Chapter Ten
Louise was silently riding on the same carriage as her elder sister, while Arty was enjoying staying right next to the driver and idly talking to him. This actually made the all situation embarrassing, at least for Eleonore, who had tried to convince the *King* to stay in the carriage like all the nobles would, his reply had left the blond haired woman frozen for a good half an hour:
"I'd rather speak with a man who holds no wits in his tongue, and thus means no ill, than with one trained to poison with words."
That had also made her unable to actually insult Louise herself, it was like the king had predicted her possible and obvious outcome of bashing on her youngest sister; though this also helped Louise, because she too had problems that required silence to be faced.
You're the flying skull.
You're the pink-haired sixteen year old moron.
I will not have you insult me!
Oh what are you going to do? Shut your brain!
I…I'm not even sure WHY you're in my head!
I actually shouldn't, it's your fault for being a sort of black hole of negative energy. I felt attracted.
Attracted? Louise blushed slightly, attracted to her or what?
Yeah kid, to the massive amount of negative energy around you, certainly not because of your troll charms.
TROLL CHARM! She clenched her fists in fury, gritting her teethes: the problem was she had no idea how to make him stop!
Yeah, I've seen bugbears act more womanly than you'll ever be!
As she heard that, she couldn't help but think about the floating eyes monstrosity one of her classmates had as a familiar, just to be corrected by another image, showing a humanoid creature with fur and a flat face.
So who are you?
I am Artos Basileus Sfor, King of Necros, Destroyer of Good and the Reaper of souls! You may refer to me as Lord Sfor, or Your Majesty.
Arty is on the carriage next to the driver! You're fooling no one!
Believe what you want to, I don't care. We've got a bigger problem.
What could be worse than a skull talking in my head?
If I'm here, and mind you, it's pretty comfortable since it does seem EMPTY, the guy over there hasn't realized it yet. So, either he's mind is in the clouds, or he's turning into a complete goody two shoes.
Arty *is* good!
Girl, there is no good without evil, complete lack of evil is worse than complete lack of good. I don't go around killing and butchering ALL my subordinates, because it would be meaningless; at the same time, if he becomes *too* good, he might do things you won't like.
Like what?
Think about it: if he sees a famished commoner strolling around the street of Tristania, who asks for justice, he'll deliver it. He'll probably remove the monarchy, insert a …oh god Democracy…brr how I hate that name, and then he'll probably let the PEOPLE decide. You know he's got the power to do it, and without me, he might just as well do it.
…I think I can understand that. But I don't know, why should I send you back to him?
Thoughts on Martyrdom now? You know, I have been acting like a real gentleman, not trying to make you suffer like hell, but maybe I should just try and let you realize how evil I am.
What is the worse you can do? Talking angrily?
Louise hadn't realized it yet, but words that cannot be ignored are the fiercest weapon any living being has at its own disposal. Especially if you also know what to speak about in order to hurt someone.
Hey Zero, you feel so special right? You've summoned a strong familiar, right? You think now you will no longer be the Zero! What a pity that nothing was done BY YOU. Everything was Arty's work. Everything has been done by him, you have done NOTHING; you have helped NO ONE. You are a worthless brat who's taking advantage of him, letting him do EVERYTHING while you reap the glory, don't you! You've got this so called void magic, and you can't even USE IT! You're so pathetical it makes me want to PUKE, why don't you go and cry in a corner, or maybe you prefer the lake of your mansion, huh? Why didn't you just DROWN yourself in that lake? Maybe you would have avoided all the FAILURES in your whiny, pathetical life!
Every word hurt. Every single word made Louise realize something and as the skull spoke harsher than ever before, Louise couldn't help but cringe, placing her hands against her ears, shaking violently and beginning to cry.
"Louise! Is everything alright?" Eleonore asked worriedly, moving close to her youngest sister, who seemed to have been paling and was now crying while violently shaking her head, and was actually looking very, very afraid.
"Elder sister Eleonore!" Louise wailed hugging tightly her sister, and crying all the tears she had, "I'm just a failure... why can't I be like the others?" as the pink-haired girl kept sobbing and weeping, her elder sister didn't know what to do.
"Louise…" she whispered back to the crying girl, as she slowly began caressing her hair, "Everything is fine, really." she added, trying to console the girl.
"No, it's not. Arty does everything while I can't do a thing." She whined trying her best to actually merge with Eleonore around the chest area with her face.
"Now, now. Calm down and assume a proper form." Eleonore replied, grabbing a handkerchief and forcing Louise to actually blow her nose on that, and not on her blouse.
"You can't compare a commoner to a noble, so you can't compare a noble to a royal. It's just a different level. I'm sure you did something worthy of praise in all this time, so…"
Louise began thinking: Fouquet? IT was solved by Arty. Albion letter? Solved together with Arty, and Wardes had betrayed them. Battle of Tarbes? Arty, had gone at it alone. She had gotten under a love potion effect, and Arty had clearly helped her. She had refused to help Arty with the Gallian king, until he had actually convinced her. She had been doing nothing, nothing at all. Except sleeping, following Arty, eating and sleeping again.
So, she cringed.
"I DID NOTHING!" she wailed once more, covering her face with her hands, more tears running down her cheeks.
"What's happening in here?" Arty asked, his head appearing from the side of the carriage, staring at the sight of a crying girl and a perplexed woman, who took that moment to snap back at the man.
"Your Majesty, I'm sorry my sister disturbed you, but she just started crying, calling herself a failure, for no reason," as Eleonore said that, she clenched her fists. Certainly, she couldn't tell it was his fault for being so damn perfect and gorgeous, right?
Arty nodded simply entering from the carriage's window, without doing much of a fuss as the carriage had kept going at a regular speed.
He slowly moved closer to the crying Louise, and hugged her tightly.
"Let me go…I'm just a failure," Louise whispered, her eyes red from the tears, as she tried, albeit weakly, to remove herself from the wizard.
"Nobody is a failure, Louise." Arty replied, "Everyone has things he or she excels in," he slowly whispered, patting her head slightly.
"You're just being nice. I know I'm a failure: I can't even use my own magic," she whispered back, pouting it as she was actually enjoying the soothing sensation of Arty's hand on her hair.
Oh, so you want to be his pet. That settles it then, I'll grab you a big spikey collar with written: ZERO, and then you'll be his pet.
"You aren't a failure, Louise, if you mark greatness as the ability to climb a steep cliff, the mountain goat will get there first, but the fish won't be able to even begin climbing. On the other hand the fish will swim faster than anyone else in the sea, and that's the point of it…everything is relative, Louise. You are no more of a failure than I." As he muttered that, he slowly used his left hand to move upward Louise's chin and, in consequence, the rest of her face.
"It doesn't matter what other think, but what you think of yourself. You are great Louise, and you've got a strong will, and you're also cute to top it off, but if you keep undervaluing yourself, you won't be able to see just how strong you actually are."
I'm going to puke a bucket, and I'm a SKULL. Grant me mercy and make him shut up!
Louise blushed heavily, and naturally closed her eyes, moving her lips just slightly in a kiss form, before being interrupted by a harsh set of coughs.
"I'm still in the carriage, you know," Eleonore stated, matter of fact, slightly red in the face, as she watched the way the King had soothed her younger sister. He was a bit too old for her however, but maybe he'd be interested in someone a bit more…smart, like…herself, to say one, but she had to make sure he was available, firstly.
"Sorry," Louise whispered, blushing and folding her arms over her lap, staring at the down side of the carriage, realizing suddenly that Arty hadn't indeed, removed his right arm from around her.
