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The Maids Guide to Demon Hunting

Polina Laye

Farisian Maid

---

Polina recalled meeting Tiki when she had first settled into the Maison, and like everyone else, was fitted for a maid uniform in the style of the Violet Garden. She’d gotten a few uniforms of top quality from the seamstress and tailor, but the last time she had met her was her first day here. Reclusive, indeed. Her eyes roamed about the room as she entered, taking in the mess…

“I don’t think you’ve made any progress on cleaning since the last time I was here,” the Farisian maid commented, a minor tone of disapproval in her voice. A fellow maid should always have tidiness as a top priority, after all. Tiki was no exception.
She decided not to make a big deal of it though, as they were here for something else.

Elizstrazia seemed to be making a farce of undressing, not that she had much to take off. This was the first time Polina had seen a scale demon’s pride up close and… it was more insufferable than she realized. That wasn’t to say she didn’t appreciate what she saw, though. She batted for both teams, after all.

She suspected it would be far mor difficult to get a uniform on her than getting her to walk around naked. Perhaps there was merit in considering that idea, but for now… she got into position to stop a potentially writhing scale demon from squirming out of a measurement.

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Giselle de Farry

Undead Princess, de Farry

---

Giselle was momentarily surprised when her blade landed, but didn’t penetrate. She hesitated, unsure of what she was dealing with for a moment, but luckily, Kordelia didn’t immediately capitalize on her mistake, allowing the white-haired vampire to briefly withdraw to evaluate the situation.

The Farisian princess’s mind raced. By all rights, even with a tarnished blade, a silver sword should cut through almost anything undead and ‘unholy’ by the standards of the followers of the dead serpent of creation and destruction. If Kordelia was that powerful to negate such power, then the two of them should already be dead.

Some sort of skin-like armor, then. That was the main flaw of using a silver weapon. Annoying.

She came to that realization just in time for Kordelia to finally shift her attention to her. Stifling the urge to curse, she leapt back; in a moment, she had her gun out in her second hand, just in time to see that the still all-too-fast vampire lord had gone for a feint. She grimaced as the watery tentacles shot out towards her. “A little help here, Aleksiya,” Giselle said simply, before immediately changing course, snapping off a pair of shots towards Kordelia, before she slashed out with her sword at the tendrils that she couldn’t dodge to break free of the trap that she was weaving around her.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

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Éliane had been on guard ever since they entered the tall grass, fully aware of the ambush potential from both apex predators and other opportunistic creatures even in the daylight. In fact, she was about to further inquire about the potential threats the local fauna might pose when her question was answered for her. She had never seen a blightbeast before; they were not native to Skael or the places that she had traveled, but she immediately reacted the moment she saw the monkey-like creatures bull through the tall grass and into their midst.

Unlike some of her companions, she didn’t immediately abandon her chocobo, preferring to cling onto the higher vantage as long as she was able, but she wasn’t an expert rider, either. With only seconds to react, she drew her weapon even as a beast flew at her—it seemed the things liked the tactic of trying to knock riders off their mounts. Had she been simply wielding a sword, remaining on the chocobo might have been a liability, but a snapshot from her gunblade took the creature out from the running, even as she slashed out with the blade to divert the falling creature’s momentum elsewhere. That… only partially succeeded, and she had to wildly dodge the falling body so that she wouldn’t get knocked back by it, to her chagrin.

A ding to her panache aside, confident that the immediate threat to herself was dispatched, she quickly scanned the new battlefield. She was satisfied to see that nobody had died yet, though Neve had gotten close before Galahad had intervened. With the ambush mostly broken for the moment, she took to shoring up where help was needed. Finally leaping off her chocobo, she counter-charged the blightbeasts that had taken after Arton, falling into concert with Izayoi as she took on the two beasts that had slipped her grasp. She placed two shots into the side of one; the other quickly wised up and evaded as she tracked it, before leaping at her. Expecting this, she dodged to the side as it entered her personal space. Her blade cut through its fur before its claws could tear at her exposed throat; with a frown, she kicked it away before its blood could soil her clothes too much.

