Unfamiliar



""I've been called a killer, a terrorist, a monster. I am all these things.""

There are many Zero no Tsukaima fics where Louise summons a different person at the beginning of the story, providing dynamics parallel to or wildly disparate from those in canon. In very few of those stories, though, is the summoned being an unstoppable, betentacled monstrosity fresh from (literally) chewing his way through most of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Started in the wake of The Hill of Swords on the SpaceBattles Fanfiction Forum, Unfamiliar, by Cpl_Facehugger, is a crossover between Zero no Tsukaima and Prototype, where Louise summons Alex. It's actually less unfair than the premise sounds (no Mercer Attacks Everyone Dies, for example).

Yes, seriously.

See Prototype and Zero no Tsukaima for the tropes of those respective universes.

This fanfic contains the following tropes:
""Allow me to promise you this, Karin: If you cross me, I will break you. I will use your family as an example of those who oppose me. There are but two options. You can join the tsunami or you can be crushed underneath it. I'll drag Tristain into the future whether you like it or not.""
 * Abusive Parents: Initial impressions of Louise's mother Karin were like this. It turns out that things are more complex than that.
 * All Just a Dream:
 * Anti-Villain: Discussed in Alex's internal monologue. "Why was it that everyone always had to have sympathetic reasons for being his enemies? Why couldn't he ever have to kill someone who was just a raving murderer, driven by hate and evil and an urge to kick puppies?"
 * Becomes Hilarious in Hindsight after Mott.
 * Anti-Hero: Alex, obviously. He's a less a good guy and more an independent, sapient killing machine that happens to hang out with the good guys, and lacks a firm grasp of that whole 'ethics' thing.
 * Arm Cannon: A wrist-mounted crossbow.
 * Asexuality: Alex doesn't care for human notions of romantic love;.
 * Authority Equals Asskicking: King Albrecht Wales, who takes positively ridiculous amounts of punishment.
 * , showing that one can be the most Badass person in the realm without being a One-Man Army

"Alex: "I tear your arms off and use them as clubs to beat down the man next to you. By then the arms are getting pretty bruised and tender, so I simply tear the next man's spine out. Now, a spine is a useless weapon, no matter what literature would tell you. So from there, I start gutting your men like fish and feasting upon their delicious flesh. Perhaps I could even skip the gutting and start when you're alive." Mercer replied. "Either way, I proceed on to the rest of your gang and kill them too.""
 * Badass: Alex all the way.
 * Badass Boast:

"Alex: "I survived the heat of a newborn sun! I survived a building collapsing on me! I've survived things you can't even imagine! If that's your best shot, you better start running!""
 * Another one:

"Alex: "Individuals can't win wars where I'm from. The wars are too big for that," Mercer leaned in, giving her a cold grin. "Unless that individual is me.""
 * A third:

"Karin: "Nobles have always policed themselves. Some abuses are the price we pay for the freedoms we cherish."
 * Henrietta, of all people, to Karin.

Henrietta: "That must change. Justice is the word of law, not the perverse whimsy of men like Lord Mott. And change it will. My mother will not be queen forever.

Henrietta: "Then, I will no longer have to hide in the shadows and sign minor reforms in her name. When that day comes, you will have two options. You can support me and secure the Vallière family's future... Or you can obstruct me, and I will grind you to dust underneath my heel.""

"Hadn't she begged for exactly what she got? Some powerful monster to be her familiar? Clearly God had a perverse sense of irony."
 * Barehanded Blade Block: By Alex, of course.
 * Be Careful What You Wish For: Louise wanted a powerful familiar. . Oh yeah.

""What do you think we are, superstitious barbarians who worship anything that's shiny?" The cult leader replied. “We may venerate our ancestors and respect them, but we know they were human just as we are today. And we know their weapons are mortal weapons, made by man to slay his enemies.""
 * Not that it's a very bad thing.
 * Berserk Button: Okay, Alex, as in canon, has more of a Berserk Switchboard, but of importance to the story is his insistence that you never treat people like things. You can insult them, hate them, kill them, whatever, but you acknowledge them as people who can think, just like you, not tools to be used or toys to be played with or animals to be caged, even if they're peasants and you're a noble. It doesn't just apply to him, either, though he reacts violently to Mott calling him Louise's "pet".
 * He also really hates Blackwatch.
 * Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: "No soreness? No nausea? No ?"
 * Broken Pedestal: Alluded to by Karin, who thinks that putting Louise on the throne as a puppet would be a bad idea because of this.
 * Call Back: Several regarding the events of Prototype.
 * Cargo Cult: In a way.  Also they lampshaded it a bit.

