Hello everyone, here's the next chapter in the story.
Letting you know now, this one is using two episodes, so it's a big one.
Mostly because I felt like it.
Enjoy!
"Alright. Where do you want me to start?" Nicolas asked as now the three of them were in Louise's room.
"Well, why didn't you tell me you were a noble?" Louise asked, getting straight to what she believe was the point.
"Because I'm not, or at least, I don't see myself as one, my family might disagree and see themselves as noble though." he said with a snort.
It wasn't a lie either, his mother was always trying to tell people how she had noble blood in her, though he knew that was BS.
"How can you be unsure about whether your family is nobility or not?" Louse asked flatly. "You have magic, so that means you're a noble."
He shrugged "Maybe I'm of noble blood, who knows? I sure don't. But pretty sure even non-nobles could have magic, I mean, the obvious first thought, a bastard child of a noble man and a… street working woman." he said, pausing to think of a less crude name for a prostitute.
Louise open her mouthed to counter that, before closing it again and thinking about it "Alright… You have a point there." she admitted.
"I was wondering about that armor. You called yourself a Dark Magic Knight," Siesta asked.
"I'd like to ask about that too," Louise frowned. "Why do you have that evil power? Don't you know what it is?"
"I know what it is yes. But just because a power may have a dark source, doesn't mean the user is dark as well, just as the opposite may be true. It's something I've learned over the years." he said "As for the source of the armor itself, I'm not it's first user, like I said to that blonde fop, I inherited it, in a way."
"Then how did you go about obtaining this armor?" Louise asked curiously.
"Well, let's start at the beginning, regarding how I learned of its existence. It happened shortly after I left my family due to my dislike of them. I found a tome that detailed a secret and ancient conflict, between a family of mages and an ancient and powerful demon. The demon had, at some point in the past, managed to capture the patriarch of the family, and corrupted his power, and thus his armor and very soul, to serve him. The man did eventually break free though, and fought alongside his wife, sons and daughters against the demon. The tome held accurate drawings of the weapons, wands and armors they wielded, as such, I was able to learn what it all looked like, and how to use it. Then, one day, I actually found the sword, sealed within a box, and was able to take it away from where it was hidden. When I claimed the sword, it's power flowed into me, and granted me the same power as the patriarch of the family." he explained to her, having to modify his story to fit into her world.
Honestly the only lie was that he got the power when he claimed the sword, but she didn't need to know that.
Both of them seemed...quite unsure what to say to that.
"So… the patriarch of the family, he had sealed his power away?" Siesta asked after a moment, feeling curious about the story.
"I can only assume so. The book didn't mention such a thing though." was Nicolas' reply.
"I see…" Louise frowned. "But...there aren't any side effects are there?" she wanted to check.
"Not that I've felt so far," Nicolas said, being honest since he really hadn't had a lot of time to see if anything would happen.
"I see." Louise nodded "But still, dark magic isn't something that would be considered common here. It might be best if you avoid using it too much, or it might cause too much of a comotion."
He nodded as well "Fair point. I guess I'll avoid using the armor too much then. Though I think the wand should be able to channel other sorts of magic as well."
"I never thought I'd see the day when a noble summoned a human familiar, one that can use an ancient magic at that." Siesta mused in interest.
"I suppose it was unexpected." Louise admitted "Still… I don't know how to feel about the fact my familiar is better at magic than me." she said, giving him a pointed look.
He raised his hands placatingly "If it helps, I'm not the kind that would push your buttons on your magic skills."
"I'd appreciate that," Louise sighed.
"So...what happens now?" Nicolas asked.
"For now? I think rest would be good. It's been a long day," Louise sighed.
"Sounds good to me," Nicolas shrugged.
"My, it IS getting rather late, and I have a few things I need to attend to," Siesta remembered. "I will see you both another day. Good evening," she said, quickly excusing herself and leaving.
"She's really fun to talk to." Nicolas said idly as he waved at Siesta as she left the room.
"I suppose a maid won't be insulting me while talking to me, so I have to agree there." Louise admitted after a moment, before looking at him "By the way, I suppose I should mention this since unlike other familiars you ARE human, but you're allowed to pursue romantic relationships, not that you needed my permission… just as long as it isn't Zerbst, you can be with anyone but her, I won't even complain if you somehow become involved with another noble, but NOT her."
"What IS the reason for the hate?" he asked, vaguely remembering it from the few episodes he had watched, so he could use a refresher course.
"To make a long story short, her ancestor stole away the wife of my ancestor. The Zerbst seem to make it a game of seeing just how much they can steal from the Valiere." she said bitterly.
"Wow… that guy was a bastard. I mean, stealing another man's wife then making it out like a sport is just the lowest of the low." he said, shaking his head at the thought, seriously, just stealing someone's wife alone was low, but Kirche's family just makes it worse if they kept doing it through generations.
"It is," Louise nodded with a huff. "I'm glad we see eye to eye on this matter."
"Don't worry, if I am looking for a relationship, I'd prefer someone who isn't the type to sleep around," Nicolas said flatly.
She snorted in amusement at that, not bothering to hide it since she knew he wouldn't tell anyone "Walls are rather thin here, so I have confirmation she DOES tend to spread her legs every night."
"Can't be easy to sleep for whoever lives in the next dorm over." he said with a wince at the poor girl who was stuck listening to that through the night.
"She found a workaround apparently." Louise said with a shrug. "Now then, in a few days it'll be the day of the void. It's essentially a vacation day. It might be a good idea to use it to go to town and see if we can't find you any spare weaponry should something happen to your sword."
