The story continues!
The original idea was to get a little more intense or cosmic with the summonings, but I ended up going for a more comical route.
I'm pro-Horde, so I wanted something with orcs, whether that be main protagonists or just a nameless NPC.
It ended up being a nameless NPC.
Durotar, a dry land of dust and scorching heat. This was the land granted to them in the aftermath of the Third War, the reward they had received for their part in safeguarding Azeroth from the Burning Legion.
Its cracked, red surface held little in the ways of vegetation, and not nearly enough freshwater. Yet there was a comforting familiarity to it for those old soldiers who had been born and raised on Draenor. They looked upon their new home with pride and love, finding beauty in the crimson sands.
Orcs, Trolls, and Taurens, for them this was to be a new beginning. A redemption for past crimes and lost honor. But before that, they would need to build. And in order to build, they would need resources.
Foreman Thazz'ril grumbled as he trudged through the newly dubbed 'Valley of Trials'. It was to be a testing grounds for the Horde's newest recruits, aspiring adventurers from all walks of life. But before that, they would need to construct buildings and tents, carve out a den, and clear a space to gather in. Unfortunately for him, he was stuck with the laziest workforce this side of Azeroth.
Ever since they'd helped construct fortifications during the Battle of Mount Hyjal, the peons had let it get into their heads that they had helped save the planet. Which, albeit, they had, but it was starting to get out of hand. Some were outright refusing to work, and the Warchief was supporting them! Something about workers' rights, and respecting their hard labor.
Thazz'ril groaned as he approached a tree rising out of the side of the foot of the valley wall. A peon lay slumbering under it, snoring constantly. He frowned, then raised his blackjack and grinned.
"Ow!"
"Get back to work, maggot!"
"Okay!" The peon jumped onto his feet. "I'll get back to-..."
He stopped, gears visibly turning in his head. Thazz'ril tilted his head and watched the peon scratched his head.
"Do you hear something?" He looked around at the sky. "Sounds like little girl- Waghhh!"
Without warning, a portal flared to life behind the peon. He screamed as it drew him in, emerald green magic crackled and reached out, pulling him in through. Within seconds, the peon was gone and all that was left was his impression in the dirt.
Thazz'ril stared at the impression, eyes blown open wide and jaw dropped low. It took him a while to register what he'd just seen, but when he did he slumped his shoulders, threw back his head, and let out a groan.
On second thought, he could get some prospective adventurers to do this later.
The Springtime Summoning Ritual was as much a rite of passage for a young mage as it was a requirement in their curriculum. Not only were they to summon a lifelong companion, but a mirrored reflection of their truest selves. For some, this was an unnerving caveat, for others, it was just another step towards perfecting their training in the magical arts. For one, though, it would be the make it or break it moment in her short time at the Tristain Academy of Magic.
Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière stood rigid under the critical eyes of her classmates. Snickers and whispers traveled around her, quiet jokes being thrown around by her peers.
"Come on, Vallière!" Her rival, the fiery red-headed Germanian exchange student Kirche von Zerbst, shouted. "We don't have all day!"
Before she could snap back at her, their teacher Prof. Colbert stepped in between them, bearing a disapproving frown. "Please, Ms. Zerbst. This ritual is sacred and is not to be taken lightly."
That shut her up, much to Louise's glee. However, her smug grin withered when Prof. Colbert turned his gaze to her.
"That being said, please continue, Ms. Vallière."
He gave a respectful bow and stepped away. She breathed in, then out. Gripping her wand tightly in one hand, she raised it and closed her eyes. "I beg you, my servant that lives somewhere in the universe!" She trailed off, stealing another breath to calm her nerves. "Oh beautiful, strong, and sacred familiar spirit! I desire and I plead from the bottom of my heart! Answer to my guidance!"
She felt her magic surge through her being, reaching out and down her arm. It culminated into her wand—her foci—and emerged as a blinding flare of white light.
A grin broke out across her face, but it quickly became a horrified gape as the light flashed and erupted with unstable magic. A cry of surprise escaped her as the space in front of her exploded. She flew back as smoke billowed out across the courtyard, enveloping her class.
Screams screams shouts rang out while she lay on the grass, a perpetual wheeze escaping her. Amidst the chaos of frantic children, she managed to regain her bearings. Climbing back onto her feet, she took wobbly steps over to where she'd flown from.