"I'm sorry if this sounds a bit like I'm overstepping my confidence, your majesty, but are you already in a relationship?" as Eleonore asked that, she realized Louise was blushing furiously, the King couldn't have…
"Yes, I am," as he replied that, slowly, Louise stared at him.
Oh no. No. NO. MAKE HIM STOP. IF HE SPEAKS ANYMORE WE'RE ALL DOOMED.
What? Why?
I'll explain later, MAKE HIM QUIET!
"Oh, then, if I may still ask, wouldn't your half be angry about your…expansiveness?" she asked once more, looking at how the man hadn't still removed his hand from Louise's shoulder.
"Well she's…"
"ARTY!" Louise snapped, making the Wizard slightly jump.
"What?" he asked.
"There's no need to answer! Elder sister Eleonore is just jealous! AND OLD!" as she said that, she bit her tongue not soon enough, for her sister actually charged at her, tackling her cheeks and beginning to show just how jealous she actually was and how old she was meant to be.
Arty stared at the sight perplexed, not understanding in the slightest. Well, he'd have to tell them later who he was in a relationship with.
The carriage bumped for the rest of the voyage, and certainly not because the road was bumpy.
As they descended towards the outskirt of the La Vallière mansion, a pink haired woman came to meet them, to whom Louise actually ran to hide from Eleonore.
"Elder sister Cattleya!" she yelled as she hugged and was hugged by the older woman.
"My, my, Louise how you've grown!" she happily murmured, and then looked at the man, who looked back at her.
In that moment, they both blushed.
Eleonore actually realized it through her feminine sixth sense, while Louise didn't until the voice in her head began screaming rage and darkness.
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! SHE'S GOING TO KILL US AND SKEWER US! NO NO NO NO NO AND NO!
Holding her temples, for the headache of the noise in her head, she only barely managed to hold on to Cattleya's dress, before outright fainting, the strength of the voice in her head too much for her to keep up, as his yells and cries were like being pummeled directly in the brain.
"Louise!" Cattleya exclaimed, a bit shocked, as she was suddenly holding her younger sister in her arms. Arty rushed over quickly, grabbing a hold of the young girl, and, holding her, was brought by Cattleya to a room with a large bed, and…a load of animals. Animals which, normally happy and playful, suddenly steered clear of the young pink haired girl and the man, they weren't smart, but they knew when foul play was afoot.
As Arty slowly dropped Louise on the bed, Cattleya neared by with her water magic, but frowned.
"I…I don't think there's nothing strange…no poisons." She whispered.
"Might be a curse." Arty muttered back, cracking his fingers as he began muttering words.
"No, she's curse free," he added after a moment.
"A sudden migraine could come from damage in the brain, but it's clean, and she's not losing blood from the nose," Cattleya replied.
"She might have been simply stressed out from the voyage to Gallia, the homework, and the voyage here too. So, when she finally stopped being nervous, she had a mental breakdown due to overloaded stress levels…just letting her rest would be fine." Arty replied, to which Cattleya thought for a moment, putting her right hand index on her right cheek, puffing, before nodding.
"It might just as well be…so you've been to Gallia?" as she asked that, she slowly moved out of the room, where Eleonore was actually standing, a bit nervous.
"Yes we have." Arty replied, following and gently closing the door behind him, but not before, strangely, seeing all the animals in Cattleya room leaving too, and disperse in the hallway towards the garden.
"Strange." Cattleya muttered looking at the running animals.
"Maybe they just wanted to let your sister rest?" Arty commented.
"Anyway, mother is not going to be pleased," Eleonore muttered, paling a bit, "Leaving the borders without consent is breaking one of the rules of steel."
"Rules of steel?" Arty asked back, to which Eleonore and Cattleya both shivered.
"Yes, Mother is…" but she stopped, as a maid came closer to the trio and bowing, warned that the Madam was waiting them for dinner, together with the royalty guest.
Arty followed silently, starting to think about what was going on.
Hey, you there?
…
You read me?
…
This is Ground Control, do you read me?
…
Are you playing the offended game?
…
Suit yourself.
***Inside Louise's mind***
Louise was staring at a pitch black hole, which was turning around itself like a whirlpool in the sea. Near its borders stood the floating skeleton, and next to him, a humanoid figure, clad in purple and golden, which looked like a corpse. A corpse she had already seen in her dreams.
"Where am I?" she muttered, moving closer to the duo, who, turning around, then stared at each other, the skull floating, and the lich staring with his red glint in the eyes.
"You're in your soul, it seems." As the Lich stated that, he moved closer, his corpse rotted to a point where it was easier to see the bones than the skin itself.
"Who are you?" she whispered, she would have wanted to scream, but fear wasn't something she was feeling, now.
"I am Artos Basileus Sfor, Lich, guardian of the Contract." As he said that, he then gestured to the flying skull which was moving closer, around him an aura of energy flickered to light, showing various hues of red colors.
"I am Artos Basileus Sfor, Demilich, True king of Necros." The skull cackled, staring at the girl, "You should call me Lord Sfor, while you can call the Lich over there Basileus." As he said that, he moved closer to the girl.
"And now, you'll have to hear us out."
"Why should I?" Louise muttered, puzzled and surprised by the statements of the two.
"Because you need to understand the truth and why it is important, utterly important, that you do not say a word to anyone." The Lich commented.
"Not even to Arty?" as Louise asked that, the skull, Sfor, growled.
"No, especially to him, or anyone else; you see, you are in deep, deep shit." As he said that, Louise blinked in surprise, what?
"What are you…such crude words!" she exclaimed.
"Listen till the end, girl: you have been made into a portal of negative and arcane energy," as the Lich muttered that, he pointed towards the black hole.
"That's what I'm talking about. It's a portal directly linking to the negative plane and to the arcane web." As he added that, Louise didn't know what to say, so, the Demilich continued instead.
"Basically, girl, you're like a ship loaded with explosives. All that is needed is someone to light you up, and then you explode releasing darkness and arcane energies everywhere. Powering up this world for all the wizards and all the sorcerers around to be born naturally," then the Lich added to it:
"The problem lies that there can't be darkness without light," as he said that, the Demilich, Sfor, growled again.
"Says who?"
"Says me"
"I'm me too."
"Oh shut up and let me finish!" the lich snapped back, before turning his dead gaze to the girl.
"The portal of good and divine energy is somewhere in this world, moving around, and the gods," as he said that with a snarl, Louise actually realized he was angry, "have it on their side. Probably there *is* a Solar somewhere, guarding the portal of positive energy and divine energy. The point is: they are amassing strength, to come over here, and imprison you for all eternity while sacrificing their own portal so as to be able to activate positive and divine energy worldwide for Clerics to naturally be born and not invested, bringing hence their powers here, and shifting this world into the cosmic wheel."
The Demilich then added, carefully:
"Basically, the good guys wish to imprison you for all eternity, because if you were to die…then you'd free that thing over there, and the bad guys too want to kill you, because by doing so they could actually FREE THAT THING OVER THERE" as he yelled that, he looked into the sight of the finally scared Louise, who was trembling.
"So, how does it feel to be fucked over by a god, huh?" the Demilich snorted, "I know that feeling well: We got our life destroyed by a god's prophecy, you know it, you saw our past."
"The problem isn't only there though. It's with Arty too." The Lich added, "He is naturally good, because the contract asks for that, but he is also going to grow incredibly ..."
