Zero's Dog
Chapter #8
"So remind me, why are we bringing the Staff of Destruction?" Louise asked the boy riding behind her.
That morning, they had packed for their 'expedition into the unknown' as Kotaro had put it, and left the academy on horseback. Kotaro did most of the packing because he was uncertain that his 'master' could pack for an excursion without luxury. Besides a tent and two rolls of thick cloth to sleep on, he'd also carried the nostalgic weapon with him.
"It's not been used since it first came here and it's a weapon from my world. Since Osmond lent it, I thought I might take it on this trip. Besides, it's still loaded so I figured that they won't care if I 'disarm' it for them. An enemy would be preferable but I'll shoot it anyway if no such situation occurs," the boy on the second horse answered. "We don't want someone else to get a hold this and use it, whether by accident or intentionally."
"So it has nothing to with the fact it's the closest thing to 'home' for you?"
"No. My home is a place not a weapon. To compare them would be like suggesting that your wand is the closest thing to home for you."
"Speaking of which, I want to hear about your home," Louise kindly put forth.
"I'm not sure that would be a good idea."
"I wanna hear about partner's world, too," the sword on Kotaro's back declared as well.
"Wait, Derf, how did you know?"
"Give me some credit. I've been around for six thousand years. You see a lot in that kind of time, but I've never seen anyone like you so you must be from some other place. Your description of your homeland's magic last night confirmed my suspicions," the sword said smugly.
"Come on Kotaro, tell us," Louise nagged, "It'll take two days to reach the port of La Rochelle, if we push ourselves. Besides we're all alone with no one else in earshot to listen in."
"If I have to either tell you or listen to nagging for hours I'll tell you, but don't push any further if I say 'I don't know' or 'I can't answer.'
"Fair enough," Louise and Derflinger replied in unison.
"First of all, my home world is like this one, except its progressed hundreds of years."
"HUNDREDS OF YEARS?" Louise gaped.
"Yeah, this kind of society, with castles and peasants and nobles is similar to Europe six to nine hundred years ago, but I don't think magic was ever a status symbol. I don't know and I never bothered to ask the one person I know who might."
"Is this the same 'There's only one moon' world?" Louise asked irately.
"Yes, magic back home follows different rules than here. For one, magic is meant to be used to help people. Also, the world is kept in ignorance about the existence of magic," Kotaro said.
"I know this already," Louise said, impatience in her voice rising.
"I'm explaining for Derf."
"Thanks, partner."
"Now, since the world at large is ignorant, life for most is quite different than what you might expect. Technology has the most effect on the daily lives of the top few percent of the world's total population, which I'd be included in."
"You're a noble? Then why do you dress like a peasant?"
"Concepts like nobility have died out in most of the world. And top few percent means millions in regards to total population of billions. But moving on," Kotaro casually added, "transportation is probably the easiest to explain the changes to. Horses have been mostly replaced by metal carriages called cars that pull themselves and can move three times faster than a horse. And airplanes can fly a person hundreds of miles in a few short hours."
"That's not possible," Louise declared.
"Yes, it is," Kotaro asserted.
This exchange continued for a few hours as they argued about technology.
(scene break)
"You are the most interesting user I've ever worked with, Partner," Derflinger praised from its scabbard.
"Really? Thanks, it's nice to see someone is agreeable around here," Kotaro thanked while pitching a tent. The discussion between himself and Louise had passed the ride quickly. "What do you mean by 'user'?"
"Weren't you paying attention to those old codgers last night, I mean Gandalfr," the rusty sword proclaimed.
"So, I am a Gandalfr? What exactly is a Gandalfr?"
"Yes partner you are a Gandalfr," the sword said.
"Gandalfr was one of Brimir's familiars, 'The Left Hand of God,' also 'God's Shield,'" Louise broke into the conversation, "a master of weapons to protect the founder Brimir while he was chanting spells, when he was vulnerable. But a Gandalfr hasn't been seen in thousands of years."
"Actually you're wrong, 'Little Missy,'" Derflinger accused, "I was wielded by a Gandalfr five hundred years ago."
"No, YOU'RE wrong, piece of scrap, there is no record of Gandalfr appearing since the time of Brimir."
"All you humans are the same, completely deceived by what you're told and defending your deceivers like they're some kind of innocent," the sword scoffed, "Even you are engaging in a task that no one will know of if you succeed, except a few. All you humans lie and keep secrets but expect that you're always privy to the truth. So tell me, 'Oh All-Knowing Mistress,' what happened five hundred years ago?"
"So help me sword, I will melt you down and make you into a chamberpot," Louise said venomously.
"I fail to see how my existence would be noticeably worse, with all the shit I already take from people. A chamber pot could be an improvement. Now answer my question!"
"FINE!" Louise shrieked. "Five hundred years ago Germania invaded Tristain but Tristain's superior strategy and numbers repelled the invaders. The Valliere family has lived at the border ever since, in case those barbarians try again."
"That's mostly correct, but Tristain didn't have superior numbers OR a strategy. Their last tactic was to send their secret weapon, Gandalfr, to drive back the enemy. I was his sword and what a glorious week of bloodshed it was," Derflinger cried gleefully.
