It was taken the people who were supposed to capture her a while to get there. She didn't know what happened to the ones that had been trying to approach them from above, but it seemed that they had left.
Well, whether they approached her from above or from the door didn't change. She had two wardens that kept her prisoner in the Vault.
Ironic, considering the fact that just earlier today she was trying to break into said Vault.
Speaking of wardens. one of the creatures, the one with the four horns, was taking advantage of the delay by looting the place. It leaped from pedestal to pedestal, smashing the glass containers with the Soul Wand, using it like it was a sword, and then picking up the Medallions within.
The one that had chased her throughout the school, the Familiar, however approached her.
For a moment Fouquet made peace with herself, thinking that it wasn't going to wait for the guards to come pick her up and just open her throat. But instead, it stopped in front of her and just looked at her.
She returned its stare, her hidden eyes looking into its empty eye sockets. They looked at each other for a few moments, before she asked "What do you want?"
It tilted its head.
"Ah right," she shook her head "You don't talk." She leaned her head back, and then took a look around.
There were so many objects in here that were valuable, that just by looking at them she could almost count the money she'd make by selling them off.
A staff that was topped by a ruby gem, it'd be enough to get her food for a month maybe even three if she embellished its effects enough.
She saw the four horned creature pick up the Mind Talisman from the wall. That could buy her provisions that would last a whole season if she found the right person. She knew because the last time she saw one of those was from a hooded merchant selling one, the price was outstanding.
The rings would be a nice gift, if they didn't have any kind of enchantments on them. Maybe she could pluck off the gems and sell those, and give the rest to the kids that were nice.
Her eyes saw the last of the Medallions that the creature picked up. It was a shame that she didn't know about that when she went in. She heard that Elves loved it if a Human were to ever bring them one, apparently enough that they wouldn't kill them on the spot.
Then there was of course, the Soul Wand. The glowing weapon that had taunted her when she heard that the Academy had one in its Vault. A single one could've allowed her to rest for a long time, maybe even long enough that she wouldn't need to leave her home every few months.
But alas, things didn't work out that way.
"I've spent years evaded guards and Nobles, bodyguards and even mercenaries hired to protect their treasures." She turned to the Familiar in front of her, it was still staring "And I get caught because of a Noble's Familiar."
It didn't react to her words. Only turning to acknowledge the similar looking double land next to it.
Her eyes looked at the two and then landed back at the Familiar "You know each other?"
Both of them nodded.
"Friends?" She guessed.
They shook their heads.
"Relatives?" She tried again.
They looked at each other, and then back her. Both of them tilted their heads.
"Siblings, I mean." She explained.
Both of them nodded.
She chuckled "That explains why you wanted to enter to the Vault so much."
They 'conversation' was cut short when she heard footsteps approaching the door. She looked at the Familiar in its eyes "Take care of your sibling, it's the least you should do."
The Vault's doors opened, and the guards stepped in with their wands at ready.
She sighed 'Sorry Tiff, big sis is going to come home late.'
[Scene]
"Princess!"
Henrietta ran ahead of the group, ignoring the guard's shocked cries as she made a direct charge to the three students that stood beside the Dragon and the Academy Guards.
"Louise!" She threw her arms around her friend, which caused the guards to turn to her in surprise. She ever heard the red head let out a surprised sound.
"P-P-Princess!" Louise stammered out. Her arms flailing about at the sudden hug, before they finally rested on her shoulders. "Princess," She tried to push her away "I-I'm flattered, but you shouldn't do such a-"
"I was so worried about you," she interrupted her friend, damn her words and damn the need for her to not hug her friend in public. She hugged her tighter "When you went after the Golem, and then didn't return I was afraid that you had gotten hurt. Then the tower exploded, and I thought that something terrible had happened."
Louise's hands that were trying to push against her shoulder went slack. "I'm fine Princess," Louise replied, and slowly she felt her return her hug "But thank you for worrying about me."
She smiled "I'm glad that you're safe." Finally, she pulled away from the hug, smiling as she saw the embarrassed and red face of her friend.
