Chapter 21: Props And Costumes 1
"Miss Valliere, if you could stay behind for a moment."
Louise blinked as Professor Colbert called her as she was packing away her books and notes at the end of his class.
"Something wrong?" Kirche asked her from several seats over. "I haven't seen any smoke or craters recently, so it can't be that."
"Of course it isn't! I mean, it's none of your business anyway!" Louise replied. She was curious as well, but Zerbst didn't have to put it like that. Something about Nimble Rabbit, she supposed, as she hadn't done anything out of the ordinary in class and that was the only other topic they had interacted on. "I'll be just a moment, sir."
He nodded. "Very good. It shouldn't take too long."
The rest of the class filed out of the room, now busy with their own discussions and circumstances. Even Zerbst, who looked curious, left as Tabitha went on without her, calling after the blue-haired girl as she strode after her. Louise waited until the last of the students had left before walking over to the desk and waiting until Colbert finished with some notes he was scribbling out.
"Ah, yes, Miss Valliere. Well, straight to it; I need your familiar."
"Eh? What for? He's mine! I mean…" She stuttered to a halt, very glad now that Kirche had left already, or else she would have had the time of her life taking that out of context. Fortunately, Colbert just continued on without noticing.
"Not permanently, of course. I've discovered… remembered, actually… that there are a number of artifacts in the Academy's vault that have similar markings to his familiar runes, and would like to see if he can recognize or translate any of them. I'd come across him earlier and asked about it, but as he is your familiar of course you'd have to be told and grant consent."
"Oh. Well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt. He can assist you." She paused for a moment. "Would I be able to come as well?"
Colbert frowned for a moment. "Students aren't really supposed to have access to the vault. Not everything has been properly researched, so we don't know how they're activated or their full effects…" He sighed. "But considering that Mr. Rabbit is your familiar, allowing him and not yourself would be… I suppose I'll just ask the Headmaster. That's all I can say at this point."
Louise nodded quickly. If she was actually allowed in, she would be the first student in the Academy she'd ever heard of that had seen the items inside. Wouldn't that be something to shove in Kirche's face the next time the Germanian tried to mock her.
Smiling at a vision of herself wielding the Staff of Awesome Power and Beauty (ok, she could have come up with a better name, but it was a quick fantasy anyway) while Kirche and various other students groveled, Louise started back for her room to put away her things and find Nimble Rabbit.
#
"Are you sure you didn't do anything?" Louise asked as she and Rabbit waited for Professor Colbert in her room. As the teacher had apparently forgotten to tell either of them just where to meet up with him, staying there would at least allow him to search for them without the chance of them accidentally circling around each other. "The servants kept looking at you funny as we left."
"Nothing, I swear," Nimble Rabbit said. "I was just helping out a bit. Checking the freshness of their spices and herbs, and how much they had in stock of such. Not all that important, but I asked one of the maids, who asked the head man, and they didn't mind. Might be they weren't expecting a 'familiar' to be down there working with the hired staff and such?"
"I suppose that may be it. More a reason to find a work routine for you; aside from keeping you occupied, allowing the staff to become accustomed to your presence would be best for times when you are about the Academy without myself."
"Couldn't hurt in the long run," he agreed.
"Though simply checking the kitchen stocks won't do."
"Oh, I don't know," Rabbit said. "I were to get in with the cooks, and you'd have control of the menu. How's that for power and influence?"
Louise gave him an amused look, but declined on answering.
They waited for a while longer, each with their own thoughts, until voices could be heard out in the corridor.
"… then we can try asking elsewhere. Still, her room is one of the first places we could have checked."
"Yes, you're right. I suppose I just got too caught up in things again."
"A habit of yours, I've noticed. You should keep better track of these things; it causes one to worry…"
"Oh? Aha… ha, um… Oh, and here we are." There was a rapid knocking at the door. "Miss Valliere? It's Professor Colbert. And Miss Longueville is with me."
The addition of the headmaster's secretary caused Louise to raise an eyebrow in puzzlement, and when she looked to Nimble Rabbit he just shrugged his own confusion before going to open the door.
"Ah, so you are here after all," Colbert said as he and Longueville entered. "So sorry, I forgot to state a place to meet up after I went to the headmaster, but now that we've found the two of you we can all head to the Vault."
"All of us, Professor?" Louise asked.
"Yes, yes. Old Osmond was somewhat concerned about you being in the treasury, since we don't normally allow students, but with your connection through Mr. Rabbit, and Longueville volunteering to make sure nothing untoward happens he had no problem with your presence."
"Ah, thank you, Miss Longueville," Louise said, beaming at the other woman.
"No trouble at all," Longueville replied, bowing slightly. "I was planning on cataloguing the items inside; aside from the gradual additions and removals by royal order, there are also donations made by individuals who discover lost and rare objects. Most of those end up as little more than footnotes without proper documentation, so getting an accounting of the current inventory would be useful, especially if Nimble Rabbit can offer any insight to some."
"No promises," the god-blood said, shrugging. "It's the professor's idea that I might be able to."
"Well, we'll just have to find out," she said, smiling. Heading back to the door, she gestured down the hall. "Shall we?"
#
As Colbert unlocked and opened the doors of the Academy vault, Louise was simultaneously disappointed and elated. She had halfway expected beams of radiant light to spill out of the treasury, or for the doors to creak ominously (they did creak, but no more than any other of their respective size would have, and certainly not 'ominously'), or for some indication of how momentous this was in her mind to happen. While none of that happened, she still got her first look of the inside of the vault, which was impressive in itself.
