Disclaimer: I do not own Prototype or Familiar of Zero
Infection in Halkeginia
Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt
"Come on we're going to be late!" Louise hurriedly blew out the lamp on the table top, plunging the room into semi darkness.
"And whose fault is that?" Collin asked sarcastically, getting up from his chair. He was almost sure that he had fused with it. His eyes instantly adjusted to the faint moonlight filtering in from the bedside window; another 'gift' he had received courtesy of a mass murdering psychopath. He could even make out the dull grey flint and steel lying next to the lamp, a testimony to Louise's skill at magic.
"You can't rush perfection." She scoffed, twirling experimentally in front of her mirror. She wore a beautiful white dress adorned with pink lace, complementing her hair perfectly. Her hair was tied up in a neat ponytail using a jewelled hairband with two long and thin bangs framing her small face. She wore a matching necklace to go with the hairband. She tossed her hair proudly and posed for Collin. "How do I look?"
"Absolutely stunning." He deadpanned; it was the fifth time she had asked him since she changed her into this dress and the umpteenth time since the familiar fair earlier. Though not a spectacular mage she was definitely a girl through and through. Collin tugged at the uncomfortable suit he was wearing and complained. "I don't see why my normal clothes won't do. This is too damn tight."
Louise immediately rapped him on the head. "Don't use such uncouth language! We are her highness' guests and I won't have you embarrassing her!" She smacked his hand as he continued to fiddle with the suit. "Stop that! I just got it to look perfect. Besides it wouldn't do to appear in such ordinary attire."
"But I feel ridiculous." Lacking appropriate clothes of his own Collin had approached the only other male student he knew, and as one would expect of Guiche all of his clothes were ridiculously over the top and had distasteful designs.
"I'm sure you'll be the hottest guy there tonight partner! You'll be beating the girls off you all night. I mean what sane girl would be able to resist your amazing fashion sense!" Derf guffawed.
Collin shot the sword a glare. It hasn't taken to being left behind well and was now finding joy in his misery. "We should go now." He held the door open for Louise.
"Right. See you Derf." Louise finished checking her hair and headed out of the room.
"You two kids have fun! Come home early! Don't get drunk! Collin don't you dare do anything to my sweet little girl - Hey I'm not done yet!" Derf shouted indignantly as Collin slammed the door shut on the talkative piece of metal.
The girls' dormitory was empty save for them - everyone else had already left for the ball ages ago. Louise skipped along happily while Collin trudged behind tugging at his collar. If he could only figure out how Mercer created his clothes...
Meanwhile, in an almost completely opposite mood, Louise struggled to control her excitement. She felt a giddy sense of elation in her chest. After years of teasing she had finally one upped everyone else! She could finally hold her head high among her peers. Sure, Collin had done all the work but still a familiar's actions were the master's actions right? She wriggled with delight and cast a glance at Collin. She remembered her sense of dread the day she summoned him and it had all been for naught.
It was a clear sky that night. The sky was filled with twinkling stars and the moons were unnaturally large and bright. A truly beautiful sight to behold. A perfect night.
Unable to contain her excitement anymore Louise took in a deep breath of the cool night, with a whoop of unrestrained joy she ran out into the courtyard, enjoying the breeze that stirred around her and the feeling of the grass beneath her feet. She twirled around and around watching the stars pinwheel about. She felt giddy with ecstasy. This was the best day of her life.
"Oi oi what do you think you're doing? You're messing up your clothes." Collin grinned as he watched the happy girl. He was glad that he managed to make her smile, in his opinion she had far fewer opportunities to do so than she should have had to.
"I don't care!" Louise laughed. She ran off towards the school building. "Come on! I can't wait to rub it in Kirche's face!" Payback for all the time she rubbed her udders in mine!
Collin shook his head in amusement and jogged after her, easily catching up with her. "You know if you wanted to get there faster I could always carry you." He suggested.
Louise playfully whacked him. "That would be too undignified."
They neared the main building and Louise slowed down the catch her breath. A thought had occurred to her. "Hey Collin?"
"Yeah?"
"I've never asked but do you have -"
Her words were drowned out as a bright white light flashed into existance blinding Collin. With a grunt he fell on one knee, eyes burning. "Argh!" He rubbed his eyes in desperation, willing the pain away. As suddenly as it happened his world was plunged back into darkness.
"What's wrong?" Louise asked worriedly, his abrupt reaction scared the hell out of her.
"Where did that light come from?" Collin wiped tears from his eyes.
"Light what light?" Louise looked around in confusion; the school was as dark as before with the only source of light being the flickering torches along the walls.
"Huh?" Collin forced his eyes open. She was right. In that case... Focusing his sensory powers he saw the light again. It was huge. And it was moving. A similar occurrence had occurred during his spars with Guiche. His Valkyries had glowed just as this was. At first he had thought it helped him highlight targets but his fight with the musketeers disproved that. He theorized that magic appeared as a white on his infected vision while humans turned up orange. And judging by the intensity of the light this thing, whatever it was, possessed a lot more magic than Guiche had. "Come on!" Collin lifted Louise up bridal style and ran around the building, tracing the origin of the magic. All the while ignoring Louise's shrieks of protests.
"Hey what do you think you're doing! Put me down right now Collin!" Louise beat Collin with her fists. "What if someone sees us!"