"STUPID" the Demilich yelled, "He'll become so nice, and good, that he'll start not realizing when people are lying to him, he'll trust anyone, and anything, and that…"
"That is a problem" the lich commented. "Who he is in a relationship with, for example, would be, if revealed, while nothing lethal, nothing less than a big headache, for us, for you, for anyone. Yet he was ready to speak of it freely. That's the point…as would be the same revealing who this flying skull tackled to the ground in Sigil. Isn't that right?" the lich stared for a brief moment at the skull, who tried his best to whistle away the call of infidelity.
"Not my fault. She jumped on me first!"
"Yes, like I'd believe the story." The Lich replied sighing.
"So, who is Arty in a relationship with? And him?" Louise asked, curious, pointing also to the flying skull.
"Can't answer yet; you could erroneously end up having your mind read, and while some things are fixable, like who our body is dating is, the knowledge of who that idiotic skull is seeing isn't, at all, fixable." The Lich muttered. "Maybe at a later date you will be told though. Just, don't go asking".
Louise nodded, but queried:
"What's this contract you're talking about? And why can't I remove that thing from me?"
"The contract is…" the Lich looked at the Demilich, who floated up and down, like a sort of nod, which made then the Lich nod in turn back and start explaining: "A requisite for an Epic spell, which basing itself on the Transform seed, effectively cuts in three distinct parts the power of Artos, Basileus and Sfor, each of us is but a third of our original power, and we can call through the contract to loan power from one to another. Basically, Arty is always good. I am always Lawful and he is always…well," pointing at the skull that began cackling:
"I AM ALWAYS AWESOME!"
"yeah, well, you got the idea: I usually do not interact much, since one voice in the head is more than enough, and two would be exaggerating," as he said that, Louise kind of understood it.
"So, wait, Arty is even more powerful than how he actually showed!"
"No, when he fought in the battle of Tarbes, firstly he used the flying artifact, the Airplane," as the Lich said that, the Demilich gleefully snickered:
"FLYING BUTCHER OF DOOM TM!"
"It's not a trademark," the lich retorted.
"It was after we altered much of it to our need."
"Well, anyway, the gist of it is that even then, he called upon another one of us, for the battle of Tarbes it was myself; personally I would have preferred not to, but he." Pointing at the Demilich, "Would have used that as an excuse to show off our necromantic streak, I'm more of a summoner. Usually, if something is summoned of the ninth circle or above, it's my will coming through".
As he said that, Louise nodded once more.
"I've also been giving you knowledge subconsciously, because I realized it would be better if you actually knew what Arty was doing. Since knowledge is power, however, I must ask you to guard it well." As he said that, the Demilich stared back at the lich, and muttered, making his mandible crackle.
"We're already giving her much, so let's get this done with before she wakes up"
"Why can't I remove that thing then?" Louise asked worried.
"You can't, because it's tied to your own magic. Sure, you could die and then be resurrected through a Wish spell or a Miracle or a Pure Resurrection, but you'd forever lose all your magic abilities, arcane related or Void related."
"Why are they both tied together?" Louise asked again, perplexed.
"That thing over there would have already corrupted you to the core," as the Lich said that, pointing at the black hole, the Demilich spun around gleefully, whispering:
"But there is someone, it fears. Someone it calls VOID BORN!" as he said that, humming a strange song about a strange land, erupting into laughter, the Lich sighed, and turned his stare to the pink-haired girl once more.
"Basically, your void magic is keeping the darkness of the negative plain from corrupting you, pretty powerful magic too, if it can do such a feat."
"So…what should I do now?" Louise queried.
"Well, basically? Nothing." As the girl grimaced, the Lich assumed a thinking position, "Except train in the arcane arts. If you can manage to muster your soul, and yourself, then the void would be free to actually become another asset of your power. Basically, as of now, you're weak, you're like forced to use Zero Point Five percent of both magic, but once you manage to train, you'd actually reach, at the end, hundred percent to both, thus bringing you up to two hundred percent. Hard trek, but it ends in glory" as the Lich stated that, the Demilich chuckled.
"Glory or not, listen carefully girl: this isn't a joke and it isn't an easy thing like delivering a letter. You must find out WHO the good nice girly or boy with the good nice portal is and then convince Arty to swap back with one of us. NOT before. Since everyone is hell bent on searching you to kill you, or harm you to then imprison you, Arty will protect you just fine. As long as you keep your mouth shut of what has happened here, in your dream."
"Why can't I tell him?" Louise asked back.
"If you do tell him, he'll try to get us back to him." The Lich stated, "The problem would then lay in the fact that we both are easily detectable and he would need to make us detectable to reabsorb us. Right now, you are the biggest source of negative energy around, if any of us pops out…well, OUR energy is pretty much distinctive, and they'd know it."
"It's just got the right amount of pepper in it, you know and Solars love Pepper." Sfor snickered.
"Something like that; in any case, do not attempt to tell him, or he'll start thinking of a solution, and then he'll try and be DIPLOMATIC with the opposite front…and since he'll be working for the greater good…" with that said, the Lich moved closer to the girl, "He might as well realize that imprisoning a single girl to help the good would be better than to let said girl be free to choose her own path" and as Louise's face clouded with fear, the Demilich added as the final words:
"Or even better, imprison her himself to avoid her dying at the hands of Evil!" with that grin and those chuckles, Louise woke up in cold sweat.
Are you still there?
Yes girl, here I am.
You sound…different.
I'm Basileus. You might prefer me over the idiot crackling skull of…
S: I heard that!
B: Back to your place, Sfor.
S: Don't forget I hear you just fine
L: So…what should I do now?
Well, you can begin by standing up, washing, freshening, and moving towards the dining room, before Arty decides to rattle out secrets he shouldn't speak of.
***In the Meantime-Albion-Outskirts ***
"Be destroyed Undeath spawn!" as Jeanne yelled harnessing the powers of Pelor, a bright light shone across the road they had been travelling for nearly two days. It was like the entire world had been out to get them. Every now and then something would pop up from the side of the road be it brigands, deserters, hungry animals or other undead like the ones that had killed her village. AS the light shone brightly over them, Cristopher was instead doing his best to hold a fierce looking and bigger corpse away from her, and as it slashed at its body with wounds that would have at least brought to bleed loss the monster, the monster threw its only body into a single ferocious attack, pushing him down, unfazed by the bright light as Jeanne began chanting for a prayer to reinforce her and her friend.
"FOR HEIRONEUS!" as the Paladin yelled that, a set of sharp arrows suddenly burst forward from the side of the road, hitting the backside of the corpse which turned to dust a moment later.
A black clad man walked forward, silently, wielding a repeating crossbow as his armor made of leather soaked in the light, preventing it from shining back.
"Pathetical," he muttered looking at the two on the road, "If I hadn't been tasked by the Shalm himself, I'd have stayed where I was. You both lack in knowledge to survive in these lands" as a matter of fact, he removed his hood, to reveal a sharp stern face, grey eyes and silver hair. He looked a bit aged, but not too much to actually be called old.
"You need to learn where to hit them, when to dodge instead of block, you got overwhelmed because you thought your strength was enough" as he spoke moving closer to the paladin, he helped him back up, "and you Miss, you didn't gauge the enemy's strength effectively, and wasted time when you could have done something else, like giving more strength to the paladin."
"Who…who are you Mister?" Jeanne asked, puzzled by the words which still held true.
