I don't own Zero no Tsukaima, or all of the other stuff I mention in this chapter
AN : Hey all, this chapter took way too long, but I just got a new job as a Canvasser, and I have to juggle college with that job too. So future chapters will take longer to finish, and they may be shorter than what I like, but that's the way it is. I tried to get this out as fast as I could.
Anyway, here's where all of the treasures are from : The Bow of Shadowhunt is from Oblivion, the Sword of a Thousand Truths is from Southpark, the Belt of Hindsight is from Dragon Age 2, The Pickhammer of Wellows is from Fable, The Hand of Ragnaros is from WOW, The Great and Mighty Infinity +1 Sword is from TV Tropes, The Legendary Brisingamen is the necklace of Goddess Freyja and it is mentioned in the epic Beowulf, The Magnificent Sword known as The Glory of Ten Powers is from Chinese mythology, and The Boots of Springheel Jak is also from Oblivion.
Now to answer some reviews!
Nox Walkermaru – you were half right when you thought that it was from Rave Master, since The Glory of Ten Powers was the inspiration for the Ten Commandments from Rave Master
geororo – oops, I fixed the mistake you pointed out. Also, you were right. You win a cookie.
ZeroTheDestroyer – Saito is also confused about his origins, thanks to the runes. A large part of this will be Saito trying to make his origin clearer. All he knows about himself is slightly more than what I have revealed
Madork Gunna – Don't apologize for puns, I like them. Even bad ones.
Gerald Armagnac de Fézensaguet gazed at the thing that had stolen his younger brother's wand. It was a commoner. He couldn't believe that he was lowering himself to fight someone so pathetic; the idiot hasn't even removed its dagger from its sheath. He was a triangle class wind mage, and here he was facing off with something that wasn't worthy of even seeing his estate.
"What's going on?" The commoner's sword was talking?
"I pissed off another Noble, don't worry, it happens all the time. I'm bad at being civil to these idiots." The fool casually said without moving its gaze away from Gerald. "Who are you anyway?"
"I am Gerald Armagnac de Fézensaguet, and you insulted my younger brother. My family wants me to… Get rid of you." Gerald said without a trace of emotion. He pitied this commoner; it wasn't going to walk away from this fight. He believed a simple lashing would suffice but his family thought otherwise.
"Get rid of me? What does that mean?"
"It means exactly what it sounds like."
The commoner tensed, but it quickly relaxed its stance. "Your brother challenged me to a duel; it's not my fault he lost."
Roger was the one who instigated the fight? That wasn't possible; if a commoner and a Noble fought on even terms then a Noble would always win. "You lie."
"Denying the truth doesn't change it. Now, are we going to fight or what?" This little commoner thought it was tough?
Gerald glared at the peasant, he had heard rumors that he had fought and beaten Nobles. He couldn't underestimate it. His brother could lose to a commoner without too many important people noticing, but Gerald, he was a Mage Knight. A low ranking Mage Knight but a Mage Knight none the less. He had proper training for fighting in a combat situation. "Aren't you afraid?"
"A little, but I don't plan on dying here."
"Come on! Don't use the little knife, use-!" The commoner quickly silenced the talking weapon by pushing it into its scabbard.
Gerald stared at the commoner, and the commoner stared at him, both waiting for the other to make the first move. Gerald couldn't stand it, this commoner had started both of the previous fights, it had to be more aggressive than this. "Why aren't you attacking?"
"Behind you is the Charming Fairy's Inn. If I push you back, we might end up fighting in their restaurant. I don't want that, Scarron and his daughter were nice to me. I'd feel guilty if we made a mess in there." The commoner answered to Gerald's surprise. It had honor. That was definitely unexpected. Gerald took a few steps away from the inn, and both he and the commoner began circling each other. They were both waiting for their opponent to misstep. Perfect.
Gerald grinned; he could easily make the commoner make the first mistake. Gerald stumbled, and the commoner did exactly what he wanted. The commoner ran forward at an inhuman speed, and Gerald began a quick chant. "Dell yill soll." The commoner threw an aggressive punch and Gerald dodged. He grabbed the commoner's arm and forced it to follow its momentum to the ground. "La windé!" He finished as Gerald pointed his combat wand at the downed commoner.
