It's been a while, yes. School's tough at the moment, so my writing time is severely limited. I was able to scrape together this out of two months' worth of on-and-off progress. But finally the finale of the Fouquet Arc is finished, and it's yours to read. I hope you enjoy!
- Ketchum Kid
Edit 11/6 - Accidentally wrote Saito's name by accident, fixed.
Chapter 8: Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt
The 'carriage' that Longueville was able to procure was nothing more than a simple wooden cart, pulled by a single horse. Several planks had been placed to make seats on the sides, creating benches for the four to sit on. Louise and Misaka took one side, while Kirche and Tabitha took another. Longueville took the saddle seat, and drove the carriage.
The first half or the ride was rather uneventful. Misaka mused to herself about the issues currently plaguing her life, Tabitha read a book, and Louise and Kirche talked with Longueville about Fouquet. However, this soon became boring to one person in the party. Kirche lusted for action and intrigue, and if Fouquet would not deliver it at the moment, she would take it from another, specifically one at the reins.
"Anyway, Miss Longueville, this type of job could be done by a commoner; why do you need to do it yourself?" she asked.
"It's alright," Longueville replied. "I'm not actually a noble anyway." This was news to the members of the cart.
"But…aren't you the secretary to Old Osmond?" continued the red-haired girl. Longueville did not look back at the student, and continued to focus on the road.
"I am, but Old Osmond isn't a person to be concerned by status when looking for help, whether they be noble or commoner. He is a rare breed, that person."
"If possible, can you tell me about how you lost your status?" Kirche asked. However, Miss Longueville did not say anything. The Germanian leaned in towards the driver's bench. "Please? Even a little?" Before she could lean in any further, her right shoulder was grabbed by Louise, who had stood up from her place in the cart.
"Enough, Kirche!" she demanded. "Stop raking up people's pasts!" Kirche placed her hands up in defeat.
"I'm simply bored of talking about the task at hand," she explained. "I need someone to talk to."
"I do not know what ethics your country has, but in Tristain, it's a shameful act to forcibly reveal somebody's past!" informed the pinkette. Kirche sat down in a cross-legged position on her side of the bench.
"It's all because of your impetuous that I'm in this mess," accused the Germanian. Louise glared at her rival.
"What do you mean?" she asked. "Didn't you volunteer for this?"
"If it was only Misaka, I would have been content with that," Kirche explained. "She can handle herself around big enemies like Fouquet and that golem that even I cannot dent. You, however, would otherwise be a liability, Zero. You'd get in the way and try to hide behind Misaka." Louise was indignant.
"Liability?! I'd use my magic and help, of course!" she exclaimed. Kirche sniggered. "What's so funny?!"
"You, using magic?" laughed the red-haired girl. "What a joke!"
"Why, you…!" Louise seethed in fury. The two continued to go back and forth arguing with each other, the rivalry returned. Longueville seemed to be unaffected by the commotion, but the others in the cart, namely Misaka, began to get irritated. The sharp, loud voices were not a help to the brunette, who was still trying to rack her brain and find an explanation as to how Fouquet could know about information she has not told the others at the Academy yet. Listening to a long-running feud between two nobles was the last thing the brunette wanted to hear. After a long period, the brunette stood up.
"WILL YOU TWO JUST CUT IT OUT ALREADY?!" she exclaimed in frustration
"Too loud…" stated Tabitha. Misaka looked around the cart. She had been surprised when she heard Tabitha's voice, mainly because it came out as louder than the argument that was going on two feet away from her. She looked at Louise and Kirche, and found out what was actually going on.
It was not that Tabitha was louder. It was that the other two were talking, but nothing was coming out of her mouth. And it was not just limited to that. The rumbling of the cart on the road, the clopping of the horse's hooves, the rustling of the tree leaves in the wind…all of that had disappeared, as if by magic.
'No, it was magic,' Misaka thought, looking at the blue-haired noble. Her staff was only just leaving her hand as the brunette turned back to Tabitha. "What…what did you do?"
"I cast the Spell of Tranquility," replied the blue-haired girl. "It was too loud to concentrate on reading. No sounds can get in or out."
"Oh," Misaka stated, sitting back down on the bench. Then, another thought occurred to her. "Why am I part of this bubble of sound then? Surely I can be considered part of the distraction."
"You are different from those two," the blunette answered calmly. "You are not confined to petty arguments all the time, but are logically working towards a solution to the problem, rather than obsess over trivial items." Tabitha paused. Her face remained expressionless, and she was still focused on the book, but her eyes seemed to show concern. "Also, you seem troubled."
"What do you mean?" the brunette asked.
"Since this morning, you have been acting more melancholic and lost than normal," continued the noble. "I was observing you in the tree earlier today, before Fouquet's arrival. Even when you were fighting her, you appeared troubled by some facts, and from my location, it seemed that you were shocked at some of her words. Right now, you were focusing on what these possibilities could be, rather than the upcoming fight with Fouquet." The silence was deafening. Several seconds passed before another word was spoken.
"…Okay, you got me," conceded Misaka. "But just so you know, it's not something I really want to let others know, so promise me you won't tell anyone else about what I say unless I decide to bring it up myself, okay?"
"Understood," agreed Tabitha, nodding. To Misaka's mild surprise, she looked up from her book, and straight at the brunette. It was the first time that she had seen Tabitha with so much focus on a person.
"Well, it's a two-pronged issue, so I'll start with what Fouquet told me," Misaka began. "I had purposely gotten myself captured by Fouquet to try to get information about the thief, but what I got was information that nobody on this world should know except me…"
Flashback
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.
"How…how do you know about the Sisters…?" a stunned Misaka asked.
"Fufufu…" the thief chuckled. "Wouldn't you like to know? You can say hi to the thousands of Sisters that have already been cut down then, courtesy of Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt!"
End Flashback
"'Accelerator.' 'Level 6 Shift Program.' 'Sisters.'" Tabitha repeated the most important words of the recollection.
