Hello everyone. I'm back with a somewhat long chapter. I can't give too much detail but the effects of the Familiar Runes on Geo are going to be a lingering thing as the story goes on. And for added clarity, the only bit of electricity the Halkegenian society knows are spells involving thunder. However the terms electromagnetic were added in the book Tabitha read since it's a recount of what the Murian symbols said in Star Force 2.
"So the two of you are the ones who witnessed the theft?" Old Osmond's eyes fell on a familiar pair of teens that entered his office, the infamous Louise the Zero and her Familiar that he looked at with great interest, Geo Stelar. They nodded and stood firmly before the presence of him and the staff.
"Please recall the incident to us in depth." He requested the two of them. Louise stepped forward since it was mostly her responsibility as a noble and recall the events that unfolded before her eyes the day before. However she left out the details regarding the EM Viruses since they really weren't part of the theft itself. Everyone took a moment to take in and comprehend the information that they received from the girl. Suddenly Old Osmond remembered something when he looked at the teachers and turned to Mr. Colbert.
"Where's Ms. Longueville?" Indeed his green haired secretary was not present in this meeting.
"I don't know frankly." Mr. Colbert told him, wondering himself along with everyone else. That was when the door swung open.
"Ms. Longueville, there you are!" Ms. Longueville stood in the doorway holding a piece of paper.
"I'm extremely sorry for my lateness." She apologized but kept a calm and collected demeanor. "I went to investigate the situation as soon as I heard about it."
"Investigate?" The old man stroked his beard as he eyed Ms. Longueville with interest in her findings and her…"assets".
"Yes. I heard the commotion and investigated the vault when I woke up. When I saw the inscription on the wall, I immediately went to work, knowing it was from Fouquet."
As she spoke, Omega-Xis grew more and more suspicious. Something seemed off about this woman and the fact that she went to "investigate" as soon as she woke up and came back at this time made him question her credibility.
"So what evidence did you find?" She walked up to her boss and gave him the piece of paper. He examined the content of the paper.
"This is a sketch of the suspect according to the testimonies of the commoners in the area. According to them, they saw a black hooded figure entering an abandoned shack. Another witness also said that they saw the same person talking to a boy with white hair and weird clothing."
A boy with white hair and weird clothing? That sounded all too familiar to Geo, but it also sounded a bit too far-fetched to be remotely true.
"Do you have a sketch of the boy?" Osmond asked. Ms. Longueville shook her head.
"Unfortunately the description was very vague and didn't have much detail."
"What a shame. Nonetheless, I commend you on your speedy work. Very efficient Ms. Longueville." She smiled at the praise.
"By the way, there are two students outside your office. I ran into them before entering."
Two students? Louise looked to the doorway and let out a small growl at the sight of the person she didn't have any pleasure in seeing. Kirche stood in the doorway with a sheepish grin while Tabitha kept her usual deadpan expression as she entered the room.
"What are YOU doing here?" Louise pointed her finger to her. The two of students stood next to the pink haired girl.
"I didn't want to left in the dark and decided to do some spying." She answered.
"What about you?" The Familiar asked Tabitha, not knowing her name.
"Dragged along." Was her answer. Old Osmond coughed in order to grab their attention. He raised the paper and revealed the it's contents to them. The teens examined it and instantly Louise and Geo recognized it. A sketch of a feminine person in a hooded cloak matched the appearance of the thief.
"That's Fouquet! There's no doubt about it!" Confirmed Louise. There was commotion among the nobles in the room when Louise said this.
"We must report this to the palace at once!" Mr. Colbert insisted in a loud voice. "I'll send a request for reinforcements from the royal guards immediately!" However the headmaster shook his head in disagreement.
"If we waste time reporting this to the palace, Fouquet would have already gotten away. It is our responsibility to retrieve the Sword of Destruction and capture Fouquet if we want to regain the honor that was tarnished by that thief." He explained to him. "Everyone raise your wand if you are up to the task of capturing Fouquet."