Rounding the building Collin's jaw dropped open in shock. Standing imposingly next to the tower was a giant humanoid figure. It was stocky with a thick torso and limbs half as thick, despite having no noticeable neck it reached up to about two third the height of the tower, its immense bulk blotting out the stars in the sky. Its eyes glowed a fiery orange as it slammed its fist repeatedly into the tower. Strangely enough no sound was made even as falling stonework crumbled from the tower.
"What are you staring at?" She turned to follow his gaze. "An earth golem! And a huge one at that!" She exclaimed. "What in Founder's name is it doing here?" An earth golem summoning spell was triangle class earth magic, she only knew of a handful of people at the academy capable of such magic and none of them would be capable of one this large.
Collin swallowed nervously. For all his training he couldn't possible combat such a monstrosity. He suddenly felt very small. If this was what the mages were capable of he didn't want to test himself against them. It could probably squish him like a bug and regenerating from that was something he would like to keep at the bottom of his to do list. Dropping Louise he asked. "What is it doing?"
"That's the academy vault. What do you think it's doing?" Louise replied curtly. "Whoever is controlling it must be after something in the vault." She produced her wand from one of the many folds in her dress. "We have to stop him."
Collin's eyes widened as he understood her intention. He caught her arm. "Are you crazy? That's a twenty meter tall moving stone monster. We need to get help."
"There isn't time!" True enough the golem had already succeeded in breaching the walls of the vault. Reaching out an arm it formed a makeshift bridge. They spied a hooded figured walking down the arm of the golem and into the vault. Louise pulled free from him. "It is my duty as a noble to stop Fouquet."
Collin called out after her. "What are you going to do? Shoot explosions at it?" He felt bad for playing this card but he was worried for her safety. What he didn't expect was for Louise to grin widely.
"That's exactly what I'm going to do." Muttering a short incantation she finished it off with a flourish of her wand. "Fireball!"
Xxxxxxx
Fouquet loved it whenever a plan fell together perfectly. She smirked in triumph as her golem succeeded in breaching the magically enhanced walls of the academy vault. All it had taken was a simple silencing spell cast over the entire area to muffle the sound of the magical alarms. With a flick of her wand she instructed her golem to reach out to the hole. Using the makeshift bridge she stepped over the threshold and into the vault.
Breathing in the musty air Fouquet took a good look at her latest conquest. The vault was fairly large, a circular room about the twice size of one of the classrooms in the academy, the lack of light made it impossible for her to make anything out, the far end of the room receding into the darkness. With the moonlight streaming through the new entrance the only source of illumination she faintly made out the mage lamps from the ceiling which she lighted with a simple spell.
The room was bathed in an orange glow allowing Fouquet to fully make out the room. The vault had a high ceiling and consisted of two floors. The entire vault was constructed out of marble and reflected the light magnificently. Exotic and expensive looking weapons were neatly kept in racks while the shields were mounted on wooden plaques on the walls. All around the vault there were various boxes and bottles of strange and unknown objects. The smaller ones were placed on the shelves while the larger ones placed on pedestals. Numerous paintings covered the wall, either for safekeeping or for decoration.
All in all a disappointing find.
Fouquet had broken into dozens of vaults belonging to nobles and organizations alike which were on a much grander scale than this pitiful vault. However this was of no concern to the veteran thief. She was a professional and the only thing that mattered was the goal. That and pissing off those arrogant nobles.
Ignoring the other treasures she headed right for her target, pausing before the object of her desire. A long green tube rested on a pedestal, its green sheen gleaming in the light. The name "Staff of Destruction" was proudly etched on its nameplate. Fouquet studied the curious object. It looked nothing like a staff in her opinion. It was too wide to grip even with two hands and there were two large openings at both ends of it. Strange protrusions and unrecognisable runes were found all over the staff.
Running her hands along its length she whistled in awe. She had heard stories of this weapon even when she was a kid. It was said that with this staff a mere line mage had succeeded in killing a two headed wild dragon with one spell, a feat that few save the strongest square mages could boast of. Reverently picking it up she grunted at its weight. It was much heavier than she expected. Experimentally waving it about she cast a simple alchemy spell on the pedestal. Nothing happened.
While she figured out how to work the staff a certain pink haired mage outside decided to take matters into her own hands. Fouquet felt a tremor and a slight trickle in her willpower. Had she already been discovered? With a curse she instructed her stone servant to deal with the attackers while she secured the staff.
Opening the special casing she had brought along she placed the staff on destruction into it. The case had been magically enchanted to protect the contents; it would flow around the object and cushion it from any bumps and damage. It was required when sometimes a hasty getaway was necessary. Strapping the case to her back she turned to leave. As she approached the hole she paused. How could she forget such an important thing? Using her wand as one would use a pointer she carved the words "I have the Staff of Destruction - The Sandy Fouquet" on the vault walls. Enjoying her handiwork for a moment she left.
The moment she stepped out into the cool night air she immediately noticed two things. One, her golem was missing its face. Two, someone was running up her golem.
Xxxxxxx
"Fireball!" Louise shouted, brandishing her wand at the behemoth before her.
She felt the familiar sensation of her willpower being gathered in her chest. She envisioned what she wanted: a large fireball materialising and heading straight for the golem. As the pressure increased she directed the magic through her arm and out the end of her wand. As she felt the magic flow, now, like all the other times, she had a faint feeling of hope that the spell would work - And as always the magic slipped from her grasp. As if a wall was in the way the magic backed up, concentrating and resulting in the all too familiar explosion. However, she grinned, that was exactly what she wanted.