"I'm not going to give the details of it quite yet," Misaka explained. "If I'm going to talk about that part of my past, it would be to more than one person. All that's important is that it's an experiment involving many people related to me…in one way or another." Tabitha said nothing for a few seconds, digesting the information. Then, she decided to speak up.
"So your problem is that she knows something detailed of your world," she summarized.
"Right," the brunette nodded. "That's why it's so important that we need to capture Fouquet. I need to interrogate her before we bring her in." Misaka paused, and looked at her arm, the one with the runes carved into them. "Information is also part of my other problem that I will need answering. Earlier today, I got into a fight with Louise. I was being assertive in my argument, until she decided to attempt to destroy something that was mine. I didn't realize it then, but I became submissive, and agreed to her demands without complaint. Later, when she didn't want me to go after Fouquet on my own, I felt a strong pull to agree with her and stand down. It was familiar to what I had felt earlier, when Louise was ordering me about." Misaka sighed. "I just don't know what's going on with me. First my Railgun gets a supercharge from these runes on my arm, and now I'm being forced to do whatever that noble wants me to do. It's nothing that someone like myself should have to go through." The brunette brought her legs towards her body, hugging them tightly. "And on top of that, I still miss my friends back at home. I hope they're all doing all right. I mean, we just recently finished up dealing with a really bad calamity in my world, and I fear that I won't be able to help if something happens now that I'm here."
"…If your friends are as powerful as you are, then they will be able to handle the load in your place," stated Tabitha. "They are probably looking for you right now, trying to find where you are as we speak.
"Hi-Choo!" Kuroko sneezed, teleporting just above a doorway. Right as Konori entered with a carton of milk. "Aah!"
Thud!
"Kuroko!" complained Konori. The two were now covered in milk. "What have I told you about teleporting inside the Judgment office?! I wanted to drink milk, not bathe in it!"
"S-Sorry, Konori…" sighed the Level 4 Teleporter. "I think I might be getting an allergy to something…"
"As to your factor of control, I do know of what is the cause of it," Tabitha explained. Misaka looked up.
"You do?" she asked. Tabitha nodded.
"A familiar needs to be brought into compliance, so that they cannot be constantly disobedient," the blue-haired girl explained. She looked up, to where her Familiar, Sylphid, was flying overhead, above the trees. "Even a familiar as obedient as Sylphid has such bonds. The reason for that should be obvious for you." Misaka looked at her right hand, specifically at the runes burned on top of it.
"The runes, right?" she surmised. Tabitha nodded.
"A familiar's 'memory' is changed for the convenience of the master," she said. "This does not seem to have happened to you, perhaps because of your lightning abilities. However, it is my speculation that it could also be true that it can affect your emotions as well. When you felt this strange emotion, did Louise say anything to you that could have triggered the emotion?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," the brunette answered. "I believe that she said something like 'I command you' or 'I forbid you' or something to that effect."
"Then it must be fact," the blue-haired girl deduced. "You are complying with Louise because the runes stress obedience to her. However, I am curious as to why you seem to have some sort of autonomy over this power. As time goes on, the effect grows stronger, until the familiar can become one with the master in the end."
"It must be the AIM Dispersion Field," Misaka surmised. Tabitha looked at her expectantly. "Even though it doesn't look like it, I am constantly emitting a low-level electromagnetic field at all times. It's why I usually tend to stay away from animals and such; they can detect it more easily than we can. We call this unconscious emission of Esper abilities An Involuntary Movement, or an AIM Dispersion Field. If what you say it's true, then it's possible that the AIM Dispersion field is causing some interference with the runes. At the least, now that I know what this is, I know what to look out for now. Thank you, Tabitha."
"You are welcome," the bluenette replied. She brought her head down to her book again, but Misaka was not finished talking.
"By the way, I see that we think alike," she pointed out. "After all, you mentioned Fouquet, who everyone thinks to be a male, as a she." This got Tabitha's attention, and she brought her head up again.
"How did you come to that conclusion?" she wondered.
"Remember, Fouquet taunted me with that information from my world," Misaka replied. "And she sounds quite similar to someone we know." Misaka turned her head to the front of the cart, and looked passed the still-arguing Louise and Kirche, to the dark green head of Longueville. "I didn't want to spook her, so I played along with the narrative; but I'm positive that Miss Longueville is Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt."
"I concur," Tabitha stated. "Her appearance matches what Fouquet looked like in our encounter. However, she is still a formidable foe. Taking her on with her golem will be a difficult task."
"Not really," countered Misaka.
"What do you mean?" the blue-haired girl asked.
"So far, I have been the only one that has damaged her golem," Misaka reminded her. "Kirche was unable to affect its body. Therefore, if you can get Louise and Kirche out of harm's way, then I can deal with the golem." Tabitha thought about the proposal, then nodded.
"It seems to be logical," she replied. "Until then, we should comply with what the others come up with."
"Agreed," Misaka stated.
"Also…" Tabitha began.
"Yes?"
"When this is done…may I ask you to come to my room from time to time?" Tabitha asked. "It is not for any pretenses or confusions like Kirche, only for talking about the differences of our two homes. Like Kirche, I am very curious about the type of society that you come from."
"Sure," the esper agreed. "I am actually a little surprised, though. Usually, I see you not talking at all, or speaking very quietly." Tabitha looked back into her book.
"You are similar to myself, in that you are different from everyone else," she replied. "I can tell you have been through ordeals like I have, and you tend to rely on yourself more than others. Most importantly, like you, I have my reasons for staying quiet…" Misaka was curious to what Tabitha had meant, but she rightfully figured that Tabitha did not want to explain her side as much as she did not want to explain the Sisters, so she did not speak further.
Eventually, the cart and horse had to be abandoned. The woods became so thick that the party was forced to continue on foot. It was dark and damp, but the party carried on, deeper and deeper into the woods. At last, they arrived at a clearing, which was about the size of Vestri Court. In the middle of the clearing were a pair of abandoned buildings, a wooden house and a wooden warehouse. The group hid in some bushes at the edge of the clearing to discuss their plans.
"From what I have gathered, this is the location that Fouquet is hiding in," Longueville stated.
