be broke.
I know from our purchasing Derflinger that these people trade in gold coins, but I never got the chance to take a good look at what was being dealt. I don't know if their coins have any special kinds of markings on them, if their size is any different, or if any of that actually even matters.
I suppose I could ask Derflinger since he's coming with me, but how can I know his information would be reliable? He didn't even know what year it was supposed to be! Who knows what kinds of changes must've occurred before he realized it?
Well, I suppose I could ask...
"Guiche! I'm glad I found you." I say, running up to him in the hallway. He was talking to the blonde girl from before, no doubt trying to make up for cheating on her.
He gasps as soon as he sees me coming and backs to a defensive (if he even calls it that) stance.
"You again? Have you come to get in the way of my romantic life again?" he asks, glaring at me.
So much for becoming new friends.
"What? No, I thought we were... never mind that now, I need to ask you something."
"Really? Then, what is it?" he asks curiously.
"Well, a few things actually. Firstly, do you know how to get to Count Mott's place from here?"
"His mansion is the one closest east from here... but what would a peasant familiar like you want with him?"
"Okay, cool." I say, ignoring his own question.
"I think it's pretty obvious now that I'm not from around here, so I have to ask. Is this considered an acceptable form of currency?" I ask, grabbing hold of a plain gold coin from my pocket and showing it to him.
"Yes, why? Is Louise refusing to buy you something?" he also questions.
"Great! And no, I just needed to ask." I say, walking away, then stopping dead in my tracks seeing as I nearly forgot the real reason I walked up to him to begin with.
"Oh! One more thing... how much for a decent maid around here?"
Once Derflinger and I made it out of the campus, and were thus out of everyone's field of view, we began to discuss strategy involving getting Siesta back to the school.
"So, what's the plan? We gonna trash the place and demand he give your girlfriend back, or..?"
"She's not my girlfriend..." I said, interrupting him. "And we're not going to trash anything. If all goes well then both Count Mott and I will leave each other happily."
"Are you saying you're going to buy Siesta back? Do you have any idea how much maids cost?" he asked in disbelief.
"Thanks to Guiche, I do. What do you think we were talking about back there?" I asked in return.
"I dunno. I was asleep the whole time." he responds.
"Remind me again why I decided you could come with me." I joked.
Shortly after our little conversation, we came to a stopping point out in the middle of no where. I looked around the area a bit to make sure nobody was watching, and that we couldn't be seen.
"Hey, what are you doing? We're not there already, are we?" Derflinger asked.
"Of course not, I'm just checking to see if the coast is clear." I told him.
"Coast is clear for what?" he asked.
"For changing my clothes." I answered.
"Clothes? What clothes? All you're carrying is me, pal."
In response to his question, I offered nothing more than a simple smirk. Although I'm against the idea of showing off my magic to everyone, something told me he could be trusted. And really... what could he have said that would bring about misfortune? He's a talking sword for Pete's sake! It's not like anybody was going to believe him if he did spill the beans on my abilities.
Although, now that I think about it, that sort of logic could also be used as a way of strengthening his argument. After all, talking swords themselves are considered to be some what unbelievable as well, aren't they? Well, maybe not from around here, but still...
Nonetheless, I made up my mind and I wasn't about to change it so quickly. I have to be taken seriously in order for this to work, and the only way I can do that is by looking nice. Nice... and rich.
Thankfully, I had just the outfit in mind for such an occasion. A few years ago in my past, I took part in the Policeman's Ball back in Marleybone. It wasn't anything big, at least it wasn't meant to be, until almost the entire police force showed up for the darn thing, invitation or no invitation. Not that I can blame them though. The entire purpose of the thing was to celebrate the newly-found peace across the streets, which was part in thanks to me, as well as the boys in blue.
I'd ended up renting a nice tuxedo for the occasion. Nothing too expensive, but not exactly "cheap" either. It was originally meant to be returned shortly after the ball, but upon learning who I was, the shopkeeper insisted that I keep the tux at no extra cost.
Of course, that was, as I said, years ago. At that time I was only thirteen, turning fourteen years old. I was still several sizes smaller than I am now. Not that that mattered, because, as you know, magic can do a lot of convenient things, such as increase clothing size when needed.
I call forth the tux in the same way that I did my SwiftShadow Wings at my first day here. A flash of light quickly surrounds my body, replacing my current outfit with the tuxedo in question.
What, you were expecting a full-body transformation sequence? What do you think I am, a magical girl?
Amazingly, or not-so-amazingly, it still fit me. Well, that's not entirely accurate... it's more like it actually grew to fit me.
I chuckled internally, thinking of how great of a plot device magic could become in a story.
