Chapter 20: Crashing Down.

Negi was standing in line to buy coffee. It was the day after the battle against Evangeline and Asuna had told him that she'd consider the debt paid for a coffee. Negi wasn't going to protest. She had preformed admirably managing to hold off Chachamaru during the entire battle. Without any combat experience she was still strong, swift and, most importantly, decisive, enough to keep the robot occupied. That spoke of immense talent. He paid for the coffee and made his way towards the table. On the way he suddenly came face to face with Evangeline and Chachamaru.

"Good afternoon Evangeline-san, Chachamaru-san" He smiled and bowed his head slightly.

"Good day sensei." Chachamaru bowed.

"What's with the chummy attitude?" Evangeline asked sourly, they seemed to be looking for a table.

"It's a nice day." Negi shrugged. "You can share our table if you need somewhere to sit." he continued and made way for his table. Asuna looked with a suspicious gaze at Evangeline when she eventually sat down by their table but Negi shook his head slightly when she looked at him.

"Right." Asuna suddenly said, "You were in love with Negi's father weren't you?"

Evangeline spitted out her coffee and Negi got his in the wrong throat, "How the hell did she find that out?!" He thought.

"H-how did you?!" Evangeline turned to Negi and stared at him with fury in her eyes. He put up his hands and shook his head. She then slumped together, a tear showing in her right eye. "Oh what does it matter, since he died ten years ago?"

"Died?" Asuna looked at her.

"Yes, died." Evangeline got a bitter look on her face. "He promised to someday undo my curse. But then he kicked the bucket and all my hopes of getting out of this existence went out of the window."

"But you never told me that your father was dead." Asuna whispered to Negi.

"Evangeline-san?" Negi said carefully. "He isn't dead."

"What are you talking about?" She snapped. "He is as dead as you can get. If you want I can tell you the time and place of his death."

"I don't need to hear that." Negi said. "He is definitely alive and I have proof of it."

"What proof?" Evangeline looked at him.

"His partner's card still works."

"Partner?! You if anyone should know that he didn't have any partner."

"He didn't have a ministra, true. But you can still create a pactio even if your partner doesn't work as your shield. It was one of the members of his old group. His partner even lives on this campus. Didn't you know that?"

"What?!" Evangeline had a look of horror on her face. "Are you… Are you trying to tell me that Takamichi was Nagi's partner?!"

"No, no, no!" Negi snickered at the thought.

"Then who is it?!" Evangeline was now holding his clothes and nearly strangled him.

"Now, now Eva-chan." Negi said with the most sickenly sweet smile he could. "That is no way for a little girl to act."

The girl slumped back in her seat. "Don't tell me that it's Albreido… I should have known that it would be that androgynous perverted twit…"

"That's not the point Evangeline-san. The point is that my father is alive. I don't know where but he is definitely alive."

"You really mean it?" Evangeline's voice held an undertone of hope. Negi wondered how long it had been since she had felt that. "The Thousand Master is still alive…?" Her lips curved upwards and she suddenly began to laugh.

"I should have known!" She laughed. "Even if you kill him he won't stay dead!"

"She seems happy about it," Asuna whispered to Chachamaru.

"Yes." The robot seemed happy too at the revelation.

Evangeline continued to laugh as they left the café. When they were about to part ways she suddenly halted.

"Hey Chachamaru." She said. "Give him it."

"Yes master." Chachamaru took out Negi's gun from her bag and gave it to him.

"Hey thanks." Negi became really happy. He liked that gun. "I thought that I'd never see it again."

"Consider it payment for your info bōya." She said still snickering as she left. "I haven't been in a mood this good for fifteen years."

"Sorry for asking but why do you need a gun?" Asuna asked after a while. "From what I saw yesterday you really could raze a building in ten seconds. A gun feels unnecessary with that kind of power."

"Come, let me show you." Negi turned and started walking towards the amphitheatre near the world tree. "I might as well explain some other things while I'm at it." When they came to the amphitheatre Negi saw to his relief that it was empty. Activating the barrier around it he walked out to the center of the stage and told Asuna to sit down.

"Now, as you said I have much more power than any gun could deliver but it's not always a matter of raw firepower." he explained, "No mage has endless magic energy, or "mana", as some people prefer to call it. You need to make good use of the magic you have. A wasted spell means that you are one step closer to being exhausted while your opponent is just as healthy as before. This gun," he held up it, "is a way to conserve energy. Allow me to demonstrate."

He fired off seven magic arrows towards the barrier and just before they were going to crash into it he turned them around so that they flew straight towards him. He lifted the gun, fired at the arrows and shot them all out of the air before speaking up again. "It doesn't take any magic energy for me to use this gun since it powers itself through a magic generator. By shooting down the arrows the opponent will have wasted the energy he put into it without any expenditure on my part. And if I load it with enchanted bullets," He took out the magazine as he sat down beside her, "I can use it for other things as well. These bullets for example," He took out one bullet and held it up for her to see, it was a red-tipped bullet with runes engraved on the cartridge, "are specially designed to take out constructs…"

"What's that?"

"Magically or technologically created beings not made out of flesh or magic energy, but materials like stone, metal or even wood."

"You mean like Chachamaru?"

"Exactly." Negi put back the bullet in the magazine. "If I shot her with one of this her power source would be completely annihilated, her hard drive wiped clean and her entire system overheated to the point where it would melt."

Asuna stared at the gun. "Isn't that a little overkill?" She said uneasily.

"Well, I wouldn't use it on her," Negi said "at least not from now on," he added mentally, "Chachamaru is a special case." He continued aloud.

"How so?"

"Usually constructs are mindless and only have the personality their masters allow them to have. Constructs are often used in fights just because they are mindless and will continue on no matter what. Only complete destruction will stop them and that's why these bullets are so destructive. Chachamaru isn't mindless though. She is just as self aware as the rest of us; she has her own personality and her own likes and dislikes. That's why I wouldn't use these bullets on her. I use them for things without a mind."

"Okay. What other things can you do with it?"

"A lot of things but that's not why I wanted to come here." He reached into his trench coat and took out a card. "It's about this." He showed it to Asuna. It was a white card with a picture of her wielding a giant sword. Around her was a frame with different things written in the corners.

"What the heck?" Asuna looked at it. "What is this?"

"It's the proof of our contract." Negi explained. "It's called a "pactio card" and when you create a contract these cards are created." He took it and put it between his hands. A flash came from between them and when he removed his hands there were two cards. He gave one of them to Asuna. "This is your copy. Keep it with you at all times."

"Hey, hey hold on here." Asuna protested, "I said that I would help you with Eva-chan but that's all. Don't think that I'm going to become your partner permanently."

Negi smiled. "Don't worry Asuna-san. It's just a probationary contract. It doesn't say that you have to become my ministra. A ministra is someone you form a permanent contract with. This is nothing more than a magical variant of co-operating."

"Okay." Asuna took the card and looked at it. "What's with the sword?"

"It's your artifact. When you get one of these cards you get the ability to summon an artifact. In your case it's a sword. Try to summon it. All you need to do is say "adeat"."

"Okay…" Asuna stood up and held up her hands in front of her. "Adeat!" She said and in a flash of magic her artifact materialized.

"What the heck is this?!" She yelled when she saw it. It was now in her hands. Her fingers had instinctively wrapped itself around the handle of a big harisen fan.

"Okay…" Negi sweatdropped as he looked at it. "Seems like you'll need a little more training before you can summon it completely. But don't worry; you can still use it."

"For what? Fanning people to death?" She said sarcastically.

"Not really. That artifact is called the "Ensis Exorcizans" The "evil banishing sword". A hit with this will banish most spirits and summons instantly. Want to try it out?"

"On what?"

"Give me a second." He took out the demon contract and held it to his head. "Hey Wilhelm." He thought.

"Greetings master." The voice of the demon lord said in his head. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"It had indeed. Do you mind if I summon some of your underlings? My partner needs to try out a banisher artifact."

"Of course I don't mind!" The demon huffed, "You are my master and both my servants and I serve you without question. Which should I send?"

"Some middle level warriors. She is talented but has pretty limited experience."

"Very well. I'll send Grasch'takkoz's pack. May I be so bold as to ask who your partner is?"

Negi sent an image of Asuna to the demon. "A Japanese schoolgirl?" The demon said, "I'll tell my servants to remember packing their tentacles."

"Pervert…" The demon laughed and Negi felt how the card was linked to a group of demons.

"Ready Asuna-san?" Negi asked.

"Eh… I don't know if I want to…" She said.

"If not now then when?" Negi asked. "You will eventually be forced to use this contract again you know. You are a part of my world now and it is dangerous. You need all the training you can get. And don't worry, I'll power you up via the card and your opponents are under my control."

"I know I'm gonna regret this but go ahead." Asuna said.

"Invoking the demonic contract!" Negi shouted in Latin, "Summoning the chosen!" A series of brightly shining symbols appeared of the ground and with a burst of smoke a dozen figures appeared. They were of different shapes and sizes and all of them were obviously not human. In the middle of the group stood a giant, extremely muscular, ogre-like being. This being looked at Asuna and opened its mouth.

"Hubba, hubba!" It said. "I'm impressed boss! You really hooked a cute gal!" Asuna could have sworn it was winking at her.

"I… I'm supposed to fight those things?" She stared at them.

"Don't worry." Negi whispered as he leaned in towards her. "Chachamaru was stronger than them."

"Okay…" Asuna held up her sword. "Let's do this!"

"Contract execution. Duration ten minutes! Negi magi Asuna Kagurazaka!" Negi activated the contract and Asuna was filled with magic power.

"Go get her Rakk." The ogre said and a small kappa-like demon with a long spear dashed forward. It twirled the spear around and when it reached Asuna it rained down several swift strikes at her. Negi was amazed when Asuna leapt out of the way of the attacks.

"She keep's her cool well." He thought as Asuna parried the spear and pushed the demon backwards. When she went on the offensive the demon was hard pressed trying to avoid Asuna's wild swings. Eventually Asuna hit the demon, which exploded in a cloud of smoke as it was banished whence it came. A pair of bird-like demons laughed.

"Man, is Rakk going to be pissed 'cause of this." They cackled.

"Good that you think it's funny." The ogre said. "It's your turn."

The two demons took flight and swooped towards her. They landed at either side of her with wide leers on their faces.

"What'chu gonna do now, Chiquita?" one of them said.

"Hit one and the other has a clear shot at'cha." The other added.

Asuna suddenly jumped into the air and above the first demon's head. She landed and spun around swinging her harisen at it. The demon barely dodged and they both attacked. They were stronger than the kappa but much slower. Still, their teamwork was flawless and Asuna seemed to be in trouble when she suddenly attacked the first demon with her harisen and when the second tried to hit her with it's sword she surprised Negi by kicking it in the face so that it fell to the ground. Asuna's harisen struck home and the first demon was quickly banished.

"Hehehee…" The second said when Asuna turned to it. "I saw your panties." It grinned and followed its partner just a second later.

"Bah!" The ogre said, "Everybody, get her." The eight remaining demons charged at Asuna who this time charged too and banished them all in the matter of a minute.

"You really got a good one boss." The ogre said as it raised its giant club. "I like spunky girls."

"Come and get it!" Asuna yelled as she twirled her fan.

"You got it!" The ogre moved quicker than even the kappa had and swung its club at Asuna who barely dodged. It was obvious that the ogre was the leader of the demons since it pressed Asuna backwards, not giving her a second of rest. Asuna tried desperately to find an opening but failed. Then after a few minutes she managed to leap over its club as he swung it and hit the back of its leg.

"You know girlie? I really had quite fun." The ogre said as it started to fade away. "Next time the beer's on me." It vanished holding one thumb up.

Negi applauded. "Great performance Asuna-san. You are a natural."

"Thanks." Despite being covered is sweat and dust she had a wide grin on her face. "You know? This was actually pretty fun."

Negi suddenly felt the cravings return. Asuna's skin was glistening from the sweat. It made her skirt slightly see-through and her cheeks red. She became even more alluring. Even more desirable to his dark lusts. His gaze became unfocused; he had to use all of his willpower to not act upon them. He sunk down to his knees as grabbed his head. He groaned as he felt his will fading.

"Hey, what happened?" Asuna ran up, kneeled beside him and grabbed him. "Negi, what's wrong?!" Her touch only worsened it and he smacked her away.

"A…suna." He hissed. "Run!" He had to get her to leave! She couldn't stay here!

"Negi what is it?!" She insisted and came to his side again. Negi suddenly felt his will snap under the pressure and he grabbed her. The last thing he was aware of before his mind shut down was Asuna's scream.

A/N: THANK YOU all for your suggestions and ideas. They were of great aid to me and now the course has been set. Though I won't tell you what path I've chosen, you'll have to read the story to see.

And now for something completely different. If you have ten seconds to spare go to my author profile and go to the link provided there. Don't worry; it's not a virus, I'm not stupid enough to infect my readers.