"Good point, can't be too careful." he said with a nod, though he was agreeing mostly because he wanted the talking sword.
"As well, I found Professor Colbert earlier a bit before your duel, I assumed he already knew but he apparently didn't, so all he told me was that your bed would be ready tomorrow." she added.
"Good, sleeping on straw isn't very good for my back." he said with a chuckle before standing up "Let me know when you're done changing." he said and walked out of her room as she nodded at him.
The next few days soon passed in a rather comfortable rhythm. He was slowly getting used to the academy, and while he was still often treated as the 'human familiar' by most of the students, a few of them showed him a bit of respect, mainly the ones who saw the duel first hand, and Katie as well, the girl thanking him for exposing Guiche's true nature to her. Speaking of the blonde playboy, he was still with Montmorency… though the girl was making sure to keep a 'tighter leash' on him so to speak.
He also may or may not have mentioned ideas for disciplining others within earshot of her and watched her walk off with a light grin.
At the moment though, he was walking back to Louise's room, intent on getting an early night's rest after a nice meal in the kitchens and chatting with Siesta, when he spotted something on the other end of the corridor he was walking through.
"Aren't you Kirche's familiar? Flame was it? What do you want with me you discount Charmeleon?" Nicolas wondered with a deadpan look, vaguely remembering something like this from the episodes he had seen.
The salamander looked at him funny, quite sure he'd just been insulted, but as it was, he had a job to do. With that he walked around, before promptly biting down on the back of Nicolas's shirt and started trying to drag him away.
"A few candles, the perfect sleeping wear, and a nice full moon tonight. Perfect to spend the night with someone," Kirche chuckled as she finished the preparations. Now all that was left was for Flame to bring her target here and…
She stopped short when the door was nudged a bit. Smiling, she turned to the door and opened it, fully expecting to see Valiere's familiar being dragged by Flame. Instead, she was met with the sight of her familiar alone… and sporting a sizeable goose egg on his head while looking rather miserable. She also noticed a note stuck on said goose egg, to which she picked it up, finding the note has only a simple message. 'Not interested'
Kirche blinked as Flame waddled into the room, while she was staring at the note, as if she couldn't believe that just happened. Eventually… "I see...oh well, I guess I'll just have to try harder," she chuckled to herself. She always did like a challenge.
"Hey Louise, the Zerbst family...are the women usually as 'gifted' as Kirche?" Nicolas idly asked.
"...that gives me more questions, but yes. Why do you ask?" Louise sighed.
"Cause I think they stuffed their brains in there. That girl doesn't seem to understand the meaning of 'not interested'," he said flatly.
Louise could not stop the laugh at that, the image of Kirche's head being void of anything only for a brain to be present in her chest and not working at all was rather hilarious to her.
Nicolas grinned a bit as he let her have her laugh, knowing she definitely needed it after dealing with all the problems she had at this school.
Eventually, she calmed down, though she was still smiling "So, what did she try to do, and what did you do in response?"
"I think she had her familiar try to kidnap me and bring me to her room for a romp in the bed. Instead, I gave it a bit of a beating, a stern talking, and stuck a note to it's head." he answered with a grin.
Louise couldn't help it. She laughed at the mental image that gave her. "I think you're the first person to reject someone in that kind of method. But I wouldn't hold my breath. Zerbst's head could probably be used as a battering ram with how stubborn she can be."
"Think she'd stop trying if I actually dated someone?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I doubt it, but she would at the very least try a different tactic." she said with a shrug, making him sigh. Looks like he had his work cut out for him in this regard.
Eventually the day of the void came, and as such, all students had the day off to do as they pleased more or less. Currently Nicolas and Louise were at the stables, looking to borrow a horse to use.
"So these are the academy's horses, huh?" he mused.
"Yes they are. Is something wrong?" Louise asked.
"Nothing nothing...just reminded me of something from the tome I read," Nicolas mused.
"What is it?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The original Wolzard had a steed, a black horse known as Barikion. He was capable of summoning whenever needed, so I'm just wondering if I'm capable of calling on it too." he said, bringing out the Wolzaphone and flipping it open.
"Well, if you do have your own horse, give it a try." she suggested.
"Yeah, I will." he said with a smile as they walked out of the stables and he punched in 4-0-3 on the phone "Uu Uru Zazare!" he said and flicked the wand out in front of him, a seal appearing in front of the two, before a black horse ran out of it, wearing a saddle on its back and a helmet over its head.
"He's… big." Louise said after a moment, because yes, the horse was also quite big compared to the ones in the stable.
"Oh yeah, he's definitely big. Dark Magic Horse, Barikion really does live up to his name," Nicolas said in awe, while Barikion took one look at him...and let out an unamused snort. "...why do I feel like I was just dissed by a horse?"
"I think you were." Louise said idly, still not looking away from the horse.
"Right… Normally I'd be offended… but this is Barikion, AKA, the horse you don't want to piss off." he said, before walking up to the horse as calmly as he could "Barikion… nice to meet you. I'm Nicolas Alouette, and yes, I know you probably don't care." a snort was his answer "Yeah, figured that. So, let's cut straight to the chase. You remember Wolzard right? Your master, or, I guess previous master? I don't know if he's still alive and I doubt you'll give me an answer. But! Back on topic! I inherited the armor and his powers, the process is long and complicated so I won't bore you with it right now, however, I want you to give me a chance right now. You may not want me to be your master, as I doubt I can compare to him of all people, but what would you say to being partners? Can you give me a shot at that?"