"Are you sure that Fouquet is here?" Misaka asked. "It looks like nobody is inside."
"He could have stepped out for now," suggested Louise. "That would make it the best time to take the Staff of Destruction back from him!"
"All the same, we should be operating that Fouquet is resting in the house, so an ambush will be ideal," Longueville stated.
"We'll need to scout around the house in order to check if he even is in there," Kirche added. "Like Louise stated, if Fouquet is not here, that makes our task that much easier."
"And what if the scout finds that he is there?" Misaka continued.
"Draw him out," Longueville told her. "There isn't enough dirt inside a house to allow him to cast a golem. Naturally, he'll try to get out so that can be done, and that's where we'll ambush him, giving him no room to cast a golem spell."
"Alright, then who's going to lure him out?" Louise asked.
"…The one with the best reflexes…" Tabitha replied.
"And that would be me," answered Misaka. "With my runes activated, I feel light as a feather, so I can quickly and quietly move towards the house."
"But don't your runes activate with a sword or your Railgun?" reminded Louise. "We left in such a rush, you didn't have time to get Derflinger from the room." Misaka sighed.
"Honestly, did you forget that Fouquet isn't the only one that can exploit dirt?" the brunette stated, discharging electricity into the ground. "As I said, I can take the iron from inside dirt and sand and make it a weapon." As she stated this, the Iron Sand Sword formed in her hands. The runes activated, and Misaka took off towards the house. Both Misaka and Tabitha had agreed in the Spell of Tranquility that if the golem was cast, only Misaka and herself would be able to stand up to it; however, since Tabitha had Sylphid, she should be tasked with getting the others out of danger. Therefore, Misaka would be their weapon in this battle.
The brunette peered into the window. It was a one-room house, with a table and a reclining chair that were coated in dust. A bottle of wine was located on the table, and a pile of firewood was located in a corner of the room. Fouquet was nowhere to be seen. Misaka motioned to the others with her hands to come over.
"It's empty," she told them. Tabitha went to the door of the house, and waved her staff around for a few seconds. She turned around.
"…There's no one inside…" she muttered, and went to open the door.
"Right," Longueville said. "I'll scout out the surrounding area, in case Fouquet shows up and returns here. We'll need someone to guard the door."
"I'll do it," volunteered Louise. "Leave it to me!"
"Then the three of us will enter the house," Kirche declared. With the jobs divided amongst themselves, the group split into their tasks. Misaka, Kirche, and Tabitha entered the house, and looked for anything that looked like the Staff of Destruction. This task, while seemingly long, actually took less than a minute, for Tabitha found the Staff of Destruction's box, resting behind the woodpile.
"…The Staff of Destruction…" Tabitha stated. The other two came over.
"That does look like the box Fouquet had," Misaka agreed. They opened the box, and the staff was inside.
"Still, doesn't this seem too easy?" Kirche wondered. "It's like he was giving it to us." Misaka suddenly sensed something outside.
"Unfortunately, that's exactly what Fouquet wants!" she declared, electricity sparking in her hair. Just then, they heard Louise give a chilling shriek. "Louise!"
"What happened, Louise?!" Kirche shouted. As she did, the house started creaking and groaning. With a splintering crack, the top of the house was lifted away, and in its place was a familiar foe. "I-It's an earth golem!"
"So, you've come back for more, have you?!" Misaka shouted. "Tabitha!" The blunette nodded, and began to chant a magical inscription. A whirlwind appeared out of the staff and struck the golem, but it had little effect.
"…Retreat…!" she urged. The three ran outside, where Tabitha and Kirche quickly boarded a waiting Sylphid. Misaka went a different route; Louise was not immediately in the front, and was nowhere in the dust that the golem was kicking up.
"Hey, big brute!" Misaka turned around, just to see an explosion on the surface of the golem's back. The golem turned around, and found Louise, pointing her wand straight at the golem. Misaka also traced the direction of the explosion, and could not believe what the pinkette was doing.
"Is she trying to get herself killed?" she exclaimed. "Oi, Louise! Get out of there!"
"No!" the pinkette rebutted. "If I can subdue this thing, nobody will ever call me the Zero again!" Misaka looked again at the golem. It had just noticed Sylphid, and was deciding whether to deal with Louise, or prevent Tabitha and Kirche from escaping. This would give Misaka precious seconds to try and talk Louise out of fighting.
"Look at how big it is compared to you!" the brunette stated. "How can you feel like you can take it on, when both Kirche and Tabitha failed?" Louise huffed.
"Didn't you say that it doesn't matter who you are and what your status is, that anyone can become anything?" she retorted. "Wasn't it you, a commoner, who defeated Guiche's Valkyries and caused trouble for Count Mott?"
"You can't compare apples and oranges!" Misaka replied. "We aren't from the same place; I operate under that statement, but you don't!"
"And yet when I heard that you told that maid you'd run away with her and would change society just to prevent her from being sold away, it made me a little jealous," Louise said. Misaka paused.
"What…what do you mean?" she asked.
"I feel the same way as you do, Misaka," the pinkette continued. "I hate the status quo that has been put on me. If I run away now, people will say 'That's because she's Zero. She ran away because she couldn't fight.' Well, I want to fight! I don't want to lower my head to anyone! Even though I cannot accomplish anything, this is a matter of my pride! Nobles are people that can use magic, and nobles are people that never turn their backs on their enemies!" The golem faced Louise, having decided that she was the bigger threat. "Fireball!" Louise forcefully pointed her wand towards the golem, but like the previous attempt, nothing occurred. A small explosion happened on the surface of the golem, but it was only enough to chip away at the outer layer of the golem's chest. Louise cringed, closing her eyes as the golem's foot began to hover over her, ready to smash her into a pulp on the ground.
"YOU IDIOT!" At the last second, Misaka shoved Louise out of harm's way, taking her place underneath the foot of the golem. With a swift movement of the Iron Sand Sword, she cut off the foot of the golem, forcing it to stumble back in surprise and roar in pain. "To hell with your noble's pride! Can't you see that if you die, nothing else matters?!" Louise looked at her familiar in stunned silence.