There was silence. Geo watched as the teachers looked away uncomfortably, as if waiting for someone to take on the task. Are these really people he's supposed to consider "nobles"? They all looked like cowards in his eyes that earned the name "noble" from using magic. Someone had to "regain their honor" for them and bring the thief to justice.
Old Osmond asked again."Is there really no one-"
"I'll do it!" Someone volunteered, gaining everyone's attention.
"What?!" Louise spoke for everyone when she reacted this way. It was the Familiar that stepped forward with determination was in his eyes
"I'll do it!" He repeated.
"Don't you mean we'll do it?" Omega-Xis added, making Geo nod with a smile. While the AM-ian didn't like the idea of doing these nobles' dirty work, he knew that stopping Fouquet would be the right thing to do.
"Who let you make that decision?" His master scolded, almost yelling.
"Well who else is going to stop this Fouquet?" Mega materialized next to his partner, crossing his arms. While the teachers were intimidated by the beast, they tried their best to stay calm. "It doesn't look like these cowards are willing to do so."
Louise really had no choice but to go with them. Geo is her Familiar and her responsibility. It would definitely look bad on her if he got into any trouble or seriously injured. Plus it was a good opportunity to gain some respect and recognition for being the noble that stopped the infamous Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt instead of being known as Louise the Zero. "I'll go with him then!"
Mr. Colbert was caught off by her sudden raise of her wand. "Ms. Valliere-" There was another wand in the air. The owner of it was none other than Kirche von Zerbst.
"I'll go too!" She said confidently. "I simply can't lose to a Vallière." Another wand was raised, but it was shaped like a large staff.
"I'm going too." Tabitha announced.
"But Tabitha, you don't have to do this at all."
The short girl just answered "I'm worried."
Kirche and Louise smiled with gratitude. They felt touched by her words.
"Thank you Tabitha." Louise thanked. It was then that one of the teachers protested against their decision.
"Sir Osmond, I strongly object to this!" Argued Ms. Chevreuse. "We must not put the lives of students in danger!"
"Well would you like to find her instead?" The Wizard asked, growing a bit irritated.
"Um...Well…"
"We shouldn't doubt these students and their abilities Ms. Chevreuse." The headmaster counter argued. "After all, Tabitha was granted the title of chevalier, despite being at such a young age."
There was commotion among the teachers as everyone except Old Osmond, Geo, and Omega-Xis looked at the young girl with astonishment.
"Is this really true Tabitha?" Kirche asked. She's known Tabitha for awhile so it's surprising that she kept this secret from her. Then again, she doesn't speak all that much, like right now when she made no answer. The headmaster then moved on to the busty student.
"Ms. Zerbst comes from an established military family in Germania and I heard from a reliable source that her fire magic is of the best quality." Kirche flicked her hair with a smirk of confidence. The next student was one the old man was very reluctant to talk about because there's zero things he can think of to praise her for.
"Ahem!" He cleared his throat. "Ms. Vallière is the daughter of the Vallière Family, which has several outstanding mages and…um…" Louise, who was just standing as confidently as Kirche, was now puzzled when Old Osmond trailed off. He took out a handkerchief and started wiping the sweat from his face. "She has a bright future ahead of her and…" Then he looked at the one who was the first to offer to help.
"AH! Even though he's a commoner, I heard her Familiar and his friend overwhelmed Guiche de Gramont, the son of General Gramont."
"Ah, that's right! He uses the legendary-" Old Osmond hastily covered Mr. Colbert's mouth, now sweating uncontrollably.
"Haha, he's just spouting nonsense! Hahaha…" He collected himself and faced the group of teens with a solemn expression. "Now then, does anyone else like to volunteer in the pursuit of Fouquet, please step forward." There was silence.
"Tsk, they really are a bunch of wimps." Mega snarled quietly.
"There's no need to be so rude Mega." His partner whispered.
"Well then," Old Osmond turned to the group. "the academy awaits the capture of Fouquet." The three mages raised their wands in response to this.
"Sir Osmond." Ms. Longueville stepped forward. "I will serve as their guide if that is okay with you."
"An excellent idea Ms. Longueville. Are you sure about this?" She smiled to him.
"I planned it from the start."
The group of students plus Familiar sat in a blue wooden carriage that pretty much resembles a cart with white seats. Ms. Longueville was the one driving the carriage attached to the horse. So far it's been an hour since they left the academy and the scenery around them was mostly woodland. There was silence among everyone until Geo decided to speak up about something lingering in his mind.
"So Fouquet uses magic correct?" He begun. "So she must be a noble woman. I just wonder why she would be steal from other nobles."
"The fact of the matter is that not all mages are nobles. Many mages have been demoted from their noble status and became commoners." Answered Ms. Longueville. "As a result, some disguise themselves as guards, common laborers, or have resorted to a life of thievery. Even I have been demoted from my noble status."
"But Ms. Longueville, aren't you Headmaster Osmond's secretary?" Kirche asked.
"Thankfully Old Osmond isn't someone who would care about a person's status."
"So what's the story of you losing your noble status?" Kirche pestered, now interested in what happened to her. However Ms. Longueville did not answer, making young lady press on. "Hope you don't mind but can you tell me just a little bit please?
Louise was starting to get more annoyed at how much she was pestering the secretary. "Zerbst, I can't believe how rude you can be!"
"I'm just making idle chit chat because I'm bored. What sad reasons do I have to catch a thief anyway?"
"Weren't you the one who volunteered in the first place?" Chirped in Omega-Xis from the Hunter.
"You didn't have to volunteer if you didn't want to go in the first place." Louise crossed her arms. That's when Kirche got up, making sure she didn't lose her balance on the moving vehicle and sat closely to Geo.
"I'm here to protect my darling? Isn't that right?"
"W-well...um...I don't really need protection…" Geo nervously told her.
"We've been in worse situations before." Omega-Xis told her with a bit of cockiness in his voice. "Capturing a thief is a cake walk."
"What are you gonna do if Fouquet appears with her golem?" She sneered at Louise. The pinkette grew more frustrated.
"That's obvious, I'll use my magic against her!"
"You're magic? Don't make me laugh Louise the Zero!" The two ladies started to get into a heated argument with Geo awkwardly spectating between the two of them. Meanwhile Tabitha continued reading the book Solo wanted her to read to her the other night. She still wondered what was so important about Mu that he needed to know.
Omega-Xis continued to eye Ms. Longueville with great suspicion. Something seemed off about her. The fact that she wasn't present in the meeting then suddenly appearing with hours worth of evidence rubbed him the wrong way. He wouldn't think too deeply about it at this moment since two girls were starting to get on his nerves.
"Will you two just stop your pointless bickering already!" He barked at them. They stopped when the world around them darkened. The forest grew denser with more trees than before. Ms. Longueville halted the carriage and climbed out.
"We'll have to walk from this point on." She said. Everyone disembarked from the carriage and followed the secretary down a path. While the darkness sent shivers down Kirche's spine, she wasn't too bothered by it. Didn't stop her from coming up with a lie to get close to Geo again.
"Darling, I don't like the feeling around here." She wrapped her arms around his.
"I don't either but it'll be fine." He reassured her. "But you don't have to be so close to me."
"But I'm afraid!" She exaggerated. She was starting bugging Louise with how close she's getting to her Familiar. Why can't she do this to her own Familiar anyway?
As the group approached the clearing with the old shack, Omega-Xis felt something strange. It felt familiar and powerful and when he saw the old shack, the Wizard doubted his speculation. Ms. Longueville directed everyone to a bush and they observed the house from the bushes.
"Hey kid, put on your Visualizer." The kid did so and gasped at the sight.
"What's wrong?" Kirche asked.
"That house is giving off a lot of EM Waves." Geo couldn't believe the sight. The yellow ripples of energy continued to flow from the abandoned house.
"Or rather what's inside the house." Omega-Xis added. "It must be the Sword of Destruction."
"Let me see." Geo passed his glasses to Louise and her eyes shared the same sight as her Familiar's. "There's so much coming from that house."
"From the information I was given, this must be where Fouquet is hiding." Ms. Longueville confirmed.
"It looks like no one's home." Geo analyzed as he put his Visualizer back on. He reached into his pocket and put his Hunter-VG on his arm. "Thankfully there's no Viruses either. I'll go make sure that the house is empty. Transcode! Mega Man!"
Mega Man disappeared to the naked eye but in reality, he changed his wave frequency to make sure he was undetected. He made his way over to the house and looked inside. Dusty furniture and house decor but nowhere to hide. However, being this close to the house enabled him to feel the amount of energy that oozed from the inside. It felt intense, almost like something was trying to shock him. But there was a bright side to this. He changed his wave frequency and reappeared in everyone's eyes.
"There's no one inside." He yelled to the bush where everyone was hiding. "But I think I know where the Sword of Destruction is."
There was a sigh of relief that escaped from Louise's and Kirche's mouths. They emerged from the bush and approached the house with caution with Tabitha in the front of them. She waved her staff near the door and said "There are no traps."
Tabitha opened the door and went in, followed by Kirche, then Mega Man. However before going inside, he turned to his master, who just stood there.
"Are you coming?" He asked. She shook her head.
"I'll stand guard out here."
"And I'll investigate the area." Ms. Longueville disappeared into the forest, leaving Louise alone in the clearing.
Inside, Mega Man lead the group to the source of the EM Waves. The energy was much more intense inside than it was when he was by the side of the shack. The source was a rectangular wooden chest next to a dusty drawer.
"This must be it." Mega commented. Tabitha opened it and picked up the contents.
"Sword of Destruction." She held a blue case in her hands.
"Lets open it already."
"Why so haisty Mega?" Mega Man was beginning to wonder if something was wrong with his Wizard.
"It's because this energy-"
"AHHHHH!" There was a shriek from outside. Only one person can be the source of that.
"Louise!" Before Mega Man can react, there was a loud crack and the roof was replaced by the sky and a giant mound of dirt.
"An Earth Golem!" Kirche screamed. Tabitha thrusted her wand forward, chanted a spell and a powerful gust of wind was blown at the rock monster. The golem just stood there as if nothing happened. Kirche took out her wand from her cleavage and uttered a quick spell. When she was done, she pointed her wand at the golem and a burst of fire was shot from it. The golem shook off the flames effortlessly. Mega Man's hand formed into his Mega Buster and the runes on the Custom Screen glowed.
"Charge Shot!" Mega Man aimed his Mega Buster at the golem and fired a blast at it. He could have sworn there was a large dent but it instantly disappeared. "Dammit, this thing is tough!"
"Retreat." Tabitha said softly. All of them dashed out the house and went separate ways. Geo stopped when he saw who was behind the Earth Golem.
"Louise run!" She didn't listen and pointed her wand at it. There was an explosion on the golem's back. It turned around and looked down at her.
"Louise get out of there already!" Mega Man told her with urgency.
"I don't want to run!" She refused. "If I don't then I won't be called Louise the Zero anymore!"
"That doesn't matter right now! You're no match for it!"
"I won't know until I try!"
"You just did! Just leave!" Mega Man grew anxious and was hoping that the golem don't harm her. To his dismay it made it's way towards Louise but she stood her ground.
"No! I am a noble!" She's not doing what he think she's doing. "And nobles never turn their back on the enemy!" She tightened her grip on her wand. "I AM A NOBLE AND NOT LOUISE THE ZERO!" She attempted to use a fireball spell but only created an explosion as always. It made a dent in the golem's chest as it raised its fist to crush her. She gasped and prepared for her end. The golem brought its fist down and shook the ground from the impact.
Louise was confused. What happened? She didn't feel any pain and she's not dead. She was on the floor next to her Familiar who came to her rescue. She should be grateful but she was the exact opposite of that.
"You stay out of this!" He's trying ruin her chances of fixing her reputation. How dare he? How dare that disobedient dog attempt screw up probably the only chance she had to stop the mockery that she endured. "I don't need you to ruin what chance I have of losing the name Louise the Zero!"
"Just shut it already you idiot!" He barked. "So what you're a noble? So what they call you Louise the Zero? Let them say what they like! None of it will matter in the end because you would be dead! Screw that noble pride of yours!" Louise just stared at her Familiar stunned. She never seen Geo act so harsh and angry. Water formed inside her eyes and ran down her cheeks.
