Final Class Test
Monday June 2nd, 4645 at 6:11 PM in Rashkar
Laren's Story, chapter 2
With a bright smile on his face, Laren opened the creaky, wooden door to the building which contained his apartment. He was wearing his black summoner's robe, soaked from the rain. He carried with him a beige cloth satchel containing books that he borrowed from the Rashkarian Magic Academy's library. “Ah, finally back...” he thought to himself.
“Ah, there you are!” a voice Laren recognized as his friend Shev said from above the narrow balcony. “It started raining?”
Laren raised an eyebrow, looking out the tall, thin window that was fixed right beside the door at the rain, noisily hitting the front of the building. He then turned back around. “Nope! This gang of rabid horses tied me down and started spitting on me.”
“Ha ha.” Shev answered Laren's sarcasm unamused as Laren turned, heading for his apartment.
Laren walked over to the door, reaching for the handle with the key in his right hand.
“Oh, that must be him now!” Shev's sister, Kieri, said from inside.
Laren then looked over at Shev. “How did you let her in?” he asked as he noticed that the door was already unlocked. He pushed the door open, noticing that Kieri was sitting on the middle of the floor, another girl sitting beside her.
“Hey Laren!” the other girl greeted.
Laren sighed, walking over to the chair to the right of the door. “Please stop breaking these two in, Ursula.” he said, setting the cloth satchel he was carrying down.
“Whatever you say.” Ursula said, pulling out an apple, then biting into it as Shev walked over to sit with the girls.
“Oh oh, can I have an apple too?” Kieri asked eagerly.
“Don't see why you feel the need to ask when she don't.” Laren said, standing in front of the three while putting his key back in his pocket.
Kieri got up, then walked over to the fruit basket on the dining table as Shev grabbed Ursula's half-eaten apple, taking a bite out of it as Ursula smacked his shoulder.
“Don't tell me you guys are wanting me to summon
now...” Laren said as Shev gave the apple back.
“You're off work today, right?” Kieri asked, picking up three apples, then tossing one of them to Shev. “It's not like we're interrupting anything important.”
“No, you're summoning now alright.” Shev said confidently, biting into his own shiny, new apple.
Laren sat down across from Ursula. “Yeah, but there's a reason I don't have a roommate.” he said to Kieri, then scratched his head.
“Why do you gotta be so mean?” Kieri pouted, tossing the other apple at Laren with a direct hit to his forehead. She then walked back over.
“Don't listen to him, Kieri.” Ursula said, biting her apple again as her friend sat back down beside her. “You know he still likes you.”
Laren picked his apple up off the floor, watching Kieri sit down as the two exchanged coy smiles. He then rested the apple on his lap as a few moments of silence began, save for the others eating their apples. Laren then looked around at his impatient friends. “...what?”
“Well go on!” Shev said, nudging Laren.
“Yeah, get to summoning already!” Kieri added, biting her apple again. “Or give me that apple. Or both. Preferably both.”
Laren sighed. “Okay, fine...”
“Here.” Shev said, handing Laren the satchel.
“Okay then, let's see...” Laren said, opening the satchel with his free hand while holding the apple-toting hand away near Kieri as she started eyeing it.
“What, does it need some weird incantation or something?” Ursula asked.
“Not as such...” Laren said, pulling a book out. He opened it to the bookmarked page, then started skimming through it as Kieri took the opportunity to snatch his apple. “Let's see, to summon a Spiritual-type...”
“Oh. You need the box.” Shev reminded Laren, getting up.
“Yeah, I'll need the box.” Laren confirmed, pointing to a page in the book.
“The box?” Kieri asked, biting into Laren's apple as Shev reached behind him to the bookshelf's second shelf down. He picked up a dull blue-colored box about the size of a cereal bowl. The contents rattled around a little.
“Yes. The box.” Laren said, motioning toward Shev.
“What's in the box?” Kieri asked again, with a mouthful of apple.
“Just materials needed to summon this.” Laren answered as Shev handed him the box.
“So
that was what you were scavenge hunting for that one day.” Ursula said, finishing her apple. She then reached for the box.
“Ah ah ah.” Laren said, pulling the box away. “You're not getting your sticky apple hands on this.”
“Yeah okay.” Ursula said as she and Kieri got up and sat on the couch behind them.
Laren then pushed the satchel out of the way, then sat the box down as he looked down at the book. Shev stepped back as Laren held his finger to the page to told his place as he reached over to the box, moving it to the middle of the floor.
“Don't screw it up.” Kieri said.
Laren glanced at Kieri with a “keep quiet” look.
“What? This is for your final grade.” Kieri said. “You wanna graduate with us, don't you?”
Laren turned his attention back on the ritual. “Okay... looks like there's not much to it now.” he said, then picked the book up with his left arm cradling it as he stood up. His friends looked on. He reached out with his right hand above the box. A drop of blood dripped down onto the box.
“EW YOU'RE BLEEDING!” KIieri exclaimed, standing up.
Laren sighed again. “I needed to prick my finger for the summoning ritual.” he said.
“Oh... right. Okay.” she said, sitting back down as Ursula giggled.
“Here goes...” Laren said nervously. “Spirit Reaper! I summon thee!”
A strong, purple glow emitted from the flor, in a circle around the box as the box dissolved, engulfed by the purple light. The light reached up higher, up to chest-level to Laren. The light became opaque for a moment, then started receding downward. A nude, white-haired girl with her eyes closed stood where the light receded from. Her skin was pale, but flawless and silky, and her the length of her white hair extended past her shoulders. As the group looked on, Laren closed the book carefully. When the light fully receded, the girl, opened her blood-red eyes, looking around the room.
“Where am I?” the girl asked, then looking to Laren, then to Kieri and Ursula. “You people aren't due to die for quite some time.”
Laren took a hankerchief out of his pocket, starting to wrap his finger in it. “Sorry if you're inconvenienced by this. I'm the one that summoned you here.”
“Summoned...?” the girl asked, turning to Laren. She then smiled, putting her fists to her hips. “You mean like in an RPG? Do I have to use my most powerful attack now and poof?”
Kieri and Ursula looked at each other in confusion, then looked back at the girl. Kieri leaned over to Ursula. “He's gonna get an F.”
“Sorry, but I can't do that in human form.” the girl said.
“Human form...?” Shev asked, prompting the girl to turn to him.
“Actually, you are my new familiar.” Laren said as the girl quickly turned back to him.
“I am?!?” she said in surprise.
Laren nodded. “And I am your master, Laren Larona. You're in a world called 'Aster'.”
The girl gasped, then paused for a second before bursting out laughing, bending down with her hands on her knees. She then stopped, standing back up. “Okay, so this is just like in Zero no Tsukaima! Except gender-reversed!” she said, then looked back at Shev, smiling. “Then by animé logic, you should be the second man in my harem!”
A surprised, yet no less interested look suddenly popped onto Shev's face. “Eh... w-what...?”
She then folded her arms, looking away. “Don't worry though. If you're willing to share, I'll let both of you have me.”
Ursula coughed, looking at Laren. “Laren, do you know what your familiar here is talking about?”
Shev leaned over to Laren. “Laren... your hot, young, female familiar is hitting on us...”
“Alright, let's slow things down a bit here.” Laren said as the girl spotted something in Kieri's hand out of the corner of her eye. “First... can you introduce yourself to us?”
“Oh, no can do there, Marona.” the girl said, swiping the apple from Kieri's hands.
“Uh... it's 'Larona'...” Laren said as Kieri sat there in shock. “And... you can't?”
“That's right.” the girl said, biting into the apple. “The very sound the pronunciation of my name emits will instantaneously make your head explode!”she said while chewing simultaneously. She looked around at the speechless group as she swallowed, then burst out laughing. “Ahahahahaaa hahah! I've always wanted to say that!”
Kieri stood up, snatching her apple back. “Mine!”
The girl looked at Laren. “Actually, allow me to properly introduce myself.” she said. “I am Gornva, a Shinigami appren-”
“Shini-what...?” Ursula asked.
“Shinigami.” Gornva said.
“You're a Spirit Reaper.” Laren said, holding the book up, as he pointed to the page.
“Eh, same thing.” Gornva said, shrugging as she walked over to the dining table and picked up an apple. “Shinigami sounds better.”
“It does, strangely...” Ursula commented.
“My name is Shevelo Metada.” Shev said, then pointed to the girls. “My sister, Kieri Metada, and Ursula Luvlo.”
Gornva looked at the two girls as Kieri stuck her tongue out at her.
“So tell us some more things about you.” Laren said as Gornva turned back to him.
“Let's see...” Gornva said, biting the apple. “I am a apprentice prodigy, as evidenced by my beautiful human form, which only the most powerful of Shinigami can have.”
“Yes, you are quite beautiful.” Laren said, smiling. “And powerful, you say...?”
“Well, I don't like to brag, but-”
“An apple lover too, I see.” Kieri interrupted, scowling at Gornva as the spirit reaper girl bit another piece off of her apple.
“Shinigami love apples.” Gornva said proudly. “Speaking of food... Loren, what else do you have in here to eat?”
Laren sighed. “It's 'Laren'.”
“And what language are those words from?” Shev asked. “I thought a familiar's speech was automatically translated to it's master's language. Some kind of celestial language or something?”
“Oh, it's just Japanese.” Gornva said. “Though I guess an alien world like this never heard of it.”
Ursula put her hands together. “Well you definitely seem quite uh... what's the word...”
“Genre-savvy?” Gornva asked.
“No, that's not it...” Ursula said.
“...Japanophile?” Gornva asked.
“I don't even now what that is.” Ursula said.
Laren yawned, the walked past Gornva and Shev into the small hall to his room.
“Oh Kieri, she might fit into your old clothes.” Shev said. “Why don't you let her borrow some?”
“Eh, I guess.” Kieri said.
Ursula shrugged. “Well if we're staying all night here-”
“No.” Laren said from his bedroom.
Ursula cleared her throat. “
Since we're all staying here tonight and annoying Laren, me and Kieri will go and pick you up something to wear.”
“Oh would you? Thanks!” Gornva said, then plopped herself down on the couch. “A burger and fries would be nice too.”
Laren ran back out of the hallway with a bandage on his pricked finger. “She did
not just sit down on the couch like that...”
Kieri tossed her apple cores in the waste basket. “I dunno, it kinda looks like she did.”
“Let's go pick up those clothes, Kieri.” Ursula said, grabbing her coat off the arm of the chair.
Laren sighed. “Gornva, please get off of my couch.”
Gornva stood up and walked toward Laren. “I guess your bed will have to do then!”
“Right behind ya.” Kieri said to Ursula.
“Now hold on...” Laren said. “You're attractive and all, but you can still kill someone just by touching them!”
As Ursula and Kieri started toward the door, Shev walked over to them. “I'll leave you two alone then.” he said to Laren.
“Not
every time!” Gornva said.
“Wonder if it's still raining...” Ursula said as she opened the front door.
Laren looked over at his friends. “W-wait, weren't you guys gonna stay?”
“Oh I thought you didn't want us to!” Kieri teased, smiling as she walked out the door behind Ursula.
“We'll be back in a few hours.” Shev said, then walked out behind Kieri. “Have fun with your new familiar!”
Laren held his head down, grabbing the bridge of his nose as he stood silently while Gornva finished her apple off.
“It's pretty cold in here. Turn the heat up.” she ordered.
Laren looked over at his naked familiar's human body. “Yeah, I can tell you're cold.”
Gornva looked back at him, then grinned.