Then, Izayoi’s spell cut through the grass, revealing the remaining ambush. “Right! On it!” Briefly acknowledging the samurai, she let a small grin creep across her face at the challenge. She sprinted forward, already shooting as she engaged the remainder of the pack, using her own little wind spell to propel herself all the faster.

Fire Emblem: Crestfallen

Parthenia Harland Ciran

of House Ciran

---

Had Parthenia had lesser self-control, the disappointment on her face would have been palpable. Oh, sure, she had still outplayed Leonid at his game, but there was little better than seeing someone who deserved it eat crow… or rather, flowers, in this case. Not every plot or play could always be a complete winner, though. He had bowed out, but he had given her so much more ammunition in doing so… well, overdoing it was a thing, too, so she held back a bit.

“A social butterfly you are not, to refuse such a flower,” she chided, even as he turned faked disrespect into a real one. Parthenia still wasn’t sure if the girl was actually a lowborn, but that didn’t even matter, here. As far as she was concerned, any lowborn student that had made it to the academy had earned their place, and was worthy of their station and place alongside their noble peers.

Even if some of the commoners did look rather… unorthodox.

“Really, what a poor performance,” she lamented, as the Sylmare heir beat a swift retreat before Parthenia could properly chastise him for the real breaches in etiquette. Well, there was always later.

Turning back to Lapis, she canted her head slightly as the girl made her introduction. Parthenia was sure they had met before, even if she insisted otherwise. She idly suspected Lapis was lying in some way. She was tempted to press her on it, but thought better of it. Everybody had their skeletons in the closet, and the way she had introduced herself was telling in and of itself… Well, she had the entirety of school to figure it out. Patience was the virtue of nobles, after all.

“Is that so?” she answered. “What a strange title you have there, but a pleasure nonetheless,” she continued, with a little curtsy. She had a good guess of what that implied, shifting her perceptions of Lapis’ upbringing slightly, even if she was still skeptical of her implied origins as a commoner. A very, very poor one. She didn’t comment on it. “If Leonid Sylmare decides to give you anymore trouble, don’t be afraid to come to me. Disrupting some of the self-important or harebrained schemes of my peers is a bit of a pastime for me.” Parthenia gave her a grin before she excused herself to mingle with the other students as the tour continued, properly, this time.

The little group tour was more or less what she expected; she took a closer notice of the mess hall, enjoying the alluring smell of food being prepared for the coming dinner banquet, but glossed over the cathedral itself. The architecture was pretty, though. The Academy itself she would explore on her own time.

Lastly came the dorms and their room assignments, which surprised Parthenia on the sheer audacity of some of the assignment penned on the parchment outside. To her absolute delight, if she didn’t know better, it seemed almost as if the combinations were designed for maximum chaos among the student body. Cohabitation? Roland and Elivinthia? Sherry and Leon? Perhaps she would have to reevaluate her opinion of the Archbishop. Either he was as clueless as a duck or he was a master of her craft, and a kindred spirit…

She would have to find out.

Her own assignment with Lapis was interesting, too. It wasn’t as interesting as being paired with Elivinthia or as amusing as sharing a room with Sherry or Roland, and would make a late-night liaison –if she wanted one—harder, but Parthenia could certainly work with it. It would make uncovering Lapis’s mystery easier, she was sure.

“It would seem we’re one of the few girls with a traditional dorm experience,” said Parthenia with some amusement when she found her dormmate again. “The archbishop has an interesting sense of humor…”

The Maids Guide to Demon Hunting

Polina Laye

Farisian Maid

---

As Polina continued to watch the scale demon’s behavior, she resolved that she would have to work on her politeness and etiquette. Perhaps even take a personal hand in it, if Polina had to. She quite enjoyed making sweets for everyone, even if not all appreciated them –A certain pink-haired drill instructor came to mind—but if Elizstrasia intended to enjoy her treats, she was going to have to learn to politely ask for them or respond with a thank you when offered.

Treats would not be forthcoming otherwise.

