Enjoy!
"A duel, you say?" I hammed it up. "Very well, good sir, I accept thy challenge. Would you be so kind as to inform me of the location and the time?" A few people giggled at my impression. The rest let out oohs and aahs.
"Vestri Court in half an hour," Guiche informed me before walking away. "I will allow you that much time to prepare, commoner." His friends stumbled away with him, casting occasional glances at the one who dared to accept a noble's challenge. The other students dispersed, most of them in the direction of Guiche.
"What do you think you're doing?" Louise hissed as she dragged me away by the arm.
"Um... Being dragged away by my Master? Wait, where are we going?"
"To apologize."
At the sound of that word, I became an unmovable wall. "No."
"Come on!" Louise urged as she tugged on my arm. "If you apologize now, Guiche might still forgive you."
"No."
"What? Why not?"
"For one, he's an arrogant prick that needs to be taught a lesson. Two, it's about pride."
"Who cares about your pride? You might not come back alive."
"My pride? Silly Master, it's not for me. It's for you," I sighed.
"F-for me?"
"Yeah. I've noticed how everyone keeps mocking you, calling you Zero. I think I have an idea why. I'm doing this so that when I beat some sense into that noble, you won't be made fun of anymore." No response. "Hey, where's the Vestri Court?" I asked the nearest noble.
"Over there, commoner."
"Thanks. And Louise, don't worry, I'll be right back."
Turns out, I didn't need directions. I saw the Vestri Court almost immediately. All thanks to the giant crowd gathering in the middle of the courtyard. When they saw me coming, the crowd parted, allowing me to walk unhindered into the inner circle.
"I have to commend you, commoner, for not running away like I expected you to," Guiche smirked.
"Gah, when would you cut the Shakespeare act?" I grumbled. Murmurs started in the crowd, mostly about 'what is 'shake spear'.
"Wait!" A familiar voice called out. "Guiche, you should know that dueling is not permitted!"
"Ah, Louise, dueling is not permitted between nobles. This," Guiche defended, gesturing to me, "is obviously not a noble."
"B-but... Nothing like this has ever happened before..." Louise stared at her feet, squirming.
"Aww, Louise. You're worried about me," I teased. Her head shot up to look at me, cheeks red, from blushing or anger, I couldn't tell. "I told you, don't worry, this'll be over soon." Turning to Guiche, I raised my fists in a Rocky-like way, "Come on, let's get this over with."
"If you want to die so eagerly, I shall grant you your wish." With a wave of his rose, a petal floated to the ground, and something grew out of the ground where the petal landed.
"My name is Guiche the Bronze. Thus, my Bronze Golem, Valkyrie, shall be your opponent."
The figure stopped growing, and I felt a sense of dread. Before me, stood a complete, metal suit of armor. On second thought, this might not be as quick as I thought.
The Valkyrie lunged at me, opting to use it's fist instead of the sword it held in it's right hand. I quickly sidestepped the first attack, countering with two quick jabs into it's stomach. Two audible cracks could be heard, and pain shot through my hands. I leaped back, away from the downward swing of it's arm. I shook my hands, trying to alleviate the pain. That wasn't very smart. However, I noticed that there were dents where I punched the golem.
As it lunged with it's fist again, I took a step forward and delivered a solid 'Sparta' kick to the already dented area, thinking this would disrupt it's incoming attack. How wrong I was. I was, for a lack of a better term, socked in the chest, rocketing me backwards, with me left flat on my back. My vision swimmed, and I unsteadily staggered to my feet. My chest felt like it was on fire. I was no expert on the human body, but I was sure that ribs were fractured, if not broken.
"If you apologized now, I might be willing to stop this punishment," Guiche drawled, twirling the rose in his hand.
"Please... stop it..." Louise begged.
