DISCLAIMERS AND SUCH….

"Dungeons & Dragons" and "Zero no Tsukaima" in all their forms are the intellectual property of their creators/owners with whom I have no affiliation.

Though I am confident in my use of it, my mother tongue is not English, so any corrections to mistakes that make it past me are welcome, I wish for my writing to be as enjoyable as possible and I know how distracting spelling errors in particular can be.

This is a fanfiction crossover of "Zero no Tsukaima" and "Dungeons & Dragons" (Ruleset 3.5 Ed).

I realize it has been a very long time since the last update; when I started writing this story I intended to keep a biweekly update schedule. Conditions changed since then, some for the best, other for the worst and imposing upon myself yet another deadline would defeat the purpose of my continuing with this project since I started it as a form of stress relief. I sincerely apologize for failing to deliver the promised frequent updates; the story is definitely not dead but the updates will come sporadically and probably infrequently. Those of you who decide to drop the story, I thank you for your support and hope you find what you seek soon. For the rest, on with the show.

Chapter 10: CREDENTIALS

Midas watched his students enter the Academy's main building and once the last of them disappeared behind the double oaken doors, he turned back and exited the main gate heading for the nearby forest. He walked five minutes among the trees until he finally came to a stop at a seemingly random place.

"Have you calmed down enough to hold a conversation now?" he said to nobody.

"You called me a (Fair Folk) on our previous meeting" The elf from the volcano's caldera showed himself behind the massive trunk of an ancient tree. He was guarded and held his bow at the ready, his eyes squinted to slits, arrow nocked in and ready to pull the string at a moment's notice. "Where did you hear that term?" Even after all these hours of trailing the party, the elven scout still seemed shaken by such simple words.

"Is that not what your people are known as throughout Faerun?" Midas nonchalantly answered him.

The elf's eyes widened for a moment hearing that but he immediately recomposed himself staring at Midas with suspicion.

"What do you know of Faerun?" His voice trembled under the sentimental maelstrom that rocked his soul.

"Faerun is my homeworld, so I would know quite a lot. Is there anything specific you wish me to tell you of?" Midas gauged the elf's reaction as he paused, who seemed to be at a loss of not only words but also actions as he nearly lost his grip of his bow.

"Impossible! I never thought the rumors would hold any truth! If… If what you say is true... There are so many things I could ask… No! I… I have to leave. Please forgive my earlier rude behavior" he said bowing respectfully to the golden automaton. "The others must now..." he muttered the last part in a hushed voice that no living being could have heard at this distance, Midas' hearing however was far more sensitive than any living being. The automaton didn't force the subject, his schedule was packed full for the next three days, until the princess' visit, and he didn't have the time to pursue another mystery presently, especially one that didn't seem pressing. After all, the human nations had held an uneasy coexistence side by side with the elves for more than six millennia, another few days wouldn't change much, so he bowed back and after the elf withdrew further in the forest he turned to the Academy to deliver his overdue report of the day's happenings.

When he passed the Academy's gate once more, he found professor Colbert nervously pacing back and forward on the courtyard. As he drew his college's attention, Colbert made a beeline straight for him.

"Professor, where have you been? The Headmaster is eagerly awaiting your report. Rumors circulate you have discovered the dragon of legend-"

"I had to turn back to retrieve something, it was nothing important" Midas cut the professor's rant. "Let's go to the Headmaster's office and I will inform you both there". They walked the rest of the way in silence and in no time they were already inside the familiar room…

The next couple days Midas was very busy; apart from teaching in his classroom and some personal classes to Louise he was rarely seen outside his laboratory. The automaton was absorbed in deciphering of the three scripts of the Japanese language and his research of the Zero fighter plane, that had been already transported to the Academy along with the sealed clay pots (which turned out to contain some of the planes' original kerosene fuel) and the ammunition crates. By the second day he had made great progress, having already fully analyzed the airplane as well as having enough knowledge about the Japanese written characters to read the tomb's inscription, and he started instructing Siesta in both.

Tomorrow was to be the big day of the Crown Princess' visit and the various delegations from Tristain's noble houses had already started pouring in one after the other, something that Midas made sure to keep track of. It was early in the afternoon, while Midas was tinkering with unstable chemicals in an attempt to replicate the airplane's fuel using alcohol as the basis when someone knocked on the lab's door. Without waiting for confirmation the door opened and a tall man entered.

