Damnit, screw it all, I was waiting for the 100th review before I posted this chapter, but the chapter is burning a hole in my save folder faster than 60$ in my pocket upon a new game release... I was waiting because I knew that it would be highly unlikely that it would get reviews after I posted this, hence I'd get very little feedback on the chapter itself because I find that people tend to wait until they are up to the most recent chapter, and then they review, something I'll admit I'm guilty of but in turn, these reviews tend to be more about the story as a whole... not the chapter itself... and since I'm not exactly sure the general opinion of the last chapter, you can see why I'm a bit nervous about uploading the next one... it's not that I am a review whore, I simply like getting those opinions (Since my sister's don't count.) But then again, I'm sure everyone does.
I can still scarcely believe that this fic has gotten as long as it has... I never write things this long... however I must say, the writing of this has greatly upped my standards... I used to write chapters from anywhere between 800-1000 words when I first started out at fanfic... now... I get really upset when I cant pass at least 4000 words per chapter... I usually aim for 5000-6000 however I rarely get there except when I'm enjoying writing a chapter or happen to draw it out more. Still... 150K+ words... I'm self impressed... lets go for 300K before this story's end huh? Besides... I still have about 24 more episodes plus 3-5 epilouge chapters to go, along with any custom chapters I decide to add.
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"M'lady what's going on?" asked Louise "What's this about a Republic, Chancellor and Senate?" the idea of the whereabouts of all the furniture out of her mind.
"Well, after a long talk with The Arbiter and Lord Hood from the UNSC as well as what I remember from Alexander's description of his world... I have decided for a change of pace in our government..."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that we're changing from a Monarchy to a Republic!" Henrietta chirped
Louise cocked her head "What's that?"
"I think I can explain this one." I said "A republic is a governmental system where each hold, province, region or whatever elects a person to represent them in a senate house where desicions are made by the people elected, the Chancellor is the heads person of the Senate and holds emergency power for times of crisis such as war. But..." I trailed off... "How exactly is this going to function?"
"Well the Nobles are the ones in office right now, hopefully as time wears on some of the normal people will eventually get a say in things once the system has settled in... I want to be fair but I also want my people to be comfortable with the changes... nobles and peasants alike... as far as I'm concerned Nobles will keep their status and hold power over their estates, but they will also act as their mouths, voting for what the people in their estate want or need... that's the plan anyways... though I doubt things will run so smoothly..." said Henrietta...
"Speaking of which I just remembered..." started Louise "Where did all your stuff go?"
"Out in my quarters you mean? Well I sold most of the furniture to help pay for our governments financial debts after the war ended... you see... Tristain is rather broke at the moment and in debt..."
"So not only have you changed the ways of our government but you also gave up the majority of your valuables? You have sacrificed so much." Said Louise
"Pfft..." she scoffed "Furniture and status can be replaced... I nearly lost you... people can't be replaced..." she said, which was probably one of the most sensible things I'd heard out of her stubborn yet cute little mouth in the past... well... forever...
Henrietta took Louise's hand "I don't want to rely on your power alone... I put you in such great danger... I don't know how to apologize, I just hope you can forgive me." The young Chancellor had pools of water in her eyes that threatened to spill over for a few seconds before slowly draining down her face along her cheeks.
"My lady please don't mind it at all... its perfectly fine."
"Thank you Louise..." she then turned to me "Alexander, no matter how many times I thank you, it won't ever be enough..."
I think my face might have run a little red at the gratitude I was reciving and I rubbed the back of my head "N-no problem ma'am, I just did what any honorable soldier would..." I ended up finding those words rather ironic since I was the Anti-honor value life over that shit kind of person.
"No, you are the hero who not only saved me, but saved Tristain..." she held out a formal piece of paper which she'd had rolled up on top of a cabinet, clearly being held there alone so she could find it amongst the forest of paper and ink with little trouble.
I took the paper from her. "What's this?" I asked, slowly translating the text into English...
"It's a Chevalier, a special document which should you agree to the assignment would make you my knight, but it would be merely a formality."
"An assignment?" I questioned.
"Well it's necessary that a title to be given to the hero of course... even if times are changing... Alexander... will you accept?"
