Odd though it may seem, I want to do this. I have such a better picture of what I want this story to be, I can't continue the current iteration. It will be there for any who are curious, but this will be the story from here out. I apologize to all the fans of the original and all the follows and favorites it was given, but I decided this after a great deal of thought.
If nothing else, Neb and Louise are here with all their friends. We may be starting over, but I believe it will be far better this way.
Sorry again, but now it's time to start anew.
Onwards!
All was quiet that night, the moons shining upon the peaceful walls of a sleepy castle.
Within its walls lay tall towers, great halls, and verdant courts. Each cared and cleaned to the utmost degree by dedicated servants. It was a great symbol of their country, where the sons and daughters of nobility from all around came to learn.
"Founder, damn it!"
One such daughter snarled as her experiment went up in smoke. She'd burned through many candles trying to get this right, but her soot covered desk was far from the ideal outcome.
"I have to get this right!" The girl muttered as she mussed her long pink hair, equally pink eyes narrowed at the stained wood. "If it won't work with the lesser reagents, how can I expect it to work with the real deal in the morning?"
Her gaze went to the back of her large room, a specially locked case sitting next to her wardrobe. It had been a massive effort to get a hold of the reagents contained within, to the point she'd been forced to give up much of her allowance. It would be well worth it assuming tomorrow went as planned.
"Of course, it'll go well." She muttered again, hand reaching for a heavily dogeared tome. "It has to. I'm a mage, I can do the summoning and prove it. That'll show all those lousy hecklers."
Anxiety met those words, the girl flipping through the book for what must have been the hundredth or so time. She had the ancient text and runes memorized, but even the smallest chance that she'd missed something kept her searching.
The morning had to go right, it had to. If it didn't, and she failed again, there'd be nothing left.
She'd never see her parents proud of her.
Shame would follow her name as sure as mud did rain.
And ultimately, her dear sister would be sad.
"I refuse." The girl muttered; her tome slammed closed. "On my pride as Louise Françoise Le Blanc de la Valliere, I refuse for any other outcome but success. I will summon the greatest creature this school has ever seen. A dragon, no a Rhyme dragon! No, a manticore elder, something even Mother cannot claim!"
Pride and defiance shown in her eyes as she put down the tome with a thud. It was too late to bathe now, the servants were long asleep, but that didn't matter. Tomorrow was the most important day of her seventeen years, and she'd see it dawn bright.
Unfortunately for Louise, for that was her personal name, she underestimated how late she'd been experimenting. By the time she'd changed, calmed her anxiety, and extinguished the candles, the moons were on their way down.
Her bed was her enemy, the luxurious mattress taking up a full quarter of the room and almost swallowing her. It was so very comfortable and warm, that Louise barely stirred when the bell tower rang and the sun crested the horizon.
After a scant few hours of rest, a knock echoed through her room. It was just barely enough for Louise to open her eyes, blearily sitting up with a yawn. "What…?"
She blinked a few times, only to screech as the sun-dappled room came into focus. "Founder in heaven, I'm late!"
She flew across the room, throwing on the school's uniform and grabbing her supplies, sometimes at the same time. She squawked and cried as more than a few items got mixed in her hair or cloak, but ultimately, she was able to get herself ready within minutes of waking.
Her hair was a disaster, but there was nothing for it.
Louise slammed her door open and raced for the stairs, ignoring the poor young maid that had come to deliver the wake-up call. She ran past several doors before reaching the stairs, not a soul in sight, even as she ran down to the common room.
"Founder, don't let them be gone." Louise pleaded under her breath when a similar scene greeted her on the ground floor. Only servants were about, cleaning the luxurious tables and lounge chairs of the foyer, but they kept their gazes away as Louise ran out the doors.
It was a bright morning that greeted Louise when she burst into open air, wispy clouds doing little to block the jolly sun. It was far removed from her mood, Louise sprinting across the stone paths and across the great Vestri Court to make the gates.
The footmen on guard didn't stop her as she ran through the gatehouse, wisely guessing she was late. Louise silently appreciated the lack of delay, but she was terribly winded already and the sight of a dark blob a ways outside the walls made her legs shake.
But if nothing else, Louise was persistent. Charging with all possible strength, she came upon a large group of students, their cloaks identical to hers.
"Oh, glad you could join us, Lady Valliere." A kind voice greeted Louise after she'd come to a stop. Apparently, in her haste, she'd charged right through to the front of the group. "You're right on time."
Louise leaned over and panted, trying to catch her breath. "My… apologies… Professor Colbert."
The kindly professor smiled at her, the sun shining off his half-bald head and spectacles. "It's quite alright, I was late for my summoning ceremony. Held up the whole class because I decided to stay up all night figuring out runes."
The professor laughed at his short tale, only a smattering of chuckles from the other students accompanying him.
"Runes are about all she's good for." One muttered, making sure Louise heard. "Fail at everything else, all you'd be doing is studying dusty tomes."
Louise wanted to glare at the offender, but Professor Colbert cleared his throat. "Now that everyone's here, let's get down to brass tacks. The circle behind me is the site of every summoning ceremony since the Academy's founding. Today, you shall join that hallowed history and complete the ritual that will mark you as second-year academy students."
He beamed at the students, looking forward to the coming rituals. "You are free to use your own reagents and runes for this alongside chants, just be careful. The creatures summoned are often confused, and even if the magic of the ritual keeps them docile long enough to make them familiars, danger is ever present."
The crowd of students muttered and rumbled forward, Louise slipping to the back as Colbert started to call for volunteers.
"Wow, look at you. Already starting the day with Zero grace."
Louise snarled and rounded on the speaker, a much taller girl in a shirt too tight for her… bountiful assets. "Shut it, Zerbst. Unlike a floozy I know, I had to make sure all my reagents were in order. Didn't lose yours in those udders, did you?"
The taller girl laughed derisively. To an outside observer, the two combatants were a study in opposites.
Louise was short, no two ways about it. Even other short girls were taller than her. Her skin was pale and soft, only her hands holding any semblance of work with numerous small scars and callouses from her work.
Her opponent was taller than most of the boys. Rich chocolate skin, unblemished and radiant, drew appreciative glances to her pretty face and sharp eyes.
