A/N: Hey all, here is chapter 10. Expect Chapter 11 not to take so long, my apologies.
Chapter 10: The Black Gem
Brimir must have a very strange sense of humor, Guiche decided. Once he had set himself on focusing his affections on one lady, that lady disappeared. As soon as he gained the resolve to search for her, she is declared a lich. Confused and saddened, Guiche had lost his direction in life. Turning to his magic, the boy had buried himself in books. When the messenger came announcing war, Guiche had leapt at the chance.
Now having just received his assignment, Guiche knew that Brimir was enjoying messing with him. Somehow, Guiche was to command the Musketeer Corps: The all-female royal guard of the princess. His first meeting had gone about as well as expected. As elites second only to the three mage corps above them, the musketeers had not taken kindly to a rookie kid like him replacing their injured commander.
Guiche made his way toward the Princess' temporary residence. The army was marshaling at La Rochelle and she was here to oversee it personally. Maybe he could get her advice on dealing with her own personal guard. Another time, Guiche would have been happy to merely hit on the many beautiful ladies and leave the actual commanding to his second in command. However, the many spitfires under his command only served to remind him of Montmorency.
Approaching the guard to the inn-turned-residence, Guiche announced himself. "I am Guiche de Gramont, might I inquire about an audience with the princess?"
A brief argument later left Guiche walking away thoroughly put out. Sure, he hadn't expected to see the princess right away, but to not even be allowed to schedule an appointment was rather vexing. "Guiche, is it? Can I be of any help?" A kind voice alerted Guiche to company.
There to his right stood a tall pink haired woman. Guiche recognized her as Cattleya Valliere, Louise's older sister who had decided to attend the last year of the academy. It had been an odd sight, a full grown woman amongst the teenagers, but she had been kind. When Louise had been declared a heretic, the woman had been left alone by the rest of the students. Guiche himself didn't know what to think. On the one hand he blamed Louise for her hand in Montmorency's peril, but on the other he knew Louise cared for Montmorency deep enough to duel over it. "You know what? Sure. Maybe you could give me some advice." Nearly rambling, Guiche unloaded his worries of commanding the musketeers to the woman. Though he could not remember when, he soon found himself sitting on a bench telling the calm woman everything that bothered him. How he wasn't cut out for such a strong leadership role. How he worried for Montmorency. How he blamed Louise and blamed himself for blaming her.
Yet even at the mention of his anger at her sister, Cattleya remained silent, just listening. Finally, Guiche rambled to a stop. "Feel better?" Cattleya asked, gaining a surprised nod from Guiche. "Good. For all your worries, you only lack one thing." She leaned in, drawing a confused look from Guiche. With a like poke, she pressed her finger to his chest. "You don't believe in yourself. You don't believe you are good enough for the musketeers, good enough to save Montmorency, and good enough to deserve her." With a warm smile, the woman laid her hand on the boy's head. "Just try to believe in yourself a little more, okay? If you give it everything you've got, I'm sure even a miracle will come true."
Despite the fact that he knew he was being treated like a child, Guiche could only be comforted by the kind woman. Finding his courage, he got up and excused himself. "Thank you." With those words, Guiche departed for the musketeer's barracks. Maybe a good second impression could overrule the first poor one.
While not quite as dramatic, the heartfelt goodbyes Siesta and Professor Colbert gave were certainly preferable to leaving a note and sneaking off in the middle of the night. That much Louise was certain of. She was also certain that she was becoming slightly jealous of the maid. Siesta had given some spare clothing to both Louise and Montmorency, and while they were certainly better than their previous worn out rags, they also had quite a bit of room in the chest.
Tugging once more at the loose fitting clothing, Louise looked up at the sign overhanging the tavern. "Mermaid's Song? We aren't even near the ocean." Montmorency spoke from beside her. Louise had to agree, it seemed like sailors had not quite made the connection that they no longer sailed the seas. Strange, airships had outnumbered maritime vessels for generations.
"Most likely a tradition passed down from the old days." Louise explained, drawing only an exasperated sigh from Montmorency.
Rolling her eyes, Montmorency elbowed her friend. "Try to have a sense of humor, will you?" Striding forward, Montmorency made for the door. "Anyways, the guy we are looking for is supposed to be here right?"
Checking her hood to make sure it obscured her face, Louise followed her friend. "We are looking for Captain Alexander Dalzeel. Try to be discreet." This would be their third bar searched in La Rochelle. A man at the previous had directed them here. With a light push, Louise swung the door inward. The light creaking of the rusting hinge announced their entrance to the bar's inhabitants. Men of a questionable sort sat scattered about the tavern listening to a subpar bard recite some drinking song. Though Montmorency's and Louise's faces were hidden beneath their hoods, many eyes lingered on them. Their small frames and obvious attempt at hiding their identities drew some attention, but like the previous bars they were dismissed after a moment. Suspicious people were not exactly uncommon in places such as this one.
The two girls made their way over to the bar where a heavyset bartender idly cleaned a mug. Knowing the protocol after two tries, Louise placed an ecu upon the counter. "I'm looking for Captain Alexander Dalzeel."
Apparently she had said something funny, as the bartender snorted while he retrieved her offered coin. "Yeah, he'll be real happy to be called that. The bastard is over there in the back." Louise was thankful her hood hid her distaste of such casual use of foul language. Following the bartender's gesture, Louise spied a singular man nursing a mug of ale near the fireplace. He was obviously a step above the common rabble. His finer clothes and feathered cap said as much. Meeting Louise's gaze, the man raised his mug in greeting.
Carefully keeping her steps measured, Louise walked in stride with Montmorency over to the small table. "You have business with me?" Dalzeel spoke dismissively, gesturing for them to sit in the empty seats.
Careful to angle her hood downward, Louise sat with all the grace she could muster. "Word is you have a ship headed for Saxe-Gotha."
Dalzeel edged around the question. "Trade between Albion and Tristian is prohibited right now. Even if I was going to be making a trip to Saxe-Gotha, why would you want to know?"
Louise had no time to play this game. "Twice the standard passenger fare for each of us. No questions asked and we only need one room between us. We pay when we disembark."
Apparently the offer of gold was enough to sober the captain up. "You're a mite bit strange little lady, but if you wanna pay for pleasure cruise tomorrow morn. Come to the Flying Otter, we'll try not to get lost and end up passing through a blockade or two."
"Acceptable." Louise spoke sternly before rising. The less the man could glean of her the better. Without another word, the two girls left the bar behind and headed out into the evening air.
Once the bar was safely behind them, Montmorency spoke up. "Well, that went better than expected."
The cheer in her voice was lost on Louise. They were still in a populated city with a large military presence. "Let's just keep it up." She spoke lowly to her companion. When Montmorency didn't respond, Louise stopped and turned to her friend. The girl had stopped and was looking back toward the bar. "What is it?"