I paused for a moment... staring at the paper "Well, I'm kinda busy at the moment... I don't know if I could complete this so called assignment of yours..." in the long run I'd feel like an idiot for being so clueless...
"Hey! You! This means you'd become a noble!" explained Louise
"OHHHH!" I exclaimed... then coughed "Wait what- a noble!?"
I paused for an even longer time... considering the paper... I took a deep breath and sighed...
"I..." paused for another moment before continuing... "Accept..."
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And that was that... one thing led to another and after a discussion about me losing my contract with Louise was sparked, naturally Cortana and Derf failed to keep their magical and digital gums from flapping about Tiffania, the so called fairy with healing magic... and then after that shocker I found myself riding on top of a carriage with Louise in the bottom... we'd taken a carriage in lue of a Warthog since we were heading to Albion and wanted to avoid attracting to much attention...
"Anies!" exclaimed Louise through a small window in the front of the carriage "Why did you stop! I told you to speed up not slow down to let the dog on!"
Anies sighed "Well first off Commander Scorch here can get me court marshalled... you can't do shit to me... and I'm more scared of him then you..."
"Waaaaaiiiit!" came a faint but high pitched voice from up ahead... the coach then came to an abrupt stop, sending me falling off the side. I landed on the ground on my stomach with an aired "Fucker!" before trying to catch the wind which was knocked out of me... why me of all people? What had I done to deserve this?
I glanced up...
"Alexander your here!"
"Siesta?" I muttered, standing up before raising my voice back to normal "What are you doing here?"
"Alex, bring me with you if your leaving!" Siesta sprung into her reasoning why she was here... not that I wasn't glad to see her but... well... lets just say I haven't forgotten what I did to her a while back...
"Hey! How'd you find out!?" said Louise as she burst open the door of the carriage.
*Wa-bing!*
A large box whacked me in the back of the head as Siesta turned around... I hadn't noticed but upon her tiny frame was a heap load of boxes... I had no clue how she managed to carry so much with such as small body...
"I have lots of friends!" said Siesta using one of the oldest excuses in the book...
"And what's with the Trunks?" asked Anies...
I peeled myself off the ground and looked back at Siesta... "oh these?" and in a moment's notice all the trunks were open, revealing boxloads of ingredients and supplies. "These are my cooking supplies! You won't have anything to eat if I wasn't here!" she reasoned... flawed of course but having such a skilled cook along wouldn't hurt in the end I figured...
Louise and Anies looked skeptically at each other, sighing... "I guess it can't be helped now..." said Anies... "Climb aboard..."
"Yes!" Siesta chirped, her voice raising an octave when she said it making her sound adorable...
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"Are you ok, it hit you pretty hard..." said Siesta as she patted the side of my head with a damp cloth...
"Heh... that was nothing..." I lied... it actually hurt like a mother fucker and my head was pounding... but being who I was I was easily able to play it down...
"It feels like we're going on a trip all by ourselves..." she said, I then glanced at Louise who had the more ridiculous twitching action going on with her face...
"Yeeeaaaahhh... no not really..." I strained...
"He shouldn't even be let on the coach... he's a water flea, even lower than a dog! Not fit to ride!" said Louise, her attitude flaring as expected...
"Alexander isn't your familiar anymore right?" started Siesta
"W-what!? How did you know!?" exclaimed Louise
Siesta had a blank look on her face that asked if Louise was retarded or not... "I was there..." she emotionlessly stated...
"Whatever... it doesn't matter..." Louise's ego obviously taken a hit... "Just leave the water flea alone..."
"Nah..." sighed Siesta
Louise's jaw hit the floor of the coach... the look on her face... again... priceless... even more so than things on those MasterCard commercials! Pricelessness at its finest!"
"Since he's not a familiar anymore he doesn't belong to anyone." Said Siesta
"T-that is..."
"Well then, let's just let him decide by himself..." Siesta turned to me, since she was sitting next to me, Louise was across from us... "Do you dislike being by my side Alexander?" she asked, pressing her breasts into my arm for good measure...
"W-well... there isn't anything to dislike about it at least..." I stuttered knowing full well that one wrong slip up would mean endless yammering from Louise about it...
"Aaaalllleeeexxxxx..." growled Louise... of which tone I knew all to well... without even looking...