Where Louise was a stick, thin and petite in shape, her opponent was luscious and bountiful. Where Louise was a rolling meadow with only slight rises, her opponent was grand mountains sure to make anyone's back hurt.
"As if I would lose them in my pride and joy." The girl said, haughty amusement in her voice. "I'd be more concerned that you don't kill whatever deigns to answer your call, if anything. That'd be just like you, Zero, all smoke and no substance."
Louise snarled. "I'll show you, Zerbst. I'll summon the best damn familiar this academy has ever seen! Just you watch, you can grovel afterwards."
Kirche, the Zerbst's given name, placed a finger on her lips. "Oh, I'll be sure to watch. Then, when you inevitably fail as you always have, I'll be glad to open my arms and comfort you. Before you get shipped out."
Louise couldn't help the blush that rose to her cheeks, voice seething. "I will never be one of your conquests, Kirche von Zerbst. I will die before you so much as try and stain my family's name anymore."
She turned on her heel and stormed away, the very sight of Kirche's amused stare enough to make her ill. Kirche watched the short girl go before looking away with a frown. "I screwed up again. Founder damn me, I can't say what I want."
"…Trouble?"
Kirche glanced over to see a girl only slightly taller than Louise staring at her from behind half-spectacles. "…Just me screwing up with Louise the Zero as always. Tell me, Tabitha, where do I go wrong?"
The smaller girl tilted her head and moved aside a lock of blue hair. "…Me?"
"No, I shouldn't have asked." Kirche sighed. "It's just too easy to fall back on old habits is all. Makes me wonder if my 'friendly' attempts sound different to Louise."
Tabitha shrugged and opened the book she was carrying. "…Who knows?"
"A font of conversation as always." Kirche drawled, eyes scanning the crowd for Louise's eye-catching hair. "So, what do you think you'll summon?"
Tabitha didn't answer, too absorbed in her book.
Kirche sighed, silently ruing the dearth of conversation. At least if Louise was still here, they could trade barbs until one of them went up.
At least then they could at least appear like the rivals Kirche had hoped they'd be upon first meeting the diminutive Valliere. Not… whatever this farce was.
Louise for her part was hanging around the back of the crowd, barely paying attention to the summoning unless something interesting popped up. She was far more concerned about going through everything one or two more times.
Ok, the runes and marks are all correct, no mistaking it. The dragon's blood and unicorn hair are still viable, same with the manticore fang. This will give me the best shot I have of summoning something worthy and getting Zerbst to shut up. Make her go crying to her parents for once.
Louise jumped a bit as the crowed oohed and awed. By the sounds of it, Zerbst had gone and summoned a salamander, one of the big ones from the Fire Mountains. Of course, that floozy would summon something like her, imitating the majesty of dragons but still ground-bound.
Not a minute later, shocked gasps rang out and Louise looked to see Tabitha, quiet, unassuming Tabitha, petting an honest to Founder dragon. Louise knew the quiet girl was quite skilled and just shy of her in the academic rankings, but a dragon?
Louise gulped, nerves returning. Now she'd have to summon a manticore, it was the only way to upstage that. She had to be the most impressive, had to be. It was the only way to redeem all her prior failures and escape that horrid nickname.
Maybe she'd get an actual runic name…
"Lady Valliere?"
Colbert's voice made Louise jolt, her vial of dragon blood accidently popping open. "Yes, Professor Colbert?"
The professor smiled at her, the other students and their familiars staring at her. "You're the last one. We've had a good day of summonings, so why not end it on a high note?"
Louise puffed up as the others snickered. "Of course, Professor. I will summon the greatest beast you've yet seen."
"If you don't explode first!" A girl with long blonde hair jeered. "In fact, go ahead and blow yourself up! Save us all your misery!"
Spiteful laughter followed the jeer, Colbert fixing the girl with a disapproving frown. "Lady Montmorency, whatever your grudge, do not disparage your fellows."
He scanned the crowd with the same frown. "Should anyone speak ill again while we're still here, I will fill your mouth with mud and assign you detention until summer break. Am I clear?"
The silence was deafening.
Louise kept her head high as she marched to the circle, the remains of many a summoning circle scarring the ground. Unknown to her, a few drops of venom from a particularly nasty viper escaped their vial in her case and dripped into the open vial of dragon blood.
Louise set to work on the ritual, drawing an incredibly complex and large series of circles that extended beyond the bounds of the cleared site. Colbert backed the students up as the circle grew larger, beyond curious to see what would happen.
"What the hell is she doing." A blonde boy with a handsome face whispered to a pudgy boy. "I've never seen those runes before."
Kirche had asked the same question of Tabitha, who narrowed her eyes at some of the runes. "…Old, very old. Restricted section."
Mutters abound at that, Tabitha too curious to watch her volume. Louise the Zero, in the restricted section? Clearly the librarian had a favorite.
Louise ignored them; her work nearly complete. First, she placed the unicorn hair at the top of the circle, an indentation dug out to hold the fine, silvery hair. Then, she went to the bottom right and drove the manticore fang into the dirt, anchoring it securely.
Finally, she walked to the last spot and tilted the vial of dragon blood to pour into a shallow divot.
Only to gape as a dark-red sludge oozed out.
No, it coagulated! Founder damn it, I was promised this was fresh and wouldn't thicken for three weeks! The whole ritual's ruined!
Colbert grew concerned at Louise's horrified visage. "Lady Valliere, is something wrong?"
Louise schooled her face into a calm mask, silently weeping at what was bound to be an inevitable failure. "I… am quite alright, Professor Colbert. I'm ready to… proceed."
Colbert could feel something was wrong but acquiesced at Louise's pleading gaze. "Very well, continue with the ritual. I'm eager to see what you call forth."
"Aren't we all?" Louise muttered bitterly, wand appearing in hand as she left the circle. Taking position, she pointed at the center of the circle and called on her magic.
It rose as wild and untamed as it always was, seeking to flood whatever she was trying to cast on and destroy it. No matter what she wanted, it would explode after the flood, but she prayed that the circle would at last be able to harness the torrential flow.
With that prayer, she started the chant.
"Oh great stars…"
-Ashan, Mountains of Ygg-Chall-
The creature found itself in a strange situation.