A zigzagging path was framed by racks and cases and shelves, each holding or covered with various items made from all sorts of materials. Statues of various sizes were next to suits of armor, while weapons of various sorts were propped up against them. Baskets held small bits of jewelry or filled bags of unknown contents. Icons hung from the walls depicting assorted unfamiliar scenes. As the group entered the room Louise couldn't help looking back and forth, trying to take it all in and guess at what each might be.
"Quite a bit in here," Rabbit said, a bit more restrained in his staring. "All these things magical?"
Colbert shook his head. "Hardly. Oh, a good many, yes, but a fair amount were placed here due to the circumstances of their discovery, or if they are going to eventually be researched for their historical worth once a properly-knowledgeable scholar has the opportunity to devote their studies. Some are heirlooms of noble families that ended without a proper heir and were donated to keep them from being sold or fought over. Of those that are enchanted, most are minor curiosities, or have been deemed to have had their magics depleted."
They made their way further, until the professor stopped in front of a set of cases and three oddly-shaped suits of armor of metals Louise didn't recognize.
"This is the collection I believe I had seen the markings on some time ago," Colbert said, gesturing. "Just give me a moment…"
He opened a long box and reached inside to grab something concealed within some packing straw. With a grunt and some struggling, the professor pulled out a huge white-bladed sword, nearly as tall as Louise herself. Colbert eventually lowered it on top of another box, and then smiled as he motioned towards the blade.
"This is the Giant's Dagger. As you can see, the sheer size and weight of it makes wielding it almost impossible, even for the strongest of men, as they would soon tire after only a few swings. Now, the markings are here on the-"
"It's a daiklave," Nimble Rabbit said, grinning.
"-fuller… I… what? You've seen this before?"
"Yeah, it's a basic for Dragon-bloods to use," Rabbit said. "White jade, too. Definitely meant for a Dragon-blood."
"Jade?" Louise asked. "Why would you make a sword out of jade? It would just break against any properly-forged steel, wouldn't it?"
Colbert nodded. "It isn't quite that fragile, Miss Valiere, but you have a point. Aside from the lesser strength compared to steel, while a blade made from jade would be easy enough to carve, once it became chipped or cracked it would be all but over for the lifespan as a functional weapon."
Looking at the two of them incredulously, Rabbit only shook his head. "Jade is one of the Magical Materials. I'll admit that it isn't easy to work, but there are formulas and such for making artifacts of various sorts. Daiklaves like this are more an alloy of jade and steel… and just to say, I've no knowledge of the method myself, just that there are… and I had my own set of smashfists back in Leaning Hill made of green."
"An… alloy? Magical material?" Colbert was at once confused and elated. "So… perhaps what you call 'jade' is actually along the lines of windstone and firestone and such? Though making weapons out of them seems counterproductive…"
"Jade is jade," Rabbit said. "Flower bless, the Realm uses it for coin on top of artifacts. Ah! Here, I'll show you. Miss Longueville has a good thing for me to use."
Teacher and student turned to see the green-haired woman holding a small red sphere.
"I… saw these," she said, pointing towards a dish with two more orbs sitting on a shelf. "I believe these are marked as 'Phoenix Eyes' in the catalogue from the last time one was made."
"Heh. Come let me have it and I'll show you what it is," Rabbit chuckled. She did so, and he held it between two fingers.
"What you have here is a fire pearl, made from red jade. It's very nearly a toy, though it's fairly useful." He grabbed a few bits of straw that had fallen out of the case and put them on the flat of the daiklave. Cupping the sphere for a moment, he pointed at the patch of straw which suddenly sparked and caught fire.
"Remarkable!" Colbert said as the bits of straw were quickly burned away.
"You… it lets you do magic!" Louise exclaimed.
Nimble Rabbit tossed the sphere into the air and caught it. "Only for making small fires like that, but it can do so without tinder or flint. Just focus on what you want to light up, and if you do it right it catches. Only reaches so far, though, so it's not like you could use it on something across the room."
"You seem to know a fair amount about it," Colbert said, taking the fire pearl and peering at it. "Did you have one?"
"Nah. Caravan came through Leaning Hill about… six years back. The leader had one that he used for tricks. I ended up asking later when he was at the tavern, and he told me about it."
"May I try?" Louise asked.
"I've no problem. Professor?"
"Provided you keep proper precautions… I see no harm if it's as minor as Mister Rabbit says. Miss Longueville, if you could just keep an eye on that?"
"Ah, of course," the woman replied.
"Now Mister Rabbit, if you could say more about this 'die-cleave.' The markings are on the side here… let me just brush off the ash…"
Rabbit leaned over. "'Daiklave' is the word for it. Hm… That seems to be the name of the thing… 'Three Tiered Pagoda.'"
"It lit! It lit!" Louise exclaimed happily as another small pile of straw caught fire where she had placed some just a moment before. "Would you like to try, Miss Longueville?"
"Eh? No, that's fine, Miss Valliere. You can go ahead yourself."
Louise nodded happily, reaching for more straw.
"… religious significance?" Colbert mumbled. "And the smaller symbols on the crossguard?"
"Blessings for the spirits of warfare and swordsmanship… looks like this is a pretty old blade. Looks like it may have been Shogunate-era from some of the references…"
"Ah? Interesting. How old would that make the sword?"
"Eh… not that much on history… plus there's a good period since that's kinda iffy on how long it was due to the Fae, but… maybe between one, two millennia ago? At least Flower said that's when she'd heard word about them, though she had her own concerns at the time."
Louise dropped the fire pearl, having just set another patch of straw on fire. Along with Longueville and Colbert she stared at the god-blood.
"What?" he asked.
Took longer than I planned to get this part done, but here's chapter 21.
R&R, C&C, and so forth. Thank you.