"Zaahhahaahahahahahhaahh!" wailed Louise as I stuck her right in the ribs with my Stun baton... her dropping her riding crop at her feet as she fell unconscious... still slightly twitching from her shock...
Ten minutes later... when Louise had woken up and was staying as far away from me as possible... hugging her knees to her chest...
"So Alexander... how long to you plan on living with Ms. Valliére? I will take care of you if you plan to live by yourself." Said Siesta, as though she'd been waiting for Louise to wake up to piss her off even more...
"What's with the sudden question? I technically never thought of me as living with her per say." Siesta was leaning into me, pressing her breasts further into my side as she hung her head on my shoulder... "Thanks for at least worrying about me Siesta... something someone else never seems to unless I'm going to die!"
"It's nothing!" exclaimed Siesta "I'd do anything for you! As you know already..." she managed to hide the hint of innuendo in her more reasoning and logical sounding voice... rather than making it sound like a dirty comment...
I couldn't help but smirk... once before... nearly did it again with her back before the war's end... but in all honesty, relationships were last on my mind right now... I guess I was sorta just letting the chips fall where they would and hoping for the best in terms of the girls... to some extent I might have been nudging the chips a bit but still for the most part I didn't have an opinion... so long as I didn't get Louise on my dealout... or Tabitha... but I didn't worry about her as much... her having no attraction to me thank... whatever sort of deity you believe in...
"You both seem to be having fun... but don't forget we're on a mission under the queen... I mean... Chancellor's secret order..." Louise sighed "I don't think I'll ever get used to calling her that..."
"Secret order!?" exclaimed Siesta "What secret order!"
"I can't tell you that! It's a secret!"
"Bah its not all THAT secret... we're supposed to be going to find a fairy..." I explained, using a bit of an overly dramatic tone when I said Fairy.
"Fairy?" she asked "What is this some kind of fairy tale?"
"It's not a fairy tale! It's a secret order!" countered Louise
"Louise... just shut up... your making yourself sound dumber and dumber by the minute..." I said...
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Later that night we made camp in a small clearing in the woods... go figure... why was it that camps were always made in clearings...? Not very strategic if you ask me... its like saying hey! Here I am! To the world... Come kill us! We aren't hiding or trying to conceal our location whatsoever here! I sighed from my thoughts... anyways enough monologing about my preferred tactics and shit...
I was then broken from my thoughts by Siesta... "Here Alexander, I made this just a moment ago, eat up." She beamed handing me a bowl of what looked like some kind of chowder... bits of orange carrots, green pepper bobbed in it slightly and it smelled of cheese... I had a feeling my stomach wasn't going to agree with such rich food considering what I'd been eating over the past few months...
I shrugged... oh well this was paid for with Siesta's own time... might as well show her a shred of respect for her work...
It wasn't long before I had wolfed it down...
"Six, you have a piece of carrot on your chin..." said Cortana.
"Erm..." I stuttered, thankful that no one else was looking as I swatted away the piece...
I noticed then that Louise hadn't even touched her food... not in the slightest... "Louise" I started "Eat up... you need the energy."
"I'm not hungry..." she blandly stated "I'm going to sleep in the coach..."
Louise then briskly stood, walked over the the coach cabin and sealed herself inside... I just watched her movements, baffled... I shook my head and decided once and for all I'd never understand her no matter how hard I tried... it would be a mystery of the universe why she did what she did... ok... scratch that... I know why she did it... but why she had to go and be so damned pushy of said subject was beyond me or anyone's comprehension without a doubt...
The feeling of accomplishment I'd felt of becoming a so called Knight... not the white metallic robot ones by the way... had already vanished and I was left feeling rather stressed... though I wasn't quite sure what about.
I stared at the stary night sky through the thick green tree leaves... a small O shape in the distance caught my eye... a circle in the sky I hadn't quite noticed ever since I'd gotten here...
"I guess that's the Halo the UNSC was so worked up about..." I muttered. When I looked back down I saw Anies looking up at the sky herself... up at the Halo in the distance... only a pin prick the size of what it would have been up close...
"What's it like... out there?" she asked.
"Where? My home? Space?" I inquired.
"Space..." she said "What's it look like..."