"So, what do you think?" I asked, the smirk still showing across my face. To my surprise and disappointment, neither my suit nor my magic trick seem to impress Derflinger much, because all he responds to me with is a muffled "Eh."
Maybe the tux isn't enough after all... but then, what could I use to impress Derf - I mean, Mott?
It suddenly dawns on me that walking for an hour on foot back to the campus might not be the most fun idea, especially since I intend to walk back with a maid at my side, and God knows how hard it must be for Siesta to have to walk in those shoes.
An idea quickly comes to mind as I think back at all of the different creatures that I'd seen back at the academy. Many of them were types I'd never seen before, but there were a couple of "familiar" types as well.
One of these creatures in mind is the Dragon, a creature that is often seen as majestic and powerful, and never to be trifled with, which is only natural as they are one of the three Elder Races. If I know my rich snobs, and sadly I do, then a dragon could be just what I need for this situation. Both to get us back at the campus, and to impress Count Mott should he come across it, and, lucky for me, I can choose between two different sets of colors for one as well.
"So, what do you think about dragons?" I ask Derfingler, hoping for a positive response.
"They're alright, I guess. I don't really see what the big deal is though, but you humans like to bring them for just about every occasion. Wars, festivals, orgies..." he states.
Orgies? Did I hear that right? Never mind... that's not important.
"Cool. What color do you think is best, blue or red?" I ask.
"What color is best? I thought we were talking about dragons." he responds.
"We are." I tell him. "I'm asking what color you think Count Mott would like the best."
"How should I know? Do I look like a mind reader to you?" he retorts.
"No, but if you want to go that route, you don't exactly look like a talker either." I spit back.
"Touché."
"So... colors?" I ask, hoping to get back to the subject in hand.
"Well, from what I know about those nobility guys, they seem to really like to dress themselves in red garments... so, red I guess?" he responds.
With that in mind I decide to summon up a Red Darkwing dragon to act as our ride. Putting two fingers in my mouth, I make a whistle-like sound as part of the summon. Immediately after that, the dragon appears under me, and both Derflinger and I are sitting on top of it.
"Whoa, partner! That was one of the fastest summons I've ever seen! Are you some kind of alien or something?" he asks.
"Or something." I tell him, as I telepathically direct which direction the dragon should go to get to Count Mott's. He listens to my commands, and we begin flying on our way to Count Mott's castle.
On arrival, we were instantly greeted by a small group of guards in armor, demanding to know what I was doing on Count Mott's property. Looks like the dragon spooked them a little, which might decrease some points in my negotiation.
"I've come to see Count Mott himself." I respond calmly. "I have an offer of which he can't refuse."
After a moment's hesitation, the group of spear-wielding guards look at each other, as though they were silently debating whether or not they should let me through. After a small pause, they nod to each other, and decide to allow me to pass.
"We'll let you pass... but be prepared to leave immediately upon order from the Count." they say authoritatively.
"Certainly." I say back to them. "I wouldn't want to offend the dear Count."
Once inside, I'm immediately greeted by another set of spear-wielding guards patrolling the hallway. As soon as they approach me, I tell them that I'm here to speak with the Count, and that I've been allowed access inside the manor. They agree to let me pass, so long as the Count accepts this visit.
This is going down much more easily than I expected. I just hope that convincing Count Mott will be just as easy as convincing the guards.
As soon as I'm at the entrance of the room that Count Mott was said to be residing in, I take a moment's pause before opening up the door. Barging in unannounced to him may hinder the negotiation a bit.
"Excuse me sir, I hate to be rude, but could you please tell the Count about my visit? I'd hate to be interrupting something." I ask them.
This was a risky gamble. After all, there is a possibility that the Count would refuse me instantly and they'd try to force me to leave... but in order for me to keep the illusion that I'm a sophisticated whatever-you-decide-to-call it, I need to be as polite and respectful as possible.
The guard nods in approval, and, upon agreement, knocks on the door quietly.
"Sir, I hate to bother you, but you have a visitor. There's someone named... what's your name again?" the guard asks, turning to my direction.
"Strange... Stephen Strange. May I come in?" I lie, asking as politely as possible.
"I don't receive many visitors." I hear from inside the door. "Let him inside, but this better be worth my time."
Roger. Operation Save Siesta From the Evil Clutches of a Perverted Count is a go. I think to myself. Now that I think about it though, I probably could've come up with a better name than that. Whatever... I don't have the time for that right now.
Once Count Mott agrees to see me, the guard opens the door to the room, silently gesturing me inside. I thank him and enter without hesitation.
"Good day to you, Count Mott." I say upon entering. "I hope I'm not intruding."