"Just a simple gust of wind, just like his memories showed him.
 * Cargo Ship:
 * And just like the Doomguy,.
 * The Chessmaster:  is playing a long game. Time will tell if she becomes a full Magnificent Bastard; she's too ambiguous to be a Guile Hero by chapter 9.
 * Clap Your Hands If You Believe: The big reason behind why Alex can't use magic, despite having consumed several mages.

Nothing.

Probably because he'd not expected anything to happen. He had dozens of scientific degrees telling him that it was impossible after all."

""You don't believe you can do it. That's why it's not working. Magic won't work if you don't believe you can do what you want."
 * Also counter-used by Alex twice.

--

"This base is powered on electricity, and that won't change just because you deny it.""

""It'll be fun! In fact, let's go down there right now and introduce ourselves with a great big surprise stab! Like surprise sex, except even more fun!""
 * Comedic Sociopathy:

"Osmond: What you failed to realize is that I'm an intelligent, wise, and experienced dirty old man who can tell when a woman is trying to exploit him for her own ends."
 * Cruel Mercy:  is spared, but will be watched closely by Alex from then on. One slip and Alex will go after her.
 * “I wanted to punish . ... But seeing him here... Any punishment I dole out is just going to be weak next to what he's already doing to himself. The cruel thing will be to let him live."
 * Curb Stomp Battle:
 * still has a hard time with, though. It became a war of endurance.
 * If by a hard time, you mean walking it off in a few seconds and replying that he "survived the heat of a newborn sun", sure.
 * According to Word of God, this will be averted in the Hold the Line scene in the original story, when Saito holds off the army of 70,000 men.
 * Dangerous Deserter: There are some who have turned to piracy and taken a warship with them.
 * Darker and Edgier: A lot. Where do we start? How about... Alex only being summoned in a second, half-crazed attempt?  being a firm practitioner of Good Is Not Nice?
 * Dating Catwoman: Jean Colbert and . Mainly because Colbert is such an unbeliavable nice, cuddling considerate guy... who is very well packed that.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Both Alex and Louise show the traits.
 * Dead Fic: While there have been hints to the contrary, the last story update was July 2011.
 * Desperately Looking for a Purpose In Life: Alex, now that he has nothing connecting him to his old life, which is why he chose to follow Louise.
 * Dirty Old Man: Old Osmond knows he is, though in his own words:
 * Dead Fic: While there have been hints to the contrary, the last story update was July 2011.
 * Desperately Looking for a Purpose In Life: Alex, now that he has nothing connecting him to his old life, which is why he chose to follow Louise.
 * Dirty Old Man: Old Osmond knows he is, though in his own words:

""And if they ban it in Germania of all places, it must be really sick.""
 * Drama-Preserving Handicap: Alex's semi-functional conscience. Both ways.
 * The Dreaded: The viral monsters created by Redlight and Blacklight are scary in their own right, but after six thousand years they have become apocalyptic monsters of legend. reaction when she realizes that Alex is ZEUS says it all.
 * Driven to Suicide:
 * Epic Fail:
 * Even Evil Has Loved Ones: "But, see, even psychotic soldiers and amoral scientists have families and people they care about. So I get it from both ends. Seeing them kill or experiment on innocent people, but also seeing that they're a husband, father, or son."
 * Even Heroic Sociopaths Have Standards: Louise notes that Alex's kills, while incredibly brutal and bloody, are also very quick. Mott prefers to draw out the suffering of his victims and break their wills along with their bodies.
 * Kirche also mentions that Germania, which likes to think of itself as sexually liberal, banned the book A Thousand and One Albion Nights, which Mott drew from, as being too depraved.

""Should've brought the chopper," Mercer muttered, barely able to hear his own voice over the wind rushing all around him as he glided towards the enemy. "No, it's too obvious I said. I won't run into anything I can't kill myself I said. I should've known Murphy would screw with me.""
 * In terms of actual villains, prefers to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties - he's insistent on any deaths he causes being meaningful. Note, however, that he has an extremely broad definition of 'meaningful'.
 * Evil Sounds Deep:  has a "low and sinister" voice.
 * Feel No Pain: When Louise first tries whipping Alex. She's extremely sore at the end of the session, and he is far from fazed.
 * Finagle's Law: Mercer grumbling to himself as he glides towards an enemy airship.