All I did was let loose a feral growl, filled with pain and rage. Humiliate me, will he? I dashed toward the Valkyrie, as it reared it's arm, preparing to bash my skull into a pulp. As the blow came, I jumped and delieved a kick with both feet into it's stomach region, and landed face down on the ground. Instinctively, I rolled to the side, to find that I was not a second too soon; the Valkyrie had pulverized the ground I was occupying a second ago. Scrambling to my feet, the back of a metal gauntlet met my face.
My consciousness faded for a split second, and when my mind rebooted, I found myself standing again, wiping away some liquid from my face.
"You still stand?" Guiche noted, surprised. "Hmph. I supposed this is no fun at all." He waved his wand once more, and a petal floated to my feet. Rising out of the ground in the same manner as his golem, was a sword. Giving me a chance?
"Don't take it. Please." Once again, Louise clung on to my arm. "If you do, he would not hold back anymore..."
"I... I can't... I have to fight," I managed to say. My trembling hands then closed around the sword and I removed it from the ground. This must've been what it was like for King Arthur... I righted the sword into a kendo-like position. Then, what must have been a miracle happened. The runes on the back of my hand glowed, and my wounds no longer hurt. What's more, a wealth of information flowed into my brain, and I instantly knew how to properly wield a sword. It felt like something out of Chuck.
Guiche motioned, and the Valkyrie came charging at me. Only this time, it was in slow motion. Is he toying with me? "You're going to regret that," I mumbled, and leapt over the Valkyrie's head, decapitating it as I went. Landing in a crouching position, my unarmed palm faced down while the sword was pointed toward the crumbling Valkyrie, I grinned, unnerving Guiche. I stood up, resting the sword over my shoulder while my other hand was placed on my hips. "Oh yeah," I laughed, all traces of fatigue gone, "I'm so going to kick your ass."
Guiche, now with a panicked look on his face, summoned forth more Bronze Golems, six more, to be exact. With spears, staffs and swords. Just six more crumbling corpses. Grin still on my face, I stayed still and let the walking dead come to me. All this while, the crowd was cheering.
Their weapons all came at me simultaneously. With a quick flourish of my sword, the incoming attacks were deflected away harmlessly. I brought my sword upwards in a diagonal motion, cleaving one Golem in two, then used the momentum to spin around, flip my sword, and sliced the head off another. Two down, four to go.
The other Golems had started backing away, seemingly fearful of my newfound power. "Hey, where're you guys going? The fun's just beginning!" Before anyone could react, I had striked another Golem that tried to impale me down.
The remaining three surrounded me. What they lack in quality they're gonna make up for in quantity, eh? As I suspected, they charged at the same time, weapons swinging with deadly accuracy. Using the balls of my foot at a pivot, I spun around, the blade of my sword creating a beautiful arc of death. One... I silently counted, as the first golem tumbled over. Two...
Now! I leapt into the air, still spinning. I was like a sawblade, slicing deep into the last surviving Golem. As my feet touched the ground, I slammed the hilt of my sword into the Valkyrie's head, shattering it instantly.
Slowly, I turned my gaze towards Guiche, who had fallen flat on his royal ass. I wasn't too fat away from him. Pretty sure I could get over there before he can summon another one.
"I yield! I yield!" Guiche surrendered, still wide-eyed at my display of power. Good. That'll teach him to mess with me again. I threw the borrowed sword onto the ground. My shoulders drooped as I looked up and sighed.
'Woah! That familiar is awesome!" "Oh man, Guiche lost!" were among the rowdy cheering of the crowd. I could faintly hear Louise's voice among the crowd, but I couldn't make out the words. Even as her voice got louder, the words were still a buzz. My vision wavered, my body trembled, and everything went black and silent.
Unbeknownst to anyone, two men were watching the fight, even though their physical forms were not at the Vestri Court. The two men, Mr Colbert and the headmaster, Sir Osmond, exchanged looks. Mr Colbert spoke up first. "That... that was amazing..."