After a moment, Montmorency turned back and continued. "Eh, nothing... I just realized his ship is called the Flying Otter. What is it with airship sailors and the sea?"
With a suppressed snort, Louise replied. "At least he added 'Flying' to the name." Sharing a giggle, the girls made their way to find an inn.
"I knew we were boarding a smuggling vessel, I just didn't expect everyone else to know as well." Montmorency voiced her worry as the two boarded the sloop. Half the crew looked like they crawled out of a gutter, and the other half looked worse. Dirty, smelly, more tattoos than skin; each burly sailor basically screamed illegitimate business.
In his fine clothing and cap, Captain Dalzeel stood out plain as day. Striding over to the two girls, the captain folded his hands. "Welcome, er... ladies?" While fairly sure both cloaked figures wire girls, he was not certain. Louise simply offered the agreed upon amount. Once the captain had checked the purse of gold, his smile only broadened. "I am sorry to say we have no proper rooms aboard this sloop, you will be staying in my cabin. The trip is only a day, so I shant be sleeping. I hope you'll pardon the occasional intrusion in exchange for the improved lodging."
While it was an unexpected turn of events, it was not too odd. A smuggling vessel probably converted any passenger space into a hiding place for illicit materials. The captain would probably prefer to have his passengers in his room, rather than possibly getting into the real cargo. "This is acceptable." Louise replied curtly before allowing herself to be led to the captain's cabin.
The two girls only got an occasional glance as they crossed the deck. Despite their grimy appearance, the crew was rather dedicated to their work. The cabin itself was what one would expect from a man such as Dalzeel. He had turned the small room into a gaudy office, dining room, and bedroom. There was little room between the all the furniture. "I only ask that you do not touch my desk. Feel free to nap or use the table. We'll be casting off shortly and we expect to arrive at your destination in the late afternoon with the winds as they are."
When he got no reply, Dalzeel's smile faltered and he excused himself. Finally alone, Montmorency took the opportunity to remove her hood. "Well, this is going a tad bit better than our previous attempt." She forced a smile at her own joke.
"Yes, well we don't have to fight an entire fleet this time around. That is somewhat of an improvement." Louise removed her own hood. "Montmorency," She started with a more somber tone. "I think we should not transform any more unless we absolutely have to."
Tilting her head to the side, Montmorency furrowed her brow. "Why?"
Louise suppressed the deep breath she wanted to take. She had not lied to Montmorency before and doing so was... vexing. "Beyond it really standing out, I have a bad feeling about our soul gems. I think our willpower takes much longer to recover for soul gem magic. So, just don't. Okay?"
Still showing hesitation, Montmorency nodded her head. "Okay, if that is what you think is best. I'll refrain unless it's life or death."
Turning away, Louise bit her lip. While Montmorency might be able to manage a single transformation, she would then be in danger territory and there was no assurance she could also hold back the transformation.
As Louise was now, she doubted she could even handle another transformation. Even contemplating their situation was giving rise to anxiety and panic. Both emotions were accompanied by a pain in her chest, something she could no longer pas off as a side effect of her now healed wounds. As before, Louise concentrated and pushed her fears down. Maintain control. Louise thought of her mother and tried to emulate the woman's unshakable resolve. Though difficult, she succeeded in calming herself once again.
The silence between the two girls was broken by a loud cry from outside. "CAST OFF!" No doubt the booming voice belonged to the first mate. Then, following the loud order, the ship began to move. Toward Albion. Louise thought. Toward hope.
Hours drifted by as the ship slowly drifted along with the wind. Orders could be heard being barked outside now and again as the first mate repeated Dalzeel's orders in his loud, booming voice. The girls passed the time chatting and idly working on their respective projects. Louise worked with the lit candle on the table while Montmorency crushed yet another herb in the mortar and pestle she got from Colbert. The Kyuubey simply sat on the bed, watching the two impassively. Those eyes now held a whole new meaning to her. It was studying them as one might study an animal. Suppressing a shiver, Louise distracted herself by asking what Montmorency was making.
Montmorency smirked mischievously. The girl was always happy to one up Louise's encyclopedic knowledge. "I'm crushing Mudroot. I'll need it for the healing elixir I'm making. I figure if I ever have to heal you, I'll need something to boost my water magic, I'm not too great at healing."
Louise was impressed. Both by the forethought and the intent to make a healing elixir. Healing potions were notoriously difficult to create, and the ingredients were rather rare. Before she could inquire as to when Montmorency had acquired her ingredients, the door to the cabin swung open. Both girls scrambled to replace their hoods in the wake of the intrusion. "Oh! Sorry!" Captain Dalzeel hurriedly apologized and closed the door behind him, nearly dropping the tray he carried in the process. "Er, I just came to eat lunch and I was lost in thought, I should have knocked."
Hidden beneath her hood, Louise whispered. "Did you... did you see?" She failed to keep her tone measured as most of her attention was focused on repressing the spike of fear she felt.
Smiling in embarrassment, the captain rubbed his nose. "I kind of did milady." Sensing the two's growing apprehension, the man held out his hand and tried to placate them. "Not that it matters see? I ne'er had any passengers on dis ship noways right? I'm certainly not goin ta be seeking no church out as a criminal meself right?"
For a moment there was a tense silence, but it was broken by a chortling Montmorency. "Captain, your accent is slipping." Dalzeel himself chuckled his nervousness off and soon enough Louise joined.
When he finished chuckling, the captain once again rubbed his nose trying to hide his embarrassment. "I'll share me meal wit you fine ladies in recompense; if you'll accept it." Striding over to his dining table, he set the tray down and Louise finally got a good look at it. An assortment of rather fine looking fruits cheeses and bread was piled on it. That small paranoid part of her told her to eat her own packed food, but it was silenced when the man cut a loaf in thirds with a knife and began to eat a piece.
Not bothering with her hood, Montmorency grabbed a slice of bread and took a small bite of it. From the way she moved it around in her mouth, Louise could tell she was testing for something. After a moment, the girl smiled and nodded to Louise, further assuaging her paranoia.
Food passed by with quite a bit of merriment. Captain Dalzeel was actually a rather nice fellow. Sure, he was informal and had a story or two of making runs past border patrols, but he was also a warm and welcoming soul. He was also kind enough to not ask for any information from them; he only took the little they offered in stride. "So then I says to the man. I says if you don' wan' me aroun' den-" All of a sudden, the man's face hit the table in front of him with a mighty flop.
