Well, here's yet another chapter for Dark of Zero. You know I really should focus on my other fics first, and yet I can't help but enjoy writing this more for some reason. I guess I'll just finish up this chapter first and then continue.
Now as always, I'll be answering some questions/worries/comments from the reviews.
Aleucard: This Chosen Undead went through the typical "Good guy" playthrough of Dark Souls. Meaning that he went out of his way to help people and never killed anyone after they turned neutral even if they attacked him. This means that he didn't kill 'Trusty' Patches or Marvelous Chester despite the both of them attacking him. He did kill Petrus after he stumbled onto him trying to kill Rhea - which you can't do in-game - but hey it's for story purposes.
Oh, and his relationship with Quelaag's sister is the same as in canon: He fed her the extra 70 humanity because he felt so guilty about Quelaag. Note that he doesn't feel bad for killing Quelaag herself; she attacked him with no explanation so he shouldn't feel bad for defending himself. He just felt guilty for the poor girl because now she's lost her one and only caretaker. The Old Witch's ring was basically a giant twist of the knife for him. The canon game even implies that your character is crying when he meets her because he realizes the consequences of his actions.
Lastly, no he can't use the wands as catalysts. He can try but the only thing he'd get is an explosion similar to Louise. Thing is, the catalysts and the Tsukaima wands are different in terms of spells they're meant to cast. Soul Arrows are fundamentally different from Ice spears. I made note of this in the previous chapter notes. He'll temporarily be able to access a max level flame pyromancy glove during the foquet arc, but he loses it rather quietly and has to get his own. Kirche should be able to help with that.
GB - Well I'm not claiming to be original, so sorry about that. Seeing as this is the nth fic that features Louise summoning someone other than Saito, this shouldn't come as a surprise.
Lunatic Pandora1 - THanks for the advice:D I'm taking note of that for future chapters.
Blinded in the bolthole - Thank you for the detailed response. I agree with you on Cattleya and I like the fact that you're considering what the females stand to gain in the relationship rather than just the CU. Oh, and Cattleya obviously reminds him of the Fair Lady. He even likens Eleanore/Louise to Quelaag later on.
Also, I agree with you that I can live without fight scenes. I hate writing them and much prefer dialogue, world building, or exposition. However, seeing as I can't get away with "Insert fight scene here" and immediately skipping to the conclusion, I'll have to keep doing them. Thank God the Fouquet arc has little actual fighting.
Piterio - Sorry, I'll try to cut down on them...after this chapter. The punchline for this chapter requires he think in game mechanics else it wouldn't work. You'll also see what I mean when I say he's attracted to Sylphid.
Oh, and this might be just the cynic in me talking, but a romance with no logic won't last long. Saito even says so in canon when he rejects Henrietta during the Tristanian Holiday arc: He can't replace Wales and it made no logical sense for him to try to.
Nix's Warden - Well unless he can light a bonfire, there's very little he can do with that excess souls other than give them away. Hence why the Gandalfr runes act like a crutch in early story, regardless of how little he likes using it.
ArmorOfGeddon - Woohps, thanks for the heads up about Guiche! I'll have to see if I can fix that typo soon.
.coronado72 (can't type in full name for some reason) - Kirche seems to be getting a lot of attention doesn't she? I'll write my thoughts on that later along with Henrietta.
Drake202 - I know Kirche likes fire Familiar's, but I didn't think she liked burn victims. The CU has pretty realistic burn wounds and looks like fricking Two-Face: Jigsaw Edition. He won't find a cure until towards the end of the Fouquet arc. I know Kirche doesn't mind plain people, but does she not mind injured or ugly people?
Demon's Anarchy - You know I can't tell if that's "H-Holy **** that was awesome!" or "H-Holy **** this stinks like ass!". Sorry, I'm not psychic.
Reaper81609 - No please, send me any comments or tips. I'm not a very good writer and I love feedback from my readers. The only reason I write is so I can continue to improve, and advice from my readers is very much welcome:)
Chaos Theory - Again, I have no plans for that at the moment, otherwise it would make Gwyn's soul, Manus soul, and the Dragon Head stone pointless. I will say that he has access to things that would absolutely break the game if you had it, and I'm not talking about the Gandalfr runes. You'll see what I mean.
Kyugan - You'll see what I mean when I say he's attracted to Sylphid:) Oh, and he didn't kill Priscilla. If he didn't kill 'Marvelous' Chester and 'Trusty' Patches then he wouldn't kill someone who only wants to be left alone.
TooLazyToLogin and Hades Revolution - And coming neck in neck with Kirche, there's Henrietta. Now I mentioned this once and I'll say it again: This will probably be the hardest romance to write, mostly because each of them have issues with one another. The CU is very mistrustful of princesses (considering his experiences with Gwynevere/Gwyndolin) and nobility in general. Meanwhile, Henrietta is unsure if she actually likes him or she's just trying to find a stopgap solution/replacement for Wales (an issue she dealt with in canon). That and it's kinda effed up if both her lovers end up being Undead:p ...Though technically Saito counts as well after the battle of Saxe Gotha.
But I do disagree with the two of you saying that there's no other Henrietta shipping fics. Henrietta's been paired in a couple of Kamen Rider and Naruto fics,and she has at least three in the Original Archive. So it's not like she hasn't been paired yet or this is the first time.
BTW: I thought I should write down a sort of stats list for The Undead while I'm here. And in case anyone's wondering: The reason his scars don't heal is because he's under a constant "Power Within" pyromancy and he can't turn it off till he gets another glove. This isn't really a spoiler since it explains how he bent the metal of the Valkyrie's in the earlier chapter.
Name: Familiar(?)
Class: Familiar.
Soul Level: 10
Vitality: 14
Attunement: 12
Endurance: 12
Strength: 13 (Augmented by Power Within)
Dexterity: 13 (Augmented by Power Within)
Resistance: 10
Intelligence: 14 (Boosted up to 40 with a good catalyst and Gandalfr powers)
Faith: 2 (Not surprising given his experiences)
Armor: Loose shirt, loose pants, and old boots. Sometimes wields a tray. The Commoner set. If you need an image, the look at Ezio Auditore's attire during the siege of Moterriogioni at the beginning of brotherhood. Nothing fancy, but practical for something a commoner would wear.
Weapons: Construct sword.
With that done, let's start!
"Mr. Colbert, please explain the situation again in detail."
Mr Colbert nodded solemnly, making sure his grip on the small paper didn't waver, "Yes, well...it appears that there was a duel in the Vestri courtyard not too long ago," He waited for the old headmaster to nod before continuing, "This is a rare case, however, because the duel technically hasn't broken any rules due to its...unique nature."
Miss Longueville spoke first, "What do you mean unique nature? Don't the rules expressly forbid duels to take place so long as a student is in Academy grounds?"
"W-Well, yes I suppose so," Colbert coughed awkwardly into his hand before answering, "Specifically, the rules forbid to aristocrats or any member of the nobility to fight a serious duel. Practice duels are technically considered legal due to their friendly nature and place in training."
Once again, Miss Longueville spoke before the headmaster could, "So was this a practice duel then? If so, then this should not be a problem. The male aristocrats frequently challenge one another in play-fighting and make believe epic tales. 'Duels'," Neither of the two males missed the sarcastic way she said the word, "happen all too frequently in this academy."