"Alex : Whoever said anything about me being a human familiar?"
 * First-Name Basis: Louise eventually changes to this for Alex.
 * after Mott's death, but reverts shortly afterwards.
 * Fluffy the Terrible: Mr. Fluffles, Karin's manticore.
 * Foreshadowing: "Come to think of it maybe I should try flying. I've never tried before. With the right adaptions, I bet I could. Hmm, maybe later."
 * Future Imperfect: The many tales about Brimir and the "angels of God",.
 * Genius Bruiser: Remember, Alex has eaten doctors.
 * Glasgow Grin: When Kirche meets Alex she assumes he's human and in the same breath insults Louise. There are some tearing noises and…
 * Future Imperfect: The many tales about Brimir and the "angels of God",.
 * Genius Bruiser: Remember, Alex has eaten doctors.
 * Glasgow Grin: When Kirche meets Alex she assumes he's human and in the same breath insults Louise. There are some tearing noises and…
 * Future Imperfect: The many tales about Brimir and the "angels of God",.
 * Genius Bruiser: Remember, Alex has eaten doctors.
 * Glasgow Grin: When Kirche meets Alex she assumes he's human and in the same breath insults Louise. There are some tearing noises and…
 * Future Imperfect: The many tales about Brimir and the "angels of God",.
 * Genius Bruiser: Remember, Alex has eaten doctors.
 * Glasgow Grin: When Kirche meets Alex she assumes he's human and in the same breath insults Louise. There are some tearing noises and…

"Alex: ... I'm gonna need a bigger tentacle."
 * Going Native:
 * Gollum Made Me Do It:  is developing one.
 * Gonna Need More Trope: In response to.

"You can insult them, hate them, kill them, whatever, but you acknowledge them as "people who can think and feel."."
 * Good Is Not Nice: A more positive view of the current portrayal of.
 * Hidden Depths:  showing a suspicious amount of knowledge about violence.
 * Also what appears to be Karin's heavy hand towards parenting is something else entirely.
 * High-Class Glass:  majordomo has one, complete with it dropping out when surprised.
 * Horrible Judge of Character:, not helped by the latter being a smooth operator.
 * Also,  some degree. Entrusting her with all your secrets is not a great move, especially   It did have the upside of, though.
 * Horror Hunger: Not that horrific to him, but Alex has to actively rein in his urge to feed. Word of God states that this Alex did not have a civilian all-you-can-eat buffet during the game's events.
 * As said to, "For instance, right now, I'm having to restrain myself from killing you. Not because I have anything against you, but because there's a big part of me that looks at you and sees fresh food. There's another part of me who wants to infect you and make you like me, but that's just the same as killing you. We'd end up with something that looks like you and has all your memories but isn't you."
 * It's implied that it was less than a standard player's run of the game but more than the "minimal civilian consumption" achievement.
 * He eventually deals with it by feeding on orcs which he claims aren't truly self-aware.
 * Humans Are Cthulhu: '[Alex] seemed to be tapping the letters set into its form, and moving around a strange rounded thing that reminded her of a field mouse, if some unthinkably alien mind were to take it and reimagine it according to their sensibilities.'
 * Humans Through Alien Eyes:
 * I Am a Monster:  opinion of herself after the killing of Mott.
 * If I Wanted You Dead...: Alex says this when
 * Then says it of Louise to her mother.
 * Foquet says the same, not to the man directly though.
 * If You Kill Him You Will Be Just Like Him: Mott tries to use this against Alex. As it's Alex fucking Mercer, it doesn't take.
 * Iron Lady: . Karin of the "Heavy Wind" is one of the strongest and most feared warriors in the land, her name told in awed whispers and her mere presence making even Colbert sweat in fright. When she confronts thinking she was using her daughter as blackmail material, she not only was unamused, but completely derailed her opinion and called out her nonsense while drinking tea.
 * Irony: Kirche saying "Tabitha! I need your brain!"
 * Look at the first Mythology Gag below. Louise tells Alex that she would have stopped before causing permanent damage.
 * Alex notes the irony when grabs him with a huge tentacle.
 * It Gets Easier: Louise's desensitisation to violence.
 * "Just Following Orders doesn't cut it." Admitted by the guy who did the following, no less.
 * Kid with the Leash: Although Louise doesn't have anything like complete control over Alex, he'll defer to her if she asks nicely. And he makes it clear that he must be treated as a partner, not a servant or a pet, if Louise wants him following any of her orders. Then again, if she does ask nicely, there's pretty much nothing he won't actually do for her.
 * Knight Templar Big Brother: In a spiritual sense, Alex.
 * Lack of Empathy: Probably the strongest thematic in the story. Just like in the original work, the Lack of Empathy is what can and did create some of the greatest brutalities in the world. And this goes not only for obvious monsters like Mott and the King of Albion, it goes for even the main and secondary characters: Louise and Karin's view of commoners, Siesta's view of nobles, and Mercer's view on humans in general. As stated by Mercer;
 * Lack of Empathy: Probably the strongest thematic in the story. Just like in the original work, the Lack of Empathy is what can and did create some of the greatest brutalities in the world. And this goes not only for obvious monsters like Mott and the King of Albion, it goes for even the main and secondary characters: Louise and Karin's view of commoners, Siesta's view of nobles, and Mercer's view on humans in general. As stated by Mercer;