Before its cave sat a curious sight, a simple thief coming for advice. Nothing had sought out the creature in many years, especially since it's last excursion to the lands of Grimheim had been… explosive.
"Why do you come here?" The creature hissed, golden eyes burning in the darkness of the cave. "Go seek the advice of your teachers and leave me be."
The thief appeared surprised. "…It's true, there is one that talks."
"And one that will kill you if you don't watch your tongue!" The creature snapped, its tail striking the ground. "Either speak well or be gone!"
The thief jumped and fumbled to apologize. "My sincere regrets, old one! I had heard the stories but did not believe them. Now that I see their truth, I beseech you to advise me, I will do all I can to repay the debt!"
The creature narrowed its eyes and stalked forward, claws clicking against stone and steps shaking the walls. The glowing fungi at the mouth of the cave at last illuminated the creature when it was close enough, it's eyes regarding the thief sourly.
"What could you ask of a hydra, thief?" The hydra hissed, oddly possessing but one head. "Unless you plan to plunder a dwarf's brewery, I fail to understand your purpose."
The thief bowed, offering an appealing view of their neck. "I ask for advice on ancient lore, old one. It is said that you are knowledgeable in all things from our founding and beyond."
The hydra briefly considered killing the thief to save the trouble but decided against it. Didn't want another round of assassins coming by to try and test their mettle. "What lore do you seek? Surely you can sneak into some priestess's chambers and research it yourself."
"I've tried." The thief answered. "Yet they do not hold the answers I seek. Even the matriarchs are not but dead ends."
The hydra frowned, not sure about that. "Truly? And you've come to me over, say, one of the children? They have their caves near here."
The thief sounded… embarrassed. "Um… I do not wish to be eaten quite yet, old one. The lore I seek does not require their eminence, and I am here only because I cannot find it where it should be."
The hydra pulled back its lips in a snarl. "Out with it already! I still have many things to organize and you're wasting my time!"
The thief gibbered and gave their answer. "I seek a potion to help with sexual performance!"
The hydra stared in disbelief, the confession echoing off the walls of the cave. Of all the things it had been expecting, that was well towards the bottom. "…Say again?"
The thief remained bowed, the smell of sweat invading the hydra's snout.
"Get out of here and have some confidence!" The hydra screeched. "Malassa's eye, I don't care about your paramour or whatever, at least have some confidence in yourself! And if whoever it is doesn't like it, then get rid of them!"
The thief scrambled away, the advice, such as it was, sticking with them as they fled. The hydra scoffed and retreated into the darkness again, eyes adjusting to the dim illumination the fungi provided.
"Now, where was I?" It muttered, gaze sliding over a large pile of parchment and other esoteric items. It hissed and leaned close to gaze at the tome sitting on a makeshift stand, finding its spot a moment later. "Ah, yes, the last chapter on blessings. Getting this thing was a pain, but it was well worth completing my education on light magic."
The hydra couldn't help a sardonic chuckle. "Well… if I was able to find an archangel, then I'd be done, but I'm not suicidal."
A song hummed past its lips as it continued its studies. Getting access to the Empire's library had been a feat of stealth on its part, and tolerance at that. Getting in through the sewers, while genius, was also very smelly for something like it with a sensitive nose.
It contented itself with the chapter, memorizing the chants and enunciation before moving on to the runes it'd been lucky enough to steal from a dwarf rune-mage. It was so deep in its studies; it had barely gotten half-way through a recent manual on breathing techniques for singers before it noticed an unusual light in its cave.
The hydra snarled and turned to face the intruder, only to find a green oval staring back at it. "What in Ashan is that?"
The oval answered by shooting forth and swallowing the hydra, its screech echoing off the walls as it and its collection were swallowed and sent hurtling through time and space.
It was… not a gentle journey, to say the least.
Yet the lone hydra, by its disappearance, attracted a great deal of attention. Especially from its fickle patron.
"How interesting…" A voice hissed, the great head of a black-scaled dragon investigating the recently vacated cave. "Magic… like Mother's yet not… the staff… may yet be found…"
The dragon retreated; its purpose served.
Malassa cast her gaze through space and time, siblings and mother alike stirred to intrigue by something outside of fate, outside of design.
And Urgash roared with laughter within his prison, a sliver of an opening presenting itself to his madness.
-Louise-
The circle glowed with a menagerie of color, Louise's long and unique chant at an end. Magic flooded the symbols and devoured the ingredients, the circle brightening with each second. Soon it became too much to look at, a second sun birthed on the ground of the Academy.
Louise for a moment, had hope.
It was dashed as the magic roared out of the circle in a massive explosion, the force sending dozens of students and familiars flying. Only a few near the back were able to keep their feet, Colbert conjuring a barrier to protect Louise and a few others from her blast.
Louise sunk to her knees as the cloud of dust rose into the sky, despair etched on her face. This was it, the worst possible outcome, a nightmare come true. All she was good for was… marriage, maybe not even that. Who'd ever want such an abject failure like her? Someone who couldn't even summon correctly?
A hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed gently. "Lady Valliere, despite the blast, it's perfectly likely your familiar is within the cloud. Allow me to dispel it and we'll see what answered your call."
His smile was at great odds with her mournful gaze. "I'm sure it's something amazing."
A wave of his staff summoned a gust that carried the cloud away. A crater now sat where the circle once was, Louise taking tentative steps forward to gaze into it. Ignoring the jeers of the ones that had been blown off their feet, she took great pains to commit what she saw to memory.
Burned books and items were scattered around the crater, whatever was in them long lost to the blast's energy. Why such things had appeared was strange, anxiety sickening her breast.
What if I summoned something dangerous? Something they were studying somewhere? Founder let that not be it.
The center of the crater swiftly drew her undivided attention. A long tail of dark scales led to a thick base, legs like tree trunks jutting from the muscular body and ending in wicked black claws. Equally black, thick scales ran the length of the back, thinner scales on the side while a moon-stone white belly of scales shined in the sunlight.
From this body grew a long neck, what looked like a helmet-shaped crest of purple bone stretching from the middle to the head. The same dark scales covered the neck, the moonstone protecting the jugular, before reaching a serpentine head.
Wicked fangs jutted from the opened jaw, intelligent golden eyes staring wide at Louise from where the creature lay in the crater. Clearly, it was a powerful and dangerous creature, but one that Louise did not know.