Professor Colbert and Headmaster Osman were quite aware of her dislike for nobility, and neither of them had a problem with it. After all, one of the main reasons the Headmaster hired her in the first place is that she was honest and didn't try in any way or form to suck up to higher authority unlike the other teachers (Ms Chevreuse immediately popped into both their minds). When the three of them were in this room, they spoke frankly and without hesitation.
"No, this wasn't a practice duel," Colbert sighed before looking at the paper again, "The rules forbid aristocrats from fighting with one another due to the damage either would cause to both themselves and the property. However," And this was when Colbert released another sigh, "an aristocrat having a duel with a commoner...or Familiar, as the case may be, technically isn't considered as illegal or rule breaking simply because it hasn't happened before."
Miss Longueville sucked in her tongue and gave an annoyed grunt. The teacher and old man did so as well, at least inside their head. They had practice in holding in their reactions from many years of dealing with the inner nobility.
"Explain the situation clearly please, Mr. Colbert." Old Osman asked politely.
"R-Right, let's start from the beginning: Not too long ago, Mr. Guiche de Gramont was caught...philandering with two females," The Old headmaster chuckled slightly despite the situation while the tired secretary simply gave an annoyed shake of her head, "Yes, well, he claimed innocence on his part and accused a passing maid of making him look guilty."
"So did the maid get forced into a duel?" Miss Longueville asked.
"No, actually that's not the case," The professor grabbed his glasses and wiped them nervously, "Miss Valliere's Familiar interfered and Mr Gramont's accusations immediately shifted to him. He challenged him to a duel in order to retain his honor and the Familiar accepted."
"Wait, what do you mean he accepted?" Miss Longueville interjected, "As I recall, Familiar's can't talk nor can they agree to anything their master doesn't agree to. Did you mean Miss Valliere accepted on her Familiar's behalf?"
Both Colbert and Osman flinched slightly. Right, they hadn't told young secretary about the so called Human Familiar; mostly because they themselves had no idea what was going on. Colbert didn't get a chance to look at the runes on his hand before they had to rush him to the clinic and Miss. Valliere was very sullen last her saw her and refused to entertain questions on her Familiar.
"Well, this might take a bit of explanation," Colbert started, "If you would please get Miss. Valliere, I'll explain clearly. I would rather she be here to hear this."
The green haired secretary nodded and made her way to the office's entrance, "Oh, and one more thing," Colbert called after her, "Please make sure that Miss Valliere's Familiar goes with her if possible. He should be recognizable enough when you see him. I'd like to ask him a few questions as well."
Old Osman sighed, placing a weary hand on his desk. Dealing with nobility had been getting harder over the years. In his time nobles like Karin of the Heavy wind or Queen Marianne the Wise were the norm rather than the exception. Nowadays finding a noble that actually followed the doctrine of "Live with Honor" and "Serve as a protector to others" was both incredibly rare and an exercise in futility. The best he could hope for was one who didn't throw their weight around simply because they could, and even then it wouldn't stop them from displaying that smug sense of superiority everyone else seemed to do.
"So does this mean that this commoner got injured when he fought in the duel?" Old Osman asked warily. He was already dreading the answer at this point. What else could have happened? The commoner won a duel without using magic or weaponry? He highly doubted that. He didn't even get his daily dosage of seeing what his secretary's undergarments were today. Shame, that would have helped tide him over.
And at least the Commoner wasn't dead. Given that Colbert explicitly told his secretary to bring him along as well for questioning, he must've been alive in at least some form. Perhaps the 4th son found it in his heart to show restraint and mercy.
"Actually, it would be more accurate to say that Mr. Gramont succeeded in killing him."
Okay, that wasn't exactly what he was expecting. The Old Headmaster paused from his musing to cough rather loudly into his hands at the news, "P-Pardon me, did I hear you right Professor Colbert? I could've sworn you asked Ms. Longueville to direct Miss. Valliere's Familiar here and not...carry his corpse," He grimaced at the image, "Did I hear you wrong in either account?"
"Oh no, you heard right on both accounts," Old Osman gave an incredulous look at the balding professor, "Please don't look at me like I'm crazy," He shrugged his shoulders, "According to the student's testimony's, Mr. Gramont's bronze Valkyrie managed to impale him in the stomach and he did stop breathing and moving entirely."
Okay, that meant he was dead, "So why did you ask Ms. Longueville to fetch him? We can't ask questions to a corpse." Osman replied evenly.
"Ahahaha, that's the thing," Colbert coughed awkwardly into his hand, "He's not dead. Or rather, the student's say that he...came back...to life."
People usually weren't allowed to visit freshly bedridden patients. The reason given by the nurses was that the ramblings of worried friends and loved ones interfered heavily with their spells and bandaging, putting the lives of their charges in danger. As such there was a grace period of about 6 hours when a patient reached stable condition till any visitor's were actually allowed into the clinic.
This was not the case here.
The clinic currently had three occupants: 2 females and 1 male. Or rather, 2 conscious females and 1 unconscious male. The male laid down on a bed with many parts of his body and even his head covered in a thick white bandage. The two females were the exact opposite; the maid stayed by his side, mumbling prayers to God and Founder that her friend would be alright. The noblewoman contented herself to stomping back and forth on both sides of the room like she wanted to throttle something.
"Stupid Familiar, stupid Familiar, stupid Familiar, stupid Familiar!" Louise stomped heavily on the ground, each step getting heavier and heavier as she continued to walk, "First he challenges Guiche to a fight and then he gets himself killed! I wasn't the only one who saw that, right?" The maid nodded meekly at her question, though she didn't notice, "And then he pulls the sword out and nearly kills Guiche! What in the void is wrong with him?"
Siesta didn't answer, only continuing to look sadly at the unconscious form of her friend. The bandages he had from earlier were replaced with new ones, but she knew it was pointless: She'd seen the nurses trying and failing to cure his wounds with water magic before bluntly stating that the only thing they could do was cover it up like they did last time. She felt enormous pity for him as every breath seemed to come out even slower and more ragged than the last.
"And then he suddenly starts mumbling nonsense about Undead and something called Solaire!" Despite her complaints, Louise was very worried for her Familiar as well, and more than a little scared of what she'd seen. He had been impaled rather painfully and she could still hear the sound of the metal piercing his flesh echo in her ears. She remembered her servant's calm acceptance of his injury and how he got back up despite the mortal injury.
Her parents taught her that, despite their higher place in society, they were all eventually equal in the eyes of their Founder in death. You can beat a servant, scold him, or even whip him, but killing them was forbidden if you believed yourself a true aristocrat. Many aristocrat's didn't believe this and killed commoner's who served underneath them, but the Valliere's followed the ideals of true nobility as given by their Founder Brimir.
"Miss Valliere, will he be alright? He was...stabbed," Both maid and noblewoman shivered when they remembered what happened, "U-Um...the nurses said they couldn't cure him...but is he going to be okay?"
What happened there? Were they simply hallucinating what they saw and he managed to sidestep at the last minute? Neither of the two could find an explanation. Siesta knew nothing about magic or combat and Louise knew of no spell that allowed one to survive getting impaled somewhere vital.
