Welcome back and thank you to those who reviewed the previous chapter.
In regards, Nim Maj, yes Necrons are boring as character. This is coming from a Necron Player. The only ones I though would be interesting were a Lord, already done. Or a Paraiah, and there were so many levels of weird that would bring up, especially trying to characterise a creature that used to be human, was hated and shunned by everyone around them yet managed to survive, captured and transformed by the Necrons into a brutal killing machine without a soul. Hope you understand my perspective.
On with the show.
Disclaimer: all characters and I.P belonging to Games Workshop and the Familiar of Zero series are owned by their copyright owners. This is a fan work and is to be considered as such.
Enjoy
Carrying the half dressed child in one arm and helm in the other Etenu walked along the corridor. She was looking for the teacher Mister Colbert and noted that many of the students were giving them a wide birth. The tower he walked through was strange, a monolithic structure built with high precision despite no significant level of technology apparent, and though the creatures were not as tall as them the hallway accommodated her. A river of blood would do them no good without a way home.
"Well aren't you different." A red haired human stated, her shorter blue haired friend remained quiet but was carefully examining the familiar before them over her small oval reading glasses. Each opposed the other, long red hair, red eyes, taller and more physically developed girl contrasting with the short cropped hair and blue eyes that framed the delicate girl. "What happened to Louise?"
"She asked myself to remove our helm, screamed and passed out. I believe she bumped her head when she collapsed." Etenu said, noting that the red haired one had moved closer and adjusted her posture to emphasise her assets, as an Imperial soldier would say. "We are unsure of what the procedure is to assist the child so I am looking for Mister Colbert. Our hope is he will be able to revive Miss Valliere."
A short delicate giggle came from red head as her friend returned to her book. "Don't worry about Louise, she'll come around soon enough." On queue Louise woke up, resting against the chest plate of her familiar as she was cradled on one of his arms. Panicked she pushed away, falling into Kirche, her more mature classmate.
"Careful Louise, you'll hurt yourself like that." Kirche said, allowing Louise to stand in her one stocking and bare feet. Stepping away from Louise she understood the shock, the pale skin highlighted the sharp features of Etenus face. Light green eyes matched the fading green hair that hung freely just below his shoulder plates.
"You're an elf?" Louise accused, pointing at the elf, unsure what else to do with her current predicament.
"Many Mon-keigh refer to my species as Eldar." Etenu replied, not knowing what to do with the pointing child.
"Louise, it's rude to point. Do excuse Louise, she can be so temperamental at times." Kirche dismissed. "It's such a shame. But please, join us for breakfast as Louise gets changed." Taking Etenus arm and walking away with him leaving an irate Louise standing in the corridor half dressed as her familiar was whisked away.
A tempest storm crashed into the breakfast hall disguised as a young girl. Fellow students parted ways and fled the hall as servants hurried to avoid the ire of the young one. Her targets sitting at a table, engrossed in conversation, oblivious to the quickly emptying hall that surrounded them.
The power surge sparked action, left hand wrapping around Kirche and lifting her out of her seat while their right provided support as he leapt across the table to where the one called Tabitha sat, collecting the quiet girl as they pulled the two girls to the floor. Shielding the pair as an explosion rocked the hall from where she had been sitting, dust would provide cover for them as they stood scanning the area, storm of blades ready as he drew their sword.
Louise stood stunned, questioning what she had seen happen. Her familiar had just dodged her spell. Her mind raced through the possibilities but none made any sense. Spotting him through the clearing smoke she stalked forward. "What were you thinking leaving me standing in the middle of the hall like that?" She screamed as her familiar lowered its sword.
"Your health had recovered, my assistance was no longer required." The damage to the hall looked as though a mortar had landed amongst the tables. The child was powerful if undisciplined.
"You're my familiar. You're supposed to stay with me." Louise raged from across the table as Kirche and Tabitha rose from where they had been sheltered. "Not go running off with these two."
The child raged before them, each nuance of motion with the language she used spoke of more than just anger. Fear and insecurity tore at the child from within. Praise to the dead pantheon, and the survivors of the fall, that the warp had not overtaken this child. "I will continue to serve you as the contract entails." Etenu stated, "But our service to you is not absolute." His interjection had done little to plicate the young one.
"What do you mean not absolute. I am a Noble, you are a commoner and my familiar. You will do as I say." Louise screamed, having climbed onto the table to look down on her familiar as Kriche and Tabitha quietly left, leaving Etenu and Louise alone in the hall.