"Indeed, Jean," the old, fully bearded headmaster agreed, as he smoked.
"Even though Guiche was a Dot mage, there's no way a normal commoner could have bested him in battle."
"Hmm."
"That amazing speed! Unparalleled sword skills! There can be no doubt he's the legendary Gandalfr!" Mr Colbert exclaimed enthusiastically.
No response.
Jean Colbert urged the headmaster, "Old Osmond. We should report this to the castle immediately..."
"There will be no need for that," the headmaster ordered, stroking his white beard.
"But, sir! This is the biggest discovery of the century! The rebirth of Gandalfr in the modern world..."
"Mr Colbert. Gandalfr was no ordinary familiar."
"Exactly! The familiar utilized by the Founder Brimir, Gandalfr! There's no description of it's appearance, but it was created specifically to protect the Founder Brimir during his incredibly long spell incantations!"
"Yes... a mage is weakest during his incantations. And the Founder's long incantations made his spells very powerful. The Gandalfr's strength-"
"-is said to be able to rival armies!" Colbert finished.
"Yes... That boy, he is just a commoner, right?"
"Yes. I confirmed it with a Detect Magic spell when Miss Louise summoned him."
"This Miss Louise must be extremely powerful, no?"
"Actually, no. In fact, she's considered one of the weakest mages in her year."
"Puzzling," was all the headmaster said.
"Indeed."
"In any case, there is no need for us to hand over Gandalfr and it's master over to the fools at the palace. Give them a toy like this and they'd just start another unnecessary war. Court advisors with too much free time on their hands end up fighting more often than not."
"Ah,I did not think of that!"
"No matter. You shall not speak of this matter to anyone else, Mr Colbert."
"I understand."
Destrustion. Death. Despair. As far as the eye can see. Watching this scene through the eyes of another, I saw nothing but corpses, burning trees and craters. A red sky hung over this battlefield, the smell of blood heavy in the air.
As if I'm just a spectator, the body staggered forward, into the heart of the warzone. Vaguely humanoid creatures lay among the dead, some so horribly disfigured that it was impossible to tell what they looked like. Weapons still lay implanted in their victim's bodies, the blood dry among their many blades.
The eyes of the my body settled on one particular weapon, a claymore that was the single, holy beacon in the middle of this evil. The crossguard of the sword was a black dragon with it's jaws open, the large purple blade protruding from the open mouth. Magical, mystical and mysterious runes were engraved onto the blade of the claymore. A large, obsidian jewel sat at the end of the black, scaly handle.
It felt... otherworldy. Like it was warping the very fabric of reality around it. This weapon was not meant to be. It couldn't exist, and yet, it was here. It seemed as if this blade was the sole source of the destruction around it. But it couldn't be, right?
I watched as my body reached for the handle of the weapon. An overwhelming evil presence threatened to crush me. "Who dares?"
I felt my body force itself against the evil force, and after what seemed like an eternal struggle with it, my hands clasped onto the handle. "Bend to my will, Agito!"
The evil seeped into my very soul.
Not again... The first thing I felt when I regained consciousness was an intense migraine. Where... where am I? I felt the familiar feeling of a soft, comfortable bed beneath me. Mmm...
Then it came back to me. My fight with Guiche, and how it had all been one-sided, until I picked up the sword. At that very moment, my fatigue faded away, I felt as light as a feather, and that I could take on the world. Man, I'd give anything to have that feeling again...
I forced my eyes open, to find that I was on a queen-sized, fit-for-a-king bed. Am I on... Louise's bed? I turned my head, thankfully painlessly, and saw Louise slumped on her table, still in her uniform. Damn, she looks seriously cute when she's sleeping like that.
Then, the door opened, and a familiar maid walked in, carrying a tray with water and bread.
"Welcome back, Chris," Siesta chirped as she saw me awake.