"Eh…eh…" The pinkette was nearly moved to tears.
"I once felt like you before," the brunette continued. "I once felt that if I would stand up and fight, and sacrifice myself in my last stand, that everything would change, and that all would be right again. But I was wrong. I needed someone to make me realize that. Someone who could tell me that I was too important to die, that I needed to live, because others needed me too. You don't see it now, but so many people, including all of us here, depend on you for one thing or another, and we all thank you for that. But now isn't the time for you to fight. Now is the time to get to safety." Louise continued to cry.
"But…but I cannot take this lying down…I'm always being treated like a fool…" she sniffled. Misaka sighed.
"You're forgetting that there's one person here that didn't make fun of you when they found out you were called Louise the Zero,' she reminded her. "There's one person who stood up and fought for you when they didn't have to. And despite how you try to control me and order me around, I'll still stand up and fight for you." By now, the golem's foot had regenerated, and the monster was staring right at Misaka. "On my honor as an Esper of Academy City, I will fight for what is right, no matter where I am!" Before Louise could say anything, Tabitha and Kirche landed next to her on Sylphid.
"Get on," Tabitha ordered with unusual urgency.
"But what about Misaka?" Louise asked. The brunette had made no attempts at falling back to their position. "She's still out there!"
"I don't know the details, but Tabitha said Misaka is going to fight the monster alone," Kirche explained. "We need to get the Staff of Destruction to the Academy in the meantime. Now hurry!' Louise looked back. Misaka was now fighting the golem, but even with the Iron Sand Sword, it was an even match. The pinkette then looked into Kirche's hands, and the box for the Staff of Destruction that was held in them. The wheels began to turn in her mind, and an idea formed in her brain. Without explaining, she grabbed the Staff of Destruction from the Germainian and ran back to the battle.
"Hey! Louise?!" Kirche exclaimed. She had to be held back by Tabitha, as the red-haired girl nearly fell off of Sylphid when trying to reach for Louise. "You're trying to get yourself killed!" Louise ignored her. She stopped a good distance behind Misaka, who was hacking and slashing the golem with the Iron Sand Sword. Opening the box, the pinkette got a good look at the Staff of Destruction. It was a round, green cylindrical tube. Several hatches and levers appeared to protrude out of the device, but were neatly tucked in on the sides.
"Can you even call this thing a staff?" Louise wondered aloud. She shook the thought out of her mind. 'No, I need to help my Familiar. She's fighting this battle alone for me. If I let my noble pride go down like that, I'll never forgive myself!' As she began to wave around the Staff of Destruction in the hope that it would do something, the golem took notice of the pinkette.
"L-Louise?!" Misaka exclaimed. The golem began lumbering over towards the noble. "I told you to get out of here!" The brunette ran over towards the girl, easily outrunning the monstrous golem.
"I'm sorry, but I can't just sit back and watch you take on this by yourself!" Louise stated, avoiding eye contact with Misaka. "I hate to admit it, but you had some really good choice words just before. Even after all I've ordered from you, you still are defending me, and that's something that struck a chord in me. After all, you're my Familiar, and I have a duty to protect you as much as you're protecting me." Misaka was a little surprised by the sudden confession that Louise had stated, but that was of little concern at the moment.
"I appreciate your feelings, I really do," the brunette admitted. "But is it really the time right now to go into a sappy confessional when you don't know how to fight with that thing?!" The golem had almost caught up to the two at this time, and was a few paces away from squashing the two girls.
"I'm trying to figure that out now!" shouted Louise. "But this thing's a tough nut!"
"Let me try!" Misaka said. She reached out and touched the barrel of the Staff of Destruction – and was instantly flooded with knowledge in a span of a second.
'M72 Light Anti-Tank Weapon rocket launcher. Operated with 66 mm caliber warhead. Fired from kneeling position, opening rear cover and extending inner tube. At current distance, optimal arming range might not be attained and warhead might not explode…..how do I know this?! I haven't seen this weapon before, and even if I did, I wouldn't know it by name and operation…whatever, there's no time!'
"Get to my side, there's a backblast out of this thing!" she ordered. Misaka took the Staff of Destruction from Louise, who out of surprise did as she was told. Immediately, the brunette took out the arming handle, opened the rear cover, and extended the inner tube of the weapon.
"…." Louise stood agape for a second, amazed that her Familiar had any knowledge of how the Staff of Destruction worked. A glass scope flipped up from the body, and Misaka closed her right eye.
"Maybe a souped-up Railgun might be a little to resistant to your dirt body, but let's see you survive this!" Releasing the safety lock, Misaka fired the weapon. A loud whoosh sound came from the staff, and a cylindrical projectile flew out and towards the golem. It had enough force that when it connected, it embedded itself in the golem's torso for a second, before exploding in a terrific roar and a violent show of fire and smoke. Misaka threw the RPG aside and used her electromaster abilities to shield herself and Louise from the blast, but even they had to close their eyes to avoid the bright explosion. When they opened them, and the smoke cleared, they saw only the feet of the golem, which stood up to the torso, which remained amid a shower of dirt. The remaining part of the golem took one final step, before kneeling down, and crumbling into the soil from which it came from.
Seeing this, Louise sat on the ground, her legs too weak from shock to stand up. "It's over…" Sylphid descended from the air, and Kirche and Tabitha joined the two on the ground.
"Misaka, you did it!" the red-haired mage exclaimed, hugging the brunette in a half-glomp. "How did you ever managed to figure out the Staff of Destruction when we couldn't?"
"E-Eh, I'm still figuring that last part out myself…" the brunette admitted, visibly uncomfortable from the show of affection.
"…Where is Miss Longueville…?" asked Tabitha, looking at the mound of earth. Everybody looked around. In the sudden appearance of the golem, and the euphoria that was defeating it, they had all forgotten about the secretary that had accompanied them.
A clapping noise sounded out from behind them. The four turned, and found the green-haired woman, who was walking towards them. "Great job, you girls! You did more than I could ever hope for!" She knelt down, and picked up the Staff of Destruction.
