Chapter Text
"The Queen of Heart's Rule 23: "One must never bring a cat to a formal affair." Your very presence here is a violation of order. You will vacate these premises immediately." Riddle ordered Grim. Yuu already liked Riddle. She liked his confidence.
The monster puffed up, his fur floofing. "But I ain't a cat either! Don't try to collar me! I'll burn it right off! Huh...? Wh-what gives? My fire ain't workin'!"
"Until I deign to remove that collar, you won't be using any magic. You're naught but a pet cat now." The red head explained, much to Grim's ire.
" WHAT ?! I ain't nobody's pet!"
"Oh, you've nothing to worry about there. I certainly have no interest in having you as a pet. The collar will disappear once you're removed from campus." Riddle dismissed. Yuu wished she had confidence like that.
"Ha-HA! Good show as always, Riddle. Your signature spell locks down any magic. It's quite handy. I've just got to have it—ah, I mean, I've just got to have respect for it." Azul said with a winsome smile.
"Before anyone says anything, the cat isn't mine. I've never seen anything like it. I just got here." Yuu spoke up at Digi-Crow's urging. He knew what he used to be like.
"Oh...Is that so?" Crowley cleared his throat. "Then I shall have it expelled from campus. I shall even spare it from being served as dinner. My, but I am kind. …Someone take this away, please."
Grim struggled against the two random students that appeared. "Nooooo! Let me gooooo! You fools better remember my name! Cause I'm gonna go down in the annals of magic history! Just you wait!" Grim screeched.
"I kind of feel kind of sorry for him. I wonder why he was so desperate to stay here?" Yuu mused out loud.
"Well, that was quite the unexpected fracas. I hereby declare that orientation has concluded. Housewardens, please escort your students back to the dorms." Crowley paused "...Hm? Come to think of it, I don't see Housewarden Draconia of House Diasomnia anywhere."
"And that surprises you? Dude's a total recluse." Leona scoffed.
"Wait a sec... Did anyone even invite him?" Kalim asked, still not letting go of Yuu's hand.
'I think he forgot he is holding my hand. His skin is soft, though.' Yuu noted.
"If you're that worried about him missing out, maybe you should have told him yourself." Vil also scoffed.
"Maybe, but I don't know him too well either…" Kalim said, sheepish. He then seemed to remember about the hand holding and grinned at Yuu with a soft blush. "Oh! Sorry." Yuu grinned back.
"No problem!" She then frowned at the chatter and almost fearful gossip about this Malleus Draconia character. She startled slightly when a small boy spoke with a voice that did not fit his adorable looks.
"Ah. Just as I'd expected. I figured I'd come down and see for myself whether Malleus had made an appearance. But once again, he was evidently not informed that his presence was required at an official ceremony." The boy tutted.
Yuu blinked in surprise.
Lilia Vanrouge: lv ???
"Lilia Vanrouge. My long time ex and Malleus' nanny, basically. Malleus Draconia is the prince of all fae." Digi-Crow explained. Yuu hummed quietly in acknowledgement. Lilia Vanrouge was very powerful. Not to be messed with.
"You have my sincerest apologies. I assure you, this oversight was in no way intended as a snub." Azul said quickly.
"I mean, you must admit, he's not exactly the easiest person to strike up a conversation with." Riddle defended.
"Still rude not to inform him of formal school matters if he is in a leadership position." Yuu couldn't help but to add to the conversation.
Lilia blinked in surprise? She guessed? He recovered quickly, though. He shot her a smile before addressing the room at large. "No matter. All who were assigned to House Diasomnia, follow me. I just hope he doesn't sulk about this." The last bit was muttered with a sigh. The room soon only held Yuu and the Head Mage.
"Well, Yuu-kun. This is a most unfortunate turn of events. I'm afraid that you will not be attending Night Raven Collage after all. Surely you realize that I cannot very well admit a student with no magical ability to my academy. But worry not. The Dark Mirror will see you safely home. Now, step into the gate, and visualize the place whence you came."
"Oh dear Seven. I could not have been this stupid? You idiot! You never LISTEN! At least he's using honorifics, now." Digi-Crow sounded tired and done with himself. "Be forceful and direct, my dear."
" Firstly, Head Mage. The mirror clearly stated that my magic was SEALED. Not non-existent. And second, I'm pretty sure I got summoned here after I died. I am almost positive I'm from a different world."
"Well, I did say to be direct." Digi-Crow mused as his other self choked on air.
—
It was a few hours later and Yuu was falling asleep to Digi-Crow's grumbles about his other self, when, Crowley slammed a book closed.
"Just as I'd suspected. Nothing. Not only is your homeland not listed on any map from any point in history. Now, are you QUITE sure that you come from such a place? That wasn't some sort of lie, or jape? Because if so, the only explanation is that you've come from another planet. Or perhaps you were summoned here from another dimension?"
'Well. He's not wrong, either way.' Yuu thought to Digi-Crow. The ghost only she could interact with laughed.
"Show me everything that you brought here with you. Do you have some form of identification, a driver's license perhaps? Or even a...shoe? You do seem a tad bit...empty-handed." Crowley said at length.
"I only have my clothes and my crochet hooks. You guys have crochet here, right?"
"Of course we do!" The crow fae exclaimed. He then coughed in slight embarrassment. "Well, this is quite the predicament. You got summoned here with sealed magic and you also said that you had died before hand-"
"A truck made me go splat, yes." Yuu cut in. Digi-Crow was the one to choke this time.
"Ahem. Quite. Ramshackle has not been used as a dorm since fifty years before I became Head Mage here. I am afraid it has become its name."
"That's fine. If that is my dorm, then that's where I stay. I can fix it up myself."
"With a proper cleaning, it should be habitable enough." Crowley conceded. In the meantime, we will investigate other ways to send you home. Dear me, but I am a gracious man indeed! A model educator, one might say. Well then, I shall take you to your dorm straight away. It is an older building, but it has plenty of...character, one might say." Crowley told her.
—
"Oh wow." Both Yuu and Digi-Crow said in unison.
"Isn't it delightful? Right, scoot inside now. There you go." The crow fae ushered Yuu inside the broken building.
"What in the actual hell is this other me thinking, shoving you in here. At least put us in another dorm, or even the teachers' dorm until this place is fixed!" Digi-Crow exclaimed. He sighed after a second. "If anything, I can put together a questline to get this place in order. I'll communicate with the Admins to get that going tonight. I can't believe I was such a cheapskate."
—
"This should keep the elements at bay for the time being. Now, I should return to my research. Do try to find some way to keep yourself busy. But don't let me catch you wandering the campus tonight, it is after curfew! I'll be by bright and early to give you a temporary uniform! Ta!"
"Looks like it's started to rain." Yuu noted as the more eccentric version of her new companion left.
"That is just the enchantment on the windows. When it is actually raining it will look sunny. I think." Digi-Crow said as he projected his avatar. "Would you like me to explain Dorm Reputation, now?" He asked.
"Is it like faction reputation?"
"Yes, actually. You may also unlock items in the upcoming store themed after each dorm after reaching reputation milestones. Rep goes up to 1,000 points currently."
"Oh! Neat! I had no idea that there was a store." Yuu enthused. Her favorite part of games was decorating. It was why Minecraft was one of her favorite games.
"The Admins were one step ahead of me, it seems." Digi-Crow mused. A window popped up.
Ramshackle Quest!
Clean the Master Bedroom!
Rewards: a clean place to sleep
200xp
500M
200 Dorm Points
*Dorm Points are to be used to renovate your new home. We will also no longer speak through Crowley. Since he has expressed a distaste for it. He can speak for himself. He can now also add his own flavor text. We aim to please!
The Admins *
A drop of water hit Yuu on the head. " Now it is raining." Digi-Crow said to her. "Nice of them. They aren't bad for gods unknown." He conceded. "Now, let's get to work."
Yuu nodded with a hum and started to go to the stairs.
"Oh! Before I forget, this place is haunted. Three ghosts… live here, for lack of better phrasing. Sorry. Being near my other self has killed my brain. They don't seem to be here at the moment, though. They'll show up eventually."
"Everyone hates their past selves, Digi-Crow." Yuu said as she ascended to the second floor. "Good to know though. I'll figure something out with them."
"There are 5 floors. From the bottom up we have the basement, the first floor, the second, third, and the attic." The crow fae informed. "The master bedroom is on this floor."
Yuu looked into each room and found the one she was looking for at the end of the hall. It was a huge bedroom. There was a ruined dresser, wardrobe, and vanity. The curtains were torn and ragged and stained. The wallpaper was peeling. It was a huge mess.
"Oh dear…" Digi-Crow said weakly. Yuu felt her eyes twitch as a cobweb fell from its own weight.
"I hate your past self"
—
Yuu found a bucket, broom, mop, duster, and several cleaning rags. She combined them into a basic cleaning kit.
" Obtained basic cleaning kit! You can now clean this freaking mess!" Digi-Crow, well, crowed. "Oh look! A sledgehammer. WHY IS THERE A SLEDGEHAMMER JUST SITTING IN THE TOILET TANK?!" the now ancient fae screeched.
"No clue. But yay! Now I can get rid of the ruined furniture." Yuu said with a feral grin and violence in her eyes. "I'll start in the lounge. You said I can get materials by breaking the ruined furniture. Imma fix my new bed." Yuu opened a closet and found a basic tool kit.
"Obtained basic tool kit! Used to craft basic items." Digi-Crow told her. "Yeah. I was just authorized to give you basic crafting and repair recipes. You can fix the bed and fix a few leaks. At the very least."
"I'll wait on the leaks. The ones not in my bedroom and kitchen, at least." She shrugged as she made her way to the living room. She brought up the menu and looked up the bed repair recipe. It took: 20 wood, 16 nails, 10 fabric, and 5 stuffing.
"I took the liberty of organizing recipe ingredients from the highest amount needed to least." Digi-Crow let her know. "Here's a treat, because I am so gracious."
"New Ramshackle quest!
Repair the bed and a couch!
Rewards:
400 Dorm Points"
"They are really just letting you do whatever?"
"For the most part. The Admins are experimenting. I gave them full access to this world with the ritual I did. They are currently beta testing it, so to speak. There are very few limits for me at this time. The Admins want to see what works."
"Well! That's neat." Yuu said before swinging the sledgehammer at a busted chair. She let all of her aggression and pent up stress out on all 6 chairs and two of the three sofas. Receiving 60 wood, 40 nails, 30 fabric, and 30 stuffing for her troubles. She repaired the sofa she left and then the bed. Everything took three hours. It also only left her with 30 wood and 5 stuffing.
"2 Quests complete!
200xp
500M
600 dorm points received!"
Digi-Crow made a screen pop up. There was a new tab on her menu. "This is the dorm store. Here you can buy renovations, decorations, and cosmetic changes to your dorm. Or you can do the renovations yourself. You can also buy dorm upgrades. Like an indoor pool for the basement. I always wanted something like that, but my hubby always said no." His avatar shook his head sadly.
Yuu laughed at that. "I wonder why?" She asked with a teasing grin. She really liked her Crowley. He was fun, but had a seriousness to him at times. A sadness. Not that she could begrudge him his sadness.
You know, Yuu-chan? I just had an idea! That Grim keeps causing trouble throughout the year and there is a book in the bottom left room that lets you form a familiar bond…" The digital fae trailed off. He also just then started using honorifics.
"You want me to take responsibility for him." She deadpanned.
"If you would. I have tried it several times, but we are incompatible as master and familiar. Perhaps you can curb his rowdiness?"
"Sure. He's cute and seemed really desperate to attend here. I really wonder why though?"
"Perhaps we'll find out." Digi-Crow threw up a window not even bothering reading the new quest out loud.
New Quest.
Tame the 'Great' Grim.
Rewards:
200xp
500M
Familiar unlocked
100 Dorm Points
—
It was half an hour later when Yuu looked up from the book on familiars when they heard a noise. Grim had wiggled through a hole in one of the living room windows.
" Funya ! That rain is really coming down!" The feline monster shook his whole body, his fur soaked. The monster started padding forward on all fours.
"Stop." Yuu spoke firmly, scaring the feline.
"NYAH!"
"I distinctly remember you getting removed from campus, my furry friend. So. Why are you trespassing?" Yuu asked with a raised brow and tilted head.
"The great Grim will be a student here no matter what! I will be the greatest mage in the world!" Grim went on for a few moments. Yuu started to have a suspicion.
"How old are you, lord Grim?"
"I-I uh…." Grim seemed stumped. He thought hard for a minute "The great Grim is eight months old, I think."
"We have a kitten on our hands." Digi-Crow said in surprise.
'He's gonna be a big catto.' Yuu thought. She sighed. "Come here, please, Lord Grim. Let me dry you off. I have an offer for you." She held up a holey towel she had found in her explorations. The kitten padded over on two legs. He let her pick him up and gently started toweling him off.
"Now, I have the feeling that the Headmage won't let you stay. I have a solution that benefits the both of us. A familiar bond, like what he thought we had earlier. I currently have no access to my magic, and you seem to be full of it-" you started to explain and had to school her features when Digi-Crow interjected.
"In more ways than one."
'Not helping, Crow.' She snapped in her mind at him. "So. There is an old rule saying that familiars needed for magical maladies are permitted to accompany students. It hasn't been stricken yet, so, what do you say?" She asked as she fluffed Grim's fur. It was drying quickly and he seemed to be getting sleepy. She was glad she figured out how to take screenshots earlier in the library. she copied the entire rulebook doing that.
"Crow, huh? I like it. Call me that instead!" The now dubbed Crow demanded.
"You'll feed the great Grim, too, right?"
"Of course."
"If it means I can be a student and get fed. Then we gotta deal!"
A screen popped up
Familiar unlocked!
Grim:
Lv 20
Bond: level 1 (How close your familiar is to you. Goes up to level 10)
Specie: Abyssal Chimera (baby)
(Level 10 Dangerous Creature. Thought to have been hunted to extinction 4,000 years ago.)
Hp: 7,000
Mp: 5,000
Atk: 30
Def: 15
Blt (blot) : 0% (blot will be explained later as the story progresses.)
"Oh my shit, as the kids say. No wonder….! Anyway this brings up too many questions and very little answers." Crow sighed, Yuu felt his exhaustion and sadness through their connection. He was also… relieved? To be getting some answers to questions she didn't know.
Quest complete!
Tame the 'Great' Grim.
Rewards:
200xp
500M
Familiar unlocked
100 Dorm Points
"Come on. Let's go to bed." She told both of her companions. Yuu carried the now asleep and dry Grim upstairs. She left Crow to his thoughts.