"Oh, hi, Siesta." My throat suddenly became very dry, and my voice had a low, rumbling tone. She handed me the pitcher of water with an amused look on her face, and I gulped it down greedily. Clearing my throat, I spoke again, in my normal tone, "How how was I out?"
"Four full days."
"Can't be helped, I suppose," I sighed. As my throbbing temple settled, the dream surfaced in my mind. I swore I could feel the evil presence still lurking in me. It's probably nothing. Aftereffects of a vivid dream.
"What's wrong?" Siesta noticed my uncomfortable shifting.
"It's nothing. Just a bad dream." Ignoring the pain, I sat up ,gratefully accepting the bread and had to force myself to take small bites. Stuffing my face would just look disgusting. A moment of silence. I looked over at Louise, "Was she here the whole time?"
"Yes. She refused to leave your side. Even paid for your healing, too," Siesta answered, looking at the sleeping figure.
"Whaddya know, she does have a soft side." Then, I realized something. "Wait, 'healing'?"
"Yes, your injuries were quite serious. Miss Valliere paid quite a sum for the reagents. Not something a commoner could afford," she added, seeing the questioning look creeping onto my face.
"Tch. I'm useless, aren't I?" It was more of a statement than a question. I looked down at myself. Someone removed my 'Last Remnant' t-shirt I was wearing, and my exposed torso was covered in bandages. My hands, I just noticed, were almost completely covered with bandages, save for the tips on my fingers. Brushing my forehead, there was a strip of cloth just under my hairline. All in all, I felt like an anime character recovering from an intense training.
"Actually, everyone's been talking about you," Siesta's eyes instantly brightened as she recalled the whiperings. "About how a commoner managed to defeat Guiche, and with such style too! Especially everyone in the kitchen staff! They've been dying to meet you. Oh please, promise me you'll drop by."
"It would be an honor, milady," my silly, dramatic side blurted out.
Siesta 'kyaa'-ed, the proceeded to dash out of the room. Going to tell the rest the good news, I'll bet.
After finishing the small snack, I laid back down, drowsiness overcoming my senses. Even... after four days... With that final thought, I dove back into sleep, without dreaming of death and swords.
I awakened from my restful slumber just as the first beams of the morning light pierced the unholy darkness of the room. The sound of creaking bones echoed through the room as I swung my legs off the bed. I gently applied pressure to some points of my torso, expecting sharp pain. When there was none, I half-jogged to the mirror, only to find that my face held no traces of being pummled. Whatever that 'healing' was, it worked like a charm...
Eh? What's this? I internally wondered as I looked at the oh-so-familiar object half-held in Louise's hand. "My iPod?" Oh, that's right, it was in my pocket when... that happened. It was currently in the middle on a song, but the speakers were busted a long time ago, so the only way to listen to anything was through ear pieces. Which also lay nearby, not in use.
Curious, I plugged the earpieces in and stuffed the buds into my ears.
"-ath is clearer, through honest eyes.
My will is stronger, through honest eyes."
Bliss overcame my senses. Besides my love for video games, I had a strong passion for music. And what could be better than a combination of both?
"I'm taking my, my life back!
This I say each day~!"
I looked at the rising sun, and how it drove the shadows into the corners, seemingly cowering in fear of the holy light. I should really get on with the day...
"How, how'd we get this far,
Why did we survive?
I'd rather live my life through honest eyes!"
Meh, I could spare a minute or two.
"Where did we go wrong,
And why did we not see?
I'd rather live my life through honest eyes!"
As the song faded, with a last screamo yell of 'I'm taking my, my life back', I checked the battery life on the music player. 67%. Contended, I stuffed the player into my pocket, hoping I wouldn't have to explain to Louise where the otherworldly artefact went to, and what its purpose was.
"Master?" I prodded Louise's sleeping form. She hasn't moved from the table, just shifted her position slighty. "Um... Louise? Time to wake up."
Burying her head deeper into her folded arms, she mumbled, "Day of the Void..."