"We are neither your servant, nor a commoner. I am Etenu, child of Beil-Tan and Exarch of the first Pheonix Lord Asuramen. We will seek to accommodate your requests, but as your guardian and assistant I suggest you consider your education." Etenu stated in the strangely beautiful monotone they spoke with, lifting the child off the table with ease as she struggled to remain in control of the situation.
Louise resented the way her familiar was treating her like a child. He was her familiar, he wasn't supposed to treat her like this. "I need to eat breakfast first." She said calmly, finding the closest undamaged part of the table and sitting down. She watched as her familiar collected the helm he wore and gracefully walked to the servants' door at an unnatural pace. Sitting alone in the hall she pouted and slumped over the table. What was she going to do?
The class was buzzing with whisper and chatter as Louise took her seat, she could hear what they were all talking about. Her familiar, the strange elf, his pale skin and sharp features giving him a porcelain face and strange charm, she'd even overheard handsome mentioned by several of the girls and it was getting annoying when the Professor Chevreuse entered, the stout woman dressed in purple with a witches hat quickly brought the class to order. Her momentary pause before she started the class focused on the tall man dressed in blue and white standing next to Louise.
What little Etenu cared to listen to was rudimentary magic as the mon-keigh called it, what species failed to understand the warp. Even the pests of the Imperium understood the terrifying entity that was the warp, was not to be played with. So strange that these ones hadn't learned the terrifying power that the warp contained, such trifling would destroy them. As Louise rose at the teachers behest to speak of transmutation she considered that it might be possible that the strange calm the placated their souls was because the warp as he knew it was wrong here. That the training of such temperamental children in the nature of the warp was only possible if this world was different. They considered questions they would need answered by the voice on the wind. Other answers would need to be found, knowledge gained for the battle ahead as she carefully watched the transmutation of a rock into brass.
Louise was going to prove them all wrong, she would cast this spell successfully. Ignoring Kriche she stood before the class that was slowly hiding behind their desks, her familiar seemingly oblivious to the class as he stood beside her desk. "Grant me the power to control this object and alter form and substance. Earth!" Louise finished. The rock fizzed with magic.
"Are you all right." Krichi asked seductively lying atop the armoured chest of Etenu. His arms had wrapped around her as she flew through the air to pull him behind cover. His face not betraying a single emotion through the placid mask that had not changed since she first looked upon it.
"We are alright." He replied as they raised herself and Krichi to their feet. "Although it would appear Miss Valliere requires some assistance." His calm and monotone words appearing to upset the young woman. "Are you alright, we would not like to upset you after your assistance." She considered the way Louise seemed to be recovering from the explosion a sign that the young child would be alright.
Brushing aside the concern for Louise, Krichi smiled. "I'm fine. You learn how to duck around Louise the Zero."
Listening to the jeers from the class as some of the students left they understood, zero successful spells cast had given the child the unfortunate title.
Slowly leaving the ordered class room he had assisted the young mon-keigh reorder after the miscast spell, as the locals spoke of it, Etenu considered the child. "Without calming the mind and controlling the fluctuations of the soul, you will never walk the path of the seer." Her voice singing though the air in its placid tone.
Turning sharply to face her following familiar she glared at it. "What do you know of magic. Just because you're an elf doesn't mean you're a noble." Louise snapped, looking up to the placid face as the green pennant flapped behind.
"You will not remove the title of zero from your name without first understanding yourself." Looking at the small pink haired thing they questioned the ability of the child to learn. "Not all who walk a path are destined to master it. Search within yourself and ask, is this the right path for you to follow?"
Louise was appalled, her familiar just told her to quit being a mage. What did he know; he knew nothing about being a noble, what it would mean if she was to become a commoner. Reaching out with her wand pointing at her familiar her voice hissed with anger. "You have not right. No right to question nobility." The anger snapped as she looked at her familiar, it didn't care. It's face hadn't changed from the moment it took it's helmet off.
The second explosion of the day rocked the academy as Miss Longueville left the office of Old Osmand, dismissed after Professor Colbert showed the old head master a book of runes.
The child had wandered off leaving him alone with their thoughts. They didn't care about the other mon-keigh that passed looking at her strangely as they examined their equipment. Nothing broken though cleaning was required, the explosion while powerful had only sent him flying, not damaging them seriously. Strange she thought, such an outburst from a seer would have killed them. Another mon-keigh, this one approaching as he sat by the side of the path.
