Halkegenia Online v1 – Refactored – Chapter 5
Louise Vallière, third daughter of the Vallière family, had been in a state of mental turmoil for the last three days. The same thoughts ran through her head endlessly, like rereading the same book with a particularly unhappy ending.
She had failed, not only failed, but failed so catastrophically that there could be no chance to redeem herself. Her failure would be a disgrace to the House of Vallière.
Blissfully, for those first few days the symptoms of willpower exhaustion kept her asleep more often than awake, too tired to even dream. However, as the days passed she found that she was less and less able to sleep as her body recovered.
Isolated in the infirmary and preoccupied with her own worries, Louise had barely noticed the happenings at the Academy. She had been too humiliated to leave her hospital room and too weak besides. The strange comments made by Doctor Vesalius and the maid who brought her meals went without investigation, and the visits by the Germanian harlot had been vigorously turned away. What did that Zerbst want from her?
She had begun to feel a sense of worming dread churning about within her. Would mother come to collect her personally? Or would she send Eleanor? The only thing worse than having to confront her mother or eldest sister would be to face Cattleya.
'Founder, please don't let news reach her,' Louise thought.
Her older sisters loved her dearly, but while her eldest sister, Eleanor, had little faith in her, Cattleya had always been supportive. The thought of letting Cattleya down brought her to a new low.
It was on the third day of her mental self-flagellation that the maid who brought her food said something that snapped Louise out of her near catatonic haze.
"Wait, say that again?" Louise said so suddenly that it startled the dark haired girl and almost caused her to knock over the water pitcher beside the bed.
"I said, I've heard the Princess will be arriving tomorrow," the maid said.
"W-what? Here? She's coming here?" Louise asked in a brittle voice. Not that she expected Henrietta to remember her childhood playmate, but Founder forbid if she did!
The serving girl looked surprised. "Of course, the Princess has come personally to speak with the Faeries."
Louise's internal panic came to a screeching halt. "Wait, what?" Louise blinked and then shook her head, "Please, please make sense!"
"I'm sorry, Miss, I thought you would already have known. It's been the talk of the school. Surely you remember the earthquake and light from three days ago, and what came after of course."
Louise shook her head again, the Zerbst had tried to tell her something on one of her visits before Louise had shouted her out of the room.
"I'm merely a commoner, Miss, and not versed in affairs of magic. But three days ago there was a terrible earthquake and an unearthly noise accompanied by blinding light. When it cleared there was an immense tree to the north of the Academy. The Headmaster says that something transported the tree along with an entire Faerie city. Wh-what is it?"
Louise squinted hard at the maid, wondering if she was perhaps deranged. "Is this some sort of joke?"
"I don't understand, Miss."
"Did that Zerbst put you up to this?" Louise asked coldly. Was she to be mocked even in her humiliation? The anger was good, it gave her something to focus on.
"You may see for yourself, Miss."
Louise sat up in bed. The window by her bedside looked out on Vestri courtyard and blue sky. She cast a suspicious glance at the maid.
"Ah, this room faces east, Miss. You would have to go out into the infirmary to see it," the maid explained. "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like?" Louise said. "I'm getting out of bed so I can go see for myself." She took a couple of tottering steps. The maid rushed to steady her. Louise gave her a resentful glare but said nothing.
"Shouldn't you remain in bed?"
"I can take responsibility for myself," Louise bit out, she wasn't going to be made a fool by letting a farce like this go on.
"Very well, Miss." The maid adjusted her grip on Louise and helped her to walk to the door. The attending physician, Doctor Vesalius, a small wide set noblewoman wearing a thick pair of glasses, stood from her desk when she saw Louise.
"Miss Vallière? Are you feeling alright? You shouldn't be walking about yet."
Louise ignored the doctor as she glanced out the window, again seeing nothing but clear blue sky over the wall.
"So it really was just a joke. I bet the Princess isn't really . . ." Louise trailed off as the maid carefully turned her to face the other direction.
"That was south, Miss," the maid said politely.
There was indeed a tree, rising up above the Academy wall. At least, it was tree-like, in that it had something that could be called a trunk, and branches, and green that might be leaves. But something was wrong. Clouds, there were clouds in front of the tree. She swallowed. Thin clouds wrapped around its trunk and nestled about its crest in fine trails of cotton white.
"Wuh- b- buh - Big . . . Tree," Louise stuttered.
"That's what I said, Miss."
The maid hadn't been lying. In which case, she might not be lying about the Faeries, but more importantly, Henrietta! Louise's legs gave out beneath her.
Louise was helped back to her feet and marched back to her cot. "The Princess," Louise said in a small voice. "She's coming here?"
Doctor Vesalius blinked, "Why yes. She's expected tomorrow. The Headmaster has offered her the use of the Academy so that she may meet with the Faeries. The Cardinal is recovering from an incapacitating injury, so the Princess seems to have taken charge."
"But - W-When did . . . I . . . this . . . What?!" Louise shouted the last word. "Why wasn't I informed of these developments?!"
"Miss Vallière, I mentioned recent developments many times, but you did not seem to respond. You have been very out of sorts these last few days. Are you sure you are feeling well?"
Louise shook her head slowly. "I'm fine, fine! Don't give me that look!" Louise caught herself and took a breath. "I'll be fine. You said the Princess will be staying at the Academy to speak with . . . Faeries?"
"That is what the staff has been told," Doctor Vesalius said. "I imagine the Princess will be too busy to inspect the Academy. Are you sure you're well Miss Vallière?"
"Quite well," Louise said in a small voice. Henrietta, here, Henrietta, here. Her eye twitched. No, there was no way that she'd ever think to ask about Louise, not if, if, well if there were really a city of Faeries. Was she happy that there was a city of Faeries?
There was a loud banging on the infirmary door. Doctor Vesalius hurried to see what needed her attention.
Louise glanced to the maid who was busying herself with clearing Louise's lunch. Louise could barely remember eating any of it.
"Are you always the one that delivers my meals?"