"Master Wardes, the experiments conducted here could be dangerous-" Colbert protested but still followed inside the lab.

The man had long blonde hair, a well-trimmed beard and he wore what Midas thought was typical garb for swashbucklers or bards, high quality but not too flashy shirt and pants, leather boots, a long cloak and a large hat with a feather. On his left side a weird mix of a rapier and wand was held inside a metal ring attached to his belt.

"It is alright professor Colbert" Midas said examining the intruder who was looking around at the various strange paraphernalia the automaton had created. "I have sensitive equipment here I cannot afford to damage, so I always take the utmost precaution before any… dangerous experiments. Though I must admit, I wasn't expecting any guests."

"Forgive my intrusion Lord Midas, but I had heard so much about you I couldn't contain my excitement. I am Jan-Jacques Francis, Viscount of Wardes" He assumed a charming smile and took an obviously practiced, elegant bow. Of course, Midas was keeping tabs of the nobles' arrivals and he already knew Wardes was the current captain of the Griffin Corps.

"I am Midas of the Mithrillheart Clan" the automaton responded with a nod of his head as he turned off the small azure flame on his workbench and settled the various vials containing different colored chemicals each. "I am afraid this place is ill-prepared to entertain guests, shall we move to the adjacent classroom?"

"That won't be necessary, I don't intent to take too much of your time. I came here as her Highness' acting chief of security to assess any potential… trouble before the princess' arrival-"

"And by potential trouble, I assume you mean me" The automaton interjected. "It is understandable; what will it take to put your mind at ease Lord Wardes?"

The viscount smiled at Midas' words."I see you are not a man to mince words. I am a warrior Lord Midas. The best way for me to know someone is to face them in combat. So I was thinking of a sparring match between us maybe" The professor fell silent for a few moments.

"I have no objection, however I am employed here in this academy as an instructor, not a sword for hire, so I would like to avoid making a spectacle out of this..."

"Then how about you pick the place and each of us bring one witness only?" Wardes had expected some sort of retort or indirect protest and he had prepared this little trap beforehand.

"That is acceptable. There is a clearing in the forest ten minutes on foot north of the Academy, if you flew from the capital, you should have spotted it; we can meet there in an hour's time" the automaton replied.

"Indeed I know the place, meet you in an hour then professor" Wardes said cheerfully and walked out almost skipping like a child that's gotten the toy he asked from Santa at Christmas.

An hour later Wardes was pacing on the clearing, a smug smile on his face for the perfectly executed plan of his. He stood to gain far more than he dared hope when he first accepted his assignment from the queen, and it was all thanks to the newcomer's easygoing nature… or was it pride? Regardless, he was provided with a one in a lifetime opportunity to achieve his ambitions way ahead of schedule. He took another look at the diminutive pink-haired girl besides him who, once she noticed it, blushed to the color of beets. She didn't know it yet, he thought, but soon she would become his prize and the perfect offering to his secret master. His train of thought came to an end when he spotted Midas coming out of the dense vegetation and then he felt his world collapse the moment he laid his eyes on the other person after the automaton.

"Long time no see Wardes" Karin the Heavy Wind greeted her former apprentice and right-hand man. The Captain froze stiff, his mind on overdrive, trying to understand how Midas could turn his expectations upside down with a single move. He thought by humiliating Louise's mentor in combat, he would earn her favour over the automaton, but now he found himself in a position where he had to prove his worth as Captain of the Griffin Corps to his mentor, former captain and legendary hero of Tristain. Furthermore, for Midas to invite Karin as his witness, the professor must have been quite confident in his chance of victory, an eventuality that would reinforce Midas' position over his to the eyes of his target and possibly even gain Karin's approval, further cementing the automaton's authority.

"Mother?!" Louise gasped seeing her, just as surprised, if not more than Wardes himself.

"Lady Karin, Lord Midas" he replied after an unintentional pause with a crackling voice. "I am prepared to start any time" He once more assumed his cool persona and bowed, then drew his wand-sword and took a fighting stance. He was not going to underestimate his opponent again, he was resolved to deny Midas any openings to foil his plans furthermore.