As she did, she saw the small creature that was her friend's Familiar. She opened her mouth to ask if it had been hurt as well. Even if it made her uneasy with just how it resembled the Pope's bodyguard, it was supposed to be a Water Spirit according to Louise. And from the few glimpse that she saw of the enigmatic bodyguard she was certain it wasn't one.
Her words however died in her throat when she saw that there was another one of the creatures at its side. Four horns instead of two, same black eyes that stared at her with an intense gaze.
And a Soul Wand on its back.
She took an involuntary step back as the sight of the weapon. She pointed at it.
There was an immediate reaction from both of them. The new one moved its hand to the weapon on its back, while Louise's Familiar stepped in front of the other one in an almost protective gesture.
She tore her eyes away from the two and asked "Louise," she tried to fake a smile "Did your Familiar multiply?"
Her friend looked just as confused as she was however when she pointed out that there was two of them at her side.
[Scene]
"Well, with that situation settled we now have Fouquet under arrest, and the Vault is now resecured." Osmond told the three students in his newly remade, but very Spartan, office.
It was a testament to how much Magic made life so easy, especially for the ones that could use them.
The damages that had been done to his Academy and his office would've taken weeks, if not months, to fix by non-magical means. The walls had been blown away in the second floor hallway, while errant earth walls sprouted from the ceiling, ground and even the walls.
The Alviss Hall had most of the tables transmuted into the large earth dome that would've been impossible to move. And the few that weren't had been tossed into the walls, broken into splinters.
Then there was his office when he first got to it.
Everything there had been burnt to a crisp, every shelf and book within had been turned to ash. Only a few had been spared, and those were the very important documents that he had layered with more than enough enchantments that people would've called him paranoid.
Considering that even those had the edges of them licked by the flames that had consumed his room, he was thankful that he had taken such precaution.
Then of course, was the giant hole in the middle of his office. Leading all the way down to the Vault.
The reason the thief had assaulted the school in the first place.
All of these would've taken a fortune to fix, and time to rebuild. But to a mage, all it took was a simple wave of a wand, and many of the damages were fixed.
The earth walls fell apart, and those were used to repair the walls of the second floor. The hole had been patched up, covered and then transmuted to its previous material. Sand was turned to glass, and then fixed to the windows. He would need to find a way to replace the tables however.
That and the Lumaflies that had escaped when the walls blew apart, assuming that they hadn't perished in the blast.
Most of the damages done, which would have taken months to fix, had only took the rest of the day. The Palace Guards were even nice to help with disposing the rest of the tables and clearing any of the rocks that littered the courtyard.
That meant that there was no permanent damage done, physically at the least, and that he could talk to the students in his office instead of a tent in the middle of the courtyard.
"After they stabilise Fouquet wounds, she'll be sent to the Palace and put behind bars." He turned to the three, well five if he counted the Familiar of the Valliere and…
The Void Vessel that he had sworn was dead. He had kept it in the Vault as his only way to give it a 'grave'.
"And while we may not be able to return the Soul Wand to the Vault, along with a variety of other artifacts that are currently missing." His eyes turned to the Void Vessel, where most of those artifacts had originated from "The capture of Fouquet more than makes up for it."
He turned his focus on the three students, smiling at them "I suppose that congratulations are in order," he gestured to them all "After all, you three were the ones that led to her capture. I'm sure the Palace would be more than willing to reward you three for your efforts."
"Nope." Kirche raised her hands, shaking her head.
Osmond turned to her with a raised eyebrow "Is something the matter Miss Zerbst?"
"Sorry Principal Osmond, but I wasn't really involved other than just being there." She turned her head to Louise, and gave a look between pride and anger "Most of it was because of Louise and Bug." She shrugged "So accepting a reward when I didn't really do anything is kinda pathetic."
"I see..." Osmond noted. He turned to the other two.
"I also wish to not be rewarded." Tabitha cut in before he could say anything. The blue haired Galian looked at him in the eye.
"Are you certain?" Osmond asked "Your Dragon was instrumental in chasing after the thief wasn't it?"
She shook her head. She turned her head to the Void Vessels "Louise's Familiar chased after the thief," her eyes flicked to said Familiar before turning her attention back to him "I just carried her with Sylphid." Once again she shook her head "Didn't do much."
