II. Familiar of Zero
Smoke once more filled the grounds of the Tristain Magic Academy's courtyard, causing the assembled students to cough and fret at the thick dust floating in the air. There were murmurs of irritation from the teenagers, all of which were directed upon the short, pink-haired girl standing before them.
No, no, not again! Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere felt complete and utter frustration. It had been her second try at summoning a familiar, and she had failed yet again. It wasn't fair! All of her classmates had managed to complete their summoning rituals, and each of them had their loyal animal servants standing right by their sides. Dogs, cats, even a bugbear and a dragon, of all things, had been summoned, but for some reason Louise could not even manage to call forth a simple cockroach for all her trouble. Nothing but dust and explosions met her pleas.
"Well, Louise, I can't say I'm too surprised. Failed again." Kirche said aloud with a grin. Hateful, insufferable Kirche! Damn her!
"Ha, at least she's predictable! That's our Zero! Haha!" Damn you, too, Malicorn!
Louise quickly spun around and sent a pleading look at the middle aged balding man that was her instructor. "Professor Colbert! Please! Let me try one more time! Just once more, I swear I can do it!"
The mage sighed, adjusting his pince-nez further up the bridge of his nose as he attempted to look stern. "Miss Valliere..."
"Please!" Louise begged desperately, the beginnings of tears making her eyes watery.
The professor sighed once more, before relenting and nodding his approval.
That was all the permission Louise needed and she quickly turned her attention back to the summoning circle. She raised up her wand and tried to clear her mind, knowing full well that she had just one last final shot at summoning a familiar.
"Oh come now, Louise," complained a girl with ringlets in her blond hair. "Must you continue to waste our time?"
"Yeah," spoke up the rotund boy from before. "You're just making yourself look even stupider."
"Enough," chided Professor Colbert. "All of you, please show the patience and respect that Miss Valliere had shown during each of your attempts. It is unbecoming of nobles to behave with such discourtesy."
The man's words managed to quiet all of the teasing and half-veiled insults, for which Louise was very thankful for. If she were to succeed in this final attempt, she would need all of her concentration. After clearing her mind, she began to channel her magic into her focus, then started the incantation.
"Servant which exists somewhere within this vast universe," Please please please work, the girl desperately prayed as she chanted."My divine, beautiful and powerful servant, heed my call!" Founder! Please please please! "I wish from the very bottom of my heart! Heed my summoning and appear!"
There was a mighty inrush of air, followed by another massive explosion.
"Agh! Not again!" Complained Malicorn as smoke and dust clouded the area.
"Damn it, Zero! You did it again!"
"What a worthless mage!"
"Pitiful!"
"Pathetic!"
The taunts and abuse continued on, but Louise ignored all of them. What her classmates didn't seem to notice was that unlike her previous failures something about this explosion was different. For one thing, it had been much larger and the resulting smoke much thicker. For another, she could see that there was something within the smoke, something that was moving!
I did it! Louse cried out triumphantly in her mind. I summoned a familiar! I'm not a failure! I'm not a burden! I am a mage of note, just like my sisters! Just like my mother!
Then, from within the dense smoke, the sound of desperate laughter could be heard.
0
After what seemed like eons of falling through nothingness, Rip Van Winkle felt the world reform all around her. What was once unending blackness was now bright, and she felt her eternal fall stop as her body hit soft but solid ground. She quickly shifted herself up into a seated position and looked around her. There was still much dust and smoke floating in the air, but beyond the filth and dirt she could make out trees and bushes and the glorious-yet-hated sun shining overhead. A choked gasp, made up of both exaltation and relief, burst up from her throat as she beheld the impossible spectacle before her. With her vampiric senses she could feel numerous humans nearby, along with several animals of one type or another, but they didn't matter to her. What caught her total attention was the complete and utter absence of the nightmarish monstrosity that had only moments before been so close to ending her life. She probed out with her mind, seeking any sign of the evil which had previously assailed her, but she could find not a single trace of his dark taint. There was no feeling of madness or hunger from the beast, not within one kilometer or twenty. Not a single speck of his hideous aura could be found. He was gone.
