An Acolyte of Zero
Chapter Eleven
Louise watched Brussels from afar, atop the closest hill. The small village had a wood wall that surrounded it, probably because of its appeal to brigands who looked for an easy way into Romalia's border.
She could feel unease claw at her stomach.
With each step you take, you walk closer to your perfection as an instrument of the Scourge.
Steelmourne whispered to her ears, its handle feeling lukewarm even when gripped through her plated gauntlet. There was no doubt it would feel scorching to anyone else.
"Stay here for the moment, Acolyte," she said to the Acolyte who had followed them on the back of a Ghoul. "Ghouls? Let none live to see the dawn of a new day," and with those daunting words, she burst into a charge with her steed.
The Ghouls soon followed snarling and with their claws extended.
She crashed through the thin wooden gates first, even though the half-bored sentinel gave the alarm, it was no use. With speed, Steelmourne decapitated the man. Louise pushed her horse through the city, slicing at the people along the street and bellowing a ferocious warcry.
"I AM THE DARKNESS!"
The villagers killed by her blade returned to life as Zombie within minutes, gripping at the closest living being and tearing them apart with their bare hands or teeth, before proceeding to spread throughout the entire city.
The Ghouls worked fast, moving from building to building with alacrity and lack of fatigue. The villagers who escaped the initial purge ran into the forest, probably looking for a place to hide. They had no idea of the width of the problem, but they could wait.
First, the Acolyte reached the centre of the village and began summoning the Necropolis.
Secondly, Louise held tightly on the reins of her skeletal steed as she galloped along the road towards the direction of Tristania. She was going to be the last resort. If any carriage made it through, she would personally bring it down.
Until that moment happened however, it was better she kept herself out of sight.
One side of her was screaming that what she was doing was effectively crippling her offensive potential, but the other side, the one that was slowly but surely gaining ground…was whispering that in truth, she was just trying to avoid facing reality.
She was trying her hardest, not to be the one to personally deal a killing blow to one of her classmates, or schoolmates, or even 'rivals' like Kirche was.
She ground her teeth in frustration as she dismounted. The Acolyte and the army could work it off without her; she was sure of it. She only had to wait.
Wait…and hope her blade would not need to quench its thirst for souls upon one of the people she knew.
Headmaster Osmond
The carriages pulled to a stop. The horses neighed loudly, as if afraid to take another step. He climbed down from his spot atop a carriage —his old bones creaking in evident displeasure— and realized what the problem was.
The ground was rotting, dark and blighted; no surprise the horses refused to walk upon it. He too would have taken a detour, if only one was possible. Colbert guarded the carriage with the most dangerous artefacts, while he was in charge of the one at the head of the procession, with the oldest students who had volunteered to be the forward guard.
The youngest were at the end, and the 'important' ones in the middle.
He disliked having to choose and prioritize the safety among his students depending on rank and age, but he had no choice. As much as he liked to believe them equal, they simply couldn't be treated in the same way.
The exception to the students in the forward guard being of the last years was Guiche de Gramont. The reason was some sort of fight between girls, but he hadn't pried much.
The boy's 'Valkyrie' was a common golem, nothing a mage would sweat off against, but they served their purpose of disposable first line units.
He could expect from the scion of the Gramont family —a full-blown Earth Golem would be out of question. Still, with the Blight so close…
The blue dragon of Tabitha landed softly near the carriage, its owner carefully speaking.
"No one," the Gallian girl said, "The village is empty…There is no one."
The Headmaster frowned, but then nodded.
"I see…we will proceed with care then," he turned to give the all-right to the rest of the procession, and then kept his hands on his staff.
A wizard's strength was directly proportional to the amount of time they had to cast long-winded chants. He was one of the few who could get by without chanting, just like Karin the Heavy Wind and depending on the spell used Colbert. The rest of the staff of the Academy however had to chant to bring forth their power.