The golem groaned, an unearthly sound that shook her insides, as a front portion of its chest was blasted off in a spectacular display of smoke, fire and a spray of rocks.
Louise felt a thrill of elation as her spell 'worked'. However it quickly died out as the surrounding rock seemed to flow, filling up the cavity quickly. The golem turned to look at her, orange eyes glaring down at the girl hundreds of times smaller than itself. Raising a foot as large as a house the leg descended, intending to squash her like the pest she was.
Louise found herself frozen in fear as she watched the stone limb descend towards her. All semblances of bravado and bravery vanished as petrifying fear gripped her. Move! Move legs move! But it was as if her legs were made of lead as they refused to listen to her commands. Help! Someone! "Collin!" She screamed.
And then someone tacked her from the side pulling her out of the shadow of the golem's foot. She wheezed as the air was forced out of her lungs from the impact. Clearing the strike zone she found herself tumbling along the grass along with her rescuer. Rolling to a stop she stared in horror as the golem's foot finally made contact. Crushing the ground and sending rocks and dirt flying. The force of the impact gusted against her and caused her hairband to come loose, her hair splaying out around her. The foot sunk a good one meter into the ground where she was just a few moments ago.
"Are you out of your mind?" Collin shouted exasperately at her. He picked himself off the ground, brushing dirt off the borrowed clothes; there were a few tears he made when he sprinted in the too-tight suit. He spared a glance at the site of impact, shuddering at the thought of being crushed underfoot; he severely questioned his ability to survive that much power. "Now we should really go get help -"
"No."
He whirled around to see Louise staring up at the now stationary golem with her back to him. Her wand was gripped so tightly in her hand that her knuckles were white.
"Are you crazy? All you did was piss it off! And you're. Just Look at your hands, they're trembling!" Collin swivelled Louise around to look her in the face. He was shocked to see her crying.
"I'm not useless... I'll show you. I'll show everyone." Louise muttered as tears flowed freely. She felt disgusted at herself for freezing up. For needing to be saved once again. She tightened her grip. Even if it cost her her life she would stop Fouquet. "On my honour as a noble."
"What worth is honour if you are dead?" He cast a worried glance at the golem who seemed to notice the district lack of squished human under its foot.
He was so caught up that he didn't notice the palm headed right for him.
Smack!
He faintly felt a slap across his cheek. It barely shifted his head. He glanced over at Louise and was shocked to see her glaring furiously at him.
"All a noble has is her magic and her honour!" She shouted. "And I'm all out of magic; honour is all I have left!" She nursed her left hand, apparently the hand she was slapped him with. She murmured. "The least you could do was make it look like that hurt."
Seeing the determination on his master's face Collin could only sigh. Call it a weak spot but he couldn't handle crying girls. I'm so going to regret this. "Alright fine. Let's do this." He turned to face the golem, bending his knees and getting into a running stance.
"Huh?" Louise asked confused. What could he do against that thing?
"I'm your partner right?" Collin asked looking over his shoulder.
Louise nodded.
"Then trust me!" Collin took off spraying dirt and grass on a stunned Louise. Approaching the leg of the golem he leapt, clearing up to the knee height of the golem. Sailing through the air he landed on the limb, digging his feet into the rocky surface he began he ascent, legs and arms pumping before he lost any more momentum.
Louise could only watch in stunned astonishment as Collin began running vertically up the golem, a faint trail of pebbles kicking out behind him.
The golem did not take kindly into Collin digging little holes into its body; with its free arm it took a swipe at Collin.
"Watch out!" Louise screamed.
Collin spotted the arm approaching. Coiling his legs he leapt upwards even as the arm came into contact with its torso. The golem's hand and part of its chest broke off from the impact, crashing into the ground with a loud thud. Collin hung on the golem's chest, staring down at the damage. He really didn't want to get hit by that. He returned to his ascent, using his hands to speed up the process.
Down on the ground Louise watched as the golem's hand reformed and it raised its arm for a second attack. Looking down at her forgotten wand an idea formed in her head. Pointing it up at the golem's head she carefully took aim. It wouldn't do to blast Collin off by mistake. Lining up the shot she cast the spell. "Fireball!"
The golems head exploded along with its eyes, blinding it. Without its sight its attack cleanly missed Collin who had pressed himself against the golem to avoid the attack. He covered his head from the falling rocks. He cast a quick glance down at Louise and waved his thanks. She smiled triumphantly at him. See I'm not useless. Finally reaching the neck he did a vault over the edge, landing lightly on his feet and coming face to face with the green hooded thief.
Fouquet stared in astonishment as Collin completed his impossible feat. "Did you just... Run up the golem?"
She shook her head and snapped back to reality. This was no time to lose focus. "I must commend your bravery for facing me alone. I'm feeling merciful today so run now and I'll spare your life." She said through her magically disguised voice. Intimidation was her best weapon; she relied as much on her reputation as on her skill to pull off her heists. It was astounding how many guards would flee on sight of her. What more a teenage boy. Unfortunately this only worked if said person know who she was. To her surprise her opponent didn't even consider her offer before he replied.
"I'm afraid that's not possible. You see my master is rather stubborn and she won't rest till she stops you." Collin coolly said.