Now wouldn’t that be a way to civilize a demon?

Polina continued along with the group to the various destinations on the tour, pitching in with some descriptions of each place when it seemed relevant to her. Soon enough, though, they all found themselves outside the maison’s tailor, although they were intercepted by the head maid before entering.

She shrugged at the exchange that followed, before adding, in that serious tone that she liked to use, “All in all, it wasn’t so bad. There weren’t any deaths, injuries, or blood oaths sworn today, so I believe Eliz is ready for her maid uniform.”

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Giselle de Farry

Undead Princess, de Farry

---

Giselle thought things had gone better than expected, all things considered, but only marginally so. Better here meant that Kordelia had not turned into an eldritch princess like she had half expected. Unfortunately, the vampire lord was still a twisted approximation of her former self, either corrupted through the passage of time or by some other influence. From her words and the way she looked at her fallen pet, and the corrupted paladin back in the city, she wondered… Either way, it meant conflict. How many times had she been forced to fight in the past day now?

The Farisian princess barely had a telegraph of a warning before Kordelia launched herself at Aleksiya.

She was far too fast. Faster than she had remembered… or had they gotten slow? That wasn’t something to be pondered at the moment as Giselle brought her sword up. The speed differential was terrifying… but she had the paladin’s silver sword. She just hoped that they would be able to simply disable her rather than making this a more permanent rendezvous.

For now, though, a regular fight it was. Coming in from the side, she took advantage of the exposure Kordelia had given herself by rushing for Aleksiya, jabbing out with her sword. Time to beat her up a little.

The Maids Guide to Demon Hunting

Polina Laye

Farisian Maid

---

Polina stood there politely as Myrilla continued her little spat with the other maids. It still wasn’t her place to intervene, and even if she did have the personality to meddle or try and smooth things out in that way, she was sure it wasn’t going to be appreciated by the combat instructor, which would surely come back to bite her in the ass somewhere down the line. The Farisian made did make her displeasure known when the older maid figuratively threw her offer back at her face.

“Perhaps another time then,” she replied, unfailingly polite as usual. At least the elf maid had the good graces to politely decline in turn.

Kat arrived at that point, and she offered her a sweet as well, even as the demon in the center of all this snapped up her bonbon without a word said. Hmm. House training and etiquette lessons would still be needed. Then again, there was Myrilla, and between the two girls, only one orifice had not been verbally threatened in this conversation at this point…

Charming. Polina was sorely tempted to make up that deficiency with a quip, but she couldn’t figure out a way to keep it polite, so she swallowed the urge.

“Right. We’re going to have to get you in a maid dress and start your etiquette lessons first thing then,” she said aloud, echoing her earlier thoughts.

Bible of Ichor: Septet for the Dead

Giselle de Farry

Undead Princess, de Farry

---

Giselle remained on guard as she pressed forward with Aleksiya. Passing through yet more dead trees, they were met with a small river, the type that would have added a quaint, pleasant accompaniment to a forest landscape with the comforting gurgle of water. Unfortunately, this was not a normal river, but a stream long-tainted with corrupted blood. This river had ruined the forest.

They followed it upstream, but each step they took provoked a further sense of decay and wrongness, and the white-haired vampire unconsciously tightened her grip on her weapon as they continued. Giselle didn’t have to walk much longer to come across a new scene that made her tense, until she realized that the familiar great beast on the ground had long fallen. The Farisian princess only relaxed for a moment before she caught sight of the altar and what was on it.

Kordelia.

She looked exactly like the day that Giselle had last met her, in better times. Giselle almost immediately approached to greet her, but held back. There was something deeply uncanny and unsettling about this situation. Her eyes flicked between the dead Gorebat, the beating heart that fed the tainted river, and sarcophagus. They were definitely being watched, somehow.

Something was very wrong here, even if she couldn’t reason why.

It was not difficult to suspect that the being that looked like the Princess of Beasts might not be their former friend.

Giselle began to hold out an arm to stop Aleksiya from approaching, but the diminutive vampire had already stepped forward and spoken.