The commoner quickly rolled away from the attack, only to be thrown by the force behind it. The commoner went through the air and slammed against the cobble stone street. Gerald grinned as he went on the offensive, charging at the downed commoner. The commoner quickly got to its feet and parried every jab the noble sent with his combat wand. Gerald forced the commoner further and further back. Gerald's grin began to slip, this was far too easy. The commoner was letting himself get pushed back, but what was unsettling was that Gerald couldn't see anything advantageous.
Then the commoner gave a smile, and Gerald knew he had just walked right into a trap. The commoner reached back as Gerald brought his combat wand back, waiting for the commoner to strike. The commoner threw its hand forward and from it unleashed a red cloud of dust into Gerald's face.
"AHHHH!" Gerald screamed as his eyes and nose burned. Suddenly he felt his wand jerk out of his hand, and felt a brass fist meet his face and he fell to the ground.
"Sorry about the paprika, I meant to throw pepper. Thought that would be less uncomfortable, but it wasn't in my reach. I have your wand, so you should probably leave."
"I underestimated you commoner." Gerald said as he pushed himself up, trying to rub the burning spice out of his eyes. That commoner would suffer for that cheap trick.
"That's a common trend among Nobles. You're number three to make that mistake. You should also wash it out with water, rubbing will make it worse."
Gerald stumbled towards a bucket of water, washing the paprika out of his eyes. Once it was out he gazed into the reflection of the water. The commoner was still behind him, ready to fight and holding his combat wand. It seems it wasn't stupid enough to lower its guard. Gerald stealthily reached into his shirt and pulled out his wand. It wasn't made for combat like the one the commoner took, but he was sure he had surprise on his side. He needed to distract that piece of scum. "The spice was a bit dishonorable."
"Dishonorable would be using a human shield; it would be using these people as a wall between me and you. Throwing the paprika, that was just being pragmatic."
"I see we have differing views on what honor is." Gerald said as he began silently reciting a magic chant.
"Your honor believes in looking good, my honor believes is doing good and surviving. Now I think you should leave soon. Once you're gone I'll be on my way. I'll disappear. You don't have to kill me."
"La windé" Gerald said as quietly as he could before quickly pointing his wand at the scum. A grin covered his face as the commoner's eyes widened as a powerful hammer of wind slammed into its chest. As the commoner was thrown up in the air and slammed on the corner of the roof of the building across from the Charming Fairy.
Gerald put away his spare wand, smiling as he heard the loud moans of the commoner. He reached down and picked up the commoner's dagger and his combat wand, the commoner had lost its grip due to the force behind his magical attack. He unsheathed the dagger. It was well made, with very high quality metal. He put it back in its sheath, it made of a material he wasn't familiar with. Gerald cast a simple Levitation spell, and rose into the air. He slowly lowered himself onto the roof of the building, as the common filth had drawn its sword and was prepared to fight.
"Do you have my knife?"
"That's what you want to know right now, Partner? Is there something wrong with you?"
"I have to agree with that rusty stick." Gerald spat out. "And I do have it. It is well made."
"I take good care of my things." The commoner said as he backed up, moving towards a large, brick chimney. The commoner's strategy was painfully obvious; it was trying to get the chimney between it and him. Might as well let it get the false sense of confidence
The commoner then quickly moved behind the chimney, just as Gerald knew it would. Gerald began a quick chant, and let loose powerful wind blades, slicing the chimney to pieces. Then his eyes widened as the commoner's body was nowhere to be seen. Gerald began to cautiously move forward, scanning the area for the commoner.
Saito kept a firm grip on Derflinger, imbedded in the wall of the building. Saito had gone off the edge of the building, and was using Derf to hold himself against the wall of the building. Saito grinned as Gerald approached, seeing the noble's shadow against the street. He only needed to get a little closer to the edge. The instant Saito saw the noble's light brown hair he jumped up and grabbed the man by the belt, pulled him back and threw him off the roof.
Saito pulled Derf out of the wall, his grin growing when he saw that Gerald belly-flopped the cold cobble-stone road. Then Saito frowned as he saw the noble get up, trying to catch the breath that was surely knocked out of him. Saito turned towards The Charming Fairy's Inn, deciding to play it safe. He ran full speed and jumped off of the roof.