"Why does no one know about it then?" the petite girl questioned rudely.
"Unfortunately, Partner was assassinated at the end of the war and the generals claimed the credit for his deeds, lying directly to his master, the queen. I was there when they brought his body back to her. I remember how she despaired when she saw his corpse and felt the urge to comfort her, but that turned to anger when the generals denied Partner the honor he was due, saying the enemy poisoned him the second day and that THEY deserved the credit for driving the enemy back. I would've spoken against them but one of them kept me from talking. And I was sold to that sword shop, where I've remained since," the sword finished, anguish coloring his voice.
"Is this the real truth?" Louise asked
"As real as the fact I was forged by Sasha, the first Gandalfr, six thousand years ago," Derf declared.
"You remember all that?" Kotaro asked awestruck, "Are there other things you remember like special abilities you might have?"
"Sorry, Partner, but six thousand years is a loooong time. I only remember Sasha because she created me and was the first to wield me. And the only reason I remember my last partner was because the effects of his death were so heavy. I'm a sword so I have difficulty understanding you humans. Your motives and relationships baffle me. But when I was in that anguished woman's presence, great emotion stirred within my blade, something that I had long since believed impossible. I felt empathy for the grieving woman and hate for the bastards who murdered Partner. Had I not been sold off, I'd have found some of his remaining family and helped them enact vengeance," the sword said softly.
"What was his name?" Louise asked, her voice gentle.
"I can't remember, his identity has slowly vanished over the centuries. I do remember that his family name was something like 'Wall-ee-hair' but I'm not sure."
"Was it 'Valliere'?" Louise asked, her face white, voice little more than a whisper.
"Was it?" the rusty blade pondered briefly, "IT WAS! How did you guess? Do you know someone in the Valliere family?"
"I am a Valliere," the girl announced proudly, "that was my ancestor who was said to be the greatest warrior of his time. He was the royal family's loyal guard and heroically died saving his comrades and slowing the Germanian advance. Samuel Claude de la Valliere, he's entombed on my family's land which his eldest son received for the valor Samuel displayed in battle. Was he really a Gandalfr?"
"He sure was unless there were other Vallieres. I want to go visit his tomb someday. But to think, your family has been closely connected to two consecutive Gandalfrs. Destiny has a funny way of choosing people."
Something resonated in Kotaro's memory at the mention of 'Destiny.' His mind raced, a circle, a great flash, a card. "Her pactio card," he thought, reaching into his jacket. He shifted through the dead cards until he found Louise's, "'Pullum Fato Electi', 'The Maiden Chosen by Destiny', maybe her fate is to do great things. She can do great things after she sends me home."
"So," Louise said, pride from what she'd learned suffusing her voice, "what are we eating?"
"Well, I thought you said we'd reach port by nightfall, so I packed food with that in mind. We ate everything I packed this afternoon," Kotaro admitted.
"I said 'Nightfall, TOMORROW!" There's nothing for dinner! Stupid Dog!"
"Again with the 'stupid dog,' do you think you could use some other name to refer to me because this one's getting old fast, like 'Kotaro', or 'loyal familiar,' hell, I'd even settle for 'Dearly Beloved.' I said I didn't pack more food but we're in a forest, miles from the nearest person. The hunting shouldn't be too sparse." Two of his doppelgangers walked into the clearing, each carrying firewood.
After starting the fire, Kotaro exited the clearing with a backward "Be back with food," leaving Louise with his doppelgangers. Moments after he left Louise felt an ominous presence that froze her to the log where she sat and left her with the feeling that something was stalking her. Before she could panic like a cornered animal, however, the presence faded into the gloom.
She looked at the two false Kotaros. They seemed unaffected by the predatory presence that had clogged the air mere moments before. One was finishing setting up shelter while the other stood sentry behind Louise. The watchman's eyes looked as if they pierced the shroud of darkness that hung over the forest on this cloudy, moonless night. When the other finished with the tent, he disappeared into the darkness for a minute and returned with broken branches. He immediately set about carving them using Derflinger.
"Hey . . . uh . . . Partner's copy," the sword called at the doppelganger, "could ya possibly use something else the practice your carving hobby? Battle is the only art I'm interested in."
The doppelganger ignored the sword's disapproval and minutes later, two forked stakes were planted on opposite sides of the fire. A long narrow spit hung over the fire, the green wood hardening in the heat. About that time Louise felt the return of the ominous predator, but the presence felt slightly weaker, less looming, than when she'd last felt it. Footsteps could be heard this time, approaching the clearing. Louise looked back at her appointed guardians, nearly panicking at the lack of a defensive response towards the approaching creature. As the terror of the unknown creature nearly overwhelmed Louise, the familiar giant black wolf entered the clearing with the carcass of a doe, held by the neck, in its jaws.
Kotaro dropped the deer onto the ground and began to revert. As he changed, the terror-invoking presence faded. Upon full return, he drew a knife and began to clean and butcher his kill. Louise quickly turned from the sight before the procedure could cause her to faint or retch. From her position, she heard Derflinger speak.
"So it was Partner casting that ghastly aura. That's a nifty trick that Partner can do, like a Rhyme Dragon but in reverse," the sword chirped delightedly.