""I thought you'd be scowling! Why, she looks mature now! I just know how you despise boobies!"
 * Mercer in particular has instinctive Lack of Empathy due to his viral nature, and tries even harder to fight it. He also encourages Louise to avert it.
 * Land Mine Goes Click:
 * Lolicon: keeps accusing Wardes of this. When the latter sees her for the first time in years, and delights that She Is All Grown Up:

"For the last time,, I do not like children!""

""Poor kid. I didn't have the heart to tell her what you have to give up to get to the top.""
 * Lonely At the Top:

""Belong to?" Montmorency asked, looking at the servant nearest her as if for the first time. "B-but slavery isn't legal in Tristain."
 * Loophole Abuse:

"Of course it isn't! Keeping human beings as chattel? Horrible. Absolutely horrible," Mott replied. "I'd never condone such a thing."

"So what do you call this," Louise gestured towards the three servants. Her voice came out as a low growl. "If not slavery?"

"These aren't people. They're trained dogs." Mott replied. "You can't enslave an animal. You can only tame it.""

"Alex: After class, I want you to show me your spells; (...) I know they're explosions, but I like explosions. I like them a lot."
 * Note: This is him actually believing it. The man went off the deep end a long time ago.
 * Mad Bomber: Alex. For him, the bigger the explosion, the better. He even provides the quote for When All You Have Is a Hammer below. It's justified by him having consumed several pyromaniac soldiers.

"Though 'd have to make sure that damn sword never met Karin. Because he just knew it would start teasing him about having a teacher complex, and how Louise was clearly just a stand in for his mentor, despite that being just as foolish as the idea that he somehow liked undeveloped girls."
 * Mama Bear: Deconstructed. Karin loves her daughters very much and wants to protect them above all else... so she ended pushing each one beyond their breaking point and refused to even smile in pride of their accomplishments to make them strong. This has left Louise with severe emotional problems and Cattleya's openly questioning if she even cares.
 * Manipulative Bitch:
 * The Man Behind the Man:  is the real power behind the throne.
 * Mentor Ship:

": "Then we kill it? Because I'm behind that. I'm so behind that I've warped around to being in front of that. And by in front of that I mean I'll stab the hell out of it. Stabbity stab stab-""
 * Metaphorgotten:

"Kirche: "Or find it on animals that have absolutely no business carrying money!""
 * Money Spider:

""Excellent. A full quad of experienced mages," Osmond had an unsettling twinkle in his eye, "as well as Miss Valièrre and her familiar.""
 * Moral Myopia:
 * The difference with  is that her ruthlessness is with people in the game, while Karin was content enough to let Mott act scot free as long it suited her goals. She was not amused by this.
 * Morality Pet:
 * Mugging the Monster: A bunch of bandits see Louise and her "servant" walking alone at night down a blind alley, and think they'll be easy prey. They are disabused of this notion thoroughly when Louise' "servant" makes easy prey of them.
 * Mundane Utility: When Alex tries to explain electricity by likening it to lightning magic, Montmorency is outraged by the thought of using it for light and likens that to using a fireball for toe-warming.
 * My Country, Right or Wrong: Karin holds this attitude.
 * My God, What Have I Done?:  after Alex kills Mott.
 * still recoiling from that one.
 * My Friends and Zoidberg:

