Into the Void (Brutal Legend/Zero no Tsukaima)

[Olvelsper]

Here's my last story. This one I'm not really going to be doing anything on until I get one of my other two fics moved along a little more, but I will conclude it. By the power of METAL


*****

The Familiar of Zero is the property of Noboru Yamaguchi and Brutal Legend is the property of Double Fine Productions.

"Into the Void"

Track 01: No Life 'til Metal

"Jacques! Wake up!" The voice is very distant, but enough to cause my eyes flutter open as consciousness returns to me. I shift about in the straw bedding set down four days ago. I let out a yawn as something shuffles behind me.

With my vision finally clearing, I turn face to snout with a friendly pig. It snorts affectionately, and nudges me in the forehead.

"Mornin'." I mutter to the porcine while I lumber onto my feet. I grunt, feeling a twinge in my back. My movement causes several of the other farm animals to anxiously shuffle about, their silhouettes only visible thanks to the faint dawn streaming in from partially open window.

I pick up my shirt, slipping it on, before hopping into my boots. On the way out of the barn, I pause a moment at the entrance, and gaze at the portrait hanging on the inside of the door. A smile crossed my lips.

I was going to go see the Siren of the Void and the Harbinger of Metal tonight!

The Siren was a tiny woman with long, wavy pink hair, and matching eyes. She leaned casually against her partner, arms crossing before her. She wore a nice, dark dress that hung up to her thighs, and a black beret on her head.

Beside her was the Harbinger of Metal, his right hand resting on the Siren's shoulder left shoulder. He was a solidly built man with long, dark hair, standing posed with his left hand held high, pointer and pinky raised into the air. The pair stood before a vast plain with innumerable soldiers.

Every one of them were in various states of injury with their heads bowed, gazing towards the grass. From the perspective the Siren and Harbinger were standing, they looked to have won a fierce battle. Far in the distance, a volcano erupted, smoke and lava spewing forth against a blood red sky.

I'm not sure why, but I always felt awed.

"Jacques! This is the last time I'm going to call for you! Get out here or we're leaving without you!" My employer's voice reminded me to hastily remove the portrait. Behind the frame rested a single ticket to the concert. I rushed out, my fingers running along the paper's surface. It felt as precious as gold.

...

It was late afternoon as I made my way into Tristania. The heat was unbearable for this time of the year, but I made due with a worn straw hat. I could not afford weakness from the sun's harsh rays.

The clatter of horse drawn carriages rumbled behind me, and I was forced aside, lest I be trampled underneath. I spared a moment from picking myself off the ground to cast a glare at the driver.

"I'm sorry, lad! The young miss here will absolutely go in a tizzy if she misses the show!" The driver apologized, whipping at the leather cords clenched in his fists. He urged the horses onwards without slowing down.

My eyes went to the back of the carriage, understanding dawning on me. There, partially hanging out of the back window of the ivory and gold carriage, was the portrait of the man I and many others had come to see.

The Harbinger of Metal.

I finished brushing myself off, and started heading towards the center of the town. I was swiftly joined by a crowd - consisting of other farm hands, domestic help, merchants, and nobles - as we all gathered towards the castle gates.

Once we arrived, we are greeted by guards, who manage to get the tide to get into orderly lines with the help of several blockades. I observe four guards posted to each entrance, and what appears to be several more casually patrolling along the perimeter.

"Hey, wake up." A guard's voice snaps me out of my daze. I note, with great chagrin, that the line had moved on ahead of me. A noble standing behind nudged my back.

"You're next, lad." She amusedly murmured. Several disgruntled commoners and nobles alike give me the stink-eye, but I manage to walk up to the guard without appearing more of a loser than I already had.

"I-I'm sorry. This is just all new..." I mumble as I reach into my pocket, and bring out a slightly dingy paper ticket. It had countless wrinkles on it where I had folded and unfolded it nervously through the previous night.

"First timer, huh?" The guard looked amused  while he checked the ticket. "Just prepare yourself for the best show you've ever seen, alright?"

I rapidly nod, causing the guard to laugh, and wave me through. I join a milling crowd past the blockade, and noticed that I was feeling much cooler when I stepped inside. Was this the noble's magic at work? If it was, then I was certainly appreciative.

