"Two at the bottom of the stairs," Tatsuya began. His eyes were closed in concentration, his mind reached into the realm of information, constructing a map of the library within his mind to the finest details.
"One at the top of the stairs, and four in the special reading room," he finished.
"Incredible!" Erika quietly exclaimed. "With you around, there's no point in them ambushing us! I sure wouldn't want to face you in actual battle."
Tatsuya nodded; Miyuki spoke: "I wonder what they're doing in the special reading room."
"My guess is that they are trying to steal the University's classified materials," Tatsuya said.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Erika said. Erika made to jump over the counter they were crouched behind, intending to take the ambushers by surprise, before the doors to the library slammed open.
Everyone looked to the library's main entrance and found a small girl wearing a tattered uniform. Soot smeared every inch of the fabric, almost burying the original colour palette of white and green, while smoke wafted off charred strips of the skirt and blazer. Her face was equally dirty, lending her a hardened look.
In her right hand was a staff; a wooden rod equalling her height topped with a crescent moon. In her left hand was a gun, also covered in soot and ash. The girl advanced towards the stairs, oblivious to the ambush, or simply not caring.
Her staff clacked upon the marble floor, accompanying her steps. As soon as she neared the stairs to the second floor, two men rushed from behind the cover, blocking the girl's advance.
"Stop!" they said, pointing their guns at her, "Or we will shoot!"
When the girl made no sign of complying, the men readied themselves, and went into stances with their batons.
Suddenly, Erika jumped from behind her cover, screaming: "Hey! Leave her alone!" The momentary distraction was all she needed.
The girl whispered and five orbs of water appeared around the head of her staff. She aimed her staff at the men, the orbs joined together, and a torrent of water appeared, knocking them down.
Erika's run slowed as she saw that the little girl had it covered. She halted next to the girl, saying: "Nice work!" but the girl wasn't done.
She whispered something else, and five orbs of crackling electricity appeared at the head of her staff. Before Erika could ask her what she was doing, the girl aimed her staff at the men once again, and electric tendrils surged forth.
Magnified by the water that covered them, the electricity surged through the men's bodies, cooking them from the inside. They tried to scream, but their muscles were pulled taut by the sheer electrical force. They spasmed, soundless and dying.
"Whoa, hey!" Erika yelped. "What are you doing!?"
A scream from atop the stairs alerted Erika and the girl. A man wielding a sword charged at the girl. The girl was unphased.
She let go of the electric charge and pointed her staff in the direction of the sword-wielding man. Five orbs of fire appeared, and a gout of fire blasted the man, engulfing him in flames.
Unlike the two other men, he screamed and flailed his arms before he dropped onto the ground, rolling to snuff out the flames.
The girl blasted him with water, extinguishing the man, pushing him into where the two other men lay. He coughed and sputtered as he lay on the wet marble, clutching the now burnt half of his face. He then heard the clacking of the girl's staff, signalling her approach.
In an instant, electricity surged through his muscles, pulling them taut. His burnt flesh bled as the muscles underneath convulsed, tears fell, giving the electricity even more water to flow through. This was it, the man thought. This was how he died. But Death, it seems, would not take him that day.
The man fell unconscious before he could realize the surge had ended. He dropped to the floor with a meaty thud, the aroma of his burnt flesh blending with the smell of ozone in the air to produce a horrifically stinging smell.
Erika held the girl's left hand up into the sky, raising her staff along with it. "Stop," she said with a shaky voice. "That's enough."
The girl complied. She lowered her staff, still holding the gun loosely within her right hand. Tatsuya and his sister Miyuki ran up beside Erika, the latter covering her mouth in disgust before turning into the embrace of her brother.
"Come on," Tatsuya said, comforting his sister. "We have to go."
Erika, shaken, followed the Shiba siblings while the girl trailed behind them.
=0=
AN
Had this plot-bunny for months now: What would happen if I were to plop down a Midgard wizard into the very serious world of Mahouka.
Reviews are greatly appreciated. If you guys would like me to continue on this idea, let me know. I would love to write it, but not if no one would read it.