"Then you may begin anytime you want" Midas lowered his body, then drew Delflinger from its scabbard and held it overhead with the tip of the sword pointing at his opponent while his empty left arm was positioned forward in a defensive posture. In his mind, Wardes envisioned himself attacking the automaton from various angles, but in all cases, he saw Midas evading, deflecting or blocking his strikes, leaving him vulnerable to counterattacks.

"What a powerful defense" he exclaimed unintentionally in an almost silent whisper.

"Perhaps then I should make the first move" The words had barely been spoken and the automaton had already covered the distance between them in a flash, bringing Delflinger for a downward vertical strike. Wardes, acting on pure instinct, barely managed to move his weapon in place to block the attack, but when the two swords made contact he felt like he was being crushed by the weight of the entire world. His knees buckled under the force, but instead of trying to fight it, he followed the move tumbling away from his opponent. Before he had a chance to regain his bearings however, Midas was already besides him swinging his sentient sword horizontally. The viscount once more raised his sword-wand in the nick of time, holding it with both hands and placing his shoulder behind it using his entire body weight to stop the strike. He felt his bones rattle from the impact and his breath was cut from a punch he received in his gut, that threw him in the air. This time he was ready to stop his opponent's next attack as he cast a wind barrier the moment he made contact with the ground. Midas followed Wardes with such speed that he became difficult to track and, seemingly disregarding completely the barrier, delivered a roundhouse kick that was blocked by the viscount's weapon but still made him lose his footing and forced him to take several steps back to steady himself.

«Impossible» Wardes thought. He expected his barrier to at the very least slow Midas down if not stop him outright. «Impossible… unless this is not his full power, he is toying with me! I need to change my strategy». He knew he couldn't take any more attacks like these, even if they were not direct hits so he jumped backwards using his wind magic to increase the distance he glided back.

"I applaud you Lord Midas, you truly exceed any expectations I might have had for this duel. But there is a debilitating weakness in your style. And that weakness..." Wardes said as he whistled sharply. A great chimeric quadruped beast with the wings, forelegs, neck and head of an eagle and the body of a lion, a prime example of a griffon, landed next to him. Wardes mounted it with practiced ease and immediately took to the skies above. "...is your lack of reach!" he shouted as he flung magical spheres of compressed air at the automaton.

Midas intercepted the incoming magic projectiles with Delflinger, the sword's innate spell disrupting ability proving more than enough to destabilize the magic and harmlessly dissipate the compressed air. Seeing his tactic being ineffective, Wardes desisted from further action, waiting for Midas' response. At this point, he would be satisfied with a stalemate, though he had a feeling this fight was not over yet; if Midas had planned this all from the beginning, he was certain to have a way to impress his witness, Karin.

"Since you demonstrated your magic, it would be remiss of me not to act in kind. Although many among my people can cast traditional spells, the true Mithrillheart magic is our ability to create..." the automaton said in a low voice as he sheathed Delflinger and reached inside one of his Bags of Holding attached to his belt. From a container barely larger than a coin pouch, he then retrieved a full sized halberd exquisitely crafted to depict in painstaking detail the image of a bird in mid-flight charge. The bird's wings were open behind its back, meeting one another, fused in an ax, its curved edge, viciously serrated following the outline of every single one of the feathers consisting it. On the opposite side, the bird's short, powerful legs were fully extended bearing four razor-sharp talons each, ready to pounce on their unlucky prey. The straight neck reached as far as the uppermost point of the wing-ax, supporting the head with two perfectly polished scarlet rubies for eyes and a triangular beak as long as the neck serving as the weapon's spear tip. Finally, the tail was made of a single 1.65 metre long cylindrical feather, standing as long as its current wielder was tall, ending in a wide, oval pommel with a flawless, fist sized viridian sapphire embedded into it similar in fashion to a peacock's tail feather providing both a counterweight to the weaponized side of the polearm and one more venue to assault one's enemy.

"Artifacts like this" He finished his sentence. Three pairs of eyes bulged almost out of their sockets at the sight of the magnificent weapon, more fit to be an exhibit as a masterpiece of art in a museum or locked up behind a safe. Midas held the halberd in a reverse grip pulling his right arm as far back as possible while taking aim with his empty left arm, like some sort of javelin thrower.