Nobles and commoners alike were dressed in black and white robes or tunics and pants - symbolizing their following of Ironheade. Above us, the sun cast a golden glow over the area, reflecting off their chrome necklaces and studs. I felt vaguely ashamed that I could only afford the rags I wore daily, while I listened to the eager conversation flittering about.

A loud commotion comes up from behind - full of whistles and laughter. I spin to see what has everyone so worked up.

"Wow." I mutter.

A thrill of fascination runs through me, my eyes casting upon a gaggle of beautiful women dressed in black and white. Unlike the people around me, the amount of clothing they wore was very much on the minimal side.

At the head of the pack, a dark skinned redhead that almost burst out of the stitches of her clothing walked beside a blonde. I rapidly blinked, my eyes focused on the area slightly around her profile. Where golden hair parted, I could spot...pointed ears?

"Kyuu~!" The noise above distracts me from the skimpily dressed women strutting past the crowd into the castle. A blue dragon soars in circles above us. Its colors contrasting starkly against the sky drew the eye.

The air around the castle steadily grows colder and my teeth begin to chatter. Several nobles in the group around me mutter amongst themselves in confusion, and I spot motion above the dragon. My mouth gapes open, watching a figure holding a crooked wooden staff gestures towards the main palace gates.

The crowd goes wild as two funnels of wind begin drawing the frigid air into two spots on each side of the palace's main gate. Before my amazed eyes, ice gathered at the base of the two tornadoes, and began to rise.

The temperature around me dropped further as the ice flared and curved into the shape of two giants. On the left hand side was the Siren of the Void, her likeness looming higher than three men put together. On the right, dwarfing the songstress' statue, was the spitting image of the Harbinger.

Apparently this was some kind of signal, because the crowd began to funnel into the castle gates. I  allow myself to be drawn into the flow, happily listening in on the conversations buzzing around me.

"I heard the Harbinger is going to do a solo tonight-"

"The Queen is going all out to greet them. It has been a while-"

My attention is suddenly drawn away by a loud shriek.

"I want to see Louise! Let me see Louise!"

My gaze is drawn to a statuesque, glasses wearing blonde in a rather dowdy looking outfit. Sort of gave off the vibe of those people that really didn't approve of the revolution that Eddie had brought to Tristain, but live and let live, right?

"You're not on the list, lady." Apparently the two rather massive man shaped muscles standing in her way disagree. They simply cross their beefy arms in front of their wide chests, and continue to stand in front of a wooden door, ignoring the woman's ranting.

I eventually lose sight of them, and I entered the main hall, which simply swelled upwards and outwards to a frightening degree. I stumbled into several bemuse looking nobles, and eventually had to request the help of one to find my way.

As I find my seat with the help of the staff of the castle, I glanced at the massive stage in front of me. It really was a grand use of space, with all manner of boxes, each the size of the shacks back home, stood passive guard in front of a rich, blue velvet curtain.

I could vaguely see motion behind the stage.

The excited murmurs of the crowd grew, and I saw someone three rows in front of me point up to the second floor of the hall. I followed where the gawking man was pointing and realized that it was Queen Henrietta.

Looking lovelier than anyone I had ever seen before, the purple haired monarch had exchanged the dress befitting her station to a tight looking white shirt with a black and white image. I wasn't able to  make out what it was from this distance, though.

I wonder why she looks so peaceful in that image? She's usually grinning proudly, or with a hint of mischief, in most of the promotional portraits and merchandise.

"Are you ready to ROCK, Tristain?!" I glanced away from Queen Henrieta's seat at the voice of the star of the show booming throughout the hall. The Siren bounced onto center stage in full stage dress. A black mini dress with pink edges along the bottom of the skirt. Her legs were clad in sparkling stockings as lights focused on her from the second floor.

In her hands she's clutching at a microphone. I can't really get a real good approximate height for her as she is completely dwarfed by four massive amps. They stood towards the back of the stage, arrayed around her for maximum crowd coverage.

"I said...are you ready to ROCK?!" The Siren demanded again.

A surge of cheers rush upwards to meet her, and she responds to it by grinning fiercely. I notice that while the lights were focusing on the Siren, the skimpily dressed blonde and redheads had joined the pink haired woman upstage, along with a more modestly clothed blue haired woman.

The blonde smiled happily at the crowd from her spot to the right, and slightly behind the Siren. Her grip was steady on her guitar, fingers at the ready to shred some tunes out of it. The redhead grinned fiercely, her eyes shining in the light while she twirled her drumsticks behind her drums. The blue haired girl was relaxed, her fingers brushing on the surface of her electric keyboard.

"Well then!" The Siren howled. A small wand suddenly flew in from off stage. The pink haired woman snatched it up with her free hand. With a smooth, sweeping motion, she caused the entire front of the stage to erupt in a series of explosions, traveling from the right to the left.

"LET'S ROCK!" Her declaration caused the crowd to go wild. My gleeful shout mixed with their adulation, all of it ringing in my ears.

*****

Five years ago...

Louise de La Valliere felt the jeers of her classmates splash onto her back like acid. The fingers on her wand hand twitched, and she attempted to stoically face the summoning circle.

"Just take a moment to concentrate. No need to rush." Professor Colbert's assurances were a salve to fight off the surface sting of her fellow Nobles' words, but their acidic barbs were lodged in too deep now. She absolutely had to summon a magnificent Familiar!

Or her career at the Tristain Academy of Magic was over.

Louise licked suddenly dry lips, facing the innocent circle. Her eyelids twitched subconsciously, and she pulled her lips back into a rather dangerous looking grimace upon hearing another barb get launched at her side.

"What's wrong? Weren't you going to summon a familiar to top our own? At this rate, the only way I can see that happening is if our familiars die of old age." Zerbst's voice purred out mockingly. Several people laughed at the redhead's words, causing Louise to clench onto her wand tightly.

Okay, this was it. Just pull everything you learned together, Louise.

The pink haired girl brought up her wand, and gestured at the summoning circle. As she began her chant, a powerful gust of wind swept across the grassy fields around her and the others.

"My servant that existed somewhere in this vast universe. My divine, beautiful, wise, powerful servant, heed my call. I wish from very bottom of my heart and add to my guidance and appear!" Her voice desperately clawed at the air towards the end.

Nothing responded.

Louise flinched back in horror. Her wand slipped from nerveless fingers, and a wave of laughter began to pound on her from every side.

"Louise the Zero does it again!"

"It's amazing! She couldn't even get an explosion off this time!"

"Everyone settle down this moment!" Professor Colbert sternly chided Louise's peers. The pink haired girl dully looked around her, the shouted commentary and laughter beginning to be subsumed by a low pitched whining.

Professor Colbert took notice of the same sound. He turned towards her with naked concern in his kind, blue eyes, and he took a step towards her. He slowly held a hand in her direction, sounding like he was speaking garbled nonsense to her.

Louise continued to glance around in dazed befuddlement, wondering why the sound continued to grow. Her throat began to itch, while more and more students stopped to stare at her strangely. Zerbst even took a step towards her.

It was nice that they were trying to help her locate the sound, but her guts suddenly twisted before she could open her mouth to speak. Louise felt herself gracelessly tumble onto the ground on her hands and knees. Several students were startled into stepping away from the magic circle at the sudden motion, but Professor Colbert and Zerbst rushed to support her.

Louise felt her head begin to pound, her vision swaying wildly at the crushing weight of her failure descending on her. With that realization, she became aware that the low, keening sound had been coming from her own throat.

"N-no! Get away!" She shrieked, waving a hand at Zerbst. Her eyes desperately sought out the blue robes of Professor Colbert. Once she saw him, she began to wail. "Please! You have to let me try again!"

"Louise..." Professor Colbert began, but winced as she quickly crawled towards him and grasped at his robes.

"I beg you! Just one more chance!" Louise's eyes stared up at him, dancing with light. He was always good to her. Much better than a Zero like her deserved. Surely he could bend the rules just this time?!

"G-go on." Professor Colbert quickly glanced away - probably not allowing his student to see the pity in his face. Louise thanked him quietly as she picked up the wand from the ground, quickly stumbling to her feet, and began moving towards the summoning circle.

Louise stilled her body's trembling, standing before the circle in absolute silence. Several of her classmates simple stared at her with naked concern, watching the pink haired girl mumble her way through the summoning ritual.

"My servant that existed somewhere in this vast universe. My divine, beautiful, wise, powerful servant, heed my call. I wish from very bottom of my heart and add to my guidance and appear," Louise concluded her spell with a sigh of defeat. No spark of magic had gathered above her at all during the ritual.

An eerie silence dominated the clearing, then the whispers began.

For all of two seconds.

Louise yelped, hearing a loud pop go off in the center of the summoning circle. A thin, sparkling stream of fire belched out, with more crackling pops. It was joined by four more in turn, each of the sparkling flames appearing in the cardinal directions on the circle.

"What is-" One of the students began, but he and the rest of the audience was suddenly blasted backwards when a terrific torrent of flame exploded upwards and outwards. A metallic shriek tore through the pleasant afternoon while the earth shattered.

Magma and flame spat outwards, setting parts of the lawn ablaze, and sending out thick plumes of smoke. A gleaming silver arm with clawed fingers thrust towards the skies above, before smashing into the ground.

More of those metal screams ripped through Louise's ears, making her wince, and cover her ears. She observed in shock as another limb clawed out of the flaring pit to join the first one. A fast scrambling could be heard as more magma blasted outwards. A ten-foot tall, twenty-foot long quadrupedal beast with steel for flesh howled at her and the nobles behind her, dripping magma onto the ground below it.

Its horned head whipped to and fro, taking in its surroundings before focusing on her. The beast took a few steps closer, leaving a trail of molten earth and steam in its wake. It growled deep in its throat, and its jaws opened and shut with a noise akin to blades clashing.

Shouts and roars of fear could be heard all around Louise as the young girl scrambled to pick herself up from the ground. The metallic beast leisurely moved towards her, several tendrils of steel bouncing about on its back, and its tusks digging furrows in the ground.

The pink haired girl rubbed at where her forehead had met the ground, promptly ignoring the anger directed at her by the soot covered, and increasingly peeved crowd when she joined them in retreating form the beast. It let out another howl, and began to lumber after Louise, but was stopped by an explosion of flame by Professor Colbert, who stood his ground directly against the beast.

It merely looked at the man, then the flames he generated before leaping over it, and rushing after Louise. The young girl unfortunately tripped and fell to the ground in her blind rush to get away from the rampaging beast.

Yet nothing happened.

The confused girl slowly pulled her arms from around her head, and glanced over at the metallic beast she had summoned. However, before she or anyone else could do anything, it rumbled one last time.

"Interesting. I accept." With that word, a blast of steam and smoke erupted out of openings at the tip of the tendrils hanging from its back. The cover absolutely hid the monster from sight, and Louise would normally have stopped to think.

This was her last chance, though.

Louise let out a terrific cheer, and she raced around the torn up ground into the dust cloud. Skidding to a stop and looking like an eager puppy, her eyes glanced upon the one that had responded to her desperate summoning.

The tall, square jawed man gazed at her in surprise, hands gripping a gleaming bar extending out from a platform. Several strange items that Louise could not recognize were on top of the platform, but the pink haired girl put those thoughts to the side as she held up her wand.

"My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Valliere-!"

"Well, that's nice." The man muttered, his long black hair and bushy side brows fluttering. "My name is Eddie Riggs, do you-"

"Pentagon of the five elemental powers; bless this humble being, and make him my familiar!" Louise quickly interrupted the man and gestured with her wand one last time. Before he could react, the noble threw herself forwards and placed a chaste kiss on the man's cheek.

Bonding her familiar for now and forever more.

[Dracos]

Metal demands more doing stuff here :3

[Olvelsper]

Planning on it, yeah. It's just that it's one of the lower of the tiered stories.

[Olvelsper]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6894444/2/Into_the_Void : I updated Into the Void. Ran into trouble in figuring out where to go, but I should be good to go now.

[Olvelsper]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6894444/3/Into_the_Void : Updated Into the Void with two chapters. (or a chapter and a half)

[Olvelsper]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6894444/7/Into_the_Void : Chapter 5 is up.

[Olvelsper]

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6894444/8/Into_the_Void : One more to go and then a world tour.

[Dracos]

I still would approve of less Bitchy Kirche and a less sudden end.

But otherwise liked this chapter more =)