"A 'Rhyme Dragon,' Derf?" the boy asked, not removing his eyes from his work.
"They're an ancient race of dragons, endowed with 'Ancient magic,' also known as 'Spirit magic.' They were also gifted with intelligence, speech, and could change forms into a beautiful human. Alas they're extinct, but you emit a similar presence so I thought you might be one when we first met. Your wolf form, as well as your retention of the ears and tail of a dog prove otherwise, though."
"That's another thing that's bothered me; I've heard spirit magic mentioned several times, each time with some form of contempt or awe or fear but no one has bothered to explain it. I want to know!"
"Spirit magic is a power that existed long before humans separated magic into the five elements, it's magic that control's the 'power of life.' When a mage chants a spell, they bend the logic of the world to their will to create the desired effect. When a being who uses 'the power of spirits' casts a spell, it runs alongside the logic of the world."
"You lost me. Use simple words."
"Uggghh . . . The comparison between elemental magic and spirit magic is like comparing the strength of will and the strength of nature. Which do you think is more powerful: one man's will or nature itself?"
"I get your point. How do elves fit into the matter? Someone once accused me of being an elf when they saw my unique ears and everyone panicked."
"YOU WERE WHAT? How did partner survive? Most people today couldn't tell an elf from a sack of dirt but that wouldn't stop them from persecuting that sack of dirt. Why weren't you crucified, upside down, eviscerated, and have your organs set ablaze?"
"Is that how much elves are hated?"
"Pretty much. To answer your question, elves are the most accomplished of ancient beings in the use of spirit magic. In a duel between a dozen square mages and an elf, smart money's on the elf winning."
"But why are they hated so much? That kind of hate doesn't come merely from fear of a potentially more powerful being. What happened to cause this hate and fear to arise?"
"The elves hold the Holy Land," Louise said over her shoulder. "Are you almost done yet? I need food now!"
"Oh, sorry," Kotaro apologized, he picked up several pieces he'd already cut and added them to the spit. One of his doppelgangers fished out some seasonings from where they'd been stashed and sprinkled them over the cooking meat as it was turned.
A few minutes past and Kotaro tested the meat; it was cooked enough and good enough for his tastes but the true test would be with her. He handed Louise the spit and waited.
She held the food on a stick like it was some alien object but did a test nibble and flinched.
"Eat it or not, it's your choice." Kotaro watched as she grudgingly ate before something else his attention. "Hello?"
Immediately one doppelganger tackled Louise and the other smothered the fire, pitching the forest into darkness.
There was a sound of Kotaro running out of the clearing followed by a pained grunt. "Who are you and why are you following us?" Kotaro could be heard demanding.
"Darling, you should have told me you were into this dominance stuff. You can dominate me anytime, " a sultry voice declared in the darkness.
"Kirche?"
The fire was reignited and the redhead and Kotaro were just barely visible at the edge of the firelight. Kirche was face-down on the ground, looking back at Kotaro, who straddled the young redhead's back and held her right arm in a pain-compliance hold, lasciviously. Upon realizing that it was indeed Kirche, Kotaro released her and jumped back as if he'd been holding a venomous snake. He blushed heavily.
"Awww," the Germanian groaned at his sudden break from physical contact, "And I was sooo close, too."
"Hey, Familiar!" Louise yelled from the clearing, "Call off your guard-dog!"
The doppelganger that had tackled Louise now lay on top of the haughty girl, shielding her from potential harm. Rolling his eyes, Kotaro dismissed it and Louise sat up, still holding her food protectively.
"Von Zerbst, what are you doing here?" she demanded, taking a few angry bites of the deer meat without the flinch she had displayed when testing it. "I wonder if she's actually tasting it," Kotaro thought, "well, at least she's eating and I'm not the focus of her irritation."
"I was curious to see where the Valliere girl and her beautiful familiar went when neither showed up to classes."
"Okay the better question is how did you get here?" Kotaro put forth.
"On Tabitha's familiar," Kirche replied, casually. A few trees away, the petite, blue-haired girl stepped out, her eyes not leaving the open book she held as she approached them. A blue dragon the size of a truck followed. Between the indifferent girl's reading and the grace of the dragon as it navigated through the dense trees, Kotaro didn't know which was more impressive.
"Well since you're here you might as well join us," Kotaro offered the newcomers, leading them back to the clearing where the camp had been set up. Since Kotaro had intentionally dispelled the clone covering Louise and the other dissipated when it dove onto the fire to smother it, Louise was the only one in the clearing when Kotaro returned with their uninvited guests.
Upon noticing the lack of sentries, the dog-boy raised his right arm to chest level and swung it horizontally. An immense patch of darkness appeared on the ground before him and from it rose uncountable shadow-dogs. "Guard the perimeter, sound off if you see or hear another potential intruder, and do not move more than three trees away from your original positions," he ordered his pack. Immediately the pack scattered, each shadow-dog disappearing into the forest.
"You simply MUST teach me how to do that, darling," Kirche said lustfully.
"I couldn't teach that trick to anyone, even if I tried, unless they were like me. My lineage allows me to do it," Kotaro shot her down.