"Master?" Fouquet cast a quick glance to the ground. "Ah the Vallière girl. So you must be the familiar who won the familiar fair." Fouquet scowled to herself. If what she overhead between Colbert and that old pervert was accurate this boy was the legendary Gandalfr, she had no idea of his full capabilities and how true the rumours of Gandalfr's prowess were. She hadn't planned on dealing with him yet, but no matter, improvising was her forte. She brandished her wand, getting into the standard battle stance. "Fighting a noble is a league above fighting commoners, even if they are musketeers."
Collin smirked. "Well good thing I have experience in that too. Enough talking, it's time to kick your ass." Behind his confident facade Collin quelled his fear. He had to handle this quickly; an extended battle with a noble would only lower his chances of winning. He reached behind his back for Derflinger.
Fouquet tensed, waiting for his attack. From her earlier observations she knew that he had extremely sharp senses, incredible strength and endurance and was a master with the blade.
Collin's hand closed around air. He blinked. Realizing dawned on his face as he realisedhis mistake. He groaned and face palmed. How did he forget that he left Derflinger back in Louise's room!
Fouquet was taken aback at his strange gesture. Giving him a once over she realized that he wasn't carrying any weapons. Well, she might have to strike intelligence off his list of attributes.
Taking advantage of his self-reproach she attacked. With a flick of her wrist and a short spell she levitated a rock the size of a watermelon sending it right at Collin.
Using his sensory powers he saw a ball of white light gather in front of Fouquet before heading directly for him. With practiced ease he dodged the projectile. "Is that all you've got?" He put up a confidence front. In truth without Derflinger in hand he didn't know if he could put up a fight. He couldn't feel the instinctual guidance that he had gotten so used to. All he had to work on was the residual feeling of that power and what he saw on television. He put his arms up in a guard, protecting his upper torso and head. He'd just have to wing it. With a yell he charged.
Fouquet wasn't fazed. She had faced much more intimidating opponents than the ridiculously dressed boy before her. Without a weapon Gandalfr was helpless. She shot three more rocks at him.
Collin easily dodged the first two but in doing so had placed him directly in the path of the third rock. Without time to dodge he tensed his body and rammed his fist right into the rock, shattering it into fragments. He shook his hand to disperse the pain. It didn't hurt as much as it used to.
Okay maybe he wasn't so helpless. Fouquet jumped backwards as Collin's fist passed through the air where her head had been. She was a skilled hand to hand combatant in her own right but the large staff on her back was impeding her movement. Besides, hand to hand might not be the smartest idea. Before she could move again Collin was right in front of her.
Collin grinned; this was easier than he thought. Alright a punch right in the solar plexus should be enough. Instead of meeting soft flesh as he expected his fist rammed into unyielding stone. He glanced down to see liquid rock flowing over her body, forming a protective armour of rock stronger than steel. He glanced to the wand pointing right at him. Ah crap. A blast of wind pushed him back across the golem's arm. How did he fall for that trick again?
Fouquet's looked down on Collin as he got back up on his feet. She rubbed her aching chest. Despite the rock armour spell she cast he was strong enough to hurt her through the layer of rock. She had to end this now before he got a lucky punch in. She began muttering a spell causing Collin to tense up. She regretted having to use this spell. She wasn't beyond killing; sometimes it was inevitable after all in her line of work. But at least she could finish the job. "...tia". The rock immediately disintegrated into small fragments, each fragment accelerated to impressive speeds. It lacked the penetrating power of a firearm but it was sufficient for "soft targets".
Collin grimaced in pain as the fragments ripped through his body. The wounds caused by the makeshift bullets closed up almost immediately as they formed. It was like standing in front of a machine gun! Straightening up he looked down at his suit, it was torn to shreds. "Hey I borrowed this!" Collin looked up into Fouquet's face. He saw her eyes widen as she realized he was unharmed.
However she didn't make a move. Thinking he had her scared Collin decided to give her the chance to surrender.
"Collin look out!" He faintly heard Louise call out
"Huh?" He glanced down to see her pointing behind him with her wand. "Oh shit." The golem's hand was descending from behind him. He tried to move only to find his feet encased in stone. He glanced up in horror at Fouquet. She had a smug look on her face. "Checkmate."
Crunch
Collin was forced flat on the ground as the multi ton arm crushed him. He couldn't see or hear; all that he felt was the overwhelming pressure and pain as his bones cracked. Finally the pressure was released and the golem raised its arm. Got...to...get...up. Collin forced himself on the hands and knees even as he felt his bones popping back into place. Well I guess I can survive that after all.
Fouquet walked over the mini crater to check on Collin, expecting to see a pile of mush. She smirked, Gandalfr or not he was no match for a genius such as her. However instead she found him whole, and on top of that he was getting up. What the hell does it take to kill him? She encased his hands and legs in stone once again and ordered her golem to attack. She would just pulverize him until he couldn't move anymore.
The huge fist descended.
Xxxxxxxxxx
"Collin look out!" She desperately shouted, hoping her warning would reach him in time. She aimed her wand at the arm, hoping to get off a good shot to break it. However Collin was in her way and she couldn't get a clear hit. Please dodge it. She prayed.
It wasn't answered.
The fist crushed Collin.
She felt her heart go empty as her familiar was crushed under tons of stone. No no no, he can't be dead. Tears threatened to leak from her eyes. It's my fault, if only I wasn't so stubborn. Sadness gave way to rage, she pointed her wand at the golem. She would get revenge on Fouquet. She would avenge her familiar, her partner, her friend. As she felt the will power build up and was about to cast, an image leapt unbidden into her head, a book, a highlighted word.