"You're going to miss breakfast, Master."
A soft groan, then, "Clothes."
Ohoho, not today. "But Master, you wouldn't be so cruel to allow an injured man to exert himself, would you? Besides, with these bandages," I held up my hands, "I wouldn't do as good a job as I'd normally would." Louise looked at me through half-lidded eyes, then waved me away.
"Many thanks. I'll be waiting outside," I bowed. Leaving the room, I replaced the plugs into my ear and blasted 'Honest Eyes' once more. After being deprieved of music for so long, this song got me pumped even more than before.
Then, a door down the hall from Louise's room opened and a curvaceous red head and a giant red lizard stepped out. Kirche saw me, and waved over, mouth moving. All I heard, however, was the chorus of 'Honest Eyes'. Not assuming anything, I just stared at her with a blank look.
Kirche's face scrunched up, as if annoyed by my lack of attention to her, and called out to me again. I just remained as I was. She tried again, coming ever closer...
... Getting the attention of Louise the Terrible. Her door flew open, and a wild Louise appeared! Quickly stashing my ear pieces, I caught the last part of an enraged accusation. "-iliar do you think he is?"
"Aww, I was just trying to say hello. Or are you so jealous that you wouldn't allow me to do so?" Kirche defended, flashing me flirtatious smile. Man, this girl just won't give up!
"J-j-jealous?" Louise face almost literally turned into a tomato. "M-me? Jealous? That d-d-dog?" She pointed at me, losing her ability to form coherent sentences.
"Please, ladies," I reluctantly interfered with the impending cat fight, even though every nerve in my body screamed at me not to, "there's enough of Chris to go around for everybody."
A slap and a kick to the shin later, I found myself being dragged away by the collar by my furious Master as she muttered death threats under her breath. "Eheheh, y-you know I was just joking, right?" Louise just stopped, and glared daggers at me.
After much persuasion, promises I crossed my fingers while making, and reassurance I wasn't going off to chase skirts, Louise finally let me off. Right before we entered the Dining Hall, too. "Um, Master? You go ahead, I'm not really that hungry right now."
Louise stared at me, as if trying to read my mind. "Then where will you be?"
"Oh, I'll just memorizing the layout of this place. Wouldn't want to get lost, you know."
Another stare down. "Alright then, just go back to my room once you're finished," was all Louise said before she entered the hall.
Just in time too, as my stomach growled. As much as I felt bad lying to her, my intolerance for the stale bread I get fed was higher. "Oh, Chris! Have you come to meet the people in the kitchen?"
"Ah! Siesta!" I exclaimed as I whirled around. "Yeah, I've come to do just that." My stomach growled again. "Also, do you think they'd mind if I asked them for some edible food?"
"This is really good! Compliments to the chef," I smiled as best as I could with my mouth full.
The head chef, Marteau, laughed heartily. "Glad that you find the food so fine! Eat up as much as you want, Our Sword!"
"Our Sword?" I paused in my feast to question him.
"That's the title we gave you, for beating that noble with nothing but a sword!" Marteau grinned.
"To tell you the truth, I've never actually held a real sword in my life..." I admitted. "What you do here takes more skill than just swinging a sword around. It's like magic of its own."
"You hear that? A true hero never brags about his accomplishments!" Marteau laughed, clapping a strong hand on my shoulder, before going back to work, urging his suboordinates to do the same. Siesta, however, was apparently on break, and sat down across from me.
"Um... Chris? That's a very... interesting name."
"Yeah, well, where I come from, your names are quite unusual as well," I wiped my mouth with a napkin.
"So you're not from Tristian?" Siesta picked up what I was trying to say. "Could you be from Germania? Or Romalia?"
Germany? Rome? "Well, no. I'm actually not from this world."
Siesta started to laughed, like I was joking, but then fell silent at the serious expression fixed on my face. "Really? But... how...?"