He was gone! It was like magic! A miracle! She was free!
She drooped forwards in relief, her hands slamming down onto the soft earth below which prevented the woman from planting her face into the soil. Beneath her gloved fingers she felt the prickly texture of grass. The sun overhead felt warm and somewhat painful upon her pale skin. She could hear the songs of birds in the distance. There was a slight breeze, and the air, through the dust, felt cool and clean. She had been saved. Saved from the hellish scene upon the Adler, saved from the grasp of her Zamiel. She was safe.
Tears began to leak from her eyes. Tears of relief. Tears of joy. Death had been so close. So close. Yet she had beaten it. She had escaped. She was free.
A sob escaped her throat. It was quickly followed by another. Then another. Tears continued to flow from her eyes as she wept, not in fear and absolute terror as she had back on the burning aircraft carrier, but in elation. As the fear and tenseness of the previous hours vanished, her sobbing transformed slowly into laughter. It was quiet at first, but then it grew louder and louder. Soon she was cackling like a mad woman.
She was free! She was safe!
0
When the smoke cleared, the sight which greeted the second year students was bizarre to say the least. Seated upon the grass was not some beast or animal, but a human being. It was a woman with long dark hair dressed in strange black garments. She was hunched over, her dark blue hair covering her pale features like a black curtain, and she was laughing maniacally at who knew what. Lying beside the strange figure was a large ornate musket, which only served to add to the students' confusion.
"Great, Zero summoned a mad woman."
"Is she a commoner? Her clothing appears to be much too finely made."
"Of course she's a commoner. Look, she has a musket. Only peasants would use such dirty weapons."
"Yes, she's probably a low-class merchant, or the mercenary of one. How uncouth."
Whilst her classmates continued to debate upon the strange sight, Louise felt her stomach clench in dismay. This was her divine, beautiful and powerful familiar? No! She refused to believe it!
"Professor Colbert!" Louise whirled around once more to address her instructor, who along with everyone else was trying to make sense of the weird newcomer in their midst. "Please! Let me try the summoning ritual again!"
"What?" Colbert was snapped out of his ponderings by the young girl's request. "No, absolutely not!"
"But Professor!"
"No, Miss Valliere," Colbert's tone was hard with finality. "The Springtime Summoning Ritual is a sacred rite passed down throughout the ages by the Founder Brimir himself. To try it again after successfully summoning a familiar is tantamount to blasphemy."
"But Professor," whined Louise, "I can't have summoned her! She's a commoner!"
"Be that as it may, Miss Valliere, summon her you did. I saw it with my own eyes. I admit, this is one for the books. But human or not, commoner or not, the rules are clear. She is your familiar now, and thus your responsibility." The man gave the girl a stern glare. "Now if you would, please. Complete the ritual."
"B-but..."
"Now, Miss Valliere." His tone brokered no argument.
With a put-upon sigh that all teenagers somehow manage to master, Louise stomped her small form over to the center of the summoning ring where the crazy laughing woman was still seated. Once she was but a foot away, the woman ceased her laughter and looked up as if startled. Louise ceased her approach as well, as she was stunned by the sudden movement.
Louise was surprised to notice that her new familiar looked to be no more than a few years older than herself. She also wore a pair of round spectacles over her dark blue eyes, the lenses of which appeared to be stained with fresh tears. Now why would her familiar have been crying whilst laughing with such mad glee at the same time?
Louise shook off her questions and focused on the task at hand. She had to complete the ritual.
"Ich... verstehe das nicht," the woman said, her blue eyes wide in confusion. Although she didn't understand a word of what was said, Louise, to her great consternation, recognized the language.
"Great," she muttered in irritation, "just what this Academy needs. Another Germanian idiot." Louise sighed before announcing loudly to her new familiar. "Alright, commoner. You should feel honored. Not every plebian gets to serve a Valliere."
The woman frowned at her words before speaking once more, this time in highly accented Tristanian. "I sill... do not understand. Vat are you talking about?"
"Oh, so you do speak Tristanian. Good, this will make things easier."