Barikion looked at him for a moment, before he seemingly lowered down to let Nicolas get on...but there was a certain ominous air to the horse. As such…
"I don't think you should get on just yet," Nicolas told Louise. "I get the feeling he's not about to give me an answer just like that," he gulped thickly, to which Louise wordlessly nodded. She could tell this horse was in no way anything like the horses around the academy. In fact, now that she idly looked at the stables, she noticed many of the horses near the front had backed off or started looking very skittish the moment Barikion was summoned.
Mentally bracing himself, Nicolas climbed onto Barikion's back...and once he was secure, Barikion took off into an open area, and began bucking and jumping, fully aiming to try and knock his rider off.
"Oh jesus christ tap dancing on a blazing tyrannosaurus!" Nicolas screamed as he held onto Barikion's neck "Gotta think like… like… like Link! Breath of the Wild! Don't let go! Don't get bucked off! Hope he gives up… soon-ish… and pray it stops shaking!"
The crazy ride went on for several agonizing minutes, and each passing second his arms felt more and more like jelly. Eventually though, he felt Barikion start to stop, before coming to a complete stop. "Are...are you satisfied?" he panted, earning a small snort from the horse. "...thank god…" he groaned as he promptly fell off the horse in exhaustion.
Louise went up to him "You going to be ok?"
"Yeah… yeah just gimme a bit to get the feeling back in my arms." Nicolas said, panting.
Louise nodded, before looking at Barikion with a wary eye "So… he's going to listen us now?"
"To me. If you want him to listen to you, you need to take the hell ride as well. I don't know if he respects me, but he at least acknowledges me as someone who can ride him." Nicolas told her with a sigh as he slowly got back up.
"So...will he be willing to bring us to the nearby town?" Louise asked cautiously.
"I think so," Nicolas sighed as he got back on the horse, Barikion not fighting him this time, before he helped Louise get on. "Point the way."
"Land!" both Nicolas and Louise practically cried when they arrived, all but jumping off of Barikion and if it weren't for the fact both had more self respect, they'd have started kissing the ground. Barikion DEFINITELY lived up to his name as a magic horse, as the trip from the academy to the town, which should have taken 3 hours or so...was done in 20 minutes.
"Alright… alright…" Nicolas sighed as he took a breath and looked at Barikion "Take it a bit slower on the return trip, would you?"
Barikion snorted, but nodded his head nonetheless.
"Right, on top of a sword, we're going to buy some proper horse riding gear… just the standard stuff, nothing bad." she added, looking at Barikion, who nooded in acceptance, making her sigh in relief.
"So, reins, a bridle, and some stirrups then at the least." Nicolas counted off on his fingers as he and Louise started walking in town after Barikion settled himself into an empty stall at the stables on the edge of town.
"A saddle blanket too, he'll probably like us more if we make him comfortable." Louise added dryly.
"Never thought you'd have to make a horse like you did you?" Nicolas asked knowingly.
"Yes and no...I guess I did entertain the idea of a horse as a familiar, but...this is definitely more than I ever would have asked for," she sighed.
"I don't think any NORMAL person would ask for a horse like Barikion unless they're a top class badass," Nicolas chuckled awkwardly.
"Let's...just get what we came for," Louise sighed as they soon made their way to a local weapon shop. When they got in, Nicolas immediately knew it was the right one. The ratty looking man was unmistakable, as was Derf's rusted form in the bargain barrel.
He tuned out the talk between Louise and the man, opting to look at the swords, trying to gauge how good they were. He wouldn't claim he was some expert on swords, but he'd taken an interest in them. These however...were nothing special.
He idly grabbed the sword placed in front of him, looking it over, before making a face of distaste "Not for me." he said and handed it back.
"Do you have anything better?" Louise asked, and Nicolas knew it was time for him to call someone out on their bullshit.
The man faux hummed in thought, looking up as he rubbed his chin, before snapping his fingers "I believe I have just the thing." he said, before walking through a curtain and into the backstore.
"I don't trust that guy. He just screams opportunist," Nicolas frowned.
"How so?" Louise asked.
"He looks and acts like a rat. Take what he says with a grain of salt," Nicolas advised.
True enough, when the seller came out, he was carrying a gaudy looking golden sword. The thing sure LOOKED nice, but there were a few problems. First of all, it was a GOLDEN sword. Anyone who knew metals would know gold isn't ideal for something like a sword. Second, the sword was far too decorated, making it feel more like an ornament than a weapon. And third, related to the second, a sword like that would ATTRACT attention and trouble instead of the preferable warding off.
Louise however seemed quite taken by the sword.
'Yeah, no.' was Nicolas' main thought as he gave his best offended look at the shopkeeper "The hell are you presenting us this paperweight for?"
"I'm sorry? I'll have you know sir that this was made by a famous Germanian Alchemist. It's our best sword," the arms merchant said.
"If this is your best then you're a sad, sad excuse of an arms merchant. Gold is worthless in a weapon, and there's far too many decorations on it. A proper sword would be glossed over, not made to attract attention, just like…" he trailed off as he looked around a bit and moved towards the clearance bin, before pulling out the rusted form of Derf, idly wondering if he would speak soon "Just like this. A bit of maintenance, and this sword would be as good as new."
"I told you people had working brains these days." a new voice said through the store, though Nicolas knew the source, as he looked at the sword in his hand.
The shopkeep meanwhile, was gritting his teeth.
"So… a talking sword?" Nicolas mused.
"Yeah, I can do more than just talk, but I guess that WOULD be the first thing most people notice." the blade said in amusement "The name's Derflinger, but you can call me Derf."
"Nicolas Alouette, I'd shake your hand, but I'm probably already doing that aren't I?" Nicolas shot back with a joking grin.
"Oh you I like!" Derf laughed. "Hey, girl, if you're gonna buy a sword, pick me!"
"I dunno…" Louise frowned, a little off put by the talking sword. However…
"How much for him?" Nicolas asked the seller.
"Uh…" the seller fumbled, honestly not expecting him to want to buy Derf. "1000 gold," he tried.
"Do I look like I was born yesterday? That was the bargain bin, no way the price is 1000," Nicolas deadpanned. "10 Gold."
"Even if that sword is in the bargain bin, no way I'm selling for that little! 500 gold!"
"He's completely rusted! 30 Gold!"
"That would only buy a dagger! 200 Gold!"
"You tried sell us a lousy sword before, but I'm reasonable so how about this? 100 gold if you toss in a maintenance kit. I need to fix him up myself after all," Nicolas grinned, knowing he'd just put it for the canon price of the sword alone.
The seller looked torn...but finally…. "Oh alright. I've been wanting to get rid of that thing anyway," he huffed.
As he went into the backstore to gather up the maintenance kit, Nicolas grinned at Derf "Who's the man?"
"You're the man!" Derf said with a laugh.
"I don't get it." Louise said, still a bit perplexed by what just happened. She was a bit miffed at Nicolas just up and picking on his own, but seeing as the price was only 100 Gold...she could wave it off. Had he actually bought that sword for 1000 Gold, then she'd be rather upset for him not even consulting her.
"I'll tell you once we're outside." Nicolas told her simply, receiving a nod from the pinkette. Just in time too, as the man came out with the kit, and placed it on the counter.
"One sword maintenance kit, plus Derf's scabbard. As we agreed, that's 100 gold," he said, looking a bit grumpy.
"Pleasure doing business with you," Nicolas grinned as Louise put the money on the counter and the three of them (Derf being person no. 3) were soon out of the shop. Once they were outside… "Yeah, real pleasure sucker," he snickered, looking like the cat who caught the canary.
"Yeah, he was never the sharpest tool in the shed." Derf added from his scabbard hanging off Nicolas's back.
"Could you explain now please?" Louise asked as she looked to her familiar with a raised eyebrow.
"You tell me," Nicolas chuckled, pulling out Derf. "No, seriously, take a look at Derf, and tell me what you see."
"...a rusted talking sword?" Louise said flatly.
"Right, a TALKING sword. Last I checked, NORMAL swords can't talk unless…" Nicolas trailed off.
THAT was when it clicked in Louise's mind. "...unless they're HIGHLY enchanted," she gasped.
"And not just that, look at the blade. Derf may be caked in rust, but there isn't even a nick in the blade," Nicolas pointed out. "And magic swords don't usually go rusty easily. Imagine how old he must be to have actually gotten rust that overpowered whatever enchantment he no doubt had to avoid rusting too easily."
"You got that right, I'm 6,000 years old and still going strong," Derf laughed. "Glad SOMEONE finally can see beyond the obvious."
"Right… that does all make sense, so… you just tricked that man then." Louise summed up.
Nicolas shrugged "He was trying to trick us first by selling us that worthless paperweight, which I'm pretty sure I could have snapped over my knee if I tried hard enough. I mean seriously, even if you pull the 'magic' card, gold is NOT ideal for a sword, cause it's a softer metal. And like I said, that thing would attract every thief or opportunist around us with how gaudy it was. Even if Derf was a normal sword, I'd still have picked him over that thing," he huffed at the end.
"Aw, you know just what to say to warm my cold metal heart partner." Derf said, before snickering.
Louise groaned "Great… two of them." she muttered, before sighing "Let's just go buy the stuff for Barikion and head on back."
The trip back was thankfully less...gut churning…
However that also provided a new question. "...where do you plan to keep Barikion?" Louise asked. "I don't think he'd do well in the stables."
"Well...we could talk to the headmaster and try to find a solution…" Nicolas mused...before Barikion snorted and suddenly galloped off into the woods on his own accord. "...or he can do that...yeah, I'm DEFINITELY no Isamu in his eyes," Nicolas groaned.
"Isamu?" Louise repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"Isamu Ozu. The name of his previous owner when not wearing the armor of Wolzard." was the simple answer. "Though with how he's acting, I don't think I'm even at Kai's level of respect. Kai was Isamu's youngest son, in case you were wondering."
"Give it time partner. He'll probably respect you eventually, these things normally take time, and that Kai kid probably got respect faster because of being his father's son." Derf said with the closest thing to a shrug a sword could do.
"Fair point," Nicolas conceded.
"I have to admit, I'm rather curious about this conflict that you learned about. Perhaps you could tell me about it another time?" Louise mused. She WAS rather intrigued by what little she knew.
"I can tell you a bit about it on the way to your room, though I'm gonna have to ask you to keep an open mind. The story can be a bit...out there...on some parts," Nicolas chuckled.
"It can't be that bad," Louise shrugged.
"Okay, you asked for it," Nicolas chuckled as they walked. "It all started with a conflict between these two realms…"
Nicolas couldn't help but chuckle at the rather...blown mind...expression Louise had from his story. That or she wanted to call his story blasphemy or something...and he'd only covered the early bits.
"That can't be real," was the first thing Louise said.
"I read it from a tome, which mind you was quite detailed. And I'm even wearing an armor from the story," Nicolas shrugged.
"But what you're talking about feels more like a conflict between heaven and hell," Louise pointed out.
"I only said Magitopia was a magical kingdom in the sky, while Infershia was a subterranean world...though the parallels ARE there," Nicolas conceded at the end. "Point is I never said the Heavenly Saints were actually angels or gods, neither did I call the Infershians demons."