"But...If I run away, they'll make fun of me even more." She sobbed. "It hurts...a lot. It always hurts my feelings. I don't want to be made fun of anymore!" A mix of sympathy and regret formed in Mega Man. He didn't mean to make her feel bad or cry. But he let what she said sink in and weigh his heart down. Everyday this girl is called "Zero", doubted, mocked, ridiculed and treated like an idiot. How can she endure that? She always seemed stubborn and full of herself but now he knows it was all a facade created by her pride.
"I'm sorry Louise." He tried to calm her down. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I just-" Then he remembered in a nick of time. The EM Human grabbed her and dashed away from the fist of the golem. Tabitha's Familiar, Sylphid, appeared in front of them with Tabitha and Kirche on her back.
"Get on." Tabitha told them. Mega Man lifted Louise onto the dragon with Kirche's help. But he didn't get on himself.
"I'll stay and take care of the golem. Now go!" Tabitha made Sylphid take off as another fist was brought down on the spot Mega Man just stood. The Blue Bomber was now standing in front of the golem.
"I never knew you had that much backbone kid." Omega-Xis spoke up.
"It wasn't intentional really. But we have other things to worry about. Battle Card! Sword!" His Buster hand changed into a blue energy sword with a blue handle. The Familiar Runes caused the sword to glow immensely. "I'm Louise's Familiar! I'm taking you out you piece of dirt!" Louise reacted when she heard what Mega Man said. She turned around and watched him charge towards the Earth Golem with his sword.
As the golem readied a punch, Mega Man leaped into the air and brought down his sword. The two clashed and went into a struggle. The added power helped him keep up with the golem but the punch was mightier than the sword. It was like getting a boulder thrown at him. The boy's body flew through the air and collided with a tree. Pain was felt throughout his chest and arm.
"Mega Man!" Louise shouted with great concern.
"This thing sure packs a punch." He breathed. Thankfully the pain was easy to shake off. He flew into the air and landed on a Wave Road. From the height he was at, he was about face to face with the golem. He took a glance at the Noise Gauge. Only 10%.
"Battle Card! Freeze Knuckle!" Another Battle Card took effect when his right hand formed into a large metal blue fist. He dodged another punch and ran along the Wave Road, firing buster shots at the golem. Small dents and marks were quickly replaced with dirt. Mega Man jumped when he got close enough to it and brought his large fist down on it's head. Ice engulfed the golem's body, freezing it in place. Everyone else watched from Tabitha's dragon.
"Did he win?" Kirche wondered.
"Did I beat it?" Mega Man huffed as his hand returned to normal. Crack
"I guess not." Mega sighed. The ice started cracking and limbs started to move. The Earth Golem then burst from its icy shell and grabbed Mega Man. With all of his might, he threw the puny boy to the ground. It slowly made it's way to him to finish him off.
"No Mega Man!" Louise saw that he needed help but didn't know what to do. Then she noticed the case Tabitha held in her hand. Maybe she can use the Sword of Destruction. "Tabitha, let me borrow that."
Tabitha handed the case to her and didn't expect Louise to jump. She hastily casted a "levitation" spell and the Zero slowly descended to the ground with the Sword of Destruction.
"Louise what are you doing!" Kirche called to her but her words weren't reached. Mega Man steadily lifted himself up and noticed his master in front of him.
"Louise what are you doing here?" He asked. Then his eyes widened. She opened the case and took out the Sword of Destruction. From her perspective something was off about the sword. It was a stone shaped like a sword with lines on it. It didn't seem magical but she felt a bit of energy coming from it.
From Mega Man's perspective the sword was an unexpected surprise. Why was it here? How did it get here? It all made sense now. The intense yellow EM Waves, the reason Mega acted a bit weird around it seemed too familiar to be true. But there it was in Louise's hands.
"That's the 'Sword of Destruction'?!" Geo and Omega-Xis gasped in unison. Louise ran up to the golem and waved it around as if she was trying to swing a real sword. This definitely caught the golem's attention.