"It's a particular trait that belongs to his breed, Zerbst. Since your pedigree is different you can't learn it, so back off," Louise said from the log she sat on, still eating.
Tabitha had taken a position at the other end of the log and continued reading with her book in one hand and her crooked staff, which was reminiscent of a shepherd's crook, grasped in the other. Behind the log the blue dragon had positioned itself, remaining near its master but it eyed the slaughtered doe hungrily.
"Louise, I've already expressed many times that I don't care to hear jokes or puns that refer to me," Kotaro wearily said. "Also will you need more meat cooked?" he asked pointing to the nearly bare stick in Louise's grasp.
"No, this was enough. I suggest you work on improving your cooking, this was okay to eat but it's a far cry from high quality. You can eat now," she said handing him the stick.
"I've already eaten, thank you," he said accepting the stick, "Besides, I never claimed to be a great cook. Food is for functioning and only needs to be palatable." He offered the remaining food to Kirche, who declined, and Tabitha who, without closing her book, accepted it and began eating without hesitation.
"Did you hide a stash of normal food for yourself and make me eat your sub-par cooking?"
"No, that deer was my second kill this night. I ate from the first," he admitted. Turning to Tabitha he said, "Since no one else is hungry, your familiar can have the rest of it."
Tabitha nodded and the dragon charged at the carcass gleefully. In one movement the deer was picked up and held in the blue dragon's mouth. The sound of bones snapping echoed through the forest as the whole carcass was chewed, and finally swallowed. The dragon then happily pranced back to the position behind its master, pausing to briefly nuzzle Kotaro as it passed.
"I've never seen Sylphid take to someone so quickly," Kirche voiced the observation, "Normally she remains near Tabitha and only takes to a few people."
"Oh really?" Kotaro asked rhetorically. "Anyway, why are you following us? How long were you watching before I caught you? What are you going to do now that you've found us?"
"Why's darling so edgy? I already said I've fallen for you. We found you about the time you were talking with your sword about ancient magic."
"Damn, I need to improve my detection skills if you were hidden for minutes when I should've noticed you in seconds."
"And tomorrow we're going with you to Albion."
"How'd you know that's where we're going, Zerbst?" Louise snapped at her rival.
"You're going west, Valliere, where else would you be going?" Kirche bit back.
"That's my business! And tomorrow you will return to the academy willingly or I'll send you there personally!"
"Like you could really make us go, you can't even cast a basic spell properly. The only success in magic you've accomplished was summoning a familiar which, even if he is an impressive familiar, is only one achievement and it just barely proves you're a mage."
"Don't you remember that he spoke a different language when he arrived?" Louise shrieked, hand on her breast pocket. "My magic fixed that so we can understand him and he, us."
"You blew him up," Kirche's voice was rising too.
"WAIT!"
All turned to the source of the interruption, Derflinger, who was still leaning against a tree, next to the Staff of Destruction. "Oh, I'd better keep a closer eye on that, seeing as it's borrowed," Kotaro thought while retrieving the two weapons.
"Did you say that the explosion acted like a translation spell?" the sword asked.
"Well, yeah, it did. Why do you ask?"
"I'm recalling a kind of translation magic that already exists everywhere and doesn't need a chant. It works within a couple hours unless fueled with willpower. I think your spell might have sped up the process."
"Why don't we know of this?" Kirche asked the blade.
"It's magic that's been around for so long and it has so little impact that it was probably forgotten about."
"I think my point is made, Louise, I'm not leaving."
"Yoouuuu . . ." Louise was reaching for her card, but Kotaro grabbed her arm.
"Enough, Louise," he said, "They tracked us here, so they might as well stay. Besides, two extra combatants might be helpful if it comes to a battle. I'm strong but I can't be everywhere, and you might need protection as your way of magic is powerful but way too unrefined for battles on foot."
"FINE THEN!" Louise shouted.
"Speaking of magic, Kotaro, what did you cast at me? It feels like was hit hard twice in the same moment," Kirche said, holding her belly with one hand and examining a fresh bruise the size of an orange that appeared on her thigh.
"I hit you with two of my dogs."
"But there was no incantation like there was in class, how?"
"Trade secret," the dog-boy responded instantly.
"But . . ." Kotaro cut off the passionate girl's question with a raised hand.
His ears twitched and swiveled. Sylphid raised her head, looking around like she sensed something too. Tabitha closed her book and stowed it in a small bag she carried at her familiar's response. She rose from the log and gazed into the surrounding forest intently, gripping her staff in both hands. Kirche understood immediately by the reaction of her stoic friend and took a stance with her wand drawn.
Derflinger popped out of his scabbard, "Am I reading this situation correctly, Partner?"
Louise saw all of this and stood up, "Kotaro, what's going on?"
"It seems that several of my dogs have reported intruders, simultaneously."
"How many?"
"All of them. We're surrounded, though our ambushers are still a distance out so we have a few minutes," Kotaro drew Louise's pactio card, "Telepathia." "Louise do you still have the message?" Kotaro asked without hesitation.
Louise felt her pocket and nodded.
