CHAPTER 20:
After a quick food run from the kitchen, Tails made his way back to the workshop to collect Ring. Outside by the gate, Louise, Tabitha, Kirche, and Saito were all waiting alongside Sylphid to leave for the castle.
"Ready?" Tabitha asked the group.
"Yep. It'll be late when we get there if we wait any more. Why can't Tails hurry up?" Louise said, impatiently eyeing the yellow fox as he ran. He was wearing an impromptu sheath at his waist made of cheap leather and canvas, which Ring was firmly stuck in. "Sorry guys, just had to cut up the sheath from that old sword that broke so it would fit the new one. I didn't want to have to carry it by hand all the way there." the fox explained.
"Whatever, let's get going so we don't keep the Princess waiting," Louise sighed, following Tabitha up onto Sylphid's back. Saito and Kirche followed suit, with Tails climbing up at the rear. Once everyone was settled in, Tabitha gave Sylphid a gentle nudge with the heel of her foot, spurring the blue dragon to launch into the air with an explosive leap. Within minutes, the group was cruising along at a nice altitude just below the sparse clouds that dotted the landscape with shadows. No one spoke for a while, until Derf popped out of his sheath on Saito's back. "So, Ring's your name now, is it? When you gonna stop giving everyone the silent treatment? You sure weren't an introvert back in training. You were the most talkative turd of the bunch back in my class," Derf clanked.
Ring freed himself a little from the leather sheath at Tails' side by moving his mouthpiece, popping up just enough to see over the lip of the leather rim. "Yeah, well, orders from Miles," the sword-spirit replied. "Wanted to keep it secret for some reason. Man, you shoulda seen Kirche last night, man! We had her completely psyched out. It was great!"
Everyone turned, surprised by the new, unidentified voice.
"Tails, did your sword just talk back to Derf?" Louise said.
"Hey, lady, you already have one talking sword! Is it really that surprising that we have another?" Derf retorted.
"Yeah, I was keeping it secret," Tails said. "Everyone, meet Ring. He's a talking sword like Derflinger. He sorta just hopped into my sword yesterday evening. Kirche, you already know him from when you thought I was talking, but wasn't. He has telepathy, so he took it upon himself to joke around a little. That's how I knew Geoffrey was coming, thanks to Ring."
"Awesome! Thanks a lot, Ring. Saved me a lot of trouble, for sure," Kirche said.
"No problem, miss," Ring clanked. "Gotta say, those guys were quite the admirers of you, just in the wrong way. You shoulda seen what was going through their heads on their way up the stairs, it was pretty crazy, and even funnier. Lots of s-"
Tails slammed Ring back into his sheath, cutting him off. "That's enough, thanks. I'm sure whatever was going through their heads is more graphic than we care for. And if you share it with telepathy, I'm going to melt you back down and stick to my T-Buster, so shut it."
"Ring, how do you know Derflinger? You said he was in your class? What class?" Louise asked. Ring slid back out of his sheath, under the watchful eye of Tails.
"Uhh, yeah. We have an entity not visible to the human eye, but we have forms outside of the physical things we reside in. We've been around for ages, and there are gatherings led by elder entities to teach the younger generations. Derflinger was one of the elders that taught me how to use powers like he does," Ring said.
"Whoa. So how old are you guys, then?" Kirche questioned.
"I'm about 6000 years old," Derflinger explained. "Bremir's first Gandalfr, an elf named Sasha, created me. I was residing in the weapon used to kill Bremir himself at the time, also by Sasha as it turns out. I've been around alongside every Gandalfr, every time he or she is summoned. On the other hand, Ring over there has only existed for about 1000 years, over two lives. Only a couple times have multiple familiars been summoned by the same mage, so it doesn't always turn out that the fifth familiar of God is needed. Therefore, he doesn't get very much action, and is relatively new to the biz. End of story," Derflinger explained.
"Wait, this has happened before?" Louise exclaimed. "I thought Headmaster Osmond said this was a first."
"That, sweetheart, is because he ain't an old fogey like me," Derflinger replied with a growly laugh. He immediately regretted his words as the pink-haired girl drew her wand and turned on the sword in a flash, forcing him to retreat into his sheath on Saito's back. "Call me sweetheart one more time, and so help me you'll wish you called in sick for the day," Louise retorted, glaring menacingly at what little of Saito's sword poked over the boy's shoulder.
"Fine, fine, don't get all hasty now..." the sword replied, slowly sliding back out of his sheath as the danger passed.
The rest of the ride passed in a relaxed silence as the rolling fields and forests slid by, adorned with the occasional glimmering pond or rock formation. Suddenly, Sylphid let out a low, friendly purr-like growl that shook her entire body, catching everyone's attention. Ahead of them, a sprawling city encompassed a high marble-white castle that stood above the curving streets and alleyways with a dignified flair.