The horses took a moment to convince, and then they departed with a hesitant walk.
The sounds of their hooves clicking against the road enhanced the noise of the wheels of the carriages spinning with a creaking of old wood.
He had a bad feeling about the village —where could the villagers have gone, where could the enemy be? Those questions rung in his old man's head as he patted his familiar's head in an effort to hold his heart steady. He was too old for the battlefield, and yet the tension lingering in the air was the very same.
"Headmaster! From behind us!" the scream came from Professor Colbert, forcing him to turn his head sharply to take in the reason for such a warning.
The tall and bony protrusions that belonged now not only in his nightmares but also in reality sprung forth from the ground behind their carriages —a good deal back, but there wasn't only one set.
More and more began to appear over the trees —dead mockeries of the living ones— and around them right next to cloaked men and robed cultists.
They surrounded them within moments with the strange summoning techniques.
"Quick everyone! Move ahead before they finish their summoning!
The horses broke into a gallop along the road and, in that moment, strange spider-like creatures broke from the very ground startling the horses and sending them to reel back on their hind legs.
Acidic spit sailed the air as the things attacked with speed, aiming at the horses.
He managed to bring forth a shield of rocks over the carriage, shielding it from harm. A few of the others weren't that lucky, and the sound of wood breaking and the children's screams reached his ears all too soon.
"Form a circle! The last years protect the young ones! Move!" Colbert's voice resounded sharply, as a gout of flames erupted from his staff to burn a spider monstrosity that had moved too close.
"For Nerub," the spiders intoned…and then the skittering sound of claws against the ground made Osmond pale.
The Ghouls emerged from the ranks of the spiders holding their vicious teeth ready as they poured forth.
He twisted his own staff upwards, transforming the barrier into a volley of fist-sized sharp rocks that flew to smash the heads and the carapaces of the creatures in front of him.
"Move forward! Don't stop!" he bellowed. "Get away from the carriages! Now!"
"What's going on!?" Cardinal Mazarin yelled out from his own carriage —straight in the centre of the formation. Osmond ignored him: he'd rather save the students than worry about the Cardinal.
With a sickening scream from afar, the constructions that inhabited his nightmares were now completed. He had no idea why those things scared him —it was more like his own instinct told him so, but then again why dream of those things too?
He didn't have the time to think about it, as the assault seemed plainly enough nothing more than a mean to stall for time.
Osmond slammed his staff on the ground, producing a deep crevice that cracked through the dirt and the road.
"Headmaster! What of the artefacts!?"
"Leave them behind Miss Longueville! Value your life more!"
Fouquet clenched her fists and then yelled back.
"We could use them! The staff of destruction could—"
The ground trembled, as rotten corpses began to rain down from the skies, slamming their putrid and bloated bodies on the ground in a sickening rain of blood.
"GYAH!" Montmorency screamed loudly as she held on to Katie's arm, the two girls trying to push their way forward behind the headmaster and the older years.
"We're going to die!" Malicorne yelled with tears coming down from his eyes. "I'm still a virgin!"
Tabitha
Tabitha's dragon flapped its wings, taking to the skies. The Gallian knight looked around sharply; her staff held in her right hand as Sylphid deftly avoided blobs of acid and webbing. She saw it then, where the trick had laid. The forest, even though made of old and rotten trees, had covered the robed Necromancers who had then surrounded the carriages' procession.
They had acted with perfect synchronicity, as expected of an organized military troop. She could feel the mounts of flesh that belonged to Kirche press against the back of her head, as the Germanian girl looked around frantically, rather than methodically.
"Where is Louise? She'll call them off if we can get her down on her knees!"
"Not here," Tabitha replied strictly.
"I know that, but where is she? A Commander should lead his men from the front, right? That's how we Germanian fight."