"Wh-Who knows," Louise tried to act nonchalant. Who cares if her Familiar got stabbed? It would've been his own fault, not hers, "I-I even bowed my head in order for him to escape with just a small beating, but he refused it. He deserved what he got..." Louise didn't believe her own words for even a second. Guiche was clearly the one in the wrong and she couldn't deny she felt elation when she saw him panicking and begging. But her Familiar was going to kill him. Did even he deserve that kind of fate?
'Oh, and that's the reason you bought that expensive medicine right?' Her mind was nagging her about her previous course of action. Before going to the clinic she'd sent a messenger bird with 1000 Ecu in order to purchase an expensive medicine. She was going to give it to him discreetly once it arrived, making sure that none of the maid's or servants saw her. 'One must show caring, but never openly or with recognition'. The words of her mother echoed back in her head. Her mother did evidently love them, but showing it was something that would never happen.
"H-How could you say that?" Despite herself, Siesta found herself standing up rather abruptly and rounding onto the shorter girl, "Is it because he didn't agree to take a beating when he did nothing wrong? Is that why you think he deserves it?"
"He talked back against the nobility! What did you expect would happen?" Louise asked, gritting her teeth in frustration. Why was this servant questioning her? She was lucky she didn't force her out of the clinic, "I offered him an easy way out and he refused it like an idiot! He actually got off easy considering how stupid he was acting!"
"And I suppose you would've taken a beating if you were in his place?" Siesta asked rhetorically, with venom in her voice that surprised even her, "In his place you would've done anything to avoid getting hurt. Or would it not matter just as long as your honor remains intact?" A dry laugh made its way past her throat, "I guess it's also honorable to say you were wrong even when you're clearly not. Nobility is such a great thing..."
Louise stopped her stomping and made her way to the maid, grabbing her rather roughly by the front of her uniform, "And what would you know about nobility, maid? You who washes pots and pans, whose ambitions are nothing more than to make her way through life trying to survive?" She scowled deeply when the maid gave barely a reaction at her scathing words, "You have no idea of the sacrifices we nobles make to ensure the will of our Founder Brimir continues! How we protect the commoners!"
"Protect? What protecting!?" A part of Siesta's mind was telling her to stop arguing but just agree with her. But a larger part told her that she wouldn't have been able to keep her job if he hadn't stood up for her, "Did any of the nobles in that crowd protect him when he was struggling to fight? No, they laughed and pointed like he was some kind of animal for their amusement. Did Lord Gramont hesitate to try and beat him when he thought he could? The Nobility don't protect the commoners, they take and take because they got lucky from birth."
"...It was a duel..." Even Louise could tell how weak that excuse was. Guiche went in there fully thinking he would have the advantage and her peers simply laughed at her Familiar's attempts of attacking his final Valkyrie.
Siesta wanted to stop, she wanted to tell herself that this outburst wasn't worth it since both she and her family would suffer for it. But she was tired. Tired, frustrated, worried, and now annoyed that the Familiar's so called master was so quick to cheapen his actions in favor of the petty concepts such as honor and nobility.
"I used to wish I was nobility when I was younger. I always thought it would be like the life of a princess, but I was wrong. Your actions and accomplishments mean nothing here; it's either you're born into it or you aren't. I would rather keep my pride as a commoner, little as you think it may be, rather than do what others wanted with a smile simply because of honor."
There was so much more Louise wanted to say. Siesta was wrong; there was more to nobility than simply being born the right way. They had duties and obligations that the commoners couldn't possibly understand. She was stopped from doing so by the sight of her Familiar trying and failing to get off the bed and crumpling to the ground in a heap.
"...Aaaah..." The Undead gave an uncomfortable grunt and stood up from his place on the floor, gripping the side table like his life depended on it. Once again he found the place spinning and bright lights blinking in and out of existence like a demented pyromancy spell. Why did this keep happening to him? Nausea and weakness never happened before he came here.
Then again, he usually revived in the nearest bonfire rather than at that way too soft bed. He swore that thing was trying to eat him with how it refused to let him stand up properly. Oh how he missed the cold floor and stone. Resting by sitting down was far more practical compared to lying down. He'd learned that when a skeleton smashed his face in with a mace while he thought he was safe. That was embarrassing.
"F-Familiar!"
"Mr. Familiar!"
He nearly fell over again at the sounds of the two girls loud voices. Why did they have to be so loud? He was standing right here, "Master...Siesta..." He turned to them and gave a curt bow; it was all he could do to avoid falling over, "...Whats...wrong...?" He took note of their worried faces. Did something happen perhaps? He knew he lost that match, so was Siesta in trouble now?
"What do you mean what's wrong!?" Seeing as he was barely able to stand, he could do little to block his short master punching him in the stomach rather roughly. Again it didn't hurt much: Most of an Undead's nerves were either deadened or weakened due to the rotting of their bodies. While they still felt pain, it was mostly negligible till it was deep like a giant hammer bearing down at very painful speeds or a sword threatening to hack his arm off.
He looked down at his body. More bandages had been added, thicker this time and tighter than before. Once again his vision was limited when to his left eye; the right one and chunks of his upper head being blocked by another thick layer of bandages. Honestly he felt very weighed down with all of it on and swinging a sword would be extremely uncomfortable with it on. But his master must've placed these on him for a reason.
"Ms. Valliere, please don't injure him any further!" Siesta interjected.
"...Siesta...?" That's right, she was still here! Did that nobleman not continue his supposed plan to blame her for everything? Strange, he lost their duel and so he forfeited any right of complaint. Wasn't it how it worked here as well? "You're...okay...? Relief flooded into his soft voice. Well, flooded might have been an overestimation. Trickled might have been more appropriate. But It was pretty monumental considering his lack of expression otherwise.
"W-What? Oh, yes! I'm alright thanks to you!" The maid smiled and did a quick bow, "More importantly, are you alright Mr. Familiar? Your wounds looked very serious and Lord Gramont...stabbed you in the stomach." She finished uneasily.
All three of them looked down at his stomach area. While the two females could see nothing due to the bandage covering his mid-section, The Undead could tell already that the hole had already healed. Similar to the nerve endings, various injuries often healed without much difficulty even without the help of an Estus Flask. Regardless, there were still wounds that refused to heal or left permanent marks even in an Undead's cursed body. He himself had two to speak of: First were the flame scars, and the second was the scar.
"...Duel?" The Undead inquired, turning to his master. He had blacked out prior to seeing the results of the match, though he was pretty sure that it counted as his loss. Such was the way of duel, regardless of how unfair it seemed to anyone. He shouldn't have hesitated when it came time to deal the final strike. It wasn't like Guiche (that was his name, right?) would get any permanent damage from a slit neck. He'd come back easy.
"Oh, right. Forget about that!" Louise hastily moved her hands in a 'nevermind' gesture, "Guiche says he's given up and there are no charges being pressed against either me or the maid," He couldn't help but notice that his master's tone clipped slightly in anger when she gestured to the dark haired servant. Did something happen while he was unconscious? Hmm...