"W-well... I myself have grown up basically living in it... so... it's not quite as spectacular for me as it is you. But if you can picture a perfect clear night sky, with the stars shining all around you in every direction... while being totally weightless or at least next to weightless depending on you situation... that's what space is like... its as though you were thrown into the middle of the night sky and that was all that lay before you... unable to determine which way is up, left down and right... or even straight forward... well unless of course you have navigation charts..." I replied
"I'd like to see that one day... these weapons..." she held up her DMR "This Armor... I got the feeling you can't really feel like you are a true part of the UNSC until you've been up there... even if your geared like them..."
"Well, it's not easy being up there... you do need to undergo training... an untrained person is likely to lose their lunch if they aren't careful..." I added, chuckling at the Spartan's first time into space as Cadets. Mind you it was a combat training exercise and that was what you needed training for due to all the movements and actions going on.
"Well... we'd better get some rest" said Anies "We've got a long day on the road tomorrow..."
I nodded before walking over to the Coach to check on Louise, finding her asleep... I returned to the fire and set up a thin bedroll before laying down and shutting my eyes...
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And so a few days later... though it would have been a day... maybe less than if we'd taken a Warthog... aaannyways... after said few days we started getting closer to Tiffania's supposed location... since I hadn't really been paying attention to the surrounding terrain it was up to Derf and Cortana to detail the location more than I.
"She was of course near the South Gotha area... though the name of the actual town we passed through on the way there escapes me..." said Derf...
I sat up front while the girls –minus Anies- were still inside the coach... I peered out into the wilderness... feeling a sense of serine peace here... it was like one of those forests where magical creatures and sprites or nymphs might live. Considering what kind of world I was on right now... that was actually quite likely really...
Then on the edge of my vision I thought I saw something... could it have been? Well it was worth a try.
"Stop the Coach." I said to Anies. "I think I saw something..." and I jumped down to my feet, drawing my knife to cut away the brambles and thick foliage in my way as I made towards the location where I'd thought I'd seen a silhouette in the distance.
Once I'd made my way about maybe twenty meters into the woods the silhouette shone like a new gem and I knew that this was who I was seeking... I ran towards the shape of a girl, sheathing my knife.
"Tiffania, is that you?" I called out.
The person in question heard my voice and dropped a basket of fruit and started to run the opposite direction.
"Whoa, whoa Tiffania it's ok it's just me, Alexander! I mean you no harm!"
The girl stopped running, and she turned around, her white sunhat the same as I remembered it. her blue eyes staring back at me... I couldn't help but smile.
"Alexander?" she asked as though she couldn't believe it.
"In the flesh... well technically... eighty-five percent flesh... the other fifteen percent is machine... so..." I shook my head to stop my rambling... and get my vision away from her massive breasts... "Yes it is me!" I said, my mind still half giddy.
"Hehey!" she cheered and hugged me, knocking me down in the process... a strong hug for one so petite in appearance... well... frame-wise anyways... "So what brings you back here?" she asked
"It's a long story." I replied, glancing over at Anies who had caught up to me, raising an eyebrow at the girl who was on top of me... while Louise and Siesta on the other hand were slack jawed, gaping... they probably didn't take Tiffania's chest all the seriously... or they did and were put off... either way there would be a hell of a lot of explaining to be done soon...
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One shit load of a hardy explanation later...
"Still what the hell was that!?" exclaimed Louise as Tiffania and I sat on her little wooden... couch? Could I even call it that... a bench more like? Anyways as we sat on a little wooden bench in front of her fire place, Louise pacing menacingly between us and the fire, casting a black shadow on her.
"W-what?" I asked
"I'm asking what was that back there!? Is it so that your relationship with her is so good that you can hug each other!?"
"Nyee!" squeaked Tiffania
"What? NO! I've already gone over this four times! She's the one who saved me! She's Tiffania!" I exclaimed
"Tiffania?" she mused and seemed to glance over Tiffania's body... "So your Tiffania the Wood Fairy?"
"Fairy?" Tiffa asked and cocked her head.
"Oooooohhhh..." sighed Louise, and I had a feeling something bad was going to come out of her mouth... "I see why you wanted to come back here... it's all because of those breasts!"
"Wha-!?" started Tiffania.