It leapt into her mouth, replacing her previous spell. Desire for revenge fuelled her spell, making it the most powerful she had ever tried to cast.
"EXPLOSION!"
She felt the magic channel through her but this time it felt... different. It felt right. Instead of meeting the impenetrable wall as it had countless times before it easily flowed through it, escaping through her wand. Louise watched in amazement as something came out of the tip, it wavered, emitting no light, in fact it seemed like it was consuming the light around it. She didn't have much time to admire it as it connected with the golem.
A bright light blossomed on the golem, expanding rapidly. With an earth shattering roar the entire torso of the golem was ripped apart by the force of the explosion.
Louise could only stare in amazement as the golem crumbled before her. I did this? Suddenly she felt weak in the legs and fell onto her knees. Dizziness washed over her, but her elation would not be subdued. I did this!
Boulders began crashing down in front of her snapping her back to reality. She had to get further away or risk getting crushed by the falling rocks. She tried to stand only to find that her legs wouldn't respond. Desperately pushing herself back using her hands she looked up to see a huge boulder heading right for her.
HELP!
Xxxxxxxx
Collin felt his left hand tingle, he glanced down to see the runes on his left hand shining. What the? Suddenly all-consuming rage filled him and he gasped from the intensity of it. Before he could make heads or tails of it he was deafened by the loudest explosion he had ever heard. Everything became clear. You go girl.
Fouquet gasped in shock as the explosion ripped through her golem, she felt a precipitous drain on her willpower as the golem struggled to repair itself. The attack had caused her to lose focus, pausing her attack. This was getting bad and fast. Lights began switching on around the school as the guards responded to the commotion. She heard a roar and looked down to see Collin breaking free of his shackles. Strike that, this was getting really bad. She glanced down at the cause of all the trouble, a plan forming in her head.
"Hey you." Collin paused his advance. "You can go after me..." She cancelled her golem spell. "Or you can save your master." With that the golem began crumbling beneath their feet, without magic to hold it together it was breaking up.
Casting a levitation spell on herself she took off, heading for the walls. "Better luck next time." She mock saluted him.
Collin cursed as Fouquet flew away from him. He spared her one last glance. Louise's safety was more important. The golem's head behind him snapped and toppled off to the side. Collin stared in horror as it fell directly towards Louise who had collapsed. Without thinking and with as much strength as he could muster He propelled himself downwards, straining to beat the boulder that was once the head of the golem. He landed on top of Louise, making sure not to hit her; the ground cracked as he landed, and he absorbed the shock with his knees. He braced himself as the boulder landed on his hands and back. He wheezed in relief, he made it just in time.
"Collin..." Louise faintly whispered, tears of relief spilled from her eyes. "You saved me again."
"I'm here. I won't let you get hurt." He reassured her. "Can you stand?"
"...sorry..." She whispered before fainting.
"Ah shit. Wake up Louise! Come on!" He began to stand, pushing the heavy rock up. However he was forced back onto his knees as more rocks fell on the one he was carrying. For all his enhanced strength even he couldn't lift that much weight. He felt his body slowly being crushed. All he could do was wait, and stop the rocks from crushing Louise.
He prayed someone would find them soon.
Xxxxxx
The Camille Ballroom was located on the second floor of the main building. It was large, encompassing nearly the entire floor, a main entrance led to the corridor while numerous other doors led to balconies and dark rooms for more private conversations. The ceiling was a giant mirror and huge ornate chandeliers hung from it, giving the ballroom a very spacious and grand feeling.
Today the ballroom was filled with the students of Tristain Academy dressed in their finest clothes; the girls wore various elegant dresses while the boys wore smart looking suits. They milled about the dance floor eating and chatting while a live band performed on the stage.
They were all waiting for the star of the night to arrive.
"Sheesh where is that Zero." Kirche crossed her arms and huffed. She wore revealing red dress which matched her flaming hair perfectly. A deep V-neck showed off ample cleavage and a cut along the side of her dress revealed shapely and tanned legs. After chatting up the boys for the last half an hour she had grown tired of them and went to find her best friend.
Tabitha silently listened to Kirche complaining, all the while helping herself to the food laid out along the long banquet table. She herself wore a simple white dress white a little black ribbon pinned to the front. Eyeing the large chunk of pork roast drool formed at the corner of her mouth. She went in for the attack.
"I mean seriously, being fashionably late? Who does she think she is?" Kirche continued, oblivious to her friend's inattention. "One amazing feat and she suddenly thinks she's all that. It was totally all Collin's effort." She refused to credit any of the success to her family rival.
Meanwhile Tabitha had helped herself to a generous helping of the pork roast and was now looking for the gravy.
On the other side of the ballroom Henrietta checked her watch. She wore a billowing white dress with her royal purple robes fastened around her neck. Her tiara, freshly polished, gleamed atop her purple hair. Her beauty had captured the attention of all the boys in the room on her arrival and had earned her many jealous glares from the girls. Only Agnes's presence next to her stopped any of the boys approaching her. Her piercing gaze ensured that not even one as shameless as Guiche even dared linger his gaze upon the princess for more than a moment.
Henrietta sighed, closing her watch and stuffing it into a pocket. "I wonder what's keeping her."
Agnes offered her thoughts. "Maybe she couldn't decide on what to wear. Founder knows how long it took you. I can send someone to check on her if you want your highness."