"Good, now I think we need to let them in on the secret. Wow, these secrets are getting hard to keep," he thought, "Oh well Kirche will probably keep a secret for me, Tabitha doesn't seem the type to gossip (or even socialize for that matter), and Sylphid, Sylphid's a dragon bonded to Tabitha. Even if she could speak, who would she tell?"
"Okay," Louise was beginning to tug her card.
"Wait! I'll do it. But first hand me the letter," Kotaro said calmly. After she handed him the letter and he hid it on his person he held out the pactio card.
"What's that card supposed to do?" Kirche asked angrily, "You said it was only a symbol of your contract."
"Yeah, well, I lied," he admitted. Turning back to Louise he chanted, "POTENTIUM EXCELGIAS, LOUISE VALLIERE." The master copy of the pactio card glowed and Louise received her artifact. "I didn't want to do this because I thought it unnecessary, but Louise, send us to the road a mile away from town. This late we shouldn't be seen. Make it two groups: them first," he pointed to Sylphid, Tabitha, and Kirche, "then us, but I'm afraid we must abandon the horses; now's not the time to argue."
Louise affirmed with a resigned nod. "Relocate Sylphid, Tabitha, Kirche von Zerbst." With a flash of light Sylphid and Kirche were gone but Tabitha remained.
"Great, it's not her real name," Kotaro thought. "New plan, Louise, you will meet up with Kirche and Sylphid on the road, I'll get Tabitha out of here and as close to you as I can. Wait for us there. You can explain the details to Kirche if she swears to keep it secret except in certain circumstances. If she won't for you, tell her I asked it be secret."
"But . . ."
"GO, NOW! Before there are witnesses," he ordered as his second layer of sentries was tripped.
"Relocate, Louise Valliere." And the girl vanished in a flash.
"Okay now," Kotaro broke the stillness, creating four doppelgangers as he spoke, "Tabitha, I'll be taking you from here, but I'll warn you, we'll be surrounded by darkness and silence for possibly several minutes. Whatever you do, don't break contact or you might be forever lost in eternal darkness. Are you ready?"
She nodded and held out her hand.
At that moment a person wearing a dark hooded cloak and a mask emerged from the forest.
"Seize them!" the figure commanded.
Kotaro grabbed Tabitha's hand and dove into the tent's shadow, faintly hearing the sounds of a starting battle as his clones met warriors, before all fell silent in the realm of shadows.
(scene break)
They emerged from the shadow of a tree near a narrow mountain pathway with boulders visible on both sides. Either side of the path had two lit lanterns, the illumination of which created a shadow for Kotaro to emerge from. As soon as he was free of the dark realm, Kotaro threw himself on the ground, gasping.
"I am NEVER using shadow travel, outside, at night, again." It had been nearly ten minutes since they'd fled the camp and the realm of shadows was completely black, as the cloudy night provided no light to cast exit shadows.
Tabitha seemed to cope better. "Where?" she asked.
"I don't know, I picked the first exit shadow I could find!"
"La Rochelle," Tabitha stated, looking at what appeared to be writing carved into the stone.
"We're here? I'll tell Louise." He pulled out the pactio card again and placed it to his brow with the incantation "Telepathia."
"Louise? Louise? Can you hear me?"
Moments later, he got his reply. "Kotaro? You Son-of-a-Bitch where are you? You've kept us waiting for too long."
"Sorry but my shadow travel isn't like your nifty teleportation stick, I am bound by rules while you can merely ignore them. We're currently at the gates of La Rochelle, both Tabitha and me. Tell Sylphid and Kirche. Come meet us here. Ride Sylphid because your way is too flashy this late at night. We'll wait right here."
"Okay but you better have a good reason for passing us when we get there." And Louise cut off.
"They're on their way, flying," Kotaro told Tabitha.
"Why?" the girl asked.
"'Relocate' is too flashy at night near people to remain secret."
"No. Why didn't it work?" Tabitha elaborated.
"I think it's because 'Tabitha' isn't your name, your real name, anyway," Kotaro told her. The blue-haired girl hung her head. "Don't worry, I don't need to know, even I've used false names before. Everyone has their secrets."
Tabitha relaxed. "Thank you," she whispered softly, sincerity lacing her words as she looked up into the dog-boy's face.
Kotaro returned the gaze and felt his face heat up from what he saw. The normally unreadable, blank expression had melted away and Tabitha's face glowed with the emotion underneath. The girl's glasses had slid slightly down her nose. Her eyes glistened with relief for his understanding and the corners of her mouth curved upward ever-so-slightly. The changes were only slight but the impact was huge. The dog-boy was nearly mesmerized.
"MOMENT KILLER!" Derflinger shouted gleefully as it nearly leapt from its scabbard, startling both Kotaro and Tabitha from their respective stupors. The reaction amused the sword to no end, as it began to laugh.
Tabitha adjusted her glasses and instantly the mask of emotionlessness reassembled itself on her face, re-sealing the emotional outburst with a veil of apathy. Her eyes returned to a blank stare and her expression became unreadable. "There," she pointed off at a smudge that was detached from the horizon and rapidly approaching. Sylphid landed with all the grace of an inebriated puppy, rushing over to nuzzle her small master as if the separation was a measure of years instead of 20 minutes. Only when the dragon finally calmed, a very nervous Kirche and Louise slid from Sylphid's back.