The girl looked to Louise. "Yes, Miss. I just happen to be free immediately after meals are served in the dining hall so I usually deliver food to the staff and infirmary."
Louise squirmed as she sifted through foggy memories from the last couple of days. "You talk whenever you come," Louise said.
"Yes, Miss," the maid said, looking nervous. "You seemed lonely just sitting in here. You didn't seem to mind, so . . ." the girl trailed off. "I meant no offense."
"It's alright," Louise said quietly. "I've kept you long enough."
The maid gave Louise a worried look and then glanced to the nearly untouched meal. "Truthfully Miss, I usually return to the Kitchen to eat my own lunch after this. Is there anything else you need?"
Louise hesitated, as soon as the maid left she'd turn back to the gnawing anxiety within. No, that wasn't it, she wasn't so childish, she wanted to know more about what had happened when she was, indisposed. That was it, she wasn't so childish that she would want a servant to pay attention to her!
"Excuse me? But I don't recall your name."
"Oh, it's Siesta, Miss." The maid bowed her head.
"Well then, Siesta," Louise said carefully. "So the Faeries are real too?"
"Yes, Miss," the maid said. "At least, that's what they call themselves, though they don't much look like the Faeries from the stories."
"And they just appeared with that . . . Tree?"
Siesta nodded again, "There's been lots of talk amongst the staff about that. Some people seem to think they're Elves." The maid quickly waved her arms. "But the Headmaster says they're not."
Had she really been so closed off in her own world? Louise wondered. On recollection, she supposed she had. Louise Vallière had always been an obsessive person, the only relief from one focus was to find another. She urged the maid to tell her everything she knew.
Recalling what Siesta had said about eating, Louise eyed her own lunch. It was healthful food, plain but filling, certainly if it was fit for an ill noble it would be suitable for a commoner. She said as much to Siesta and the girl had hesitantly accepted.
It turned out that the maid was very well informed about the events around the academy. Louise was sorely tempted to ask about von Zerbst, but she really couldn't imagine there was anything left for the Germanian harlot to be ashamed of.
Siesta took a small sip of the soup and continued. "The Headmaster met with one of the Faerie leaders named Lady Sakuya." Siesta frowned a little, "It's funny, that name should seem strange to me, but my grandfather used to tell us stories about a princess named Sakuya." Siesta shook her head. "She was very beautiful, and she brought her retainers with her."
"Retainers?" Louise asked, the thought of a Faerie noble woman was peculiar to her, Faeries were just creatures of myth and fable. But, here she was discussing them with a servant girl.
Siesta nodded. "I always thought Faeries were supposed to be small and childish, but some of them were taller than the Headmaster and one was gigantic, they called him a Gnome and they called Lady Sakuya a Sylph. There were other funny names too, uhm, Cait Syth, and Spriggan, and one that they called a Salamander, but those are big lizards aren't they?"
"Amphibians," Louise corrected, she plucked a piece of fruit from the bowl and popped it in her mouth. She suddenly felt a bit hungry and was regretting how easily she had offered up her meal.
"I think it's like being Germanian or Tristanian, that's the way it sounded. I'm afraid I didn't hear any of the conversation between the Headmaster and Lady Sakuya. It was all a little beyond me in truth," the maid apologized.
"No, you've been very helpful," Louise said quickly, and the more she heard the more she felt certain that Henrietta would have no time to visit a long forgotten playmate. It was a relief really.
Siesta brightened a little. "If you like, when I bring dinner, I can come back and help you to the window tonight."
"W-what, why?" Louise asked.
"The Faeries have been sending messengers back and forth between their city and the Headmaster's office. They usually arrive just before sunset and leave after the sun has fallen. When they fly at night they look like shooting stars."
"Really?" Louise asked. Something struck her as curious. "You don't seem very frightened of these Faeries. In the stories, aren't they supposed to play tricks on commoners until some noble comes to banish them?"
"Is that so?" Siesta asked. "In the stories I was told, the Faeries would always play tricks on the nobles until a commoner went and found out what had angered them."
Both girls looked levelly at each other and then began to giggle. It felt really good, Louise thought, really good, almost enough to banish the dull pain inside.
"No, I wasn't afraid. Well, I was a little scared. But after I saw them, and they didn't do anything mischievous, they just seemed like people," Siesta said.
Louise excused Siesta to go and attend to her other duties then asked the doctor if she could sit in the infirmary room and look at the World Tree.
She spent most of the rest of the afternoon lost in thought staring into the far distance as afternoon turned to evening. And as darkness settled Louise saw for the first time two brilliant green stars flickering in the distance. Their path trails twined together as they streaked off silently.
She wondered idly what they were like. The Faeries. It didn't matter of course. Nothing much mattered for her any more, which was in a way liberating, wasn't it?
She must have dozed off at some point because the next thing she remembered was being laid back down in her cot. In the darkness her thoughts drifted aimlessly into fitful sleep.
When morning came, Louise woke to the sound of birds chirping outside her window. She felt better today than she had the night before. Sitting up slowly and rubbing at her eyes, she opened them slowly.
She was not alone in the room this morning. Blood drained from her face and she felt certain that her insides were about to knot themselves around her spine.
"M-Mo-Mother?" she squeaked.
Seated in a chair beside her bed, the Duchess Karin de La Vallière regarded her daughter with cool eyes. "Good morning, Daughter. It seems there are matters of your education to discuss."
From the doorway of the private infirmary room, Professor Jean Colbert watched and waited. Features pale and grave, the Duchess shared much with her youngest daughter. Colbert had felt a sense of apprehension when he had first met the elder Vallière, garbed in durable travel clothes rather than the dress of a noble. Any weariness from her journey was hidden behind a face that remained as composed and emotionless as a mask.
The Duchess was middle aged but still in the trim of a much younger woman. Age and a comfortable living appeared to have done little to soften her. Colbert felt an acute sense of discomfort in her presence, something about her resonated with him; the way she carried herself, the way she spoke and regarded others. It was all far too martial for the man he was now.