Henrietta shook her head. "No need. She probably just lost track of time, there's no danger in the school anyway." She glanced at the captain of her personal guard. Agnes wore a practical dress of striking green; the dress was cut short and was sleeveless so as to not impede movement. It had the unintended side effect of showing off her well-toned legs which had garnered her some admirers of her own. If she looked carefully she could make out the tell-tale bulge of a dagger at her waist. That was Agnes for you, always ready for anything. "You know you should dress like this more often, it makes you look cute."
"Cute doesn't ensure your safety your highness." Agnes curtly responded glancing about the room.
"...is something the matter?" Henrietta inquired; Agnes had been on edge for the past few minutes, more so than usual.
"It's nothing your highness. Nothing for you to worry about."
"Agnes..." Henrietta placed her hands on her hips.
Agnes sighed. "I've just had an uneasy feeling that's all. I've sent Diana to check it out."
"What could it be-"
Henrietta's speculating had to wait as an earth shattering roar tore through the ballroom. The solid stone floor shook and the chandeliers swung violently, clinging against each other. Several of the students shouted in panic at the sudden noise and the girls clung to their dates; not that they were complaining.
Without Henrietta even noticing any movement Agnes had drawn her dagger and was holding it at the ready, several students eyes the not-so-tiny instrument of death warily. "What the hell was that?"
The door to the ballroom slammed open as five musketeers rushed in. They rushed up to the Henrietta and Agnes. Snapping off a crisp salute the leader reported. "Greetings your highness. Captain. Diana reports that there is an intruder. We have dispatched several musketeers to apprehend the intruder. She also reports that two individuals have engaged said intruder.
Agnes quickly absorbed the information. "Good work lieutenant. Gather the rest of the musketeers here, we will ensure the princess's safety in the event that she is targeted next."
"No." Henrietta overruled her instructions. "I'm going."
"Your highness! It's too-"
Henrietta held up a hand. "I know who those two are. Louise and Collin. I want to personally ensure her safety." It was so like Louise to do something as reckless as this. She remembered how in the past Louise had climbed a tree to rescue cat only to fall off and sprain her ankle, all while Henrietta could have gotten it down with magic.
Agnes knew there was no changing her mind when the princess became like this. "Alright you heard her. New orders. Form a protective perimeter. Nothing gets past us."
The rest of the occupants in the ballroom watched in shocked silence as the six of them exited, quickly followed by the teaching staff. Then as is the dam burst everyone began talking all at once.
"Did she say the school vault?"
"Why would dare attack the academy?"
"Is the ball still on?"
"You spilled wine on my dress!"
Kirche watched the princess with interest. Nudging Tabitha with her elbow she asked. "Hey Tab, lets to and see what's going on. It sure as hell will be more interesting than this."
When her friend didn't reply she glanced over at the bluenette. Tabitha was standing next to her motionlessly, staring sadly at the plate of pork roast that was now all over the floor. The earlier tremors had caused her to drop the over laden plate. Rolling her eyes Kirche grabbed Tabitha by the arm and pulled her along.
Xxxxxx
Henrietta gasped as she saw the destruction left behind by the fight. The academy vault had a gaping hole on its side and there was a mountain of stone and rubble right next to the building. When they arrived on the scene there was no one in sight. Henrietta looked everywhere but there was no trace of pink to be seen. Worry gnawed away at her even as Agnes instructed the musketeers to search for survivors.
"Professor Chevreuse what do you make of this? You're the earth expert." Professor Colbert asked plump middle aged lady.
"Well, judging from the amount of rubble and its composition I wager that this is the remains of an earth golem. Triangle class magic." The plump teacher replied after examining the remains. "Though I'm unsure as to what made it as such. The unsummoning spell is usually much less... messy."
"Hmmm" the fire professor rubbed his chin thoughtfully and stared at the pile of rocks, as if staring at something the rest couldn't see. He gasped. Raising his staff he sent out a blast of fire that knocked off the top few rocks.
The musketeers immediately turned their rifles on the balding professor. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Agnes growled, in an instant she had her dagger at his neck.
Colbert looked down at the angry captain. He felt a sense of familiarity, as if he knew her from before. "My apologies. I have no ill intentions. But there are people tapped underneath. If you would so please." He ignored the dagger and continued removing the rubble.
"It's alright Agnes. Let it go." She placed a hand on the captain's shoulder. She knew Agnes had a thing for fire mages ever since her hometown was razed to ashes by one. She looked at the professor. "You said there are people trapped inside? Let me help." She raised her sceptre and began lifting the boulders. The other mages joined in as well. Meanwhile the musketeers surrounded the pile, ready to shoot anyone that came out.
As the pile shrank it suddenly started to tremble. Everyone backed off just in time as the top of the pile erupted outwards. Silence ensued as they waited. Finally a figure climbed out of the newly created pit. "Halt! You are surrounded." A musketeer shouted.
The figure was oddly shaped; it was hunch-backed with two lumps on its back. It looked about the assembled crowd that had gather, now including several curious students. The unknown figure rasped out. "About time you got here."
Henrietta squinted. No... It wasn't some weird creature. It was a person carrying someone else. And said person had pink hair. "Collin? Louise?" She exclaimed incredulously.
He slowly walked down the side, careful not to jostle the delicate girl on his back. He looked terrible. His clothes were in tatters and his face showed extreme fatigue.
"We need to get Louise to the infirmary."