"Don't waste my time, Mister Strange. Just tell me why you're here." he says rudely, though that's not to be unexpected. Knowing him, I probably interrupted his "me time".
"Actually, good sir... I'm a Doctor. Here's my card." I say, handing him a fake identity document with the words "Doctor Stephen Strange - Supreme Master of Medicine" on it. Count Mott takes a stern look at the card and hands it back over to me.
"Aren't you a little young to be a doctor?" he says quizzically, to which I respond stating "Yes, yes I am." I smile to myself at the subtle reference I'd just made.
"...But that's beside the point. You see, Mr. Mott..." I say, subtly giving him a taste of his own medicine.
"Count." he interrupts.
"Apologies... Mr. Count. It seems that a certain patient of mine has recently gone under your care. One named Siesta?" I ask rhetorically. I can clearly see a look of annoyance from that last remark, but I pretend not to notice, and he quickly reverts back to a more neutral appearance.
"Yes, that's right," he says, nodding. "but what's it matter to you?"
"I'm afraid she is unfit for service." I say, matter-of-factly "You see, Ms. Siesta is simply riddled with various mental illnesses. A.D.D, dyslexia, lycanthropy, among others. I'm sure you've seen the signs of some, yes? They include symptoms such as extreme shyness and discomfort around others." I say to him.
Of course, in reality these illnesses are nothing like what I described, but I had to come up with something, didn't I? It's not like this primitive world's medical science (or magic, whichever) would ever have well-known terms for this sort of thing just yet, right?
At least, I hope I'm right... because if not, well, this charade is pretty much done for.
"I've never heard of those illnesses, but I have noticed that her behavior matches that which you've described." he says, putting his palm around his chin to emphasize thought.
Of course you would. With a girl like Siesta, that sort of interaction is just to be expected.
"But if she's really unfit for work, then how was she able to get a job at the academy?"
"It was an experiment." I say in response.
"I believed at the time that she might be able to get over her shyness, or at least learn to cope with it, by working at an environment in which she'd be forced to interact with lots of people, so I pulled some strings. Things were going well, all things considered... but I'm afraid that the sudden change of environment might have an ill effect on her." I tell him.
The Count looks over me cautiously before continuing on with the conversation.
"That's a rather nice looking suit you've got there, Doctor Strange. I don't see many like it." he says snidely. I pretend not to notice.
"Why, thank you. I bought it myself. I've heard it was the latest fashion among the Germanians." I say to him in response.
There's a small pause as Count Mott contemplates what to say to me next. No doubt he's suspicious... but I've come too far to back down now.
"It looks rather expensive. You've no doubt earned a lot of money between your different treatments, but tell me, how was Siesta, a mere peasant, capable of affording someone with your status as a doctor?" he asks, laying out a trap to catch me in. Fortunately for me, I was already prepared for such a thing.
"I work for charity, good sir." I say, with a tone of mock-offense hidden within my voice. "Noble or otherwise, everybody deserves to receive the proper medical treatment they need. The money I earn is obtained via donations rather than cost."
"That's very commendable." he says in response. "Not many doctors share that sort of view point... but you still haven't answered my question. Why are you here?"
"I've come to ask that you release Siesta back into my care..." I say, reaching into my bag. It didn't take long for him to give a response.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" he shouts angrily. "I paid a lot of money to recruit Siesta under my services. You're not taking her!"
"Calm down, you didn't let me finish." I tell him. "I don't mean to simply take her from you. I want to buy her off you. In my pouch, I have..." but before I can finish my sentence, I can hear a soft knock from the door I entered from, and a guard speaking in a mumbled voice.
"Sir, you have another visitor. She says she's from the academy."
Who's 'she'? Oh no. Tell me this isn't going where I think it's going...
And... it is!
Less than a second after the guard finishes his sentence, the door slams open only to have Louise rushing in, looking angry as ever.
"Count Mott, I must beg your forgiveness! My familiar is still learning, he doesn't understand how rude he must've been." she pleads.
"Familiar?" he repeats, bewildered. "I've never heard of a familiar becoming a doctor before."
"He's not a doctor! He's just my familiar... and he came to you without permission."
"op-Stay alling-cay e-may a-way familiar, ou-yay aka-bay." I grumble.
As if I expect her to understand that.
How did she even know I was here? That moron Guiche must have told her. Whatever. I already had a back up plan for this in case things went South anyway... a plan which should be starting right about...
"AAAAH!" somebody shouts from across the hall, and shortly afterward comes running in through the door with more guards, all of which have looks of dread in their eyes.
"Guards! What are you doing here, what's happening?"