"Stop Louise! Get away from the OOPart!" Mega Man cried. OOPart? What is he even talking about? And why isn't this thing working? With another swing, the "Sword of Destruction" glowed and energy spilled throughout the mage's body. Her vision blurred, the volume in her ears went down and everything around her turned white.
"What is this? Where am I?" Louise was in plain nothingness again, just like the dream she had before. The only thing missing are those creepy people that wanted her body. She don't want to imagine going through any shameful acts.
"Give me your body!" It's that voice again. It sent an electrifying shiver down her spine. Louise turned around and was face to face with the yellow being with a sword from before. She backed away in fear.
"Who are you?" She stammered. In the blink of an eye, more yellow beings appeared behind the first, complete with swords.
"Give use your body!" They marched toward the poor girl. She had nowhere to run, no one to help her, and no wand. She drew back.
"Stay away!"
"GIVE IT TO USE!"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!"
"LOUISE!"
Louise blinked and snapped back to reality. She met a pair of brown eyes guarded by glass. Mega Man was next to her, looking into her eyes with great panic. Seeing that she had regained her senses had calmed him down. She blushed with embarrassment.
"Thank goodness you're back to normal." He sighed.
"Mega Man? What happened?" She looked at the golem and saw that it was focused on it's foot. It looked like it stomped on something.
"You zoned out because of the OOPart and was almost crushed." She looked at what was in his hand. The Sword of Destruction must've caused her to zone out like that. "Don't worry, I'll beat this golem."
"But you're no match for it!" Louise protested. "We should leave."
"Seems like someone changed their mind." Omega-Xis chuckled. "Don't worry. Leave this to us. We can handle big ugly now."
"Mega's right." Geo made a reassuring smile. "With the Sword of Zerker, we can't lose to this thing!" Louise was confused by what he meant when he said "Sword of Zerker" until he lifted up the Sword of Destruction.
"But won't you space out like me because of me?" Mega Man can tell that she's worried for him and while he didn't want to worry her, it made him feel that she cared for him. To some extent.
"I can handle the OOPart at this point. Now run! I don't want you in any crossfire." Louise nodded her head and ran a few feet away from Mega Man. Now the Earth Golem had it's full attention on him and started moving towards him.
"TRIBE ON! THUNDER ZERKER!" The Sword of Zerker glowed him his hand and grew in size. It formed a large spiky yellow sword with a grew handle. Mega Man felt electricity surge throughout his body. He glowed and sparked with yellow energy. He lifted up the sword and held it above his head. Electricity surrounded him and engulfed him.
Kirche and Tabitha shielded their eyes from the bright light. They never imagined that he can harness such power from that stone. Now that Tabitha thought about it, that's the same stone that was in her book. She remembered seeing it a couple of times but she never would she thought she would ever find it.
The light subsided and Mega Man wore new set of grey and yellow armor. His once blue boots were bulkier with a yellow line on the foot and knee cap. The stripes on his jumpsuit had two pointed lines on the side. His shoulder pads were rounder, bulkier and also had a line across the middle. His buster hand was light blue and the shooting star symbol on it was replaced with a sword emblem. Green electricity formed around the Custom Screen. The chest plate now wrapped around his whole upper torso. Mega Man's helmet now had a red gem in the middle connected to two yellow lightning bolt. There was no ear antenna but now he had a jaw guard while his hair spiked more towards the back instead of up.
Louise gazed at the new Mega Man. So this is what the form he took in her dream looks like. He looked more like a knight in shining armor, especially with the sword on his shoulder. How can he handle the sword without being overwhelmed like her? Mega Man placed his sword on his shoulder and glared at the golem. Bolts of electricity crackled around the sword when he tightened his grip.
"It's been so long since we used Tribe On." He said, still watching the golem move towards him.
"It feels a bit nostalgic." Omega-Xis told him. "I bet we're still rusty with this so let's regain that spark we had."
Surprise surprise the Sword of Destruction was really the Sword of Zerker this whole time. It was somewhat obvious but I tried to keep it a surprise. There was a bit of foreshadowing here and there too. But is it enough to defeat the golem?