"Louise what the fuck!?" I near shouted
"Is that it!? That's what you did! You forced those things upon him you did!" Louise grabbed Tiffania's shoulders.
"N-no! I would never do such a thing!" she pleaded.
"You should feel ashamed of yourself! Those aren't even breasts those are more like some kind of unnatural substance..."
"W-wha?"
It was apparent that Louise was putting words into Tiffania's mouth now... "If you will hold on to your statement of reality then I will prove you wrong myself!"
"AH!"
And then I facepalmed... but also cursed myself... "No, stay down, stay down, stay down!" I commanded my Limb that was threatening to raise a sail for lack of a better expression... due to Louise grabbing and... well... for lack of a better word essentially harassing Tiffania sexually... in a sense...
I then gritted my teeth "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. What did I say? Don't get hard!" I muttered under my breath, no one hearing me... let's just say MJOLNIR isn't exactly pain-free to get an erection in...
After I cleared my mind and my... sail lowered... I decided to step in and break them... or more like Louise... up...
I noticed Tiffania, light tears in her eyes... no matter who is way I didn't want to see anyone hurting those who I called friends.
"LOUISE!" I bellowed with such a fury that everyone in the house stared at me. "I should have stepped in before but there is only so far even you can go when picking on someone I consider a friend!"
"But ALEX!" she shrieked
"NO BUTS!" I yelled "I WANT NOT ANOTHER PEEP OUT OF YOU, TOUCH TIFFANIA AGAIN AND I WILL BREAK YOU!" My voice died down "Well... more like Taze the shit out of you... again... but still you get the idea..."
There was a tense silence for easily sixty seconds... the only sound was the crookling of a small brook just outside Tiffania's house along with crickets and the occasional owl...
"Fine... I'll leave you two alone... have fun with your new friend!" she exclaimed, running out of the house...
I sighed... now I'd have to run after her...
"don't worry I'll go after her." Said Siesta.
I nodded "Thanks Siesta... you still have that Boltshot I gave you?"
Siesta dug into her maid's dress pocket and pulled out a small Forerunner Pistol.
"Good, keep that on hand... and happy hunting..." I joked
Siesta rolled her eyes "Uh-huh..." she moaned before running out the door herself...
I almost felt at ease with Louise out of the picture... but still I had a nagging feeling that something was about to happen... meanwhile Anies had gone back out to care for the horse where we'd left it with the coach...
I sat back down on the wooden bench in front of the fire... I heard a loud boom and the splattering of rain drops upon the roof... "Grreeeeeaaaatttt..." I groaned...
"Alexander..." came Tiffania's timid voice... I looked over at her, a cute apologetic look on her face... and since no one else was here, her hat was off, showing off her cute pair of long and pointy elf ears. "Did I... do something wrong?"
"No, not at all Tiffa..." I said calmingly and her ears drooped as though she didn't believe me... "It's just Louise... she's a stubborn brat who couldn't see past her own nose... let alone the person in front of beside her... its always about her and what she wants... never about others..." I sighed, getting a large load off my chest, even though I knew it wasn't exactly the truth... it just was when it came to me... she was way too clingy and oppressive that way... "It's the main reason I could never see me being with her, not in a hundred years..." I reached for a small bottle on my side and lifted it up to my mouth, only getting a few drops of water on my cracked lips. "Damnit..." I added.
Tiffa reached to her side and handed me a small bottle that looked like it had been made out of a leaf, but it was as hard as wood, the top had a little wooden knob for a tab which popped off, opening up a little hole from which to drink from. I drank back a good few gulps of water. "Thanks." I said, returning the bottle to her.
Tiffania beamed at me, her pretty blue eyes looking over me like a curious kitten. I coughed roughly, trying to break the awkward tension...
"So... I started..." thinking of small talk... "The rain... its... pretty bad..."
Tiffania cocked her head at me... "Huh?"
I sighed... she was just so naive... it made her insanely cute... even if she had those enormous breasts of hers taking up at least half her torso.
"Alex..." she started...
"Hmm?"
"D-do these look fake to you?" she asked, holding her breasts... she did it so innocently and naively it was hard not to go Daaawwwww even for a veteran like me...