Osmond blinked, this was an unexpected result. He could understand how the Germanian wouldn't be comfortable with accepting a reward when she didn't do anything, but it was a surprise that Tabitha would be against a reward as well. His gaze turned to the final student "And what about you Miss Valliere?"
The young mage looked up, as if she had been jolted awake. She blinked "What was that Principal Osmond?" She asked.
He gestured at the other two students "Your friends both expressed desires to not take any reward for the capture of Fouquet, claiming that it was mostly your Familiar's doing." He turned to her "Do you wish to do the same?"
"I," Louise opened her mouth but she shut it. She was silent for a while, her focus turned from him to her Familiar at her side.
The Void Vessel looked away from its kin, and turned to its Master.
She seemed to relax when it did, and then turned back towards him "Even if Bug was the one that did most of the work, a Familiar is an extension of its Master." She nodded her head "As such I will accept any credit for his achievements, as well as any blame for his misdoings."
Osmond smiled "Admirable Miss Valiere," he couldn't help but smirk a bit "Though you are lucky that most of the damage done here is attributed to Fouquet." He turned his head to peek behind her, where the hole in his office was "Or else, you might have to pay for the repairs of the castle."
Her face turned pale.
He chuckled. He turned to the other two "As for you two, even if you three don't wish to be rewarded by the Palace, at the very least you'd be fine with being the guest of honours for tomorrow's Ball of Frigg? You'd be included as well Miss Valiere." He suggested.
At his words the red head face came alight with delight "Oh that I would not mind!" She clapped her hands "It would be nice to be at the centre of attention, well more than usual."
Tabitha only nodded.
While Louise still looked pensive for a moment, before nodding as well.
"Excellent!" He clapped his hands together "Now you three should probably leave and get some rest, today's events probably took a lot of you."
"Umm Principal!" Louise took a step forward.
"Yes?" The old man raised an eyebrow.
"C-Can I speak to you, privately, after this?" She asked.
From how her eyes glanced at her Familiars, Osmond knew what it would be. He smiled and nodded "Of course Miss Valiere."
Kirche looked a little confused but shrugged, she turned "Goodbye, see you later." She left the room.
Tabitha eyes turned to her and gave a grunt, before quickly following after the red head.
When the two left, Osmond asked "What do you wish to talk about Miss Valiere?"
"I would first like to apologise." She gave a bow. "In my attempts to help, I was the one that casted the fireball that damaged your room, Principal Osmond."
He was aware of her Familiar looking at the ground, mimicking her bow.
After a moment, the Void Vessel that had been sitting in the Vault did the same.
"I see," well, that explained how the flames managed to burn through his room so easily. He nodded his head "Well considering the damage that you did to my office, you show remarkable power for a," he looked her in the eye "Water Mage."
This was it, whether or not she simply wanted to apologise. Or that if he needed to explain to her about her Familiar.
She flinched at his words at first. She raised her head "About that Principal Osmond," she looked a little unsure to continue. The Valliere took a deep breath "I don't think that I'm a Water Mage, and that my Familiar is a Water Spirit."
"Oh?" Osmond raised an eyebrow and leaned forward "And what has lead you to this conclusion, Miss Valliere?"
"Bug's abilities that it showed today, aren't exactly related to any water spells that I know of." She turned to her, still bowing, Familiar and then looked at the other Void Vessel "And my suspicions were only increased by the appearance of," She pointed to the Void Vessel "That. Carrying a Soul Wand, when everything that I know about Water Spirits tell me that they don't require a catalyst to use their magic."
"A very good observation Louise," Osmond nodded "But since you are telling me all of this, I assume that you know of your Familiar and that creature's true species?"
At the question, the small mage seemed to clam up. Her eyes darted from the two small creatures at her side, and then to him rapidly.
"W-W-Well, you see Pri-Principal Osmond." She stuttered nervously "B-Bug's re-real," she shut her eyes and gritted her teeth.
"Miss Valliere if you are unsure, you do not have to say it." He tried to reassure her.
She opened her eyes, and once again she turned them to her Familiar. Once again her nervous posture relaxed, and she sighed.