"...fair point. So the Ozu family fought as sort of...representatives for Magitopia against Infershia?" Louise mused.
"Something like that," Nicolas nodded. "It was more Miyuki convincing Magiel to give her and her children the power to fight back if Infershia returned after Isamu sealed them the first time."
"I'm also having a hard time swallowing the part where their father was a Heavenly Saint," Louise sighed.
"Eh, the story wasn't really clear on how all of them work, but it did say that apparently humans who master magic to a high enough degree can ascend to being Heavenly Saints...though it costs them their memories of ever being human so...yeah…" Nicolas shrugged.
"...maybe we should put a pin on this for now. The little lady looks like she could use a break," Derf suggested.
"...I think I would enjoy that, yes," Louise sighed...right before a knock was heard on the door.
"Huh, wonder who that is?" Derf mused as Nicolas got up and went to open the door, dodging out of the way of a tan skinned boobie missile.
There were several silent seconds as everyone stared at the twitching Kirche on the floor.
During that time, Nicolas noticed an ever so silent blue haired, glasses wearing girl slipping into the room and just standing next to the door as she continued to read a book. Sighing, he turned to the redhead who'd gotten up by now. "Good evening, Kirche. To what do I owe the…'pleasure' of this visit?" he sighed, figuring they might as well get this over with.
"Well, I happened to notice Valiere taking you to town earlier today…" Kirche started.
"You were following us," Louise said. It was a statement, not a question.
Kirche to her credit, only smirked. "It's only natural I wanted to know where you were taking my darling," she said, trying to get closer to Nicolas to press her...assets...against his arm, but the boy managed to keep her at arm's length with a tired sigh, the glasses girl shooting him a small sympathetic glance. "At any rate, I noticed you trying to woo him by buying him a present, and imagine my surprise when you came out with that cheap sword," she snorted. "After a bit of talking with the nice salesman, I was able to get this," she said, revealing...the golden sword that Nicolas had called a glorified paper weight. "It's a much more fitting sword for someone like my darling, don't you think?"
There was an awkward silence, Louise seemingly looking down as if in shame at being outdone again… or so Kirche thought. It was to great surprise naturally of what followed. Namely Louise bursting out laughing to the point she looked like she was in stitches from laughing so hard.
"And what do you find so amusing?" Kirche asked flatly, while behind her, Nicolas AND Derf had huge sweat drops. Don't ask how a sword can have sweat drops.
"Because…" Louise gasped as she tried to get her laughing under control "Because that sword is worthless! It's just a paperweight! Nicolas himself said he could probably break it over his knee if he tried hard enough!"
"While wearing my armor though, don't want to hurt my knee." Nicolas muttered to the blue haired girl, earning a nod from her.
"Well that can't be right, this sword was made by a great Germanian Alchemist," Kirche frowned.
"Uh...sorry to burst your bubble, but you DO know people like that guy will say almost anything to be able to sell their stuff for higher prices, right?" Nicolas said flatly. "The only question is how outrageous they're willing to go."
THAT took some of the wind out of Kirche's sails, and she looked a bit glummer at the realization.
"...but I suppose this could make a good decoration piece since you DID go through the trouble of getting it," Nicolas added. Sure Kirche could be annoying, but she did have feelings, and it'd be rude anyway to turn down a gift… even if the gift was basically another attempt to get at his pants.
He just hoped things wouldn't escalate to harem anime levels one day, because he was NOT going to be an idiot protagonist.
When Kirche again leapt at him, this time obviously to kiss him, he again leaned out of the way, with Kirche crashing back out of Louise's room.
The blue haired girl took out a bookmark and placed it in her book before closing it, nodding to Louise and Nicolas before walking out and closing the door behind her.
"So, what WAS that blue haired girl's name?" he asked after a moment, remembering it started with a T at the very least.
"Tabitha, she's basically the one that reigns in Kirche when she gets out of hand. Now then, why exactly are we keeping the paperweight?" she asked, looking to the golden blade.
"Well… a reminder of Kirche's failure would be fun, wouldn't it?" Nicolas said with a grin.
"Oh you are devious partner." Derf said with a snicker.
"I'll be sure to buy a stand for it first chance I get!" Louise laughed. THIS was a great reason indeed to keep the sword.
"Alright, so apply the oil…" Nicolas mused as right now he was outside, dipping Derf's blade into the oil, before he began using a rag to start cleaning off the rust. He figured he should do Derf's maintenance while he had time...even if it was a bit cold right now being evening and all that.
"Oh man, you have no idea how good that feels partner." Derf said with a sigh of relief.
"Just know that if you start moaning, I'm dropping you." Nicolas said idly.
"Killjoy," Derf snorted.
"Nicolas?" a new voice said, nearly startling him, but well...he already remembered the voice by now.
"Oh, hey Siesta," he said with a smile as he turned to face her.
"What are you doing out so late?" she asked curiously as she went up to him and sat down next to him.
"Just cleaning up my new sword… and it's definitely unique." he added that last part in a mutter, covering the part that acted as Derf's mouth, letting him know not to talk right now.
He'd rather tell this to Siesta during the day, when her shock was less likely to wake up people. "So, what are you up to?"
"Just doing my rounds," Siesta said. "Uh...Nicolas?"
"Hm?" Nicolas blinked.
"Thank you very much," she said.
"Huh? What brought that up?" he asked in surprise.
"It's just… you don't seem capable of giving up. In fact, from what I've seen, you always face everything with a grin, even if you're fighting a noble when you're a commoner that inherited magic. Just looking at you gives me courage." she said, smiling as she turned to him "It's thanks to you I feel I can do my best."
Nicolas stared at her for a good moment, before his cheeks went red "Oh jeez. I really don't know what to say, but, I'm glad I can help you at least." he said with an awkward smile.
She smiled back at him, before standing up and bowing to him "Good night."
"Good night." he called back to her with a smile.
He stayed silents for a few moments, watching where she turned a corner, before Derf spoke up "Well… someone's got a crush." he said teasingly.
Nicolas blushed a bit "Well… I don't know if I'd go that far… but I guess Siesta is pretty damn close to what I'd see as the perfect girlfriend." he admitted.
"What's missing for her to be perfect?" Derf asked curiously.
"Me getting to know her more first." Nicolas said with a chuckle, which made Derf let out a bark of laughter.
The next day went about as normal. While Louise was in her classes, Nicolas waited outside, taking the time to walk around the academy, and occasionally watch the other familiars. However, he soon noticed something...or rather, someone, missing from this picture.
"Is it just me, or has Siesta not been around today," Nicolas mused. He then decided to go check in the kitchens, maybe she was caught up there.
Once he reached them, he found Marteau, whom like with Saito, had started something similar, though Nicolas had a different name.
"Ah, if it isn't our Dark Knight himself." the chef said with a laugh.
"You aren't going to stop that no matter how many times I ask, are you?" Nicolas asked in deadpan.
"Don't bet on it partner." Derf muttered from his back.
"Absolutely not!" Marteau said before laughing brightly, making Nicolas sigh.
"Anyway…" Nicolas said, looking around the kitchen, before frowning "Have you seen Siesta today?"
Marteau blinked at him "You mean you don't know?"
"Don't know what?" Nicolas asked back.
Marteau sighed "Honestly, that girl… she actually quit this morning. It was decided that she would be a servant for this nobleman named Mott, some sort of Count apparently."
"Wait… seriously? When did she leave?!" Nicolas asked, feeling honestly a bit… hurt, that she didn't tell him.
Though, maybe she didn't speak because she felt ashamed.
"Just this morning, a carriage came to pick her up." Marteau said with a sad look "In the end, us commoners can do nothing but obey the whims of the nobles."
Nicolas looked down at that, before nodding slightly, turning to leave the kitchen.
Hopefully, Louise might be able to help him.
"Did something happen?" Louise asked when she noticed Nicolas look rather glum.
"Yeah...something like that. Seems Siesta was well...transferred...to the service of a noble," Nicolas sighed.
"She was? That's too bad…" Louise sighed disappointedly. She DID like talking with the maid every now and then. "Did you at least get to say goodbye to her?"
"That's the thing...she never mentioned it," Nicola sighed. "The staff told me she was suddenly transferred to some guy named Mott. A Count apparently, and I was wondering if you knew anything about this guy," Nicolas asked...and was met with a spit take when Louise had taken a cup of water to drink.
"Did you say Count Mott?" Louise coughed.
"Yeah… something wrong?" Nicolas asked in concern.
"EVERYTHING is wrong about that!" Louise said with a look that was a mix between anger and panic "Mott is well known for being nothing but a lecher who hires young women to be his mistresses, then tosses them aside when he tires of them!"
And like that, Nicolas froze, and Louise could practically feel his emotions about to burst "... you're serious?"
She nodded silently, watching as he stood up and grabbed Derf from the side of his bed, placed in the corner of the room, small compared to hers "Nicolas… I know what you're thinking… and it's dangerous…"
"I figured as much… are you going to stop me?" he asked, his hand on the doorknob.
She was silent for a moment, before taking a deep breath "For tonight… you aren't my familiar… Mott lives an hour east from the academy… that's all I'll say. Though, TRY to keep the damage to a minimum. Lecher or not, he's still in direct service of the crown… not that I think anyone would care TOO much."
"No promises," was all Nicolas said as he stepped out of the room. It wasn't long before he was outside the academy, his WolzaPhone at the ready. "Uu Uru Zazare," he said as he punched in the code, and Barikion appeared through a magic circle, stopping before him. Nicolas not wasting time and climbing onto his back "Let's go, we have a bastard to go and gut." he growled, Barikion letting out a snort of approval before taking off.
With Barikion's speed, the trip to Mott's estate took record time, with Nicolas stopping him a decent distance from the front, and dismounting. "I promised Louise I'd TRY to keep damage to a minimum, so we'll try the diplomatic approach first. If that doesn't work, then we raise hell," he told the horse, who snorted and nodded.
Nicolas took a step, before looking back at Barikion and grinning "If you hear ruckus inside, that's the signal to kick ass outside." he said, before he started walking again.
"You are one VICIOUS man partner." Derf commented from over his shoulder.
"Only when my friends are in danger. I don't care what the people here think they're doing with magic, but people like him are no better than the Infershians back when N Ma ruled them," Nicolas glared. "They're abusing magic and power just to satisfy themselves and they don't care who gets hurt in the process."
"That's that demon the Ozu family defeated, right?" Derf mused.
"That's the one," Nicolas nodded as they got to the gate. And of course, the guards stopped him.
"Halt! This is a private estate. If you have business here, speak now!" one of the two guards said.
"I've come to speak with Count Mott," Nicolas said, his tone firm and confident, creating a certain air of strength.
The guards brought him to what appeared to be a parlor of sorts, as one of the servants went to get Count Mott. As expected, the Count seemed...less than pleased to be called out so suddenly.
"I was wondering what kind of person would be calling for an audience at this hour, but I did not expect it to be some commoner. What is it you wanted to talk about so badly?" Mott said in annoyance.