"I'm Devon Malazar, ranger and scourge of the undead, the Shalm himself, the god of balance, the great Obad-Hai, has sent me here to help you lot. We must move and strike fast at the heart of the corruption, but first things first: GET THE FUCK OFF THE ROAD!" he snapped, angrily as the two followed him out of the road.
"Beginners mistake is to stay on the road thinking it's safe. It isn't. In the wilds you risk animals, but not bandits and deserters, and animal are easier to kill than those two. So, follow me you two wussies and I'll get you to Londinium in one piece." As he began marching towards the thick of the forest, ignoring the road, Cristopher whispered to Jeanne:
"Should we trust him? He isn't evil that much I can assure,"
"We have no choice, he seems to know what we've got to do, and he did help you," as the girl replied, Cristopher nodded, sure, the man was a bit grumpy, but if he killed zombies as well as he did, he was entitled to a fair share of grumpiness.
***Halkeginia-Royal Palace***
"Your Majesty, please think about this," Cardinal Mazarin pleaded to the Queen, after hearing her distressed decision, "he might be a suitable marriage candidate, but he is *not* the Emperor of Germania, sure he's powerful, but he can't be ever-present, assassination attempts could happen anytime."
"I have already given up on marrying for love, Cardinal, but if I have to marry for power, then I will marry King Sfor. He is powerful, and kind, and I'm sure I could grow to actually love him. That is if he's not satisfied with his wife. My good friend spoke with him while I was present, while he does have a family, he had no heirs; thus he might as well be celibate or with a sterile wife."
"But your highness, what if he *is* the cause of having no heirs? Maybe he's the one sterile."
"Then I will ask him, because I'll be boarding the flagship of the conjoined fleets of Tristain and Germania, and I've given order for Louise Françoise to be there."
"Miss de la Vallière is young, your majesty, she would need her parent's approval first…" as the Cardinal then realized the words before muttered by the queen, he couldn't help but slightly raise his tone:
"Your Highness! Boarding a flagship? With the soldiers? What…"
"I will fight along my people, Cardinal, that is all." The queen, Henrietta, snapped back, staring at him harshly, "nothing will make me change my mind, and with Louise Françoise wielding the power of the void, and the King of Necros, whose power you have certainly witnessed together with me at Tarbes, what should I have to fear Cardinal!"
"Your highness…pride is a sin that the Founder warned us against," the Cardinal replied meekly, "But I am not to discuss her Highness, wishes; I will have the Manticore guards ready to…"
"No, the Musketeers corps will be used." Henrietta snapped back.
"Yes your Majesty, as you wish."
"You may leave now, Cardinal." And as Cardinal Mazarin bowed to leave in a hurry, Henrietta sighed, silently relaxing herself on the chair of her personal bedroom.
She stood up, moving to grab a bottle of wine and drinking two cups' worth of it, before putting down the bottle and sitting on the side of her bead, hands between her hair.
"Oh Wales…why did you have to disappear? If only I knew you were dead, that would set my mind at ease." She whispered to no one in particular, before laying down on the soft mattress, too tired to actually get in her nightgown and sleep, and not too tired to actually fall asleep. As her mind drifted back to happy thoughts, she heard a knock coming from the door.
Standing up, and slapping her cheeks slightly to regain some bit of self-control, she moved to the door, to query:
"Who is it?"
As the question was asked, no one replied.
The knock repeated itself.
"Who is it? I will call the guards if no answer comes." As she said that, she did grab her scepter that doubled as a mace.
No answer, once more, and another knock came. Followed by a loud thud against the door.
Henrietta remained silent, for a moment that seemed eternity, and then opened the door slowly, to see a dagger piercing a small piece of parchment to the side of her door.
What made her shiver, however, was the content of the message:
"The king of Necros holds Prince Wales Tudor hostage, do not trust him. Never."
"Must be one of the Cardinal's tries to make me reconsider," she muttered angrily as she tore into pieces the message, before calling in the guards and having them search around for an intruder. She'd face the Cardinal in the morning, and then, just to be sure, she would face the King of Necros later on. Whoever played this prank to her however would pay dearly, and may the Founder forgive her, but she'd have the culprit tortured before.
***Halkeginia-La Vallière Estate-Dinner time***
The room chosen for dinner was big, to say the less of it, it was also richly adorned with golden chandelier, the best possible silverware had been taken, and the dishes were made out of the best of porcelain available inside the house. Such display of richness came together with the women of the house, Cattleya, Eleonore and the Duchess, being they too richly adorned in jewels, and smiling broadly and pleasantly to the King, who stood, since etiquette dictated that, at the head of the table, while they consummated a well prepared plate, whose quantity nearly bordered the atomic properties, *nouvelle cuisine* it was called.
Arty would have actually preferred a sandwich, maybe with peanut butter jelly, heck, he would have even eaten a banana while keeping eye contact with another man rather than trying to delicately grab a pair of peas and toss them into a minuscule quantity of fish.
He was starting to think that maybe he should simply make the stuff animate and fly in his mouth directly, but still…
"Your Highness," the Duchess actually broke the ice first, especially when she realized that the king was two steps away from having a stress fit concerning a rolling about survivor pea, "I heard by a reliable source that you alone fought and destroyed an army of three thousands and its fleet, would you give a counsel to my daughters, about how they could grow in power like your grace?"
"Mother…" Cattleya whispered, but hushed to silence once the stare of the Duchess set on the long pink haired woman.
"Power corrupts, Duchess. The more power one has, the more he becomes inclined to use it for its own means." Arty replied, placing his hands in the form that a certain Mr. Burns once taught him, he whispered: "Nothing, furthermore, is obtained easily; one must train, both the body and the mind, before being able to actually reach the heights of his own power. Even then, even when one has reached its limits, there is always a way, albeit hidden, to grow yet stronger. The problem lies in who earns the power. There is no distinct white and black, no good or evil. Should a little evil be conceded, so as to save millions? Would one sacrifice someone, to save a thousand others? Does a life have more meaning than another? As a being of power, I hope first and foremost that none rise at my same height, not because I fear to be usurped, but because I fear they won't be able to live with their powers without bringing forth destruction." As he said that, he had casually made the Pea disappear into nothingness.
"You must possess an incredible amount of self-control, your majesty." Eleonore whispered first after a moment. The thoughts of what she would do, had she the same powers as the king sitting at the head of the table were drowning her in dreams of riches, respect and knowledge. The earl Burgandi was there too, somewhere, suffering for having cancelled the engagement with her.
Cattleya was instead thinking, and she thought out loud:
"It must be lonely."
"Cattleya." The Duchess snapped at her second oldest daughter, who bowed her head in apology, but had Arty smile warmly.
"No need to apologize. It's the truth. Though my family takes priority, I do feel lonely most of the time, when my … brothers, ignore me to work alone." As he said that, he had given off a message, yet the other at the table had received a completely different one. There were two brothers available in the royalty of Necros.
"Are they, by any chance, celibate?" as the Duchess asked the question, Arty began thinking for a moment.
"Well…one is."
Outside, inside of Louise's mind, the Lich Basileus sneezed.
Can one like you get a cold?
No. It's just because someone is talking about me.
Should we enter now?
Yes.
Louise entered the dining room, taking a silent seat next to Eleonore, while staring in wait as the servitude placed platters, the silverware and the glasses. The Duchess stared at her youngest but for a brief moment, before turning once more to stare at the king.
"Well, I'm afraid that, concerning the letter, I won't be able to give you a proper answer until my husband, the Duke, returns from his business trip; though the fact that Louise is needed for the war with Albion is something I find unfathomable."