For now, The Undead contented himself with nodding and picking up the discarded shirt lying on the chair. He sucked on his teeth slightly and sighed when he saw the slit shaped hole that extended from from the front of the shirt up to the back. It would have to do for now till he got his armors back...speaking of which, where was the blasted thing? He could've sworn at least parts of the armor were intact. And as long as the armor remained intact, he could reforge it with enough souls and a bonfire.
"Mister Familiar, maybe you should change into some different clothes," Siesta suggested, eying the slit in the white clothing, "I could go get some spare clothing from the storage room if-"
"No thanks..." Louise laughed internally at the sight of the maid being interrupted. Sure it might have been petty, but she didn't care. It wasn't right for her to question the duties of nobility, "Repair...easy..." The Undead finished dressing himself and turned back to the table, only slightly surprised by the weapon placed atop of it.
The sword of the Valkyrie, which he had stolen earlier from final Golem. Now that he got a closer look at it, it didn't look as ornate as it did earlier: It was chipped in various places and the bronze coating on the hilt had become duller. Perhaps his usage of it earlier had caused it to break? He distinctly remembered slicing through the Golem's like paper earlier. The blade was most likely strained then.
"Oh, that," Louise's voice filtered into his ears, "One of the nurses brought it here earlier because they thought it was yours. Guiche tried to dispel it earlier when you fainted, but it wouldn't disappear even after all his other Valkyrie's did. He's given up on trying to make it do so already, so I guess you get to decide what to do with it.."
The Undead barely heard her words. He picked up the blade gently and examined it carefully, making sure not to strain the metal any further, "Not...good..." He whispered. The blade wouldn't last more than a few swings and it's strength was lacking severely now that it had been used to cut up the Valkyrie's that stood in his way before. Still, it was better than a broken sword or the first one he picked up lodged in a corpse. It would do for now till he managed to get something better.
Speaking of which, he should finally ask his master about the bonfires, "Master...where-"
The Familiar was abruptly interrupted by the sound of the clinic door opening not so gently. The mismatched group turned and found the green haired secretary entering the room with a stoic and straight posture.
"Miss Valliere, the headmaster has requested your presence in his office," She paused slightly to look at all three of them, her eyes lingering just slightly longer on the bandaged Familiar, "Your Familiar as well, provided he can walk without too much difficulty." She added.
...He'd have to ask later...assuming he didn't forget.
Louise didn't need to ask why both her and her Familiar were being summoned to the Headmaster's office. Obviously the head of the academy wouldn't take what he did without so much as a slap in the wrist. On her way here she could hear her classmates and peers whispering that she either got some kind of monster or a great actor as her Familiar. In either case it didn't bode well for her or her status as a good mage.
"Familiar, you go with Miss Longueville," She pushed the Undead somewhat forcefully when he looked like he was going to complain, "I have to deal with something here first. I already know the way to the Headmaster's office so I'll meet you there."
The pale young man looked at both Louise and Siesta in turn before following the green haired secretary out of the room. To her credit, Miss Longueville didn't so much as raise an eyebrow when the pale Undead followed her rather than some kind of animal as she expected. She wasn't going to question it.
It didn't take long until only the two of them remained in the sanctuary for healing.
Neither Louise or Siesta spoke or even bothered looking at one another. The only sound that echoed all over the rooms was their calm breathing, sometimes followed by the chirping of bird's that came from the outside. They didn't know whether to continue their argument from before or simply stop, leaving it unfinished since neither wanted to hear more criticism levied against their way of life.
Eventually it was Louise who spoke first, "Maid..." She called out evenly, "Understand this: I will not take any more complaints and criticism's levied against both myself and the nobility in general. I will forgive your outburst now and forget this entire fight - if you can call it that - ever happened," The maid's expression soured slightly, but she nodded nevertheless, "But if I hear even a single peep about how you think the nobility is trash from you ever again, then I will make sure you receive the full consequences of your actions. Do I make myself clear?"
And what could a maid like her do but nod? "Yes, Miss. Valliere," She held the sides of her skirt and bowed deeply, " I am...deeply sorry for my outburst and I thank you for finding it in your heart to forgive this humble servant." It was fortunate that Siesta found herself bowing for it hid the intention sewn across her face. She hated doing this; all the servant's did. But what choice did they have?
This was the way of the world.
Miss Longueville scanned the frail Familiar walking next to her. This was the one who dueled Guiche de Gramont? Not only that, but a proper duel? He looked more like a sickly commoner or a plague victim than a warrior capable of surviving a duel with General Gramont's fourth son. His pale complexion and thin physique certainly did little to help his case. The only thing warrior-like about him was the sword he held in his left hand, and even then his lack of a shield made it look rather silly.
It didn't matter either way. Sword or no sword, shield or no shield, he wasn't a mage. While she of all people knew what commoner's were capable of, she'd seen them get outclassed by mages every time they tried to fight. If he did take to swinging that sword around like a mental patient then either she, Professor Colvert, or Old Osmond would be enough to deal with it.
The Undead stared down at the sword blankly, making sure not to swing it for fear of hitting the guide walking next to him. As he thought, the bandages made moving somewhat stiff and harder in general. Seeing as he didn't have that problem before he woke up, it most likely meant that the amount of bandages on him had increased; particularly for his left arm and stomach area. Given that these cloths were associated with healing, the added padding was for his injures no doubt. He needed to remove the excess in order to get his movement back.
"Stop that," Miss Longueville didn't even bother glancing at his direction before issuing the warning. The Undead paused, arm hanging in the air as he was ready to remove the cumbersome cloth already, "I don't know about the state of your injuries, but there must be a reason that the nurses put so many bandages on you. Don't remove them till you're told."
The Undead pondered her words for a couple of seconds before nodding, though a small frown etched itself into his face. Why did they insist on him wearing these bandages? It wasn't as if it would actually help him at any point. If they wanted to help him then they could lend him an Estus flask or something. He was already beginning to feel a sort of 'hunger' - though he didn't know if he could call it that exactly - since it'd been so long till he had a swig of one. It wouldn't affect his fighting ability, but it affected him personally all the same.
"We're here," The Undead looked up from his bandages and found himself face to face with a wooden door made from the same material of his Master's bedroom. Before he could steel himself for a possible fight, the older secretary pushed the door forward and stepped in. The Undead quickly followed, his master's orders ringing back in his mind.
The room beyond was just as fancy as his master's, though it had less of a feel of a bedroom and more of a public meeting area. It was wide in both length and width, though the room itself wasn't that large compared to the many rooms of Anor Londo. No beds or cushions were placed on the room, instead they were replaced with an oak table at the center with a large window framing behind it. To the sides he could make out a few bookcases containing some thick arcane tomes that he most likely wouldn't be able to understand along with a few other paintings of people that hung on the walls. It was nothing new for him.
"Ah, Miss Longueville," Headmaster Osman smiled in greeting at the young secretary, "I see you've brought our mysterious Familiar over. May I ask where Miss Valliere is?"
"She chose to stay behind temporarily in order to take care of some business," She explained, "She assured us both that she would make our way here once she finished."
