I'll admit here that the appearance of Misaka in the past few chapters as being soft on Louise was not an intended matter; it merely happened as a byproduct of what I wanted out of the plotline. So I am totally with you on the fact that something needs to be done to fix this. However, a retroactive fix is out of the question. The reason is, and this is in large part because of Tama Saga so thank you again, that there is a canon factor to this that I had actually forgotten about. When I researched the phenomenon, its explanation and execution actually fit well enough into the plot of these next two chapters that it made sense to push their explanation up to this point in the storyline. So I hope that you enjoy this chapter, and that faith in the series has been restored…maybe? Remember to subscribe and review!

- Ketchum Kid

Chapter 7: Requiem of Destruction

It was a few days after the incident with Count Mott that it all came to a head for Mikoto Misaka.

Apparently, with all the commotion that the brunette had caused for Louise, the pinkette had forgotten about an exhibition of Familiars that the Academy put on.

"I don't see how I caused any headache for you, since it was my business that you stuck your nose in," corrected Misaka. "And what is this demonstration about anyway?" Louise did not like the attitude Misaka was giving her. The pinkette put aside the brunette's question for the moment, and focused on her complaints.

"Whenever the Familiar causes problems, the burden falls on the Master for compensation," the noble explained. "In short, for every mess you make, I have to clean it up!"

"Hey!" Misaka interjected. "These are my decisions –!"

"As for what the exhibition is," continued Louise, ignoring the brunette's objections, "It is an annual demonstration of the talent of the Familiars of the second-year students to the Tristain Royalty. For the third year, Princess Henrietta will be the representative of the Palace, so I expect you to do something special for the demonstration tomorrow."

"Why are you just throwing this onto me now?!" the brunette protested. "And what the heck?! Tomorrow?! How do you expect me to get something done in that short amount of time?!"

"You were able to defeat Guiche, and bring Count Mott within an inch of his life," the pinkette recalled haughtily. "Surely the great and powerful Familiar Mikotomisaka can pull off something quick. Maybe a few sword slashes, that lightning gun of yours, maybe even get Guiche so that you can control his golems or something like that…"

"It's true I've done demonstrations before, but that doesn't mean I want to be doing them!" Misaka replied. "Haven't you thought about how I feel about this? If I even want to participate in this stupid show-and-tell against another snobby noble, just so you can go and show a stuck-up princess that you aren't a complete…" The middle-schooler stopped. Catching glance of Louise, the brunette noticed that the noble was not just seething in anger; her face already showed that the girl was over the boiling point. "Eh?"

"How dare you…" she started, glaring at the brunette. Quickly, she exploded with a voracity that rivaled even Kuroko's outbursts. "How dare you go and talk to your Master like that! After being so generous in getting you basic amenities and a rather annoying sword –!"

"I'm right here, pink steam!" interjected Derflinger, who was resting in its usual spot in the hay pile.

"– and then thinking that we could generally be friends, what do you reward me with?! First, it was a pair of panties that you oh-so-forgetfully left in the laundry pile when they were supposed to be thrown out, and cause me complete humiliation in front of my peers when they snapped and made me fall down the stairs!"

"Hold on!" Misaka interrupted. "If you remember, you didn't suffer humiliation in front of anybody because I hauled your limp body back to our room before anyone could see you in such a miserable state!"

"Shut up, Familiar!" the pinkette snapped. In her state of mind, all of Misaka's comments were completely ignored by the noble. "Then there was the Count Mott incident…oh, how much humiliation the Vallière family received yesterday when we had to settle in front of Tristain's nobility, even so far as relying on a Zerbst to assist us so that you didn't go out-of-control!"

"I had complete control of the situation!" Misaka asserted. "You had to go and –!"

"And finally," Louise continued, cutting off the brunette, "you now go and berate, in front of your Master, Princess Henrietta of Tristain, the highest authority in the whole Kingdom! How DARE your little mouth go off the cuff for someone as noble and majestic as you'll never be!" Swiftly, the girl made for the closet, and pulled out the Gekota shirt, clean from the wash. Seeing the shirt in Louise's hands made Misaka instantly focus on the well-being of the garment.

"W-What are you doing?" she asked, even though she knew the answer once Louise took out her wand.

"A Familiar that says ill of the Princess is ill-fit of any gifts!" the pinkette answered sharply. "I should give this to one of the maids…no, they're too sympathetic with you. It's better that I destroy it –!"

"Hey, that's my clothing!" snapped Misaka, electricity arcing over her body. "Don't you dare harm a thread of it!" Louise refused to listen, and began to chant a spell. "Um…hey, are you even listening to me?" Even though Louise knew only one spell, it was a destructive one, and at close range would definitely destroy the shirt. "S-Stop!" Misaka was starting to water up as Louise pointed her wand with authority. "ALRIGHT! I'LL DO THAT FREAKIN' DEMONSTRATION, ALRIGHT?!"

"And?" Louise inquired, not looking away from the shirt.

"And I'm sorry for saying derogatory remarks about the princess and anyone else I badmouthed since I arrived here, alright?! Just keep that shirt in one piece!" Louise did not move for a few seconds, but eventually did retire her wand. Misaka let out a big sigh in relief.

"However, I'm keeping this until the end of the demonstration, so that you remember to be nice to Princess Henrietta," Louise declared. "Also, no meals until I see a demonstration practice worth the princess's time."