Sylphid made a 'Kyuu' sound sharply as she soared past the Crypt Fiends's attempts at stopping her. The village of Brussels passed by them in a blur, as the powerful wings of Tabitha's dragon carried them further down the—
A strong blunt object slammed against Sylphid's stomach, which soon sprung to life into webbing that trapped the dragon's wings. Tabitha barely managed to usher out an incantation to let her familiar levitate down softly, but a giant and broad steel sword soon chopped her staff the moment they reached the ground.
Sylphid fell harshly down against the dirt the last inches, sending Kirche to roll down from her mount and on the ground. She followed soon after, taking out a small wand she kept for emergencies.
It was then that she took in, for once, Louise de La Vallière's appearance in its true and full glory.
The girl she had known was gone and replaced with a broad shouldered and tall woman who held her face masked into one of scorn and hatred. Her armour was steel, and yet it continuously oozed out vapour as if it was extremely cold. A black furred mantle, the type one normally wore on the glacial peaks of Albion or during winters, was on her back. Her hair was pale, ashen with a light tinge of pink that looked more like bright grey —nearly white— and her eyes…
Tabitha had never seen those eyes before. Even when facing the man who had made her mother mad, or her cousin continuous insults, never had she faced such eyes. They scared her to her core.
The sword the girl wielded was tall and broad, with jagged edges and emitting the same vapours as her armour. Just as buckles linked the girl's mantle to her chestplate, so too did was the sword's handle strapped to the blade with a strong iron hilt that resembled the skull of some horned beast.
Runes shone brightly on the flat of the blade, in a cerulean light that made her uncomfortable.
Glittering gold symbols floated around Louise, their meaning unknown to her.
"Kirche," Tabitha whispered. "Free Sylphid."
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that," a throaty voice interrupted, coming from a giant spider monstrosity whose fangs gleamed as it skittered towards the dragon.
"Ohi! Away from the dragon!" Kirche exclaimed, moving to chant for a fire spell.
The Germanian found herself jumping back as a second spider nearly managed to hit her with a blob of acid.
"You know," Louise spoke casually. "As long as a Necropolis is built…as long as a Crypt is built…I can summon creatures from the Great Beyond with ease and…and there is nothing you can do to stop me. Eventually, with enough resources, enough power…I will overrun you."
Her voice was cold and uncaring. "Have any of you tasted death recently? I have and let me tell you…it is bitter."
"What?" Kirche's eyes bulged, as the Crypt Fiends appeared 'pacified' with merely keeping the two girls away from the dragon —and continuing to strengthen the webbing on the familiar in question.
"Death…I have faced and defeated Death twice," she remarked coldly. "It changes people, you know? Weak, eager to please Louise," she chuckled. "Easy to insult, to laugh at, to throw stuff at," she continued. "Oh look at her, summoning a commoner! Let's laugh at it, let's laugh at her misfortune!"
The woman in front of Tabitha snapped back furiously, with strength. "Well…eventually someone had to give…and I did. I wanted to prove myself. I wanted to believe I was something more than a Zero, a failure of a mage…and I did," she chuckled quietly. "I saw the powers my familiar wielded, and instead of holding them to himself, of using them for his own benefit…he shared them with me," her voice was soft now.
"Instead of denigrating me, Kirche…would it have cost you much to be kind?"
A chilling feeling ran down Kirche's spine. "Louise…I…I never meant…to…"
"Too late, Zerbst," Louise spat out. "I wonder, why help Tabitha and not me? Was it the surname? Did you prefer hold on to a pet, to a mage from Gallia with no surname rather than make a friend your equal?"
"Now, listen here…we both said words…"
"You began the teasing and the insults, Kirche Von Zerbst, no need to try to share the blame," Louise's eyes narrowed to slits. "Well, guess what?" she pointed her blade to the side of the road. "You can leave. I'm letting you go."
"What?" Tabitha's voice was soft as she said that, but her eyes looked around for a potential trap.