"I assume that the summoning ritual isn't just bound to this world, and that it can summon anyone, even across space and time, as long as the magic used is powerful enough. Not that I'm saying Louise's a poweful mage, 'cause all she's succeeded in so far is blowing things up, it seems." Siesta giggled.
"If you don't mind, could you tell me about your world?"
"Sure," I shrugged, then gave myself a little time to think. "Well, for starters, we don't have magic where I'm from. Which means no one has familiars. Everything runs on electricity."
"Electricity?"
"Oh." This really was like the Middle Ages. "You do know what lightning is, right?" Siesta nodded. "Okay, I just had to check. Electricity's basically an extremely toned down version of lightning, but still strong enough to power almost everything we use. Like lights," I gestured to the magic-powered lights, "among other things your world doesn't have." I started to despair, at the realization I might never return.
It must have shown, because Siesta looked down and muttered, "I'm sorry..."
"It's not your fault, so don't be. Besides, being here isn't all bad. For example, I met you."
"R-really? Y-you... I... W-we... Kyaa!" Siesta squealed, before drifting into whatever fantasy she's concocted with a blush and a ear-splitting grin on her face.
"I think that's the cue for me to go. Thanks for the food, Head Chef!" I called out.
"No problem, Our Sword! Come back any time!"
As I left the kitchen, I glanced one more time at Siesta, who, in addition to her previous actions, had started to giggle uncontrollably to herself. Oh dear god, what have I created?
"Master? Could you do me a favor?" I tentatively asked Louise.
"What is it?" She still had a hint of distaste in her voice, but it had toned down since I displayed my newly-gotten power.
"I want a sword." I stretched my finally unbandaged hands. I unwrapped the bandages just as I came into the room, leaving the torso ones on for just a little while.
"Don't you have one of your own?" She looked up at me, confused.
"No. The first time I've held a real sword was in my fight against Guiche."
"But... you looked so natural..." Louise muttered, more to herself.
"That's beside the point. How is a familiar going to protect his master without a weapon?" I argued.
"Hmm... You're right. Let's go," the girl nodded, then started towards the door.
"I mean, I could just- wait, you agreed?" That was easy...
"Yes, now hurry up before I change my mind." And with that, we headed towards the stables.
"That was really the first time you used a sword?" Louise asked on the way.
"Yeah. When I took the sword, I felt... powerful. As light as a feather. I felt like I could take on an entire army. It was awesome," I sighed. "I'd do anything just to experience that again."
"Maybe you should fight Guiche again."
"... Well, maybe not anything." We walked in silence for the next few minutes.
"Have you ever ridden a horse?"
"No." More silence.
"I believe you," Louise whispered.
"What are you talking about?"
"That you're from another world."
"I didn- Wait, you followed me?" I came to a shocking conclusion. Death in 3, 2, 1...
"I'm sorry. For everything," Louise whispered even more quietly. Guilt is more overwhelming than anger, it seems.
"You couldn't control who you wanted to summon. And if you could, it probably wouldn't have been me."
"Th-that's not true!" Louise puffed her cheeks.
"True or not, you're stuck with me now. So, let's make the most out of this partnership, alright?" I forced myself to sound happy. Louise lowered her head, and nothing was spoken.
As we rode along the path, the three hour trip was usually quiet, and unusually windy, for some reason. Carefully keeping my hands on her belly, and not that runway of a chest, I asked Louise, "Where are we going?"
"Tristian." And that was it.
"So this is Tristian?" I gaped at the sight of the town. 'Town' was an understatement. It was at least the size of three or four towns put together. "This abomination is Tristian?"
"What's wrong with it?" Louise glared at me.
"It's a little big to call it a 'town', right?"
"Just, come on," she replied, already losing patience.
If the world I'm in was an role-playing game, Tristian would be the main captial of this land. It had everything.
"That's a potion shop, right? Or an alchemist?" I pointed to the shop with a round-bottom flask as a sign.
