After the events of the forest clearing, life returned to relative normalcy for the small mage and her familiar. Anser's hoard has grown quite a bit and he felt proud of himself for it. His magic satchel, unfortunately, couldn't instantly transport anything new to his spot, but he preferred doing things the old-fashioned way anyways. As for Louise, she had begun to enjoy herself with her new friend in Siesta. Some other nobles decided to heckle the poor maid, but Louise's volatile nature towards them scared them off. Right now, the two of them were on the outskirts of the academy. Louise was trying her hand at more magic practice with Siesta assisting however she can.
"Just watch! I'll be able to recreate what happened in the classroom all those days ago! I just need to..." She aimed her wand at the boulder in front of them, concentrating on what she wanted. "Steady... Steady... FIREBALL!"
BOOM!
"GAH! Brimir's Sake!" She swore. Siesta laughed lightly as Louise set of another explosion. The pinkette glared at her, but at this point, Siesta was comfortable enough around the small noble that she easily recognized a playful glare from a real one. And this one was still good-natured.
"I'm sorry Louise, but look at it this way: You made a sizable dent in the boulder!" She gestured towards the hunk of stone, which was missing a decent-sized chunk on its face. The results of multiple explosions can do that. "You can do it; I believe in you!"
"Ugh, what's the point? I just keep failing at casting a single spell..."
"That's not true, Pinky!" Derf finally spoke up from his scabbard. Siesta would've been startled had she not become acquainted with the enchanted sword days before. She found him quite the listener whenever she needed to vent. It felt nice, really. "if you failed to cast something, it'd just fizzle out. But you don't fizzle out, you explode!"
"That's even worse!"
"Let me finish!" the sword chided. "You exploding means that there's magic involved, but how though, is the question. What element corresponds with explosions?"
"Fire...? No, that never works in general. Plus, it's not igniting from anything so... hmm..."
"Then it might be Voi-" Siesta's voice was immediately silenced by Louise's hand, who looked pale. After an unspoken agreement, she let go of her hand. "Oh Founder, I almost got us all killed for blasphemy..." Siesta also went as white as a sheet. Derf simply sighed.
"It's a valid theory, I will say that. But is it one the Church will accept? I hate these new times... Brimir, why'd you have to such a stingy prick with your magic...?" He muttered the last part to himself.
"Did you say something Derf?"
"Nothing. By the way, have you seen Pard lately?"
"Anser? Now that you mention it... no, not really. I wonder where he went?" Louise's question would soon be answered by a hateful cry.
"PHEASANT'S BEAK!"
"...oh."
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Anser was having the time of his life. He hasn't been causing mischief in AGES, and that takes a toll on an avian. Luckily, he found the perfect breeding ground of Chaos in the courtyard. Guiche spotted him and immediately went defensive. The poor boy made every attempt to maintain a low profile against the waterfowl. It seems like he learned his place. Good.
Now then, where to start? Hmm, that blue-haired girl? Ehh... the fruit's hanging so low, but...
Snatch the spellbook
You have to start somewhere, y'know? Luckily, the Vault granted him some 'new' toys to play with. Literally. Anser thought he'd never see the likes of Walkie Talkies and Cardboard Boxes again, yet here they were. He had no idea how they got here, nor did he care. All he knew was to cause chaos. And cause chaos he shall. He'd lay low and set everything perfectly. Tabitha was no slouch, but maybe, just maybe, he can grab that book of hers.
..............................................................................................................................
Tabitha was having a nice morning. Kirche had decided to leave her to flirt with... honestly, she really didn't care. More time to read her tome. It was incredibly informative and filled to the brim with advanced ice techniques. Some techniques were very out there, naming and usage. Seriously, who names a spell where you freeze your opponent almost instantaneously 'Ice Time'? She didn't care though. Some of the other techniques looked strong, yet doable for her. Maybe she can try them out on her-
Clunk
What was that? With her honed reflexes, Tabitha stopped reading and readied her staff. It couldn't have been someone being careless with their trash, she was too far away from the rest of the ruckus. An assassin maybe? No, it'd be too risky, especially in the Academy's walls. But maybe Joseph is getting bolder? Better to be safe than sorry. She carefully closed her tome and got into a stance as she went to where the noise came from. Calm, calculative steps marched onto a spot on the ground. From there, the strangest thing Tabitha has ever seen was sitting there.
A small, blue box. But as she stared at it, it somehow gave off an eerie, menacing aura. It was as if it would lead to certain doom if she interacted with it. Gulping, she magically levitated it towards her, careful not to pick it up. Founder, why was she sweating so hard? Was it a bomb? A poison? Some sort of new weapon? What can it-
Hjönk!
"Eep!" And with that, she lost her concentration on the walkie talkie. Tabitha quickly shook off her surprise with intrigue. That sound was unmistakable; that was Louise's Goose. But why was it... oh. Oh no.