"M-M-Monsters! Monsters all throughout the manor... Lord Mott, we must flee!" one of them shouts... right before being pulled and tripped by a Dark Sprite, who giggles and flies all around the room in a mock-frenzy, tugging and pulling at different objects and people. Various looks of confusion, anger and fear had been written across everyone's faces as they were being harassed by my little friend.
There were at least ten different ways I could've reworded that.
"What is that thing?" Count Mott asks amidst the chaos.
"A bad omen, I'm afraid..." I tell him, trying to sound as deadly serious as I possibly could. As soon as I say that, the Sprite flies out of the room, never to be seen or heard by them again.
"That's not the worst of our problems. Lord Mott, there are zombies outside!" one of the guards says.
"Zombies?!" he asks in disbelief, as he runs through the hallway to confirm what was said.
Sure enough, there they were, right on schedule, the "zombies" I had summoned had arrived right on time. Well, technically they're ghouls... but there's no point in correcting them now.
Count Mott and Louise look on in horror at the site of the undead I had summoned, who were each using their spades to dig up large holes in the ground, and then Count Mott immediately shuts and lock the doors to the entrance, hoping to barricade himself and everyone else inside.
"Tch... I'm too late." I pretend to mumble, when really I was hoping to be heard by someone.
"Too late? To late for what?!" Louise asks, flabbergasted.
What a weird word, flabbergasted.
I ignore her question and turn to Count Mott, doing my best to look as serious as possible.
"Count Mott, I'm afraid I lied to you. I'm not the doctor that you think I am." I say to him.
"You're not? Then who are you? Did you have something to do with this?!" he asks, grabbing me by the shirt.
"My name is John Constantine. I'm an exorcist, a ghost hunter, kind of." I respond with half-truths.
"A ghost hunter? You mean you knew they'd be here?!" he asks fearfully and angrily.
"Sadly, yes. That's why I'm here, you see. Those zombies... they're after Siesta." I tell them.
"What?!" everyone responds, though none of their shocked faces could even compare to the look of bewilderment that crossed over Louise.
"Get Siesta down here now!" Count Mott orders the guards. They do as he says and shortly afterwards come back with Siesta at their side... though they were acting a bit more forceful for my liking.
"I thought I hired a maid, not some kind of... ghost caller!" he shouts angrily, earning a look of fear on Siesta. That look dissipates as soon as she sees me and Louise both in the same room.
"Ben? What are you doing here?" she asks excitedly.
"He's here to rid us of these ghosts... and of you!" Count Mott says, pushing her over to me.
"He is?" she asks, surprised by the statement.
"Yes, well, that was the plan." I say matter-of-factly.
"Take her, and get her and the rest of those monsters out of here!" he barks.
"Not so fast." I say, putting my hand in front of him.
"If you want her gone, you have to terminate her contract. Officially. It's just a formality of course, but it's the way I have to do things." I tell him.
"Fine, fine! I'll be right back." he says, walking across the hall. He comes back just a few minutes later with her contract in hand, and then rips it all off to pieces.
"Perfect! Now, if you'll just sign her over to me, we'll be done here." I say, handing him my own "legally bound" contract.
Count Mott grunts in response to this, but nods in agreement. He takes a feathered pen out from one of his pockets, and signs his name on the contract, which states:
"I, Count Mott, hereby agree to sell my recently-purchased maid, back over to the Tristain Academy of Magic, so she might serve under her new employer by the name of John Constantine, and he may deal with her in however manner he sees fit."
"Perfect! Now, I believe we are done here. A pleasure doing business with you." I say, taking Siesta by the hand and racing her out the door.
Before we make it all the way outside though, I hear the sound of yawning from behind me, coming from Derflinger, who must've been sleeping through this entire thing. I wondered why things were so quiet around here.
"So, how are things going with the plan? You know, to trick Count Mott into giving you Siesta back?" he asks nonchalantly.
I pull him up to the front of my face, giving him an angry glare... a glare that says "You've said way too much, you damned idiot."
"Whoops, hehe... I said too much, didn't I?"
"A plan? So you were behind this whole mess?! I want my maid back!" he shouts angrily.
"Sorry, all transactions are final. If you have a problem, please speak to my assistant Frankie outside." I say, taking Siesta by the hand and rushing us out the door.
"Come on Louise, we don't want to be late." I say.
"Late for what?" she asks.
"For the show." I tell her.
As the three of us make our way outside, we can clearly see that the undead infestation had since been long gone. Well... all except for one giant monster, in the form of Doctor Von's Monster, who was standing near the doorway by my instruction.
Poor Mott must have been so consumed with anger over my tricking him that he failed to see where he was running, because as soon as he made it past the door, he immediately bumped into Frankie, landing on his buttocks.