Xxxxxxxxxx
"And then Fouquet escaped." Collin concluded his recount. He had spent twenty minutes trapped under the stone prison. During that period he couldn't move or he would risk causing the rock pile to collapse on itself; while he may survive Louise wasn't as durable. Every minute felt like an eternity as the stone prison weighed down on him. It was the first time he had ever pushed his abilities to the extreme.
Sitting across from him was Henrietta, Osmond and Colbert. They had accompanied him to the infirmary. They sat in the nurse's office while Madam Pomfrey was busy examining Louise. The curtains were drawn around them of course; there were two men and a perverted old geezer in the same room after all. Somewhere in the back of his head Collin amusedly noted that this was the first time he had entered this part of the school conscious.
Colbert frowned as he heard the story. He stared at Collin sternly. "That was incredibly brave of you two, and incredibly stupid. Fouquet is a wanted criminal in two countries and a dangerous triangle mage that has murdered dozens. You were extremely lucky that neither of you were killed."
Collin chuckled. "That's what I said."
"That sounds just like Louise to me. Always ready to jump into things without thinking." Henrietta cast a worried glance at the closed curtain. Like him she was concerned for her friend's safety.
You're telling me. The entire time he had known Louise she had been prone to do things with no concern as to how to protect herself from the consequences. That stunt with Duccio for example.
"What worries me is what Fouquet took from the vault and how she so easily broke into it." Osmond who had up till now kept quiet mused, stroking his long beard. He turned his eyes to Collin "You did not see what she took?"
"No". Collin studied the headmaster of the academy. This was their first meeting and he had come across as the stereotypical wizard, complete with a long white beard and staff. "It was dark and all I saw was a case on his back. Whatever it was was probably kept inside." For convenience's sake he had played his part down to a minimum, attributing everything to Louise. He didn't want to leak his secret.
"I have my musketeers checking the vault this very moment. We should be getting a report any minute now."
"Ah many thanks Your Highness."
A knock sounded at the door and Agnes strode in purposefully, looking as authoritative in her dress as she did in full combat gear. Collin blinked in surprise. He had never imagined such a brutish and rough woman could look so...feminine. She knelt before Henrietta. "Greetings your highness."
"Do you have any information on the theft?"
"Fouquet was able to enter the vault by destroying the portion of the wall with the weakest enchantments, furthermore he was somehow able to deactivate the secondary defences implying inside knowledge of the security of the vault. We suspect that Fouquet was disguised as a member of the staff prior to the theft in order to gather information. We are interrogating suspects as we speak."
Henrietta nodded, absorbing the information. "And do we know what was stolen?"
"The Staff of Destruction."
"The Staff of Destruction! Are you sure?" Colbert exclaimed.
Agnes angrily glanced at the professor. She practically spat out. "Yes I'm sure. He carved it out himself onto the walls."
Colbert winced at her angry retort but said nothing. Collin glanced between them; their bad blood hadn't escaped him. What kind of relationship did they have?
"If it is the Staff of Destruction then we have nothing to fear. It has lain unused in the vault for three decades and no one has been able to deduce how to use it. All that matters is getting it back. We are fortunate that Fouquet chose not to steal the more dangerous artefacts in the vault." Osmond relaxed into his chair. Collin frowned at his laid back attitude. The name itself didn't really make it sound all that harmless. Not that it was his problem anymore.
A loud squeal filled the room shocking Collin, he looked for the source of the noise and was stumped to find a white mouse desperately trying to free itself from under Agnes' foot. The tip of its tail was trapped under her shoe and it pitifully wailed to its master for help.
"Oh dear what are you doing to that poor thing?" Henrietta stared in surprise.
Agnes had her fist clenched and if he looked closely enough Collin could see her temple throbbing. "I caught this vermin trying to peek up my dress." She glared viscously at Osmond who looked away innocently, twiddling his fingers.
"Perhaps I should squash it? One less rodent wouldn't make a difference." She hissed.
The threat got an immediate response out of the elderly mage. Faster than one would expect from that frail body, he had the mouse in his hands and was stroking it dearly. "There there Chuchu, I won't let that scary lady hurt you." The mouse squeaked gratefully in its master's hand. Osmond gave it a piece of cheese and dropped it into his pocket to enjoy its meal. Smiling up at the rest of them he continued as if nothing had happened. "Now where were we?"
Collin stared incredulously at the elderly mage, of all things he hadn't out him down as a pervert. Maybe that was why the girls here wore such short skirts.
He reached to pour himself a cup of tea when he felt the feeling of eyes boring into him. Glancing up he saw Agnes staring at him intently. "Is something the matter?"
Agnes drew a pistol from a hidden holster and aimed of right at him. Colbert and Osmond sat up in shock while Henrietta exclaimed. "Agnes! What are you doing?"
Collin tensed under as the barrel glared down at him. He wasn't scared about the pistol killing him. His own experience had shown him just how useless firearms were against infected. But he would definitely have a problem explaining how he survived. He decided to play it dumb. "What...what is the meaning of this?"
Agnes narrowed her eyes. "A thief just broke into the academy vault using information that can be gathered only by an insider. You are the most recent addition to the academy. And on top of that you are completely unharmed." She tightened her finger around the trigger. "Speak! Are you an accomplice of Fouquet?"
"No I'm not!" Collin exclaimed. How could she even accuse him of such? "As you said I just arrived a few days ago from a faraway land, there's no way I could have contacted Fouquet. Professor Colbert can vouch for me." The bald professor nodded at that.