"No of course not!" I said quickly, not wanting to offend her... though the size of her chest was a mystery to me... or at least how it got that size... just another mystery of how a... I assumed 17 year old girl could have such large boobs... just another thing that baffled me... like so much else with this world...
"That's good..." she smiled "I've never met a human like you before... normally they treat elves with hate and kill them on sight, or try to anyways..." her cute and timid naivety made it easy to forget that she was still in fact quite intelligent.
"Well I have an unofficial motto... you don't shoot me and I won't shoot you..." I stated modestly enough.
Tiffania giggled, not sure at what exactly but it was a cute giggle... her ears had perked back up and were now poking above her head rather than hanging down by her jaw.
The something I should have seen coming happened... giving how amazingly attractive women on this world think I am... or at least just the hot ones... and mentally insane... *cough* Louise! *cough*
She hugged me... and I... mainly since I had nothing else to do nor the room, hugged back... she pulled back after a few moments. I looked her in the eyes, her light blue irises held a mystical glow to them, holding a kind of secret magic that maybe elves only knew.
Then... and then... well... then something happened that I DID NOT expect... I kissed her... no... not she kissed me... I kissed her... ME! I'd led it and followed through with it! I initiated it! She was the one returning it this time! Not me! I had no idea why I'd done it but I did... and I almost instantly regretted it... well... actually that was a lie... her lips were soft and sweet... holding a much more sharp kind of... well... kinda a sweeter taste than Siesta or Henrietta had... for this I had no idea why but it just did... I wondered in the back of my half-aware mind if it was due to her Elven blood that she felt different to be in contact with but... well... I'd never though inter-racial could be taken to such a level... mind you the thought about Elite-Human relationships had crossed my mind one day not that long ago... stupid me... I was actually quite disturbed by those thoughts...
Anyways back to what Tiffania and I were doing... I slowly drew my head back... looking back at the cute elf girl... I then had realized what had happened.
"Oh- shit, I'm sorry..." I said, grimacing "I-I've never ever done... something like that before and I mean it just happened I don't know what came over me- I..."
Then I heard sofy giggling "It's fine..." said Tiffania "I... wanted to try it myself... but... I though you and that pink haired girl were lovers... and now then you've gone and disproved that..."
I nervously chuckled "Yeah, me and Louise... never..." I mused... not really speaking to anyone.
*Crack-boom*
Tiffania's ear perked up instantly "did you hear that?" she asked
"Hear what?" I asked, having heard nothing over the tremendous downpour upon the rooftop along with the recent thunder clap.
"It sounded like a scream..." she said.
"Are you sure?" then I remembered the stereotype where in all fantasy worlds, Elves had keen eye sight and hearing... "Nevermind..." I jumped up and put my helmet back on, slinging my MA5D over my shoulders and into my hands. I stepped out the door and pressed a button on the side of my helmet triggering Night Vision, something the Scout and Recon helmets all came built in with, most others only had helmet mounted flashlights.
"Tiffania, stay here." I said and glanced back at the elf.
"No, I heard it, I want to know what it was too." She stated, running behind a wall which blocked the view to that part of the house but didn't seem to be a separate room since the whole house was technically one room.
She came back around the wall wearing a set of what looked light leather armor... it was well made with fur sticking out of the seams like an old kind of Nordic armor, there were gaps in the suit as well which had a small amount of cleavage near the outside of her chest just bellow her shoulders as wall as a small amount of skin showing bellow her waist on the inside of her legs.
"Wow, I didn't know you had such... gear..." I said
"I made it myself, it was meant for if I ever set out from here to travel... I'd actually meant to not long from now... I guess this is as good a time as any to pull it out." She replied, sheathing a tiny Halfling sized dagger on her belt, as well as a small stick with a green crystal on the end of it. I realized that the stick she had was a kind of wand...
"So you know magic?" I asked...
"A bit... I know some forms of self-defence magic as well as illusion and some conjuration magic... stuff my mother taught me... I'd been hoping that some day when I get enough practice I won't need the wand..."
I nodded and we both headed out the door, the raindrops crackled and sizzled as they hit my shields and evaporated.
*Crack-boom*
Sounded another thunder clap after a bright flash of light across the sky. The lightning flashes caused temporary blindness to me due to my night vision. I looked back to make sure Tiffania was following me... sure enough there she was with a thick green hood over her head, her wand in one hand.