Colbert had helped to craft the letter requesting the personal attention of the Vallière family, but in the past days it had been slow in reaching its destination.
Louise looked downcast, refusing to meet her mother's gaze at first. "Look at those that address you, Daughter," the Duchess said. The voice carried no hint of threat or of anger, but that was a command as surely as if the woman had shouted it to a troop of knights. Louise looked up meekly.
"We received word you failed your familiar summoning."
Louise went as pale as her sheets, her hands balled up into bone white fists. "I - I apologize, Mother," Louise said quickly, "I would have sent word myself, but . . ." The girl was fighting not to glance away. "I have shamed our family. I am ready to accept whatever punishment you deem fit, Mother."
The Duchess was still for a moment, studying her daughter, and then she nodded, satisfied. "That is a proper answer. I have already spoken with your teachers and the Headmaster." She looked gravely at her daughter, Louise cringed. "Normally, you would be expelled immediately. But given your academic standing in non-applied studies the Headmaster has offered an exception."
"A-An . . . exception?" Louise squeaked. "But . . . I'm to be expelled, those are the rules!" Louise said, confused.
"That is the rule," her mother agreed. "But it is also the rule that this school is under the authority of the Headmaster and he may make exceptions when it pleases him," she said. "Of course, ultimately the decision is yours. I trust you will not squander the good name of our family."
"You mean, I can stay?" The girl's lips quivered and her hands loosened. "Please, Mother, give me this chance to redeem myself."
The elder Vallière regarded her daughter with an appraising eye. "I am pleased, Louise. You haven't shied away, despite your setbacks. I will expect to see results in due time."
"Yes Mother." Louise shook her head furiously. "I mean, thank you, thank you mother, I promise not to disappoint you. But . . . just what does the Headmaster think is wrong with my magic?"
There was a pause, "Headmaster Osmond said he would prefer to study your magic without first telling you. He believes that if you knew now you might try to conform to his expectations. Osmond is a great magician Louise, he will explain himself when he is satisfied."
"Y-yes, Mother," Louise repeated, sounding uncertain but relieved.
The Duchess de La Vallière stood slowly, straightening her riding clothes. She looked to the doorway, and the waiting Professor Colbert. "There are matters I must attend to while I am here at the Academy. Opportunity permitting, we will dine together this evening."
"Understood, Mother," Louise said, swallowing. "Mother, you're going to offer the support of our House for Henrietta's dealings with the Faeries, right?"
"Yes." She paused, eyes resting on her daughter. "I cannot fathom what has led to these strange events. But the Vallières are always at the service of the Royal Family." The elder Vallière turned on her heel and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.
Colbert noticed an almost imperceptible draining of tension from the Duchess's frame as she closed the door. He imagined it was the assertion of the weariness that the noblewoman had been carrying for more than a day, but it vanished as quickly as it had arrived. She turned and began to walk from the infirmary, gesturing for Colbert to follow. They traveled in silence down the hallways of the Academy, passing students and staff.
The school was, as always, alive with gossip and rumors. The most common stories were those that involved the fables about the Faerie races, that they were immortal, and beautiful, and natural tricksters. The more adventurous told more frightening tales. Every book in the library on Albionian fables had been checked out and hungrily read.
Thankfully the atmosphere was dominated more by a sense of curiosity than fear. Which had of course led to its own problems. Classes had been canceled so that there would be enough faculty on hand to keep watch over the entire school. More than a few adventurous second and third years had been caught trying to sneak off in the middle of the night. This was especially perilous given reports of the strange and aggressive animals summoned with the Fae.
The silence between the two dragged on uncomfortably. Colbert was left to wonder if this was some sort of interrogation technique on the part of the Duchess. Finally, the woman spoke. "Professor Colbert, do you trust the Headmaster's opinion?"
"Pardon?" Colbert asked.
"Speaking to the mother of one of your students. Do you trust the Headmaster's opinion."
When the Headmaster's letter had arrived, Louise's mother had set out despite the crisis in the surrounding lands. Traveling the suddenly dangerous countryside alone she had arrived at the Academy ready to make arrangements for Louise's immediate return to the Vallière home. It had taken a great deal of effort to convince her otherwise.
"His expertise cannot be understated," Colbert observed. "I know he may be an eccentric, but no one else alive knows more about magic then the Headmaster, no one human in any case."
The Duchess mulled over the words. "And have my wishes been honored these last two years?"
Colbert frowned, "Of course. Your daughter has received the same treatment from me as any other student."
He felt a little insulted that someone would suggest otherwise. Colbert had watched the girl of course. But he had let Louise fight her own battles. And she had fought. Losing more often than she won. Louise was an excellent student, studious and attentive in class, despite or perhaps because of her lack of talent.
"May I ask that you see to this personally?" the Duchess Vallière asked suddenly. They had reached the end of the hallway and stepped out onto the covered walkway that connected the Academy Tower to the Tower of Water.
"I would be honored," Colbert said, surprised. "I didn't know you thought so highly of me, after the letters you sent to the staff."
"That was a precaution," she said. "Too many have tried to gain favor with my husband and I by bequeathing their own favor on our daughters. Most by now have learned that doing so is not a swift way into our good graces." There was a hint of something in the woman's voice, Colbert would have dared to call it amusement. "Truthfully there is no ill blood between us, when Louise was enrolled I took the liberty of learning what I could about the reputations of the staff."
"And what did you learn about me, if I may be so bold?" Colbert's voice assumed a neutral tone. His history was not well known in most circles, but the Vallières did not travel in most circles, and if the Duchess was as thorough as he was beginning to suspect . . .
"That you were an exemplary teacher who challenges his students, and that many of your pupils see great improvement. I have not seen anything to prove this false," the Duchess said. Colbert let out a small sigh of relief. "Although," she continued, "there appears to have been a period of time that no one I spoke to could account for. You were in the army, yes?"
Colbert felt his stomach churn. "Yes."