Gesturing to his clothes he continued. "As for me being unhurt I..." He faltered. He couldn't possibly tell them what he was. "I gained the ability to heal from various wounds when I arrived here." That wasn't completely untrue. He cursed himself for not preparing a cover story. Ah the power of hindsight.
"Ridiculous!" Agnes scoffed. "No such ability exists. I'm not a mage and even I know that."
"No it's true!" Colbert exclaimed. "That's because he's the legendary gan-" he realized he was saying something he shouldn't have and cut himself off there.
"Shut up fire mage. No one asked you."
Collin did not like her one bit. Well, offense is the best defence. "Well let me ask you how a twenty meter tall golem managed to break into the school vault while your musketeers were supposed to be guarding the school."
Agnes glared at him. She gestured at the princess. "The duty of the musketeers is to protect her highness and as you can see she is perfectly safe. Besides a third of my musketeers were out of commission none by other than you!" She turned the tables back onto him.
The tense atmosphere was interrupted as Madam Pomfrey entered the office. She paused at the sight of Agnes pointing a pistol at Collin. She coughed. "I'm not, erm, disrupting anything am I?"
Henrietta who had stayed silent all this while finally spoke up. "Agnes, stand down."
"But your highness!" She protested.
"Stand down. I trust Collin." She nodded at him as he gave a grateful glance. She trusted her own judgement. Years of exposure to the ugly politics in the court had taught her how to read people well. Besides he was Louise's familiar and it was her duty a friend to protect him.
With a resigned sigh Agnes holstered her pistol but didn't say anything else. Orders were orders. She retreated and stood at attention by the princess.
Turning to the nurse Henrietta asked. "Is Louise alright?"
Madam Pomfrey poured herself a cup of tea and sat down, taking a sip she said. "It's nothing to worry about. She just had a shock that's all. A little rest and she'll be as good as new." She smiled wryly at Collin. "Every single patient I've had in here for the past month has been due to either one of you. Thanks for keeping me in a job."
Collin chuckled dryly, glad that everything was finally over. Standing up he asked. "Is it alright if I go check on her?"
"Go ahead."
Leaving the adults to discuss about how best to deal with the aftermath he walked over the Louise's bed. Pulling up a chair he plopped himself down on it, the days exertions catchin up to him. He stared at the pink haired girl sleeping peacefully. "You're seriously more trouble than you're worth. You know that?"
And before he knew it he was asleep.
Henrietta watched as Collin went to Louise's side. There was nothing that she wanted to do more than to join him by her old friend's side. However as monarch it was her responsibility to decide on how to deal with Fouquet. With a sigh she returned to the discussion.
Xxxxxxxx
A/N
Hey guys, sorry for the long delay for this update. Various things came up which I won't go into detail about. I apologise for the short chapter, I originally intended to complete the entire Fouquet story in one chapter but I decided to just get this half out first so the ending is a bit abrupt.
One thing to note: I've changed chapter 5 such that the musketeers are all female and commoners. Major oversight on my part partly due to that episode where one of the musketeers was a mage. Thanks C lockwork42 for bringing that up. For other writing their own znt fic search Google for ZnT back to basics, it's quite informative.
Oh yeah. Just to give a sense of Collin's power levels and why he acts so human. When he formed the familiar contract he was healed by the magic. That included halting the infection so you can consider him as a half human-evolved hybrid with a Gandalfr powers. A bit like a super solider from the games but not quite. In a few chapters something is going to happen to turn him full infected.
I'll keep the rest of this note for the next chapter.
To the reviewers
To greyman19: That's an interesting idea, goes better with his Gandalfr powers as well.
To wqs: I won't, but I'll be making them piss themselves in fear haha.
To KO: Thanks for all the ideas for bio weapons, really appreciate them! I've more or less decided on the method of how Collin will gain his weapons and that puts a limit of the types of weapons he can get. Especially love that flame burst idea. Thanks for your latest review as well, it spurred me to finally complete the editing of this chapter and get it uploaded.
To Kane: Thanks once again for such a detailed review. That idea would probably make Collin shit his pants especially after the other interactions I have planned for them. Safe to say he wouldn't take it well. Probably will use it XD. Sadly I won't be using the thermobaric boomstick; it's still the same old rocket launcher. I don't intend on involving blackwatch in this like Unfamiliar. Questions : )
To hulk121792: Maybe.
To Der Kaiser: Thanks. And I will.
To Laluzi: Ah sorry to hear that, oh well.
To Aww yeah: Sorry for no pwnage hehe. Let's see how it turns out when they next meet though. Who ever said that the guy who hired her asked her for the staff?
To To a review: That felt weird typing. "to to". Nevermind… Hehe that goes with every battle scene.
To grinningshade: Argh can't answer any of your questions : (
To Yeza Nairomof: Thanks
To samgheng123: Thanks for the flurry of reviews. I'll keep those points in mind for when I do a rewrite. If I ever do :S
To PEJP Bengtzone V2: I do have someone in mind for that actually but it will be quite a while before that ever happens.
To Crais117: Thanks for brining that up like I mentioned ealier.
To Xeno-Freak: Haha okay. Was wondering what the first post was talking about.
To Clockwork42: Ah yes thanks for bringing that up. I've gone to read up more on the canon. Though I will be changing things up as well.
To some guy: Here it is.
To epicman: Thanks. Can't understand the middle portion of your review however, sorry.
To Mizuki00: Well, this chapter answers one of your questions. Can't answer the rest thought :P
As always thanks for reading and please leave a review if possible!