"I understand perfectly your concerns, finding out that one of your children holds the power of the Void is…" at that moment however, Arty was cut short by a loud *WHAT!*. The Duchess simply coughed, before turning to stare at Louise, who had shrimped down into her seat.
"Wasn't it mentioned in the letter?" Arty asked, carefully.
"No." the Duchess replied, staring coldly at her youngest. "Louise, when and how did you manage to acquire that legendary power?"
Louise gulped, looking at her hands.
See? That's why we need to get back in his brain, before he turns into a pudding of idiocy; idiocy and power.
"Louise, answer mother!" Eleonore snapped at the girl.
"I…" she wanted to plead to Arty, but she stopped once more, afraid.
Repeat after me, girl: I discovered it after fighting Wardes, who turned out a betrayer, in the chapel of Newcastle. I destroyed an entire section of the wall; the man included, and then fainted. It wasn't a fire spell, nor of any other type, thus was the void option the only remaining one.
Louise slowly repeated every word, keeping her eyes' on the table, not daring to raise them.
"Is it true, your majesty? She's not lying is she?" as Eleonore turned around to ask Arty, he nodded back in reply.
"It's true. I was a witness to it all," as the King of Necros replied that, Cattleya paled.
"I can't believe it," Eleonore muttered, "You've got the Void power, and yet you were calling yourself worthless in the carriage?"
"I can't use them well! I just have them!" Louise whispered, "I don't know of any letter, nor did I know I had to go to war, but if it's her majesty's orders, than I will comply."
Loyalty is praised always, as long as it doesn't become BLIND.
What do you mean?
Why are you loyal to the queen?
Because she's the queen! And my friend!
Precisely my point.
"My daughter would become a tool of war, which can't even fight?" the Duchess questioned looking at Arty. However, he didn't get the time for an answer, as the next moment, the table creaked as air blades launched themselves against Louise, who reacted on instinct, by putting her arms in front of her face. Artos was thankfully quicker, and substituted himself with Louise, in the nick of time.
Realizing offense was being taken with the intent to kill through magic, the first contingency activated itself, the Dispel launching onto the first blade, but letting the other two pass, cutting deeply onto Artos' back, who gritted his teethes.
THAT'S OUR BODY! OUR BODY! BLOODY FOUL USE DISINTEGRATION!
The Duchess didn't stop at the air blades, which she seemed to know how to cast like nothing, but turned her wand against Louise once more, producing an air hammer. This time, Artos barely managed to intercept it midway, by conjuring quickly a medium air elemental, who took the force of the blow head on.
A strange creature resembling a tornado stood now in the middle between the Duchess and a traumatized Louise, the table in pieces, Eleonore near Cattleya who had fainted, while Artos himself was moving, albeit bleeding, to stand in front of Louise.
"Duchess! Have you gone insane!" as Artos yelled that, the Duchess finished chanting once more.
TELL HIM TO FUCKING ATTACK!
The medium air elemental looked surprised when the wind itself twirled around him, and then, he felt pain, as if slashes had been appearing from nowhere, cutting at his air body, dispersing him.
"Since I do not want to destroy the manor, I've reduced the size for the moment." As the miniature Cutter Tornado was launched forward, Artos barely managed to grab Louise gritting his teethes, and after closing her inside an Otiluke Force sphere, throwing her out of the window. The last thing she saw, as she fell on the soft grass rolling backwards, was the cutter tornado impacting with Artos' back.
The tornado didn't manage to tear to shred his clothing completely, reinforced by magic, but it did manage to push him outside too, thankfully the dining room was at ground level, so all he got was heavy bruises as his body impacted against the grass of the garden.
Artos panted as he stood up.
Damn. I don't want to kill her.
…
Answers?
…
Where are you?
…
You're enjoying this.
…
The Duchess, Karin *the Heavy Wind* levitated over the broken glass, wielding her wand with anger;
"Please, your majesty, do not put yourself on the receiving end of my wand. It's meant for Louise," the Duchess muttered, Louise was watching the scene from inside the sphere, which seemed to have no means of opening up.
"She's going to kill him! RUN ARTY RUN!" but it didn't seem like she was being heard.
That Idiot! RUN! She's in the sphere, she's invulnerable!
What?
This sphere can only be dispelled, and not destroyed.
Why isn't he leaving then?
Because if he does, then you'll be mentally scarred for life, you know, mother wanting to kill you is one of the best excuses Emos need to become Emo.
…
"I'm not going to say that all mothers love their children." Arty muttered, "I lived long enough to know it isn't true; but I do not believe you want to kill her, even though you are attacking with the intent to kill."
"She broke the rules of steel: Two at those! Never leave the country without permission, and never become useless!" As Karin muttered those words, she then added, "If she's going to die in war, better if I kill her myself!" as she moved her wand precisely, three air blades appeared to slash at the King of Necros.
"I understand…then I'll be serious too." A movement of the hand later and the three air blades disappeared, as Artos drew Derflinger, finally.
"No time to waste. No place to hide. Grant me time, to think for mine." Artos chanted as two more air blades tried to carve deeply into his chest, but as Derflinger strangely glowed, the magic was absorbed, and it didn't seem to faze him from concentrating, and then, Artos was no longer there in front of them.
Stopping time? Now?
Where did he go?
Probably planning something.
Karin looked around, realizing too late that an armored white and golden knight had been charging at her from the right, Derflinger shone brightly, aflame like never before.
"FINALLY!" the blade howled as the Gandalfr finally used him as he was meant to be used.
Karin slightly moved backwards, thrusting her wand forward, powered with a slight Air magic to double as a sword. The two weapons parried each other's, but Karin swiftly renounced the block, side stepping to cast an Air hammer, while Artos himself threw Derflinger upwards, impacting against the air hammer and closing in with his shoulder first, throwing Karin backwards by the impact, while she ducked to the side, she avoided a piercing blow from the Wizard, who still pushed forward, forcing her to move backwards, like he had received the best of the trainings. Louise stared in awe at the melee skills of Arty, who were on par, if not superior yet, to those of her mother, Karin the heavy wind herself!
"Didn't think…" Karin had tried to speak, but instead, the man left her no space to maneuver, he simply moved closer, and closer, darting the sword in his hand like it was a part of him, without unnecessary movements, like the finest of warriors. Was he really the King of Necros? Still, she had no choice but throw weakest versions of the spells, as they were quick enough to be thrown while parrying and dodging the attacks coming at with fierce ferocity, one after the other, her right hand was beginning to shake; she cursed her foolishness of having attacked while being dressed with pretty clothes and jewelry. She had simply acted based on instincts, motherly or not, and that had proven stupid. The white armored knight charged forward, swinging the sword like it was a weightless feather, but with unheard precision, as it was aiming at a precise thing from the very beginning: her wand.
She had to get away long enough to cast her cutter tornado once more, but the warrior simply wouldn't allow it, on the other hand the Duchess was still in top form, and swiftly dodged blows. It was going to be a thing of stamina among the two, unless someone would intervene, but Eleonore was watching the scene shocked like never before, while Cattleya had fainted.
"Come my minions rise for your master! Let your evil shine!" as Louise muttered those words, her hands moving in precise ways she had never seen before, as something inside her soul wanted to come out, a pair of strange, small creatures, with black leathery wing appeared, and being conjured straight from behind her mother, they flew upwards, attaching themselves to her with a wicked glee, and that distraction, well, that was all the knight needed to let Derflinger fall down and snap the wand in two.