"Phoenix Charging..." he said and his arm-wielding hand became wreathed in blue fire that spread the length of the bird's tail, burning a more usual mix of yellow, orange and red colors. Then he twisted his torso bringing the halberd forward with incredible speed.

"AWAKEN!" he bellowed the moment he released the weapon… which came to life! What flew out of the automaton's grip was no longer a halberd made of exotic metals and precious gems but a living, breathing bird of legends, a phoenix. It flapped its wings adding to its already considerable speed while the still-enflamed tail extended in a triangular shape on both sides like a fan, leaving a fiery trail on the bird's flight-path. The phoenix stopped to a hover once it reached Wardes' altitude and locked eyes with him for a brief moment as its tail flame seemed to spread onto the horizon behind it painting the sky a twilight red. It cawed a very bestial, avian-like sound but the meaning was clear to all; a single warning before the inferno was unleashed. Wardes didn't dare think challenging the phoenix, even breathing had become painful because of the suffocating heat from its tail so he prompted his mount to land.

"After this show of power, I consider it my honor to admit defeat" The viscount bowed before Midas while the phoenix hovered over them, eventually perching on the professor's shoulder. Once again Wardes silently cursed his luck, he couldn't even lie about Midas to the princess, Karin was sure to relegate the true events. Furthermore he dreaded his inevitable, private talk with his former captain, and the only way to save face was for Midas' performance to have met with her expectations, something that would further hinder his own designs.

"This should be enough to prove it is self-restraint and benign intentions that guide my hand" Midas dryly stated, then, having accomplished all the objectives in his checklist, turned away and disappeared in the foliage leaving the three Tristainians to simmer by themselves.

"What did he mean by that?" Louise asked the other two who seemed to have come to a profound realization. She looked between her mother and her fiancée, waiting for an answer that neither of them looked willing to give.

"What he probably meant..." Wardes started slowly "...is that we can't do anything to oppose him if he decides to… take action" he said through clenched teeth.

"In other words the fact that he hadn't resorted to villainous acts is proof enough of his intentions" Karin confirmed.

"Not even you mother!?" Louise was in shock. She knew how strong her mother was, even after retiring from the Corps, she was one of the most powerful mages in Tristain, that coupled with her warrior training made her nothing short of a force of nature.

"Me, the captain here, the entire Griffin Corpse, maybe even Tristain..." Karin said thoughtfully recalling that intelligence reported Midas had several of what he called "adventuring companions", and that he was working to open a permanent gateway between their worlds. Could his companions hold as much power as the automaton? Founder save them if they were actually stronger, Midas was definitely a person even she didn't want to get on his bad side.

Karin could never imagine that a simple invitation to witness a practice bout could turn to a matter of national importance; she was determined to be present in the princess' debriefing besides Wardes and she would bring Louise along to testify for the automaton's character since she knew him for far longer. And if Louise's relationship with Midas ensured they remained in his good graces, Karin would allow it, even enforce it over any other, competing relationships to protect her country.

A couple hours later, in a certain conference room, several persons were seated around a long, luxurious table. Princess Henrietta held the position of honor at the table's head, surrounded by several elderly figures as well as her personal guards, all of them focused on Wardes' retelling of his encounter with Midas.

"I don't understand it" Henrietta said after Wardes was finished. "In the previous reports, Lord Midas never demonstrated such power, not when facing count Mott, nor when he fought Agnes' squad. If he was hiding his true capabilities all this time, why reveal them now? Couldn't he had subdued Wardes without using such overwhelming force?"

"Perhaps this was a statement" Osmond guessed. Having been an ally and trusted advisor to the royal family for three generations, his place was right next to the princess.

"A statement professor?" Henrietta asked the headmaster.

"Tomorrow Midas will officially announce the existence of his nation and initiate negotiations on various state affairs. After such demonstration, we cannot afford to think the Mithrillheart Clan as an inferior force to Tristain" Osmond added.

"Wait a moment, are you saying Lord Midas had already planned everything that happened in preparation for tomorrow's meeting?!" To say the princess was shocked would be an understatement.

"That is a frightening thought indeed" The headmaster agreed.

Author's Notes

Did you really think Midas could be coaxed into a duel by any random person? As an artificial being, he values efficiency far more than pride, so he expects to gain something from every action he takes.