Saito sailed through the air, and broke through the window to his room. He landed on the ground hard, and lost his grip on Derflinger. Saito clenched his eyes shut as horrible pain flowed through his body, no longer suppressed by the runes. He ignored it, and made his way to the relieving sight of snowmen. He reached into the satchel and pulled out his Beretta. The pain instantly left him. This mage was definitely too strong for him to beat with only his skill, he needed to used this.
Saito chambered a round, and turned the safety off. He lay on his back, pointed the pistol towards the window, and waited. Saito saw Gerald float and land on the building they were not even a minute earlier fighting on. Saito didn't shoot, he wasn't confident enough in his aim, and if he missed Gerald he knew the bullet would keep going and land somewhere in the small city. The chances of a missed shot hitting an innocent were too high at this range. So he waited as the mage walked out of his line of sight.
"Derflinger, ask if I'm okay. Loud enough so that our friend out there finds us." Saito quietly ordered.
"PARTNER! Uhhh, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"
It didn't take more than five seconds for Gerald to float in through the window. His eyes widened as he pointed his wand at Saito. "DELL!"
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
Saito lowered his Beretta, as everything slowed down. Gerald seemed to fall forward in slow motion, shock still present in his eyes. Saito heard the clang as each of the bullet's casing hit the ground. Gerald was still tightly gripping his rapier like wand, muttering "Dell" over and over again. At this moment Saito began to fully realize what he may have just done.
Saito grabbed the four spent casings and put them in the satchel. He then walked over and grabbed Derflinger, putting the sword in its sheath. Saito moved to Gerald, and pulled the wand out of his hand.
He rolled the man onto his back. He had four bullet wounds, three above the waist, and one distressingly close to his knee. "You're going to be all right, I'll make sure you don't die." Saito told himself more than Gerald. Saito quickly grabbed Gerald's spare wand and took his knife back before taking the wounded man's shirt and pants off. "Damn it." Saito muttered. He had hit the man's kneecap. Saito wasn't sure if magic could fix that. One bullet wound on each shoulder, one in the gut, and one on his right knee. Could have been worse.
"By the founder…" Saito glanced towards the voice; Jessica and Scarron were by the door.
Saito looked down, ashamed. He quickly steeled his resolve; he wasn't going to let this man die. "Jessica, go get hot water and some bandages. Scarron, get over here and help me put pressure on the wounds." Saito sternly ordered.
"Listen to him honey." Scarron told Jessica as he shooed her away. He moved to the dying noble and put his weight on the shoulder wounds.
Saito quickly went to his satchel, and turned on his Beretta's safety and put it in. Saito froze for a moment as pain returned to his senses, but he fought the pain and ignored it. He then grabbed a white undershirt, something he felt he could spare. Saito grabbed the rapier like wand and tied the shirt around Gerald's right leg. He put the wand through the shirt, and began twisting, tightening the shirt's hold and cutting off the flow of blood to the noble's leg with the tourniquet.
"Scarron, is there a healer or doctor or something close by?"
"No but I know where the healer lives." Scarron quickly said his normal flamboyance not present.
"Here's some extra rags, will that work?" Jessica had just gotten back, she also had a bucket.
"Thanks." Saito quickly said as he poured water on the wounds. He dried them off and hastily used the makeshift bandages. Gerald was unconscious as Saito tried to pick him up. Scarron quickly helped and they made their way to the healer.
"Why did this happen?" Jessica asked
"I don't know." That was a bad lie.
Sitting next to a very badly wounded mage was not what Jessica had in mind when she woke up this morning. The last thing she had expected was that the new dishwasher would be capable enough to defeat a powerful Noble. A dragon attacking and stealing every bottle of wine was more likely than this.
The healer had just left, having used their water magic to close the wounds. She stared at the Noble's face, and marveled at how smooth it looked. It was flawless, to the point of looking almost haunting. Of course the unnatural paleness was probably the cause of that, as he had lost a lot of blood when her father and Saito carried the Noble here.