"You can both go, away. Leave Tristain this instant. Go to Germania, to Gallia, head to Romania or maybe go all the way to Albion for what I care," she took a single step forward. "And you want to know why I'm letting you go?"
Louise laughed.
"Because when my power, my strength, will conquer Tristain…when my armies shall march with the power of the Scourge upon Blighted ground towards your own…then, then I want you to be there and see for yourself your capitals fall to the ground in ashes."
She then closed your eyes. "By the way…you were lucky in leaving with Sylphid."
"Why?" Kirche croaked.
"Because all the others, those who left the carriages and ran towards the village…they're about to meet their end," Louise smiled. "Then again, you can't really expect me to fight fair, right?"
Montmorency
"Valkyrie!" Guiche's wand swished in the air as his minions rose from the ground —seven of them, charging forward with their swords high. "Attack!"
Their blades slashed against the bones of the undead monstrosities as they tried to push their way past them. Malicorne slammed a gust of wind against an incoming spit of acid, deflecting it on the ground. Reynard screamed as he held his hands to cover his ears, the snarls of the ghouls soon increasing with the moans of the first Spirit Towers completed.
Montmorency was holding on to Katie, both of them running behind Guiche.
One moment, she had the first year firmly in her arms. The next she…
The next moment, Katie's head burst in little pieces because of the claws of a ghoul that struck in mid-air. She froze, her hand still tightly holding on the limp body of Katie.
She had been fine a moment before.
Wasn't someone supposed to protect her?
Why…Why wasn't there someone there?
Someone? Anyone?
"Ah…" she felt herself grew faint.
"Monmon!" Guiche's voice called to her, but she felt herself wobble on her feet.
"Guiche! Look forward!" Malicorne yelled. "Move!"
"We're losing the others!" Reynald's shrieks were hysterical. "We're going to be overrun! It's all over! I DON'T WANT TO DIE MOM PLEASE I DON'T—"
A bolt of necromantic energy tore apart the boy's chest, as the Spirit Tower concentrated on their group next.
Montmorency watched Reynald's mouth fill with blood, before the boy feel down on his knees holding his bloodied hands in front of him. She could see clearly behind him too.
She giggled.
Reynald had a window in his chest…how funny was that?
"MOVE!" tall and muscled hands gripped her, forcing her to let go of Katie's body —poor girl, she just wanted to be loved by Guiche, but that bastard had used her.
The man who was pushing her forward belonged to one of the commoners in the kitchens —Marteau wasn't it? He was holding on to a giant pot, wielding it as if it was some sort of shield.
An olive skinned maid holding a giant backpack was just behind them, as they trailed away from the direction of the main group and ended up in the middle of the forest of dead trees.
"Montmorency?" Guiche's voice came to her ears again. She turned her gaze to stare at him, his face covered in splotches of red. Malicorne was nearby, holding on to his wand.
There was no Kirche or Tabitha. No Katie…it was only them and the two commoners…then her gaze went to the green haired woman a bit to the side. Miss Longueville was with them too?
That was good.
It was always good to have a teacher.
Why she was lugging around a dark black box was beyond her comprehension…but it was good to have her there with them.
Being with teachers kept students safe, didn't it?
Colbert
He once had sworn never to wield his wand again to kill. But was it betraying his promise, if the things he killed were monsters?
His flame snake, the signature move that earned him his nickname, heated the air and burnt to a crisp the incoming hordes from the sides of the village's mud and wood houses. Colbert gritted his teeth. Fires had naturally appeared around the target of his spells, the houses burning and the flames propagating. Smoke was coming thick and dark, reaching for the nostrils and forcing a few to double over in coughing fits.
Osmond walked forward, the Cardinal slightly behind him.
"We're nearly out of the village!" Osmond yelled, "Hold steady!"
"Headmaster! I can't find Bernadette!" an older student screamed from the back. "She was with me but! Argh…the smoke!"
"Move! Move!" Colbert bellowed, being the last of the line. "Get out of here now! The gate is there!"