The Undead took a look at everyone in the room. The woman who led him here was young, most likely in her early to middle of adulthood. By contrast the two males in the room were way older. The bald man standing to the left was reaching middle age based on the way he looked, though the Undead could tell he was anything but frail or old in his physique. The old man was...old. He couldn't actually tell how old he was, but he emitted an aura similar to Ingward; that of a protector and keeper. He knew and protected more than anyone in the room.
He also felt very wary about staying too close to the balding Professor. He didn't know why. Did he get attacked by him? He didn't remember much so it was always a possibility.
"Well, this might actually be a good thing," Professor Colbert was the first to comment on the situation, "There are some things that I'd like to ask our friend here that I don't want Ms. Valliere to find out just yet. Headmaster Osman, if you will?"
The headmaster nodded and waved a stave around, muttering some incomprehensible words under his breath. Immediately The Undead felt a wave of energy encompass the entirety of the room; unseen and almost unnoticeable. Whatever the spell was, it wasn't meant for attacking or harming. It was similar to Oolacile sorcery in that respect.
"Well, this should grant us some privacy," The old man smiled warmly - a practice he had a lot of practice in - and gestured at the chair in front of the table, "Now, may I please ask you to take a seat? There are a few things that I'd like to ask you and so does Mr. Colbert."
The Undead didn't move from his spot. He already felt wary of staying in a cramped room with 3 people who were no doubt sorcerers in their own merit. The sword he took from the construct wouldn't be enough to protect him in a 3-on-1 fight.
"I know you have reason to feel caution, but I do not intend to do you any harm," To prove his point, Osman gently placed his staff on the wooden table, "See? I'll even let you keep holding onto that sword. I'm at a disadvantage should I choose to attack you, so I have little reason to do so. Don't you agree?"
He of course failed to mention the the other two people in the room who refused still held their own catalysts. Still, the Undead took his willingness to place himself in danger as a sure enough sign that he didn't need to worry. If the old man really did plan on attacking him, then he would've asked any of the other two people in the room rather than place himself at risk.
"...Sorry..." The Undead looked down at the seat before sitting down quickly, muttering an apology as he went. If his master trusted them then he should be safe, although he still couldn't get the suspicious feeling out when he saw the bald teacher.
"Well now, isn't this much better?" Old Osman started, "Now as Mr. Colbert stated, I have a few questions for you that even your master can't answer. As such, we'd like you to answer as honestly as possible without omitting the truth. Can we trust you to do that?" He suddenly clapped his hands together, "Oh, and I almost forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm Headmaster Osman," He pointed at the balding professor, "That man there is Professor Colbert," and finally at the woman, "And that's Miss Longueville. Could we get your name?"
"...Yes..." Though he said that, he didn't know if he could answer as truthfully as they wanted. Much of everything was confusing to him right now and there were still large gaps in his memory from before he linked the fires. Chunks of his memories were outright missing and he had to piece the gaps himself, lest he suffer another breakdown such as the one during the duel, "My name's...Familiar..."
Familiar? Oh dear, that will make calling out to him difficult, "Well, the first thing we'd like to ask is this: Are you human?"
The Undead blinked slowly before the question finally registered in his mind, "...Yes..." If he were more emotive, he might have thought of giving Old Osman an 'are you crazy' stare. Given that he wasn't, he made do with rolling his eyes slightly at the obvious question, "...Human...like you..." He pointed at Old Osman.
"Hmm, I see!" The Undead reeled back slightly at the eccentric old man's loud answer, "Well, I guess I wasn't really expecting a different answer. Now I'd like to ask more personal question: Do you feel the need to drink human blood by any chance?"
Well...that was certainly quite the jump. At his sides, he could see the balding professor and the young secretary palming their face in their hands and muttering something he couldn't make out. He had a feeling it had to do with how the old man was acting, though, judging by the fact that they kept looking at him.
"No...not blood..." Drink blood? That was insane. He hadn't even seen blood for as long as he could remember. Undead didn't need them considering how decayed their bodies were, and the red liquid would've no doubt been a liability in a fight. He heard from Domholl of Zena that when a human (non-undead) got injured, their blood rushes out and they get weaker as a result. How inconvenient! Bad enough that he had to deal with being flattened or diced on a daily basis, but to have to worry about every little cut? Horrible.
"Oh, I see..." Was the old man actually disappointed at his answer? "Yes, yes. I can tell by your surprised expression that you're not lying about your answer."
Well he was certainly disappointed. Vampires were rare in the world of Halgakenia and he thought that the Familiar that was summoned was a member of the night predators. Of course there was the safety of the students to consider, but given how no one reported missing bodies drained of their bodily fluids he took it to mean that, if he was a vampire, then he was at the very least a docile one. He'd heard of those who simply took what little they could and didn't kill humans.
It would also handily explain how he was able to survive getting impaled by the Valkyrie's sword...which he also held in his hand right now. Whoever he was, he certainly had a morbid sense of humor about him. Vampires were also one of the few things that could be classified as both an Undead and a mage, given that they had both long lived lives and the ability to surpass even many mages in magic. It was a good thing they rarely came out to fight.
"Pardon me Professor Colbert, Headmaster Osman. What exactly are you trying to gauge from Ms Valliere's Familiar?" Ms Longueville asked, interrupting the old man's musings, "I understand from the situation that summoning a human Familiar is rare, but what exactly do you mean when asking if he drinks blood?"
Colbert sighed before whispering something into the green haired woman's ear. Immediately her eyes widened and her lips pursed. She wasn't going to ask any more questions.
"Right, let's just get this out of the bag then shall we?" Old Osman leaned back in his chair, "Do you know what a vampire is?"
"...No..." The Undead shook his head softly. The word had no meaning to him and it was the first time he'd heard of it, "...Friend...?"
"A friend? Oh dear me, of course not," Osman laughed slightly at the implication. Being friends with a vampire? That certainly would be quite a sight. What next? Having sexual relations with one? "Just a mild curiosity is all. Please don't mind it."
Right, and he was supposed to leave it at that? Obviously the word meant something else he wouldn't speak it out loud or ask him. Did it have to do with the blood drinking he mentioned earlier?
"Ahem, I would like to ask my question now if possible," Colbert interjected, "Well, Mr Familiar?" Once again he found himself nodding at the impromptu name, "As I understand it, you are now Ms. Valliere's Familiar. Is this the case or no?"
"Yes..." Right, to be this girl's servant till death do them part. Well, it was most likely that he'd die first before her. Being Undead technically allowed anyone eternal life, but most people didn't last long enough for that to really take effect. Most of them Hollowed or were sacrificed to the flames before they got a chance to. He didn't know how long he had left, but he didn't think it would take long till he Hollowed.
"Right, and there is usually a mark to show the bond between Familiar and Master," Colbert was half-lying; it was true that marks did appear, but it only did so in specific and rare cases throughout history. If his theory was right, then this was one of those cases, "Do you have anything similar to that? I would like to see if possible."
It would certainly explain how he survived getting impaled. If Colbert's theory about the runes was true, then it would save them having to ask the confused Undead any questions about his impalement. It was also more comforting to everyone present than the bloodsucker excuse.
The Undead nodded, already beginning to tear away at the bandages covering his left palm. He was stopped from doing so completely by his quite literally barreling through the door of the office.
"Ex-Excuse me, Headmaster Osman!" Louise bowed deeply, "I'm sorry for being late! I had to deal with a wrong package delivery."
What she was referring to was the messenger bird coming back with said expensive medicine she ordered. Given that her Familiar was upright again and refused to accept help, the medicine had effectively turned useless. Immediately she had to go back to the room and make a note explaining her circumstances. Even then she doubted that she could get all her money back considering how hard to make the medicine was and how expensive the reagents must be.
"It's quite alright Ms. Valliere. We were simply planning to look at your Familiar's runes and see if we could find an explanation," Osman explained jovially. Internally he sighed and muttered an incantation under his breath, breaking the silence spell around the room. It would look too suspicious now that Ms Valliere had wandered in.
Louise nodded, giving a relieved sigh at the Headmaster's reaction, "Familiar, show them your runes," She turned to him and ordered.
"...Okay..." Completing the task, The Undead gripped the bandage before pulling it away forcefully, "...Here..." He held up his left hand with the palm facing his body, making sure that the side with the rune on it was shown to everyone.
Colbert's mind immediately clicked in recognition, "Interesting," He unconsciously pushed up his glasses; a habit he showed whenever he found something that piqued his curiosity.
It the runes themselves per se that interested, though that was invariably a large part of it, but rather the fact that the burns on his palms seemed to stop just an inch or two from the runes, exposing his pale skin. It was almost as if the burns refused to go near the signs.
"O-Okay! Familiar, put your bandages back on!" Louise turned away as the familiar nausea began to fill her. Seeing the burnt skin was horrifying and he couldn't imagine how he managed to move around and fight with it on.
"Yes, I do believe that's enough," Both Osman and Colbert nodded, though neither showed the discomfort that the young girl did, "I suppose Mr. Colbert has seen enough of the runes to ensure that he can do his research in peace. For now I'd like to talk to Miss Valliere about the situation."
Both Colbert and Longueville nodded and left the room. The former because he had enough to do his research, and the latter simply because political troubles didn't notice her. Well, that and the fact that she saw Osman's mouse Familiar stalking her and she wanted a nice private place to step on it should it follow her.
"Now, Miss. Valliere," Osman turned to the young student, "As I understand it, your Familiar and Mr Gramont had dueled earlier this day. Am I correct?"
"Y-Yes, Headmaster Osman."
"I won't ask the specifics, but I will say now that it doesn't really matter. Duels are forbidden on academy grounds and Mr. Gramont was aware of this," Old Osman shook his head, "Unfortunately, we can't punish Mr. Gramont for his actions."
"Why so?" Louise didn't really care, but she was curious about it all the same.
"Well, it's simply because nothing like this has happened before," The headmaster explained sadly, "The duel explicitly forbids two nobles from interfering with one another. It says nothing about a duel between a noble and a commoner, or Familiar as the case may be." He gestured to the Undead who was trying vain to bandage himself again, "If it was a duel then it means that your Familiar accepted it, did he not? I'm afraid I can do nothing then."
"No, I understand. Thank you for your understanding," She bowed deeply, grabbing her Familiar's head with her hand and forcing him to as well, "I apologize for causing you trouble and hope that we don't bother you again."
"Oh, and we will not be telling your family as well as Mr. Gramont's. This is both a unique incident and the exact details of the incident are unknown. Many of you classmates are even stating that your Familiar got stabbed through clean with Mr. Gramont's sword. How odd, right?" Osman remarked with fake levity.
"Y-Yes, how odd!" Louise felt herself sweat nervously a the reminder while the Undead gave no indication that he heard it or that he cared if he did (though he was swiftly getting annoyed with his lack of success in bandaging himself up).
She felt partly annoyed that her Familiar was basically getting off scot free despite his actions. She herself was punished severely whenever a spell blew up (which was all the time) and yet here he was getting away with killing a nobleman and practically traumatizing most if not all her peers. Then again, she doubted any punishment would affect him much at all considering he managed to shrug off getting impaled in the stomach.
...She resolved not to think about it again lest the images flow back into her head.
With that done, both Master and Familiar left the room. Osman looked at them one last time before sighing. He was no closer to figuring out what exactly was the situation with Ms. Valliere's Familiar and his Familiar was currently trying not to get stomped by his very irate secretary.
Today just wasn't his day.
It was only after the two of them managed to make their way to the open courtyard did Louise allow herself to relax. It had been a long day and she wasn't in the mood to deal with anything stressful right now. All she wanted to do right now was curl up into her bed and forget everything that had happened the for the past few hours. Nevermind the fact that her parents would ask where she spent most of her money if not her own usage or the fact that her peers would probably start avoiding her now that they thought that her Familiar was some kind of demon from the void.
"Hey, what's with that scar?"
She didn't notice it earlier, but there was a very noticeable scar extending from both sides of his left palm. Unlike the red skin that covered his hand, the scar was almost a pristine white and was very serrated. It was as if he blocked 5 daggers at once and all of them tried to pry themselves loose at the same time.
"..." The Undead said nothing, content to stare at the scar without a word. It was one of the few memories he never forget.
"Ahhhh!"
The Undead screamed in pain as the pure flame pierced through his armor and he was thrown backwards from the force. In front of him Gwyn slowly stalked forward, eyes empty and unfocused. He was long gone from this world and only his rage kept him going. Rage that the Undead was unlucky enough to be a target of.
"Damn it!" He cursed and stood up quickly, trying to get his bearings together. He had 5 estus flasks left and his greatsword was starting to weigh him down. The armor of Artorias protected him from Gwyn's flames, but it was only only a temporary measure, "Shield. Where's my shield?"
He did a quick scan of the area before his insides turned ice cold. His shield - The Greatshield of Artorias - was behind Gwyn. He had thrown it by accident when he felt the heat consume him temporarily and now he was without defense. He needed to get that shield back no matter the cost.
Quickly he ran forward, strategy and timing be damned. Gwyn seemed to guess his movement and he readied his own greatsword in response. The Undead cursed to himself before gripping his weapon with both hands and charged straight at him.
Their swords met briefly before he found himself rolling under the more powerful God and grabbing frantically at the shield. He nearly had a hold of it in his hands before he found himself being flung backwards again flat on his back this time.
Gwyn wasted no time. He raised his flaming sword and slashed downwards, intending to impale the Undead.
"No!" The Undead raised his left and used it as a barrier against the swords point. Immediately what little protection his armor gave him disappeared and pain started to envelop his hand. The swords tip had already bypassed his palm in no time flat and it wouldn't take long for it to reach his chest and skewer him completely.
"One chance!" He let go of his sword and opened his right hand wide. Immediately an intense flame enveloped his palm. It wasn't for Gwyn, it was for himself. Power within was a dangerous pyromancy. It granted power in exchange for pain. Right now he really didn't have much of a choice, "Oh, this is going to hurt!"
The second the flame touched his body, pain surged through him. But with it came power. "Damn it!" Gritting his teeth for pain, The Undead pushed his left hand forward, slowly but surely widening the distance between the swords tip and himself. The Lord of Cinder actually seemed to go into shock at his actions and his grip on the sword loosened slightly.