The wand snapped, and Karin, the Heavy wind, fell on the ground, panting and sweating.
"My win." The white knight murmured, before the armor disappeared, and Derflinger returned, albeit saddened by his only so little appearance, in his scabbard.
"I never thought…to be defeated without magic." As the Duchess muttered that, Artos laughed as he held his right hand in front of him to bring her up. Both hadn't realized or even seen the creatures, so Louise stared surprised, as the imp-like creatures moved closer to her, gleefully smiling, before disappearing into puffs of smoke.
Interesting.
What?
He didn't realize the Shadow Evocation.
The what?
Nothing important for now.
"I might need a healer though, defeated or not, you were a worthy adversary," as Artos said that with a smile, something inside of him realized there had to be something wrong, but he couldn't quite get it into him, thus, he simply forgot about it.
No need worrying.
Worthy? He didn't want to kill her. Trust me, your mother would have been destroyed and turned to ash in a blink.
…I'm afraid.
You should actually. We are pretty scary; our presence on the battlefield has routed even the hardest of foes.
You fought many wars?
We *are* still at wars.
With who?
S:THE GODS AHAHAHAHA!
B: Shut up you…well, people.
Louise was puzzled, but suddenly the sphere popped away, and when it did so, she ran quickly next to Arty, who stared at her with a wide and happy smile.
"Your mother wasn't meaning to kill you; she just wanted to maim you enough to avoid sending you to war; brutal, but effective…at least in her eyes. Otherwise, it was also a mean to check on your strength, but I interrupted it, it seems, since after all, she was going to aim for maiming…can't tolerate that."
"Mother…" Louise muttered looking with two round big eyes at her mother, who looked back with a slight growl.
"I still don't think you're suited for war, Louise. But as long as you'll stick with King Artos, you should be fine." As Karin muttered that, she did her best to resume a lady-like appearance, albeit much of her dress was now either tattered or in ruins.
"Yes mother." Louise nodded, "but what about father?" she asked then.
"I'll speak with him tomorrow, you go to sleep now. Don't break another rule now, me and the King have much to discuss." As she snapped back in her normal tone, Louise nodded and hurried away, after a brief look at Artos' wounds, which seemed to be in the process of closing by themselves.
"I understand I have just broken one of my own rules, attacking your majesty with fury, so I will take whatever punishment you will deem necessary to mend the situation." as the Duchess said that, Arty sighed, snapping his fingers as Karin's clothes turned back to their original state.
"Fine then, the most befitting punishment I may think of, is for you to call me *Arty*, I hate being called with titles…" as he said that with a small smile, Karin thanked the founder she was already married, and with three daughters, for that smile would have melted a mountain of ice.
"I understand. Would you care to join me for a drink in my studio…Arty?"
"It would be an honor," as he said that, he followed in silence the woman.
Something was still ticking him off, on something, but he couldn't get it, it was like something was…moving.
***Necros***
"WE'VE GOT THE BASTARDS!" the Death knight yelled, as his stead reached the back of the fleeing soldiers, taking them down without mercy or thoughts. The other pursuers took to their job too. Finally, the last human defiance was removed just as the first of the pursuers saw the sun rise over the sea in front of him...the other side had been reached, and conquered.
"Banner Holder! The banner!" the captain yelled, and once more, prince Wales pierced the ground with the banner of the city of Necros.
"Good…today is a good day. The last humans are destroyed or turned to our causes; their bodies will serve us well. To think these things were so damn effective," saying that, he looked at the gun he now had taken in his hand from his belt.
"Nifty things your country can do, huh? Well, soon it will be *our* country, but it's a different thing never the less," as the captain said that, the prince stood silent, until the banner finished corrupting the ground around them.
"Leave the banner there as a warning. This is the end of the run; from East to West, Necros rules. Now from north to south, we will march"
As the prince couldn't do nothing but get back in formation and mount his skeletal horse, he really hoped that, somewhere, Henrietta was safe.
***Halkeginia-Magic Academy-One week later***
Professor Colbert awoke to the light of the day, finally, after a long time spent in the darkness. He had no recollection of what he had been doing till then, he really had no idea. He simply woke up, realizing he was sleeping in his bed, next to a female laying form. He had a single thought running across his mind: he now actually had a girlfriend, who even accepted to marry him. Problem was he had no idea who it was.
He just felt compelled to move towards her; to court her and finally to confess to her...just as he stood up, to get dressed, the feminine figure revealed herself with a smile, a nice cleavage and with a seductive voice she muttered in a slight Germanian accent:
"My Jean."
At that moment, Professor Colbert began running again.
While he ran for his life, and to avoid prison probably, someone else was harshly training with weights. The problem wasn't that the weights were bright pink, or of a small quantity. The problem was that the user of said weight was a pink haired girl as flat as a board could ever be, and she was doing so while avoiding her best to go to the lessons of the musketeers, who had taken over the academy to train the remaining students for the upcoming invasion. She had been permitted that after having no more than three words with the Headmaster, which will, for integrity, be resumed with: "Arty offered better".
Near the Vestri courtyard, practically deserted at that hour of the morning, Louise was training, strange thoughts circling in her mind as she did so.
Five. Four. Three. Nine hundred and two. Nine hundred and one.
You messing with me?
I got found out it seems. So, first thing you do before entering a room?
Search for traps, search for magic, search for undead.
Why the latter?
Incorporeal creatures are usually undead. Could lie under the wall floor.
Ethereal and non-material differences?
The first is attacked by force magic, or Ghost-touch weaponry. The second is usually dispersed with a gust of wind.
Fifty-two, fifty-one.
I've already finished this set.
Good, now you can start running then.
Louise dropped the weights, panting as her arms' muscles were sore, and stiff, but she didn't stop. Her legs came next, and, albeit already sweating heavily from the weight lifting, she began doing laps around the academy. It wasn't difficult to understand: She had to train, and if she didn't train they'd mess her brain until she did, actually, train.
At the second lap, she fell down, laying face down to catch her breath.
"Damn." She muttered, cursing her weak and frail body. She was training to be stronger, but still she hadn't even managed to run till the third lap, her physique was simply that much frail? She did her best, but maybe she actually was a zero to begin with…
Stop self-pitying you. You're weak? Become strong.
Easy to say for you.
I wasn't born strong. I became strong.
I don't even get to rest in my sleep. A nap would be nice.
In the time you sleep, an assassin can kill ten targets, a soldier can fight off an army, a wizard can destroy two towns and a Cleric can heal a country.
"I got it" she muttered, standing back up.
Lessons are soon, go wash yourself.
Yes, sir.
The lessons Basileus was referring to weren't with the normal professors, but with Artos himself, who, having grabbed a wand from the Headmaster's personal collection, had with an ease close to no one, begun adapting his magic style to theirs.
They didn't actually decide on counting him in their element magic system, because doing so would have meant calling him a sixteen point star class mage. Since he had no problem converting from one to the other, it would have seemed stupid. Yet, he now had the opportunity to teach it back to Louise, and Louise, obviously able also to use the arcane energy conversion, had come to an understanding: she could become stronger than Artos, because Artos himself couldn't use the void spells, but she could, and she could learn both the arcane and her own elements. That thought alone drove her forward. She was maybe the only pupil who could hope to defeat her master, maybe. The maybe standing on a really thin line between utter madness and complete suicidal desire, but still…a maybe is not a never.