"Wow, it's beautiful!" Tails said, admiring the grandeur of the fairy-tail-esque scene.
"Yeah. It's a view that never gets old, for sure," Louise agreed.
"Hey Louise, why did Princess Henrietta send you special regards before capturing Fouquet? You two related or something?" the fox asked, looking over his shoulder to her for a response.
Louise shook her head. "No, we aren't. We were childhood friends, that's all. We used to play together on the royal grounds since my Father was a part of her advising council for a time, until I was sent to the Academy and she was taken into training in politics by her father."
Slowly descending from the clouds, Sylphid came to a gentle landing in front of the main gate to the castle grounds. Two guards stationed at the gateway approached, weapons at the ready. "Do you have business here?" one of the guards called, the younger of the two.
Louise leaned to the side to get a clear view of the two guards. "Yeah, we were told to come see the Princess after completing a mission for her. My name's Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, if she told you I was coming. If not, we can organize to have an audience with her the normal way."
"Oh yes, Mrs. Vallière!" the older of the two guards said, an elderly man who hardly look fit for guard duty. "I remember when I used to watch over you when you played with the Princess as a child. Yes, the Princess said you'd be coming within a few days. She'll be glad to see you again!" He turned to open the main gate, with the assistance of the younger man to haul the heavy wrought-iron gate aside. "Have a good time with the Princess! She's been pretty down lately with the attack and all. I'm sure it'll cheer her up to see you."
"Thank you very much, sir!" Louise said, dismounting Sylphid and walking through the gate.
Saito hopped to the ground and caught up with her as the rest of the group dismounted, not too far behind. "Hey, I'm surprised! That's the first time you didn't refer to a non-noble as a 'peasant' or 'commoner'! Good to see you softening up some," he remarked.
Overhearing the boy's words, Tails didn't even need to watch to guess what came next; namely, a massive, painfully audible slap across the face in, lieu of a stroke of her signature riding crop, that just about sent the boy sprawling to the ground. "The old man is not only a knight, to whom you refer as 'sir', noble or not, but is also a friend of mine as well! Only idiots like you wouldn't get that," Louise spewed, pissed. "Jeez, why did I have to get stuck with the idiot commoner who doesn't even understand basic social structure?"
Briefly rubbing his face, Saito shrugged off Louise's words and fell into step with Tails and the others, leaving Louise to lead the way through the castle's endless hallways and staircases. After a confusing maze of hall after staircase after hall, the group finally made their way through the castle to what appeared to be a throne room, where the Princess was waiting patiently on her throne at the far end of the room. Upon entering, the three girls quickly took to one knee as Princess Henrietta stood up from her ornate chair.
"Get down on your knees, you idiots!" Louise hissed at Saito and Tails as the Princess made her way over. Both quickly took a knee as the Princess approached.
"Everyone, that's not necessary," Princess Henrietta stated, waving her guests to their feet. "You are all heroes for what you've done for me. I've only told my advisors after I had received word from Osmond that you succeeded," Princess Henrietta said. She held out her hand to Saito, who stared, rather confused.
"She's offering to let you kiss her, you idiot. Hurry up!" Louise muttered to the boy. Saito, in a moment of clarity, took Henrietta's hand, stood up, and leaned forward over her, kissing her on the lips.
"Aww shit, he really fucked up this time!" Ring said in Tails' mind. Kirche and Louise stared in awe, unable to comprehend what just happened. Louise was the first to recover, responding with a solid roundhouse punch to Saito's head, launching him several feet from the surprise blow. As she began laying into the poor boy, Princess Henrietta stood in complete shock from the sudden, unexpected kiss and the following forceful removal of Saito from her proximity. She looked over to Saito and motioned for Louise to stop, unable to speak, but the pink-haired girl was locked in an unholy rage and refused to respond. Only after a few moments of silent struggling did Princess Henrietta collect her thoughts and call for Louise to stop.
Disengaged from her sudden rampage, Louise hopped up off of Saito's chest and quickly bowed to the Princess, spewing some unintelligibly fast string of apologies in total embarrassment. Princess Henrietta stepped over and put a hand on her friend's shoulder, silencing her instantly. "It's quite alright, Louise. It was just... unexpected, that's all. Anyhow, back to the reason why I summoned you are here. Could everyone but Saito and Louise please leave? I have important matters to speak with them about," she added, turning to Tails and the other two girls.
Tabitha and Kirche turned to leave, but Tails stood fast. "Princess Henrietta, Louise is my... master, too," He said, hesitating to admit his Familiar status. "Shouldn't I stay if it's a matter that concerns her?"