The Duchess was silent for a time. "You retired honorably in any case, and selected an honorable profession, so I see no problem."
"Of course. Thank you, your Grace," Colbert said. "Be that the case, do your instructions still stand? By definition she will be receiving special treatment from now on."
"Which is why I would like you to be hard on her. Do not show her any softness, Louise does not need it."
Colbert paused in mid stride. "Some may think that could be part of the problem."
The Duchess glanced at him. "Explain."
"Emotional turmoil can cloud a mage's abilities," Colbert observed. "If the mage does not have faith that they can cast, then they often cannot."
"That's what drills are for, to be sure that a mage can maintain focus," the Duchess said.
"And tell me, Madam, did you put all of your daughters through those drills?" Colbert asked.
"Of course," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "They needed to know how to handle themselves, magic that cannot be used under duress is useless when it is needed most."
"Has it occurred to you, that may be exactly why Louise struggles to cast?"
The woman stopped in her tracks, the look on her face should have terrified Colbert, but he had grown used to weathering that look of simmering anger when worn by her daughter.
"You speak to me about a lack of control?" the woman asked icily, "I placed Louise through the same exercises as her sisters. Both Eleanor and Cattleya took to them well."
How to broach something so delicate in a diplomatic fashion? "I mean no disrespect," Colbert said. "I believe if she could only find a way to channel her talents properly your daughter would go far in a very short amount of time."
The Duchess looked at him for a long time before nodding. "If that is your professional opinion as her teacher. Though know that I will hold you accountable." There was a note of approval in her voice. Like this what she had wanted all along.
"Of course."
The Duchess returned to walking and Colbert fell in at her side. "This will have to be made palatable to the other families of course. I do not wish for it to seem I have abused my family's name on my daughter's behalf. When I asked Old Osmond what he had planned he played that game of having gone senile, and tottered off."
"I see," Colbert said. "You may not like it." At the moment he felt that the Headmaster was asking him to be the one who tossed oil onto the fire . . .
"As with other cases of political import, the Headmaster is taking 'special measures'," Colbert explained.
"They're claiming that my daughter is a blunt?" the Duchess asked dangerously.
"Some of the students are already implying it," Colbert agreed. "They have no business looking down on their betters."
"I think they're trying to force your hand to keep Louise enrolled. It is, I suppose, clever in its own way."
The twitch on the Duchess's lips that followed may have been amusement. "Clever." The woman pursed her lips. "Bold at least. We will of course be expected to go through the motions. Which family will the Vallières be requesting a favor from to end these slanderous claims?"
"Ah, that's what you might not like," Colbert said. "You see the girl orchestrating all of this is Kirche von Zerbst."
The Duchess stopped once more and turned her head slowly to face Colbert. "You want the Vallières to ask a favor from the von Zerbsts?" Her voice carried only the faintest hint of anger. That even that much had escaped was a sign that a tempest was brewing beneath the Duchess's calm façade. "Have you perhaps gone mad?"
"Madame, please, do this for your daughter," Colbert pleaded.
"If that is the price, then I pray Old Osmond finds what he is looking for. Enough of this. The Princess will be arriving shortly, and if what Baron Le Marou has said is true, she will be in the company of another of the Faerie Lords."
"Ah, yes." Colbert felt a surge of relief as they passed to a safer subject. "Lord Mortimer I believe. Lady Sakuya says that he is the Lord of the Salamanders."
"I've read the reports," the Duchess said. "The different Faerie races have different affinities. Not unlike a mage's element, correct?"
"That is what I've been led to understand as well," Colbert agreed. "The Sylphs are masters of air while the Undines are strong water mages and the Gnomes are natural earth users. Though," he added, "I would point out that this seems to be a coincidence rather than a parallel with our own magic system. There are other affinities and perhaps even distinct elements within the magic system that the Faeries use." Colbert bowed his head respectfully, only the fact the Faeries were not human prevented such words from being sacrilege.
"If the reports are to be believed. You've spoken quite extensively with the Sylph and Cait Syth leaders."
"Yes, I've been serving as a sort of diplomat with classes canceled," Colbert said rather proudly. He had been pleasantly surprised to find that he had a knack for speaking with the Fae.
"I hope to be present for some of these negotiations personally. I would like to know what your impression is of this Lady Sakuya," the Duchess said.
Colbert thought carefully back to his meeting with the Faerie leader. "She is quite a lovely woman and very cordial. I've had the pleasure of her company several times now. I should think you would find her quite refined . . ."
"Ah-choo!"
"You alright Sakuya-chan?" Alicia Rue asked as the Sylph Leader regarded the fine spray of mucus and saliva that coated her hand with a degree of distaste before discretely wiping it off on a handkerchief she kept tucked into the sleeve of her robe.
"I believe someone was talking about me," Sakuya said.
The two leaders were standing at the top of Arrun Tower, awaiting the arrival of the Salamander Lord. When word had arrived from the Academy that Princess Henrietta would be arriving along with Lord Mortimer, both Sakuya and Alicia Rue had read the report in dawning disbelief.
In less than twenty four hours of arriving in this strange world, the Salamanders had already made a favorable impression with the local monarch and then gone to work contacting the capitals and scattered settlements of the Imps and Undines.
With such organization and discipline it was not difficult to see why the Salamanders had been known as the strongest race in ALfheim. And this would be the first time she had ever met the man responsible in person.
Over the past several nights contact had been established at least briefly with all of the capital cities, confirming that the transition had encompassed the entire game world. Fortunately, thanks to the general tendency for the people of Tristain to flee in terror at the first sight of "Elves", there had been little bloodshed. Hopefully, they could keep it that way.
"Maybe it was one of your fans," Alicia joked.
"I should hope not," Sakuya sighed.
"Relax, I was just kidding," the Cait Syth Leader said, and then pouted. "You're lucky though, at least your fans have good taste, mine are all otaku or lolicon perverts."
"I suppose that's what you get for choosing to become the queen of the catgirls," Sakuya chided.
