Metzengerstein

Metzengerstein(メッツェンガススタイン; Mettsu~engasusutain), nicknamed Metis(メティス; Metisu) is a undead horse and the Familiar of the devil Tasha Campbell. Once believed to be an unnatural statue stagnant in the middle of the forest, thanks to Tasha's absorbed energy, the old monument revealed itself as actually a zombie ride stagnant into slumber due to its calm nature. It was then converted into Tasha's familiar.

Appearance
Being an undead entity, as in neither alive or dead, Metzengerstein is a large, skeletal horse composed of only bones and a bit of flesh and black organs in its exterior, thankfully covered by a black saddle and fur in order to spare sensitive viewers. It's head its nothing more than a horse skull with no eyes or flesh, although it can apparently breathe under such circunstance, Ichijou and Whiswain discribing it as 'chilly and unnatural'. It's hooves are also white as pearls and they echo a 'dreadful sound' every time it walks.

According to Montresor,  Metzengerstein  is apparently an anomaly in the familiar world since it can't communicate with other familiars, not even Fortunato, the high familiar of the forest, was apparently capable of speak with it and deem it dead.

Personality
Considered an anomaly in the familiar forest,  Metzengerstein  apparently has no free will or sense of self, as it since its awakening, it can only interact and move under Tasha's command, otherwise staying stagnant in place, giving itself a statue-like appearance. It seems to be rather and composed just like its master, rather blowing steam out of its nose and munching on nearby plants in order to mix them inside its stomach and then vomit medicine. It appears to also has some level of intelligence, as it can distinguish between healing plants and poison and mix them inside its stomach to produce powerful palms or poisons, however, it'll only produce then when commanded by Tasha, limiting its reaches for individual thinking.

History
For the longest,  Metzengerstein was considered just one of the many singularities inside the familiar forest. Thought as a simple statue of a rather grotesque undead horse placed for whatever reason, both attracting and frightinng devils during their search for their familiars.

During the events of Volume 11, Tasha, a scholar about magical phenomenons and activities, while searching for a familiar in the forest alongside her peerage, found said statue and, after a quick look at it, she concluded that wasn't a statue, but in fact a familiar of particular powers. She then used her own skills on magic to unseal the undead horse from its slumber, and for such, had the opportunity to convert it into her own familiar, being named  Metzengerstein by her queen Ichijou.

Powers & Abilities


Mixing Stomach - For some reason,  Metzengerstein is capable of swallowing massive amounts of medical herbs and other it ems and store it inside its putrid stomach, which once inside can mix them as a process similar to alchemy, and vomit the resulting substance, which can vary from medical palms to antidotes against poisons, or store it inside for later use. Tasha notes than this ability is not limited to one, as  Metzengerstein can mix and store several kinds of herbs and substances inside its stomach for at least a week. On the other hand, Whiswain says they smell much more like a rotting corpse, and taste like crows.

Shadow Walking - Since it can't move on its own too much,  Metzengerstein however is capable to leave its physical form and hop onto the surface of walls, floor and ceiling much more like a shadow, symbolized as a exotic paiting-like figure on the surface, being able to pass through narrow places and under the suspesion of third ones. However, it can only use this ability where there is light shining, and in case someone stabs said figure,  Metzengerstein won't be able to move until its removed from its figure.

Trivia

 * Images and appearance based on Skull Knight's horse from the Berserk series.
 * Metzengerstein is, so far, the only familiar not named by its owner. Instead, Ichijou was the one who named it.
 * For some reason, Metzengerstein is said to smell like Chrysanthemum, which is a funeral flower in Japan.