This would have been a cause for celebration, Louise jubilant at summoning what very well may be a new species.
Were its neck not shorn in two, blood gushing into the crater like a macabre dish.
"Ha, she killed it!" Someone cried, the others close enough to see the crater's interior. "Whatever it is doesn't matter, Louise the Zero killed her own familiar!"
Louise heard none of the taunts and insults, no matter how depraved or crude they were. All she could do was stare into the crater and despair; mind lost to the winds of depression. All her hopes and dreams, the very idea she'd ever be able to amount to anything, crushed in a single moment.
Colbert could only offer silent sympathy. Louise was his favorite student due to her insatiable drive to learn and discover, something he rarely saw in anyone these days. She'd even asked him questions about his idea for a self-propelled carriage using fire magic as the medium where others laughed.
Seeing her with a look of such abject defeat was something he'd wish on no one.
Even the jeers died down as the students failed to get a rise out of her. Louise had always, always fought back against them, its what made her so easy to insult and screw with. It was quietly unnerving to see the spitfire silent and unmoving, to the point that some were reevaluating their opinions of her.
Kirche was internally crushed. Her hopes for a rival in the Valliere were dashed now, all her malicious whispers and taunts amounting to nothing. Whilst she'd quietly admit to crossing the line many times, driven on by Louise's own backlashes, seeing the girl so defeated was heartbreaking.
If there was one thing Kirche honestly respected about her, it was the never-say-die attitude that had seen her through the first year of the academy. And in that moment, it was gone.
Tabitha, standing beside Kirche and gazing at the dead familiar, would silently agree. While she rarely interacted with Louise, if ever, having someone of such insatiable curiosity constantly challenge her in the academic rankings was… refreshing.
…Wait.
Tabitha narrowed her eyes and leaned closer to the crater. No, she wasn't mad, the creature had stopped bleeding. It was gushing blood not a moment ago, the flow couldn't have stopped that fast.
No one else noticed, too preoccupied with Louise and her silent breakdown. Tabitha glanced back and saw many of the new familiars backing as far from the crater as they could, even her dragon glancing at the corpse nervously.
A dragon being nervous about anything, even a baby dragon, was not good.
Tabitha looked back into the crater and gaped.
The corpse had come to its feet, the detached head swiftly rotting to dust. The ragged edges of its decapitation rotted away to leave smooth flesh, the sound of tearing flesh filling the air as a strange film covered the stump.
By this point, Colbert and several others had noticed as well. "Back, all of you! The corpse is cursed!"
The students yelped in fear and fled away, only Louise remaining before the crater. She was too lost to even notice the panic, or the great headless corpse that had crawled out of the crater and loomed over her.
"Louise!" Colbert roared, ready to charge in and save his student. He couldn't incinerate the corpse with her in the way, but he had to defend the others too.
The moment of indecision changed Louise's life.
The sound of boiling liquid filled the air, the membrane over the neck stump rolling and bubbling like a sick pot. The students gasped in revulsion, those with lesser constitutions forced to turn away and vomit.
The bubbling reached a violent end and the membrane burst; two heads identical to the one that had long disappeared birthed with great screeches. Afterbirth spilled from fanged maws as the creature oriented itself, golden eyes looking around wearily.
"A hydra…" Colbert whispered, stunned stupid. "But… they were exterminated by the Founder and his followers. And this looks like none recorded in the ancient scrolls…"
The hydra appeared to notice Louise first, one of the heads lowered to regard her curiously.
Then, as if to drive home the enormity of its presence… it spoke.
"Wewe ni nani, msichana?" The hydra asked, none knowing its words or expecting it to speak. "Mwendaji mwengine?
Louise finally snapped out of her own pit of despair to notice the hydra staring at her. "Founder's Blood! What in the world?!"
"Lady Louise, the seal if you so please!" Colbert shouted, praying she'd take the hint. "It appears your familiar yet lives!"
Louise blinked in disbelief. This couldn't be her familiar, it was lying dead in the crater!
"Lady Louise, please be swift!"
She finally took the hint and muttered the contract under her breath. The hydra was losing interest and silently considering asking the older human it could see a ways from it when, oddly, the girl tapped the snout before it with her little length of wood and kissed the spot.
The hydra was briefly flattered before magic raced through its body and it flailed in confusion. This was foreign magic, something it didn't know despite the vast horde of knowledge it had accumulated at the behest of the Dark One ages ago.
The flailing necks and limbs made Louise scramble away, now aware of the danger she was in. The hydra's claws tore at the ground and its necks bashed against the crater's edge as the magic started to concentrate at the base of its necks, a line of runes etched into the scales before finally fading.
The hydra stopped its flailing and flipped its heads to gaze at the runes. It didn't recognize them, but the magic in them felt familiar at last. It was a binding spell, the same the warlocks used to keep a leash on creatures they found in the wild and wished to use in battle.
It was a slave… to that girl.
Golden eyes whipped to Louise, fanged maws opened in clear snarls. "Mchawi! Umeiba uhuru wangu!"
The hydra erupted out of the crater and charged the students, only for the branded runes to glow and force it into the ground. The hydra snapped and hissed, both heads glaring at Louise.
"I never imagined it would be able to talk…" Colbert muttered as he put himself before the students. "There's never been a sentient summon that I know of. Oh dear, Lady Louise, what have you called forth?"
"What indeed?" A wise voice asked, the students parting with bows. An old man with long white hair and a glorious beard stepped through the parted students, gaze glued to the hydra. "I heard there was quite a commotion out here, but I never imagined a hydra would be called forth. Extinct for six millenia, yet here before us."
The man looked to Louise, a smile showing through his beard. "It certainly makes things interesting, no?"
Louise bowed to the man. "Of course, Headmaster. I apologize for my familiar, it is… incensed by its appearance."
"As any sentient being would be upon having their freedom stolen." The Headmaster mused. "Animals do not care at the end of the day, for they are fed and cared for. This though… we'll have to try and communicate with this hydra, if only so we can explain."
Louise didn't attempt to argue. While pride said the familiar had no say in this, sentient or not, a more rational part said otherwise. It was one thing to have a dog or an owl go around and fetch things for you, it was another entirely to have a hydra that could think do the same.
Actually, where would they house it? A bed of straw like she'd originally thought up was less than ideal, if only because she'd have been happy with a mouse answering her summons, despite the boasts. Anything to prove she was indeed a mage.
…Which she was, now that she thought about it.
Gloat later, Louise. Right now, more important things.
"Until we have this sorted, I'm afraid the hydra will be kept in the dungeon." The Headmaster sighed, a wave of his staff summoning rock bindings and muzzles, the hydra glaring at him now. "I wish it wasn't necessary, but without the means to talk, it could very well get violent. And I don't know about you, but I'm not fond of possibly tangling with those fangs."
All who heard had to agree, cracks appearing in the bindings as the hydra struggled. The Headmaster strengthened the bonds and muttered a spell that picked the hulking mass of muscle and scale into the air.
"Lady Valliere, first things first." The Headmaster said as he looked at her again. "Congratulations on your summoning, it's no doubt the most unique in ages. Welcome to your second year, and I hope you and your fellows continue to study diligently."
Louise smiled and bowed again. "Thank you, Headmaster Osmond, I'll do all I can."
"Return to your rooms!" Colbert bellowed, the students snapping to attention. "We will see to this, but all of you are to return to your rooms and get ready for tomorrow. Lady Valliere, that includes you. Should anything happen, you'll be informed."
Louise wanted to protest; the hydra was her familiar so she should be there when something was decided. Old manners had to war in order to win in the end. "As you say, Professor. Um… may I visit my familiar later today? If only to see if anything's occurred?"
"You will be informed." Colbert answered, smile in place.
Louise took the hint and bowed; the students dismissed. As everyone else levitated away from the field, Louise felt drawn to the crater and went to investigate.
At first, there wasn't much to see. A fetid pool of drying blood at the bottom, the scorched remnants of parchment and other items she had no name for lying about. But, on the ground where the hydra's bulk had lain, a trio of thick tomes remained untouched by the destruction around them.
Louise picked up the tomes gently, not able to read the titles too well. It was, at least, an improvement over trying to understand the hydra.
"'Sorcery and its Schools'." Louise muttered after a few minutes, barely able to recognize the writing on the first tome as old Romalian from the Vestri period, the same type she'd used to make her circle.
The other two read 'Sword Forms Across Ashan' and 'A Collection of Folk Songs, from Irolan to Haresh.' None of those names meant anything to Louise, but knowledge was knowledge. And who knew? Maybe the hydra was indeed from the Founder's time and had hoarded these texts because of their importance to the people surrounding its den.
Louise felt eagerness rise and she climbed out of the crater, sparing the sundered ground a short glance before making for the gates.
She had reading to do.
-Dungeon-
For the first time in decades, the hydra was bound in chains.
It's heads and necks were held flush against the walls of the great cell with iron muzzles and collars, great shackles holding its legs in place. The cell was pitch-black, only the light of torches around the entrance breaking the darkness.
Not like it did much, the hydra could see through darkness perfectly. The problem was the language spoken wasn't one it could speak. At least, not without growing another head with the appropriate nerve cluster.
Hmph, collars are dull, no edge to slice. If nothing else, it appears I ended up somewhere in the southern Empire, that's the dialect they were using. Why I ended up here over somewhere in Ygg-Chall, and to be bound as a servant at that… they better be able to answer my questions.
The hydra should've expected for humans to not understand his native tongue. Only the border cities had anyone that spoke it aside from the damned elves, and he barely tolerated them as visitors. Having a human for a master was just insulting.
Not to mention its entire collection had been torched. All those tomes and scrolls, some centuries old, up in smoke. It was good he'd memorized basically all the contents, but he'd need to write it all down again to make sure it wasn't lost.
Its musings were cut short as the sound of a clicking lock bounced through the cell. Light sprang from a lone torch, the old man that had bound him walking into the cell with eyes clear in concentration.
The hydra tried to move, its chains rattling, but it could barely shake its legs. The old man came closer, eyes flitting about the hydra's body and bindings. "Hmph, it appears the enchantments have done their jobs. Now, what are we to do with you?"
The hydra hissed and dragged a claw across the stone floor. The old man didn't look away, keeping his eyes on the hydra, until it occurred to him that the scratch wasn't meant to be intimidating. Curious, he glanced down and sent a ball of fire to hover over the hydra's claw.
"Oh my!" He exclaimed; familiar letters scratched into the floor. "You can communicate! You know our language!"
The hydra tapped its claw, silently asking for the limb to be freed.
The old man stepped back a bit before waving his staff and the shackle holding that leg fell away.
The hydra smiled behind its muzzle and started to carve a new message into the stone. The old man observed the carving with intense interest, his brow furrowing in confusion at what was written. "You… wish me to decapitate you?"
The hydra's paw reared up to tap its left head before holding up one claw.
"Just that head?" The old man mused, befuddled by the strange request. "A hydra you are, Colbert saw it alongside the students, but why ask a captor to take one of your heads?"
The hydra rolled its eyes and closed the claw, then opened it. This repeated a few times before the old man got the message. "You'll be able to speak with me? Are you capable of choosing a language for each head?"
The hydra was just able to nod through the restraints.
The old man grumbled and stroked his beard, thoughtful mutters filling the still air alongside the crackle of fire. Eventually, the old man looked to the hydra with a dark glare. "Very well but know this. Attempt to assault me and I will reduce your flesh to sand."
The hydra felt power thrum through those words and silently agreed. The old man huffed and twirled his hand over the ground, trails of dust rising into his hand. With a swift swipe, the dust flew forth and sliced through the hydra's neck, blood exploding from the wound in a gory shower.
The hydra couldn't help its screech, not expecting such a thin gathering of dust to slice through its neck. It grew silent immediately after, the remaining head regarding the old man with more apparent weariness.
The old man paid the look little attention, preferring to observe the cut. Much to his bewilderment, everything above the cut line started to rot with frightening speed, dust soon spilling out of the muzzle that had held the severed head and neck in place.
At the same time, another membrane crawled over the stump, blood staunched shortly before it appeared. The old man couldn't stop the shiver that ran down his spine as the membrane broiled and bulged in strange ways, the sound of tearing flesh heralding the birth of two new heads.