Then we heard it for real... or at least I did this time... a loud high pitched scream, along with the howling of wolves...
"Shit!" I cured "Louise!" I yelled "Where are you!?" I started to run, cocking my Rifle and scaning the black woods looking for any sign of her... alas the night vision only allowed me to see so far with all the trees... for some reason despite this letting me see for miles upon a tall cliff I could hardly see within these woods even with the night vision. It was only when the thunder rung and lightning flashed could I see further than a half a dozen meters.
I swear in the back of my mind I heard a strange voice... as though it were calling to me...
"Partner you are no longer a familiar... which means you and the girl are no longer connected... it will be difficult to find her here" said Derf...
"Shut up you stick! Your my plan B! So get ready!" I replied. Then a bright light appeared before me... slowly a white circle which had not been there before opened up...
"My name is Louise Françoise le Blank de la Valliére, the pentagon which hold these five powers in front of my familiar and I open the gate and appear!" I heard the voice of Louise call through the circle... "Alex, only you can be my familiar... please... let it be you..." she pleaded...
I realized that she was attempting a re-summon... I wondered why but I had a theory... but something stirred inside me... I heard light panting behind me and looked back to see Tiffania catch up to me, panting hard and soaked to the bone.
"You... run... so... fast..." she panted out.
I furrowed my brow and looked back at the circle... I clenched my fist... the feeling getting stronger... I couldn't tell what exactly it was that I felt but I knew I had to do it...
I reached to my side and sparked up my energy sword... "Louise..." I started "I'm sorry..." and I slashed through the circle... it stayed still for a moment before shattering into a million tiny pieces like a shattered crystal ball... dissipating and melting into the ground in a dim light...
"But I'm not becoming your familiar again..." I finished...
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Louise's POV
The circle shattered in front of me... the pentagram at my feet subsided and all my magic power left me... I was defenceless now...
I fell to my knees...
"No..." I sobbed "NOOO! WHY!? WHY DID IT FAIL!? I DIDN'T EVEN GET A NEW FAMILIAR!"
My attacked, Sheffield laughed softly in spite of me... "Well, that was anti-climactic" she said "Now... be a good little girl and call for the other void user..."
"I told you I don't know where this other user is!" I screamed "I didn't even know there were more than one until I met you a few days ago!"
The void familiar laughed "So what you thought you were special? If there is Gandalfr, which is the right hand of god, then by default wouldn't there be a left... and wouldn't there have to be a mind from which these hands worked... or a heart and soul who gave them life? No little void user... we are all connected, it is how I can feel your presence..."
I hefted a gasp of shock. "No... then... but if he didn't appear then that means..."
"If your familiar hasn't reappeared and a void mage always will have their chosen familiar, then that means he's abandoned you." smirked Sheffield. "Feline! Nab her!" she commanded to her spirit hounds.
I screamed as one of the purple spirit wolves lunged at me, jaws open and foaming...
*Bang*
The wolf fell over and dissipated into purple magic particles which quickly vanished.
A bulky armored warrior walked out of the woods "Sheffield..." he said sternly and pulled a longer rifle from his back before pumping the... well... pump... "If you've got a problem with Louise then you've got a problem with me." He said... I then saw someone come up behind him... a girl with blonde hair and a hood pulled over her face... she stepped aside so I could see her body fully and her chest protruded out from her body even though she wore medium leather armor.
"Alex? Tiffania?" I asked
*bam-chkchk*
The Spartan unloaded a blast of pellets into the wolf hounds which shredded them like... well... like cheese...
"You can surrender or die!" he yelled, surprisingly not waking Siesta who had been knocked out and I was standing over...
The dark clad woman sneered "I guarantied we will meet again, Void wielders." Then she snapped her fingers and vanished, along with her wolves.
"What a coward..." sighed Alex
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Scorch's POV
"Louise..." I started and turned around to face her just after having chased Sheffield away. "What the hell were you doing out here?" I asked sternly, my brow furrowed in annoyance.
Louise remained silent and refused to look up at me...
"Louise!" I snapped "Yoo-hoo Earth to Louise." I snapped my fingers trying to get her attention.