"You are Miss Valliere's familiar aren't you? Is something the matter?" The dark haired girl asked. Her maids uniform hugging her shapely figure as she leant forward to examine the state of the armour the familiar was wearing with her blue eyes. Scorch marks but no real damage suggested he had recently discovered the young Miss Valliere's temper.
Looking up with their light green eyes to look over the girl she recognised the maids uniform. "I will require a cleaning cloth." They said, looking over his helmet for any damage they were satisfied that no damage was done.
She smiled as he cleaned the armour, normally it was the servants' job to do such tasks but he refused to let anyone else do the work. Sitting at the table as he worked, each piece that came off carefully placed on the table, examined and cleaned with the various cloths, brushes and polishes she had laid out. His pale body tightly strung with fine muscle that gave a strange quality to his body, strong yet almost malnourished. "What did you do to upset Miss Valliere?" Siesta asked as Etenu carefully examined the right upper leg armour. His tight blue singlet-shorts skin suit clinging to every curve as he worked, exposing the flawless pale skin.
"The young child disagreed with a suggestion I made. Such temperament is inexcusable." They replied, with the blemishes removed he moved on to the left armour.
The speed that he worked at had astounded her, not moments ago having picked up the stained piece, it was shining beautifully as with all the pieces of armour that had been cleaned. "You refer to the noble Miss Valliere as a child. You are very brave." She smiled, hoping to get a reply but it was not forthcoming. Her guest didn't appear to have any expression or tone apart from placid, as though expressing anything else was forbidden.
"Bravery is only for those who remember what it is to know fear. And the child is not noble. The use of 'magic' does not elevate one above others." They said, checking the left armour for imperfections.
"Amazing. You have a lot of courage Etenu. To stand up to nobles without bowing or flattering to them. I respect that." The momentary glance into the strangely deep green eyes of her guest sparked her on, that he took an interest flattered her. "Almost all mages are nobles. They have received the strictest education right. They're extremely proud of their abilities as mages and look down on us commoners that do not have such ability or status." Her voice dropped to a sombre tone as she missed the slightest upturn in Etenu's lips, the fragment of a smile graced his lips before disappearing behind the mask. "If nobles were to be angered... there would be nothing us commoners could do about it." She finished as her companion finished the last piece of his armour.
She pieced together the armour, communing as they came together again. Never whole while apart he was relieved as they became one again. "You have my thanks Siesta. You have been most helpful and kind with your generosity in allowing us to use this place. Is there some way I can repay this kindness?"
Beaming as she smiled looking over the knight in blue and white before her, "In that case, would you please help me take the cakes out to the dining hall? It's time for dessert." Siesta asked.
"Very well." Etenu replied as Siesta guided her to where the cakes were stacked. They would need to devise some way of storing his helm, carrying it everywhere was inconvenient, perhaps they could reshape it, she had observed that the mon-keigh preferred looking upon a face rather than a helm.
The bickering trio focused on a blond boy who would rival the imperium for such ham fisted attempts at diversion. That such a matter of the heart would be played with so flippantly disgusted them, though it was not his business to involve themself in the rituals of this world. A discarded set of envelopes hit her foot. Best to return them should they be wanted. "Boy, you discarded these." Holding out to the blond the stack of letters.
The resounding smack that rang through the hall hung in the air. The boy named Guiche was struck to the floor by the two girls who were shouting accusations before stalking out of the hall.
"You there. I hope you are prepared." The blond accused, lifting himself off the floor. "Such attitude to a noble from a commoner such as yourself. You are simply asking for trouble." Primping himself as his green eyes wandered over the tall warrior in blue and white.
"Trouble abounds all fates. Yet of the heart, it is selfishness that is the cause." Etenu said as Siesta ran to their side.
"Etenu" She cried out in panic. "Hurry up and apologise. I told you didn't I? If you seriously anger a noble..."
She cut the panicked maid off placing a finger over the girls lips. "The child does not deserve an apology."
A tweak of anger crossed the blonds face. "Child. I shall have to teach you the proper etiquette for addressing a noble." Flicking a red rose into his hand.
Panic escalated on the young maids face. "You'll get killed. You'll get yourself killed." Siesta cried out, backing away and running from the hall.
"That's one clever maid. Of course she would leave knowing my power as a mage." Guiche swished, dramatically posing with each sentence. "But why are you so foolish. Must be because you're a low-level familiar summoned by Louise the Zero."