The Undead didn't waste his chance. Grabbing the abyss greatsword, he wielded it with his one hand and stabbed as hard as he could towards the fallen God. Gwyn looked down and saw the sword halfway impaled to his chest. He gave one breath, just one, before his grip on his sword loosened and he found himself kneeling. The corruption of the blade was weakening.
Now was his chance. Ignoring the pain in his palm, he grabbed the sword and pulled it out quickly. To kill the Lord of Cinder with his own weapon. Ironic, "Die!" With one last stare into the God's visage, he gripped the sword's handle tightly and swung down.
"Familiar?" Her Familiar had stopped moving and continued to stare blankly at the scar on his hand. What was the big deal? Scars were common and easy enough to heal with some water magic. She didn't miss the fact that most of the student's who passed by their way immediately turned around at the sight of him. They were scared of him, and she couldn't blame them for it.
Oh well, at least it meant that Germanian tramp wouldn't-
"Oh, Valliere~"
Dear Founder, did fate hate her!? Swallowing her rising bile, Louise turned and prepared to utter a well thought of insult about her rival being fat and how her nutrients all left her brain and went into said excess fat.
"MMMMPPPHHHH!"
Only for said reply to be muffled as she found herself quite literally getting smothered to death by said excess fat. Any outsiders who saw this might have thought they were best friends based on how physically close they were but that couldn't have been further from the truth. The Germanian was taunting her with the one thing she didn't have (she had magic!...Even if it was just a few explosions).
"Oh sorry Valliere, I didn't hear you~"
"Met oww meee! (Get off me)" Louise struggled blindly before managing to push off the amorous Germanian off her, "What do you want, Zerbst? Can't you see I'm busy here?"
"Oh? It seems to me that you're just standing around doing nothing." This 'Zerbst' smiled nonchalantly, "What's wrong Valliere? Something on your mind?"
"It's none of your business, you Germanian dropout!"
The person talking with his master was unknown to him. She was tall, or at least she was taller than his Master. She was also wearing the same uniform as her, though in her case it seemed smaller on her. Was the shirt designed to expose the chest like that or was it personalized for her sake? Might be that it was for the benefit of her chest, which stretched out rather comically unlike the flat plain of his master. He could see how casting became more difficult with them.
The Familiar watched the scene in front of him in complete confusion. Should he intervene for his master's sake? She certainly looked angry, but neither of the two were drawing their catalysts or casting spells. Did that mean all was well?
"I'm asking what you want, Zerbst! I don't have time to deal with you right now!"
"Well, that's quite obvious, isn't it?" Kirche sighed dramatically and feigned a hurt expression, "And here I was worried about you. I mean, what would I do if my rival ended up getting expelled because of an incident like this? Things would get slightly boring if that were to happen."
"Speak for yourself. I for one would love it if you went away and never came back," She gave a frustrated stamp of her foot when Kirche yawned at her insults, "And I'm sure you can find something - or someone - to entertain yourself if you need to. How many are you seeing right now? Three?" She asked scathingly, trying to bait a response from the taller girl.
"Four actually, though I'm pretty sure you know nothing about that," Kirche grinned when Louise's faced turned red in both anger and embarrassment, "After all, your experience in that kind of thing is the same as your magic and your chest size: Zero."
"Well at least it means I'm not a sl-"
"Kyuru kyuru."
The Undead couldn't hear whatever his master said on account of something even more important taking his attention, "...You...?" He knelt down and looked at the Salamander as it sniffed as his exposed arm again, making a sound that he was sure was what it normally sounded like when it wasn't breathing in and out. The Salamander sniffed at his arm again, giving him another curious glance.
Seeing as his Master and her acquaintance weren't going to finish anytime soon, he decided to entertain the creature's request and stuck his hand out. Rather than keep sniffing and observing like before, the salamander actually licked the reddened flesh with it's flame barbed hand.
Oddly enough, he felt no pain at the salamander's touch. It actually felt calming somewhat, despite all evidence pointing to the opposite. A comforting warmth began to spread from where its tongue lapped at and he oddly relaxed the longer it went on.
"Fire," He was knocked out of his reverie by a calm voice calling out. The pale being looked up from the salamander and saw a small girl, smaller than even his master. She leaned against the tree in a sitting position, barely looking at him from atop her book. Unlike the dark red and vibrant pink of the arguing couple, her hair was a light blue and was cut short. Her uniform appeared similar to his master; small and plain.
"Hurts?" She pointed at his arm, which was still being licked by the large salamander. The Undead looked down at his hand again briefly before shaking his head gently, his right hand petting the salamander slowly. He obviously wasn't used to getting so close to an elemental without it trying to nibble bits of him off.
"...Nice..." He looked down and thought of a more appropriate word, "...Calming..."
"Tabitha." She pointed at herself before pointing at him, "Name?"
"...Familiar..."
The two of them them nodded silently to one another before going back to what they were doing.
The salamander continued to lick his hand and The Undead slowly found something odd: His hand was healing. The reddened skin slowly turned paler the longer he it got licked by the flame Familiar. Soon it had turned back to it's pale white color from before. But it was temporary. He didn't know how, but he could feel it inside somehow. The injuries would return soon enough and he'd find himself weakened again. The salamander had somehow taken the flame from him temporarily.
"Thank you..." He petted the flame Familiar's head gratefully. Great, he appeared to have found a temporary cure. He felt that safety here just like last night when he was talking with Siesta. As long as he didn't find any giant flames, walking corpses, or dragons things would-
...
Was he just imagining things, or did a giant blue dragon just land right in front of him?
While the two of them were having their riveting conversation, the two rivals continued to bicker back and forth. Or rather, Louise tried to bicker back and forth while Kirche simply threw all her attempted insults back at her.
"How many lovers have you taken this past month alone? No wonder you were kicked out of even your brute of a country." Louise sneered.
"Sticks and stones, Valliere." Kirche once again shrugged, "At least I have experience in it, unlike you who's a Zero from magic up to sex appeal."
"What did you say!?" Louise gripped her wand, though she didn't draw it, "I swear by Founder Brimir that you will regret taunting the La Valliere family! You and your wh-"
"Uwaaaaah!"
...What in the void was that?
That voice was unquestioningly male, but the only male around here would be her Familiar. And the thought of her Familiar screaming for anything was already too alien a concept for her.
Louise turned to the source of the voice and found immediately found herself torn between being exasperated, being worried, or laughing till she fell into the floor from the absurdity of what she was seeing.
Her Familiar was there, pinned to the ground by Tabitha's dragon Sylphid. While this might look like an attack or a challenge at first glance, a closer look would indicate the exact opposite. Sylphid was licking him, and quite heavily at that given that his face seemed to already be slobbered by the dragon's saliva. Futilely he tried to push or knock the dragon off with his bare fists; his sword had long been forgotten in his panic.
"...Off..." He grabbed the dragon's snout and pushed forward, only to be met with disappointment as the blue monstrosity refused to budge from it's (or was it her? He knew enough about dragon's and monsters to identify their gender - or lack of such - at a glance), "...Don't...eat..." He struggled out. What was with Dragon's and trying to eat him? Was he giving off something that made dragons think 'Eat me!' was on his agenda?