But seeing a human being in it made Louise feel ill. She couldn't imagine anyone who would put a person in something like that. She didn't want to imagine anyone who would put a person in something like that." ""Just following orders? That excuse went out of style at Nuremberg," Mercer muttered.
 * Mythology Gag: "Imagine you came upon a scene where a woman was beating a man with a bullwhip. Imagine you saw her cackling like an insane harpy, imagine you saw the whip tearing long bloody strips from the man's back... Imagine you saw him begging for mercy."
 * "Louise thought she felt a slight tug in the back of her mind as she passed a particular shop, one with a bronze sign in the shape of a sword."
 * "Louise recognized its make, it was a form of training harness, used for training hunting dogs. Enchanted with wind magic, it was able to give a powerful shock on command.
 * Name's the Same:

"What does a Germanian township famous for its crab apples have to do with such things?" Cattleya asked, now thoroughly confused."

"Your daughter seems to have the compassion for my people that you yourself lack. She, at least, had the proper horrified reaction to meeting a man like Mott, as opposed to accepting him as a... What did you call it, a “necessary evil?“"
 * Necessarily Evil: How Louise and Alex interpret  motives. The fact that the group recognizes their evil and does it for a tenuously good purpose is perceived as what keeps them from Mott's level of depravity.
 * Brutally mocked by  to Karin, stating simply that there is no excuse for knowing what Lord Mott did and still protect him to advance her schedule.

"The words "kill them" were on the tip of his tongue. But Cattleya's words about how Louise felt responsible for his actions bubbled up from the back of his mind. "-Knock them out so we can interrogate them.""
 * Never Say "Die":

"She frowned; hadn't she begged for exactly what she got? Some powerful monster to be her familiar? Clearly God had a perverse sense of irony.[...]
 * No Social Skills: Alex hasn't improved in this regard since the game. He does not, for instance, see any problem with walking up to a pair of arguing sisters, lifting one off the ground, and threatening her with death unless she makes nice with his mage. It says something that this is actually a step up from where he started.
 * When Louise
 * He also doesn't see anything wrong with  Granted, he doesn't understand human behavior, but what's commonplace to him is often Nightmare Fuel.
 * Not So Different: Louise realizes this after she learns Alex's true nature and compares his own struggle with himself to her desire to prove she isn't just "zero".

Something struggling against itself, wanting something new for itself...She laughed. A perverse sense of irony indeed."

"Louise was struck by how vicious that last line was, at least for Cattleya."
 * OOC Is Serious Business:
 * One from Cattleya:

"Louise cut her off. Meek Louise cut her off.
 * Another from Louise:

The shock of that was almost enough to give even Karin pause. The very notion was stunning, like having a battalion of mage-knights wiped out by a farmer's militia."

"Now [Erina] was quiet. She never spoke once on the way back, and the only sound she made was the soft inhale/exhale of breathing. And she never, ever smiled. Now she seemed hesitant and frightened and fuck Mott."
 * Oblivious Guilt Slinging: Louise to Henrietta.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity:.
 * Off with His Head:
 * Out of the Inferno: Who else?
 * Patchwork Fic: Cpl_Facehugger has stated that he is largely writing this based on the light novels, but Mott was an anime-exclusive.
 * Pay Evil Unto Evil: No one in Louise's main group thinks Mott's fate was undeserved.
 * Power Creep, Power Seep: So far Colbert, Kirche,  and Cattleya have been upgraded to Triangle or Square class.
 * Personalities have also been greatly improved,  most of all. Karin is also shown to have Hidden Depths in the recent chapters.
 * By Word of God, Montmorency has been upgraded to Triangle class
 * Pragmatic Adaptation: With Alex as the familiar, some things obviously have to be changed if it's not to be a curbstomp fest.
 * Precision F-Strike: Provided by Siesta.

""I'm here, aren't I? I didn't just appear for no reason. You summoned me. With magic." Mercer replied. "I think that disproves any delusions that you're not capable of magic. Because otherwise I'd be vanishing in a puff of contradictory logic right now, and you'd be plummeting to your death. Probably trying to grab ahold of nothing and watching as the ground rushed closer and closer with every second...""
 * Protectorate: Alex's - along with every other familiar's - purpose is to protect the mage he's bound to, and thus far he's shown very willing to threaten and/or murder anything that looks at Louise funny.
 * Puff of Logic: Invoked by Alex.