Now with three heads, the hydra's central head spat out the remnants of its birth and hissed at the old man. "Now we may speak, mage."
The old man blinked. "I don't believe it… perfect Tristanian with nary an accent. It was one thing to see you write it, but speak it after growing a head?"
"What are you?"
The hydra's heads grinned, fangs on full display. "The better question is, 'who am I', mage. My name is Neboqyu, former retainer of Clanlord Raelag and chosen Collector of the Dark One. My brood is of the deep tunnels in the Blue Mountains, one of the first birthed in fact."
The old man looked… unimpressed. "I am Headmaster Osmond Sable de Tristain, of the Royal Magic Academy of Tristain. I am a current retainer to Her Majesty Queen Marianne, square-class mage, former soldier, and leveler of armies. They call me The Sandstorm."
The two stared at each other before Neboqyu chortled. "Your titles mean nothing to me, as I'm sure mine mean nothing to you. Based on this queen you mentioned, it appears the Empire has finally splintered. Took long enough."
Osmond kept his gaze steady. "The Empire broke long ago, shortly after the Founder passed. It surprises me little you'd just now hear of it; your kind was exterminated ages ago."
Neboqyu's eyes narrowed. "Then Asha has allowed access to time magic? To ones as young as that girl? Surely you jest, mage."
Osmond hummed, silently surprised the hydra was unmoved at its race's fate. "I do not know this Asha, but summonings are done by all mages before they are considered full members of society. The rite of passage is one of the most enduring gifts of the Founder, and calls familiars from across time and space."
Neboqyu hissed, surprised at that. "…How long has it been since the Empire's dissolution?"
"A few decades over six-thousand years." Osmond informed, noting the flash of shock in the hydra's eyes. "The other kingdoms around Tristain have had their conflicts, but it's been otherwise stable."
Neboqyu was burning with questions. "What of the Silver League? Or Grimheim and Irolan? Hashima and Heresh? Ygg-Chall? Ranaar even?"
The hydra stiffened. "Does the seal on Sheogh remain? Do demons still invade the realm?!"
Osmond rocked back at the questions, knowing none of those names. "…I do not know of what you speak. Demons are but fairytales, told to frighten children. Those names have never met my ear before now either."
Neboqyu felt relief flood its veins at that first part, even as unease wormed into its mind. "Good, then they must've been dealt with in the intervening time. To not hear those names though… are not the Dwarfs and Silver Wizards still alive at least? Did the Orcs and Nagas become isolated or die out? Do the elves not leave their forests and caverns?"
Osmond stiffened at the mention of elves. "No… Dwarfs and Nagas are but myths, and orcs are a plague upon the countryside, the malicious mud-beasts. I've never heard of Silver Wizards, and elves have long vanished into the desert."
Neboqyu felt dread sink into its gut. "…I see. Time has been unkind to history it seems. Do you know the names of the Dragon-Gods? Elrath, Malassa, and their siblings?"
Osmond shook his head.
Neboqyu drooped. "Even their names are lost… Who is this Founder, if I may ask?"
The hydra was expecting Ronan the Great.
"Brimir."
Not some name that sounded so very foreign.
Neboqyu silently despaired, wondering just how far into the future it had been flung. Or… was it even on Ashan anymore? The mage had mentioned the summoning spell crossing time and space…
"I believe that's enough questions for today." Osmond coughed. "While this is all very interesting, I'm afraid you've been bound as a familiar to one of the students of this Academy. Out of respect, I regret to inform you that the student is effectively your master, and we know of nothing that can break the contract short of death."
He glared at the hydra before it could respond. "And do not think of harming the poor girl. None know what will appear in the summoning, and once the contract is bound the familiar cannot harm their master. It's… frankly quite galling to have forced an intelligent being such as you into this, but there is nothing we can do."
"There must be something!" Neboqyu snarled, teeth glinting in the firelight. "You have had this tradition for six-thousand years! Surely something exists on it! I refuse to lie down and relinquish my freedom after centuries of it! Not after Raelag broke the chains of me and my brood!"
Osmond sighed deeply. "It… is something I am ashamed to say has never been researched. Every summon has been an animal of some sort, and dangerous ones at times. Something like this has no precedent, and those before us saw no reason to even begin researching it. Far as I know… only the familiar's death or the summoner's breaks the bond."
He bowed to the hydra, cursing his powerlessness. "I can only offer apologies, though they mean less than nothing. If you wish to research the matter yourself, an associate of mine will be more than willing to assist. In the meantime, I only ask that you spare some time with Lady Valliere."
Neboqyu's eyes narrowed. It was quite generous for the mage to allow free reign on researching a means to free the hydra, and to provide an assistant at that. Who was this Lady Valliere that merely spending time with her was considered equal payment?
Osmond took the look another way. "You are rightly suspicious of my intentions. As a show of faith on my part, I shall remove your bonds and guide you outside. Can I trust that you will not take me head in the meantime?"
Neboqyu chortled, humorless. "And have what must be a whole castle of mages descend upon me in righteous fury? I think not."
Osmond nodded, noting the wisdom in the hydra's response. "As you say. Now then, we may as well go meet with Lady Valliere. Come with me and Colbert will explain what's going on to her."
Neboqyu nodded and shook itself as the bindings fell away, scales and muscles rippling in the torchlight. Osmond never made the mistake of turning his back to the hydra fully, Neboqyu smirking at him sardonically the entire walk to the surface.
Great doors opened and the hydra winced as sunlight flooded its vision. The courtyard of grass appeared empty when its vision returned, the hydra taking in the tall stone walls and towers curiously. "Dark stone… big change, but that's six millenia for you."
Osmond gestured to the edge of the courtyard. "If I may ask, could you wait there in the shade? The servants were asked to vacate the premises for now, but I don't believe either of us want you scaring someone."
"Agreed," The hydra chuffed. "I admit to curiosity about this Lady Valliere. Surely she must be quite important if your price for all the assistance is speaking with her."
Osmond was stone-faced. "Well, she is the one who summoned and bound you as her familiar, so I'd certainly say she's quite important."
The Headmaster strode off, leaving a dumbstruck hydra behind.