“…Kordelia,” she tensely greeted, preparing for what might come next.

Final Fantasy: Lightseekers

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It was a somewhat surreal experience returning to sleep in accommodations where a small-scale battle had been fought, but that was not what bothered Éliane. Between overconsumption of coffee and the paranoia of wondering if there would be a follow up on the failed Valheimian attack, the Skaelan did not manage to sleep. It only took a few minutes of lying awake in bed for her to think to hell with it, and rose again. It didn’t sit right with her to leave her fallen compatriots to the tender mercies of an Edrenian cleanup crew.

She returned to her original, blood-stained room and sorted out their belongings, and coordinated a proper repatriation effort with the guards that ended up bringing the bodies to the morgue. There was little more that she could do on short notice, but by the time she was done, dawn began to break.

In the end, Éliane had to appropriate another carafe of coffee from the castle kitchens to get her through the coming day.

Nonetheless, in this vague, zombielike state, she managed to find her replacement team and the chocobos they had been designed, although she was none too amused with their color. Unlike her Viera counterpart, she as displeased not with looking unassuming –there would be little of that when she kept wearing her fancy uniform—but the fact that they were Leonhart’s colors. A proud member of the Guards, mounted on that? How scandalous!

She moaned and grumbled about it, but she took the gift like everybody else. She wasn’t going to look a gift chocobo in the beak, in the end, especially when the entire quest was ostensibly a multinational effort. She was also apprehensive of the wagon and its driver, having almost exclusively operated with a small, mobile team not unlike team Kirin, but she had to recognize the need of a small logistics train on a long-distance quest like this.

Éliane was mostly silent on the journey itself as she managed her all-nighter, although she idly listened into the conversations around her. Team Kirin had more of her countrymen than she had originally thought, and she couldn’t help but to overhear the one Arton had with the woman that had recruited her. It was an interesting tale that explained much of what she knew of Izayoi and her demeanor. Her opinion of the invading foreigners fell further, even as she anticipated seeing her fight alongside her in combat with the barbarians from Valheim…

As the surroundings changed, Éliane kept up her guard even as she was reminded by the small moogle. She polished off the rest of the coffee, though long cold, leaving her wanting more. Leifur, who she had immediately recognized as a fellow gunbreaker from Skael upon meeting, suggested they make a stop at a nearby Edrenian town, and she was inclined to agree. “Good idea. I’d rather not go into hostile territory blind and without intelligence, although I doubt information crosses the border overmuch. There is only so much of a border that can be patrolled, so I’m not too concerned about entry yet,” she replied sleepily. Nonetheless, she turned to Mystel from Osprey expectantly for any helpful information.

The Maids Guide to Demon Hunting

Polina Laye

Farisian Maid

---

That fight had gone about as well as Polina had expected it to. Eventually a maid or two stepped in and put a stop to the combat. She might have stopped Lucrecia from going in, but she doubted the more upstanding maid would have been inclined to be persuaded otherwise. Thankfully, it seemed her delicious bonbons were accepted and appreciated by nearly all.

Speaking of which…

“Now that all that’s done, I still have bonbons. Would anybody like more?” She offered the bag to Myrilla, Sieg, Eliz, and Lucrecia this time, even as the elven maid started to lecture her.

The Farisian maid turned to address her, even as she continued to hold the bonbon bag out to offer. “Yes, Sieg, I would have allowed this to happen if it was any other maid,” she answered. “It was not my place to intervene. I had no reason to think it was not a training exercise appropriately tailored to Eliz’s skill level. Besides, it is clear that the two of them have some issues that they need to personally work out regardless, and I have it on good authority that such things are best worked out in mutual combat,” she continued, by way of explanation. It wasn’t like she didn’t believe what she was saying, either. Only a little bit of it was bullshit. The fight just also happened to be good entertainment.

“I agree though, that was an unfortunate situation. Combat outside the fields is highly irregular, but this maid is innocent of any crimes but handing out sweets. Speaking of which, a bonbon, Sieg, Eliz? You can have more, treat it as part of your welcoming gift.”