From her spot, her tome was gone. She was too frozen her in shock that she failed to notice the slowly retreating cardboard box.
"Apologize to Louise later. Freeze Goose... now."
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Snatch the spellbook -Done!
Wow. That was like taking candy from a baby. A baby that can freeze you to death with a glare but still, a baby! Also, how did no one notice the weird box scuttling away? He was in some weird fantasy world, how are cardboard boxes STILL inconspicuous?! Well, no point in looking a gift horse in the mouth, onto the next target.
"Why should I worry about my trash? If the servants can't clean it up, then it's their fault, not mine. Besides, if it lands in the river, it'll just whisk it away somewhere else and I won't deal with it ever again." Who said that!? Which one of you snot-nosed br- patience Anser, patience. Let's see who we're- and it's Malicorn. Of course, it's Malicorn. Time to show you what happens when you mess with the river. MY River!
Punish the Heretic
Anser 'smiled' maliciously as Malicorn was busy arguing with Guiche, who was annoyed with him tossing trash everywhere. The foppish boy had grown disgusted with the portly boy's actions, plus he really didn't want his friend to be on the business end of the Goose's rage. Malicorn simply huffed at Guiche's chiding and sat back down, only to cry out in pain.
"AAAAHHHHH! I-I-I've been wounded! Help me, Guiche! It hurts so much!" the poor boy had tears welling up in his eyes. Guiche could only look on, bewildered at what happened.
"M-Malicorn...? H-hey, get up for a second..."
"O-okay..." He fearfully got up and saw what violated his bottom. "W-what?! Who would do such a cruel thing?!" On his seats were caltrops of varying sizes. Some were still stuck on the boy's rear end.
"Yikes... Maybe you shouldn't have insulted the river like that."
"What does that have anything to do with this?!" Realization suddenly dawned on the portly boy's face. "I've been cursed by a River Spirit!"
"What? No, it's more-"
"FORGIVE ME, O' SPIRIT OF THE RIVERS! I PROMISE I'LL NEVER LITTER AGAIN IN MY LIFE! JUST DON'T HURT ME ANYMORE!" He cried out in anguish. Guiche merely looked on, letting a sweat drop from his head.
"...Well, I guess he counts as spirit, not that Malicorn has to know..."
Punish the Heretic -Done!
Anser had to admit, it felt really nice to be praised as River Spirit. The actual spirit would appreciate his effort greatly. A really nice person once you get to know them by the way! Now then, what is his current objective?
Survive.
What.
"You." A cold, uncaring voice called out.
Oh, that's what that meant, huh?
Crap.
"Hjönk Honk Honk!" Anser made a run for it, tome in bill. Tabitha was rushing behind him, mercilessly casting ice spells at him. If he wasn't so used to outmaneuvering people, he would've actually been hit by some of those spears. Wow, that's incredibly scary. Eventually, Anser got cornered, with an incredibly pissed Tabitha glaring at him. She pointed her wand at the Goose with murderous intent.
"Hand it over. Now." It was not a request, nor a suggestion. It was a demand. But Anser was defiant, unbelievably so. So, he stood his ground and did a makeshift plan. He can use the tome as a shield and- hey what fell out of the book?
A thin book with two boys in a suggestive pose and a big R-18 tag on the front fell from the pages of the tome. And being from Earth, Anser knew exactly what this was. If he could laugh, he DEFINITELY would. Oh, she can keep her tome, there's a bigger haul right here!
"Do. Not. Give. To. Kirche."
You fool, you absolute idiot. You bumbling buffoon. That wasn't even my plan, but now? That was on you, specs.
Give Kirche the present!
With the quickness of a certain blue hedgehog, Anser dropped the tome and snatched up the doujin. He ran past Tabitha's legs before she could react and made a mad dash to the Courtyard. All he could hope for now is make Little Miss Quiet's day incredibly horrible. Anser used his goosey gracefulness to vault over the ledges and glide down the hills. All the while, Tabitha was massively gaining on him. Fast. But luck seemed to side with him today. Flame was having a sunbath nearby.
"Honk Hjönk!"
"Ssah Saah- SSAAAHH!?"
"Hjönk Hjönk Hjönk!"
"S-Ssaahh SSaassh Ssahh Saah!"
"Honk Honk!"
Thank GOD for his friend! With practiced finesse, he made a sharp U-Turn, making the bluenette stumble a bit as he went down the alley that Kirche was supposed to be. And lo' and behold, the Ardent Mage herself was just leaving after messing with some first-year boy.
"Hmm? Aren't you Louise's Goose? What are you doing here? Oh, maybe you're here to pledge allegiance to me than the Ze-"
Fwap!
"Eh?" Kirche's vision was blinded for a second before she removed the offending item off her face. She was about to reprimand the Goose when she looked at what was in her hands. Its title was simply called Boy Love Love, and from the familiar dog-ear style that she knew, Kirche's grin grew catlike. "Oh, this is just grand..."
Give Kirche the present! -Done!
Just in time for Anser to turn around and find a pale-faced Tabitha staring blankly at her friend, who was giggling at her expense. Anser simply waddled away. Well, he started to. Then he broke out into a full-on mad dash of self-preservation as Tabitha rounded the corner coldly.
"PHEASANT'S BEAK!"
A pheasant made of ice barreled its way towards Anser, who barely dodged out the way. Holy crap dude! WHY can she do that?! That's not fair! Anser growled goosily as he reached into his satchel, pulling out a hose. He blasted a stream of water at his assailant, who froze it instantly. Well, there goes Plan A. Plan B! Anser reached into his bag, setting the trap for her.
Tabitha caught up and planned to turn the goose into an ice pop when something heavy slammed into her staff, knocking it out of her hands. What in the- oh. Wait, what is that!?
A sledgehammer. Anser had a sledgehammer. And he was not afraid to use it, as Tabitha's discarded staff was any indicator. The other nobles and even the servants came up to find out the commotion, only to find Tabitha and Anser at a standoff. The goose had put away the sledgehammer for a strange pistol. Sure, it looked like a pistol, but much more compact. And Tabitha was forced to keep her hands in the air as the Goose somehow loaded it.
"Anser! What're you doing?!" Louise's voice rang out. However, that startled the goose and he 'accidentally' pulled the trigger.
Time came to a standstill. All the students could do was watch Tabitha take a bullet to her skull. It was so quick, no one knew what happened. She staggered back, and everyone around looked on in horror as her forehead was struck. One girl fainted and the others stood in shock. As for Tabitha...
"...What?"
A foam dart had stickied itself onto her forehead. Tabitha stared at the 'bullet' dully as she gently pulled it off. She studied the offending dart with interest. What in the world did that goose just use on her? It didn't feel like a weapon of war, nor some makeshift one. It felt like... like a toy. Was he... toying with her?
...Wow, that's pretty rude.
"Hjönk Honk... Honk Honk." Derf 'stared' dumbly at his partner before whispering to Siesta.
"What do you think he means by 'It's Nerf or Nothing?'" Siesta was equally confused.
Survive -Done!
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After sorting out that troublesome affair at the courtyard, Louise was desperately trying to get a read on her familiar. Said familiar was busy preening himself next to her as she wearily sat down next to him. Apparently, he took Tabitha's spell book for some reason and she just wanted it back. It doesn't explain why that warranted an Albionese Standoff but if it worked out in the end, she shouldn't worry. Right? Louise sighed as she petted her familiar.
"Sometimes you worry me, you know that?"
"Hjönk?"
"Yeah, you do. But... you can do all sorts of things a normal goose just... can't. Just what are you Anser?" The goose simply cocked his head at his master. She let out another sigh as she returned to the boulder. "No point in dwelling over it now, I have a boulder to scorch."
Louise took in a deep breath as magic pooled on the tip of her wand.
'Concentrate... Concentrate...'
The glow at the tip of her wand was shrinking fast, as it normally did before it exploded.
'Can't focus on that... I just need to-'
"Hjönk!" Anser honked in her ear.
"Gah!"
FWOOSH!
A harsh ball, no, a FIST of... MAGMA!? A Fist of Magma crashed into the boulder, forcing it to melt under its molten strength. Louise stared at the molten rock in amazement.
"That wasn't a Fireball. Not in the slightest... That was... That was..."
"AMAZING!" Siesta squealed in joy. "How did you do that Louise?!"
"I... I don't know. It happened again, Anser saved the Spell and made it succeed. But it came out a lot stronger this time. I don't think anyone has actually made a Magma Ball before, much less a Magma Fist. What do I even call it?"
"How about... Daifunka?" Derf suggested.
"What does that even mean?"
"Hmm... Good question. It just felt familiar is all, like someone I knew from a long time ago used it."
"Wait, you've seen this spell before?!"
"I think so? It's been so long since I was a young blade. It must've been over 5,000 years ago..."
"But that was when the Founder was alive!" Siesta exclaimed.
"Was the Founder your first owner?!"
"I didn't say that! But... maybe someone close to him? Man, I can't remember anything properly from all those years ago..."
"It's fine Derf, I won't force you to remember. But this is news, huh?" Louise was now in deep thought. Her casting such a powerful spell that Derf somehow knew about... Her Familiar and her Blade were both extremely mysterious individuals. And a part of that mystery really worried her. But if they're with her, she should be fine... right?
If you like this story I suggest going to the original source here
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13491406/1/A-Horrible-Familiar
And if you want more like this I suggest going to the original author of this story Tiamatio's home page here
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/10087625/Tiamatio