"Surely he jests?" Neboqyu questioned, unease sickening its gut. "That child, no more than thirteen summers old, is the one who summoned me? It takes any warlock worth the title at least three decades to be proficient enough to summon a minotaur throng, let alone a single member of my younger brethren. I could've sworn it was the older man!"
It was possible the girl had truly prodigious magical talents, but now that the hydra thought about it, that Headmaster Osmond casted earth magic with nary a chant or flash of light.
Something wasn't adding up.
Neboqyu growled and stalked into the shade, its scales blending into the dark stone as it placed its back to the courtyard and curled up to think.
Its nose would tell it if anything came close, if the shifting of grass or vibration of steps didn't let him know first.
-Louise-
"What in the world is this thing talking about?"
Louise huffed and shut the tome. She'd been rather excited by it, hoping it would hold some secret to controlling her magic since it came from so long ago. It was the only way the writing made any sense, all of it the same Vestri-period Romalian.
Problem was, a lot of it was frankly bonkers. What did 'finding the center' and 'communing with the spirit' have to do with magic? It sounded like that meditation crap Cattleya had gotten into a few months ago.
Then there were the supposed spells following that 'sorcery' crap. Based on the readings, there were five levels divided into schools. Except these weren't the schools she knew, for they didn't correspond to element.
No, these things were weird. One of the supposed simple ones was an arrow of aether, something that didn't exist beyond the extinct Void. Then it got supremely ludicrous about curses and blessings, as if those were a simple mage's to give!
Not to mention pulling a comet from the heavens to smite thine enemies!
Louise groaned and leaned back in her chair. She should be beyond giddy at all this, and she was, but it was torture waiting for news. It'd been bad enough dodging all the other students on the way up, her legs aching from sprinting past them before questions or insults could be thrown.
"At least the song-collection was interesting." She muttered to the room. "Don't have a clue what any of it was about. Spirits, great kings I've never heard of, funerals and festivals, and what sounds like pagan gods."
Then again, if this was all from before the Founder's time, it would make sense. Elves roamed the land then, as mentioned in the songs, and pagan worship would've been perfectly feasible before the Founder's light showed the true way.
Not to mention they'd have a wildly incomplete version of current magic based more in superstition and false religion than the time-tested magic they had now.
Which, despite the summoning, Louise still couldn't cast to any significant degree.
A knock on her door broke her musings. "What is it? I'm busy."
"As if!" Came Kirche's voice, muffled by the door. "You're reading something or trying to light candles again! I haven't been across the hall from you and not learned something!"
Louise snorted; visage twisted in a snarl. "You learned something? Here I thought you couldn't see past the latest conquest to spread your legs, you Germanian Horndog!"
"At least I'm not some squirt hold-up in her room like a prudish witch!" Kirche shot back. "But if that's how you're going to be, I'll just let Professor Colbert know you don't want to see your fami-"
Louise dashed forward and slammed her door open, a surprised Kirche just dodging it. "He's here?! Lead with that first you damn cow, did you trade your brain for the damned udders?!"
Kirche blinked several times as Louise blurred away, unable to react to the whirlwind that ran by. It wasn't the worst pair of insults to come out of the petite-girls mouth, but that first one still hurt.
She'd never so much as had an actual lover, not after the first attempt ended extremely awkwardly and before any action happened. Whilst Kirche loved to tease and flirt with boys and girls alike, that first one still made the idea of going any further less than appealing.
Kirche blinked and glanced at the door, Louise's room open for the first time she could remember. Curious, Kirche glanced around before sneaking into the room, petty, but harmless, vengeance on her mind.
"Wow it's barren in here."
Besides the bed and desk, Kirche didn't see much at all in the room. Sure, it had a table and chairs for guests, if Louise had any, and a vanity. But that was it. The only other things of note in the room were the wardrobe and a large case next to it.
"May as well see what she's got." Kirche muttered before sauntering over to the wardrobe. Opening it, she found a lovely selection of gowns and dresses alongside four changes of the uniform. The latter four looked far and away more used than the gowns or dresses.
"Founder, does she ever wear anything else?" Kirche wondered aloud. Even the casual sundresses looked pristine, as if they'd never touched skin. The only other thing that looked worn were a pair of sturdy trousers and a cotton blouse splotched in grass and dirt stains.
"That prideful brat getting down in the dirt?" Kirche asked herself, incredulous. Louise cared so much about her appearance, as all noble girls did, that the very idea she'd go out in the mud for anything made little sense.
Closing the wardrobe, Kirche went to the case and unlatched it. Surprises abound, it was filled to bursting with all kinds of reagents, dried herbs, and so on. It was like staring at an alchemist's treasure hoard, especially since it looked like some damn rare items were in there alongside some Kirche couldn't name!
Closing the case with a frown, Kirche's gaze went to the desk. She knew Louise was a big workaholic, it was the only way she'd been allowed to stay in the academy past the first year. But the sheer size of the tomes that filled the desk, alongside some truly elaborate implements and tools, drove that point home.
"How can she even read this stuff?" Kirche muttered as she marched over and grabbed the most complex title she could find. "'Extracting Griffin Essence and Other Bestial Magics'?! This is advanced alchemy for the third-year honors students, why does she have it?!"
Further investigation left Kirche in disbelief. Louise had heavily annotated versions of all the most advanced subjects in the academy, some with what looked like corrections scribbled into the margins. She even had tomes and scrolls decorated with runes that made no sense, the alphabet and language long dead.
"…Kirche?"
Kirche jumped and put down the tome she was glaring at. "Oh, Tabby! What's up?"
Tabitha glanced around, noting the subtle signs of the room being messed with. "…Gone awhile, curious."
"Well… I was just as curious." Kirche admitted sheepishly. "I mean some of the things in here, you'd think it was a professor's room. If it weren't for that monster of a bed."
Tabitha tilted her head. The bed was quite large for someone Louise's size, and the pink coloring, while not garish, wasn't easy on the eyes either. "…Snooping?"
"No one's ever seen her room besides the maids!" Kirche exclaimed with a pout. "I'm literally across the hall and I've never seen so much as a peek until now. I mean, you're friends with her right?"
Tabitha shrugged. "…Never spoken."
"She reads next to you in the library all the time!" Kirche groaned, exasperated. "You exchange notes for Founder's sake!"
Tabitha held up a hand, opening and closing her fingers. "…Gestures, no words."