"Montmorency?" Guiche de Gramont called out somewhere in the background. "Are you alright?"
His girlfriend did not answer, and so Louise glanced back to find her staring ahead wide-eyed. She blinked, then followed the blonde girl's gaze to a silhouetted lump on the ground.
She sucked in a breath, regretted it, coughed out the smoke, and then ran towards the lump. She waved away the smoke and coughed into her uniform's collar. The closer she got, the more she could make out.
It was green in color- no, green and crimson! Was it a lizard? Oh, please Founder, if it wasn't a manticore let it be a rhyme dragon! She could even settle for a giant salamander! Something of might-
She stopped short of her would-be familiar, eyes blowing open wide. A green, humanoid shape lay on the charred grass, donned in worn shirt and pants. At first, she feared it was an Orc, but then she saw its pointed ears and flat nose.
What manner of creature was this? Some unholy offspring of an Orc and an Elf?
Revulsion crossed her face and stepped back, right into Prof. Colbert. He himself stared at the beast incredulously, confounded as much as her. Soon, her class started to join them, coming up to stare and gossip about her familiar.
"Did she summon an orc?"
"No way, it's too small."
"It's still huge!"
"Look at it's ears. Is it an elf?"
"It's got tusks!"
She trembled, feeling panic set in. She'd hoped that she wouldn't fail at summoning something, but she hadn't foreseen herself summoning something so grotesque! How could she face her family? How could she face her class? What was she going to do-
"Ahem." Prof. Colbert tapped her shoulder. "Ms. Vallière, the summoning ritual must be completed."
"B-But-"
Before she could object, a moan cut her off. She looked over to the green creature as it propped itself up. Its head lolled slightly as it rubbed its head, giving a weak mumble.
The whispers around them went silent as the beast looked at the ground. It said something in a throaty tongue, some savage language she'd never heard before. It picked at the soot and grass, then glanced up at them.
That was when it freaked out. A cross between a scream and a yell escaped the creature, and it scrambled to its feet. Before it could move from its spot though, a gust of wind pushed it back to the ground.
Tabitha was on her rhyme dragon, the crook of her staff pointed downwards. She let off on the green-skinned creature and it wrapped its arms around itself… was it crying?
Louise tilted her head and squinted her eyes, giving it a confused look. Her would-be familiar was holding its knees to its chest while rocking back and forth. It was visibly crying and loudly bawling, to which she burned red and hid her face.
Several of her classmates were laughing now, some even pointing.
"Class, settle down!" Prof. Colbert struck the ground, silencing them once more. "Ms. Vallière, please complete the ritual."
She swallowed. "C-Can't I try again?"
"The Summoning Ritual is sacred." He swapped his staff from one hand to the other, stood taller, and gave her a stern look. "To attempt again would be sacrilege."
She grimaced, feeling despair take hold of her heart. Of course she didn't have to just fail. She had to summon the worst familiar of all time!
Swallowing down her hesitation, she stuck up her chin and strode over to the creature with what grace she could muster. The big, green lunk was trembling uncontrollably, absolutely terrified of her. She gave it a glower before citing her name and mumbling the rest of her incantation, "Pentagon that rules the five powers, bless this creature and make it my familiar."
She bent down and it peered up at her. Before she could allow herself to hesitate, she pressed a kiss to its forehead. The beast gave a gasp and stared at her. Meanwhile, she wiped her mouth and spat at the grass.
It spoke something in its savage, throat tongue before it gripped its left hand. Steam began to rise off of it as the familiar runes seal themselves into its flesh. A cry escaped her familiar and it thrashed about, gripping its hand tightly.
She merely glowered again, feeling her embarrassment and shame turn into frustration, then rage. She'd endured a childhood of tough love, a year of torment, and finally, now at the precipice, she'd all but failed to make good on her promise to summon the mightiest familiar in the land.
Her mother was going to kill her.
"What a fine familiar, Vallière!"
Zerbst's laughter echoed through the hall, much to her chagrin. With a cry, she slammed the door behind her, though, she could still hear the Germanian cow beyond. Growling, she stormed over to her bed and flipped onto it to bury her face into the sheets.
She gave a muffled scream, along with some profanities she wouldn't use in public. Then, rolling over, she let out a groan.
The day's events weighed heavily on her. She felt exhausted, as well as thoroughly embarrassed, both by her pathetic excuse of a familiar and her classmate's recognition of her pathetic excuse for a familiar.
Why couldn't she have gotten something amazing? Like Tabitha and her Rhyme Dragon! Even Zerbst had summoned a Fire Salamander! Founder, she would've settled for something normal if it came down to it! A bird. A squirrel. A mole like Guiche! She would even take Montmorency's frog!
But some repulsive mix between an Orc and an Elf? She might as well be branded a heretic! Zerbst was probably working the rumor mill now, getting the rest if their class gossiping about how she was a blasphemer, or had some kind of secret fetish-
"Mm…."
She froze, hearing the moan. Pushing herself up, she looked over at the ground beside her bed. She'd instructed the academy's servants place a pile of straw there the night before, hoping it would be suitable for her familiar. In a way, it was… give or take…. It certainly didn't seem to mind lying there.
"Zug zug." It rolled onto its back and scratched its chest. "Dabu."
She furrowed her brow and gave it a confused scowl. She was going to need to do something about its manners. That and its foreign tongue. Speaking of which….
Louise hopped off her bed and stepped over to her desk table. Swiping her wand off of it, she pointed at her familiar, then faltered as she tried recalling the translation spell. "Ansur. Ver. Ang."
There was an explosion, a billow of smoke, and then a cry from her familiar.
"Ow! Okay, I go back to work!"
She heard her familiar scramble to its feet, but then slam into the wall. She winced, then glowered as it fell backwards onto its backside.
"Where did wall come from?" It scratched its head, then looked at her.
It stared at her for a good long while before it screamed. The pathetic thing curled in on itself, holding its arms close and tucking its knees in. She narrowed her eyes harder and bared her teeth, which, admittedly, didn't help much.
"I can't believe I summoned you." She put her wand back down and trudged over to her wardrobe. "Stupid familiar. Stupid Zerbst. Stupid magic."
She undid her cloak and draped it over her chair, then started unbuttoning her uniform. After hanging it up, she donned her nightgown and stretched. The pent up stress eased out of her body and she gave a content sigh before turning around to find her familiar attempting to crawl towards the door.
"What are you doing?" She put her hands on her hips as it winced.
The pathetic thing turned over, but still shook out of fear. It had its hands up, as if attempting to shield itself from her wrath. A tiny part of her took satisfaction in its fright, but the rest was fed up with today's events.
"Well?" She cocked her head.
Her familiar looked past its hands to study her. "M-Me don't know what to do!" It clutched its arm close to its chest. "I don't know where me at! This not Durotar!"
"Duro-what?"
It gave her a confused look, then pulled its hands close to its chest. "Me supposed to be building Valley of Trials. But then green portal appear and suck me up."
She blinked, shook her head, processed its words, and then sighed. "Yes, that was me. I summoned you. You're my familiar, got it?"
It stared at her. She stared back.
"What is familiar?"
Louise slapped a hand to her forehead and groaned.
The next morning, the academy's dining hall was packed full. Students of all years lined the tables, eating their breakfast as they chatted with their peers. Among the loudest of the assembled youths were the second-years, who excitedly swapped stories about their newly summoned familiars. They shared everything they'd learned about them so far, from their favorite aspects of them to the tiny details that interested them.
Their entire class ate, drank, laughed, swapped rumors, and presented themselves as best they could before their peers. In an academy where its students were all of noble descent, appearances were everything. Speaking of which….
The doors to the dining hall slammed open unceremoniously, drawing many eyes to the school's current laughing stock and subject of gossip. Louise visibly cringed, met her classmates' looks, and then stuck her nose up as she strode to the nearest, open seat. A second later, her familiar followed, waddling behind while twiddling its thumbs and keeping its head low.
Well, that's how it appeared to the rest of the school. Last night's long, in-depth lesson—on account of her familiar constantly asking questions—about the world of Halkeginia had also managed to inform her that her familiar was both male and had bad posture. She'd also learned that he was apparently an Orc 'Peon' from another world called Azeroth where his race was allied with several other races in a unified structure called "The Horde"... she needed some coffee.
Stepping up to an empty seat, she stared at it. Then, at her familiar. He scratched his head, to which she narrowed her tired eyes. "Pull it out."
"Okay!" He pulled the chair out for her, letting her sit down.