"smile was too predatory to be anything else, and her eyes said she'd not been bluffing."
 * Ragnarok Proofing: Justified for the by the preservation spells cast on it long ago and
 * The Reveal:
 * Sentry Gun
 * Shout-Out:
 * "Exterminatus? We're looking for effects for spells and you just leap to 'kill everything?'"
 * "That's heresy! That's – that's why, that's extra heretical!"
 * "Gaze not too long at the abyss lest the abyss gaze back at you."
 * "The Countess, she who once bathed in the blood of a hundred virgins."
 * Cf Elizabeth Báthory.
 * and Karin's conversation in chapter 9 reminds some people of Wrex and Uvenk's talk in Mass Effect 2. Most especially "I'll drag Tristain into the future whether you like it or not."
 * Later, Agnes reveals that the reason she survived the Flame Snake's attack was because "Hate is a hell of an anesthetic," taken nearly word-for-word from DLC character Zaeed's description of how he got shot in the head. Interestingly, they both have heavy facial scarring, both seek out a man they're trying to kill (Flame Snake for Agnes, Vido for Zaeed,) and both are... rather good at killing people.
 * Lord Mott's discussion about
 * Another for Mott:
 * "This isn't a war ordinary humans can win."
 * "You have a musket," Joseph said. "Now look at me," Wardes did so. "Now back at your musket. It's a machine gun!" ... "Anything is possible when you're not a knife eared girlyman! ... But if you're a real man and not a girlyman, you could use it to kill five hundred and fifty girlymen per minute! Sadly, that's cyclic, not effective."
 * Albion airships are referred to as ships of the wall.
 * Slasher Smile:
 * Slasher Smile:

"It was a smile, yes, but it was different. Malicious, cruel. This was scary. His smile was scary. realized then that she was seeing the true face of, perhaps for the first time."
 * And when Agnes confronts

""I should not speak ill of a noble, milady," Siesta replied.
 * The Stations of the Canon: Does a good job of mangling this to make the plot more interesting. Louise only summons Alex, the duel arc involves Guiche,   etc.
 * Straw Misogynist: Averted. While a lot of villains may look like this (Mott, the King of Albion, and ), it immediately shows that they are horrible people to anybody weaker than them and ready to exploit them for their own end and pleasure. What the King did to his prisoner must be read to be believed.
 * Squee: Alex,
 * Stealth Hi Bye: Done to Colbert, Kirche, and Karin by Alex.
 * Super Soldier:
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial:

What her handmaiden didn't say was more informative than what she did. Mott clearly wasn't a good ruler."

"Cattleya: Almost too easy. Except for the dying. That sounds more like Mother's training regimen than any teacher I've had."
 * Inverted later when Kirche notes a suspicious lack of denial.
 * Sympathy for the Devil: Louise notes similarities between Alex and.
 * Training From Hell: Alluded to.

""So who's resetting those traps then?" Louise asked, more to herself.
 * Tastes Like Chicken: Alex says this about Orcs.
 * This Is Reality:

She almost expected some hideous and reptilian voice to call out "I am," but that only happened in clichéd stories."

""One thing to keep in mind," Mother said, even as she dodged once more. "Is that mage battles take place in three dimensions.""
 * This Is Unforgivable!: Alex and Louise both say this nearly verbatim when they see what Mott's been up to.
 * Throw'em to the Wolves:
 * Timey-Wimey Ball: Used to explain how  was summoned by the Founder six thousand years before Alex was.
 * 2-D Space:
 * 2-D Space:

"Alex: "There is no problem that can't be solved with an explosion of the right size, in the right time, and the right place.""
 * Uncanny Valley: Karin's reaction to Tabitha.
 * Up to Eleven: The duel with Guiche, Foquet  , the Staff of Destruction   etc.
 * Violence Is the Only Option:
 * When All You Have Is a Hammer:

""Wait. Wait. Dispel. That's what that brat and her pet monster were researching. Dispel. But that's a void spell. Oh that is bullshit.""
 * Voice of the Legion: Alex does this at least twice. One of those being
 * Who Names Their Kid Duke: Louise's father.
 * Word of God: Cpl_Facehugger has provided some in-depth analysis of how this version of ZnT came to be, including history, technology, personal history, military doctrine, the works. He's shown his work quite extensively.
 * You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!: Foquet realizing that Louise is a Void Mage.

"Kirche:
 * Younger Than They Look: