I didn't want to leave you guys on a cliffhanger for too long, so I made sure that this chapter would be out in short order.
Okay, in all seriousness, it's good to be back on a regular schedule for uploads. I want to try and get this second volume of chapters done by the time I finish summer. I'll need some time to research and plan the third volume, so the sooner that this section is done, the sooner I can get later chapters done. Believe me when I say that Halkeginia will be in store for many changes soon…
Onto other topics, it's good to hear that the final two books of Familiar of Zero will be penned. Whenever they come out, I'll look at how I can incorporate them into the plan. It'll be easy to say that I won't be near completion before those are out lol. Anyway, I hope you all like the chapter!
- KKid
Chapter 12: The Battle of Newcastle
Louise was surprised to see her friends popping from the hole in the floor. "E-Everyone?!" W-What are you guys doing here?!"
"Saving your lives!" Guiche said. He flicked his wand, sending a few petals towards Louise and Prince Wales. Three Valkyries formed, and each stood in front of the noble and Prince Crown.
"We know what you're planning, Wardes!" Kirche declared, pointing her wand at him. "Or at least, we've pieced together a good understanding of what you want to do!"
"It doesn't sound as great when you add that line…" muttered Louise.
"You're part of the noble uprising in Albion, aren't you?!" the red-haired girl continued. Wardes was silent for a few moments. Then, he softly chuckled.
"You're all very bright noble students," he commended in a cold, emotionless voice. "A little too bright for your own good. Yes, I've reneged on my allegiance with Tristain, and am part of Reconquista."
"Why?" Guiche asked. "Why would someone of Tristain nobility, with everything he could have, do such a thing?" Wardes turned, looking up towards the stain-glass windows of the small church.
"My years as part of the Griffon Knights have taught me that war is cruel," he lamented. "It's long, hard, and bloody. Accidents and mishaps can mean the difference between life and death. I've seen many friends and comrades take their final breaths." He turned back towards the group, looking serious. "That's when I decided that something needed to be done. Reconquista was that vehicle. They want to reunite the continent under one name – a union of nobles without national borders. By our hands, we will reunite Halkeginia, and restore the Sacred Land of the Founder Brimir." Louise stepped forward slightly, still apprehensive at her former fiancé.
"So…that's what's changed you, Wardes," Louise said gravely. "Before…you were not like this..." Wardes seemed to look apologetically at the pinkette.
"Though it changed me from whom you knew, it did not change my nature of becoming better than what I am," the former Viscount replied. Louise let her guard down for a second, a second too long. "And you all talk too much!" Wardes moved his wand swiftly.
"Look out!" Prince Wales had realized what was happening, and had pulled Louise behind him and ducked. Unable to move away in in time, the group was blown back to the rear wall of the church. Wales and Louise were both by the altar, and were able to miss most of the blast, moving only about a foot back. Guiche, Kirche, and Tabitha were not as lucky. The three struck the wall, and slumped to the floor. Guiche and Kirche were knocked out cold, while Tabitha, who was apparently able to put some defensive spells up, was barely able to stand, using her staff as a crutch.
"For this!" roared Wardes, specifically to Louise. "You rejected my offer to rule the world together for these weaklings and a dying prince?!" He panted heavily, before taking one final breath, calming down. "It is regrettable… that your life will be taken by this hand…" He began chanting a spell. Electricity began to spark from his want.
"Lightning Cloud…" Louise stated, reading the words off of the Viscount's mouth.
"Damn you…Wardes!" cursed Wales. He stood up to begin a counterspell, but even he knew that there was enough time. The prince was not even halfway finished when the spell flew from Wardes's wand. A flurry of electric blasts headed towards Wales and Louise, with a grouping of each aimed for their respective hearts.
Biribiri!
Before the spell could get within three feet of Wales, it was intercepted by another lightning blast, from the center of the room. The two forces of electricity blew up, creating a smokescreen that lasted for a few seconds. Wardes scowled, and focused on the source of the second lightning attack.
"Don't forget, Wardes; it's not just magic that you're facing," said a smirking Misaka. Her location explained why the brunette was relatively unharmed; she had ducked back into the hole that Verdandi had dug, and reappeared to protect the others from Wardes. "Sorry I had nothing against the wind spells."
"No…worries…" Wales replied, still surprised at the nature of the element that she had used. "And you are…?"
"Mikoto Misaka, Third-Ranked Level 5, and Louise's Familiar and friend," she answered calmly. Wales raised an eyebrow.
"Louise's Familiar?" he asked. The prince looked at Louise for help. While she was shaken over the current events, the pinkette still nodded her head, confirming Misaka's title. "I knew Tristain nobles were strange, but a human familiar?"
"Now's not the time for that!" Misaka ordered. "You two get the others down the hole! Tabitha's wind dragon is down there for our escape!"
"What…what about you?!" Louise asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" the brunette replied. "I'm your cover! Get them out of here, and I'll meet you in La Rochelle!"
"Miss!" Wales stated. "I will stay by your side and fight with you!"
"No, you help Louise; she can't move everyone alone!" the brunette replied. "Besides, that would only be playing into his hand. He wants you dead, and you're better off alive right now!" The prince said nothing, for a moment.
"Alright," he agreed. "But Miss Mikoto, be careful. I do not know what your power is, but a Viscount is not a title earned without muster." Misaka snorted.
"He's better than Fouquet ever will be, but he's still a long way from besting me!" she boasted. Wales looked at her skeptically, but said nothing.
"Louise, let's start with him…" The prince began hurrying towards Guiche. The pinkette agreed, and the two began the extraction operation. Tabitha walked towards them as well, albeit very weakly. Misaka watched the process begin, before turning her attention towards the grey-haired traitor in the center of the room.
"A little overconfident, aren't we, Gandálfr?" Wardes asked with a cruel, sly grin.
"Not overconfident," the brunette replied. "You're good, from what I could tell. You'd probably be on par with a Level 2 Esper in Academy City; you're certainly no Accelerator, though." The Viscount frowned.
"Are you mocking me?" he growled. "Do you not remember how we fought on equal terms in La Rochelle?"
"That?" Misaka said. "That was me holding back. I had my suspicions about you since the hotel. The duel was a perfect opportunity to see what you were against me. Now, against you leaving us in the city, then threatening to kill Louise and the Albion prince, you tell me: how much of my power will I unleash against you?" Wardes grinned.
"I had a feeling you would cross swords with me, ever since I saw you," the Viscount stated happily. "I'm glad that it is on opposing sides; that way I can show no mercy!" Both Wardes and Louise threw their powers at each other; Wardes a slicing wind spell, and Misaka a wave of lightning. The two powers collided in a small explosion. Wardes began to prepare another spell, but stopped after seeing Misaka charge through the smoke with Derflinger. The brunette swung at the Viscount, who nimbly flew up high in the air. Misaka responded with a Lightning Spear, but that too was dodged.
"Okay, maybe you're a 3," she reassessed. "A low-level 4 at the highest."
"Partner!" Derflinger shouted. "Where's that other whip-sword you have?!"
"I can only get it from iron particles in the ground!" the esper stated. "The floor's made of marble!"
"So even the mighty Railgun has her limits!" mocked Wardes. "Fouquet seems to have given me a much bleaker outcome if I ever fought you…"
"Fouquet?" Misaka said in surprise. "Then you're the reason why she was attacking us last night!"
"Consider it Reconquista helping out an Albion noble who wanted her revenge," Wardes said. "My, my, no wonder you and Louise are partners; you both talk way too much!" The Viscount fired a 'Breaking Wind' spell. Misaka braced herself; against a non-solid force, she could do little in the way of countering. The brunette was blown backwards by several feet, and was nearly lifted off the ground.o
"If It was anything but that stupid wind, I'd be able to counter him with ease," the electromaster lamented. "At least it doesn't counter my lightning-gh?!" She blocked another spell, but was pushed sideways this time, and was moved to a side wall. "And I can't get a good angle for a Railgun either! He's moving too fast!" Wardes had not let the brunette's unsteadiness go unnoticed.
"You seem to be a little too turned around, Misaka," he said. "Very well, then perhaps I'll try someone else!" With Misaka moved to the side, a clear path had opened between Wardes and the escape tunnel. Louise and Wales had not returned to extract Kirche, who was only just stirring.
"Kirche!" Misaka realized. She ran over towards the gap, firing another Lightning Spear. Again, it was nimbly dodged, and Wardes released a powerful spell. It took all of Misaka's effort to get in the way of the attack. There was no time to get another attack in without hurting Kirche. She raised Derflinger up at the last second.
"You're trying to stop a gale with a sword?!" Wardes shouted, as the spell collided with the sword. "It's useless!" Yet, instead of blowing away and cutting up Misaka, the wind seemed to be absorbed by Derflinger, who began glowing as bright as the runes on Misaka's hand. "What?!"
"D-Derflinger…?!" Misaka said in surprise.
"I had forgotten!" the sword stated. "My tired body had changed itself! But I remember now!"
"Remember what?" the brunette asked. "What are you talking about?!"
"Since we're in battle, I'll make it short: I can suck in all the magic around me! Nobody can ignore Derflinger, the Left Hand of Gandálf!" Misaka looked at the sword in amazement.
"I knew you were an interesting sword when I saw you, Derf!" she commended. "And now, you can shut down all of Wardes's attacks!" Wardes frowned.
"So you are more than just a talking sword," he said. "I should have known that a weapon of Gandálfr's would be more than meets the eye." He smirked, looking back at the electromaster. "You are full of surprises, Railgun. But can you shoot down what you don't know to be real?"
"I know what reality is in front of me," Misaka said confidently. "One where you're taken down!" She extended a hand and shot a lightning bolt from it.
"Ubiquitous Dell Wind!" Wardes shouted. The lightning bolt struck the Viscount, but instead of striking Wardes, it went through him, and his body disappeared.
"Huh?!" Misaka gasped in surprise. Wardes appeared just a few feet away from where he was. Then another Wardes appeared next to the first, and another next to him, and then a fourth. "Doubles?!"
"It's not only "Double," the first Wardes said.
"It's "Ubiquitous Wind," uneven distribution…" the second stated.
"The wind is unevenly distributed," the third Wardes spoke.
"The places where the wind blows not only has appearance, but also substantial power," finished the fourth Wardes.
"Man, this has suddenly gotten a lot creepier…" Misaka said, as the four Wardes began to surround her. "Derf, can you absorb this magic?"
"Does it look like he's firing it at me?" the sword replied. "I can't do anything about magic used on the self!"
"Figures…then I'll just shock all four at the same time!" she shouted. Her head sparked electricity. Three of the Wardes clones continued walking forward, but one stumbled forward. "There!" She shot a Lightning Spear at Wardes. The spear, however, passed through the Viscount, and his body dissipated. "What?!" Misaka quickly spun around, barely blocking an attack from one Wardes.
"I told you," one of the doubles said, "that the wind has tremendous power."
"Each double has the same power as the original," another spoke.
"And I can exist between each and every one," the third finished. A fourth Wardes reappeared next to him. He chanted a spell, which made his wand glow white. A whirlpool began to form around the wand, with the end forming a tip facing Misaka.
"The cane is surrounded by a magical whirlpool; the sword cannot negate it," he informed. "Air Needle!"
"Ah!" Misaka held up Derflinger in a defensive stance, as a bright light shot forth from Wardes's wand. The majority of the attack clanged against the talking sword, but the attack still hit Misaka's hand, and the force of the impact forced the brunette to drop Derflinger.
"Ow!" it cried, clattering on the floor. "Get a grip, Partner!" Misaka took a knee next to Derflinger, picking it up. She cringed as her injured hand balled into a fist.
"I know, but that one hurt!" she stated. "You have any other tricks up your sleeves?"
"Well, I am shining and sucking in enemies' magic, am I not?" it replied. "I'm just a sword!"
"But aren't you a legendary sword?!" shouted Misaka. "You don't have a special attack or something?"
"What do I look like, the Ensis Exorcizans?!" the sword stated incredulously. Misaka jumped away as another Wardes tried to strike her. She sliced the clone with Derflinger, and another with her Lightning Spear; two more clones replaced them.
"Great," she muttered, backing up against a wall. "At this rate, it'll go on forever in here! Looks like I have no choice but to Railgun them all before he can reform!" She reached for one of the game tokens in her pocket.
"Fire Ball!"
Misaka watched as an explosion engulfed the four Wardeses. She looked back at the hole she had come through. Louise had returned through it, and was standing, wand and arm outstretched, facing the cloud of smoke.
"They…they disappeared?" she muttered. "Because of my magic?"
"L-Louise?" Misaka stated, hurrying over to her. "What are you doing here? Why haven't you run away?" Louise placed her hands on her hips.
"Do you honestly think I could abandon my Familiar, especially when she came when I needed her the most?" the pinkette asked.
"Huh?" the brunette asked. Louise was about to speak, when Misaka noticed something out of the corner of her eye. "Move!" The command came just as a magic spell blasted straight into Louise. Misaka watched in horror as Louise was blown away, violently pushed into a back wall of the church. She struck a support column, and slumped over into the rubble, badly hurt, but still breathing.
"Did I not say you were unnecessary, wench?" the real Wardes growled. "No matter how much ability you have, if you cannot use it, it has no significance." He paused, feeling his hair beginning to stand up. "Hmn?!" At the last moment, he dodged away, as a large blast of electricity struck the spot that he had just been standing on. He turned to look where Misaka had been; the brunette was now within five feet of him, with Derflinger aimed right at him. The Viscount quickly put his wand to block the sword at the last second.
"How dare you lay a hand on my friend!" Misaka roared, jumping back in order to launch a lightning wave.
"Is that why you all came back to die?!" he asked, as one of the other Wardeses took the hit. The duplicate reappeared further away. "To risk your lives for a classmate who chose me over you in a heartbeat, to watch as she is jumped on by her classmates, and who thinks only of herself?!"
"Says the person who wanted Louise for selfish reasons, and then tried to dispose her once you couldn't have her!" Misaka retorted, firing more lightning spears at Wardes. The Viscount dodged them, but not as quickly as he once did.
"So you care for Louise like a Familiar!" he laughed. "A servant's hopeless devotion to her Master! A master that threw you away when she could choose either of us! You fool!"
"I don't care for that servant crap!" the brunette snapped back. "What I do care for is a friend that's in danger. Even if she rejects me at times, she's still giving me a room to come back to, a place to live and eat, and people to rely on. And furthermore, you've said it yourself; she's been picked on, trampled, beaten up verbally by everyone. But unlike you, I won't turn on her! I'll support her through whatever she decides, because that's what a good friend does!" Wardes was confused, a puzzled expression on his face. Misaka smirked. "And with that face, I already know I've won this fight!" she declared. "On my word as the third-ranked Level Five, I will beat you here!" Misaka launched an electrical wave at the Wardeses, while charging at the group. The Wardeses were able to dodge the first attack, but were blindsided when a Lightning Spear whizzed by them. Two of them casted 'Breaking Wind' at Misaka, but the brunette seemed to have an extra spring in her step, as she dodged the two attacks, then struck down one of the Wardeses.
"Wha?!" the Wardeses said, all grimacing in pain. They watched as Misaka turned towards them, with both her runes and her sword glowing brighter than ever before.
"That's it, Partner!" Derflinger cheered. "I remember, now! Gandálfr's source of power is their feelings! Anger! Compassion! Love! Anythting's good, and now you have turned all that into an unshakable resolve, my Gandálfr!" All of Misaka's body crackled with electricity, and she shot a concentrated wave of electricity at one of the Wardeses, engulfing him in the attack. Disappearing, only three Wardeses remained.
"D-Damn you…!" one of them said. "Do not forget, the wind is my element!" All three Wardeses pointed their wands at Misaka.
"Derflinger!" the brunette stated.
"I'm right here!" the sword stated. "Swing me to the rhythm of your heart!" Misaka, a good twenty feet from the Wardeses, swung the sword around, then released it towards the Viscounts. This was followed by a Lightning Spear, which was absorbed by the sword. Two Wardeses were cut down and disappeared, as the sword whizzed through them and became embedded in the wall. The real Wardes barely jumped out of the way, with only a nick on his shoulder.
"T-This burst of energy really beat me…?!" Wardes asked himself, checking his wound.
A metallic flick was heard.
The Viscount looked, and saw Misaka's arm outstretched. A coin of sorts was reaching the apex of its height, and was beginning to tumble back to earth.
Wardes tried to move, but he could not; electricity sparked from his body, and his muscles felt like they were limp. "W-What?! I can't…n-no, no, NOOOOOO!"
The coin landed on the outstretched fist.
By now, the others had recovered from their wounds. When Louise had run off to assist Misaka, Guiche went after her. It took some time, since while he could move now, he was still not in as good condition as the pinkette was. When he finally reached the opening again a bright flash engulfed the opening, brighter than the light of the Sun. Guiche quickly shielded his eyes.
There was a loud blast, followed by a further explosion at the wall of the church. A third explosion was had further away.
When the light subsided, Guiche finally poked his head above the surface.
All he could do was drop his jaw.
The marble floor in front of Misaka was completely scorched from the heat of the 'Railgun.' The attack was so powerful, that it had not only obliterated the back wall of the church, but had also pierced the wall of the castle hundreds of feet beyond. Several dozen soldiers, dazed from the surprise blast, peered through the new openings in awe and shock.
Just shy of the blast area, and to the right wall, was Wardes. The disgraced Viscount had managed to shake off his paralysis to avoid total obliteration, but he had not been able to dodge the attack unscathed. Where his left arm should have connected to his body was now a charred, blackened mass of flesh. His clothing on that side had been melted away, creating an adhesive bandage of sorts around the small stub that remained of the arm. A blank look was on his face, as he lay on the ground, stunned.
At the foot of the blast was Misaka. She remained standing, breathing heavily. Then, she completely collapsed on her knees, and then completely on the ground.
"Misaka!" Guiche yelled, regaining his senses. He ran towards her, kneeling down next to her. "Misaka, what's happened?!"
"This is normal for Gandálfr," Derflinger stated from his spot by the wall. "After going at full strength, she will be unable to move for a time. Gandálfr's supposed to only allow the master to cast their spells, after all."
"But that's leaving her completely defenseless in this case!" the blonde said. He went to try and shake her body awake. "Misak-OW!" He retracted his hand quickly after receiving an electric shock.
"Derf…you're forgetting that I'm not a normal person," the brunette stated, with a smirk. She slowly began to get up. Guiche noticed that every movement of her hand, arm, leg, or other joint was accompanied by a spark of electricity. "As long as I'm conscious, I can force my muscles to move with electricity. Problem is that I become a walking stun gun."
"And you couldn't warn me sooner?" asked Guiche. Derflinger chuckled.
"You are full of surprises, Partner!" the talking sword stated. "By the way, what's a stun gun?"
"H-H-Hehehehe…" Misaka and Guiche turned towards Wardes. The disgraced noble was beginning to float upwards, his right hand holding his wand. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"He's finally lost it, hasn't he?" Guiche surmised.
"Probably," answered Derflinger.
"It seems I cannot win against this Gandálfr in a one-on-one match," Wardes sighed. "And I did not complete any of my goals I came to do, either…ah well, at least I am not alone in my efforts now..." Misaka jerked her head around.
"He's right!" she stated, alarmed. "I'm sensing thousands of people approaching the area at this moment!" Wardes smirked viciously.
"We were already going to win this battle anyway, but your attack has given us a clear path into the castle!" he declared. "Can you hear it? The sounds of horses' hooves and dragons' wings and the roar of Reconquista shall overtake you now!" As he said this, a charge of infantry soldiers could be seen pouring in through the gap in the castle wall. Some of them were making their way towards the church.
"We need to get out of here, now!" Guiche stated.
"Take Louise!" Misaka ordered. "I'll buy some time!" Guiche hurried over to Louise. After checking if she was breathing, he picked her up, and headed for Verdandi's burrow. Meanwhile, Misaka jerkily made her way to Derflinger, retrieving the sword from its resting place. At that moment, the soldiers burst in.
"They are with Prince Wales!" Wardes declared to the soldiers. "Eliminate them!" The soldiers gave a rallying cry, before charging towards the three. Guiche hopped into the hole first, being careful not to hurt the unconscious Louise. Misaka then stepped towards the hole. She turned, took one last, glaring look at Wardes, before throwing a Lightning Spear at the ceiling. It pierced the roof, and caused the church ceiling to begin to cave in. The brunette hopped into the tunnel just before debris covered the entrance. The soldiers stopped their charge, and retreated with Wardes to the outside. They watched as the church roof fell apart, leaving the three remaining walls standing on their own.
While this had been going on, Kirche and Tabitha had been waiting with Prince Wales in the hidden port. Wales had found a small supply of high-grade healing potions, and was administering them to the two girls.
"Really, are you sure this is alright?" Kirche asked, as Wales used the last of a potion on her. "These quality potions would fetch a fortune on the market..."
"They would only be going to aid Reconquista if we left them here," Wales said. "Besides, you are a friend of the Albion that I know well and fight strongly for. That in itself is greater to me than all the riches of the world." He took several more out of the crate, and gave them to the two girls. "Take these back with you to Tristain. They will surely be handy should Reconquista try and come for the continent."
"…What about you…?" Tabitha asked quietly.
"Once Guiche returns with the two girls, I will provide cover to you all to escape," he explained. "I can hold them here if they come through the hole that his Familiar has dug."
"You can certainly do that on board Sylphid," Kirche pointed out. The prince shook his head.
"My fate is not to go with you to safety," he said solemnly. "My destiny is to die on my home soil, defending the last of the Albion Royalty vestige to the end." Kirche was surprised.
"Y-You intend to martyr yourself in order to save an honor that Reconquista has destroyed?" she said. "What purpose is that?! Come with us! You can be safe in Tristain! I don't admittedly know much about the conflict, but my father has told me that Germania hates Reconquista just as much as you do! Surely the new alliance will grant asylum to you!"
"No," Wales stated, dismissing the notion with his hand. "My presence in Tristain will only complicate matters. Besides, it would give them an excuse to attack, and your country is not in a good position to defend yourselves. If they attack now, Germania will not be able to bring in defenses in time. That was the point in the letter that Lady Henrietta entrusted Louise to. She asked me to defend Albion to my last breath, and uphold the honor that is instilled in a royal noble."
"I know for a fact that Henrietta is not someone who would say that." At that moment, Misaka and Guiche, along with the still unconscious Louise, walked out of the tunnel. Misaka was still forcing her muscles to move to walk, but once she stopped, she leaned onto Derflinger, and leaned heavily on the sword, using the moment to relax her powers.
"Misaka!" Kirche exclaimed, as she and Tabitha went over to her.
"I'm…I'm fine…" the brunette stated, gasping heavily. "Wow…using the powers of Gandálfr really..tax the body…"
"You," Wales said, addressing Misaka. "You are the Familiar of Louise that appeared and fought Wardes, Mikotomisaka, was it? You've done better than I thought you would."
"And you are one who thinks that throwing away their own life for a perceived gain is better than being alive for those who care for you," the brunette said bluntly.
"M-Misaka?!" Guiche stammered. "At least show some respect to Prince Wales!"
"I can show respect to someone if they're still here, and not dead," she said bluntly. "I don't want him to make the same mistake that I nearly made."
"Huh?" Guiche said, confused. The others were confused as well.
"I don't really want to get into the details now," Misaka said. "All that's important is a year ago, long before I arrived in Tristain, I had a conflict not unlike now; an unstoppable force destroying what I care about, and no way to stop it. I thought that if I died, it would set out a reaction that would stop the movement. I almost did, too, before I was stopped and brought to my senses. Sometimes you need a person that can tell you to think about your actions, and I'm going to be that person now." She walked towards Prince Wales.
"You are rather young to have been put into such a serious situation," the prince noted with skepticism.
"And you aren't?" Misaka asked. "And what about the rest of us here?"
"Fair play," he admitted.
"Anyway, that's not the point I was trying to make," the brunette stated. "Wales, your army is defeated. Reconquista is coming here. For now, nothing is left for you here."
"I have my dignity as a member of the Royal Family," he countered. "Besides, Princess Henrietta has encouraged me with her letter. She wrote to me that I must stay strong in the face of death." Wales placed on a sad smile. Louise was the only one who knew the contents of the letter; with her out cold, nobody could argue that it was otherwise.
"I don't need to know what was inside the letter to know that's a blatant lie," the brunette declared. Wales frowned. "The way she spoke about you when Louise and I were with her is enough for me to tell that it was a love letter, one that is urging you to come to Tristain." Wales faltered, averting his eyes. "It is, isn't it?"
"…" Wales did not speak for some time. "…Yes, it is true." The Tristain nobles were held speechless. "But we are nobles, of royal heritage. Both Princess Henrietta and I know that our love would only bring ruin to both of us. Tristain's alliance will fall if word spreads that I have a relationship with a person engaged to the Germanian king. Reconquista's conquered Albion; a Tristain alone will fall next." Misaka kept her eyes on him.
"You act as if the future is decided," she said, continuing her interrogation. "Well, let me shatter that reality around you: those that are alive are able to write the future. Yes, you dying can spark a movement, light a fire in other's minds. But is that any better than falling back, regrouping, and retaking your country back when the time is right? You said I'm too young to have to constitute a life-and-death choice; well, you aren't that much older, and I daresay you're about the age of the one that helped change my mind on my circumstances. Life is much better when you can decide for yourself what goes on for what you believe in." The electromaster sparked a little, using her powers to make herself more mobile. "Besides, I'm only giving you a choice here: either you leave here under your own power, or I zap you and drag you by the collar of your shirt. I'm not a noble or a royalty, so I don't really care for the dignity of dying for your country thing; if there's another option to be had that involves everyone being alive, I'll take it." Wales looked between the various students: from Tabitha to Guiche and to Kirche, all of them shared the same gaze that Misaka had.
"So you all have the same determination as this Familiar," the prince surmised.
"It's our fault that we were duped by the former Viscount," Kirche stated. "We don't want to have the blood of royalty on our conscious as well."
"Besides, Her Highness would be most saddened of the passing of someone she loves, even more so than if it was one of her subjects," Guiche added. "If you are going to say that it is best to be apart, at least be the one to do it in person." Tabitha said nothing, but nodded in agreement.
"Dear me, it seems the tables have turned on me," Wales noted, smiling. The four were confused. "Near the end, we resorted to pirating ships going between Albion and the world, pillaging their cargo and kidnapping their crew for ransom. Now, in turn, it seems that I have been captured and brought somewhere."
"You can call it that," Misaka said, "but I would like to see it as giving you a chance to defeat your enemy, and allowing you to do it with the one you love." Hearing that, Wales could not help but smile even more broadly, and struck a handshake with the brunette. Misaka made sure to stop boosting herself so that Wales would not shock himself. As soon as they shook, they heard a commotion coming from the hole Verdandi had dug. "We're out of time! We have to go!" The five sprang into action, heading towards the wind dragon Sylphid.
"I'm sorry, my cute Verdandi!" apologized Guiche to his familiar. "Please bear with it a little longer, until we return to familiar soil." The mole protested once more as he was caught in the jaws of the wind dragon.
"Hurry up, Guiche!" Kirche called down. "You're the last one that needs to get on!"
"Eh?!" the blonde gasped. "How fast can you guys go? Don't leave me back here!" He scrambled onto the wind dragon. Tabitha was in front, followed by an unconscious Louise, Kirche, Wales, Misaka, and Guiche. Louise was seated upright, pushed against Tabitha's back, and held up by Kirche, who had one hand on the dragon, and another on her classmate.
"…Home…" Tabitha whispered into the ear of Sylphid. The dragon nodded, and with the beat of the dragon's massive wings, the group was off, just as the first soldiers poured into the secret dock. The rebels could only shake their fists as the rescue party disappeared behind a cave wall.
"We're clear!" cheered Kirche. They rounded a bend, and burst into the sunlight, entering the open skies below Albion.
Greeting them was the massive warship that the four had seen as they were coming into Newcastle.
"The Lexington?!" Wales exclaimed in horror.
"Someone onboard must have seen us go in!" Misaka realized. The giant warship began to fire on the group. Cannonballs whizzed by their heads, sometimes by mere feet.
"We've got to get out of here!" Kirche shouted. Tabitha was doing her best to direct Sylphid out of range, but with cannonballs being fired below, above, and at them, the Wind Dragon had few opportunities to plot an escape course.
"I'll distract them!" Misaka said. Before anyone could argue, she shifted her weight, and threw herself off the side of the wind dragon. Guiche nearly joined her, but quickly flopped onto the back of the dragon, managing to grab the waist of the Crown Prince. Wales looked down in horror as Misaka plummeted down to earth.
"Don't worry about her," Guiche stated, as he quickly pulled forward. "We were like that when she did the same thing earlier." The prince simply stared down at the clouds, wondering why the others were so calm.
Meanwhile, free-falling through the mist, Misaka closed her eyes. Not just because of the wind that was stinging her eyes, but to concentrate on the formula for her flight ability. It could only take place where there was a large amount of water vapor. The first time she improvised the formula, it took about 10 kilometers of water vapor; here, with the clouds formed by the many waterfalls that cascade off of Albion, it wouldn't take nearly as much. Static electricity controlled the water molecules in the air, and brought it all towards herself.
Alone, however, that was only a catalyst.
The real fuel was the seawater, several thousand feet below her. The saltwater stretched out for thousands of miles, allowing her a virtually unlimited supply of fuel that could sustain her flight. With a loud roar, this fuel ignited into two bluish blades of water that gave her lift. The static electricity that she emitted was concentrated into an area of her back, creating a burner that sustained the fuel, but also heated the wings. It would normally evaporate the wings entirely, but with plenty of seawater below, this was not a concern. Misaka's downward trajectory was stopped, and she began to float in the air, leaning slightly towards her right. With the primary equation finished, the Railgun worked on the second equation: four stabilizer wings that would regulate her stability in the air. These wings were smaller than the two main wings, but with them created, she would be able to stay completely still in the air.
"There," Misaka stated, as she finished the stabilizer wings. She turned up, seeing the Lexington above her. "One Railgun should be able to get them off of us." Misaka took off straight up, shooting through the clouds. She sped past the others, smiling as she saw Prince Wales' face of surprise. Breaking through the top of the clouds, she was level with the floating island of Albion – and far above the Lexington, which was continuing to fire onto the escape party.
Misaka reached into her pocket for one of her game tokens. She took out the first token she grabbed – and it slipped from her grasp, falling down into the sea below. Cursing her luck, the brunette reached back in to get a second token. This one remained in her hand. She stabilized herself, and took aim at the massive warship.
The coin flicked from her hand into the air.
Misaka readjusted for the wind speed in the air, and outstretched her fist towards the flying boat.
The token landed on her thumb, and the runes on her hand glowed brightly.
With a deafening roar, the massive electric blast rocketed from her arm, and rapidly travelled to the Lexington. The attack took ahold of two of the ship's front masts, completely incinerating them. The bases of the masts smoldered, with a fire breaking out on the third mast that had just missed being obliterated. Without the two masts, the Lexington began to slow down, and with the danger of the fires, the crew onboard began to scramble to address the damage, and who had done this. Misaka ducked underneath the clouds as cannonballs were fired in her direction, a sign that the ship had caught the bait. She headed back down towards the others.
Suddenly, the third mast collapsed towards the side of the ship towards the group. It broke over the side, with a few cannonballs striking the mast as they were fired. One of the cannonballs changed trajectory because of this interaction, and was knocked downward, towards Sylphid. There was hardly any time for the others to dodge out of the way. The wind dragon quickly ducked underneath the attack, and everyone went unscathed. The sudden movement, however, made Kirche lose her grip onto the dragon. She compensated by putting a two-hand grip onto the dragon's back – and accidentally released her hold on Louise's limp body, which was flung off of Sylphid.
"L-LOUISE!" Kirche screamed. The others said things in similar states of shock and horror, as the pinkette's unconscious body free-falled towards the sea. Before anyone else could take action, a loud boom came from above. Misaka rocketed down past the group, shooting through the clouds in a mad chase for Louise. She busted through the low-level clouds, desperately putting as much speed behind her as possible. She was reaching a speed that made it hard to breathe due to the wind pressure.
'Come on…come on…!' Misaka willed, closing the distance between the two. The ocean grew nearer and nearer. The closer proximity to the wing's fuel source allowed the electromaster one final burst of speed.
With about a hundred feet to go before hitting the water, Misaka grabbed Louise around the waist.
She immediately flapped her wings in order to brake, and the brunette stopped a few feet above the water. As she did, she scooped up Louise by the waist and the legs, so that she would be more securely held. Misaka took a few seconds to catch her breath, before heading back up towards the others. She did not have to go far, though; Sylphid appeared from the clouds at a fast rate of speed, only slowing down once the group saw that Louise was fine.
"We're all okay!" Misaka shouted, while grinning and giving a thumbs-up. Kirche gave a huge sigh of relief. Prince Wales looked like he was ready to pass out from shock, but still managed to smile. Tabitha was her usual stoic self.
And Guiche was complaining about the treatment of his familiar, though he did give a thumbs-up back to Misaka.
Misaka could not help but smile. Somehow, they had gotten through to Albion with a traitor, rescued Prince Wales, and escaped with everyone still alive.
Now, it was time to head home.
It was a dream that Louise had many times.
It was set in the Vallière's mansion, her home.
The pinkette was wandering absent-mindedly throughout a hedge maze. She followed a specific route through the maze, one she knew very well.
Exiting the maze, she came to a large pond, which had a small island in the middle of it. A wooden boat was set on the shore. Without thinking, Louise stepped in the boat, and pushed off into the water.
When she was young, and she wanted to get away from the problems she was facing, Louise would lie down in this boat and sleep, or cry, or simply stare off into space. This was the place where she would go to get away from the world, where nobody else would intrude on her. It was her secret place, where nobody would find her…
Except Wardes…
But Wardes would not be coming here anymore. The gentle Viscount Wardes, her childhood noble crush, her fiancé arranged by her family, had turned into a monster. He was a dirty betrayer, who nearly killed herself and her friends, who wanted to sabotage the entire mission to Albion from the start…
With her heart in pain, Louise cried alone in the shallop…
"…Louise? Louise…?"
A voice was heard across the pond.
"Is that you, Viscount?" Louise instinctively called. She shook her head as soon as she had said this. He did not come here anymore.
So who was it that was wading out in the pond?
"There you are, Louise!" said Misaka, reaching the boat. "What are you doing out here?" Louise looked blankly at her Familiar, in a stunned silence. "Were you crying?" Louise nodded in a childish manner. "Stop crying, Louise. You aren't alone to face your problems. We're here for you."
Louise looked out across the pond. Back on the shore, other people appeared. First Princess Henrietta, then Kirche, followed by Guiche, and then Tabitha. Even her sister Cattleya, who always so kindly cared for her, appeared. They all seemed to be extending a hand towards her, as if calling her over. Louise, too, wanted to join them.
As if responding to her will, Misaka picked her out of the little shallot, bridal style, and carried her over towards the group. No…she appeared to be walking…in the air…
Louise lost the will to be awake, and fell asleep…
In reality, Louise was waking up, regaining consciousness after being knocked out by Wardes' spell. Her vision returned to her, and the first thing she saw was Misaka. It seemed like there was a halo around her head, and there appeared to be wings out of her back.
It was as if Misaka was an angel, sent from the founder Brimir to ensure Louise's well-being.
"Mi…kasa…" Louise whispered weakly. With the short distance between them, the brunette was able to hear her, despite the loud noise coming from her wings.
"I'm glad you're alright," she said calmly, a smile gracing the brunette's face.
With a feeling of relief not felt by her in a long time, Louise silently fell back to sleep, with the knowledge that her guardian angel was protecting her from harm.
To Be Continued…