"Ah, Miss Longueville!" Kirche exclaimed. "Did you find out where Fouquet was controlling –?!" She tried to approach the woman, but was stopped by Tabitha's staff. "T-Tabitha?" Misaka also took a stance in front of Louise.
"Misaka, what's wrong?" the pinkette asked. "That's just Miss Longueville, not some bandit on the road."
"Then answer this," Misaka asked. "Who was the only one not present when we were fighting that golem?" Louise and Kirche said nothing, but looked in the direction of the secretary. "As far as you could have possibly gone, surely she would have heard a lump of dirt trying to attack us here. She could have very well helped us, but she didn't, mainly because that was not in her interests. Isn't that right, Fouquet of the Crumbling Dirt?" Before Louise could rebut her, Longueville spoke.
"I see you're more observant than even I thought," she said with a smile. "What gave it away, pray tell?"
"Your mistake was speaking to me when you attacked the Academy," the brunette stated. "Sure, you did look similar to your fake persona, but that alone would only lead to suspicion. When you gave your report on the so-called whereabouts of Fouquet, you sounded identical to the one who mocked me in front of the vault."
"I see," the green-haired woman stated. "That was pretty careless of me." She took off her glasses. Instantly, the woman's features went from a bright, cheery expression to that of a more sinister one full of killing intent. "I better make sure that it never happens again!"
"W-What's going on?!" Kirche exclaimed. "She actually is Fouquet?!"
"Unfortunately," Misaka confirmed. Fouquet took her hairtie out, allowing her hair to fall completely down.
"The Staff of Destruction certainly fits its name," she remarked. "Even after my one golem was able to stomach a Railgun, this golem stood no chance." She held the RPG just like Misaka had done. "All of you, drop your wands, and step in front of Misaka. Otherwise, I will obliterate you where you stand." With no leverage, the three mages placed their wands on the ground. They then moved in front of the brunette, preventing her from having a clear shot at the thief.
"W…Why…?" Louise asked, anger welling in her voice. "To do such a thing…"
"I do believe you are entitled to an explanation before you are able to rest in peace…" Fouquet stated with a coquettish smile. "I had gotten hold of the Staff, but I had no idea how to use it."
"The way to use it?" the pinkette repeated.
"Yes," Fouquet replied. "Like you had done, I had waved the Staff, and even applied my own magic onto it, but there was no response at all from the Staff. It frustrated me to know end. After all, If I do not know how to use it, it's as useful as a decorative item, would it not?" Louise wanted to dash at Fouquet and punch her. Before she could, Misaka placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Let her finish," the brunette stated.
"B-But…" Louise objected, but all she got in reply was a wink.
"How considerate, for the Immoral Ace of Tokiwadai," Fouquet commended. "I will continue then. Since I had no idea how to use the weapon, I would just have to wait for another person to use it. Perhaps a student at the Academy knew how to use it."
"So that's why you brought us here," Kirche responded. "But what if we all did not know how to use the weapon?"
"I think the power level of my golems can answer that clearly," the green-haired woman stated. "I would have crushed you all, and brought a new group. Now then…" She opened the firing scope of the Staff. "Even though the time spent with you four was brief, I really enjoyed it. Goodbye." The three mages closed their eyes, feeling the end nearing them.
Misaka, however, was staring directly at Fouquet.
"Hmph, you are a brave one," commended the thief. "You even didn't try and make a move on me while I was talking, even though it would have gotten you all killed anyway."
"That's because I don't need to attack you right now," the Railgun answered. "Why don't you try it? Are you too moralistic to pull the trigger?"
"My morals are on the path of right," Fouquet responded. "Not that you would have a clue!" She pulled the trigger of the Staff, but all that happened was a soft "click!" noise. "…huh?" The green-haired woman tried the trigger again, to the same result. "W…Why?"
"Oh, did I mention that it's a one-use weapon?" Misaka added. "Until you reload the weapon, you won't be able to fire it again." The others were confused.
"What…what do you mean?" Fouquet asked. Misaka stepped through the three mages and towards the thief, cracking her knuckles.
"Even if I took the time to explain it all, you'd still be at a loss. The sum of the answer is that it is not a magical staff from your world." Fouquet began to panic. She dropped the Staff of Destruction, and pulled out her wand.
"S…Stay back!" she warned. Misaka rose her foot in the air.
"Fine, then I'll knock you out from here!" the brunette stated. Bringing the foot down, she unleashed a strong electric wave towards Fouquet. The result was instantaneous: Fouquet was paralyzed, engulfed in the high-voltage shock. The green-haired thief slumped to the ground. She was still breathing, but was not moving otherwise. The Staff fell out of her hands, clattering onto the ground.
"Misaka…?" Louise stated. The three girls stared at the brunette, as she picked up the Staff of Destruction, and turned to look at them.
"What's with the shocked looks?" the brunette asked with a smile. "We've caught Fouquet and retrieved the Staff of Destruction. Isn't this where we celebrate?" Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha looked at each other, before running towards Misaka. The four girls hugged together, celebrating the victory they had claimed over their adversary.
Fouquet was stirred back to the living by a forceful shove. She quickly got up, and took inventory on the state of her condition. She was still in the forest clearing. Her wand had been taken from her, but her arms and legs were unbound.
"Try running on me, and you're literal toast." Fouquet turned around, and found the person who had gotten her to regain consciousness; her adversary, Mikoto Misaka.
"So I'm prisoner of you alone?" Fouquet asked. "Where is your Master?"
"Louise went with Tabitha and Kirche to ready the dragon," Misaka replied curtly. "I asked them to give me time alone with you."
"Gee, if you were a boy, that would sound highly suggestive," the thief stated with a smirk, causing the brunette to blush.
"You know full well why I want to talk to you!" Misaka stated. "You have knowledge I haven't given anyone here!"
"Ah yes, the knowledge of your world," Fouquet stated. She looked at the brunette, who was starting to crackle with lightning. "I'm guessing I won't get out of this without telling you. I've seen that look before, though your Sister certainly doesn't count as one of them." Misaka stopped sparking.