He looks up at Frankie and immediately shouts out of fear of the ten foot behemoth. Which, in turn, causes Frankie to retaliate with his own confused shout, which again causes Mott to shout some more, until he passes out on the ground due to the overwhelming sensation of fear.
A small squad of guards come out to act as reinforcements for Count Mott, but quickly scatter as well upon seeing Frankie.
The look on their faces was so surprising that I couldn't help but to burst out in laughter at the whole ordeal, slowly recollecting myself as we head back to the dragon which I had summoned for a ride.
The ride back to the academy started with us all sitting in silence, trying to read each other's thoughts. No doubt this must've all been a really crazy night for the two of them, so I decided not to say anything out of worry that I'd get the wrong type of reaction. After a few more minutes of silence, Siesta turns to me and says thank you for "rescuing" her.
"I mean it. There's no telling what he could've done to me if I stayed with that man." she says, voicing her gratitude even further.
I nod in response to her, not really knowing what I should say, or if I should say anything... especially with Louise still with us.
Once we arrive closer back to the academy, I say good-night to Siesta, telling her to get some rest so she might feel better tomorrow, because I was planning on putting her to some good work by then.
Of course, that was a lie. That contract may have signed her back over to the academy, but there's no such person as John Constantine in this world, so for all intents and purposes, it's not even worth the paper it's signed on.
After Siesta leaves, Louise and I look at each other back in silence, both of us clearly trying to come up with the right thing to say to the other. I still wasn't sure how she would react to the sudden appearance of undead because of me, so I decided I wanted her to speak to me first.
"Is what Derflinger said true? Was all of that really part of your plan?"
"Yes." I say to her cautiously.
"And the zombies?" she asks again.
"They were ghouls... but, yes." I correct her.
A few more seconds of awkward silence pass over us, and this time I decided that it should be me who speaks up first.
"Are you afraid of me?" I ask her, with even more caution than before.
"Should I be?" she asks, defensively.
"No..." I quickly tell her. "Not unless you're dangerous or evil, and, after getting to know you some, I don't think you're either."
Her look of hostility dies down a little after I say that.
"Although you are a bit of a bitch." I mutter to myself, teasingly.
"What was that?" she says angrily.
"Nothing, nothing."
Time seems to slow down some more as the two of us stare at each other some more... and, following the same pattern as before, Louise is the first to speak up this time.
"What you did was dangerous. Count Mott will be back for her."
"No he won't." I say matter-of-factly. "What's he going to do, tell everyone that a bunch of ghosts came after Siesta and forced him to give her back to the academy? Is it common for ghosts and ghouls to show up here?"
"No, but what if he does report it to the palace? What then?" she asks.
"Then we won't have to worry. People tend to believe only in what they see, not what they heard. If he tries to tell people that some eighteen year old randomly showed up and brought a bunch of undead with him, he'll make the Boy Who Cried Wolf look like Abraham Lincoln." I say to her, with full knowledge that my idiom will go without understanding.
"You're eighteen?" she asks, changing the subject.
"Yeah, isn't it obvious? I'd thought the beard would've given it away." I say, rubbing my facial hair with mock-pride.
"So, how old are you then?" I ask in response.
"I'm sixteen." she tells me.
"Sixteen?! Seriously? At most I thought you'd be..." I say, interrupting myself.
I probably shouldn't finish that sentence.
"What? You thought I'd be what?" she asks. Despite the fact that it was night time, I could still clearly see the visible signs of rage and anger written across her face.
"Nothing! Nothing..." I say, putting my hands up in a defensive stance.
"Things have been pretty weird for all of us, haven't they?" I say matter-of-factly. "What do you say we just head back to the dorm and try to put this whole mess behind us?"
She sighs in response to my suggestion, but agrees with it regardless, and the rest of the night goes by rather peacefully. And the best part? I didn't have to spend an ounce of gold, so that's always nice.
I can only imagine what sort of crazy adventure tomorrow must have in store from me. I just hope it's not as crazy and stupid as today's adventure.
Here we are then, at the end of the chapter. What can I say? I tried my best to make it as interesting as possible... though I may want to revamp it a little later on, I don't know. For those who don't know already, I decided to incorporate some game mechanics into the mix and add it to his list of magical abilities, such as the summoning of mounts and teleportation. That's also why he was capable of speaking with the familiars. It's never explained inside Wizard101 as to why, but for some reason it seems like the player character is capable of understanding just about any language. That, or everyone just decides to speak English. The next chapter will feature what was going through his head when he made the plan to use the undead as well as some of how he was able to do it.