Princess Henrietta gave the fox a short smile, oblivious to the deathly glare Louise was giving him over her shoulder. "Miles, I appreciate your protective feelings for Louise as a familiar, but being who you are… wouldn't help much at all on this mission," she replied, nodding toward him in general. "Please wait outside for the time being."
Understanding, Tails turned to leave, shutting the door behind him. He joined Tabitha and Kirche out in the hall, sitting on a waiting sofa. "Ring, can you listen in on them?" he thought as he took a seat on the sofa. "Tell me what they're thinking."
"One sec…" Ring replied, falling silent for a few moments. "Okay, get this. Saito is staring down the princess, because she's hot and Saito's a guy. The Princess is having a few flirty thoughts about Saito, probably from the kiss. Louise is thinking about punishing Saito when she gets home. Wait a sec, there we go. Louise is thinking about nobles, corruption, undercover work. Bad thoughts about being a commoner. Some mission to go undercover as a commoner, stalk a noble, and see if he's corrupt. Smoking out the rats, it sounds like."
"A litmus test for corruption? Makes sense," Tails thought back, subconsciously nodding. "The higher-ups probably all clean up and dress up around the Princess, but get away with all sorts of nasty stuff when her back is turned, like that Count and Siesta."
"I don't know those names, but I'm probably guessing it wasn't good. Excessive taxes on a girl's family or somethin'?"
"Some creepy old dude tried to take a friend of ours as a personal mistress. Broke into his place and did some bartering to set her free. Traded her for a porn magazine, of all things."
"Yup, that sounds like a noble's idea of fun."
"Tails, why are you concentrating so hard?" Kirche asked, interrupting Tails' train of thought. He hadn't noticed that he'd slipped into a deep-thinking state of meditation-like silence while talking to Ring in his head. Even his breathing had slowed considerably, as if he was trying to be stealthy.
"Oh, uhh, if I concentrate really hard, I can actually hear the Princess, Saito, and Louise talking in there. Big ear benefits," Tails bluffed, pointing at his large fuzzy ears. It wasn't exactly a lie, because he did have better hearing than humans, but he definitely couldn't hear anyone inside. There were too many tapestries and other ornamental stuff dampening the stone building's natural cave-like echo.
"Cool What are they talking about? I'm sure it's some juicy new quest that we aren't invited on, isn't it? Come on, spill! We might get a slice of the action!" Kirche prodded.
"No, that would be a breach in trust between the Princess and me. She wanted it confidential for a reason, I'm sure," Tails replied in a cool tone. A few more minutes passed as the three sat silently, waiting for Louise and Saito to return. Finally, the two emerged from the throne room, the private conference at an end.
"So, what's going on?" Kirche asked, excitedly
Louise shook her head. "We'll be spending some time in town, so you guys head on home without us. Work for the Princess, just us two."
"Fine." Tabitha said, turning to head back to the gate without another word. Tails took off down the hall after her, with Kirche close behind. Outside, Sylphid was happily playing with the friendly guards, waiting for its' master to return. The guards promptly returned to their posts as Tails hopped up on Sylphid's back behind Kirche and Tabitha. With a blast of Sylphid's massive wings, the three were airborne and quickly leaving the castle behind.
'So, what do we do now? Summer break is almost here, so I suppose I should start organizing a trip," Kirche asked, in hopes of eliciting some sort of conversation from the silent blue-haired girl.
"Wait, summer break? I've only been here for a few days!' Tails said.
"Yeah. Summoning Familiars happens toward the end of the school year, as a sort of summary of the year's experience. It's pretty much considered a reward for doing well for the year," Kirche explained.
"Interesting. So where do you guys go for summer?" Tails asked.
"Most people go home. I'm debating whether I want to go back to Germania or not, since I left behind too many would-be suitors for marriage," Kirche said with a slight note of exasperation.
"Cool! Tabitha, what about you?"
"Home. Gallia," Tabitha said.
"Say, Tabitha, could I come with you instead? It might be better for me to stay away from home with all the men I left there," Kirche asked.
Tabitha nodded, taking Sylphid into a slight dive. A flock of birds streaked by overhead, flying in the opposite direction in a V formation.
"Kirche, why don't you want to go see your family? Are the guys really that big of an issue back home?" Tails asked.
"Well, yeah, I suppose," she conceded, a brief smile crossing her lips. "I come from a family that composes a large part of the Germanian military's upper division. Germania is known for their women, beer, and military, so lots of men move to Germania hoping to find a wife or work their way into the military there. Being part of both makes me… very desirable to would-be suitors, to say the least. That's part of the reason I came here, besides trying to become a better wizard."