"Before I do, can you promise me something Principal Osmond?" She asked. When he nodded his head she continued "What I might tell you could b- no it is blasphemous. But I feel like I should tell you about it."
Osmond stayed quiet, simply waiting for her explanation.
She gulped down her nerves "Well I first summoned Bug, it talked to me in my mind. It asked who I was, and then." She looked him in the eye "It called itself, a being born of God and Void." She lowered her head "After that, Bug said that I was the same.
"It said that I was a creature of the Void as well."
There was a moment of silence as she finished her explanation.
Neither of them spoke. Louise simply kept her gaze on the floor underneath her, while he himself was staring at her with a neutral look.
A smile grew on his face "Well now, that's a very interesting thing to say Miss Valiere." He nodded his head "And indeed, something very blasphemous to claim that not only is your Familiar made of the long lost fifth element of the Void, but to also say that you are a user of said element by association."
His tone turned dark "Such a claim can be very dangerous if said to the wrong person."
He waited for a reaction, for her to take back her words.
But she didn't. Instead she raised her head and stared at him resolutely "I understand that Principal Osmond, but after today and seeing my Familiar do such acts I couldn't simply just hide behind the illusion that it was just a Water Spirit." She took a step forward "I needed to know if it was something else, and the only thing else that I knew about it, was what it told when I first summoned it."
Osmond's smile grew "Well, lucky for you Miss Valiere that you are completely correct."
Louise blinked "Huh?"
The old man stood up, and walked around his table "While I am unsure about it being born of God, your claim of it being made of Void is correct." He stopped in front of the Void Vessel that he had kept in the Vault "The day after you summoned your Familiar, Professor Colbert brought in a book that detailed what your Familiar was."
The old man looked down, and smiling fondly at the Void Vessel that had saved his life "They're called Void Vessels, and within their shells is the Void itself."
It lifted its head and stared at him with a pair of empty eyes sockets.
He turned to the Valliere and nodded his head at her shocked look "And yes Miss Valiere, by extension that does mean that you are a Void Mage."
She took a step back as her eyes widened even further, a hand went to her chest as her breathing suddenly grew rapid. "I'm a Void Mage?" She said in disbelief.
"Exactly," he nodded "I initially wanted to keep this a secret matter, claiming that student is a user of the long lost fifth element can lead to adverse effects." He shook his head "But since you came and asked, I feel that you should know the truth."
"But Miss Valiere, I must warn you." His tone turned serious "Be very careful with who you tell of this information. At best people would not believe you, however in the worst case scenario you can and will those that wish to use your abilities for themselves," his eyes narrowed into a glare "Or kill you."
Louise could only nod.
"Good," he smiled "Well, I hope that you are satisfied with the answer that you received."
"I," Louise paused, finally calming down. The hand by her chest clenched into a fist "Yes, I was." She bowed "Thank you Principal Osmond."
When she turned to leave, the Void Vessel that was her Familiar followed her, as did the one that had saved his life.
"Hold on a moment Miss Valiere," he called out to her before she could leave. "May I speak with the Void Vessel with you?" He asked.
"You want to talk with Bug?" She asked, turning to her Familiar.
"No," He shook his head "I just want to speak with the one with your Familiar."
The four horned Void Vessel turned to him.
Crouching so that he could be closer in height, Osmond looked it in its empty eyes "Do you remember me little one? From thirty years ago, when you saved me life?"
It didn't react, all it did was simply stare at him.
"I didn't think so," he shook head "Well, even if you don't I still remember what you've done to this day. So allow me to say, thank you for saving my life."
The four horned Vessel looked at him for a moment, and then nodded.
Osmond smiled.
[Scene]
Later that night, Louise was in her room. Her Familiar, and it's new sibling, was sitting in front of her.
All three of them were sitting on her bed.
She reached out and grabbed her Familiar's arm.
"Bug, we need to talk."
[Scene]
"Lawrence."
"Yes Princess?"
"Count Mott's estate is nearby correct?"
"Um, the messenger?"
"Yes him."
"He should be Princess."
"Good. Make preparations to head there when we rest for the night."
"Princess?"
"I need to send a message to someone."