Louise was stunned, sure the man had drunken a little wine, but he there was no way the man could have even gotten drunk from a single glass. Looking to her right, Louise spotted Montmorency holding her head. "The cheese..." was all she said before she too flopped over. Louise had no time to question the situation before a wave of vertigo hit her. Unable to tell up from down, the last thing she saw before she blacked out was the table rushing to meet her.
Shapes slowly faded into focus as Louise wearily opened her eyes. Confused, she tried to get up only to realize her hands were bound behind her back. The events in the cabin came rushing back to Louise and her eyes snapped open. Bolting upright she took in every detail of her surroundings. The iron bars before her were the first things she noticed; followed by gentle rocking of the room. A man scrambled up from a chair beyond the bars and ran out the door, showing the dark underbelly of a ship outside.
Though her hands were bound, her legs were not. Carefully, Louise stood and looked around. Spikes of panic flared in her heart, and each one she squashed. Now was a time to think, not act. Looking to her left, Louise spotted Montmorency bound in the next cell over. "Montmorency!" She hissed. Reaching one foot thought the bars, Louise nudged her sleeping friend. "Wake up!"
Slowly but surely, the blond haired girl began to wake. Then, feeling her bindings, Montmorency shot up stiff as a board. Panic and anger filled her eyes. "The cheese!" She spat out.
"Indeed, the cheese." A smug voice sounded from the doorway. There stood Captain Alexander Dalzeel with a superior smirk plastered across his face. "Sleeping drafts may have a distinct taste, but aged cheese will drown out just about anything." The man strode in, shadowed by the guard who had left when Louise woke.
Louise was shocked, "But you-"
"Ate as well?" The man interrupted. "Yes well, imbibing your own poison is one of the best ways to get someone to drop their guard."
Montmorency's foot hit the iron bars of her cell with a resounding clang. "You bastard!" She yelled in anger.
While Louise would normally agree with her comrade, she had recently received information of the hazardous effect of negative emotions had on them. "Quiet Montmorency." Louise commanded, drawing a shocked stare from the girl.
Angered, Montmorency spat out, "Louise! We can take this guy!"
"Oh, I would refrain from anything to dangerous." Dalzeel cut in. His hand reached under his shirt and pulled on the chain around his neck. Pulling the necklace out, Louise spied just what hung on it. Two rings, each with a single gem; one dark gold and the other black with a hint of pink. The stunned face on Louise's face said it all. "Good, so these are your phylacteries. I found no other gems on you, but one cannot be too sure."
Once again Montmorency's foot hit her cell bars. "Give those back!" She screamed.
"Montmorency, calm down." Louise spoke with venom in her voice.
A slight bit of fear entered Montmorency's enraged eyes. Then, lowering her gaze, the girl exhaled and brought her emotions into control. The captain spoke up once more. "Well, this is nice. Usually prisoners tend to be far less cooperative. Now, I'll be frank. You try anything, I break these and collect on your dead bounty. You be good? I get to collect a higher reward and you get to live at least all the way back to Romalia. Maybe even escape on the way." The man laid out his offer with the most pleasant of voices. It was sickening.
Still, Louise needed every advantage she could create. If he wanted to talk, let him talk. "Did you ever plan on going to Saxe-Gotha, or was it all a ruse?"
Feigning surprise, the captain spoke graciously, "You overestimate my skills. I never knew you would come to me seeking passage. Honestly, I just had my man track you from the inn to make sure you weren't with the guard. When he learned your interesting identities I went from there." Then the man bowed with a flourish of his cap. "And I did finish my end of the bargain. We are over Saxe-Gotha as we speak. I wouldn't do business with the church anywhere but on my own turf. I should think so." With his speech done, the man turned to make his leave. "Now, get some rest, the church will arrive in the morn to retrieve you and you'll have a long journey ahead of you then."
The captain made his exit, leaving only the lone guard behind. The man shrunk under Louise's gaze. Dismissing the man, Louise turned to Montmorency. While obviously annoyed, the girl looked to understand Louise's harsh treatment. There was no hostility directed toward Louise, only frustration. Louise caught the girl's eye and received a questioning look in return. Louise rolled her eyes. Blockhead, they still had one card left to play. "Familiar, you there?"
"Present."
Montmorency's eyes shot open in surprise and her thoughts immediately filled Louise mind. "I could kiss you Kyuubey!"
"Please refrain from that. Alternatively, try not to get kidnapped again." Louise was beginning to associate that exact same tone with both great despair, and shining hope. Truly, it needed to learn to adjust its tone; emotions or not.
Still, Louise needed information. Just like her negative emotions, she pushed down her growing hope and focused on the task at hand. "Can you get us free? Where are you?"
There was a moment of silence, and Louise wondered if her familiar had moved out of range. "The captain has you strapped around his neck. I'll have to wait until he sleeps before retrieving them. I will stay in his cabin until I have a chance."
Montmorency shot Louise an uncertain look. Louise returned it with the best comforting smile she could manage. It was only a small hope, but it was all they had. Funny, Louise thought, they were banking everything on the Kyuubey. Funny... that was one way of putting it.
Night fell over Albion, casting its dark shadow over the drifting sloop. While two girls tried to rest as best they could with bound wrists on wooden planks for a mattress, a deceiving captain made his way toward his cabin. Dalzeel was a pretty happy man, all things considered. He had captured two liches without incident and would be receiving a tidy bounty in the morning. The fact that the girls ended up having even more gold then they already paid was just icing on the cake. Still, there was still the deal with the church tomorrow. Theoretically, the church seemed like the type to not renege on a deal, but he had to be careful anyways. Just in case, he had a Reconquista flag ready to fly. A military port wasn't far, and it would be easy to have any Romalian vessels shot down after a brief chase.
Satisfied with his planning, the captain lay down on his bed. It was strangely hard to sleep. He kept getting an anxious feeling, like someone was watching him. Shaking it off, Dalzeel put his mind at ease. He was getting too worked up over tomorrow's deal.
It took some time, but the man eventually fell sound asleep, never noticing the two red eyes watching him from his dining table. Once the captain began to show the proper signs of deep human sleep, the watcher began to move. The white shape dropped from the table without making a sound and plodded over to the bed as a ghost. Only the gentle creaking of the chip's planks could be heard as the Kyuubey hopped onto the bed. With careful precision, the Kyuubey leaned forward until its head was but an inch from the man's chest. Upon the man's hairy chest lay the Kyuubey's quarry.
It opened its mouth only to stop as the human before it murmured in its sleep. Not waking, simply adjusting. Confirming that the human would not rouse, the Kyuubey leaned in and closed its mouth around the silver chain. One small nip later and the chain lay in two. After that, two small gulps and the Kyuubey had achieved its goal.
Now, to return the two girls to their bodies.
Louise sat up for the thousandth time. Finding a comfortable resting position with her arms bound was proving to be far more difficult than she imagined. Sensing someone's eyes, she sent a glare over to the guard that nearly sent the nervous man tumbling.