"Huh. What about you, Tabitha?"
Tails' question was met with total silence, bringing the conversation to an abrupt end. The rest of the flight passed in relative silence, save for the whistle of the rushing wind in Tails' ears. Soon, the Academy came into view, the colorful roofs of the dormitory towers visible for quite a distance. Sylphid slowly began to descend to the grassy fields below, coming to a halt outside the archway of the Academy's main gate.
Tails hopped down from the blue dragon's back, taking a few steps back. "Hey guys, I'm going to go work in the workshop for a while," he announced. "I'll catch up with you two for dinner, alright?"
"Wait, you don't want to grab some lunch? I'm sure there is still food being served," Kirche called after Tails. However, he was already long gone for the workshop both physically and mentally, ready to get to work. "I need to get on those hangar hydraulics, if I'm going to get the X-Tornado in here before someone finds it," he thought.
Stepping into the wooden shack, he took a last look outside before closing the door and making his way over to the trapdoor. Dropping down to his workshop, he lit the few candles he'd left on the metal floor from earlier and threw himself at his work, quickly assembling the 3D printer kit from his toolbox and prepping it for liquid metal. He plugged up his HUD device with a short cable, uploading a digital checklist of parts that the HUD queued for printing. The handheld device listed out all of the types and amounts of materials he would need to complete the project, saving the list into a text document he could later access as he scrolled through the total list. Setting the device down, he engaged his T-Buster's plasma cutter and began cutting slots in the metal walls where the lift hydraulics would go, slowly working his way around the room to cut out the elevator frame straight from the thick metal. He also cut out slots in the ceiling for where he wanted to install basic lights made from Power Rings, delicately cutting holes in the metal without knocking down too much dirt. Thankfully, Professor Colbert found a checklist that Tails had left for him of basic materials to alchemize, so Tails was able to get to work creating the lights immediately. Drafting out a small blueprint with the HUD's stylus, the planned dimmable lights would be small devices made from a Power Ring and a small circuit built onto a wooden "breadboard" style motherboard, backed with a sheet of copper that would be cut into the circuit paths. "When I get the chance to refine some oil, I'll change them to plastic." Tails thought. "First priority is to get it working and wirelessly controllable with some of the spare parts in the toolbox. Maybe even make them dimmable."
Hours passed working under the light of the few candles, until finally Tails was able to finish and install several Power Rings onto the wooden circuits, jerry-rigged with spare wireless controllers from the Tornado's parts kit to regulate the Rings' output. With a tap of a button on his wristcomm, the dimly glowing Power Rings mounted into the ceiling burst into light.
Tails had an issue, however. "I don't have enough Power Rings on hand to power all four hydraulics queued up in the printer, so moving the X Tornado in will have to wait until I can generate them all," Tails thought. He decided to build a basic wooden tool rack and work bench, so he went outside to cut some lumber, shaping it to size to form the components of a basic table with his plasma cutter. Carrying the lumber back down to his workshop piece by piece, he was able to quickly assemble it into rough-hewn tables with the help of nails, printed from the metal he'd cut out of the walls for the hydraulics. He also borrowed some chain from Mr. Colbert's workshop upstairs, and a large swath of canvas from what looked to be a wagon cover. Wrapping the ends of the long, rectangular sheet of canvas around two sturdy wooden beams, he punched two holes in the wood and inserted the chain into the wood. He ran the chain along the length of the canvas and out through the other piece of wood, splitting the length of chain into two equally-sized pieces. He then melted two small holes in the wall at the corner of the room near the ladder with his T-Buster, letting the molten metal drip down the wall until there was enough room.
Promptly cooling the liquid metal down with a small, handheld fire extinguisher from his toolbox, he inserted the ends of the chain into the hole and gently melted the metal just above the hole, allowing the liquid steel to backfill around the chains' ends, repeating the process for the other end. Giving the liquid metal one final douse from the extinguisher, he gingerly sat on the hammock to test its' strength. Satisfied with a job well done, he laid back on the hammock and raised his T-Buster up, withdrawing a fresh Power Ring and setting it aside. "The hammock was a great invention, right up there beside air conditioning and lightbulbs," he thought as he stretched out over the worn canvas.
"I gotta hand it to ya, that was pretty darn smart. I don't think I've ever seen a bed like that before," Ring replied in the fox's head. "Or those lights. I still don't get how it works, but it was totally awesome to watch."
"Well, make do with what you've got, I suppose," Tails replied. "The bed wasn't my invention. Anyway, I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me up if something's going on I need to worry about." Shuffling about one more time, he pulled up his wristcomm and dimmed the lights, slowly drifting into sleep.