(scene break)
"So what you're saying is that the card is another kind of familiar contract, one from your home? And that the familiar gets a special artifact?" Kirche reiterated.
Despite the late hour, there was an inn that had a room available which Kirche was more than eager to pay for, which was where they were having the discussion. Kotaro had spent the following half-hour explaining what had happened at the campsite and about pactios as a whole. Kirche listened like she was going to be tested on it, Tabitha occasionally glanced up from her book, and Louise ignored it as known information.
"Oh darling, you should have told me about it sooner, I'd make a much better partner than that Valliere girl," the red-head moaned, climbing up to kiss the boy.
"Back off Kirche, my contract is more powerful than yours could ever be," Louise said in a raised voice.
"Yeah, you can be anywhere you want," the Germanian said dismissively, "it still didn't work on Tabitha, requiring Darling to do the job himself; not that impressive."
"Actually," Kotaro jumped between the girls before an honest fight broke out, "I attributed that to an error of the artifact. The artifacts provisional pactios provide are imperfect, there's usually some limit and Tabitha just happened to exceed the limits." He looked over to where the girl was reading and caught the gleam of satisfaction that appeared and vanished in the span of a moment.
"Well it's mostly true," he thought.
"I don't make more than provisional contracts because permanent contracts have never been needed," Kotaro told before Kirche could demand a permanent pactio, "also, limits aside, the 'Grand Master Key' that Louise holds could do potentially anything. She just needs to discover the commands that activate its potential. She could have sent you back to the academy and was going to Kirche, few artifacts hold as much power." He yawned. "Now if you don't mind I'm going to sleep."
"You can share my bed," the red-head predictably blurted out.
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to sleep outside. I was hoping to camp but someone knew about our trip, or we have bad luck. Find me by Sylphid," he replied, removing Derflinger and the Staff of Destruction from his person, "Watch these and make sure neither is stolen. Please let me sleep in unless I am needed like if we're attacked again or if someone is stealing our stuff. Simply ask yourselves if the situation justifies waking a sleeping dog. If not, 'let the sleeping dog lie.'"
Without another word he turned and left the three girls. After exiting the inn, he walked out through the city gate and into the forest where they had left Tabitha's familiar. Once out of sight of the gate, Kotaro resumed his full beast transformation and searched for the dragon, suppressing the predatory aura the wolf form cast except for the small amount that would keep normal humans from approaching. Sylphid's scent was easy enough to follow and he found her lying in a clearing, not unlike where camp had been set up.
The dragon perked up at the new presence but didn't otherwise respond, surprising Kotaro with a lack of hostility. "I'm sleeping here," Kotaro told her. Sylphid surprised him again by lifting a wing, appearing to invite him closer.
"What is it with me and females," the wolf thought to himself. "Not only Louise and Kirche, but now Henrietta (maybe?), Tabitha, and Sylphid? It's like I invoke the attention and, usually, affection of every girl around here. I wonder if this is how Negi feels."
Resigned, he accepted the dragon's offer to lie down beside her. As soon as he hit the ground, the day's events caught up with him and sleep was nearly instantaneous. In his last moments of consciousness he heard, "Good night, big brother," as Sylphid draped her wing across his back.
(Scene Break)
"Um, Tabitha?" the dog-boy asked the silent girl, "Was I hallucinating from exhaustion last night or did Sylphid say 'Good Night'?" It was nearly midday judging by the position of the sun, when Kotaro awoke and found Tabitha sitting against her familiar reading. He'd quickly reverted before asking.
Tabitha stared at him for a moment, and Sylphid's gaze shifted fearfully between her master and the boy. "Secret," the girl said, lightly striking the dragon with her staff.
"So she's a Rhyme Dragon," Kotaro stated.
The spectacled girl's body momentarily stiffened, though her face revealed nothing as she continued reading. Sylphid carried less self-control.
"How does Big Brother know?" the dragon chirped in a voice that would have fit a hyper little girl perfectly, "Irukukuu never said 'Rhyme Dragon.' Irukukuu only said 'Good Night, Big Brother' and 'Thank you for protecting Big Sister' but Irukukuu thought Big Brother was asleep. Kyuui!" She turned back to Tabitha. "Big Sis, Irukukuu's sorry for breaking the 'no talking' rule. Please don't punish Irukukuu," she pleaded franticly, tears filling her eyes.
"Don't worry it'll stay secret," Kotaro assured the panicking dragon and the expressionless girl, "at least, above my own," he continued, admitting internally how so many people knew many of his own secrets. "I only first heard about Rhyme Dragons last night. Really, if you guys arrived at when my sword Derflinger was telling me about spirit magic then you just barely missed his brief description of Rhyme Dragons. He said that they were set apart from other dragons by speech, intellect, ability to don the form of a 'beautiful' human, and use of spirit magic. He also said that Rhyme Dragons are thought to have died out."