She waited for him to push her in. He didn't. She turned around and narrowed her eyes even more. "Push me in."
"Okay!" He pushed her in.
Louise breathed in deeply, then gave a long, exasperated sigh before slamming her forehead against the dining hall table. Manners be damned, she was exhausted. Pulling all-nighters wasn't new to her, but the mental fortitude she'd expended on trying to answer the Peon's questions and ask her own while receiving not-so knowledgeable answers in return had been draining.
"Well. Well. Well. Look what the beast dragged in." She spied a short, black skirt and a pair of dark-skinned legs step into view on the other side of the table. "Well, Zero? I'm waiting for you to introduce us."
On any other day, Louise would have snapped back at the Germanian with an insult. Today, she gave a weak, strangled moan. She really, really did not have the energy, or the patience, for this.
Lifting her head up a bit, she glared at her rival. "What do you want, Zerbst?"
Her frustration must've shown because even Kirche's face flashed with concern.
"Ugh. What happened to you?" She arched an eyebrow and folded her arms under her chest. "Are midterms today?"
She scowled harder. Zerbst reciprocated with a wider grin. All the while, the Peon had plopped down on the floor beside her and reached up to grab some food. Upon noticing the green hand though, she gave it a light smack and directed a glare at her familiar. He, in turn, whimpered and held his belly, which audibly rumbled.
"Ah!" the Germanian cooed with a taunting smile. "The poor thing is hungry."
Louise turned her glare on her, but the Zerbst simply laughed. They never broke eye contact, neither willing to give in to the other. However, she could still hear her familiar's low whining and rumbling stomach. So, patting around until she grabbed a plate, she lifted it up and held it down for him to grab, all the while keeping up her staring contest with her rival.
There was an audible gasp below her, followed by the plate being taken. "Thank you!"
A string of rather improper noises followed as her familiar probably inhaled the food. Immediately after, she felt the plate being pressed back into her hand while the Peon belched. She'd turned progressively redder in those short couple of seconds, but had kept up her hardened expression. Mostly.
"That was good food." Her familiar patted his belly and gave a content moan while she scowled into the distance.
They descended the dining hall's front steps, stepping out onto the courtyard. Kirche laughed behind them, breaking off on another path with her admirers trailing behind. She thanked the Founder for that small mercy, but then ground her teeth as she caught glances being thrown in her and her familiar's direction.
They needed some privacy. The library would do, or maybe they could just return to her room-
She heard a weight drop on the ground and her familiar sigh, "Ah!"
Louise stopped, twirled around, and found the Orc lying in the shade of a tree. He rested against the trunk, hands folded over his belly as he breathed in and out. Her shock must've been showing because a few students passed by, snickering at the display.
After the humiliation set in and turned into anger, she stormed over to the lazing peon. Drawing her leg back, she gave him a swift kick to his side, to which he grunted and whined. "Ow! Whaaat?"
"Get up, you- you oaf!"
"Me busy!" He rolled onto his side. "Leave me alone!"
"You're sleeping!"
"Me busy!"
"You're! Just! Sleeping!" Every word was emphasized with a kick, and each one had little to no effect on the big, green brute.
He merely huffed and turned his back to her, to which she growled and held in a scream. She continued kicking him for a bit, but somewhere around a minute later she stopped to give her foot some relief while she continued shouting at the orc, "You're my familiar! You're not supposed to disobey me!"
"You not me warchief."
"I am your master!" She put her hands on her hips and leveled a glower at it. "I summoned you and those runes on your hand are mine!"
"Still not me warchief!"
She smacked a hand over her face and wiped it down. How was she going to break through to this lug? More kicking? Her foot would probably break on his thick skull. More shouting? His skull was obviously too thick for anything to reach his brain. Maybe if she… reasoned with him?
She shriveled her nose at the idea… but it had merit.
"So you serve your… warchief?"
The peon bobbed his head. "Mmhm."
"How are you going to serve them here?"
He hummed. "Me don't know. Need to wait for orders."
She grumbled under her breath. She'd summoned one stupid orc. "How are you going to get orders if your warchief can't find you?"
"Me just wait."
"And what if you never get orders?"
"Me. Wait."
She pressed her hands together in front of her face, breathed in, and then out. "Okay, so, let me get this straight, if you can't talk to your warchief."
"Mmhm."
"And your warchief can't talk to you."
"Mmhm."
"Does that mean you have to listen to them?"
"Ye-..." The Orc stopped, then lifted his head.
She sucked in a breath.
"Hmm…." The Orc tapped his chin. "Y-Yes. Warchief is warchief."
"But what if they can never give you orders again?"
"...Then they not me warchief?"
The corners of her mouth tugged upwards. She'd finally broken through to him.
"Then that mean I don't have to do anything!"
Wait, what?
She blinked, confusion crossing her face, before she looked back down at her familiar. He'd gone right back to resting against the tree, sighing contently. Her fury overwhelmed her and she delivered a kick to his side, which he shrugged off with a grunt. That only served to stoke the fire in her, prompting her to let out a screech and pace around while throwing her arms in the air.
"Having trouble over there, Louise?"
She stopped, side-eyed Guiche, who was strolling over with Montmorency, and narrowed her eyes at him. He held an amused smirk while his girlfriend wore a humored smile. A small following trailed behind them, their familiars at their heels or on their shoulders. They all wore smirks and smiles too, some whispering to each other while they watched her.
Grinding her teeth, she managed to force out a response, "I'm fine, Guiche."
"Evidently." He guffawed and his clique echoed his laughter.
If it were possible, she turned redder than she already was. Meanwhile, her familiar had rolled back over, laying his arms over his belly once more. She shot him a withering look before returning it to her classmates.
"Well, we'll be seeing you and your familiar later, Zero!" Gramont waved without looking at her, striding away with Montmorency hanging off his arm.
Oh, she was going to crack her molars at this point.
"Blonde human boy annoying." The peon huffed and sat up against the tree. "Me go sleep now."
"What? No!"
Why, Founder? Why was she cursed? Was her destiny to fail horribly in life?
"Um, excuse me?"
Louise heaved in a breath, puffed up her chest, and directed a searing glare at the owner of the voice. A young girl, probably a first-year, squeaked and jumped away. She trembled, and Louise relished in the brief control she had before she forced herself to find her composure. "Yes?"
"C-Can you help me find, Mr. Gramont?"
She furrowed her brow. Why would she want to find-... Oh. Oh… Oh….
"You're looking for Guiche?"
The girl smiled and nodded, naivety and innocence clear on her face. Her oh, so familiar face that she couldn't quite place… No, no. She recognized her now, one of the first-years that Guiche had wooed. Her name was Kathryn? Kate- Katie. Yes, Katie.
"Well-..." She trailed off, suddenly remembering the unspoken agreement among the student body within the academy.
A place such as this, filled to the brim with nobility, did not function without some legally-unrecognized rules. One of those was that gossip could be shared, but never brought to light. Doing so could send two or more houses barrelling towards each other in a cataclysmic clash over something as mundane as pride. Which, admittedly, the Vallières and Zerbsts shared, but that was besides the point.
The true point was that if she tattled on Guiche and ended up revealing his lovers to each other, then that could send the Vallières and the Gramonts, two of Tristain's most prominent military families, into a political scandal and scuffle.
"Well…?" The girl Katie bent down, studying her face.
Louise bit her tongue, swallowed her fear, and composed herself again. "Guiche is probably-"
"Oh! Blonde human boy go that way!"
Louise blinked and stared into the distance while her oaf of a familiar pointed in the direction that the Gramont had been heading.
"Oh, uh… thank you…." Katie gave her peon a strange look, unsure of whether to praise or simply acknowledge him.
In the end, she gave a grateful smile to them both and slipped away quickly. A few minutes later, there were shouts, cries, screaming, and Guiche's unmistakeable begging. Then, after that, the blonde boy came back with bruising cheeks and a sore foot.
"Vallière!"
Louise's eye twitched as she accepted that her life was a complete trainwreck. Once she'd done so, she dropped her head and groaned.
One of the very spoken-about, very legally-recognized rules within the Tristain Academy of Magic was that unapproved duels were grounds for expulsion. Anyone, student or staff, would be given no sympathy for putting their fellow mage in harm's way. That being said, that rule's unspoken version made it very clear that rejecting a duel was a critical blow to one's social status. Some would chalk it down to cowardice, others to an established dynamic of power.
In the end, though, none of that mattered because Louise was going to end up dueling Guiche anyways. Or rather, her familiar was going to end up doing it because it was his own Founder damned fault in the first place!