"Well, it has its advantages," Alicia said. "For one thing, nobody can nap like a Cait Syth, and absolutely everyone loves the cat ears."
Sakuya frowned, "If it isn't rude, I've been meaning to ask you. The ears don't bother you, do they?"
"Nyeh?" Alicia looked surprised. "No, not really," she said, tapping the tip of one ear and watching it twitch reflexively. "Most Cait Syth players get used to them really quick. I guess it's a little weird how they move. The big one is the tail."
"The tail?" Sakuya asked.
"Nnn." Alicia nodded. "The tail's really weird to get used to since humans don't have one, and when somebody touches it, there's a super weird feeling that runs all the way up your back. Though I've heard some people really like the sensation. What's that look about?"
"Hmm, I was just wondering, you haven't felt any different in the last few days, have you?" Sakuya asked.
"Different?" Alicia asked.
"Yes." Sakuya nodded. "An urge to eat something you don't normally eat, or a feeling to do something you don't normally do."
"You mean do I feel more like a cat?" Alicia pointed accusingly. "You're asking if I'm feeling like a cat!"
"People have been reporting strange urges and preferences. Sylphs have said they feel uncomfortable confined indoors. Undines have been complaining excessively about the dry weather. I thought I'd ask you if you've noticed anything among the Cait Syth."
Alicia frowned. "Well, I can't think of anything, I've always liked fish and I've always been able to nap anyplace, so I guess I was already a Cait Syth even IRL. Maybe they're just projecting their characters," Alicia said sagely. "But it sounds like something we should have checked out. By the way, how is Novair's little side project going?"
"Well enough," Sakuya said. "It's surprising how stingy people are still being with their personal information. I think anyone with useful skills IRL has already stepped forward. We should be thankful that ALfheim Online had such broad appeal."
As the leaders had completed their census and inventory of Arrun, Sakuya's aide had come forward with an interesting proposition. Over the past few days, many players had experienced a strange sense of familiarity when using magic and other game skills.
Players that could barely boil water IRL found that they could now expertly navigate a kitchen provided they had spent time cooking in ALfheim. Similarly, blacksmiths and artisans attempting to practice their crafts displayed preternatural talent in accordance with their previous in-game skill levels.
This raised many questions, not the least of which was what else the transition had done to their minds and bodies. But Sakuya was more immediately concerned with identifying useful skills. Novair had suggested that the listing be broadened to include real life experience.
The reasoning was fairly simple, ALfheim had blacksmiths, tailors, artisans, hunters, and many other professions aside, but there were many fields in which there was no parallel between ALfheim and real life. An artifact of ALfheim being a game with player enjoyment being paramount.
Healing magic had become less effective in the transition, though still miraculous. From reports sent by the Salamanders it was known that in a few hours a skilled healer could re-knit bone or in minutes diagnose a common ailment, but in matters of mental health they had only good bedside manner to offer.
Many of the players were hopeful that a way could be found to send them home; in a world where magic was real, anything could be possible after all. Even Sakuya harbored that fervent hope, but at the same time she could not afford to think so optimistically. She had to consider the safety and well being of the players under all circumstances.
That meant the creation of some sort of home for the thousands of displaced players, someplace where they could be safe and build a community. That could only happen if Arrun and the other settlements could be turned into living, breathing cities.
It would be one of the many topics she would have to discuss with Mortimer and the other leaders. As far as could be determined, five of the faction leaders had been logged in at the time of the transition. In addition to Lady Sakuya, Alicia Rue and Lord Mortimer, Lady Morgiana of the Spriggans and Lord Rute of the Leprechauns had also been logged in.
The Gnomes and Imps had fallen back on the leadership of designated lieutenants who were keeping order well enough for the time being, though they had been paralyzed at first while waiting for instructions from leaders that would never arrive. More urgent was the situation in the territories of the Puca and Undine. In the absence of strong leadership, rioting had broken out in the streets of Cadenza, the Puca capital, and Orlein, the capital of the Undines. Sakuya and Alicia had gathered volunteers to police Cadenza. They could not allow the former players to tear themselves apart, this could not become SAO.
"I think that's him." Alicia squinted into the distance. A formation of red winged Faeries was approaching from the east. Sakuya watched as the figures resolved into the distinctive forms of heavily armored Salamander knights. Their sullen red armor marked them as members of the Salamander Lord's personal guard. The minimum qualification to join their ranks was to slay a flying dragon single handedly, making them each exceptionally skilled players. They escorted a figure garbed in dark robes and light body armor.
The Salamander Lord and his escort set down on the perimeter of Arrun Tower, the knights taking up a parade stance as their leader stepped forward, removing his helm as he approached.
Sakuya blinked, this was supposed to be Lord Mortimer, the elder brother of General Eugene? She had seen screen caps before, but still she was surprised. He looked younger than the General, of course that may have been deliberate. Charisma was not a vanity a leader could afford to ignore.
Sakuya smiled as the Salamander Lord approached. "I'm glad you could join us Lord Mortimer, you cold blooded lizard."
"And I should be so lucky to have the company of the Bottle Fairy of the Sylphs and the Lackadaisical Black Cat of the Cait Syth."
Sakuya tilted her head to the side. "Honestly, I thought you would be taller in person."
The Salamander Lord's eye twitched very slightly.
"Now that we're done with introductions," Alicia Rue purred, arms stretched behind her head, "shall we get down to business?"
Lord Mortimer nodded. "I suppose we have more important things to discuss than our petty grievances."
Sakuya gave the Salamander Lord credit, his face revealed nothing of what he was really thinking. She had to ask if even in this situation such a person could be trusted. They needed a united front, but nobody who treated a game the way Mortimer did could possibly change when the stakes became so much greater. When she looked at this man she saw Sigurd.
She couldn't say any of these things aloud. Instead she smiled and beckoned for the Salamander Leader to follow her. She wondered in her heart how many mistakes she would be forced to make in the coming days.
The water spread across Asuna's skin before making tracks down her cheek and falling to her bare shoulders with a soft -pat, pat, pat-. She sat quietly, allowing Caramella to work.
