XII. Complex Plans
"Ah, Miss Valliere. Thank you so much for coming," the Headmaster greeted as Louise and Rip entered his office.
The room was, at the moment, very crowded. There were numerous mages gathered inside, all of whom wore the blue and purple cloaks that denoted their status as members of the teaching staff. Louise noticed a few of her instructors present, as well as some who taught the more advanced courses provided by the Academy. Professor Colbert, along with the Headmaster's secretary, stood with Osmond at the front of his desk.
Louise couldn't be sure, but she thought that she saw the green haired woman's face pale for a moment when she and her familiar came in. She was puzzled by the strange reaction but quickly forgot about it when she noticed that there were two other students in the office as well: Tabitha, the blue haired dragon rider who aided them in the battle against Foquet yesterday, and Kirche von Zerbst, her hated rival.
Louise stiffly marched up to stand with the two students. She gave Tabitha a nod in greeting, then turned an irritated glare towards Kirche. "Okay, I understand why Tabitha's here since she helped us out yesterday. But why are you here?"
The buxom redhead merely shrugged, giving her shorter classmate a devious grin. "I was bored."
"You Germanian har-"
"Ahem," interrupted Professor Colbert.
Louise gasped, suddenly remembering where she was. She quickly turned her attention back to the teachers, who were all watching her with looks of disapproval.
"Well, let's get this started shall we?" Osmond spoke up, hoping to break the obvious tension between the two female students. "Now then, Miss Valliere. If you could please relate to us just what had occurred during the strange events of yesterday. Miss Tabitha has already given us an account from her perspective, but according to her you and your familiar," he nodded towards the dark haired woman, who had taken to standing behind Louise to silently watch proceedings, "were already at the scene and engaging the thief, Foquet, in combat. Is this true?"
"Yes, sir," Louise answered with a nod. "Rip and I were just leaving the Evaluation Fair when we stumbled upon Foquet and his golem. He tried to kill us, but thankfully my familiar was able to distract him."
"Indeed," The old man rubbed at his beard. "It was quite brave of you both to take on such a powerful foe. Foquet is by no means an ordinary thief. After all, he was able to break the wards protecting the tower vault so easily! Not even a team of Square-level mages could have shattered the barriers around the vault in so quick a time."
Louise's cheeks quickly flushed red, remembering that it had actually been her spell which had accidentally broken the wards. "Ah ha ha, yes..." she muttered lamely.
Rip also realized this, but kept her mouth shut. She remembered the effect her master's badly directed attack had had upon the tower's wall. She also remembered what the thief had muttered to himself, asking if this was the "power of the Void." Interesting.
"And then, I assume that was the point Ms. Tabitha came in on her familiar?" Professor Colbert asked.
"More or less," Louise said. "Rip had attacked the golem with her musket, but it didn't do any good."
"Well, that's not a surprise," spoke up a smug looking professor from the teaching staff. "No matter how flashy her marksmanship may look, a commoner's simple weapon is no match for any mage."
There were murmurs of agreement, and Louise stifled the urge to speak up and defend her familiar. Rip tried her best! She wanted to yell. She almost died trying to stop that thief! Where were all you idiots, you so-called powerful nobles during all this? Hiding under a table? Waiting for the guards to take care of the trouble? But the pink-haired girl held her tongue, as these were teachers and talking back to them, no matter how badly she wanted to, would only get her in trouble. So she settled on fuming silently.
Rip, on the other hand, did not bother hiding her ire. How dare these fools insult my jezail? She thought. She quickly gave the man who spoke her coldest sneer, and the noble attempted to ignore it with much difficulty. The vampire wanted nothing more than to bite that smug, superior look off of his face, but doing so would have been quite unwise. So she merely stood still, silently glaring at the teacher, imagining him hanging by his entrails from a tall tree branch while ravens pecked at his eyes.
"As Ms. Tabitha related to us, you were the one who actually managed to destroyed Foquet's golem," Osmond continued, staring straight at Louise and watching her carefully. "Is that true, Ms. Valliere?"
"I... um..." Louise nervously looked away from the old man's hard gaze. "Yes, it is."
"What?" Kirche almost shouted out, her eyes widening as she stared at the short pink haired girl next to her. "Nonsense! Everyone knows Louise the Zero can't cast any spells! She's a magical half-wit."