"Here, take this!" She handed him a shovel she'd requested and appropriated from the servants.
"You want me to dig?"
"No, you're going to fight Guiche!" She crossed her arms and stared him down. "He usually summons brass valkyries to fight for him, so you shouldn't need to worry about hurting him."
"You want me to fight?"
"Yes."
"B-But me not that kind of orc!"
"Well you're gonna be now!"
She swiveled him around and pushed him out onto Vestry Field. News of the duel had spread like wildfire throughout the student body. She saw kids from other years making up the crowd of onlookers, all of whom talked in hushed whispers or open gossip. They cast looks her way, some sympathetic and others amused. She shot them back aggravated ones in return.
"I'm surprised you actually decided to show yourself." Guiche flourished his wand, a rose, and tipped his nose up. "Well then, let's get on with it."
Louise tipped her nose up too and folded her arms over her chest. All the while, her familiar quaked in his boots, clutching his shovel tightly.
"I am Guiche the Bronze!" He struck a pose and the crowd cheered. "Therefore, your opponent shall be a bronze valkyrie!"
He flicked his wand, casting out a single petal that touched the ground. Where it landed, the ground swelled and glowed with magic, transmuting and forming into the shape of a golem. It wielded no weapons other than its armored fists… Maybe they had a chance.
She looked to her familiar, confidence building in her gut. It all died back down when she saw him still shaking. Her face probably shifted from hardened to stunned, and then finally to frustration.
"What are you waiting for!" she hissed. "Go!"
The peon glanced over his shoulder at her, then at his shovel, and finally up at the bronze valkyrie. A tense second passed before he opened his mouth and half-questioned, half-bellowed, "Why not?"
Her familiar charged Guiche's valkyrie, the former raising his shovel high while the latter surged forward to meet him. Louise held a bated breath, then lost it when the valkyrie threw an uppercut, catching the orc in the stomach.
He doubled over, giving a grunt and groan. Falling to his knees, he bent over and held his stomach. His shovel clattered on the ground before him while the valkyrie stood tall, immobile and resolute. There was a wave of sympathetic reactions to her familiar's instant defeat, as well as some laughter and jokes.
"Get up!" She gestured at him frantically, but he moaned and lay on the ground. "Come on!"
"No, no, stay down." Guiche waved his wand about wantonly, all the while wielding a smug grin. "It'll make this go a lot faster."
She grit her teeth and suppressed a scream from tearing out of her throat. Though her frustration and rage were peaking, she recalled her mother's 'Rule of Steel' and forced herself to not explode. Not here, in front of the masses.
She focused on her wand, which she held tightly. She focused on the battle, which went poorly. She looked to her familiar, seeking any strength he might have that he could use. However, every strength was countered by weakness. He was big, but he was afraid. He was strong, but he was a coward. He could probably lift that valkyrie up and smash it, but he had no confidence, no drive.
She watched the peon whimper and hold his stomach. She felt a dribble of sympathy ebb into her heart, followed by brief relapses to her own moments of self-loathing. Suddenly, she wasn't her familiar's master, but a lonely girl with big dreams and a poor reality.
Slowly, she raised up her wand and glanced at it. This tool that was to be a conduit for her magic, the foci by which she would cast spells. But the only spell that had ever been successful was….
Louise swallowed and turned her eyes on the duel. "Fireball!"
The valkyrie was blown back, its chestplate chipping. Guiche gave a startled cry and the crowd gasped.
"What the- Vallière?" He stomped a foot on the ground and huffed. "How dare you intervene!"
"He's my familiar!" she snapped back and took a pose. "That makes this my duel too! Fireball!"
The valkyrie was reduced to smithereens, its torso blasted apart and the rest of it showering onto the makeshift battlefield. When the smoke cleared, she flashed a smug grin at Guiche, who growled and glared at her.
"Very well then!" He flicked his wand left and right, summoning two more valkyries.
These new opponents wielded halberds in their armored gauntlets, bringing them down to bear before shooting off in opposite directions. She gasped and stepped back, threw her aim towards the leftmost one.
"Fireball!"
An explosion blasted it off the ground and it flew up into the air. She quickly turned to the one on her right, but found it closing the distance between them. Fear grasped her heart as she strived to swing her wand about. However, she knew it was already too late.
Her familiar, however, didn't know anything.