"Why would a sword be talking about Irukukuu's family before Bis Sis?" the dragon, whose real name seemed to be 'Irukukuu', asked. Tabitha continued to read, resigned that her familiar couldn't keep a secret but not stopping Irukukuu from continuing since Kotaro seemed trustworthy enough.
"Derf compared me to a Rhyme Dragon because of my beast transformation. He said that if it weren't for me becoming a huge wolf and that I keep the ears and tail in human form, I'd be nearly indistinguishable from a Rhyme Dragon."
"That's right! Kyui!" Irukukuu chimed, "Irukukuu thinks the air around 'Wolf' Big Brother feels just like other Rhyme Dragons."
"Well, you learn something new every day," Kotaro admitted, chuckling internally at how true that figure of speech was for him since arriving in this world. "I'm going to check on Louise and Kirche. Things are too quiet for them to be safely alone."
(scene break)
Upon entering the room where the girls had slept, Kotaro was greeted with a swift kick to the groin. He doubled over, "What pissed her off this time?"
"Familiar! You abandoned my clothes spare clothes last night! You also failed to wake me this morning at dawn," Louise spoke down to him.
"Valliere, isn't that harsh? How am I supposed to birth his descendants if you destroy them?" Kirche asked shamelessly.
Derflinger was a little less worried about Kotaro's loins. "How long are you going to keep up that act, Partner?" the sword asked flatly.
"How'd you know? I thought I was doing a good job." Kotaro stood erect, no longer acting in pain.
"Your reaction time is a little off, but it was good enough to fool most."
"Wait, you were FAKING being in pain?" Louise shrieked, kicking him once more in the groin, with no reaction.
"Yeah, ever since you floored me with one of those kicks, I've taken measures to protect myself from hits below the belt. Ki reinforcement is simple enough for me to do but decidedly too risky to try on my jewels. Also I figured you'd catch on quicker if I did use a body hardening technique. So I just don't protect myself, I just pump Ki into my natural regenerative abilities right before impact. Put simply, I instantly heal at the point of impact."
"Why go through all that trouble of fooling me?"
"First, if you thought you were able to subdue me and keep me loyal with pain, I figured you'd pity me enough to send me home. Second, if you keep kicking me there and I heal, being struck in the stones will cease to bring crippling pain even without instantly healing."
"And I broke the façade," Derf said dejectedly
"You were manipulating me?" Louise fumed.
"Sort of. But it's not like I whispered things to you in your sleep or put thoughts in your head. It was a slim hope at best."
"And what made you think she could send you home?" Kirche asked. Her face suggested an internal conflict between elation, that Kotaro was able to raise a hand to and/or manipulate Louise, and anger, that the dog-boy admitted to doing so to manipulating Kirche's rival. Both sides were about evenly matched.
"She was able to pull me across thousands of miles when she summoned me, surely she could eventually send me back across those same thousands of miles to my homeland."
At that moment, a colossal rumbling could be heard outside. A feminine voice called out "Gandalfr, come out here or I'll drag your corpse out myself!"
"GET DOWN!" Kotaro commanded, dropping to the floor. Kirche immediately followed suit but Louise remained standing in a state of shock. Just out of reach, Kotaro reached down through his shadow to hers and tripped her.
A moment later, a giant fist of steel punched through the stone wall, sending ragged shrapnel flying through the room. As the steel fist was drawn back from the room Kotaro leapt forward, grabbing Derflnger and the Staff of Destruction.
Slinging the weapons diagonally across opposite shoulders he turned to Kirche and the shell-shocked Louise, "Get to Tabitha and Sylphid. Carry her," he pointed to Louise, "if you have to." And he exited through the giant hole.
When he got outside he was greeted with the sight of a green haired woman on the shoulder of an earthen golem. Unlike the last time Kotaro saw her, glasses no longer graced her features.
"What're you doing here Fouquet?" Kotaro asked, "I exposed you two days ago, I would've expected you to be in jail."
"You'd be surprised how talented I am, Gandalfr," Fouquet replied cryptically, "I'm here to kill you for ruining my reputation and humiliating me."
"It was only a pair of panties, get over it," Kotaro retorted, "Who's your accomplice?"
"Accomplice?" Fouquet stammered, "I have no accomplice."
"Right," Kotaro said sarcastically, "You escaped prison, followed us to La Rochelle in less than two days, and referred to me as Gandalfr. Do you really think that I'm stupid enough to believe that you devised all of that alone. I'd sooner believe you're Robin Hood."
"Robin Who?"
"Robin Hood. Robin of Loxley. He was a noble in England whose family lost their land because the King was a dick. He went around stealing from the wealthy with his 'Band of Merry Men', and using the money to help those who society pissed on," Kotaro explained, "Or something like that."
Fouquet's jaw dropped. "That does sound like me," she muttered.
"Kotaro," Louise's voice called in his head, "We're getting on Sylphid now and we're coming to get you in a minute. Because Fouquet is there, Tabitha won't land for you to get on, you'll have to jump as we fly over. It shouldn't be hard for you."