Kirche shook her head. "What would you do without me, Tabby? Besides maybe Louise, I'm the only one you interact with."
"Get work done." Tabitha replied, the blunt answer sending Kirche into giggles. "…Done now?"
Kirche took one more look around the room and nodded. "Yeah… I've had my fill, best make ourselves scarce. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not be washing off another set of blast marks because Louise figured out we were here."
"…You, not me." Tabitha corrected as she left, no doubt to check on her new dragon. Kirche took a few moments to straighten everything before stepping into the hall and shutting the door, a thoughtful frown pulling at her lips.
"If nothing else, I can respect all the work she puts in." She muttered. "If only she had a smidge of magic, we could be those friendly rivals I'd hoped for, not… this mess we're in. Maybe, if everything went right, the hatchet could be buried, and our families could be good neighbors for once."
Kirche smiled to herself and wandered down the hall, silently wondering how Louise's first meeting with her familiar was going.
-Louise, Courtyard-
"I expected someone of greater stature."
Louise snarled as the hydra uncurled itself and melted out of the shadows, the fact it could speak Tristanian lost in the face of the insult. "You speak to Louise Francoise le Blanc de la Valliere, daughter of Duke Valliere and your master! I will not suffer insults!"
The hydra grinned, apparently pleased. "Oh, you're feisty at least. Spunk like that is rare in one so young as you, and I sense that magic flows through you, quite strongly. Small wonder you were able to summon me."
Colbert gave Louise an admonishing side-eye. "Lady Valliere, please control your temper. Whilst Sir Neboqyu cannot harm you per the familiar bond, it will make both your lives easier to be calm."
Louise's face scrunched at the name, somehow unawed by the appearance of Neboqyu's other heads. "Nebo-what now? Can we shorten that for the sake of not tying my tongue into knots?"
The hydra's central head shot forward, coming just short of ramming Louise as it glared into her eyes. "And what makes you think someone like you, who despite the impressive summons stole my freedom, be granted the honor of a nickname? Especially a whelp who hides behind an overly long name and bluster?"
Much to Colbert's shock, Louise met the glare with one of her own and a steady voice. "Speak to me like that again and I'll show you why. I'd quite prefer peaceful coexistence, but I at least expect respect due my station and position."
Neboqyu's maw parted, the smell of rotting meat oozing into Louise's nose. "A duke's daughter is worth little merit aside from her blood then? Very well, I will show you the respect due your station, but know this."
Neboqyu turned its head, golden eye as close to Louise's pink pair as it could manage. "It is only a respect born of courtesy to my 'master' and this place I find myself in. You hold none of my true respect, whelp, and it will take a great deal of effort to earn even an iota."
The hydra's heads reared back to its full height, towering over the two mages and nearly to the top of the walls. "I am Neboqyu, former retainer of Clanlord Raelag and chosen Collector of the Dark One. My brood is of the deep tunnels in the Blue Mountains, one of the first birthed at the beginning of the world. I have seen the rise and fall of kingdoms innumerable, the war between Asha and Urgash, Faceless and Angel, Demon and Man."
Its paw slammed into the earth, shaking the mages though Louise stood unbowed.
Neboqyu smiled, each head sporting a fierce grin. It was already starting to like this whelp, few were those that stood uncowed before its might and knowledge.
Things were bound to be interesting…
Colbert cleared his throat, eagerness shining in his eyes. "It is my personal honor to be in your presence Sir Neboqyu. There's so much for us to learn from you that I simply cannot wait to get started."
"And I have a great deal of catching up to do." Neboqyu agreed, voice suddenly pleasant. "Master Valliere, if you will excuse us. I cannot serve my purpose here if I am uneducated."
"See that you educate yourself then, I expect to see you come sunrise." Louise replied, as if the hydra was any other servant in her employ. "Oh… and you may call me Louise, so long as you understand where your place is."
Neboqyu regarded her with amusement and derision in equal measure. "As you wish, Lady Louise."
The hydra strode away, far too graceful for the bulk it was dragging around. Dare Louise say it, the mythic lizard's steps were almost dainty.
Colbert excused himself and ran after the hydra, calling for its attention as it was going the wrong way. Louise stood there, watching them leave, until they were out of sight.
Then she collapsed into a panting mess, panic and fear bursting through the steel mask she'd been able to conjure. "Founder in heaven, I thought he'd kill me! He's huge and scary, just like the legends say, how the hell am I supposed to have that as a familiar?!"
It had taken all her willpower to not collapse into a crying mess and hide behind Colbert, despite the brand standing prominently at the base of the hydra's three necks. Didn't matter if the brand was there, not when the hydra's breath almost killed her!
The euphoria she'd experienced after returning to her room was long gone, replaced with trepidation and a hint of curiosity. She'd put up a brave front and it appeared the hydra appreciated the steel she'd shone. Question now was if she'd be able to keep it up day in and day out until she got used to him.
…No way, she had to figure out a way to make him less scary. Dressing up? No, there'd never be enough cloth to make those heads look harmless. Painting the scales? Bad idea and would engender poor relations.
And Father said she never paid attention during those lessons, heh.
"Neboqyu…Neboqyu…" Louise muttered as her panic settled and she gazed up at the sky, alone amongst the grass. "He may not want it… but I'm just gonna call him Neb."
It had a nice ring to it and sounded a lot less grandiose than his actual name. Matching the short and sweet name to the menacing visage was… less than harmonious, but the disconnect was enough to make Louise giggle.
With her trepidation lessoned, she popped to her feet, dusted her skirt, and set off for her room.
There was still a lot of reading to do before the off-day tomorrow. Maybe then she could learn more about this familiar that she'd summoned.
Maybe she could figure out something new.
…
Or it could all go up in smoke, like everything else she'd tried in her life.
Ch. End
Alright, first chapter of the rewrite done. I'm going to post the second chapter shortly, and probably the third soon after that. I want you all to get a glimpse at how I'm wanting to write this now, and in some way make up for having to drop the original.
It still warms my heart that the original was so well loved, and I haven't forgotten the promises I made. This will still be a yuri harem and the gang will get together again. I simply hope to do a far better job and make this story a real knock-out.
Thank you all, and I hope to enjoy the coming chapters alongside you.