"What do you want... you've already abandoned me..." she gravely said, with nearly no emotion in her voice...
"W-what?"
"The summoning portal shattered when I tried to re-summon you... only way that could have happened is if the portal was forced closed on the other side... you closed it didn't you?"
"Yes I did Louise" I said, crossing my arms, meanwhile Tiffania's eyes were just darting between Louise and I like she was watching a mad game of table-tennis. "I don't want to be your familiar anymore, so I took this as the opportunity to break ties..."
"W-what!?" Louise wailed, tears starting to form in her eyes, I guess she had merely guessed that I didn't want to be her familiar anymore... but actually hearing it from me in the flesh was a whole other thing. "B-but... you promised you'd protect me!"
"I and I intend to do just that... but know this now Louise... you are not my master, I will continue to act as your familiar in an informal position... however... you are by no means my superior anymore... you can ask me to do tasks for you, but I will not ever drop what I'm doing and come at your back and call... especially if it isn't important... LIKE DRESSING YOURSELF!" I paused "Of course you could try a normal summoning spell and see if you get a normal familiar?"
"It wouldn't work..." said Louise "Each Void mage has an assigned familiar by fate... you would be the only one I could summon much less get a contract with."
"I see..."
"Do you?" shot Louise...
There was a silent tension in the air... a brisk wind blew through the trees of night... which looked purple due to the lighting...
Siesta was waking up from her position on the ground... it was then that I noticed...
"Wow... such a rugged look..." I said...
Louise glanced at her clothing which was half torn to shreds. "Gyyee!" she squeaked and covered holes which were dangerously close to would-be cleavage areas... notice I said would-be... that is if she ever got anything that could be considered cleavage...
A bush off the my left russled and I pivoted, aiming my Magnum at it... Anies stepped out with her black ODST armor on, I lowered my gun as she took her helmet off.
"Alright, horses are fed up and ready to go. I heard a gun blast a moment ago though from this direction is everything alright?" she asked
"Yeah..." I glanced at Louise and the other girls over my shoulder "Just peachy..." I said half-heartedly.
Anies cocked her head and sighed "Alright then, whatever you say... we'll be ready to go by first dawn, so get some rest sir, I'll head back to the hut where I managed to bring the carriage through to.
I nodded "Alright, I'll round the girls up." We both turned in opposite directions of each other, Anies to the Cottage and Coach, I to the three girls.
"Alright, Anies says that we'll be heading out at first dawn in the morning..." I informed them "Tiffania."
The Half-Elf who had been idly looking out into the forest was slightly startled when I said her name and just ever so slightly jumped, looking back at me with a light and soft "huh?" which was barely audible.
"Are you ok with leaving and seeing the world out there?" I asked
Tiffania paused for a moment, looking at her worn brown traveling boots which had been fresh and clean when we'd left her house an hour or two ago, now stained with mud from the rain. She then put on a dainty smile, fixed her dagger and wand belt before chirping "Yes!"
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And as you can see, I'm making Tiffania a bit more... badass? I guess... anyways Tiffania will be undergoing a slight personality change as the story progresses making her just a bit less timid, otherwise she'll be the same other than the is a decent knife, magic and bow fighter later on.
Also the final pairing choices are still floating around out there... the top three candidates are right now: Henrietta, Siesta and Tiffania... I don't know if it will make a difference but if you have an opinion of who his final pairing should be with (the one the story will end with) then let me know in a review... these opinions might be the deciding factor for it as well since it's pretty close and I don't know who to choose for him...
Side note: I was thinking of bringing in Saito during this chapter during Louise's attempted re-summon... I don't know... should I have? Or would it have been to late along the story to add him... *sigh* so much pressure to make choices! It's annoying! D:
OUTRO! xD
Since I've put all this time into writing this story for you guys, why not leave a review for me please? Telling me what you did and/or didn't like with maybe some tips and tricks if you feel it's necessary ... constructive criticism is welcome... also if you really did enjoy it, why not add it to your favorites, and follow it so that you can stay in the know of the updates... all of the above helps to keep me motivated to write these stories for you guys and it means allot to me... thanks guys, your all awesomer then the last time I said you were awesome... and yes! Awesomer is a word damnit! Since when? Since right now!
...LOL...
WTYL :D