Though her hands had been washed clean, Asuna could still feel the pulsing hotness running down her fingers to her wrist. She was certain that she had killed him, really killed him. She had been certain from the moment the blade plunged into his chest. It was all too grisly to be a game, nobody would play it, nobody sane.
Which made this impossible place reality.
It now seemed likely that the server crash that Asuna had experienced, and which had released the other three hundred odd SAO players from their forced state of unconsciousness, had in fact been the event that had transported them to this world and made their virtual bodies real.
In which case, there was hope.
If the World Tree was also now in this world along with the rest of ALfheim . . . 'And Kirito,' Asuna prayed. It was such a selfish thing to want, but even so she fervently hoped it was true.
As the night had gone on, they had moved the others into the town. Exposing themselves by making camp in the settlement had been a difficult decision. It would be shocking for the former SAO players who had been hoping for rescue, but they couldn't hide something like this from them.
In addition, Asuna had realized that the hunger and thirst they had been feeling were no longer simple immersion effects, but a reminder of something far more fundamental to their survival. Though there was little food to be had in the town, there was at least a well from which to draw water, and shelter from the cold night.
Asuna was brought back to the present by a soft pressure at the side of her head. "Thank you, Caramella-san," she said softly.
"It's nothing." The older woman blotted out the blood that had dried in Asuna's hair with a damp rag.
Arguile had looked her over thoroughly and confirmed no serious trauma. The man had declared it a miracle given what she'd been hit with.
"Personally, I keep my hair short to avoid stuff like this," the tomboyish sword and shield user continued. "But yours is so pretty. It would be a shame to cut it." Caramella leaned back and gently brushed Asuna's hair back into place. "All done."
The two had taken refuge in a small cell in the church at the center of the village. The room had probably been a confessional of some sort. Sanctity had offered this place no protection, it had been looted like the rest of the village. But here at least, the austerity of the Church had saved it to an extent.
"Look," Caramella started awkwardly, "I know you have Guile-kun to talk to about all of this stuff. He was in your guild after all. But if you ever need to talk to a girl . . ." Caramella rubbed at the back of her head, "I guess what I'm saying is, I'm here too if you need me, okay?"
Asuna nodded absently. "How is Kino doing?"
Caramella smiled kindly. "I swear, that kid's Luck must be a totally broken stat."
Kino had still been conscious when they found him. His heavy winter grade jacket has seen better days, with a huge wad of its down stuffing blasted out. Somehow the bullet had been partially deflected by the boy's breastplate, though, before grazing along his ribs. He would be sore for a while, but he'd live.
'Sore,' Asuna thought. She was sore right now. Pain was an almost alien feeling after two long years in Aincrad. Her head still throbbed from earlier. Arguile thought it might be a mild concussion, which was why he had suggested she find someplace quiet to rest. But Asuna was sick of sitting still.
There wasn't enough space inside the building for all of the three hundred former SAO players to take refuge, but they had been able to bring the weaker members of their party inside while the front liners and some of the higher middle-tier members had taken up shifts standing sentry.
The pews were filled up with the gathered survivors. Some were dozing. Others milled about anxiously. At the front of the room, a stained glass window presided over an altar. It was reminiscent of a Christian church, but Asuna didn't recognize any of the symbols that adorned the walls.
"Asuna-sama," Arguile said, startled by her arrival. "You should still be resting, your injuries . . ."
"Aren't important right now," Asuna said. "If it becomes a problem I'll go lie down."
Arguile regarded her carefully and then nodded, "Very well, Asuna-sama."
"Kino, how are you holding up?" Asuna asked. Beneath his damaged jacket and breastplate, the knife wielder wore a dark flannel shirt. Asuna could see the crudely applied dressing poking out through the hole left by the bullet.
The boy straightened up and then winced. "I've felt better," Kino admitted and then smiled bravely, "but this is nothing to worry about." He gently probed his left side with two fingers. "And what about you, Asuna-sama?"
Asuna glanced to her shoulder. The bullet had barely creased the skin, but it had still drawn blood. Working her arm up and down it didn't seem like it would restrict her movement. "It's fine. And the woman, how is she?" Asuna asked softly.
Nishida and Arguile exchanged glances. "We've made her comfortable," Nishida answered in a hushed voice. "She should pull through, though there are signs of a struggle all over her body. She must have tried to resist them."
"They didn't . . ." Asuna began, feeling sick.
"No," Arguile said quickly, "we don't think so. She hasn't regained consciousness yet, but hopefully she will soon."
"And the other one?" Asuna asked, her tone becoming entirely indifferent.
"Still out cold," Arguile said. "Caramella-san really did a number on him."
The shield and sword user shrugged. "Any reason we haven't already fed his ass to Escargot-san?" she asked.
"Information," Asuna said. "When I was creeping up on them, they talked like they were part of a larger force. We need to find out how much larger and which direction they went so we can avoid them. We also need to know where we are."
"Definitely not ALfheim," Baku muttered quietly. They were all silent for a moment. The former SAO players were taking the news about as well as to be expected. Most couldn't quite believe that this could be reality. Others had already begun to recover, viewing their new circumstances as being no different than those they had faced in SAO. They were all demoralized.
"This probably isn't the time, but have you given any thought to what we will do with that man when we've finished with him?" Arguile asked.
Asuna shook her head. It was an unpleasant question, and one she had carefully avoided asking herself. "We'll have to wait and see what he tells us. He may be worth bringing along as a prisoner, like Kimura, otherwise . . ."
In either case, they had to do what they could at the moment and not worry too much about the future. The more adventurous former players had asked for permission to pick through the remains of the town. Asuna had felt a little shocked at the irreverence, but at the same time, the people who had lived here weren't coming back, or rather, weren't going to need their worldly possessions any longer.
The search proved a mixed success. Some tools, a few article of clothing, and the occasional untouched satchel or bag. About the only thing that had been in higher demand than things to steal were things to cart it all away in. The four bandits had been the biggest windfall. Aside from their weapons, which were being carefully inspected, they had gathered their loot in a nearby cottage, including several trunks full of clothing, most likely raided from the manor, a smaller trunk filled with silverware and pieces of gold and silver jewelry, and a small chest that contained a coat of arms and accompanying silver ring inscribed with a family crest.
Asuna had looked over some of the clothing, her need for something other than the princess 'dress' Sugou had designed for her overcoming her discomfort at searching through another person's belongings. Frustratingly, even if she had found something that would fit, her wings made wearing normal clothing almost impossible.
The solution came in the form of a demure seamstress named Maki, who had offered to take a shot at altering some of the clothes to fit. Asuna had been unsure at first; sewing, like cooking, was very different and much more complicated in real life. Maki confessed she had no real world experience, but even so, the girl had seemed strangely confident as she picked through what was available.
After cannibalizing a dress, and finding an appropriate blouse, the girl had worked through the night with salvaged supplies. By early morning her efforts had produced a functional knee length skirt and a blouse and vest that reminded Asuna a great deal of her SAO starting equipment. For the time being Maki had altered the blouse to accommodate her wings with the addition of two simple slits, but she had promised to come up with a more permanent solution when she had better supplies.
Despite the girl's apologies, Asuna had been pleased with the results. It went a long way to making her feel less like Sugou's doll, even if she couldn't do anything about the most prominent alteration he had made to her body. She wondered idly if the wings could be cut off. They looked fragile and weren't really attached to her body so much as suspended flush with the skin. Though, they had proven surprisingly durable so far. Would it hurt?
Asuna shook her head, that was an option of last resort.
It was while she was regarding herself in a broken mirror, Maki making some final adjustments to her skirt, that Nishida had burst in.
"Asuna-san!" Nishida said urgently. "She's awake! Come quickly."
Asuna glanced down to Maki.
"I'm not quite done yet, but it'll do for right now," the girl said.
Nishida led Asuna to the back of the church where a door opened into a small cooking space and attached bedroom. Possibly the residence of the church's priest. As soon as Asuna entered through the doorway, the voices from within became clear.
"We're not going to hurt you," she heard Caramella say, followed by the sound of something hard striking a wall. Asuna rushed into the small bedroom, a space barely bigger than the confessional, to find Caramella and Kino backed into one corner of the room and the woman from the night before, now awake, pressed into the corner of the cot.
"She just started screaming and throwing stuff at us!" Caramella waved at the wall where a wooden cup lay broken.
"We didn't do anything," Kino said. "She started waking up so Nishida went to find you. She seemed okay at first, but the second she got a good look at us she completely freaked out."
Asuna sighed softly, Kino and Caramella had been here to avoid something like this. Asuna turned back to the frightened woman and did her best to smile kindly.
"Excuse me. Do you understand me?" Asuna asked. Likely a stupid question. The men from earlier had been easy enough to understand.
The woman nodded slowly. She was younger than Asuna had first thought, with the blood and grime wiped away. Large brown eyes watched Asuna as she took a careful step forward and gestured to herself. "We aren't going to hurt you."
The woman was looking past Asuna now, no, not quite, Asuna followed her gaze past her shoulder to the milky translucence of one of her wings. She shifted uncomfortably, tensing her shoulders in an effort to hide them.
"W-who are you?" the woman rasped softly.
"My name is Asuna, the boy over there is Kino-san, and that woman is Caramella-san." Asuna explained gently. "And this man is Nishida-san. Don't worry, you're safe now."
"How can I be safe," the woman whispered softly. "You're Elves, aren't you?"
"Eh? I thought Escargot-san called us Faeries," Caramella said.
"No, those men also called me an Elf," Asuna observed. "We must resemble them, the ears I guess." Asuna put a hand to the tip of one long ear.
"So this world has elves?" Nishida asked. "Stranger, and stranger." The elderly man shook his head.
The woman glanced from Caramella to Asuna. "Faeries?" she asked, "Is that why you have wings?"
"Well, Asuna-sama is the only one here with wings," Caramella said, trying to replicate Asuna's gentle tones. "But we're definitely not Elves, or at least, I don't think we are."
"We'll try to explain as best we can, but could you tell us your name?" Asuna asked.
The woman glanced between them nervously, she seemed afraid to take her eyes from any of them for more than a moment. "My name? I'm Millia Win . . . Millia Winfield."
"It's nice to meet you, Millia-san," Asuna said reassuringly. "Are you able to remember what happened? I know it's probably frightening, but we need to know who those men from last night were."
"Men?" Millia said hollowly, "Th-They told me they were a patrol from the rebel army. They said they were supposed to help keep order." Millia shuddered, "I believed them, I . . . they . . ."
Asuna sat down on the edge of the cot and reached out to stroke the woman's hair. "It's alright now, they won't ever hurt you again." Her voice darkened, "We made sure of that."
Millia accepted a cup of water, sipping it slowly while continuing to watch them. Asuna thought it was tragic that she had to go through something so terrible and then be unable trust the people who were trying to help her.
Finally, Millia spoke again. "You killed those men, didn't you?"
Kino and Asuna both stiffened while Caramella merely looked away. "We defended ourselves," Asuna said softly.
Millia nodded, "You saved me, didn't you?" She looked up at Caramella. "I remember your face now, you carried me here?"
Caramella looked sheepish, "Well, we weren't going to leave an injured person out in the cold like that."
"I see. Then . . . Thank you for your kindness," Millia said, bowing her head graciously. "I apologize for my poor acceptance of your hospitality."
"It's quite alright Millia-san. But if you don't mind us asking," Nishida suddenly spoke up, "what did you mean when you called us Elves?"
"Yeah," Caramella added, "you mean like tall, blond, pointy eared guys with bows?"
Millia looked startled, "Bows? No, Elves fight with magic and weapons beyond the ken of man. You truly do not know?"
"We're not from around here," Asuna offered with a small smile. What was this place? Elves, and magic? Asuna was sure that this was real, and yet . . . "You mean real magic?" she asked.