"I've come to obtain the release of a maid known as Siesta, a close friend of mine. I know you employed her today, and I know what you plan to do with her. You will release her now… less there be consequences to your actions." Nicolas spoke in a no nonsense tone.
"And why would I do that?" Mott glared. "What right do you have to barge into my home and make such a demand?"
"Well… How would the crown react if they heard of the treasures and coins you hoarded for yourself? Treasures which should go to them as was part of the original arrangement." Nicolas said, and held in a grin when Mott flinched.
Being genre savvy payed off, so it wasn't hard to make up a bluff about what Mott might do.
"You...how did you…?!" Mott floundered.
"I have my ways. So what will it be? Giving Siesta up, or do I have to figuratively, and if you'd like, literally, bring things crashing down?" Nicolas said, pressing his advantage.
"I...I…" Mott started...before he glared. "I will not stand for this!" he growled. "I challenge you to a duel!"
Nicolas blinked...before the smirk his face twisted into became absolutely vicious, and making Mott wonder if he didn't just dig himself deeper. "I was HOPING you'd go for that option. What are the terms?"
Mott gulped, but quickly got his nerves back. "If you win, you can take Siesta and I won't bother you ever again," he growled. "But if I win…" Mott trailed off, before giving one of those bastard grins, the kind that made Nicolas want to cave skulls in "If I win, you will become my slave, and you will watch when I finally… claim, Siesta for myself."
Nicolas stared at the man for a long moment "I'm going to enjoy kicking your ass." he growled, his glare intense enough that were it a physical thing, Mott would have melted down into a puddle of blood and bones.
"On your head be it then. I am Mott the Surge, a triangle class mage," he said, as suddenly every vase in the room's content suddenly flew out of them, the water gathering into a sizeable ball of water. "Let us move to a more spacious venue. I'd rather not dirty my parlor with your blood," he said.
"Talk while you still can," Nicolas growled, as they soon moved to a larger hall at the base of the stairs. Once they were there, Mott waved his staff forward, and the water lashed out towards Nicolas. However, instead of getting hit, Nicolas dodged to the side, unsheathing Derf along the way, and lashed out at the water, the now restored blade glinting in the light. When the blade made contact with the water, it glowed, and suddenly the water fell to the ground with a splash as if its strings were cut.
There was a long silence as nobody moved.
Eventually, Nicolas spoke "Derf… what did you do?"
"I forgot to mention I could eat magic didn't I?" the sword asked rhetorically.
"Yes… yes you did… helpful power though." Nicolas said after a moment.
Mott however was shocked. "Impossible!" he gasped, before glaring, and raising his staff, as the water started moving again. "But that won't save you!" he glared as he turned the water into icy blades and launched them forward.
"Whoa!" Nicolas shouted before summoning the Jagun Shield, causing the blades to bounce off harmlessly.
"What the-?! Where did that shield come from?!" Mott gasped.
"It's magic bitch, I ain't gotta explain shit!" Nicolas called from behind the shield with a shit eating grin, so happy he was finally able to use that line.
"That's impossible! You're just a commoner! Only Nobles can have magic!" Mott shouted, a mix of disbelief and probably whatever drivel he'd been getting for years.
"Spare me the bigotry! I'm taking Siesta back!" Nicolas growled as he charged forward, Mott sending more waves of water and blades at him, only for him to cut off the magic or block it with his shield, and when he got close, he reared back his shield and slammed it into Mott's chest, sending him tumbling back.
"I won't lose THAT easily," Mott spat as he shakily got up.
"Bring it perv!" Nicolas growled. However, before the fight could continue, a tremor shook the mansion. "...okay, that doesn't sound good."
A few moments later…
"Count Mott!" a guard came in, looking terrified. "You must escape! There's…!" he never got to finish as a green appendage wrapped around him and pulled him away, his terrified screams ringing out before...a sickly chomp was heard…
Once again, silence remained…
"Was… what WAS that…?" Mott asked weakly.
"Well… either some really angry forest spirit… or you have a tentacle monster on your hands… either case…" Nicolas said slowly, before breaking into a sprint "I'MSAVINGSIESTAANDLEAVINGYOURSORRYASSBEHINDBYE!"
Our hero, everyone.
"Hey! What do you think you're-?!" Mott angrily demanded, before more screaming was heard throughout the mansion...followed by a sickly chomp each time. He paled and looked ready to turn to run...if not for another wall suddenly breaking, revealing the creature to him...and he screamed in terror at what he saw…
Nicolas meanwhile was running through the mansion, throwing doors open left and right as he searched for Siesta (and telling anyone else who hadn't been eaten by whatever was in here to run for their lives). Eventually he came to a door and threw it open. Good news: Siesta was in there. Not so good news. It was a bathroom...and Siesta was in the middle of bathing.
Once again, long silent moment, till blushes slowly started to rise over both of their faces.
Now, normally, Nicolas would have closed the door, but he could see another door on the other end of the room, so sadly, he had to come in to make sure the monster that was in the mansion and eating people wasn't going to eat her.
Not that Siesta seemed to mind TOO much, even if she lowered herself down in the water "N-Nicolas… why-?"
"Not the best time to talk Siesta, long story short, I came to bring you back, but now there's a monster loose in here, and it seems to be eating people, so I'm not gonna leave you alone knowing that." Nicolas answered, still blushing, but looking away.
"A monster?" Siesta asked in confusion, but at least understood things were urgent as she got out of the bath and dried herself off as fast as she could.
"We were fighting Mott and then we got interrupted by a guard rushing in, being dragged away, and a scream." Derf answered.
Siesta stared at the sword in Nicolas' hand for a few moments "Did… did your sword just talk?"