When Louise entered the classroom, that had been assigned to them, she saw just for a brief moment a flash of green exiting from the window, as Arty himself stood there, with a strange smile on his face, Louise narrowed her eyes, something in her guts, since feminine instincts were barred from her, it seemed, making her irk.
"Arty," she muttered, moving behind the Wizard, who seemed lost in thoughts as he watched a cloaked figure leave by horse the gate of the academy, nobody stopping her, or recognizing her, "who was that?"
"My fleeting relation." He replied; his mind lost in a sort of dream world.
Slap him back to his senses please.
Sure enough, Louise's slap came with a certain glee, bringing the seasoned wizard back into the real world.
"Oh, Louise! Good, today we begin Fire element dot spells." As he said that, going to the center of the classroom, he clapped his hands, concentrating.
"I want you to concentrate on fire, Louise. Think fiery thoughts, anger, things you normally associate with fire, like pepper, or red or burning wood, or flames themselves. Then, pronounce the incantation while keeping your eyes closes, and keep the thought of flames ever…" he didn't finish the sentence, because a fireball departed immediately from Louise's wand, hitting him, but doing, obviously, no damage.
"Excellent!" Arty replied clapping his hand, "I don't get why they called you the Zero." He muttered then, "You seem to be doing pretty fine now."
"Well…I didn't have you as a teacher."
Nor you guys.
S:Aww, she's making me happy inside. Can we keep her?
B:…sarcasm?
S: The only feeling a Demilich may feel at 100%
L:You're an ass.
S:Actually I'm a skull.
Badum-tss-tss.
L:Is that a drum in my head?
B:Never will I admit I'm a fan of Death-Metal.
S:Figures, that was to be expected, right?
L:Nevermind.
"Well then, let's proceed on with the next assignment: Combination spells."
***Halkeginia-Two Weeks later-La Rochelle departure***
"Cardinal, I don't like this." Henrietta muttered, looking at how the flagship had its interiors practically broken up to make place to what looked more like a royal bedroom than the under deck of a ship.
Agnes, her bodyguard, was there, together with her four most trusted subordinates, they were thinking the same thing as the Queen, but dared not to speak.
"Your highness, this is the flagship of the fleet, it must ensure the minimum standards for the upcoming generals, who have the decks immediately below your highness" the Cardinal dully noted.
"I find it's a waste of space," as the Queen replied, someone else chuckled behind them.
The musketeers suddenly turned around, weapons in hand, while Agnes let her hand go to the handle of her pistol; Henrietta turned in surprise too, just in time to see the King of Necros enter with a wide smile on his face, Louise following him silently.
He was wearing white and golden trimmed robes, the symbol of the clawed hand replaced by that of a pigeon, with a sword in its beak. The problem lay with Louise, who had instead no longer her normal Magic academy of Tristain student clothing *tm*, but was wearing a more fitting dark brown leather jacket, underneath which the trims of a light brown shirt were visible, and she no longer had a skirt, but a pair of blackish trousers. All in all, it was a tomboy appearance the like of which Henrietta had never seen her friend wear in all her life.
"I must say, I was thinking the same thing." As Arty said that moving closer, the musketeers stood aside, holstering their weapons, except for Agnes who still kept her hand on the gun for safety.
"How did you get in here?" the Cardinal asked surprised, and, at that moment, a floating eye appeared right next to his head.
"What he sees, I see. Arcane Eye is the name of the spell," Arty replied with a chuckle, "and I liked the Queen's words; she's actually right. This is as much a flagship as it is safe: it's more likely it will be the primary target and will then be utterly destroyed in the first skirmishes."
"I see, then, Lord Artos…" as the Queen began, Arty raised a hand, looking at her with a stare that said it all, "Arty," Henrietta corrected herself, a bit blushing, "what would you suggest doing then?" the King moved towards the center of the room, lost in thought.
"Louise?" he asked to the girl, who stared a bit before muttering:
"One could try and use wards to reinforce the structure, spells to harden the wood, turning it into metal, but that would probably bring forth buoyancy problems, and an increase in the wind stones consumption. Since we do not wish for that, the only thing we can do is to repair the ship to its basic status and then reinforce key structural points, possibly adding fire protection in the areas where gunpowder is stashed." Louise spoke slowly, her right hand moving to her chin in a sort of comical imitation of the Wizard himself. Henrietta stared at her friend in silence, thinking about what could have happened to make her change so much, probably the presence of the King himself? Still, Arty muttered back:
"How would we proceed then?"
"Cost-effective, time-effective or best-effective?" Louise replied back.
"Second, First, and third for last." As Arty replied like that, Louise nodded, before speaking once more:
"Alchemy spells could be used with iron bullets or extra iron weapon's supplies to reinforce the frame; it would be crude but quick. Moving the weight to the upper levels would also provide an increase of stability as long as it's perfectly leveled."
"Louise Françoise, are you alright?" Henrietta asked, surprised by such a display of…emotionless?
"Yes your majesty, everything is fine." As Louise replied with a curtsy, which came a bit strange considering she wore trousers, Henrietta mentally decided to ask her later.
"But this…" the Cardinal wanted to say something, but after a simple stare from the Queen, the King and the la Vallière girl, who still was the daughter of the Duke, he decided not to question anything and bow before leaving in a hurry. He wasn't going to stay around any longer than necessary, oh no.
"Louise, proceed." As the King of Necros muttered, the pink-haired girl nodded.
"He's a good guy, a bit too pressed on duty, but he isn't evil," Arty commented then, seeing how Henrietta had been staring at the Cardinal's back, "a copper coin for your thoughts?" he asked to the Queen with a smile, while Louise had already grabbed her wand, and was staring, like lost in thought, at the best way to begin.
"I…I need to ask you something, Arty." Henrietta replied, turning her gaze to the Wizard, who stared at her with a smile, "More than one thing, actually." As Louise began chanting the Alchemy spell to move the weight of the wooden structure from down below to upstairs, and merge together the iron from the nails with the exterior of the ship, Henrietta stared for a moment in silence at the sight. Sure, it was a basic alchemy spell, but it had covered the ENTIRE ship.
"She suddenly decided she wanted to be trained in your magic system, since I closed her off mine…therefore she's been showing increasing optimal attitudes at *Void* magic, and general non-elemental spells." Arty filled her in, as even Agnes muttered something like *Founder's glory*.
"I see…Agnes, could you leave us alone?" as the queen asked, Agnes nodded, usually she would have refused, but she just felt it would be trifle for the man to make a hand gesture, and put everyone to sleep. The voices of his strength and his display of power at Tarbes had already branded him as the Founder's reborn, the fact he was a foreign king had branded him later on as the Founder's chosen, and when he had revealed the foul play of the king of Gallia, and had swapped him in a one-day revolution without deaths, he had been actually branded the Destroyer of Evil and Corruption.
As the musketeers left, Louise panted slowly, placing her wand back in her pocket, she moved closer to Arty, and grabbed his arm strongly, staring at the Queen with a look like she was meaning *he's mine*.
"Louise Françoise?" Henrietta asked, shocked by such a display of…ferocity?
"Yes, your majesty?" Louise asked back, without worrying.
"What are you doing…?" Louise Françoise had never been so much direct in something she liked, while she was direct in some things, she usually never, ever, would have done something like that, normally at least.
"I'm holding his arm because I like to," Louise replied, with a slight grin. Henrietta reddened fiercely, and blushed; now she faced a problem with the King, but Arty didn't even seem to bother, since he seemed more interested in the conversation exchange between the two.
"Arty, might I ask you what happened?" Henrietta queried, puzzled.