"Tristanian? Vhat are you saying? We are speaking French."
By the Founder, this woman truly was insane! Louse let out another long-suffering sigh. "Look, it doesn't matter. I summoned you here, so I need to complete the ritual!"
"Vait..." the woman narrowed her eyes at Louise, her frown tightening even more. "It was you who brought me to zis place?"
"Um... yes?" Louise said. She suddenly shrieked when the woman shot to her feet and grabbed her into the tightest embrace she had ever been in; Louise was quite certain that a few of her bones were breaking.
"Oh, thank you! Thank you, little girl! Danke! Danke! Ha ha ha!" The crazy woman then began twirling Louise around in her arms as she danced about the courtyard in absolute joy. "Oh, ve are going to be ze best of friends!"
"Put me down you maniac!" Louise shouted as she was tossed about into the air like a toddler. Good God this freak was strong!
Meanwhile the rest of the second year students merely looked on in both bewildered wonder and horrified fascination.
"Put me down now!" Louise screamed once more.
"Oh, of course. So sorry, I do tend to get a little carried avay sometimes." The crazy woman gently placed Louise down onto her feet. The young girl was a bit shocked to realize just how tall her familiar was. She was almost as tall as her mother! "There ve go, little vizard. You are so adorable!" The crazy woman grinned and began patting Louise on the head.
The girl twitched in annoyance and began batting her hands away. "Gah! S-stop treating me like a child, you insane commoner!"
"Oh, uv course, uv course!" The woman's smile grew even wider as she stood up straight and laughed. "You are a big girl. My mistake."
"Y-y-you!" Louise, at this point, was livid. "Stop patronizing me!"
Professor Colbert chose that moment to interrupt in hopes of getting things back on track. "Um, pardon me..."
The strange woman, still with a beaming smile, turned her attention to the professor while Louise continued to sputter in abject rage. "Hmm?"
"Ah, hello. I am Professor Colbert, Instructor at this academy."
"Guten Tag!" The woman cheerily greeted and gave the professor a stiff bow along with a somewhat militaristic boot-click. "I am Rip Van Winkle, Officer of ze Millenium Group. I vant to thank you so much for your assistance. You really got me out of quite ze spot."
"Oh, um, you are very welcome, Miss, uh, van Winkle." Professor Colbert coughed politely to clear his throat. This woman was quite peculiar. Not only was her clothing and appearance strange, but her accent was bizarre. The Germanian she spoke earlier was also off, as he didn't recognize the dialect at all. And what exactly was this Millenium Group? He had never heard of such an organization. Ah, he was getting side-tracked; first thing's first! "Well, I'm afraid we aren't done yet. Miss Valiere still needs to complete the ritual."
"Oh?" The woman glanced over at Louise, who seemed to have gotten over her funk upon hearing the professor's words. "Oh! Of course! Of course!" She quickly clapped and turned to face the pink haired girl. "You must complete ze ritual! Fine, fine! It's ze least I could do, since you helped me out and all." She gave Louise a smile and stood waiting.
The young girl looked up at her nervously, her eyes glancing back over at the Professor while a red flush sprouted upon her cheeks.
"Go ahead, Ms. Vallier," said her teacher.
"Yeah, Zero. Go ahead!" laughed a boy from the crowd.
Louise blushed even more, and several of the male students nearby snickered. Steeling her nerves, the girl stood up straight and raised her wand. "Pentagon of the Five Elemental Powers, bless this humble being and bind her as my familiar." With those words, Louise tapped the woman upon her forehead with the tip of her wand.
"Vait... What?!" Before she could say more, the young girl in front of her grabbed the taller woman by the lapels of her jacket before pulling her down and planting a chaste kiss upon her lips. "V-v-what?"
Louise quickly turned away totally mortified, her face beet red in embarrassment. The male students began to hoot and holler.
The newly minted familiar ignored all of them though, as she was suddenly assailed by a strong, stinging pain. Grasping her left wrist, she hissed aloud in agony. "Vat is going on here? Ouch! OUCH! Owowowowow!" She grit her teeth in obvious pain, desperately pulling off the white glove from her left hand. She watched in stupefied shock as before her very eyes a set of very intricate runes began to appear upon her skin, branding themselves into her flesh. After a few more moments of intense agony, the pain stopped and the runes stopped glowing.
"Congratulations, Miss Valliere. You failed the Summon Servant spell twice, but you completed Bind Servant in just one try. Good work." Professor Colbert sounded genuinely pleased.
Louise beamed, extremely pleased at hearing such rare words of praise. But her moment of self congratulation was cut short when her new familiar suddenly began shouting.
"Vhat have you maniacs done to me?!" She screamed out shrilly, holding her left hand up and displaying the runes.
0
Rip Van Winkle snarled at the assembled humans, both teacher and students, absolutely livid. There was no way this could have happened to her! It shouldn't have! How could she have been so stupid?
At first, Rip had been overjoyed at escaping the Adler, and was completely grateful to the child whom had rescued her. It was at first a bit of a shock to learn that someone so young could be such a powerful practitioner of the occult, but she had seen stranger things in her time. She really didn't understand magic all that well, and the times she had asked Alhambra and Zorin to elaborate on their mystical talents only left her even more confused.
Of course, she had let her emotions get the better of her again. The Major had always told her that she needed to watch herself more, and not get carried away in the moment. She had tried her very best to follow his advice, but she just couldn't help herself most times. And now, it had cost her.
Now she was bound.
Like him, she bitterly thought. Her Zamiel, the horrifying monster of her nightmares, had also gotten caught hadn't he? He too was bound and made the dog of the Hellsing family. How utterly ironic that she would share the same fate as the thing she so feared and despised.
"I'm sorry, Miss van Winkle," the professor stated in a calm tone. "This is merely part of the ritual. I apologize for whatever pain you may have suffered, but it's all completely harmless." He then looked closely at the runes on her hand. "Hmm... fascinating. These runes are quite strange. Quite strange indeed." The balding man continued to stare at the back of her hand, which only served to infuriate her even more.
"Verdammt noch mal!" Rip shouted, angrily stuffing her left hand back inside its glove. "I-" Before she could say any more, her eyes glanced past the assembled students and caught sight of the collection of animals with them. There was a dog, a cat, some birds, even a frog. But what caught her eye was the large blue lizard with wings that was sitting next to a blue-haired little girl who had her nose stuffed into a book. "What ze hell is that!?" She shouted. She then quickly spotted another strange animal, this one looking like a komodo dragon with a flaming tail. "Und that!?" She also saw an even stranger sight, that of a gigantic floating eyeball. "I don't even vant to know what zat monstrosity is!"
"Familiar!" The pink haired girl shouted, the one Rip had thought was her savior. "Calm yourself! Right now!"
Her eyes turned cold, which caused the professor to flinch. Rip Van Winkle stood up straight to her full 5'11" height and gave the assembled crowd a fierce glare through the round lenses of her spectacles. She was so incredibly tempted to just do away with all of them; after all, they were merely humans, mostly children at that. It would have been easy for her to rip all of them to pieces even without firing a single shot from her jezail. But the Major's words came to her again, those warning her against acting too rashly. Even though these people were human, they were also sorcerers. Magic users could be unpredictable and powerful, as Alhambra and Zorin proved. It would be unwise to attack occultists when she knew so little about their abilities.
Her now calm eyes shifted through the crowd and beyond, taking in the scene around her for the first time since her arrival. They all seemed to be in a large, grassy area. Tall,thick trees were in the background. Wait, was that a castle? Her left eye twitched. How the hell had she missed that?
Her eyes continued upwards, staring up into the blue sky. Her vampiric sight quickly focused on something in the distance. Like the viewfinder on a camera, her eyes zoomed in sharply on the object. In this case, it was two objects. Moons, to be precise. They were faint, but they were there, visible through the clouds and the blue haze of the bright open sky.
Two Moons. Two.
"Scheisse!" Rip whimpered as she dropped to her knees and clutched at her head. "Vat ze hell have I gotten myself into now?"