"My Sister?" she replied. "One of the clones of the Sisters Project?"
"It was not long after one of my thefts, maybe a month or so before you showed up..." she explained. "I was just outside the Capitol, and was rather pleased with my latest heist. I was traveling through a forest, much like this one, so I couldn't see much of the path ahead of me. I rounded a bend in the path, and I discovered a girl on the path. I remember her clearly, especially since she looked exactly like you do. She was weak, and was dying of hunger and thirst. As bad as you make me out to be, I am not so heartless to leave a dying person on the road, so I took her back to the Capitol, and rented a room in an inn to stay and help her to good health.
"Under my care, I slowly got to know the girl. She explained that she was a clone of a person named Mikoto Misaka, and that she was one of over 20,000 that were to be killed by a boy called Accelerator, in order for him to become a Level 6 god. I was struck by the story. Everyone in Tristain have been blessed by Brimir to have had benevolent rulers over the past several kings and queens. To think that there could a ruler that could sentence its subjects to death struck a horrible chord in me. It made me rightfully mad, that you and others would condone this. It got me thinking, 'what if this was to happen here? What if we were suddenly enslaved by the Royal Palace in order to further their trivial desires? So I began my targeting of the Academy, for the sole purpose of stealing the Staff of Destruction. With that power, I could make the world do my bidding, make it a place where nobody has to suffer from the hands of an unjust power, like that poor girl. Now, though, I'm nothing but the dirt that my golems are made of, powerless in this cruel world."
It took a while for Misaka to answer. For several seconds, she digested the facts and conjecture into a crafted response. "You seem to have the right idea, but are going down the wrong way of doing things. As a dear friend of mine has said on many occasions, you have the talent to do great acts, but have strayed down the wrong path, and need to evaluate what you have done. While I'm guilty of turning to action first and questions later as well, it's at least within law…most of the time. You, though, blatantly flaunt the law, and are even willing to kill in order to gain your goals. Fight wrong with right, not another wrong." Hearing this made Fouquet's blood boil. She took a step towards the brunette, but stopped when the girl stuck out a hand primed with high voltage.
"What do you have any right to speak about what is right and wrong?!" she shouted. "You gave your information to these people, the information that created these clones, just so they could be killed for your noble's dirty plans! How immoral are you that you forsake your own sisters?!"
"I did not forsake the Misaka Sisters!" the brunette responded, silencing the thief. "I was tricked when I was young to give my DNA to government scientists; for all I knew, I was helping disabled people walk again! And furthermore, I do not know why this Sister is off of the Misaka Network, but she has an old copy of the information, from several months ago. The Level 6 Shift Program is dead." Fouquet's eyes widened at this statement.
"Dead…?" she repeated.
"As soon as I found out about it, I began hunting down the people responsible for this atrocity," Misaka replied. "I couldn't bear to live with the sin of having created these Sisters, who had the only purpose of dying. Then, a friend of mine, who is much weaker than I am, defeated Accelerator, before he could kill Misaka 10032. With their calculation thrown off, the project was abandoned. The remaining ten thousand Sisters are now leading the lives of their choosing, unhinged by the bonds they were previously chained to. Like you, I did everything I could to save people, but unlike you, I did not get others in harm's way through my actions. People may have intervened, but it was by their own accord. They did not need to take up my torch, but they did so anyway. You placed people in danger through your actions, even threatening to kill those that opposed you. That is why you failed, and that is why you will answer to a higher power. Now move along!" Fouquet remained speechless as Misaka led her to the others, and was silent for the rest of the journey back to Tristain Academy.
"So it was Miss Longueville…" Old Osmond sighed, rubbing his temples.
"If I may ask, why did you hire Miss Longueville in the first place?" asked Mr. Colbert.
"She was a waitress at a tavern I visited about three or four weeks ago," the headmaster confessed. "I was slowly caressing her backside when I was caught in the act by her. Surprisingly, she wasn't angry at all for it, so I offered her a job on the spot." Colbert had no choice but to look down on his boss.
"That's how you hire people?!" he asked in bewilderment.
"Anyways!" Osmond cried in a surprising vigor, ignoring Colbert's question. He then said in a much lower voice, "most importantly, she could use magic.'
"Yeah magic that could kill…" Colbert muttered.
"Come to think of it, the reason that Fouquet allowed me to touch her all over, served me wine with a sweet smile, and praised my handsomeness was likely to earn my trust and infiltrate the academy. All of those praises were likely lies…" Osmond slumped in his chair.
"Beautiful women are deadly mages," the bald mage sighed.
"I couldn't agree more with you, Colbert," the headmaster said, nodding.
"Then do you want a beautiful young lady to knock your thoughts back on track?" interrupted Misaka. The two men looked surprised to the three students and one familiar that were in the room with them. All of them were coldly staring at the two mages.
"Er-herm," Osmond coughed. "Anyway, a job well done for all of you. You have returned the Staff of Destruction to the Academy, and captured Fouquet the Crumbling Dirt. You all have the staff's eternal gratitude."
"It wasn't that bad, once we figured out who Fouquet was," Misaka said. That earned a bop from Louise, who got the brunette to bow just as the other three were.
"Fouquet will be handed over to the town guards, and the Staff of Destruction is safely in the treasure vault. After a torturous day, the case has been closed." The headmaster approached the three students, and gave each a rub on the head. "I have asked the imperial court to confer upon each of you the title of Chevalier. Since Tabitha has this title already, I have requested for her the Elven Medallion. We should be hearing back on this soon, especially with Lady Henrietta arriving tomorrow." The faces of the three girls lit up like candles.
"R-Really?!" Kirche said in astoundment. Old Osmond nodded.
"You have all done more than enough to deserve these titles, and I believe the imperial court will think so as well." He then looked at Misaka. "I'm terribly sorry, Misaka, but I cannot give you anything despite your acts being key to the capture of Fouquet. The imperial court will not recognize any titles for non-nobles, I'm afraid." The euphoric mood of the trio died down. All of them knew that without the brunette, they would all have likely been killed by the golem without even knowing who Fouquet's identity was.