"Shut up, Zerbst!" Louise turned to the redhead and began screaming in her face. "I did cast a spell, and I DID destroy that stupid golem! If you don't believe me, then believe your friend!" She pointed her thumb back at Tabitha, who continued to remain silent and seemingly uninterested in their shouting match. "She was there, she saw me do it, and you weren't, so shut the hell up!"
Kirche gaped at the shorter girl's outburst, somewhat surprised at the vehement defense of her own abilities. She had never heard Lousie speak with such confidence when it came to her own magical aptitude. The girl almost sounded... proud of herself. Of course, the pinkette often spoke highly of her family, her nation, even her noble status, but Kirche had never heard her show pride in herself. It was quite interesting to see and hear.
The redhead gave Louise a pleased smirk before bending down and pinching the shorter girl on the cheek. "Oh my, Tabitha, it looks like our dear little Louise is growing up!"
"Don't touch me, you harridan!" The pink haired girl sputtered as she slapped the taller student's offending hand away.
"Ahem," Osmond interrupted, hoping to get the situation back on the topic of Foquet.
Unfortunately for him, Colbert derailed it further. "I was meaning to ask, Ms. Valliere. What type of spell did you use to destroy Foquet's golem? It sounded mighty loud, and had to be extremely powerful."
"Oh, um, well," Louise scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "I spoke out the incantation to the Fireball spell, but when I cast it... well, everything just..." She sighed, her face turning red as she finished her sentence in a low whisper. "... exploded."
Kirche broke out into loud peals of laughter after that, to which Louise responded with more screams and loud insults.
"Oh my, that is quite strange," Colbert said, mostly to himself, as he patted his chin in thought.
"As to the Foquet situation," the Headmaster interrupted quite loudly, which caused the two bickering students, as well as the muttering Colbert, to stop and pay attention. "As to Foquet, although the Palace has officially taken over the investigation of this theft, I feel that it is still our duty as nobles to catch the thief ourselves and retrieve the item he has stolen from us. Foquet has made a mockery of this institution, and it is up to us to make things right.
"Now then, Ms. Valliere, Ms. Tabitha. Can you describe Foquet to us?"
Louise opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it when she realized her mind was a total blank. Her eyes squinted slightly as she attempted to recall any details about the mage she had fought, but no matter how hard she tried she could not remember anything about him. "I... I..."
"Can't remember," Tabitha stated, looking somewhat confused herself.
"What?" Colbert asked the two of them. "What about his face? Hair color? Height? Build?" The two students shook their heads. "Not even gender?" The two frowned, but was forced to shake their heads. "How odd. What about you, Miss van Winkle? Did you get a good look at this thief?"
Rip frowned, looking positively disgusted. "Ja, I did. Only I can't recall even ze smallest of details about him. It's quite annoying."
"Hmm," Professor Colbert cast a speculative glance at the Headmaster. "Could Foquet have casted a charm spell to make them forget?"
"Perhaps, or maybe he had an enchantment that would prevent his identity from being discerned." Osmond shrugged. "My, my. This thief has thought of everything."
"Not quite." For the first time since the meeting began, the green haired secretary spoke up. "Earlier this morning, I sent messengers out to all the villages and settlements close to the Academy in order to see if anyone saw Foquet fleeing in their direction. Thankfully, one of my inquiries was answered. Some men in the hamlet of Lorraine to the southeast reported seeing a mysterious cloaked figure entering an abandoned cottage in the woods near the village. They also said that the figure appeared to be injured and carrying a large, ornate box that matched the description of the case which housed the Staff of Destruction."
"Truly? Why this is excellent news!" Colbert stated with a smile. Finally, a break!
"Indeed. Well done, Ms. Longueville," Osborn praised his secretary, his wrinkled face shining with pride. "You truly are a very remarkable and capable secretary. Your work shall not go unrewarded."
"Thank you, Lord Osmond," the woman bowed in thanks.
"Wait," Louise cut in, looking somewhat confused. "Staff of Destruction? Is that what the thief stole from the vaults?"
Old Osmond nodded. "Yes, it was."
"Staff of Destruction, eh? That sounds mighty ominous," Kirche remarked.
"That is because the Staff very well is ominous, Miss von Zerbst." Osmond stroked his beard as he spoke. "The Staff of Destruction is a powerful magical artifact whose origins have baffled scholars for many years. Though its history is a mystery, its destructive power is not in question. I personally saw it in action, many years ago. It completely destroyed an alpha male fire dragon with just one blast."