"Rah!" The peon reared up and swung his shovel, striking the valkyrie in the head.
It flipped over, losing control in its charge and falling to the ground on its back. She jumped out of the way as it slid past her, then aimed with her wand. "Fireball!"
It erupted into fire and shattered parts, followed by the second, who'd attempted to rise up too. She bore a grin then, courage rising from the pit of her stomach. She felt good. Really good.
Turning around, she faced Guiche and her familiar. The blonde snarled at her and summoned six valkyries at once. The orc huffed, beat his chest, and then held his shovel aloft. "For Little Warchief!"
She scowled for a second, but shrugged off the feeling of offense. They could work on titles later. Right now, they were riding on top of the world.
"Fireball!"
She blasted a valkyrie apart while the peon swung at another, bashing it into a third. The other three split up, two going for the peon while a third headed for her.
She made to shoot down the one coming at her, but spied her peon backing up from his opponents. A dozen plans ran through her head before she chose to jump out of the way of her foe. As it slowed to a halt to turn back around, she aimed under her familiar's arm. "Fireball!"
The valkyrie on his left exploded and he stumbled back. The other one he faced was also sent reeling, which left him time to recover and flash a look of surprise at her. She grinned and he smiled back before turning around to grab the valkyrie by the face.
She would've kept watching if the final valkyrie didn't reappear behind her and grab her by the back of her cloak. She gave a cry when it yanked her up into the air, and she kicked her legs in in a vain attempt at escape. A few onlookers laughed, but the majority gasped, enthralled by her sudden comeback.
Her hands pawed at the armored gauntlet holding her up and she growled out of anger. A flash of metal across the battlefield drew her attention to her familiar. He had twisted the valkyrie's head off and dug a hand down its collar. With a heave, he ripped the glorified suit of armor in half before turning around with his shovel in hand.
She stared at him, stunned, before eyeing him grab his weapon with both hands. He started to raise it up, and then it clicked in her head.
Fumbling with her cloak, she unfixed it and dropped down to the ground. She caught a brief glimpse of the valkyrie looking down at her before the peon's shovel flew into its head. Digging in deep, the makeshift weapon practically cleaved the helm in half.
Across the loose ring of students, Guiche gave a strangled yelp in sudden realization that his moment of glory had died. Now, the students were cheering for her and her familiar… they were cheering for them….
A triumphant grin broke out across Louise's face as she got up, retrieving her cloak. Then, turning to the son of Gramont, she watched him back up as the peon stalked up to him.
"N-Now, now!" He held his hands up in surrender while wearing a weak smile. "Let's use our words-"
"You stop being mean to Little Warchief!" The orc poked a beefy finger into the boy's chest. "And you respect human girls. Okay?"
Guiche gave him a blank stare. Then, he looked at her, who'd strode up to stand beside them. Her hands moved from her hips to cross over her chest, her smirk turning into a hardened frown. He gave a frantic nod.
Louise gave an approving smile and turned to her familiar. He mimicked her pose, the both of them stern and stalwart companions instead of a dysfunctional clash of master and servant. That realization broke the dam and she couldn't help but let her exuberance overflow into a wide grin.
"We did it!" She jumped at him, throwing her arms around his waist. "Take that, Zerbst!" She threw an accusing finger at her fiery, redheaded rival, who did a double-take. While the Germanian sputtered, she patted her familiar's chest. "Come on, familiar. Let's get going. It's time to celebrate!"
"Yeah!" He scooped her up in one arm and lifted a fist into the air. "Lok'tar!"
I might continue on with the adventures of Louise and her Peon, we'll have to see.
Who knows? I might even give him a name.
As for right now, though, I've got plans to summon Bwonsamdi, Wrathion, or Deathwing. First and last options are going to involve some heavy angst, the middle will probably be more of a learning curve for Louise and an amusing vacation for Wrathion.
I'm still open to suggestions and ideas, which I've gotten a great number of.
One of the far-off concepts I've made was bringing in Lorthemar Theron to deal with the Elvish racism and also making a funny bit of Lorthemar refusing to do homework, but wanting to drink wine and eat cheese.
Anduin's definitely an option I want to explore. Bringing Azeroth's world soul in will probably be a very far-off event, or even a whole separate story. Of course, I'd also like to try my hand at a Reverse Summon AU, to see Louise come back as a member of the Kirin Tor or something else.
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