Saito. Who was that boy? She had never seen a commoner like him. Anybody else who had been confronted by a Noble would have either surrendered or run, but he chose to stand and fight! Then the way Saito and the Noble moved when they were fighting, it was like some enchanting yet terrifying and violent dance. Then before she and Scarron had entered Saito's room there were those four horrible booms, she had no idea what could have done it. It couldn't have been a firearm, each boom occurred too close to each other.
She got up and began walking to Saito's room. He wasn't in as bad condition at the Noble. A few broken ribs and some bleeding, but she couldn't see any of his cuts. The healer said that if he stayed still for a few days he'd be fine.
"Jessica, honey, we need to head back to the Inn." It was her father.
"What about Saito?"
"He needs to rest for a few days, the healer said he reopened some bad wounds."
Reopened wounds? "He had already been injured?" Jessica asked as she and her father began heading back to the inn. Now this was odd, why did Saito already have bad wounds? Getting into fights like that couldn't be a regular thing, if it was he wouldn't live for a month, and he was still here.
"Did you hear? Some commoner beat up a member of the Manticore corps!"
"Some commoner assaulted a lower Noble!"
"A Duke attacked a commoner and the commoner beat him to a pulp!"
Jessica kept glancing all over the place. People were already talking about Saito's fight, and it seemed that none of them could agree on what happened, just that the Noble lost. Talks of it were spreading. What if people learned that it happened at the…
"I heard that it happened at the Charming Fairy's Inn!"
"Really! He might still be there!"
Well, they'd have a lot of customers today, and since Saito was injured, most of the patrons would be disappointed. But it would be good for the Inn.
"Jessica, I'll need you doing the dishes. It looks like we'll be VERY busy today." Her father flamboyantly told her, and she groaned. She couldn't help but envy her father for being able to act normal after what just happened. Well, normal for him.
As Jessica and her father arrived at their Inn, they couldn't help but be surprised at the line at the door. People were ready to see where the commoner and Noble fought. That, and maybe have a few drinks. At least they will be buying something if they want to stay at the Charming Fairy's. Today would be a profitable day.
They made their way through the crowd, and entered the inn. The other girls were already there, and cleaning the mess. The initial wind spell the mage used left the room a mess; thankfully the other girls have already cleaned it up.
"Alright Fairies! Get ready, today's going to be a big day!" Scarron exuberantly told the girls.
"Yes Mi Mademoiselle!"
Jessica got to work, finishing up the preparations before they opened the doors to the public.
"Hey Jessica!" Jessica turned to the girl, it was Marlene. "You heard about the fight, right? Did you see any of it?"
Did she see any of it? How little did Marlene and the others know about this? "It fight started in here. The mage came in here and was waiting for Saito."
"Who?"
"The dishwasher we hired yesterday."
"…but the commoner who was in the fight had a sword." Marlene said is disbelief.
This made Jessica pause for a moment. 'Where did he get a sword? The cheapest sword I've ever seen was 40 écus.' This was odd, to say the least. "I don't know how he got the sword."
"I bought it, don't tell me you thought I stole it or something." Jessica turned to the sound of the voice, needing to see the source to believe it. It was Saito walking down the stairs, the topic of their conversation strapped on his back.
"Did you really fight and beat a Noble?" Marlene squealed as she approached the swordsman.
"You're the warrior commoner?"
"How did you beat a mage?"
"Do you want to go out sometime?"
All of the Fairies swarmed around Saito, assaulting him with question after question as a look of confusion and surprise covered his face.
Jean Colbert was walking the halls, going towards the dining area. It was lunch time, and he was starving. He had missed breakfast, having been busy in his lab studying some dragon's blood he had recently obtained. It was different from typical blood from dragons, coming from a mythical metal dragon that was sighted about 40 years ago. It smelled different and it seemed that the blood itself was flammable which was incredibly strange. The blood also wasn't opaque, it was a clear orangish color.
Colbert arrived at the dining room. It was much simpler than what the students were given. This was mostly due to the teacher's request, as money not spent on the dining room went to funding the rest of the school. The students received a much more extravagant dining area with the entire ceiling supported with magic enchantments instead of non-magical supports, mostly to impress their parents enough so that they will donate money or view the school as a good one to send their child to. It worked fairly well, however Colbert was always disappointed when parents were in awe of the school's extravagance instead of the teaching staff's skill. Why should it matter if a room is held up by magic or more traditional non-magic supports?