"So Misaka…won't get anything?" Louise asked solemnly.
"It's fine, I don't need another title for myself," Misaka stated. "Just being called 'Railgun' is enough for myself." Louise and Kirche looked at Misaka with pained guilt.
"If that's alright with you, then," the headmaster stated. "Anyway, remember that tomorrow is the Familiar presentation to Lady Henrietta and the Royal Family, so be prepared to give an exceptional demonstration to the Princess. Afterwards will be the Ball of Frigg, so you can all relax in a social setting afterwards. The three girls brightened up at this statement, and bowed their heads in acknowledgement. As they were leaving, Louise looked back at Misaka. The brunette had not moved towards the door.
"Ah, go on ahead," she assured her roommate, pointing to Osmond. "I just have something to ask this person here." Louise was still unsure of her Familiar, but nodded anyway, and left with Kirche and Tabitha.
"I assume this has something to do with the Staff of Destruction?" Osmond asked, to which he got a nod. "Very well. I will answer your questions to the best of my abilities. It's the least I can do to show my appreciation after saving this Academy from a troublesome situation. If you will, Mr. Colbert…" The professor was surprised.
"S-Sir?!" he replied. He had been looking forward to hearing what Misaka had to say. The headmaster narrowed his eyes. "…R-right…" He walked out of the room in disappointment. This left Misaka and Osmond alone in the office.
"Where did you find that weapon?" Misaka asked bluntly.
"Beg pardon?" the white-haired headmaster asked.
"The Staff of Destruction, it's a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a weapon from my world," she declared. Osmond leaned forward in his chair.
"Your world?" he asked.
"Yes, I'm not from this world. I'm from a world where magic is far less common than it is here. I was transported because of that summoning spell that Louise cast." Old Osmond took all of this information in carefully. He stroked his beard in deep thought.
"Hmmm….then I guess that explains how he got here in the first place…" he murmured.
"Huh?" Misaka said in confusion. Osmond stood up, and walked towards the window of his office.
"You are right in stating that the Staff of Destruction is not one of the magical weapons in Tristain," he stated. "The truth is that it's a memento from the one that saved my life over thirty years ago." The old man stared out of the window, musing at a memory held dear. "I was on a stroll inside a forest much like the one that you captured Longueville in, you see. Without warning, I was attacked by a two-headed dragon. I fought well, but was pushed into a corner with no hope to win. Suddenly, a man dressed in dark green appeared, and fired a different Staff of Destruction at the dragon, killing it instantly. However, he was covered in wounds, and collapsed immediately afterwards. I took him to the Academy to have his wounds treated, but by that point, there was nothing I could do to help him…"
"Thirty-plus years ago…" Misaka stated. "He must have been an American in the Vietnam War then. For a relatively minor war, it was a very long and bloody conflict. He was likely wounded from fighting guerilla forces in the jungles."
"I buried the weapon he had used to save me alongside him in his grave, and named the other the Staff of Destruction and kept in the vault, as a memorial to my mysterious savior…" The old man's eyes gazed far into the distance. "He was conscious right until his death. He kept asking where he was, and how he wanted to go to his comrades in this Vietnam place." Osmond turned back towards the brunette. "Considering that you know the conflict he was talking about, I guess that means that you two are from the same world."
"Do you have any idea how he arrived here?" asked Misaka. Osmond shook his head.
"I had asked him myself, but he said he had lost consciousness while he had been transported. To this day, I do not know how he got here." Misaka sighed.
"Well, there goes that lead for getting back to Academy City…" she murmured, placing her right hand on her face. At that moment, she remembered something that had been nagging her for a while. "Oh, I was also meaning to ask about the runes on my left hand. Anytime I pick up a weapon, be it a sword, or my Railgun, or even the RPG, I seem to be able to use it to its maximum potential, even to the point of exceeding what I am normally capable of." A few seconds of pondering silence passed.
"…This I know of," Osmond stated. He took a hold of the brunette's left hand, and pointed at the engraved rune. "The runes on your hand are unlike any of the ones on other Familiars. These are the runes of the Legendary Familiar, 'Gandálfr.'"
"A legendary Familiar?" the brunette repeated.
"Yes," answered Osmond. "Gandálfr was the loyal Familiar of the Founder Brimir. The Gandálfr had mastery over any weapon, no matter how difficult it was to master. That is why you could use the Staff of Destruction, most likely." The headmaster noticed Misaka's stare at her hand. "I do apologize, but that is all I know. Professor Colbert and I are looking into the matter, but we couldn't find anything useful. It has been thousands of years since a Gandálfr has appeared in our world, so outside of the legends and lore, there is not much to go by. We do have a theory that the runes are related to you being transported to our world, however."
"It wasn't like my ticket out of here was going to fall out of the sky anyway…" Misaka sighed. She looked out of the window in the office. "It seems like my friends are slipping further and further away…" Osmond stepped towards the brunette.
"I'm sorry we could not be of much help, but please try not to be dismayed," he asked. "As Headmaster, I will always be on your side in every endeavor. You did bring back the memento of the one who saved my life after all; I at least owe you a few favors that I can pull." He pulled Misaka into a hug. "You'll get used to this world soon enough. You have good friends to support you in that."
To Misaka's surprise, the headmaster did not try any tomfoolery in his embrace, which was enough for her to return the feelings. After an embrace of a few seconds, they parted.
"Actually, there is one thing that I want to ask of you, mainly because I probably need your approval for it to work," the brunette asked.
"Oh?" the headmaster replied, cocking an eyebrow. "May I presume it is for tomorrow?" The girl nodded.
"It was going to be sooner or later that some members of the Royal Family found out about my Electromaster powers," she admitted. "Let's give them a show they're not soon to forget."
Some minutes later, Misaka walked out of the headmaster's office. To her surprise, Louise was waiting for her. "I thought I said you could go on ahead." Louise's expression was one of bitterness and regret.