Millia blinked quickly, "Is there some other kind?" she said, as if finding the question ridiculous.
"Like Asuna-san said, we're not from around here," Nishida said. "Ah, perhaps you could explain to us where here is."
"Here?" Millia asked, "Why, you are on Albion. How could you not know? No, a silly question, if you have never even heard of Elves. You are serious though?" Millia seemed unable to believe them. "Then perhaps you are Faeries as you say?"
"We didn't say it, Escargot did," Caramella huffed.
"Then what would you prefer I call you?" Millia asked.
"Faerie is as good a name as any," Asuna decided reluctantly. Besides, it seemed to make Millia more comfortable. "Now, Millia-san, could you tell us a little more about Albion?"
"A-alright," she said hesitantly. "I suppose I can do that much."
And so she did. Millia told them about the White Isle, a floating continent that hung in skies above the sea and drifted along the coastline of the landmass of Halkegenia on a world with two moons. She told them about Reconquista, the rebel faction that sought to take control of the White Isle, and the embattled Royalists who were pushed further back every day.
From time to time, one of the Faeries would interrupt to ask for clarification. Like a teacher speaking to a young child, she patiently explained what she meant when she used the terms "commoner" and "noble", what a windstone was, and why Elves were to be feared.
When pressed about what had happened with the "rebel soldiers" the night before, Millia had looked away. "My family . . . we were Royalists serving the Windsor family. I was a tutor for the Count's youngest daughter. When Reconquista reached us, I was urged by the other staff to escape. I took what belongings I could carry and ran."
"I took shelter in this town last night and ran into those men. They claimed to be a patrol keeping order behind the front, they seemed so welcoming. I should have know better, but they offered me something to eat. It must have been drugged. I tried to fight back, but they overpowered me. That's the last thing I remember clearly."
"It must have been quite an ordeal," Nishida said, empathizing with the young woman. While their circumstances were different, they could all relate to the anxiety of a life or death situation.
"Thank you again for your kindness, but I must ask what you plan to do with me."
Arguile gave the woman a concerned look. "We would like for you to come with us, at least for a time. This country is clearly too dangerous for a young woman to be wandering alone."
Millia's expression grew pained. "Do not misunderstand, I am grateful to you all for saving me. But if I was found with you, Reconquista would accuse me of consorting with Elves. The things they would do to me . . . Please, just let me go."
"I'm sorry Millia-san, but that isn't possible for now," Asuna spoke up suddenly. The others looked to her but no one raised a voice in dissent. "We have to make sure our own people are safe first, and that means we need your help for now. We'll protect you, I promise."
Millia looked at her with disbelief before shaking her head. "That's really no different than making me you prisoner, isn't it?"
"Maybe, but you'll be taken care of," Asuna said. "And I promise we'll release you someplace safe."
"There's no place that is safe for me," Millia whispered. "Not anymore."
There was a knock at the door and a head appeared in the doorway. It was Baku. "Asuna-sama, Arguile-san, I thought you two should know, the other one is awake."
Asuna's face became a mask once more. "Very well. Caramella, can you continue to watch after Millia for now?"
The former Army knight gave a forced smile, "But I'd much rather go with you Asuna-sama and get reacquainted with Mister Scumbag-san."
"Don't you mean reacquaint him with your fists?" Kino said.
"That's exactly why you should stay here. We need him in one piece, for now." Asuna turned and departed, Arguile following her from the room.
"This is all quite a lot to take in," Arguile observed.
"You're right," Asuna agreed. It was too strange to believe, but the facts could not be denied. They were in another world. And not just a virtual one, a real, tangible, living place. But what did that mean? And how had it happened? And most importantly, could they get back?
The man that Caramella had taken to calling Scumbag-san, the former raspy voice, had been detained in a horse shed near the church. In a twist of irony, his fellow prisoner had become his warden. Kimura had stood watch over the man through the night. The former researcher transformed into a slug type monster was taking his new circumstances disturbingly well, waving a tentacle in welcome to Asuna and Arguile.
"Good morning, Asuna-sama, Arguile-san," Kimura said in his soft voice. "The prisoner has woken up."
Kimura gestured with one tentacle to the man lying tied up in the corner of the shed. Raspy voice had seen better days, and very likely decades. The man's face was a black and blue mess, and what Asuna could see of his upper torso through the rips in his clothing was just as bad.
The man sat up as they approached, squinting through a black eye. "And who be you lot?" he said, his voice growing slurred.
"That would be our line," Arguile said coldly.
"Eh? A pair of Elves, or 'alf Elves I reckon. Seems we really stepped init," the man snickered darkly. "I 'magine you wanna piece o' me for last night?"
"You seem awfully brave for someone facing Elves," Asuna observed coldly.
"Aye, after last night, I'm dead anyway, caught by you lot. May as well admire my executioners." The man leered at Asuna and then started to laugh hysterically, the action causing him to hack and cough.
Asuna had to give him credit, from what Millia had said about Elves, he was either brave, or an idiot. Raspy voice found his fun cut short as a slender blade sliced bare centimeters from his left ear. The expression on Asuna's face had become one of cold disgust.
The man eyed the blade and then looked to Asuna. "Aye? So is that 'ow it's going to be?"
"In all honesty, you sicken me," Asuna said to the man. "This world would be a better place without you in it." Asuna shrugged, "But maybe we can make a deal."
"Asuna-sama?" Arguile asked.
"A deal eh?" The man suddenly became very business like.
"That woman you were . . . with. She died before we could get anything out of her," Asuna said dispassionately. Beside her, Arguile betrayed only a small widening of the eyes. Raspy voice was too focused on Asuna to notice. "There's lots we need to know," Asuna continued. "Tell us everything you can and in exchange, we'll spare your life."
The man seemed to be weighing Asuna's words. Finally, he asked, "Just who are you lot?"
Silhouetted by the morning sun, his captor spoke. "We're the Knights of Blood."