"Yes, yes he did, long story short, he's a magic sword, now please get dressed so we can get out of here." Nicolas requested, still looking away, and Siesta nodded with a blush as she started to put her clothes back on, thankfully it wasn't the revealing maid outfit that Mott had been making her wear, but her actual normal non working outfit. Once she was done, she told him as such and he turned around.
"Okay, now let's get-" he didn't get to finish as the nearby wall exploded, and when the dust cleared… "No freaking way…"
It was a mostly black creature, with splotches of green on it, such as its left hand, or its strange, tentacle like right arm with a mouth on one end, a large mouth covering most of the torso of the body.
"Hades Beast Blob… What's a Hades Beast doing here?!" Nicolas said in a mix of confusion and panic.
Blob looked at them, its mouth chewing a bit before it spat out something, revealing to be a familiar staff...with a hand still grasping it.
"...I know he was a dirtbag, but even I didn't want THIS," Nicolas winced. No matter how bad a person was, eaten alive...that wasn't a way he'd wish for anyone to go. "Siesta, stay back. In fact, if you can, get the hell out of this place. I'll deal with this thing," he said, before pulling out his WolzaPhone. "Uuza Uru Uzaara!"
With that the magic circle appeared and donned him in the armor of Wolzard, while he sheathed Derf on his back, summoning the WolSabre. "Sorry Derf, but I'd rather not test how durable you are against a Hades Beast just yet," he said.
"That's fine. I'd rather not get eaten!" Derf agreed.
"But Nicolas…" Siesta tried to argue...but seeing Blob lick its teeth in obvious hunger...she decided that if Nicolas knew what it was, he should have an idea how to fight it. "Please don't die," she said before running away.
Beneath his helmet, he smiled, glad she'd be out of harm's way "So, Derf, if you can give me suggestions during battle, I'll be all ears."
"I'll try my best to assist, no clue if I can find anything you don't since you clearly know these things more than I do." Derf shot back, before the Hades Beast seemed to decided the time for talk was over.
Blob lumbered over, sloppily swinging its arm...mouth...tentacle...thing... in wide swings that were honestly very sloppy and easily read, allowing Wolzad to roll out of the way, and counter with his sword, causing sparks to fly from Blob's body. Blob roared in pain before trying to strike him again, but once again he was easily countering the lumbering and slow monster.
"Oh yeah...I forgot something important about Blob," Wolzard mused.
"What is it?" Derf asked.
"He's dumb as a brick and just as slow," Wolzard chuckled, as even when Blob raised his arm to fire his projectiles, Wolzard was ready. "Douza Uru Zazaado!" he quickly called out, his shield opening and revealing the gem inside, before several spectral wolf heads were fired from the gem, meeting the projectiles head on, and even overpowering them, causing more damage to Blob when they hit.
"Let's not take longer than needed, partner. I don't think this place can take anymore punishment," Derf suggested, as true enough, the building shook violently when Blob hit another pillar.
"You're right. Let's end this now. Uru Ugaro!" he called out as the dark magic circle appeared behind him, before he raised his sword and moved it in a circular motion, the blade igniting with dark magic. Once the revolution was done, he brought the weapon down in a savage slash, cutting right through the still dazed Blob's body...and through a few more walls and pillars for that matter…
Wolzard smirked under his helmet, before sheathing the WolSabre and snapping his fingers. "Checkmate."
Blob screeched as the energy went through it, sparks covering its body, before it soon exploded, leaving nothing save for bits and pieces behind.
And of course, the mansion started shaking.
Wolzard sighed as he started running "I wonder if this is what Samus feels like whenever she ends a mission? This annoying feeling of 'oh my god why?' creeping up on you."
"No idea who this Samus lady is, but why do you feel that way?" Derf asked. "Besides the part of the mansion of course."
"Because I have the strange feeling crumbling buildings is going to become a thing around me." Wolzard deadpanned as he ran through the collapsing mansion.
Eventually he managed to get out, just in time to see the surviving guards and servants running away in terror, no doubt thinking Blob was responsible...which he sort of was, but that's besides the point. Fortunately Siesta was waiting there...and somehow she was petting Barikion...and the horse didn't seem displeased by it somehow.
"...seriously?" Wolzard groaned as he dismissed his armor, reverting to Nicolas who had an incredulous look on his face at the sight.
"Is something the matter?" Siesta asked when she saw him come close.
Nicolas looked at her for a moment, before sighing "No… nothing's wrong." and then he smiled at her "Glad to see you're fine Siesta. That bastard didn't hurt you did he?"
She smiled back at him "I'm fine, he didn't really have time to do anything with how quickly you arrived." she told him with a smile, before walking up to him and hugging him "Thank you Nicolas."
"Hey, what are friends for?" he chuckled. "Thank Louise too. If she hadn't told me about who Mott was and where his mansion is, I wouldn't have gotten here as fast as I could."
"But still...you came all this way to save me," Siesta smiled, and before he could react, she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.
Once again, he blushed at that, before smiling a bit "Really, it was my pleasure Siesta." he said with a chuckle "So… ready to head back?"
Siesta smiled "Well… I think I am yes." she said with a nod… before blinking and looking at the ruins of the manor "I may have lost a few of my clothes though."
Nicolas sweatdropped at that "I'll… pay you back… eventually."
And there's the chapter everyone!
So yeah, obtaining Derf, poking fun at Kirche again, the Mott encounter, and, shocking for you guys, a Hades Beast appearing.
And yes, I know Blob was originally a giant monster, but Timeless and I thought it would fit here.
So, hope you enjoyed this big chapter, and see you all next time!