"I couldn't leave you alone with that lecherous headmaster in there," she replied, averting her gaze. "You heard him describing women; it's clear that he's not someone to be trusted around any lady."
"I would have to agree with you there," the brunette stated, thinking back to when she had first met Old Osmond.
"Also…" the pinkette was being unusually melancholy. "…I wanted to apologize for the last few days. I've been treating you as I've learned to treat a Familiar. But you were looking out for me back then, even after all of that. I…I let my oble pride get to me, and you made sure I didn't die back there...I can't say that I've earned such respect from anyone, let alone a…a…commoner…" Misaka looked at the girl.
"I'm not going to stop and let someone's life be wasted away," she replied. "You know that from Count Mott. Still…" A smile formed on the girl's face. "I'm glad that you said all of that, both now and back in the forest. I didn't want our time together to be one where we were constantly at each other's throats. However, bear in mind that I'm not one that's going to be controlled. I'm going to act how I feel like, regardless of what you think. Are we clear?"
"Y-Yes…" Louise said with a subtle nod. With that, the Master and Familiar headed down the spiral staircase, with a better sense of understanding between the two.
The next day was the presentation of the Familiars. Seated in front of a large stage were row after row of wooden benches. The rightmost benches were seated by members of the Tristain Royal Family, the entourage that accompanied them, and the staff of the Academy that were not in charge of the event. The remaining majority were seated by students, a sea of brown, black, and purple cloaks in the otherwise green grass. Mr. Colbert was Master of Ceremonies for this year's event
To the far right was a large purple and white tent. Seated inside, with two guards on either side, was Old Osmond on the right, and the guest of honor on the left, Princess Henrietta. The princess was adorned in a white gown and purple cape, with a gem-infused silver crown in her short purple hair. Her blue eyes matched the gems in her crown and gown perfectly, and she gave a very soft, warm smile as each of the second-year students showed off their Familiars.
"Are you pleased, Lady Henrietta?" Osmond asked the young lady. Currently, Tabitha was flying overhead on her wind dragon, amazing the others in the crowd.
"Very much so," Henrietta replied. "This year has a good level of talent, starting from Miss Tabitha right now and down. They will be very productive nobles in the future, that I can tell." Tabitha and Sylphid landed on the stage shortly afterwards, and gave one final bow to a rousing cheer of applause.
"That was Tabitha the Snowy Wind, and her Wind Dragon Sylphid!" Colbert announced. "Next will be Louise de la Vallière and her Familiar." Sylphid flew off the stage, but Tabitha stayed where she was. This perplexed the princess.
"Why is Miss Tabitha not leaving the stage?" she asked. Osmond stroked his beard.
"That is because the greatest Familiar that this world has ever seen will be arriving soon," he stated. "I ask that you try and keep this as much a secret as you can, since she does not want publicity about her."
"She?" the purplette asked. Osmond did not respond. At that moment, Louise ran onto the stage, followed by Guiche and Kirche.
"What is the meaning of this?!" the pinkette demanded. "Stop this at once!"
"Louise, calm down!" Guiche urged, holding onto the girl's shoulder. "She asked for this to be done anyway; she even got the headmaster to sign off on it."
"That doesn't mean I like it!" Louise replied. "She didn't even consult me on this!"
"What are you all doing here?!" admonished Mr. Colbert. "Only Louise should be on the stage now!" The four nobles stared at the professor.
"You don't know?" Kirche stated.
"I am not in charge of deciding what you decide for your demonstrations are," he replied. "Still, I doubt that all of you are required for Miss Vallière's demonstration." At that moment, they heard a roar from above. Everyone's eyes were turned skyward. Sylphid, who had only minutes before had left, was in the skies once again, circling above the stage.
Something, or rather someone, jumped off of the wind dragon, and began falling down towards the stage. After witnessing this, Guiche flicked his rose wand, causing a petal to fall off and form into a bronze Valkyrie. The person falling took out a bronze shield, which was strapped onto their back, and placed it underneath their feet like a longboard. The person continued to fall towards the stage, until they were only a few feet away from the ground. At that point, lightning shot out from the shield, connecting with the Valkyrie. The shield slowed down dramatically, and then knocked into the bronze golem, knocking it over. The person on the shield rolled off of the metallic object, and onto the stage. The person got up, dusting themselves off.
"Sorry for the wait," she stated. "I'm Mikoto Misaka, and I'm the partner to Louise!" The crowd of students, many of whom were witness to the fight against Guiche, shouted in cheers and applause. "As some of you know, I can control lightning and electricity, so as part of our demonstration, I will be fighting these three other nobles until they give up." More cheers were heard from this statement.
"H-Hold on a moment!" Colbert interrupted. "You should know that dueling with nobles is strictly prohibited!" Misaka held up a finger.
"Only if both parties are nobles," she replied. "And your boss signed off on this anyway, so it's official." Colbert looked desperately at Osmond, who nodded back at him.
"V-Very well then…" he stated. "As long as nobody gets hurt." He wisely backed away. Guiche, Tabitha, and Kirche took positions on one side of the stage, with Misaka on the other in front of Louise.
"Just because this is your demonstration, doesn't mean we won't go easy on you, Misaka," Kirche told her.
"Especially since I have a chance to avenge my previous attempt at fighting you," Guiche added. "You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to this." Tabitha silently nodded, showing her agreement with the two.
"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Misaka said with a smile. "Now give me your all!"
"You guys...!" Louise protested. "Stop this…I demand…ARRRGGHHH, STUPID FAMILIAR!-! STUPID EVERYBODY!-!-!-!"
While the spectacle of fire and electricity and wind happened onstage, Henrietta remained in an awestruck silence. She watched in amazement as the brunette with the lightning powers held her ground, then quickly overpowered the other three nobles. It was nothing like she had ever seen before. As Misaka took a bow to the cheering crowd, and then a slap on the back as Louise berated the other four, Henrietta's eyes glistened with excitement, and her smile grew bigger than ever before.
'Yes…' she thought. 'Definitely, she could help me! She can get through to him and save him!'
To Be Continued…