"Well…it seems that there's something *unbalancing* me, and that by staying at a touch contact, it rebalances the issue. She didn't want to say more, and thus I didn't force her to. Maybe she's just trying to come out from her shy shell," the last sentence was whispered by Arty with a smile and his right eyelid blinked for a second.
"So…when will we depart?" Louise queried, looking at both Arty's and Henrietta's face.
Good girl. See? You can become useful and serious if you want to.
It sucks to be trained at night though.
Can't do much about it, eye bags are a secondary problem right now.
Well, since we will be on the ship for the three days travel, I might be able to recuperate.
Good, plan ahead always to ensure that what you wish for gets executed.
Understood.
S: You're no fun, you know? Why so serious?
L: Basileus, smack him for me.
B: Already on it.
S: Ehi, wha…where did you get that staff? No ehi, I'm NOT A BASEBALL BALL!
Smack-Thud-roll. HIGHSCORE!
L:Stop playing in my head now.
Louise sighed. It had been two long weeks. Two very longs weeks in which she had dreamed of the vortex of negative energy and arcane powers, of the void powers she could possess if she trained, and of the mental training inside her soul, with the Lich and the Demilich, who had trained her with the help of the Founder's prayers book, which, as they correctly hunched, held Void spells, ready for the use.
The problem with training in her soul meant that she actually didn't sleep, as she woke up every time in sweat, or worst, with bruises when the training's began something else entirely. Sfor taught her of the arcane energies, of the darkness, of how the magic flows free of constrictions, and it is but the will of the strongest to make it bow to them, of how Wizards had stolen the spells they cast from the very god in the beginning, wizards being the dragons in the first times, who then taught it to the other races, the gods were fickle from where Sfor came from, fickle creatures who toyed with mortals of any race, making them fight, live, and die, passing through sufferance and other emotions because they didn't want to help, they didn't want to intervene directly; until their seats were challenged, that is.
Basileus was a bit different: he trained her in the use of the staff as a weapon, with imaginary staves, the long sword, and the crossbow and in the use of daggers. She had no idea where or how the Lich had come to use said weapons, and the only answer he had given had been that he had picked up his personal style on the battlefield. Yet she kept on training, because it was needed for her to become useful. To at least prove herself not so unworthy. Sure, she would never, ever, reach the same level of power of Artos, but she could at least reach a decent level, compared to the rest. She could become strong. Strong enough to be called something else, than the Zero.
She also trained while awake, and the reason she no longer wore skirts was to actually hide the slight toned muscles in her legs, and, considering the quantity of food she had been ingurgitating as of late, a growth spurt wasn't to be taken out of the equation; thus the reason she also had another set of clothing, of a couple size bigger, hidden in her backpack. She'd die rather than reveal to anyone their existence, but she had them. Worst to worst she could use them as improvised bandages or something else.
The Queen, Henrietta, finished speaking about how it was improper behavior, but Louise didn't listen that at all, instead, asking again:
"When are we departing, your majesty?"
"Louise Françoise! I said you should remove yourself from Arty's arm now, it's not proper!" Henrietta furiously snapped back at her headstrong friend.
"If you want you can hold his other arm" Louise replied with a chuckle.
"Françoise!" the queen muttered shocked, before seeing Arty join the chuckle, and actually offering up his arm.
"If it pleases you, Henrietta, I do have an extra arm." The Queen pouted for a moment; then smiled with a grin, grabbing hold of the other arm.
"If it pleases Arty, then so be it," As she did that, her breasts were just so casually pressed against said arm, a thing which did not pass unnoticed by Louise, who said nothing however, but held tighter once more.
"Your majesty Henrietta, back to the question: when do we depart?" Louise asked once more.
"Well, Louise Françoise, we depart when I give the order, and I'd like to do so with Arty here present too."
"Then we're going to have a problem your majesty, because I am *not* letting him go." Louise retorted.
"While I find refreshing to see your feelings out in the air, Louise Françoise, I beg of you to reconsider the situation at hand" Henrietta muttered, looking at the pink-haired girl with a determined gaze.
"I plead her Highness to reconsider too, since Arty *is* in a relationship." Saying that, Henrietta left the Wizard's arm, the still a bit innocent queen shocked from having tried on a, in her eyes, married man.
"Oh…with whom?" as the Queen asked, and Arty was about to reply, Louise pulled with strength Artos' arm down, then kicking him on the right leg, she actually managed a wrestling move that would have made the Undertaker proud, and pinned him down.
"No one important." Louise replied with a smirk.
S: My poor body! MY BODY!
B: Thank the contract I ain't feeling that.
Henrietta, albeit a bit disturbed by that sudden show of utter tomboyish attitude, simply nodded, and exited the room to give the order for the fleet to depart. She promised to herself and to the founder that she would look into what made Louise Françoise like that, and she would bring her old friend back. She couldn't compete with her otherwise, because she'd certainly win!
***Londinium***
"THANK PELOR" Jeanne exclaimed as she kneeled to kiss the stones that marked the beginning of the road into Londinium.
"May Heironeus be blessed," Cristopher replied, lifting his eyes up in the sky, deeply thanking from the bottom of his heart that it was over.
"Exaggerated reaction." Devon muttered, staring at them with a small grin, "It was just a nice shortcut into the forest."
"Nice shortcut? Nice shortcut. Ahahah! He's funny Cristopher. Really. We cut down three days to go through nearly a month of mud, rain, and insects," Jeanne replied sarcastically.
"Now, now, Jeanne, we did avoid the brigands and the deserters." Cristopher replied, "And the cultists" he added then.
"Precisely, I told you I would bring you here with little problems." Devon nodded, taking out his pipe to ready some tobacco.
"…you said you were out of smoke." Cristopher muttered, looking at the ranger.
"Kids shouldn't smoke." The ranger replied.
"Yeah, but neither should you: it's harmful for your health you know…"
"Kid: An arrow in the gut is harmful for your health, or a sword in your back, but smoke? Smoke ain't killing me, I tell you." As Devon replied that, he then added, "Unless the Shalm decides it's that my way to go, but then, who am I to question the Shalm?"
"So, Cristopher, where should we go now?" Jeanne asked her friend, who nodded, and moved towards the city, and towards the biggest palace in the capital.
"Cristopher, that's the parliament." Jeanne noted.
"I know: we have a meeting with the Leader of the Reconquista, Cromwell himself." As Cristopher said that, Devon snorted at the name, but Jeanne paled a bit.
"You didn't tell me this in a month! An entire month, I mean, I'm all muddy, covered in mud, mud everywhere, I can't go in like…" as she meekly put up excuses, coming to a halt, Cristopher didn't stop.
"The rest are already there, in wait." Devon muttered, "So, no waiting *Jeanne*" as he said that, he pushed her back into moving.
Jeanne was already thinking about how she had gone, in less than a month, from peasant orphan to saint, and now she was even going to speak with Emperor Cromwell himself! She just hoped Pelor would guide her, because she was starting to have doubts she would be fit for the job.
Author's notes:
This chapter does indeed hold more notes and references than the previous ones (I hope). It also holds more Humor.
So, as I suppose it's becoming clear, the three lucky *Artos* *Basileus* *Sfor* are all in for a bit of relationship pain.
Blinded: the more they come the merrier it becomes! Though I'm using the deity of the core rulebook, and if I recall them correctly, also those of the monster manual 1, so *Mystra* shouldn't make an appearance.
Final Notes:
Chapters keep getting longer: I like that.