It was a mad dash. The teachers held the line as much as they could, while the students tried to make a break through the corpses of the dead villagers that littered now the ground barely outside the village's gate.
Colbert exhaled in relief. The students were out, the undead army behind them and—
And then the corpses of the villagers moaned and grabbed with their undead hands the ankles of the running students, throwing them on the ground and biting upon their flesh like a mass of living, quivering creatures.
The screams reached Colbert ears, but he could not cast a spell. The students had mixed with the undead, and if he did try something so point-blank…
"Oh Founder," Osmond muttered next to him. "Oh Founder forgive me," he clasped his staff tightly.
"Headmaster?" Colbert held his staff near him, as he neared the old man now down on his knees. "Headmaster! We can't stay here!"
The bald professor tried to move the Headmaster, but to no avail. "Headmaster! Come on! Move!"
"No," Osmond murmured. "No, I'm not…I'm not leaving, Colbert," he shook his head. "I failed, Colbert. I was supposed to protect them!"
The sound of the Meat Wagons unleashing their disgusting projectiles echoed in the air, and soon the corpses slammed against the few students that still fought. In the end, only the dead and the undead remained.
Standing there, at the gates of the village, between a mass of zombie and a burning village still filled with creatures from hell…
"Headmaster! We need to leave all the same!" his wand thrust forward, he hesitated. The villagers' eyes were devoid and empty of life, and their mouth open and gasping for blood. Their snarls and their anger…
The smell of wood burning behind him.
Why did he have to remember it now?
"WE AREN'T SICK!"
"THERE'S NO PLAGUE IN US!"
"PLEASE! WE'RE JUST—"
Burn them all.
Those were his orders.
Those were his orders.
He had orders.
Those were his orders.
He lowered his staff.
"Ah…" Colbert smiled meekly. "I see…"
He chuckled. "In the end…everyone gets what they deserve."
Maybe it was because his eyes stood closed and his arms open wide, as if to embrace his defeat…
That he didn't realize the Cardinal was running back towards the centre of the village, trying to escape his inevitable fate.
"Founder, protect your pious follower," the Cardinal whispered frantically. "Guide me through the night. Guide me past the temptations of flesh and wealth. Guide me beyond the mortal tricks of men. Guide me, oh Founder. Please, guide me!"
A strong snarl made him scream in fear, as he toppled over his robes and fell. He didn't even have the time to reach for his wand, as a Ghoul jumped teeth bared against his neck.
He died among screams.
Louise
Louise overlooked the burning village from the nearby hill, standing on her horse. She watched as the Acolytes she had summoned began to shift through the artefacts, while the few ghouls and Crypt Fiends that remained began to walk back towards the Academy.
Summoning and then unsummoning everything but the Crypt, letting Louis deliver 'resources' from afar, preparing an ambush, using a Slaughterhouse…
All those things, she had done in less than fifteen minutes.
It was maddening just how powerful her powers were. She could feel them running through her veins, calling out for her to acquire more and more.
"Death Coil," she whispered, feeling somehow sated as her powers increased.
Had she gained a 'level'?
"Master," an Acolyte said, walking up the hill and bowing a few meters away from her. "We have amassed all the wealth. A Haunting will now begin."
"What of the artefacts? Anything worth my time?"
"Indeed, master," the Acolyte bowed as he extended a shining orb as red as the crimson sun. It shone brightly for a moment, before floating in mid-air and heading towards her sword. It connected with it and soon cracked open, releasing a wisp of fire that began to circle around the blade.
"A globe of fire," the Acolyte remarked. "Fire now runs through the blade."
"Indeed," Louise remarked. "I am leaving, Acolyte. I trust you will able to hold the place until the last coin of wealth is depleted?"
"Indeed master," the Acolyte bowed. "Indeed."
Louise yawned slightly.
Good…
This mission…she had completed it with success.