Kirche flinched, shocked that any focus that could be so powerful actually existed. She had done much research on fire dragons, as she had hoped to summon one for the Springtime Summoning Ritual. Fire dragons were extremely powerful beasts, and alpha males even more so. Even Square class mages had difficulty taking one down, and none that she had ever heard of claimed to do so with just one spell.
"B-but with an artifact that powerful, there's no telling what a villain like Foquet would do!" Louise said, aghast that such a dangerous item could have been stored in her school of all places.
"Indeed," Old Osmond agreed. "Now you see just how much danger we are all in. If Foquet manages to figure out how to use the Staff, which I would assume he hasn't yet since he is still in the area, then there is no telling what sort of mischief he would cause. The thief has already shown that he is fully capable of causing massive amounts of destruction, and that he has no qualms whatsoever with killing to get what he wants." The old man's voice had gotten colder as he spoke, his temper flaring at the thought of such a potent relic in the hands of so dubious an individual. "No, no. We can not let that foul thief get away. Now that we know where he is, we must apprehend Foquet ourselves and return the item he stole. Not only for the name and reputation of the Tristain Academy of Magic, but for the kingdom and perhaps all of Brimiric civilization as well!"
There were many nods of agreement from the teachers, along with a few shouts of hearty encouragement.
"Excellent, glad you all agree!" Osmond smiled. "Now then, who among you will undertake such a dangerous yet honorable task?"
Upon hearing his question, all cheer left the assembled adults and they looked swiftly away..
"Say, Professor Chevreuse," spoke up a reed-thin teacher with a small, bushy mustache. "Weren't you the one who was on duty the day of Foquet's attack?"
"Well, yes," answered the rotund middle aged woman. "But I was only on schedule! There was no need to be on duty since classes were canceled due to the fair! I was at the evaluation, as were you, Professor Gideau!"
"Be that as it may," continued the thin man, "Since you were technically on duty, then it is still your responsibility."
"Now see here!"
"Enough!" The Headmaster shouted. He glared at both the bickering teachers, his ancient eyes flashing in barely contained fury and disgust. "Is this how we nobles act during times of crisis?" He then turned to the rest of the assembled teaching staff, who looked away from him lest they meet his steely gaze. "Is there truly none among you assembled nobles who are brave enough to willingly answer this call?" Osmond shook his head, annoyed that his chosen staff of so-called powerful mages refused to put themselves on the line when it really mattered. Oh sure, they were all proud and boasted of their nobility, and were of course very eager to taste all the benefits that came with their stations. But when the responsibilities inherent with their status came to call upon them, they all but hid under their beds in fright. How utterly shameful. He himself would love to go, but if word ever got out to the court that had left his post to pursue the thief after they had given him strict instructions to leave the investigations to them, then his enemies would most definitely use it as an excuse to have him removed as head of the Academy. He so hated politics.
Suddenly, much to his surprise, a wand was raised. Only the wand didn't belong to one of the assembled body of learned professors, but from one of the young students in front of him.
"M-Miss Valliere?" Colbert gasped in surprise.
"I, Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere, swear upon my wand as well as my honor as a noble, that I shall capture the thief Foquet and return the Staff of Destruction safely to the school."
While all the teachers gaped with shock at her proclamation, Rip merely smiled. She knew that her little master would have volunteered to go after the thief no matter what. She was such a brave little child, and now that she knew that she was actually capable of defending herself, that bravery was only strengthened. This also gave Rip the opportunity for a rematch with that arschloch Foquet, or as she liked to call him, lunch.
"We... we can't!" spoke up Professor Chevreuse. "She's only a student! You can't allow her to go on such a dangerous-"
"Oh, so you are volunteering then?" Osmond asked.
The middle aged woman paled, slowly shaking her head no. "I... uh, am afraid that I am not in the best of health. Therefore it would not-"
"Then it is decided then. Ms. Valliere will go." Osmond, though reluctant to send one of his young students on such a dangerous mission, couldn't help but feel proud of her. Although the adults had disappointed him, it seemed like the younger generation of the nobility still had what it took to keep calling themselves such.
"Well, Louise. Looks like you continue to surprise all of us today," Kirche said. She then raised her own wand up, causing more gasps of surprise from the teachers. "Oh hell, I'll go, too!"
"What?" The pink haired girl turned to her rival, absolutely livid that the taller girl would steal her thunder. "Why?"