With an exasperated sigh, Louise rolled her eyes. The captain had apparently informed his crew of just what they were holding captive, and the guard was not exactly breaking any stereotypes about superstitious sailors. The man nearly fainted when something collided with the door to the brig with a loud thump. Louise herself started, but more for hope than for fear. Surely that would be the Kyuubey.
The guard slowly walked over to the door, happy to momentarily be further away from the liches. Yet, he could only suppress a shudder when he opened the door to find nothing. "Probably one of the guys..." He convinced himself as he re-latched the door. He may have drawn the short straw on guard duty, but that didn't mean he was going to give in to his crewmates' teasing.
When the man sat himself once more upon the stool, he found the pink haired lich watching him. Then, without a word between them, the blonde haired one rose as well and turned to him. Founder, they looked like little girls but they were so damn creepy.
He was just about to tell them off when a sharp pain lanced up his arm. Jerking his hand up, the guard found a small bite mark. "How the..." was all he said before he blacked out.
The Kyuubey, having nullified the guard, retrieved his keys and plodded over to the cells. "Familiar," Louise was the first to speak up, "Took you long enough."
Dropping the keys inside the cell, the Kyuubey responded same as always. "I performed as quickly as possible with an acceptable expected success rate." With a flick of its tail, the Kyuubey walked around the sitting Louise and began to eat into her rope bindings. "There is less than an hour until morning. I have located your possessions but you will need to hurry if you plan to reclaim them."
Montmorency watched while the Kyuubey ate through Louise's bindings with surprising efficiency. She breathed a sigh of relief. Truly, she had been skeptical that the little beast would be able to pull the rescue off. Yet, there was one thing bugging her. "Not that I am not thankful for your help, but did you manage to get our soul gems?"
With a snap, Louise pulled the last of her bindings apart. The pink haired girl wasted no time retrieving the keys and going to work finding the one that fit her cell. With another brisk trot, the Kyuubey slipped between the cell bars and went to work on Montmorency's bindings. "I have retrieved you, now hold still."
The lock on Louise's door made a satisfying click as Louise turned the correct key. Wasting no time, Louise moved to Montmorency's cell and unlocked it as well just as the Kyuubey finished its work. With a snap, the rope fell to the floor and Montmorency idly rubbed her sore wrists. Louise looked down on her familiar. Even though it had done much to earn her ire, it had helped them as it had promised. "Thanks, I suppose," was the best she could manage.
Not bothering to reply, the Kyuubey looked to Montmorency's wrists before bowing its head to the ground. Louise almost asked what it was up to when the chime of metal clinking sounded from below it. "Don't tell me..." Montmorency's voice sounded from where she sat. Sure enough, two small rings sat below the Kyuubey. "This is so gross." With a grimace, Montmorency retrieved her slightly wet soul gem and placed it on her finger.
"Make sure to keep quiet." Louise reprimanded her friend as she retrieved her own soul gem. Rubbing the ring on her sleeve first to clear it of saliva, Louise inspected it for any damage. Finding none, Louise replaced it on her finger. Rather than stew on how gross the situation was, Louise focused on the current task. "You said you had found our possessions."
With a quick nod, the Kyuubey responded. "Yes, knowing you would retrieve them, I made sure to locate them before delivering you. Besides, I needed Montmorency's sleeping draft to disable the guard."
Montmorency raised an eyebrow. She had just assumed the Kyuubey had some sort of poisonous bite. "How far?"
Turning its gaze to Montmorency, the Kyuubey flicked its tail once more. "Not far, the captain locked them in a storage room on the opposite end of the ship."
It made sense, Louise thought. While their money had likely been taken, the captain wouldn't want the church finding their wands and potions. If the church took them as evidence, he couldn't sell them, after all. "Take us there," Louise commanded.
Keeping their footfalls light, the two girls followed the Kyuubey to the brig door and opened it slowly. Only the faintest light emanated throughout the below decks. Even the little light from the moon the deck prism spread was enough for Louise to make out the sleeping shapes of the crew. Louise almost froze in the doorway, but the Kyuubey strode forward without a moment's hesitation. Not to be left behind, Louise followed after her familiar with Montmorency trailing behind.
The three weaved through the bunks filled with sleeping crew. Despite her efforts to remain silent, every footfall sounded like a rockslide to Louise. Each man grumbling in his sleep caused her heart to jump with worry. They would be caught, this would fail! Louise clamped down again as frivolous thoughts filled her mind. She hadn't come so far just to fail from fear alone.
When the three finally left the crew behind and turned through an open door, Louise thanked Brimir with a silent prayer. Barely a click was heard when Montmorency slowly closed the door behind them. With the door closed, the room plunged into darkness for a brief moment. Then, a soft gold light filled the room, emanating from Montmorency's ring. Louise bit her lip, repressing the urge to stop Montmorency. Trying to convince Montmorency to not even use such a small amount would take longer than just finding their wands.
With the room lit, Louise got a good look at it. It seemed normal enough for a storage room. Crates and barrels with no markings that Louise understood were stacked in rows. Again the Kyuubey trotted forward without a word. As silently as she could, Louise followed behind as they turned down one of the rows. "Here," the Kyuubey informed them, stopping before a toppled barrel.
Wasting no time, Montmorency sprung forward and reached into the barrel. With surprising urgency the girl retrieved a familiar bag. "Robin?" Montmorency whispered aloud. Louise's eyes widened. Of course the girl would be worried for her familiar. The frog so much spent of its time in the bag or in Montmorency's cloak that Louise forgot about it, much to her shame. A light ribbit sounded from within the bag, drawing a relieved sigh from Montmorency as she retrieved her familiar. "I'm sorry. I know I'm always leaving you behind, but this time was an accident, I swear." The frog once again ribbited from within Montmorency's hand.
Whatever that meant, Louise had no idea. Instead she focused on searching through the bag. Their remaining food, clothing, potions, even their wands remained there. Yet as she expected, their money had been looted. At least the captain hadn't had much time to sort through the rest, Louise told herself.
Handing Montmorency's wand and pouch of potions to her, Louise repacked the rest of their belongings as best she could. Rifling through her potions, Montmorency found an uncorked, empty vial. "Did you have to use all of it? There was enough in here for twenty guards." She complained, looking down to the Kyuubey.
The familiar only tilted its head to the side. "I am not meant for complex manual operations." Louise rolled her eyes. No doubt that was Kyuubey speak for, 'Do I look like I have opposable thumbs?'
Strapping the bag over her shoulder, Louise recited the chant for the 'light' spell. Soon enough, a heat-less ember emanated from her wand tip. Catching her cue, Montmorency let her own light fade. "So what now, do we jump and levitate?"