Looking back to Fouquet the dog-boy spoke, "As much as I'd like to hear your 'life story' Fouquet, I'm on a fetch-quest and I don't want to miss my flight. Ta ta." He immediately pumped Ki into his legs as he crouched then leapt into the air, rising above the golem's head. As he reached the peak of his jump, Sylphid passed directly under him with Tabitha, Kirche, and Louise on board. Tabitha cast a spell that brought the hanyo safely onto Sylphid's back.
"Why didn't you crush that old hag, Darling?" Kirche asked, looking back at the golem.
"I was questioning her on why she was here and who her accomplice was," Kotaro told the passionate girl, "Dammit! I still didn't get that! I should've pressed the question instead of explaining Robin Hood!" Kotaro calmed a moment later, "Although, it interests me that she said she could relate to a noble who lost their land and title because of some bastard and who steals for the benefit of others."
"She was obviously lying," Louise commented, "How could something called 'The Staff of Destruction' benefit others?"
"Fair point," Kotaro admitted. "So why is La Rochelle called a port town if it's landlocked?" He had just noticed that they were flying west, away from the city but had encountered no body of water.
"Albion is only reachable by ship from La Rochelle. Albion is a floating country."
Kotaro cradled his head for a moment at the mention of 'floating country', provoking worry from Kirche and Louise. "Sorry," he started to explain, "I was just feeling nostalgic about a different flying country. Ostia."
(Scene break)
"So why are we locked up?" Kirche asked.
They had been flying on Sylphid for hours and were nearing the floating continent when they were set upon by a ship offering to let them board. However, when they landed, Kotaro, Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha were immediately disarmed and locked in the brig. The mention of Wales didn't help their situation.
"Information gathering," Kotaro replied from his cell, "People are less likely to give good knowledge if they've just received a shock, than if they feel in control. I'm not patient enough to be an interrogator."
"Well then," a man walked into the hold, "What do you plan to do if I don't give you the knowledge you seek, young man?" The man had a patch over his left eye, a bandana covering his head, and a bushy brown beard on his face. His look was akin to a stereotypical pirate.
"I was thinking escaping, beating up the crew of this ship for wasting my time, then finding someone else with a looser tongue," the hanyo replied casually.
The captain just laughed, "There won't be an escape today, but you will answer my questions," he commanded, turning to Louise. "Who are you?"
"Louise Franciose le Blanc de la Valliere."
"Good. Now what's the third daughter of the Duke of Tristain doing flying into Albion during a war?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why? Is it something secret? Something to do with Wales?"
"I can't tell you."
"That's a nice ring on your hand," the captain said as he noticed the water ruby, "I got one just like it." He showed a ring with a clear stone set into it and brought it adjacent to the water ruby. There was a gleam of light and a small rainbow could be viewed connecting the two stones. "Water and wind combine to form a rainbow," the captain stated, "Ann must have sent you to find me."
"Ann?" Louise asked, confused, "The princess sent us to find Wales. You have nothing to do with this, you scum!" she fumed, before gasping as the captain removed the bandana, beard and eye patch, revealing a young man with blond hair, eyes of green, and a blonde goatee.
"I am Prince Wales Tudor of the Kingdom of Albion," he said, "Though I can't really claim Albion a kingdom anymore. In any case welcome to Albion, ambassador."
AUTHOR'S NOTES
Another chapter done, yay. This was a long one, 18 pages not including 'author's note'. I hope you enjoyed it. With this I've now caught up from when I lost chapters 5-7. Next chapter will be Albion. Starting next chapter, I won't be strictly following Familiar of Zero canon. There will be scenes or events from canon but I plan on putting my own spin on it.
Now for the chapter. Derflinger played a significant part in this chapter. A lot of exposition, about his past, about magic, about magical creatures. About the previous Gandalfr, I picked the name purely by guess so please don't complain about it. I wanted to give Derflinger a bit more of a past than is given by Volume 13 of the Zero no Tsukaima light novels. I made him(?) as good of reading people but not usually able to empathize with what he sees. I hope I did good creating/modifying his past/personality. My favorite part with him(?) was his 'MOMENT KILLER'.
About the magic in this chapter. The reason the Code of the Lifemaker didn't affect Tabitha is because 'Tabitha' is an alias for Charlotte Helene Orleans, her real name. Those familiar with ZnT will know why she uses a different name. To those who aren't familiar, it will be explained in a future chapter. As to why Sylphid was affected despite her name actually being Irukukuu, Sylphid is her 'human name' given to her by Tabitha, and either her dragon name or human name could work for CoL.
For Kotaro's abilities, the shadow wolves, his wolf form, and shadow travel. The wolf form is an apex predator, no matter where Kotaro assumes that form. When a predator is about, the area becomes quiet (too quiet, ha) because everything below it in the food chain tries to hide its presence. I decided that since Kotaro is 'magical' his predatory influence could be enhanced.
As for his shadow hounds, I figured that since they are extensions of Kotaro's will he could make hundreds of them with minimal Ki to be watchdogs. When used for this purpose they are insubstantial, intangible and invisible in the dark, and have a howl that is outside a human's hearing range. And finally shadow travel. Kotaro's shadow travel has been shown to do a variety of distances but this is the longest, hence the long time in transit. Also shadow travel entry and exit requires a shadow and, therefore, light. The darkness of night does not count.
Thank you for reading and please review.