"Brewery," Louise corrected.
"And that," I pointed to a shop bigger than the rest that had a cross for a sign, "is... some sort of recruitment drive?"
"Yes. For guards, specifically." Assassin's Creed, for the win.
"And that's where we're heading towards, I'll bet." A shop with a sword sign was down the street from us.
"Yes. You can read what the signs say?" Louise asked, trying to piece together the fact that I was from another world, yet I could almost point out the shops' purposes.
"No, the pictures tell me everything I need to know," I stated nonchalantly.
Pretending not to hear Louise's comment about me being an illiterate barbarian, I entered the blacksmith's shop, the petite girl trailing behind. I had to force myself not to drool as I scanned the room full of amazing weapons. Almost literally floating away, I let Louise do the talking.
"I'd like a sword," I heard Louise tell the shopkeeper. He was a goofy-looking guy. I mean, the guy looks way too similar to Goofy.
"A noble buying a sword? That's unusual."
"It's for my familiar," Louise explained.
"Ah." The shopkeeper gave me a one over, then continued. "Many nobles have been arming their servants with weapons, because of this 'Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt'. He's been robbing people blind, in broad daylight too, and from the rumors, it seems like he's a Triangle class mage as well."
Louise put on an alarmed look.
Meanwhile, my eyes settled on an a pair of gauntlets. Picking them up and examining them further, it felt like there was a pair of knuckle-dusters built into the gauntlet, and it had steel plating from the wrist down, ending about three-quarters down my forearm, all covered with black leather. "Hey, Louise, could I get this?"
"Maybe. If the sword isn't too expensive," she considered.
The shopkeeper walked back in, with a highly stylized rapier in his hands. Before he could open his mouth, however, Louise commanded, "Bigger and broader."
The goofy man blinked in confusion for a second, then finally caught up. "But ma'am, different people have different styles for wielding swords-"
"Bigger and broader." The blacksmith sighed as he returned to the back.
"Oh, we're so going to get conned," I thought out loud.
Before Louise could respond angrily, another voice in the room started, "Glad you realized that."
Both of us spun around, looking for the man who said that. "Over here." The squeaking of rusty metal could be heard. Among a pile of old, common weapons, was a rusty longsword, with a moving quillion. Its mouth, I suppose.
"A... talking sword?" Louise asked, mostly herself, trying to grasp the concept.
"No shit, Sherlock." If it had eyes, the sword would be rolling them right now.
I burst out laughing, ignoring the death glares from Louise. "Oh man, what a personality. You got a name, buddy?"
"Derf! Stop scaring my customers away!" The shopkeeper had returned, with a glorious gold broadsword in his arms.
"Derf?" I looked back at the sword.
"It's Derflinger."
"Derflinger," I repeated. "I'm Chris Cohen."
"Chris. You a user, partner?"
"User?"
"It seems you haven't awakened your powers yet... Buy me, partner," Derflinger added. I looked over at Louise for approval.
"Can't you choose something more appealing and doesn't talk?" Louise shook her head.
"Come on, it's a sentient sword! You don't see that everyday, you know." Or not at all, in my case.
"Fine." Louise turned back to the counter. "How much for it?"
"Oh, and these too," I added, placing both the gauntlets and Derflinger on the table. Louise glared at me again. She'd perfect that look in no time.
"I guess I can sell it to you for... 175 new gold," the shopkeeper sighed. So much for conning the noble. He turned to me, making a last stand. "Are you sure you wouldn't want this instead?" He waved the gold sword around.
"Nah, that's gold. It'll break in a real fight." I waved him away.
"You've got a good eye, partner."
To all those wondering, yes, Chris is going to get powers, starting next chapter. Which means, things would start to heat up, but not before a certain seduction scene.
Sol- Chris asked me to pass on this message: "Hey, she just caught me off guard!"
Moving on, please review, and until next time, stay free and stay salty! :D