Louise shook her head after a moment's thought. "No, we need to get our money back or we'll just end up starving." From Montmorency's fidgeting, Louise could guess her thoughts. "We have no choice. Running away from the church will only help us for now, but we have to think ahead." Though Montmorency nodded, Louise couldn't help but second guess herself. Logically, retrieving their money was the right choice. However, that didn't mean the thought of approaching church paladins didn't worry her.
Those worried thoughts were scattered at the sound of a piercing whistle. Almost immediately frantic shouting began to fill the ship. "They know we escaped." Montmorency hissed.
Focusing on her goal, Louise grabbed Montmorency's shoulder to steady the girl. "That doesn't change the plan." Turning to the Kyuubey, Louise asked. "You searched the ship; can you take us below the captain's cabin?"
The Kyuubey did not respond, however. The door to the storage room slammed open and cut the familiar off. Luckily the fright caused Louise to release her spell in time. Footfalls sounded along the rows as a sailor jogged down them, checking for the escaped liches. Yet, arriving at the last row, he found nothing. "All clear!" The man called before rushing back out the door.
Once the sound of the door closing reached their ears, Montmorency and Louise slowly pushed themselves out from between the barrels. "That was close." Montmorency let her breath out. Sometimes it was useful to be small, she decided.
Louise herself rubbed her hands. Hauling the barrel up in front of them hadn't given her any splinters it seemed, a small grace. "The captain's cabin is directly above the room next to this one." The Kyuubey responded without bothering to comment on the recent excitement. Louise followed her familiar's gaze over to the far right wall.
Standing up next to Louise, Montmorency voiced her worry. "What are you planning, Louise?"
Striding over to the wall, Louise gripped her wand. "It's not like we can just walk through the decks." Realizing her friend's intent, Montmorency gripped her won wand in preparation. With a quick incantation, Louise whispered, "Flame Lance." A beam of white hot fire extended from her outstretched wand and cut into the wall. Instantly flames began to crawl along the wood. Louise wasted no time; one quick movement later and a large circle was cut through the wooden wall.
"Extinguish." Montmorency's voice sounded as the girl finished her own spell. As quickly as they had been brought to life, Louise's remaining flames were smothered by conjured water.
Stepping through the leftover smoke, Louise found herself in a new room filled with what she assumed were spare parts from the large amounts of rope. "l- l- l- lich!" A man stammered out from where he stood frozen in fear near the door.
Fine, Louise decided, if the superstitious sailors wanted to fear her then she would use that to her advantage. Flicking her wrist up, Louise spoke with the most menacing voice she could muster. "Don't move, don't speak, don't even think, or I will consume your soul." The man could barely nod. Suppressing the urge to pinch her nose, Louise turned to her familiar.
Not needing to be ordered, the Kyuubey dashed forward a few steps and looked upward. "Here."
Still keeping an eye on the frozen man Louise recited the spell for 'Flame Lance' one more time. As before, she cut a hole in the wood before her as easily as a hot knife through butter, though this time she had to be careful to sidestep the hunk of wood that fell when she finished. On cue, Montmorency doused the remaining flames. The blonde girl looked over at the frozen sailor while Louise levitated herself upward. "Boo!" The color drained from the man's face and such a look of terror filled him that Montmorency almost felt bad teasing him. Almost. He was part of the crew that had sought to sell them out after all.
Once Louise finished, Montmorency levitated herself up and into the empty captain's cabin. Sure enough, as soon as they left the sound of a tumbling man and a door being slammed open could be heard. "Liches!" The sailor screamed, rushing toward his comrades.
Louise wasted no time searching through the room. "We need to find the captain's safe. It won't be long before they figure out what room we climbed into." Following suit, Montmorency went to work pulling paintings off of the wall.
The second painting had exactly what they were looking for. "Louise, a safe!" At her word, Louise rushed over and casted 'Flame Lance' for a third time; this time sufficiently smaller. The metal of the safe was much harder to cut through, but nothing Louise couldn't handle. The real problem was cutting carefully without looking direct at the brilliantly bright melting metal.
With a jerk, Louise cleared the metal of the safe and cut a small way into the wall when the resistance disappeared. Montmorency wasted no time in dousing the flames and cooling the glowing metal. Carefully, Louise lightly tapped the handle of the safe. Finding it cool enough to touch, she gripped it and pulled the door wide. Inside was an assortment of cheap valuables and a half empty purse. "This is it?" Montmorency asked from behind, aghast.
Scooping the various trinkets into the purse, Louise responded over her shoulder. "This is most likely the decoy safe. No telling where the captain keeps the real valuables. The real safe might not even be in the cabin." Once she was finished, Louise stuffed the purse into their bag. "Still, it's enough to get by for a while, we can go now." Montmorency was not about to complain about that. The sooner they put this ship behind them the better.
Just as Louise slung the bag back over her shoulder, the door to the cabin swung inward with a mighty slam. Morning light flooded the room as Captain Dalzeel's pistol swung upward, leveling on the two girls. Yet he had no time to aim properly as the powder in the barrel ignited. The misfire shredded the pistol back from front. "Bloody Hell!" The man cried, gripping his bleeding hand.
Wand still raised, Louise made for the door with Montmorency in tow. "I should kill you where you stand." The captain eyed the wand with worry. "However, I am more interested in just leaving this ship behind." The captain took one step back, then another. Louise paid him no mind, instead she looked past him, toward the collected sailors. Several had raised firearms yet they could not fire without risk of hitting their captain. "Tell them to drop their weapons." Louise commanded.
Captain Dalzeel hesitated for a moment. From the way he eyed her wand, he must have been thinking of chancing it. A cold glare from Louise was all it took to tip the balance. "We've been bested boys. Drop them and we all live to sail another day." Slowly, the sailors began to lower their weapons. Confident, Louise stepped outside and edged toward the railing of the ship.
Whether it was pure luck, inborn instinct, or her recently acquired fighting experience Louise did not know. However, she did not ignore the warning signal that flared to life as all the sailors on the deck shifted their gaze upward and beyond her. Jumping to her left, Louise barely cleared the rows of teeth that closed around where she had just been. Whirling, Louise was greeted with a massive wind dragon perched upon captain's cabin. Even more frightening than the dragon, was the man perched upon its back. Cardinal Tomas de Torquemada locked eyes with Louise before turning his gaze to the captain. "You are very lucky I decided to fly ahead Captain. I'll be taking the prisoners into custody now."
Louise was not about to stick around. Grabbing Montmorency, she bolted for the railing. The roar of water rapids assaulted her ears just as she pulled Montmorency and herself over the edge of the boat. Wood shattered behind them as a stream of water crushed through the wooden railing. Whirling in free fall, Louise managed to glimpse a forest below them. "Levitate at the last moment!" She called out over the wind to Montmorency, no longer bothering with the mental connection. On that thought, Louise glanced over her shoulder to see the Kyuubey gripping on to her pack for dear life.