Colbert took a seat next to one of the new teachers, Chevreuse or something. He waited for the food to arrive, or possibly for Osmond to arrive and eat with him. As he thought of the Headmaster of the school his mind couldn't help but wander to the topic of Gandàlfr.
He had never really talked to the boy, he wasn't even sure what his name was. He had never had a chance to talk to the boy, only having seen him when he was first summoned and passed out, then when Osmond scryed him to observe the fight between him and Guiche. Still, they should have been prepared for this. This was a person that was summoned, so he had to have family or friends, something for him to run to.
"Oh, and Miss Vallière returned to class today, she seemed to be in high spirits as well." Chevreuse told the teacher sitting next to her. Colbert wasn't sure who that teacher was.
"Really? She has already recovered from her Familiar fleeing?"
"I know! I was surprised too!"
"How are the repairs of your classroom going?"
"They're enchanting the walls, to make them more durable so they won't break next time."
The servants came in, bringing the food. It was the same food the students ate. Following behind the servants Osmond entered and took his seat next to Colbert. "Good afternoon, Old Osmond. Any news on Louise's Familiar?"
"We've discovered that some criminals have bought Fézensaguet's wand, and they are demanding 2000 écus for it to be returned. They were in Tristain City."
Colbert groaned. The Fézensaguet family would probably blame the school if the wand's theft became public, trying to move the blame away from themselves. It would be better to let the Fézensaguets solve the problem themselves. "Louise has gone back to classes. We should talk to her about her Familiar, see if she knows anything about where he went."
"We should, but I think that she may need more time."
"We need to do it as soon as possible, it will help us find him."
Saito was traveling across the rooftops, over the calm night the city experienced. The Charming Fairy's was closed for the night. He didn't really work today, Scarron just wanted Saito to be visible. It seemed that having the commoner who beat a Noble out front was good for attracting customers. Of course Saito had recently quit his job at the Charming Fairy, he had to get out of this city. If Gerald was able to find him, it couldn't be too long until others come. Afterall, he had practically tried to make enemies while he was at the academy.
He had of course let Scarron, Jessica, and the other girls knew that he was leaving.
Saito gazed down at the one place he was going to visit before he left the city. It was the Healer's building. Saito jumped onto the building, ignoring as pain shot through his body. He climbed down the side of the building, and entered through an unlocked window. He then quietly entered his target's room. He grabbed both of the man's wands, and shook the injured man until he woke up.
"Wh-what's going on?"
"Good morning Fézensaguet. How did you find me?" Saito watched in the dark as the Noble reached for where his wands used to be. "I took your wands. Now answer my question."
Saito could make out that Gerald was in deep thought. Saito reached back and grabbed his dagger, feeling all the aches in his body fade as he prepared for whatever the Noble did. "My Familiar, a dog, followed your scent."
"Are there others pursuing me?"
"Right now, it is just me. However once I recover I will go after you again, and I won't be alone next time. We'll also be prepared for that special weapon you have."
Saito got up and looked at the Noble's leg. It was still badly injured, and he knew that the healers weren't able to completely heal the kneecap. Gerald would have trouble if Saito walked, let alone if he ran. He didn't have to worry. "Thanks for the info. I'd say get well soon, but…"
"You aren't going to kill me?" The Noble asked as Saito got up to leave.
"No, I'm not a killer." Saito got out of the room and closed the door, quickly throwing the wands on the floor before leaving through the window. He had to get out of this city. Where, he was not yet sure.
AN: About half of this chapter was the fight scene. I hope you all liked it, what with the first use of the gun and all. I enjoyed the fight scene quite a bit. Although I only now realize that Louise isn't in this chapter at all.
Ah well, there wasn't a flashback either. I have a few planned out already, one of them involves a Halloween party and a homemade Jesus costume. It is most inappropriate.
Anyway, read and review please, I was very happy with the 9 reviews this chapter.
This is Lee, and I'm Out!