"W-What?!" Misaka could hardly believe the conditions imposed on her. "That's outright slavery! How do you expect me to be able to get something in short notice on an empty stomach?!" Louise turned around, glaring at the brunette.

"Do you have any complaints, Familiar?" she asked.

"N-No…" Misaka stated meekly. Louise simply went "Hmph!" as she placed the shirt with her clothing, then left for lunch. "Jeez, what bug crawled under her bed? The first few days looked like we would at least be respectful friends, and now it's like I'm just some animal…I guess this is how he feels whenever Kuroko sees him with me…"

"It's all pent-up anger from the Count Mott incident," opined Derflinger. "I've been around enough owners and partners to know that nobles are the most stuck-up and sticky character's you'll ever meet. I'm guessing she's worrying about if he breaks that pact he made with the Germanian babe, what the repercussions are for her. More importantly, what about you, Partner? What are we going to do about that demonstration tomorrow?"

"I'll worry about that after I get some food," Misaka replied. "It's a good thing she doesn't know about the food the servants give me. Honestly, what Master would try to starve their Famil…" She suddenly trailed off. 'Wait, why did I just call Louise 'Master?' And more importantly, why did I essentially put myself on the same level as a salamander or a mole?! I'm a human being, and an Esper at that; I'm more powerful than any of these stupid mages here, let alone that Louise!

'On that note, why did I even go and agree to that stupid deal anyway?! Why didn't I just take the shirt from her, and zap her like I did on day one?! And it's not the first time this has happened either! Agreeing to do the laundry, submitting after she chewed me out for that snapped pair of panties (even after I helped her back to her room, no less!)…If this was Kuroko or Him telling me that, I wouldn't have listened to them! Nobody's the boss of me…and yet, I can't seem to be able to lift a finger to Louise anymore. No matter how much my hate and disgust on her treatment for someone who I once considered as possibly being a friend grows, it seems to fade whenever I try to object to her orders, orders I would be glad to disobey! So why…

'Maybe it is out of empathy. Maybe in my mind, I know that, as a Familiar, I am stronger than the Master. After all, she has no talent whatsoever, even less than He does, so I have to restrain –!' Misaka clutched her face with her hand. 'Why did I just think that again?! Master?! Nobody's master of me! Louise is Louise, the only student in this place that has no magical ability; and I'm Mikoto Misaka, the strongest Electromaster in Academy City! I answer to nobody but myself! What's wrong with me, giving in to HER for no reason?!' Misaka staggered a bit, and used a hand to lean on the doorframe as she went out of the room.

"Yo, Partner?" Derflinger called out. "I don't have actual eyes, but that doesn't mean I can't tell something's seriously bothering you right now. What's the trouble?"

"I-It's nothing, really..." Misaka replied. "I…I'm going to go have lunch now…" With that, the brunette left the room, leaving the enchanted sword by its lonesome.

"Man, them youngin's never want to consider help from their elders, now do they? Still, with how she trailed off there…If it's about that, then of course she's bothered by it! Going from the strongest to being controlled by the weakest…even Sasha had those troubles early on..."

It had never occurred to Siesta how much serving young nobility was a blessing compared to what other maids could be doing. After being sold to Count Mott, and nearly losing her virginity to the noble's whims, the raven-haired maid counted her blessings to be back in the servitude of the Academy, and she did her tasks without complaint, and with a cheery smile on her face. The mood had been enough that even Mr. Gramont had inquired on her blissful demeanor. Of course, she had thanked Miss Zerbst profusely for her role in her return; after all, it was her heirloom (as neglected as it was) that was traded for her rights, before the red-haired girl donated her back to the Academy, much to an astounded Osmond and Colbert's surprise. The Germanian had told her not to worry about it, since it would have caused Misaka worry and everyone more trouble. Kirche's words made Siesta think whether or not the red-haired girl only wanted to know about the brunette's native home…

Siesta blushed at the thought of the Electromaster. Misaka really did deserve all the credit for her return, in Siesta's opinion. She was the one who went and attacked a nobleman, with no intention of leaving without the maid safely in her grasp. Sure, it would cause problems later on if Miss Zerbst had not mediated; every noble across Halkeginia would surely be after Misaka's head for her complete disrespect to societal norms. Even still, Misaka had refused to back down, and said as much:

"I don't care how much trouble I cause for these nobles! Nobody should be treated as property that can be bought just for one's fancy use!"

"I'll just change it with my hands!"'

"I don't want anyone else to suffer like them or you have, Siesta; if that means that I have to go against every single damn person in this world, then I'll take them head-on!"

"Oh, Misaka…!" Siesta moaned in delightful pleasure. Even though both of them were girls, it did not change the image of the brunette taking the maid by her hand, looking as princely as any man in the maid's opinion. Despite being so wrong, it just felt so right to her…that Misaka was the one she truly loved. With her strength, maybe she could take her to that mythical world of hers, where launder was done automatically, and anyone could be strong.

"Yes?"

"Eep!" She also did not expect anyone to have heard her moment of weakness, much less the object of her heart. The maid spun around, but couldn't see the brunette anywhere near her. "M-Misaka?"

"I'm up here, Siesta," The maid looked up, towards a tree on her right. Up high, resting on one of the top branches, was Misaka. It was a surprise to the maid that she could even get up that high.

"Misaka, what are you doing up there?" Siesta asked.

"Contemplating," the brunette replied.

"Contemplating?" Siesta repeated. "Is it about the annual demonstration?" Misaka looked down at the maid, with a mild shot of surprise.

"How did you guess?" she asked, but she knew the answer to that. Since the brunette had taken her perch on the branch, she had seen several of the students out with their respective familiars, all practicing with what they would do tomorrow for the exhibition. Kirche was with Flame, honing in the salamander's firebreathing abilities, including making double helixes in the air with its flames. A portly blonde noble was training his familiar, a barn owl, to perfect the owl's maneuvers in the air. The blue-haired girl Tabitha was without her dragon and reading a book, but Misaka had gotten the feeling that she had been out earlier with her Familiar. Even Guiche and the blonde girl Montmorency were out with their Familiars, although Misaka had some worry for the two; Montmorency was having trouble finding a bow that fit her familiar, an orange frog, and make it cuter, and Guiche…well, one look at the passion he was giving his mole familiar, and the brunette made sure not to look in his direction again.

"I'd expect you to be with Miss Vallière and working on something for the Princess," Siesta stated. Misaka sighed.

"There was…a bit of a conflict, and Louise needed to be elsewhere," she explained, not wanting to go into detail. "She seemed to take this Princess with high regard, though; is she any good?"

"Princess Henrietta has been the greatest model to the citizens ever since the passing of her father, the late King, three years ago," the maid explained. "She has been a gentle, caring ruler, one that the country could only hope for many generations ago."

"Huh…" Misaka replied. "I guess she must be good, if you're giving her high praise." Siesta noticed the melancholy in Misaka's voice.

"Is there something the matter, Misaka?" she asked. "You don't sound well…and you did not come for lunch either…"

"I'm just taking a little break from preparing for this little exhibition, is all," the brunette stated. "I've done many of these back at home; nothing I'm not prepared to do again here."

"You don't really sound like someone that's prepared," Siesta countered. "You sound like someone who's troubled by something. I imagine this is what you were like yesterday after you found out what happened to me." Misaka said nothing. "Please, Misaka. You helped me yesterday in more ways I can imagine; let me repay some of that by being an ear for you to talk to."

"Alright, you got me," Misaka sighed. "The truth is – ?!" Misaka stopped short. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a strange, hooded figure, walking towards the center tower of the courtyard. The person was making a strong effort in keeping to the shadows, staying out of the sunlight as much as possible, yet was still going by unnoticed by the others (this was partially due to Kirche enticing a little roughhousing with Guiche and their familiars) in the figure's approach to the central spire. All in all, it smelt suspicious.

"Misaka?" Siesta asked. "Ah!" Misaka dropped out of the tree, using a bottom branch to cushion her drop. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," the brunette replied. "But I don't like it. And I'm going to find out right now." Misaka took off towards the center of the Academy, where the cloaked figure was headed.

"H-Hey, wait up!" Siesta cried. Even though she had to help the Academy get ready for the princess's impending arrival, the raven-haired girl was curious about what Misaka had seen, and gave chase.

As they both passed by the gaggle of nobles, Tabitha took her eyes away from her book. She looked in the direction the two girls had run in. A few seconds later, she closed her book, and got up, heading in the opposite direction. None of the other girls noticed the movements of any of the three girls.

Checking for any snooping noble or wary guard, the figure boldly stepped out of the shadows, and walked up towards the central turret of the Academy. The figure placed a leg onto the wall of turret.

'This main tower really is as strong as it looks,' the personthought, staring up at the tower in admiration. 'Is a physical attack really the only way for me to break in? But that blabber Colbert was right in saying that my golems can't break through. Even if they only used a Hardening Spell, they used one of the strongest I've ever seen. If I'm going to break into this vault, it's going to attract a lot of attention by the time I do get in.' The shady person frowned. 'I've already gotten this far. I'm not going to give up on the Staff of Destruction just yet, and Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt will not be phased by this slight obstacle.' The thief paused, feeling a presence from behind. One that had been hoped to have been avoided.

'You know, it's really rude to stare at somebody,' the thief thought, turning around to eye the brunette assailant.

The shady character on the wall wore a forest green robe, which had a brown and cream corset middle. That, and the large, noticeable mounds on the chest, gave the appearance that the person was female. A black cape fluttered in the breeze, while a black hood obscured the woman's face. What Misaka and Siesta could see of the shady character was two bangs of chest-length bright green hair, and her sizeable chest size, which Misaka placed as far away from her mind as possible.

"Hey now," stated Misaka. "You know that you're not looking that innocent if you have a hood over your head and are looking suspiciously at a wall, right?" The thief said nothing, continuing to stare in the brunette's direction.

"Misaka, what are you doing?" Siesta asked the brunette. "You can't just blurt that out of the blue to a stranger with no basis!"

"I've seen enough of my fair share of Academy City lowlifes to determine who's good and who's shady," the Railgun replied. "Besides, a little morning investigation should help me feel better after earlier today." She returned her focus to the hooded character, leaving the maid to wonder what she had been talking about. "Anyway, I don't think it's wise to go snooping like that around someplace like this. Why don't you remove that hood of yours, and maybe tell me why you're here?" The mysterious person did not do either action. Instead, she placed a hand on the ground, and started chanting. A bright yellow light flashed from the spot her hand was; shortly afterwards, the ground began to shake.

"Eyah!" Siesta yelped, losing her balance, and falling onto the ground.

"Ay-woah!" Misaka stumbled, but otherwise remained upright. "I guess you're no talk and all action!" She quickly fired a lightning bolt at the thief. Halfway before it reached its target, the ground suddenly rose up, blocking the attack. A second look revealed that what Misaka thought was the ground was in fact, something much bigger. It was made of dirt, had two rocky eyes, bulky hands and legs with some patches of grass, and stood about a third the height of the central tower. "Should've known…"

"A g-g-golem?!" Siesta yelled.

"A golem?" Misaka repeated. "So that's what it is…" The golem turned its back to Misaka and Siesta, and towards the central tower. It cocked its fist, and landed a swift punch on the tower…or so it looked like. An invisible barrier repelled the fist just before it hit the walls, preventing any damage from occurring. The shaded character expressed displeasure at the lack of destruction.

"That's the central vault it's trying to break through!" stated Siesta. "The vault contains valuable treasures and artifacts from years past!"

"So it is a thief!" Misaka surmised. "Siesta, get to safety, and warn any teacher you come across!" The maid was hesitant to leave the brunette's side, but given the circumstances, bolstering numbers to fight the thief would be rather useful. She nodded, and left to get help. Misaka, meanwhile, quickly took out an arcade token, and flicked it into the air. "Hey! You know it's bad manners to turn your back on somebody that's talking to you!" Her runes activated, sending the Super-Railgun through the right shoulder of the golem, and out to dissipate into the air. The shoulderblade was instantly incinerated, and its right arm dropped off and disintegrated into a pile of dirt. Just as Misaka was about to celebrate, however, a rumbling noise came from the golem. In a matter of seconds, dirt and rock came out from the detachment point, reforming into a new arm. 'Crap, it can regenerate! I didn't send the Railgun through the middle of that thing because it could have damaged the buildings, but I guess I'll have to –!' The new right arm shot towards the Electromaster, opening in an attempt to grab her. "Ah!" Misaka quickly took out a second token, and aimed at the heart of the golem. However, in her haste, the token was not angled properly; the token hit her forearm instead, and flopped harmlessly onto the ground. "Crap!" With no time to ready a new coin, Misaka was grabbed firmly by the golem's hand, giving her barely enough room to breathe. The golem brought the brunette up into the air, until she was level with the thief.

"I knew you were trouble since I spotted you here, Mikoto Misaka," the person stated.

"Let me go!" demanded Misaka. "Whatever you want, you're not going to get it!"

"And be subjected to your Railgun missiles?" the thief replied. "Honestly, I'm not stupid, mind you; I wouldn't subjugate myself to anything that ruins my chances at the Staff of Destruction." She looked at the brunette, and formed a sly smile on her mouth. "Besides, I would rather crush someone who is now more powerful than anyone in Halkeginia than fear their wrath."

"You, crush me?" Misaka said slyly. "I hardly believe you could defeat me." The thief retained her smile.

"It is true that you are very powerful," she admitted. "However, you are but the Third-Ranked Level 5. Certainly with the Level 6 Shift Program, that man Accelerator is far more powerful than you will ever be."

Misaka froze.

Her eyes widened.

Certainly, she had said a lot about Academy City to Louise, Siesta, and Osmond. She had talked about the basics of her Railgun, an overview of Academy City and the Esper Program, and of her friends and allies. She had even spoke briefly about the Level Upper incident, although only of how she felt about maligning Saten.

Not once had she mentioned anything about the Level 6 Shift Program to anybody.

"How…how do you know about the Sisters…?" a stunned Misaka asked.

"Fufufu…" the thief chuckled. "Wouldn't you like to know? Unfortunately, I haven't the time nor the energy to do such a thing. Instead, I would kindly ask you to lend me your power. Seeing as it isn't any part of the Pentagram, it should easily penetrate the barrier cast on the vault. I know that you are thinking the same thing, otherwise you would have obliterated the center of my golem in the first place." Misaka gritted her teeth. This was what both she and Osmond had feared, that forces from Halkeginia would attempt to use Misaka's powers to do their bidding. The brunette had not thought it would come this soon. "No? Oh well, you can say hi to the thousands of Sisters that have already been cut down then, courtesy of Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt!" The golem began to tighten its grip onto Misaka.

"Fireball!" The Golem was suddenly hit on the side by a large explosion of flames. Fouquet and the golem ceased all attention on Misaka, and focused onto the new assailants – Kirche and Louise.

"Jeez, Louise!" Kirche chided. "One second your eyes divert off of Misaka, and she gets herself involved into all sorts of trouble!" Louise appeared indignant.

"It's not my fault that my Familiar goes off on her own!" she retorted. "A Familiar fit for a noble shouldn't try and play the hero!" Misaka groaned. She still had not come to terms with what had happened earlier today; seeing the central figure of this problem so soon was not helping.

"Hey, how about catching a thief up here?" she called to the two.

"Shut up, Familiar!" Louise snapped. "We're getting you out of there first, then dealing with this criminal!" Fouquet laughed loudly.

"The Zero of Tristain Academy, trying to combat this powerful thief?" she mocked. "I'd like to see you try!" The golem's free left arm moved towards the two girls. Louise simply stood still, and began chanting a spell.

"Don't think you can attack a mage that's casting if she's alone!" Kirche replied. She chanted a much shorter spell, and flicked her wrist. "Fireball!" Another fireball was cast, aimed right for the hand of the golem. However, the golem merely pushed through the flames with no damage at all, not even a hint of a slowdown, surprising the Germanian. "No way?!"

"Even a much more powerful student than you could take on my golem!" Fouquet stated. "You're wasting your time!" Just then, Louise opened her eyes.

"Fireball!" she shouted. The golem barely moved, only stopping its attempt to capture the two girls in order to try and avoid what might happen from a questionable source of power.

What happened was an explosion, not far from where Misaka was being held in the opposite hand.

"Ah!" the brunette shouted, coughing to get the dust and dirt out of her lungs. "What's the big idea, trying to fry me and all?!"

"S-Shut up!" Louise retorted. "It was only a little mistake, that's all!"

"I actually wonder what part of that can count as a fireball," Kirche stated.

"You shut up too!" Louise shouted. "Now how are we getting her out of there?!" Misaka sighed. In reality, she had not even been worried about being captured by the golem. True, she did not want to be in this situation in the first place, but once she was, she delayed her attempts of escape in order to pry information out of the thief.

After all, to what anyone in this world who knew her were aware of, she could only fire a super-missile and control lightning from her body.

She had noticed earlier that the soil that the golem was made of was composed of a good amount of sand. Likely, the ground in which the Academy was built on was porous, and as a result had a lot of sand between the dirt and the clay. She made a mental note to remember this in case she needed to fight at the Academy grounds again. Closing her eyes, the brunette began to concentrate on lightly shocking the golem's dirt arm that she was held in. She began to magnetize it to the point that it began to vibrate. The formulas that allowed for Misaka's Electromaster ability quickly allowed her to manipulate the iron in the sand; essentially, the sand became a part of her.

By the time Fouquet had noticed Misaka's actions, a long whip of vibrating black sand was now surrounding the brunette, where part of the golem's arm was. With nothing to support her, she fell slipped through the new hole, free of the golem's grasp. However, a new problem arose, as now Misaka was facing a hundred-foot-plus drop towards the ground.

"Misaka!" Louise cried. Like the Iron Sand Sword, Misaka did have a contingency plan. It came in the form of a large blue dragon, which swooped underneath Misaka just in time for her to land on it.

"Nice save, Tabitha!" Misaka thanked. The blue-haired girl merely nodded. She had been observing the situation from afar with Sylphid, in a spot blind to Fouquet, but had decided not to join in unless it was necessary for her to do so. Misaka had spotted her early on in the fight, and like her Iron Sand Sword, kept that information hidden from the others, tucked away in her back pocket.

"How the heck did she do that?!" Fouquet said in shock, looking at the now damaged arm of her golem. Quickly, something else caught her eyes, which moved from the hole in the arm, to the wall of the tower. In the seconds since she had last looked at it, large, visible cracks had formed on the wall. The thief was surprised. 'The wall…it's breaking? How is that possible? Could it be because of the spell that Zero had cast? I've never heard of something that can blow up a wall when you ask for a fireball. I can think of that later; I can't miss this opportunity!' "Golem!" The golem cocked its left arm, and delivered a powerful uppercut to the wall. Unlike the last time, the punch went through the wall, creating a loud shockwave as a large hole, big enough for three people to fit through standing up.

"The tower's been broken into!" Kirche exclaimed in shock. Smiling, Fouquet leapt into the now-compromised tower, and into a vault room. Gold, books, and other valuables were piled high right in front of her, but the thief ignored all of that. Instead, Fouquet went for a small, staff-sized green container. Lifting it up off of its resting place, she found it to be much lighter than she had anticipated.

"Just what is this thing made of, to be this light and yet this big?" Fouquet mused. She had no time to ponder; she could see that Tabitha's wind dragon had circled around, and was returning back towards her location. Fouquet quickly burned a message on the wall of the treasury, and ran back onto the golem's shoulder. With a powerful push, the golem leapt into the air, far higher than anybody would expect from the lumbering beast, and landed with a large thud outside of the walls of the Academy.

"I call hacks on that!" exclaimed Misaka. "Tabitha, can you get me just above that golem?" The bluenette nodded, and made a brief motion to Sylphid. The dragon quickly changed direction, and quickly fled off towards the giant that was lumbering towards the grasslands. Following them in a stream of particles was the Iron Sand. When they reached a close enough distance, about fifty feet above and to the back of the golem, Misaka leapt off of the dragon, aiming for the head of the golem. The Iron Sand came together into the shape of a sword, which formed in her right hand. "Regenerate from this!" Runes shining brightly, Misaka sliced the sword from the tip of the golem's head, to the bottom of its torso. With the particles vibrating together violently, the sword had the power equivalent to a chainsaw, and easily cut cleanly through like a hot knife through butter. After finishing the blow, she fell another thirty feet, before being caught in the claws of Sylphid, who flew under the legs of the golem, and out the other side. The golem stood motionless for a few seconds, before collapsing in on itself into a giant dust cloud, eventually forming a large mound of dirt on the ground.

The two girls and the dragon did not see Fouquet anywhere around the remains of the golem.

"Damn, the thief escaped…" Misaka said with a frown, as the Iron Sand Sword dissipated in her hands. Tabitha cast a levitation spell, and Misaka was soon on the back of Sylphid. "Thank you, Tabitha." The mage only nodded, her face expressionless. The dragon touched down near the break in the wall, where Kirche and Louise met them.

"Amazing, Misaka!" the fire mage exclaimed as Misaka and Tabitha dismounted the dragon. "I can't believe you pulled that whip and sword out of thin air! It looked like it came from the golem's body!"

"That's because it essentially did," Misaka explained. "By using the same principals, I can magnetize the small amount of iron in sand, and control it the same way I controlled Guiche's bronze Valkyries. I can make the sand vibrate enough that it can be sharper than any blade you've probably heard of."

"I didn't know iron could be found in sand," Kirche stated. She looked at Tabitha for help, but even she shook her head, not knowing the brunette's statement to be true or false.

"…Good job…" was all Louise said. She too was amazed at Misaka's fighting abilities, but was still too cross with her to actually admit it. Instead, she looked away from Misaka, although her eyes were turned to the side. Misaka, for her part, was not interested in trying to make her listen.

"Oi! Is everybody alright?!" The four turned behind them, where Professor Colbert, along with three other professors and Siesta, were running to their position. The girls waited for the band to arrive, as the investigation into the incident officially began.

"…The words carved into the wall of the Treasury spell out 'I have the Staff of Destruction – Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt,'" Osmond stated to the crowd in his office. "Mr. Colbert, what is the count of missing items?"

"All the gold and manuscripts remain untouched, aside from those nearest the ruined wall," the mage explained. "The only unaccounted item is the Staff." Osmond rubbed his temples, then looked at all that were assembled in his office, which included several senior members of the teaching staff, the head of security, and those witness to the event: Louise, Kirche, Tabitha, Misaka, and Siesta.

"It seems that our worst fears have been realized," he announced. "The thief, Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt, has successfully stolen the Staff of Destruction." Almost immediately, the nobles went into an uproar of commotion.

"What were the guards doing?!" one of the teachers demanded. "They should have caught Fouquet at the gates!"

"Don't go accusing my men of things they cannot do!" the head of security responded sharply. "Even if they are second to the palace guards, they're still only commoners! Fouquet would easily dispatch them away!"

"Alright then," another teacher conceded. "Who was the noble that was supposed to be on watch at the treasury doors?"

"Eh?" The security guard thought for a second. "I believe it was Mrs. Chevreuse…" All eyes fell on the older woman, who began to break into tears.

"I'm sorry…I'm very sorry…!" she cried.

"Where were you when Fouquet was attacking?!" the teachers demanded. "Were you not sleeping on the job again?!"

"I'm terribly sorry!" Chevreuse pleaded. "With the Princess arriving tomorrow, I thought that nobody would steal from the Academy at a time of heightened security, so I took a nap in my room! Please forgive me!"

"Are you going to pay for this mistake of judgment, or are you going to cry until Fouquet's to the Holy Land with that treasure?!" one of them demanded.

"Please, I just finished paying for my house!" she cried, kneeling on the floor. Osmond was about to speak up, but stopped, as somebody else decided to go on the woman's behalf.

"Now hold on!" stated Misaka, who moved between the accusing noble and Chevreuse. "Even if she was guarding the door, that wouldn't have accomplished anything. This thief broke through the walls of the vault. By the time she would have opened the vault doors, Fouquet would have already been jumping back onto her golem with the staff."

"Oh, thank you, Familiar!" Chevreuse exclaimed, tears now beginning to dry. "Thank you, miss!"

"The Familiar's right, erm…" Osmond began. "…what's your name again?"

"It's Gimli!" the accusatory noble stated indignantly. "I was only hired twenty years ago, Old Osmond!" The headmaster stroked his long beard.

"Still, Mr. Gimli, I believe there is a saying from Romalia 'He hath not sinned shall cast the first spell.'" He then addressed the nobles as a whole. "How many of you can say that you were completely vigilant in any of your tours of duty?" Several murmurs were exchanged, but none were in the positive tone. "I thought so. We took for granted the magic barrier that shielded the vault from most magic was impenetrable, when in fact, it would eventually break given enough force. We took for granted that a thief would never try to infiltrate into a stronghold filled with hundreds of mages, including all of us that are Triangle-and Square-Class. We grew relaxed and complacent, and Fouquet understood that." He looked outside the window. Several mages and commoners were working hard on repairing the break in the wall, which was underneath his office. "It is what gave him the courage to trespass and steal the Staff of Destruction. We're all at fault for this, and it could have been much worse had these students and their Familiars not intervened, slowing and weakening Fouquet in the process."

'Even though it was mainly myself and Tabitha that did so,' mused Misaka. He noticed that Osmond was paying a great deal of attention to her, so she sent him a daggering look. 'Don't think about it after last time, gramps!' Osmond merely coughed, before looking over the whole group.

"Please, tell us about what happened," he asked.

"I spotted Fouquet eying the wall," Misaka began, only to be jabbed at by Louise. "Hey!"

"A great clay golem appeared and broke the wall," the pinkette reported, stepping forward. "The hooded magician was standing on its shoulder, then went in and took a box, likely the one that was containing the Staff of Destruction. After that, the hooded mage rode on the golem over the walls, and to the outside, where the golem became a big mound of dirt. When we investigated, the mage was nowhere to be found."

'Thanks for leaving out everything I did,' the brunette sarcastically thought. 'You were practically useless back there.'

"I see…" Osmond sighed.

"Even though we wanted to carry on the chase, we couldn't without any leads," Louise continued. "So we –"

"Ah, where is Miss Longueville?" Osmond suddenly interrupted. The nobles looked around the room, but the green-haired secretary was nowhere to be found.

"I…I'm not sure," Colbert replied. "I last saw her in the morning, talking about the security preparations for tomorrow's event."

"That Longueville, where should she be that's more important than here in this time of crisis?" the headmaster said impatiently. Before he could continue, there was the sound of footsteps on the other side of the main door to the office. The door flung open, and in panted Longueville, covered in sweat and gasping for breath.

"S…sorry…for being…late…!" she wheezed.

"Dear me, give this woman a drink!" commanded Osmond. "Preferably water, though, since liquor does not help a fatigued runner much. Miss Longueville, I demand an explanation to your whereabouts during this crisis, and why are you so covered in sweat?"

"Forgive me…Osmond Sir…" Longueville panted. A noble gave her a water flask, to which she happily drank out of. She looked much better after finishing it off. "I was doing some investigative research…"

"Investigative research?" Osmond repeated. Longueville nodded, assuming a formal composition.

"After the commotion started, I saw the thief, and recognized him as the one infamous throughout the land as Fouquet," she explained. "I immediately started investigating the manner, using all the resources made available to me."

"You're really very efficient, Miss Longueville," Colbert commended. "However, has your investigation yielded any fruits?"

"As a matter of fact, I've isolated the location of the thief," she replied. This touched off the commotion between the nobles once more.

"What?!"

"That is speedy work there!"

"Where did you get this information from?" Colbert demanded.

"According to commoners in and around the area, there is a house, about half a day's walk from the Academy, which has sat abandoned for some time," the green-haired woman identified. "Recently, they have seen a person wearing a black hooded cloak occupying the house."

"The thief was wearing a black hooded cloak!" Siesta exclaimed, recalling the events from hours ago.

"Yes," Longueville concurred. "Fouquet's wanted poster also depicts him in a black hood. Therefore, we can assume that he was using that house as his base of operations for his most recent theft here. It is about four hours from here by horse, so if we hurry, we should be able to catch up to him and be back before sundown."

"We should report this to the Royal Court right away!" Colbert insisted. "If Fouquet could break through the walls easily, then we must seek reinforcements from the Imperial Army!"

"You Fool!" exclaimed Osmond. The balding mage was taken aback by this seemingly-unfitting vigor from the old man (as were anyone not named Tabitha). "By the time the horseman reaches the Royal Court, Fouquet will have gotten away Scott free! All it would do is convince the High Court that tomorrow's ceremony be cancelled out of safety for the Princess! Besides, should we not be called nobles if we cannot handle this opportunity on our own? Since the staff was stolen from the Academy, it is the responsibility of the Academy to retrieve it! Now, we shall organize a search party to find Fouquet. Those willing to join, please raise your wands." However, the nobles merely looked at each other awkwardly. Not a single wand was raised. "No one? That's peculiar. No one wants to be known as the hero who caught Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt?"

"Um, Osmond Sir," Colbert stated, grabbing the headmaster's attention. Osmond looked at the noble, then past the noble, whereupon he understood.

While there were no wands raised, there was a single hand.

"I can take on Fouquet easily," a confident Misaka declared. "I've seen much tougher opponents back home. The only reason I did not do so earlier was because I had…others to look after. However…" She took out one of her game tokens. "…in the woods, there shouldn't be any serious collateral damage from my Railgun if I fire it there."

"You can't!" Louise stated. She seemed horrified that Misaka would propose such an idea. "After what happened at Count Mott's, you're going to go out on your own again? As your Master, I forbid it! I absolutely forbid it!" At the sound of the word 'Master,' a strange feeling began creeping up into Misaka. She had not noticed it before, yet it felt oddly familiar to her, as if the emotion had been with her before. It felt like she wanted to listen to Louise, that the brunette wanted to obey her command. Compliance was easier than independence. Resistance was, seemingly, futile.

But Misaka had a bigger, overriding emotion that overpowered the feeling of compliance, and shoved it into the back corner of her mind. With the mention of Accelerator, Fouquet announced to her that she knew something about her world. Perhaps she had arrived through the same methods as she did? Just because Fouquet wielded magic and a golem did not mean she was strictly from Halkeginia; Misaka had seen a terrorist who could do just that not long before the Daihaseisai Festival. Alternatively, she could also know about how she might get back to Academy City, back to her friends, and away from the Pink Devil that she was forced to live with. More importantly, however, she knew about the Sisters Project, and the Level 6 Shift Project, top-secret assignments within the underbelly of Academy City. She needed to know about her knowledge of such matters, above all else, even to the safety of Tristain Academy.

"None of you are willing to help with the search party, even at the urging of your boss," the brunette continued. "He's right in saying that bureaucracy will only lessen the chance of recovering this staff. In addition, I talked to this Fouquet person, and he gave me a personal stake that I want to break over his head. So let me, who has been cared for by so many in this Academy, take down this thief, and help get back this treasured item."