"Mon-keigh. You are all the same. Never knowing how to recognize your betters. Filthy vermin, a plague across the stars. You have never known the grace of the gods yet you think you are superior to the Eldar." They spoke. Etenu looked down upon the child, their monotone unchanged though her face betrayed the essence of war that bonded them together in the slightest of changes.
"What do you think you're doing? I heard all about this." Louise yelled, barging through the growing circle of spectators. The calm mask of her familiar had vanished, replaced with a menacing cold anger that her classmate had failed to observe. "Stop going around doing whatever you want without asking your masters permission." That her familiar didn't appear to recognise her scarred her. "Please apologise to Guiche." Her voice pleaded, she hated that it had come to this. She already wasn't respected by the students, now they knew she couldn't even command her familiar.
"The child is undeserving." He replied, without removing their eyes from the blond.
"There's no way you can win against a mage." Louise shouted. Drawing the gaze of her familiar, the rage that burned behind the eyes terrified her.
"My, oh my. Since even your master has personally come to save you. Why don't you obey and just apologise to me?" Guiche dismissively offered the familiar, watching as the familiar knelt before its master and ignored him completely.
"You will learn of the Eldar child." She said to the scared child that called itself their master. "You seek to restore your honour. So be it." He finished, silently veiling their face to complete her armour.
"Than a duel it is! At the Vestri Court!" Guiche announced. Turning on his heels and leaving the hall.
Louise was puzzled as the hall emptied around her. Trying to guess at what spurred her familiar on. Elsewhere two of the teachers watched with great interest, with no intent on stopping the upcoming fight.
Louise hurried to where her familiar and Guiche were to duel. Her argument against the duel dismissed by Kriche and Tabitha reminding her that commoners were fair game for duels. Her shout to her familiar only left other students further questioning her abilities.
"Choose your weapon." Etenu stated, watching the child full of confidence draw the rose he carried around.
"Ladies and gentlemen. I Guiche de Gramont, and this commoner servant here will begin our duel." Guiche announced, drawing applause from the crowd that he played to.
Watching her familiar almost uninterested in the duel Louise began to question what it was planning. Surely the confidence he had shown was not for no reason, so why had it not drawn its sword.
As the first rose petal hit the ground, transforming into a feminine golem of armour that equalled his opponents' height Guiche smiled with confidence. "My runic name is Guiche the Bronze. Your opponent shall be this Valkyrie." He announced to the protest of Louise. His opponent however didn't even flinch.
As the golem charged he wandered if his opponent was frozen with fear, unmoving from his spot across the field. Rightly so, this commoner would learn not to challenge a noble again.
Louise held her breath as the Valkyrie closed on her familiar, she watched as the golem drew back its arm to strike. A flash of movement and her familiar stood with its sword drawn, the Valkyrie cut to pieces as the fragments scattered around him. It stood there, sword drawn, pointing at Guiche as she spotted what had diverted its interest. Her familiars' left hand was glowing with the runes that bound it.
The audience stood shocked, the familiar in blue and white armour had completely destroyed the golem. It began striking out at nothing with the sword, impossibly fast for someone who was not a mage. A sharp crack shocked everyone as the sword came to rest levelled at Guiche again. A strange blue haze shimmered around the sword, as a stunned Guiche finally reacted, summoning a further eight of the Valkyrie.
Louise watched in silence as her familiar took off from its spot. She had seen people move fast, but no commoner should have been able to move that fast. Four of the golems were shattered in seconds, the golems crumbling into pieces as her familiar passed with multiple sword strokes carving apart the metal. Into the melee her familiar passed, standing before Guiche the golem that had moved to protect him pierced through the chest. A circular flash cut each of the remaining Valkyrie in half as the shimmering blade came to rest before Guiche. The young mage looking straight down the blade that had cleaved his golems into pieces.
"Concede." Etenu ordered. She had enough to consider without the ramifications of killing the child.
Collapsing to the ground with the sword remaining directly before his eyes Guiche saw he had no choice. "I...I yield." He reluctantly conceded. Whatever this familiar was, it was not common in the slightest.
With a lighting movement the sword was away and they turned to leave, moving through the crowd to contemplate what had happened.
Thanks for reading and any reviews, questions or wild accusations are appreciated. If you don't like the story I only blame myself... when someone else can't be thought of.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter.