Chapter Text
Adrien couldn’t deny the fact that he was really in deep water this time. He considered himself to be barely competent enough to wield his sword properly and was still struggling to master his spells; he was unsure how he would do both at the same time. No, he was definitely not cut out to be a magus. Honestly, he was unsure why he had bothered to train for so long. He really would feel better if this old man had gone to someone else. But he didn’t, and now here Adrien was. An old beastmaster who the villagers called Fu had bought him lunch and come to him with a proposition.
“So, let me get this straight,” Adrien said between bites, wiping the grease from his face. “You want to pay me to go on a quest to get some of your familiars back from some people who stole them?”
“They are more than just my animal companions,” the old man explained. “They are precious and magical beings. Each blessed in their own way. And yes, I will pay you. I would ask that you also take my granddaughter with you. She can help explain more.”
“Okay, so why can’t she go on her own then?” Adrien asked. He was beginning to wonder if this was all going to be worth it.
“Because she can’t go into the forest where the Name Taker is on her own. She needs a party, and I think you would be a wonderful addition to it.”
Adrien looked down at the man, his eyes now shining with determination. He reached up to rub the back of his neck while he thought it over. On one hand, the Name Taker would get him a hefty reward if he could come back, on the other was the question of if he'd come back. He didn’t even have any kind of amplifier or familiar to help boost his magic, and even then his sword skills didn’t guarantee his return.
“So let’s say I agree to help you, what do I need to do here?” Adrien looked up. The old man’s eyes shone with hope.
“Please meet with me at my house tomorrow night for dinner, we will discuss more details there.” The old man slid a piece of paper with directions to his house just outside of town and shuffled out.
What an odd man , Adrien thought to himself, taking one last bite of bread before heading out himself to find shelter for the night.
Adrien had once been a part of a prestigious family, but once his mother had died, his father went mad and disappeared. His older brother had gone out first to find their father, but it had been almost a year. And with no contact from his brother, Adrien knew he would have to venture out into the world. He left his most trusted family friend in charge of the estate while he went out to search for what happened to his father. It was less that he wanted him back in his life, and more that he just wanted the closure. If all went well, he would find his brother along the way, but he was braced for the worst. As he reminisced fondly of the family he once had and the luxurious bed that once waited for him, he trudged along to find an inn of good enough reputation to stay the night.
*****
The next evening, Adrien found himself at a small homestead. The house itself was carved out in the hillside, with a garden placed to the side near a small creek. Small creatures ran around everywhere. He saw a small black cat lazing next to a turtle. Both animals looked at him with bright eyes. Sentient eyes. Rather than risk somehow offending the animals — and, by extension, the old man — Adrien simply bowed his head and moved on towards the house.
Making his way up to the house, he noticed he was not the only one there. Around a circular table set outside in the midsummer evening were six others that looked to be his age and the old man. He walked over to the empty seat and noticed that what would normally be a lively scene was strangely quiet. Adrien once again found himself questioning the choices that had landed him here. He sat down and took in his surroundings. To his left was a short young woman in red and gold. She had a rapier and a solemn look on her face. She seemed familiar. To his right was a young man in green. A shield was strapped to the back of his chair. Studying his tablemates' expressions, none of them seemed to be completely sure of the reason for their being there. With one exception: the young woman with her hair in two low pigtails. She sat next to the old man, draped in a grey cloak and projecting an aura of authority. Adrien could tell just from one look that she was a natural-born leader, and yet kindness shined in her eyes, making him wonder even more about who she could be.
“Uh-hum,” the old man cleared his throat. “Now that we are all assembled, we can get started. As you all know, I have gathered you here to help find the people who kidnapped some of my animal companions, as well as some of my friends.”
Adrien looked around at the rest of the table. Everyone was paying attention to the old man — all but the pigtailed young woman who stared straight at him. He blushed briefly before turning his attention back to the old man.
“Now, for the purpose of this quest, you will need to take on the Name Taker. They are an old fey who lives in the woods. I believe the best way for you all to come back is to use a codename that is not connected to your being. That way the Name Taker can not take your true name. We will start introductions with my granddaughter here, while the rest of you think of your codenames.”
The old man waved to the young pigtailed woman next to him. She nodded to him briefly before standing.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Ladybug. I am a conjurer. One of the people that was taken from us was my sister,” Ladybug turned and looked directly at Adrien again. He felt his heart leap up into his throat at the intensity of her gaze. “I will not rest until we have her, and the others back. I look forward to working with you all.”
Ladybug sat back down, and the young woman next to her stood up. She had dark skin and wavy auburn hair. She was dressed in hues of orange and white, and a bright smile on her face indicated her excitement for being there.
“Hello,” the new young woman started, “I am Rena Rouge. I am an illusionist. I am honored to be chosen for this quest and look forward to working with you all. I am a decent cook, and I am good at sniffing out leads and getting to the bottom of a story.”
She sat back down, almost unsure of if she should have continued. She looked at the next person: a man in dark blues and blacks with blue hair. He stood up and looked around the table for a moment before speaking.
“Hi, I’m Vipereon. I am a bard,” the young man said. “I speak more with music than words.” He then sat down silent again.
Next up was the young man dressed in green sitting next to Adrien. He stood up and took a deep breath.
“H-hey everyone, I am Carapace. It is totally chill to meet you guys. I am a Cleric of Shelyn. I hope I can help and protect everyone.” Carapace nodded once more before sitting down.
Adrien took a deep breath, unsure of exactly how this was going to go. He didn’t really have a nickname that he could go by. He looked down at his all-black attire, and a quick flash of the small cat he saw on the way in came to his mind. He stood up.
“Hello all, my name is Chat Noir. I am a magus and do fairly well with my sword. I am hoping that I can help on this quest and that maybe I can even get closer to finding answers of my own.”
Nodding, he bowed to the old man before sitting back down in his place.
He then turned to look at the woman next to him. She stood and glanced around the table.
“Hello, my name is Ryuko. I am a barbarian class. I am proficient in all weapons but prefer my rapier,” she explained. She then promptly sat down and looked to the woman to her left.
The young blonde woman to Ryuko’s left was dressed in all black and yellow, with perfectly manicured nails. She still seemed as though she was unsure why she was even here in the first place. She let out a long sigh before standing up.
“You can call me Queen Bee,” she announced. “I am a witch. Yes, I know it rhymes with bitch, so come up with something more original.”
Queen Bee then sat back down and crossed her legs. They all stared back at the old man, having finished introductions. The old man nodded at the group and grabbed a whistle that hung around his neck, bringing it to his lips. He blew the whistle, but it appeared no one at the table could hear it.
Adrien looked around and noticed his fellow party members were also confused — well, once again, all but one. All but Ladybug. She smiled at Adrien.
No, not at him, at something slightly above him.
Adrien turned to look above his head and saw multiple small sprite-like creatures flying down to the table. There were so many of all kinds and different colors.
The old man chuckled as he watched the others stare in awe at the sight in front of them.
“Now, with all of you introduced, I will give you a gift. It is part of your payment, and also something to help you. As you may be able to tell, these are not normal sprites. These are a special kind of familiar called a kwami.” The old man reached out, and a green one landed on his hand, where it morphed into a small turtle that nuzzled him. “These kwami are as old as the lands and can give you guidance on your quest. I don’t assign them, however. They choose you.”
With these last words, he smiled up at the group.
Adrien watched in awe as the small flying creatures landed with their partnered party member and morphed. A red sprite landed on Ryuko and turned into a small dragon. It climbed up to her shoulder and sat proudly. Adrien could have sworn that he saw Ryuko’s face display a slight smirk at her dragon companion’s presence. An orange kwami landed on Rena Rouge’s hands, turning into a small fox. A yellow one landed on Queen Bee, becoming an unusually large bee. A teal kwami landed on Vipereon, turning itself into a calligraphy wyrm.
Adrien looked back at the old man, who was whispering to the turtle. He then held his hand out, and the turtle turned back into the small green sprite before landing on Carapace and turning back into its turtle form.
A red sprite sat on Ladybug’s shoulder, not morphing into anything, but just resting there comfortably. Everyone seemed to have a kwami but him.
Finally, a small black sprite hovered in front of him at eye level. Adrien sat and just stared at it. He slowly held a hand out, where it landed before turning into the small black cat sith that he had seen on his way in.
“Hi there, the name’s Plagg,” the cat said.
“They talk?” Adrien exclaimed.
The old man just chuckled, before answering, “Yes, and that one never seems to shut up, especially if it is about cheese. Here, now let’s eat dinner while we go over the details. You will all need to set out tomorrow.
Adrien found himself thinking for the millionth time since meeting this old man, Just what have I gotten myself into ?
He looked down at his kwami, the small cat form snacking away at the cheese that was on the table. He wasn’t sure where this was going, but he had a feeling that the adventure of a lifetime was waiting just ahead for him.