She couldn't believe this. Her Familiar was whimpering at the dragon? He didn't complain about his burns, he didn't so much as emit a sound when he got skwered by Guiche, and he was whimpering at Tabitha's harmless Familiar? Sure it was big, but baby wind dragon's were known to be very friendly and rarely attacked even when provoked. It was only when they grew up did they turn hostile and aggressive.
"No eating." Tabitha grabbed the her wooden staff and bonked her Familiar on the snout lightly. Sylphid seemed to frown slightly in response, but stepped back from the struggling Familiar in response. It wasn't her fault that he smelt like (and actually tasted like) smoked meat. How was he doing that anyway? She couldn't see any flames from him.
"Well, it seems your Familiar has a particular weakness to dragons," She commented to Louise, "And I was wondering why Flame seemed so attached to him." She'd seen her own Familiar getting close to him both earlier this morning and when she was arguing with Louise. It intrigued her greatly, but she was merely content to observe for now. He might have pushed her Flame away if she asked him about it.
"Of all the things you could comment on," Louise started evenly, "You comment on that? How about what happened in the duel earlier or the burns on his boy? You comment on dragon slobber instead?"
"Honestly, who cares about any of that stuff? He got stabbed once. I've seen soldier's in Germania brag about getting speared about 3 times and keep going," Kirche ruffled her the pinkette's hair mockingly, "And honestly, does physical appearance really matter? We all grow old and wrinkle as we grow up. Injuries come and go like everything else eventually does. It's a person's passion that matters, and he showed a lot during that fight."
"Right, how could I forget you come from that brute of country? Honestly, I shouldn't be surprised at this point of your lack of tact." Louise deadpanned back.
"And that's why you're still a kid."
Once again the two returned to their back and forth. The Undead didn't bother listening and busied himself with wiping the dragon drool from his face, "...Ugh...disgusting..."If he was purely human he would've felt the urge to puke.
"Sorry." Tabitha mumbled lazily, not bothering to look up from her book. The Undead nodded and didn't let her lack of emotion bother him; he was no better than her in that regard.
Sylphid bowed in apology as well, though she never lost that glint in her eye that made it clear what she planned to do if the two were alone in a room. He turned away from her and-
By the abyss.
How did he not notice it before? Of course he should have noticed it before. She was a dragon, of course she had it. That part of her body that tantalized him and garnered his full attention every time.
How would he describe her? Beautiful? Temptation given raw form? He could already feel himself get excited as different possibilities passed into his mind. That smooth skin, that graceful movement, or how about those tempting contours that promised so much for so little? Oh, what could he do given those qualities? He felt an excitement that he rarely ever felt except those rare times. Some might his call slight obsession with it sick, but he'd gotten so much from said obsession that he didn't care!
He needed to do what was necessary. Immediately he gripped his sword with both hands, taking deep excited breaths as he tightened his grip on the shaft. He needed to do this. It'd been too long since he'd done it.
"And another thing-"
"Kyuuuuu!"
Once again both pairs turned and found a quite ridiculous sight. Sylphid was crying out in a panic, shaking her body to and fro like a rabid dog. On her tail was Louise's Familiar, gripping the poor appendage with one hand and holding Guiche's summoned sword in another all while swinging it clumsily against the poor dragon.
"Familiar, what are you DOING!?"
The Undead paused in his attempts to do...whaever it was he was doing to turn to his master "...What...?" Louise seethed at the reply. He actually had the gall to act like he was doing nothing wrong? "Weapon...getting..."
What in the void was he talking about? "Let go of Tabitha's Familiar now!" She waited a couple of seconds but his grip on the appendage refused to waver, despite Sylphid's attempt to pry him off. He didn't, "As your master, I command you to let go of Tabitha's Familiar RIGHT NOW!"
"...Okay..." The disappointment in his voice was quite noticeable given his usual lack of emotion. Reluctantly, he sighed and loosened his grip on the tempting appendage. What did his master have against him and getting new weapons? The sword he had right now was pathetic and he guessed that he would get at least a decent longsword from that blue dragon's tale. Or if he was lucky, he could get a greatsword! He definitely needed it.
"Listen, if you want weapons, then I'll get you one when I get a chance to go into town. So no attacking Familiars, got it!?"
"...Got it..." So the dragon could try to eat him and receive no problems but if he attacks her (without even killing her, midn you) then suddenly it's wrong? Great standards this world had.
"Come on, let's go back to the room. I'm tired of this..."
The Undead followed his master back to the tower, giving one last glance at the Dragon that tried to eat him. Tabitha gave a small wave while Kirche energetically said goodbye to both him and his master, but he ignored them. That tail was baiting him. The way it swished around all whole and undamaged. It wasn't right. A tail wasn't complete till he cut it in half and received a new weapon from it.
He was going to get it, no matter what.
Across Tabitha, Sylphid shivered as the Undead's gaze never left her. Maybe she made a mistake trying to eat him. It wasn't her fault! He just smelled so good!
Finally finished this! If I sound irritated, then that's because I made this in the span of two days and I was (and still am as of this writing) horribly sick with a cold. Anyway, please review, comment, and criticize. It makes me feel better and helps me write faster. Oh, and I apologize for any drop in writing quality. A searing headache and droopy eyes make it hard to focus.
Oh, and before anybody asks: Yes, vampires are canon, though they've only showed up in the Tabitha and Karin side-stories. I didn't make them up or anything.
Anyway, as I promised, here's Cattleya and Agnes.
Agnes Chevalier de Milan - Even if I don't pair these two, their interactions are the most natural between them. The Undead treats her similar to a man and always asks about sword techniques or weaponry. Agnes herself has no problem with this and appreciates him treating her no less as a warrior despite her gender or birth. They're probably going to be "Platonic Life Partners" due to this.
Cattleya Yvette La Baume Le Blanc de La Fontaine (try saying that three times without getting tongue tied) - The Undead immediately thinks of The Fair Lady when he sees her; not helped by the fact that she has two sisters who prefer to explode stuff without question. Also, as many of you have stated, Sergent Mother and Eleanore probably wouldn't approve at all given their strict standards. Given that this CU healed (or at least tried to) the Fair Lady by feeding her that extra 70 Humanity, he might feel the same desire to help her as well given their circumstances. Her kind personality helps greatly in this regard.
Oh, and more comments for Henrietta and Kirche since these two seem to be the most voted.
Henrietta de Tristain - A romance at this point would be really bittersweet given her experience with Wales. The CU has a warped view of life and death and he still thinks "Henrietta is Wales lover" despite the latter's death. Though she does end up teaching him about more complex emotions later on and the pain of having to suppress them for others. Let's not get into the political ramifications till later.
Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst - She seems to also be getting attention from you guys. I'll say this now: A romance between the two would be awkward in all sorts of ways. Despite her kind personality, Kirche seems to love getting to the point; and the point is something you guys probably know. While Colbert refuses this, he at least knows what she's insinuating. The Chosen Undead is, as of now, physically incapable of the act. No blood flows in his veins, as shown when Guiche managed to attack him both times, meaning no salutes from his soldier no matter how hard Kirche tries. This will change later in the story, but right now he's more dead than alive. Is she that patient?
Well, that's all for now. See you next time!