Louise stood there, mouth agape at the strong words of defiance and determination. She was joined by many of the others in the room. A look at Osmond told Louise that the headmaster was seriously considering the proposal. "Argh, you stupid Familiar!" She suddenly took her wand out, and raised it high into the air. "Fine! I volunteer myself to go into the search party!" The nobles once more were set off into a firestorm of chatter.

"Her?!"

"She hasn't been able to do anything before!"

"But her Familiar most certainly can…!"

"You mustn't do this, Miss Vallière!" Chevreuse exclaimed. "You're a student! Please leave this to the teachers!"

"How can I, when none of you are willing to help?" the pinkette muttered. "I hate to admit it, but my Familiar does bring up a good point: if the adults cannot take action, then it is us, the students of Tristain Academy, that must fight!" Misaka had not intended her words to mean as such, but she did seem pleased that Louise had not stayed firm and rejected the idea. Still, the serious look on Louise's face, coupled with a slight biting of the lips, meant that even she herself had been thinking the same idea.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Kirche stated. She too raised her wand high in the air, although not as quickly as Louise had done.

"M-Miss Zerbst!" Colbert stated in surprise. "You too?!"

"After all," she replied nonchalantly, looking at Louise, "I simply cannot lose to a Vallière." Louise turned to lock eyes with her, not pleased that the red-haired girl would be joining them.

"Why don't you just –?!"

"Tabitha?!" Kirche stated in surprise. Louise and Misaka looked, and saw that the blue-haired girl had indeed raised her wand as well. "You don't need to do this; it doesn't concern you at all!"

"…I'm worried about you two…" the girl answered. The reply touched the two students, who looked at Tabitha with gratitude.

"Thank you, Tabitha…" Louise muttered. Misaka also was relieved that the girl was joining them.

'At least now I'll have some of my sanity left intact,' she sighed inwardly.

"Well, well, it's all up to you three, then," Osmond said, chuckling slightly. Several of the teachers began objecting to the decision.

"I strongly object to this, Osmond!"

"These are only children here!"

"We must not put the lives of our students in danger!"

"Well then, will any of you go in there stead?" Osmond replied.

"Ah, erm…."

"I'm not feeling very well recently…"

"There is the wall to help repair…"

"These students have already witnessed Fouquet before," Osmond stated to them. "Besides, they all have the credentials to back up their power. For example, even though Miss Tabitha here is very young, I have heard from our messengers in Gallia that she has already been conferred the title of Chevalier, am I right?" Tabitha did not answer, merely standing quietly at the stunned group of nobles.

"I..Is that true, Tabitha?" asked Kirche in similar astonishment.

"Hey, Siesta, what's a Chevalier?" Misaka asked.

"It's the lowest title that an Imperial family can confer to a person," the maid replied quietly. "A title of Baron or even Marquis can be purchased through large amounts of land, but a Chevalier can only be conferred by merit." She looked at Tabitha. "For her to be a Chevalier at such a young age, she must have done great service for her home country."

"Ah, so it's like being awarded a Medal of Honor or an Order," the brunette mused.

"As for Miss Zerbst," Osmond continued, "she comes from a line of distinguished Germanian war heroes, and she herself has already established a very strong background in fire magic." Kirche flicked her hair with confidence.

Then there was Louise, who stood cutely at attention, waiting for her praise. However, even Old Osmond knew there was almost nothing to praise.

"Ahem!" he coughed, clearing his throat. "That…Miss Vallière comes from a prestigious line of Tristain mages…and even if her abilities are still raw, her courage that she showed to volunteer her services now is something we should all take to heart. She will most definitely be a promising one in the future." Misaka wasn't exactly sure if that was praise or it was a feeble attempt to pull something out of a hat.

"Finally, as for her Familiar," Osmond carried on, "even though she is a commoner, she has displayed a wondrous ability of her own in battle against General Gramont's son, as well as just recently against Fouquet. The coin you saw in her hands just before is a terrible weapon that even Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt should not…no, will not be a match for."

"Yes! Yes!" Colbert suddenly exclaimed with enthusiasm. "That's because she's the legendary Gand-ammph!" Osmond hastily covered the man's mouth.

"He's talking nonsense, I think the gravity of the situation has made him loose his mind," Osmond mused. A few other teachers chuckled nervously, while Misaka furrowed her brow. "Now, these are the four that shall go and take down Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt, and retrieve the Staff of Destruction. If anyone thinks that they are more capable, please step forward now."

No one stepped forward.

"Well then," Osmond declared to the group of four. "The Academy awaits the capture of Fouquet then!"

Louise, Kirche and Tabitha stood at attention. "We swear upon our wands to capture Fouquet!" They then pulled the edges of their skirts, and made a curtsy bow. Misaka, not having a wand, simply pounded her fist into her hand.

Osmond turned to Longueville. "Miss Longueville, ready the carriage and set off right away. You shall act as their guide, so you all must conserve your energy before you reach your destination."

"Yes, Headmaster Osmond," the secretary said, bowing. "I had wanted to go with them as well, so thank you for the opportunity to accompany the four." She then went to secure a horse and carriage. Misaka watched her go out the door. While it had seemed the others had not noticed, the brunette had already made a connection as to who Fouquet really was, and Longueville was primary suspect number one.

To Be Continued…