Managing to spin once again, Louise looked back up toward the ship. Like some demonic serpent, the dragon came diving over the side of the ship. Wings folded, the beast pelted toward the two falling girls. Montmorency was the first to react. Wand out, she threw a stream of water upward toward the beast. Yet even before the stream could impact it, the water darted away; diverted by the cardinal.
Finishing her own incantation, Louise let loose the biggest fireball she could manage. A globe of fire larger than even the dragon itself sailed upward. Yet it too proved ineffective as a spear of water tunneled through it; dissipating the fire before it could even slow the diving dragon. Louise was all too aware that the dragon was slowly gaining on them. She needed to make it dodge. To make it open those damned wings.
Suddenly, the idea struck her. Colbert had said fire behaved like a snake through the grass. She could guide the fire around any defenses! Louise pulled her magic to her. Words of power flew from her lips, lost in the howling winds. Yet before she could finish, a gout of water rushed forth from the cardinal's wand. Then, just before it hit her, the water was pushed aside by another stream courtesy of Montmorency. For a brief moment, Louise looked to Montmorency with silent thanks.
Then that brief moment was over and Louise finished her chant. "Fire Stream!" A thin lance of fluid flame raced upward. Just as before the cardinal summoned water to meet Louise's fire. Yet this time the shield was ignored. Louise's fire snaked sideways and around the wall of water before once again continuing toward the dragon and rider. With no time for another shield, the cardinal pulled back on his mount's reigns. The mighty dragon opened its wings, and with a jerk it halted its fall. Her enemy shooting up and away, Louise rolled back toward the ground, only to find the trees racing to meet her. Words fled her lips in one garbled incantation, but it was enough.
"Levitation!" Louise and Montmorency called out in unison. The two girls had barely lost enough speed by the time they hit the trees. Branches scraped their sides and bruised their limbs as the two fell into the forest. Then, with a mighty thump, the two girls hit the ground.
Still only for a moment, the two girls groaned and pulled themselves up. "We need to move." Louise commanded herself as much as Montmorency.
Planting her feet, Montmorency raised herself and nodded her head. "That way is deeper into the forest." She pointed beyond Louise. "I saw while we fell."
With a nod, Louise began to run with Montmorency through the trees. With the weak morning light blocked mostly by the trees, the two could only just see. Yet neither would risk a light with the cardinal above. With each footfall they became surer, more confident in their escape. Countless trees whipped past them as they sprinted through the forest. When she could move no longer, Louise stopped to catch her breath. Montmorency stopped beside her and gulped down air greedily. Silently, Louise chided herself. They had been sprinting full out, not exactly the most efficient way of putting ground behind them. Turning to Montmorency, she gasped out between breaths. "Do you think we lost hi-"
Montmorency dived at Louise, tackling her beyond the claws of the dragon as it crashed through the trees. Wind kicked up dust around them as the beast glided just overhead and hit the ground skidding. From where the two lay on the ground, Louise could make out the rider atop the dragon as it turned to meet them. Though it had skid nearly thirty yards from them, Louise knew a dragon could cover than in an instant, something she was surprised it didn't do immediately. Instead, the cardinal spoke with a grave voice. "I will give you one chance to turn yourselves in. Do so and I will urge the Pope to bless you before your execution so you might meet Brimir in the afterlife."
Fear took Louise's heart against all her efforts to suppress it. There was no escaping this man, and if she transformed, that would be the end of it. She could barely hold back the transformation as it she was now. If she was forced to fight a square class mage, she would surely become a witch. Then again, that might be her only choice. If she and Montmorency defeated the cardinal and she became a witch, then Montmorency could kill her and live on. Louise's finger traced her fading soul gem. It was the only way one of them was getting out of this. Even if she would die, she would die for her friend.
Montmorency's hand grasped Louise's. The two girls locked eyes and searched each other's souls. Louise looked at her friend and tried to burn that image into her mind. Closing her eyes, Louise focused on that image and focused on the ring on her finger. Good bye.
Louise's eyes shot open as her ring was wrenched from her finger. In one motion, Montmorency stood and slipped her friend's soul gem upon her own finger. "That conversation you had with Kyuubey. I may have only heard your half, but I know enough that you can't transform again." Montmorency's hand traced the two soul gems upon her other. "We both get out of this or neither of us does. You don't get to just give up and sacrifice yourself." Anger and steel filled Montmorency's voice as she held her hand before her. Then, in an explosion of golden light, Montmorency once more transformed to protect her friend. "This time, just sit against that tree and watch the show." No words escaped Louise's mouth. What could she say to stop her friend? A grin splayed across Montmorency's face. Then, she leapt into action.
Hammer twirling, Montmorency darted across the forest floor and closed on the dragon before her. Planting her foot, Montmorency twirled out of the way of a blast of water as if dancing. Again water lanced at her and again she dodged, this time flipping up and over the water. Landing before the mighty dragon, Montmorency flicked her hammer into the dragon's head as it tried to bite her. The crack of hammer on dragon skull was enough to stun the beast momentarily. Equally confused by a little creature striking so strongly as by its minor concussion, the dragon grew very angry.
With fluid, serpentine motion, the dragon darted backward and forward, trying to bite the human before it. Yet each time that silver hammer came up and struck it once more. Even the dragon's master could not hit the girl with his magic. Each stream was nimbly sidestepped. Angry at its inability to kill the puny opponent, the dragon roared and charged forward.
She had been waiting for this moment. A single vial flew from Montmorency's hand. Then with another spin of her hammer, Montmorency struck the dragon's lower jaw, forcing it closed around the potion. The muffled sound of breaking glass signaled Montmorency to leap backward, clearing yet another gout of water.
For a moment, the dragon and rider held off, not perusing their prey. Then the dragon gagged. Confused the cardinal looked down. What was wrong? Then the dragon gagged again, toppling forward. Poison. The cardinal leapt from his dragon as soon as he realized it. His feet hadn't even touched the ground when the massive dragon began convulsing. The beast wretched itself back and forth for barely a moment before going deathly still. "You did good, old friend." Tomas offered his parting words and turned to the waiting Montmorency. "That was clever, I'll give you that. Not many poisons affect dragons." As he spoke, the cardinal began to circle around his dead dragon.
Following his movements, Montmorency moved to place herself in between the cardinal and Louise. "Paralyzing draft." She spoke with mock cordiality. "Concentrated, it works on just about anything." No sooner had she spoken then Montmorency dashed forward, intent on catching her opponent off guard. Hammer met staff as the cardinal brought his own polearm over his head. The crack of metal on metal filled the forest and the sheer force of the blow crushed the ground beneath the cardinal's feet. Yet the man held firm, his muscles bulging with power.
With a surge of strength, the cardinal threw Montmorency off and called his magic to the tip of his staff. Water formed a fluid axe edge. It was the cardinal's turn to attack. The massive man charged at Montmorency and swung his axe. The girl was nearly a third his size yet when axe met hammer she held firm. Once again the forest was disturbed by the ringing of metal.
The two broke apart and struck again. Then again. Each polearm blurred as the two combatants launched strike after strike at each other. Hammer blow after blow was diverted or stopped by the cardinal's axe. Montmorency danced around both giving and taking ground as she evaded and parried the axe strike seeking her head.
Hopping upward, Montmorency avoided being bisected by the cardinal's slash. With a flip, she brought her own hammer toward the man's head. Rather than block yet again, the cardinal leaned backward. Sheer wind of the hammer flung specks of sweat from his face. Launching his own attack, the cardinal's axe lanced upward toward the airborne girl. With no ground to dance on, Montmorency brought her hammer before her and blocked the blade that sought her.
With a mighty clash, Montmorency was launched across the forest toward an oak. Twirling midair, Montmorency planted her feet upon the oak's trunk and called forth her power. The seams of her hammer opened and released fading steam as the cogs inside began to spin. Sensing something dangerous, the cardinal began to chant. Then, Montmorency released her coiling muscles and lanced across the forest floor like an arrow. Steam raced out the back of Montmorency's hammer, propelling the great weapon forward. The blade of water upon the cardinal's staff began to churn with barely compresses power.
"DERNIERE VAPEUR!"
"TORRENT AXE!"
Two voices called out their attacks as the cardinal met the steam propelled hammer with his own magnified axe. The resounding clash sounded throughout the forest, scattering hundreds of birds into the skies. Amidst the clearing steam, Montmorency struck out blindly. Yet when her hammer hit nothing, she briefly wondered if she had won.
The force of her swing cleared the steam, showing no sign of the cardinal. Eyes widening, Montmorency looked up in time to see the falling cardinal stab downward. However, his target was not Montmorency. Still mid dodge, Montmorency saw his axe head form into a trident and strike her hammer, trapping the weapon to the ground between its prongs. In the same motion, the cardinal's leg lashed out. Montmorency barely had time to abandon her hammer and dodge. Bringing her arm up, she shoved the kick to the side and spun forward with a kick of her own.
Montmorency felt the satisfying crunch of a breaking rib as her kick impacted the man's side. Her expanding grin halted however as the cardinal's arm trapped her leg to his chest. Unable to dodge, Montmorency could only raise her arms in defense as the cardinal abandoned his trident and delivered a mighty punch to her face. Blow after blow rained upon her, breaking through her guard with little effort. Dazed, Montmorency barely felt the massive kick that sent her flying across the forest floor.
The wind was forced from Montmorency's lungs as her back impacted the tree where she left Louise. Barely conscious, Montmorency saw Louise standing before her. The girl had not been sitting idly by during the fight, she had been chanting. "Flame River!" A swirling stream of fire nearly twice as tall as Louise erupted from her wand. The very ground was scorched by the river of fire as it burned toward the cardinal. The man was not to be stopped however. Diving for his staff, he brought it up and unleashed a spell of his own, water formed before him and cut into the approaching fire. When the fire had passed the cardinal dropped his shield to be met with Louise. The girl had followed her spell close behind and moved in. "Flame Lance!" A white hot blade of fire extended from Louise's wand. The cardinal would have no time to chant another shield! This was it!
Yet when Louise's blade of fire met the cardinal's flesh, water leapt from his very skin to shield him. Stunned, Louise could only stare the trail of water along where she should have cut the man. In one movement his staff hipped up and into her wrist sending her wand flying. Before Louise could even think to dodge, the cardinal's fist met her stomach. Crushing her remaining strength and launching her back into the tree she had left.
With a thump, Louise landed on the ground. Dimly aware, she recognized Montmorency lying next to her. Blood dribbled through the girl's blonde hair, her eyes were shut, and she had reverted to normal. Unconscious, Louise realized. That meant she needed to get up. She needed to protect Montmorency. Planting a hand, Louise pushed with all her might; and gained no ground.
She had no strength to raise herself, let alone fight the cardinal wandless. Vaguely, she could hear the man panting. Glancing toward him, Louise could make out the man looking around for Montmorency's hammer before turning back to them.
Louise looked back to Montmorency, to the two dim gems upon her hand. If she could just take her soul gem then... Then what? Kill the cardinal and become a witch? Even if Montmorency could manage another transformation, an unconscious girl could not stop a monster. Louise's hand closed around Montmorency's. Why even try? They were both going to die here, far from home, far from anyone they loved. Pain and despair lanced into Louise's heart. This time, she did not bother to stop it. Let the man come, she was tired. She was done. Louise closed her eyes. Silence filled the forest and a deep darkness fell over Louise. She clenched her eyes tighter. Would she become a witch, or would she die? She didn't care anymore.
Then... nothing.
"Boy, stand aside." The cardinal's voice sounded not from above her, but from beyond. Louise's eyes snapped open to find a new stranger standing in front of her. A dark brown cloak rested across the stranger's body. A sword peaked out over his shoulder from beneath the cloak, but the figure had not drawn it. Instead he stood with one foot back, leveling a musket at the cardinal.
Cardinal Tomas de Torquemada did not move, yet he showed no fear to the boy blocking his way. "I'm fine right here. Why don't you leave this forest so I don't have to shoot you?" From his voice and stature, Louise guessed the boy was around her age. Briefly, she wondered if he was related to Siesta, as his unruly hair shared her inky black color. Though she discarded it, under his cloak she could see strange clothing. Simple in color, but everything from his jacket to his shoes was made from different, odd materials. When the cardinal took a step forward the boy nearly shouted. "One more and I shoot, old man!" There was a hint of fear, but conviction overwhelmed it.
Holding up a hand, the cardinal spoke in a calming but stern voice. "Boy, I know you are trying to do the right thing, but despite appearances, those are liches." The cardinal made no move to close in, instead he just tried to calm the boy. "They are evil. You give them a chance and they will kill hundreds, thousands."
"You serious, old man?" The boy turned and gave Louise a brief look of confusion. Louise's breath hitched. Would anyone turn against them? She was not a lich, she was Louise Valliere! It was unfair! Even as the boy spoke, Louise began to have trouble hearing him, she could only just make out his words. "Look, I know no one thinks they are the bad guy, but you are attacking two little girls in the middle of a dark forest! It does not get more clear cut than that!"
Apparently the cardinal was done playing nice. He took a step forward and with a deep, stern voice he commanded, "Boy-"
The sound of musket fire greeted Louise's ears and for once it was not pointed at her. Smoke billowed from the boy's musket and the cardinal's hand raced to his chest, stumbling back a step as he did. Silence permeated to forest, broken only by the cardinal himself. "That hurt boy." Digging his finger into his chest, the cardinal pulled a small metal ball from his flesh. Barely a trickle of blood left the wound.
The boy's musket hit the ground, yet rather that flee, he had drawn a wheel-lock pistol and had rested it across his left arm, once again aiming at the cardinal. Even more surprising than the boy's courage was the new voice that sounded from his sword of all places. "Kid, he's using magic to strengthen his body."
Even the cardinal was a bit surprised by the new voice. "Enchanted sword..." He murmured, apparently intrigued. "Listen to your sword boy, if a musket cannot pierce me, your pistol will not. Now just step aside."
Slowly, the boy lowered his pistol. Of course he would have to step aside, Louise realized. One boy could not stop the cardinal. Then, the boy's hand shot up to his sword and drew it. "If a bullet is too weak, I still have this."
The eyebrows of the cardinal rose. The boy had begun to shake with fear, but he was not backing down. Still, the sword was enchanted, it would be important to not even get one cut. "Kid!" The sword called out angrily. "I know what you're planning! Just because you're a useless one-shot piece of ammunition doesn't mean I am!"
Against the sword's wishes, the boy hurled the blade with all his might. "Sorry Derf!" Even as the cardinal's eyes widened with surprise, he made no move to dodge. The sword did not even reach him. Instead, the sword hit the ground and stuck blade first nearly three paces before him. Having enough with the boys games, the cardinal strode forward. If he had to get a little rough so be it. Founder knows he had been patient enough. "Now!" The boy called out, raising his pistol once more. What did he think this was going to accompl-
The cardinal's train of though was cut off when the water that formed his trident head was literally sucked away. Steam fled his skin and chased the water into the sword. "What the?"
Again the sound of gunfire filled the forest, and this time a pained cry accompanied it. The cardinal could only look down in surprise at the blood spouting from the hole in his chest. A roar sounded from the boy as he charged toward the stumbling cardinal, hunting dagger drawn.
No! The cardinal of the paladins would not die so easily! His staff whipped up to meet the boy, catching him in the shoulder and forcing him to the side. His dagger clattered to the ground, and yet the boy did not stop. His hands found his thrown sword and he spun on the still reeling cardinal. Once more he roared and this time his blade found purchase.
With one last breath, the cardinal looked into the eyes of his killer. It was not a monster. Not a lich. Not an assassin. Not even an up and coming warrior seeking fame. It was some unknown kid he had underestimated. Then, the cardinal lived no more.
His opponent dead, the boy turned to the two girls he had protected. "You alright?" While he didn't expect the blonde to reply, he was surprised to get no response from the clearly awake pink haired girl. She laid there, eyes unfocused, holding a black gem. The boy's head snapped back to the gem as it pulsed once with a dark, sickly blackness. "Hey, you okay?"
"She is ending." A high pitched voice filled the boy's head. His head snapped around, searching for the voice and finding no source. He was about to question the voice, but he was cut off. "Quickly, retrieve the pendant from the slain man."
Though he was not sure why, the boy trusted the voice and rushed to the large cardinal. With a yank, he removed the gold pendant from the dead man's neck. "Now what?" He called out to the invisible voice.
The voice sounded within the boy's head as he moved to the now convulsing girl's side. "Press the black gem to hers."
Quickly finding the black gem on the pendant, the boy grasped the girl's wrist and held her still. Only now did he hear her talk through pained breaths. "Ha- ha- Even the void cannot save me." Then, with the faintest of clinks, the boy touched black gem to black gem. The effect was instantaneous. The girl stopped convulsing and lay still. Heavy breaths escaped her as she stared with wonder at the gem in her hand. "How…?" She whispered with amazement.
Slowly but surely, the deep blackness that enveloped the girl's gem fled into the pendant until not a speck remained. The gem shined with the brightest of pinks. The boy's breath was taken away, and then knocked from his lungs as he was shoved aside. Louise wasted no time pressing the void stone on the pendant to Montmorency's ring. Just as before, the darkness was drained from the gem and sealed within the void stone. Louise moved her soul gem behind Montmorency's head and slowly let loose a small amount of her power. She could feel the flesh slowly knit itself back together. Montmorency would probably be fine, but Louise was not about to risk a head injury.
Once she had finished healing Montmorency, Louise brought her soul gem back to the void stone and pressed it once again to the black gem. Still unbelieving, Louise watched a single speck of blackness leave her shining soul gem. It was... amazing. "You okay?" A confused voice sounded from behind Louise.
Louise whirled around, having almost forgot her savior. The boy had risen and was dusting himself off. Rising herself, Louise bowed as years of etiquette training took over. "Thank you! I'm so sorry for shoving you!"
The boy before her rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed by the whole ordeal. "I couldn't just leave you alone, could I?"
It was surreal. Just when everything had seemed lost, when she had given up hope, someone had shown up to help her. Silently, Louise thanked Brimir for looking out for her. Finally getting a good look at the boy, Louise confirmed her idea that he was very foreign. Not only his clothing and hair, but his face was odd as well. She almost thought him some derivative of a demon with his angular features and black hair. That would have been a laugh. A lich saved by a demon. "Er..." Louise began, still embarrassed with her rough treatment of him. "I'm Louise, what is your name?"
With a grand smile, the boy responded. "I'm Saito, Saito Hiraga. I know a safe place not too far from here. You can tell me all about whatever adventure brought you two here on the way."
With no reason to distrust this boy, Saito, he called himself, Louise allowed him to lift Montmorency onto his back and lead her deeper into the forest.
Well, that should leave you with a few questions. If it isn't obvious, this is the end of act one. We are about a third of the way through the story, give or take.
With the introduction of Saito I want to make one thing perfectly clear. There will be no pairing between him and Louise. In fact, I hate to use the term pairing at all as it implies some sort need for romantic interaction to validate the story. I am not against romance as plot or romance subplots in stories mind you; in fact there is a possibility of romance between characters in this story. Just I will not use the term pairing, and it won't be between Saito and Louise. First off is the fact that a relationship would have a very hard time flourishing between the two if they were not forced to be together with the master/familiar relationship. Also, Louise and Saito have such clashing personalities that such development would derail the plot.
As for why Saito is there in general? I thought long and hard about this point, worry not. His presence is well thought out and intentional for reasons I can't explain without spoilers.
Anyways, I expect the next chapter to take a bit longer to come out. I am revising my outline for better flow, so that might take some time.