The redhead chuckled. "Isn't it obvious? I want to make sure you don't accidentally blow up any villages while you fight Foquet. Did you forget the mess you made outside?"
Louise sputtered in righteous indignation at such a claim. She was about to make a retort when the teachers gasped again. She turned her attention away from Kirche and saw that the quiet blue haired girl standing beside her had raised her staff. The gnarled shepherd's crook waved in the air as she volunteered herself.
"You too, Tabitha?" Kirche asked.
The short girl nodded. "Worried about you." Her pale blue eyes met Louise's own. "Both of you."
Kirche gushed about how adorable her friend was, all the while Louise stared at her in confusion. Tabitha was worried about her, too? Why?
"Well, now, this is quite a surprise!" Osmond stated. "But it is a pleasant one. Regardless of your youth and overall inexperience, I am quite confident that you three will succeed in this endeavor! After all..." The old man turned to Kirche, his eyes admiring her curvacious form for a moment before continuing, "Miss von Zerbst is from a powerful Germanian military family. Their line has produced many great mages. And I hear from her instructors that her fire magic is quite formidable."
The redhead straightened her posture and pushed her chest out proudly. Osmond almost fainted when he saw all the bouncing such an action had produced. "Err... also!" He swiftly shifted his attention to the blue haired girl, who was much less buxom and thus less dangerous to look at. "Miss Tabitha here is quite advanced in her studies. And despite her young age, she holds the prestigious title of Chevalier."
The two other students gasped in surprise.
"What? Really, Tabitha?" Kirche asked. "How come you never told me you were a knight?"
The quiet girl shrugged.
"And of course, there is Miss Valliere," Osmond continued. Louise smiled happily and stood straighter, with her hands confidently upon her hips. "Err..." Her face fell slightly as the old man struggled to come up with a compliment.
"Miss Valliere comes from a long line of great mages!" Osmons stated. He began to sweat as he saw the pink haired girl's wide, hopeful eyes directed straight at him, all but pleading for him to say something nice. Dammit! What could he say? He couldn't very well tell her that he suspected her of being a legendary Void mage! So what... "Err... also, with her defeat of Foquet's golem, she has proven herself to be a very capable mage whose power is only sure to grow in the future!" There. Good save, Osmond!
Louise beamed. A compliment! From a respected authority figure! I will not cry... I will not cry...
"Oh, and also," Osmond continued as his attention fell on the tall dark haired woman standing behind Louise. "Miss Valliere's familiar has shown remarkable abilities as a freeshot. Her marksmanship is superb, and she has even defeated General de Gramont's son in a duel!"
"Oh!" Colbert gasped. "That's right! She's the legendary Ganda-" Osmond almost panicked, but thankfully the Professor managed to stop his mouth in time. "Err, uh, sorry. Ha ha, I was thinking of something else."
Rip frowned. The man had obviously been about to say something. Something which was important judging by the look that the old Headmaster had given him. Didn't Foquet call her something that began with a "G" as well? Gandelfine or something?
"Yes, anyway," Osmond continued, hoping to get things moving before anyone questioned Colbert's almost slip up. "I am sure you three will uphold the good name of the Tristain Academy of Magic and succeed in this mission! I have the utmost faith in all of you, and know that you will perform to the utmost as beholding your station."
Ms. Longueville then stepped up. "I shall go as well," she said. "I can escort you four to the village and provide whatever support I can."
Osmond clasped his hands together and gawked at his secretary. "Oh, Ms. Longueville!" He said, tears slowly flowing from his eyes. "You truly are an amazing woman! To put your very life in danger, all to uphold the honor of the school! Oh, if only more nobles were like you!" The old man, so overcome with emotion, moved forward and wrapped his arms around his surprised secretary.
Longueville's eyes widened in what most though was surprise. Truthfully though, the old man was hugging her very tightly, which didn't do her injured ribs any favors. She bit her tongue hard so as not to scream in agony, and everyone watching them thought that the tears dripping out of her eyes were from emotion and not anguish.
It was touching to watch at first, but the hug definitely lasted much too long to be appropriate.
0
"How the hell is that thing still alive?!" Matilda all but shouted as she entered her room. She angrily tossed the ledger she was carrying at the wall, uncaring when it broke apart, scattering various bits of paper all over the floor. She was furious, not to mention a little bit scared, after seeing that the Valliere girl's monstrous familiar was still alive. She had almost fainted in shock when the dark haired creature first stepped inside Osmond's office, its behavior so casual that it was shocking. What was worse was the fact that despite all the injuries she had caused it, the monster looked to be in perfect health.
What type of creature was she dealing with? The thief bit her lip, searching her mind for any clue. Although she was by no means an expert, her knowledge of magical creatures was still quite vast. Unfortunately, she just didn't have enough information about the monster to even hazard a guess as to its true nature.
She sat down on her bed and tried to organize her thoughts. "Okay, I don't know very much about Valliere's familiar. So let's start with what I do know."
It was obviously a fast healer. Nothing could suffer the injuries she had inflicted without having a very strong capacity for magical healing. It also looked remarkably human, except when it had attacked her atop the golem; during those few quick seconds, its eyes had glowed and its teeth became devilishly sharp. This meant it had the ability to shape shift; but the question was whether this skill was a limited one or could it completely change its body? The creature also had the frightening ability to shield itself from magic detection spells. It was obvious to anyone with a brain that this "Rip Van Winkle" was a magical creature since there was no way its skills with a musket was mundane, Gandalfr runes or not. Yet despite casting Detect Magic upon it, the only trace of magic Matilda was able to sense was from the familiar runes on its left hand. It just made no sense!
"Great," muttered the thief angrily. "So I have a shape-shifting immortal monster with the ability to shield itself from scrying spells. And a magic musket. Fantastic."
And now she had to take it and its Void mage master out to the middle of nowhere, along with two of the Academy's most gifted students, all so that she could lay a trap for them in order to discover the secret of the Staff of Destruction's activation. How the hell was she going to pull this one off?
Her biggest handicap, aside from being seriously injured, was that her enchanted cloak had been destroyed during the previous day's battle. Whatever type of spell that Louise girl had cast not only managed to demolish her giant golem, but it also completely negated every piece of magical enchantment that her cloak contained. Twelve thousand New Gold's worth of the best identity protection wards and anti-scrying charms just suddenly vaporized in the blink of an eye, turning the thief's expensive, custom made enchanted cloak into nothing more than overpriced rain gear.
"Damn it!" She cried out in frustration. Matilda plopped down onto the bed, which was a mistake since her left side suddenly exploded into agony. The thief cringed and rolled onto her right to alleviate the pressure on her injured ribcage. She closed her eyes, taking steady breaths to calm herself, while her arms wrapped around her trembling body.
Matilda was incredibly tempted to write off this entire fiasco of a heist as a loss. Her current plan was needlessly complicated, and as any good thief knows, needlessly complicated plans usually failed. She reasoned that she could always start again somewhere else, perhaps southern Gallia or even Romalia. She could hit some of the more affluent estates and cathedrals, and steal all their valuables right out from under them. It would be child's play for her, she'd done it countless times before, after all. It would take a while, but she could eventually rebuild her squandered funds. She may even find a buyer for the Staff in a few months after things settled down, though she likely wouldn't get a very good price for it.
No, she hissed. No no NO.
She absolutely refused to start up again. Matilda was tired, oh so very tired, of playing Foquet. She was exhausted from all the running, all the plotting and planning, all the lost nights of sleep and looking behind her back for fear of being followed. She wanted to stop being scared that at any moment the authorities would catch up to her. She didn't want any more nightmares about some angry noble she had stolen from finding her and gaining their revenge. She just wanted to regain her title and live a normal life. She hated all the lying, she hated all the stealing, she hated it when she had to kill just to cover her tracks. She just wanted it all to stop. And she wanted it to stop before her identity was revealed. What would Tiffania say if she knew what her dear "Big Sis" did for a living? What would the kids the half-elf took care of say when they learned that the kind "Ms. Matty," the one who always came by every few months to give them presents, was the infamous thief Foquet?
"I will stop all this," she told herself. "Once I learn how to use the Staff. It's almost done. I'm so close! I can't stop now. I... I can't."
The exhausted thief sat up on the bed, taking a few minutes to compose herself. She took a long, deep breath, this one to steady her nerves, then stood up. It was time for her to lie again, to put on another mask. That was probably what she missed the most, though, about her life before Foquet.
She missed being herself. She missed being Matilda.
0
Rip Van Winkle tried to get comfortable on the wagon's bench seat, but it was very difficult. Although the seats were cushioned with plush velvet pads, the vehicle's lack of shock absorbers caused every pebble, rock, and dip in the road to send jarring jolts up her spine. The smell of the horse drawing the wagon didn't help either, especially with her sensitive vampire nose. Oh, how she missed 20th Century Earth comforts; it was hard to believe that when she was a child such a primitive form of transportation like this wagon was normal.
Speaking of children, the three seated in the back of the wagon with her were beginning to grate on her nerves a bit, and all for different reasons. Louise and Kirche, for one thing, were loud. They had started bickering almost as soon as the wagon began moving, the pink haired girl the noisier of the two, though the redhead's own mocking tone wasn't that quiet either. It had been cute and funny to listen to at first, but after an hour the entire routine just became irritating. Tabitha, on the other hand, was a different kind of obnoxious. Although she never said a single word, her eyes were constantly staring at her, never once moving away, not even for a moment. Rip tried to ignore the short girl's accusing glare, but it was no use. She could almost feel the gaze burning her like the sunlight.
And speaking of which, the sun was shining brightly overhead in the cloudless blue sky. Being a vampire, this, of course, was a problem. Although she was powerful enough for the warm rays not to be fatal when they struck her pale skin, the sun was still mildly painful. It burned, like a rash, one that sent tingly pinpricks up and down her epidermis, its intensity getting stronger the longer she stayed out within its bright blaze. Sadly, the umbrella that Rip had "borrowed" from that nice first year student had been mangled during the golem fight. This meant she had no shade for the duration of the three hour ride, and thus she would be spending it in even less comfort.
Her fingers came up and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was a strange sensation not feeling the hard, solid weight of her glasses, which were usually perched atop her nose. They were another casualty of the fight with Foquet. Rip had worn spectacles ever since she was a child, and although she didn't really need them anymore since her vampiric conversion had given her better than 20/20 vision, she still liked wearing her old prescription lenses. The glasses actually served to blur her vision, an effect which she found very comforting. To her it was like looking through someone else's eyes. Nothing seemed real, like it was all a bad dream.
A small shadow passed overhead, and Rip looked up to see the distant shape of Sylphid, Tabitha's familiar. The short girl had given the dragon instructions to follow them from the air, and it did so with remarkable intelligence, flying high enough not to be easily seen from the ground yet low enough not to lose sight of the wagon. Kirche had wisely chosen to leave her own familiar behind, a decision that Rip supported since there was no way the large flaming lizard could have fit comfortably in the wagon.
"Oh, this is so stupid!" Louise suddenly barked aloud. She had been arguing with Kirche about something or other, but Rip hadn't been listening so she couldn't be sure what the girls had been talking about. "I don't even know why Foquet would lower himself to the level of petty theft. I mean, what kind of noble would do such a thing?"
"Not all mages are nobles," said Ms. Longueville, who was up front driving the wagon. "Some mages, for one reason or another, lose their noble titles. They are then forced to do a commoner's menial work, though some of the less fortunate, the ones who fail to lose their noble pride, seek less than honorable work to support themselves."
"Oh?" Louise looked over at the older woman.
"Sounds like you have experience in ze matter," Rip spoke up, directing a lazy grin at the secretary's back.
The woman was silent for a moment before answering. "You are right. You see, I, too, am a mage who has fallen from grace." Longueville reached into her robe's pocket and pulled out a worn-looking wand.
"O-oh," Louise looked away, biting her lip. She really hoped she hadn't offended the secretary with her earlier comment.
"That's really interesting," Kirche said. She then leaned closer to the green haired woman and smiled. "So! What did you do to lose your title anyway? Was it scandalous?"
"Zerbst!" Louise shouted, totally outraged. "How could you ask such a rude question? Have you no sense of propriety?"
The redhead rolled her eyes. "Of course I do! But I'm also really curious!"
If Longueville took offense to the question, she didn't show it outright. Instead, the older woman laughed and shook her head. "Sorry, but I'd rather keep that to myself."
Kirche sighed before sinking back down onto her seat, admitting defeat. "Oh, fine. But you should just tell me now, since I'll found out eventually." Or not.
The rest of the trip south had been quiet for the most part, though Louise and Kirche still occasionally sniped at each other. Rip could tell it was more to alleviate boredom than actual arguing, since their current interactions lacked the ire and volume of their earlier ones. Tabitha still continued her silent stare, and the vampire was so incredibly tempted to just leap forwards and gouge the little brat's eyes out. Knowing that she couldn't do that, though, Rip merely settled for fighting fire with fire. She sat back and returned the blue haired girl's stare. The two of them remained that way for the rest of the trip, silently glaring into each others' eyes. Even Kirche and Louise noticed their strange behavior, but the redhead attributed it to a silly game and the two students left it at that. They completely missed the pure, deadly intent in both blue irises.
Eventually, the wagon came to a stop as Ms. Longueville steered the horses to the side of the dirt road. "The cabin, according to my contacts, is about a half a mile west of this point," the green haired woman told them. The wagon's occupants nodded, and they hopped off the vehicle to begin their march through the woods. Tabitha's dragon followed them discreetly from high up in the air.
Longueville lead the way through the thick brush and trees, with the students following and Rip bringing up the rear. The plant life and scenery reminded the vampire of her days as a lone sniper taking out Allied soldiers during the later days of the war, when Hitler's forces were suffering so badly that they had been forced to dip into Millenium's members for aid. This last ditch attempt at saving themselves was utterly futile though, as no amount of unique and supernatural abilities could save the Nazis from the unstoppable march of the Allied war machine. Both the Major and Doktor had been most upset, since they had lost more than two thirds of their subjects in what they called a useless waste of manpower and resources.
"There it is," Ms. Longueville said as they entered a large clearing. In the center of the area was a lonely looking old cabin, one that looked like it was half falling apart.
"Are you sure he's in there?" Asked Louise.
Kirche smirked. "Only one way to find out." She drew her wand, obviously eager for some action.
Rip frowned, since her senses could detect nothing alive inside the old rickety structure. Then again, for whatever reason, her sixth sense couldn't detect Foquet yesterday either, so there was no telling if he was inside the cabin or not. The vampire frowned; she hated surprises.
"S-so... how should we do this?" Louise asked, her tone obviously nervous.
"Aw, what's the matter, Zero? You scared?" Kirche's smirk grew wider.
"What? No! Shut up, Zerbst!" The pink haired girl's cheeks puffed up in fury. She turned away from the annoying redhead and drew her wand. "I-I just wanted to plan out a strategy! You know, maybe break out into teams and perform a pitcher maneuver or something. Aren't you from a military family? You should know all this, dammit!"
Kirche merely burst out into laughter. "Oh, Zero. You are just so adorable when you try to be serious."
"Go to hell!" Louise swiftly turned on her heel and began advancing on the cabin. Kirche followed her, still chuckling to herself.
About time, Rip grinned. After the long ride here, she was eager for blood. She hefted her musket, readying it in her right hand. It was fully loaded and eager for battle. Tabitha had already moved, jogging swiftly to catch up to the two other students. As a veteran of numerous military maneuvers, Rip was all but certain that this was a trap, but she wasn't too worried. When Foquet attacked, the redhead and the annoying blue haired brat would serve as nice distractions while she and Louise took the mage out. If the two somehow managed to get killed, well, no big loss; Louise didn't seem particularly fond of both of them anyway.
"I'll stay in the trees and move around behind the cabin, just in case Foquet tries to escape that way," Ms. Longueville told her. Rip ignored the woman and continued moving forwards. Frankly, she couldn't have cared less what the secretary did; mage or not, the woman didn't seem like a fighter and would probably just get in the way if things got hectic. And so, she marched forwards, frowning a bit when her boot sunk into the soft earth of the clearing. Rip looked down and noticed that the soil around the rustic shack was completely saturated and muddy.
"Fantastic," the vampire muttered as her foot sank deeply into an especially deep mud puddle. "I really hate vet toes..."
Tabitha reached the front door of the cabin first, and motioned everyone to stay back. She raised her staff above her head and began waving it around, all the while casting an incantation under her breath. After a few moments, she lowered the staff back down and said, "No traps."
Kirche quickly moved forwards, her tall form showing remarkable grace as she dashed from one window to another, discreetly checking inside. Finally, after peeking into all the windows, she returned. "Huh. No one's inside."
"Maybe Foquet already left?" Louise asked them. A small, more cowardly part of her desperately hoped that such was the case.
"Or maybe he's still inside, hiding, lying in wait for cute little pink haired girls to enter his abode so he can capture and have his naughty way with them."
"Shut up, Kirche!" The pink haired girl snarled. "And keep me out of your perverted fantasies!"
"Stop it, bose of you," Rip said with a roll of her eyes. "I had to listen to you two all ze vay up here arguing like an old married couple. My head can't take much more." Both Louise and Kirche glared at the dark haired woman for making such an insinuation and were about to complain about it, but their mouths quickly shut when Rip raised her musket and aimed it towards the cabin. "Anyvay, all zis arguing is pointless." She flashed the same frightening feral smile she had given Louise outside of Osmond's office. Her eyes narrowed, a hungry gaze directed towards the ramshackle hut. "Tinker, tailor. Soldier, sailor. Vizard or Vastrel. My bullet punishes all vithout distinction. Vone shot is all I need. Vether Foquet is inside or not von't matter... he'll be Swiss cheeze no matter vhat."
Just as she was about to pull the trigger, her master leaped in front of the weapon. "No! Stop!"
"Louise!" Rip snarled, furious that the girl would do something so foolhardy. She almost blew her head off. "Vhat ze hell do you sink you're doing?"
"You can't!" the young student told her. "The Staff of Destruction might be in there! If you shoot, you might damage it!"
The vampire frowned, reluctantly lowering her gun. "Scheisse," she muttered. "Fine. Ve'll do it your vay. But, if I see zat thief, I plan on taking his life."
Louise gulped, somewhat frightened by the ferocity her familiar had been showing today. She must be really upset. Then again, Foquet did almost kill her. She supposed that she'd be pretty mad, too, if someone did the same to her. "Okay, but don't fire until we're in danger! Your attack is way too dangerous to be used so off-handedly."
Rip smiled at her. "Ze same can be said for you, little master."
The pink haired girl frowned, not knowing how to reply to that.
"Come," Tabitha said simply as she opened the door to the cabin. The blue haired girl didn't wait for the others as she entered, her staff held ready in case of attack. Kirche and Louise moved to follow.
"I'll stay out here and make sure ve aren't attacked from ze outside," Rip told Louise. "My abilities are useless in tight, confined spaces anyvay."
The pink haired girl nodded before entering the cabin. Rip turned away and began scanning the scenery, trying to find some clue as to where her prey was. Her senses alerted her to the presence of the three teenagers inside the cabin, who were currently searching the interior of the shack, as well as Ms. Longueville who was hiding near the treeline just as she had said earlier. There were also numerous animals nearby: a deer, three rabits, five squirrels, and a dying goat. But no sign of Foquet.
The vampire sighed, feeling extremely frustrated. She really, really wanted to kill something. To rip into flesh with her teeth. To set something ablaze. She wanted to hear screaming, feel the blood on her skin. She wanted to sing out loud as her bullet seared through the air, perforating her target until it was nothing but ash and dust.
"Vere is zis schädling?" Rip asked tersely. She looked down and saw that her once shiny boots were now covered in mud. Typical. She looked around the field, silently wondering if Longeuville's investigation was faulty and they were all out here on a wild goose chase. Suddenly, her eyes widened when she noticed something peculiar. All around her in the clearing, the soil surrounding the cabin was wet and muddy. Yet she distinctly remembered that the grass and dirt in the woods had been bone dry.
"Hey, I found something!" Her hearing picked up Louise's voice calling out excitedly from inside the shack. "Is... is this the Staff of Destruction?"
It was at that moment that Rip's sixth sense suddenly flared up, her entire body tensing as she sensed DANGER. Trusting her instincts, the vampire leaped quickly away from the cabin just as the ground she had been standing on erupted upwards. As she landed, her feet slipped on the slick, muddy soil, almost causing her to topple over onto her butt. After righting herself and turning to face the cabin, her eyes widened as they caught sight of a gigantic golem that had just sprung up from the muddy soil.
Although the golem shared both the general size and shape of Foquet's earlier creation, this one had remarkable differences. For one, unlike the golem she and Louise fought yesterday, this one was not composed of dirt and stone but of wet, dripping mud. It looked like an unfinished clay sculpture, with bits of muck dribbling off its clumpy skin. Bits of twigs and dead grass also sprouted up from the surface of the silt, making the construct look more like an organic creature than the creation of magic that it actually was. All in all, Rip definitely preferred the thief's original work to this one, since this current golem looked like a gigantic walking pile of dog excrement. And that was just nasty.
"So, Foquet, you finally make your move," Rip smiled as she looked up at the hideous monstrosity before her. "Good. Make me vork for it. I do love a good exercise before I have my meal."
The vampire hefted up her musket, aiming it one-handed at the golem, then grinned maniacally. "Vorks up quite an apptetite."