Heeding The Call

by Deadpoolio

Today, on Power Rangers! Worlds collide! Earth has come under invasion but one of its greatest heroes has gone missing. Meanwhile, Tommy Oliver has been spirited away to an unknown world where old secrets lie dormant. Will he make it back in time to save his home, or will events turn his world upside down? Find out, on Power Rangers!

5. Meetings Of Men, Mind, And Menace

"So how do you know Professor Colbert?" Louise asked, annoyed at having to be woken up so early.

The early morning washed over the Tristain Academy for Magic as the unlikely pair, unlikely trio if you count the talking sword, made their way to the small shack that jutted out from the main building.

"I ran into him the other night, we got to talking and it turns out we're rather like-minded."

"Oh Founder, did he show you that wretched 'engine' thing of his?"

"Well yeah, it was pretty rudimentary but still impressive for what he had to work with. Why, did he show it to you?"

"In class, he tried to base an entire lesson around the stupid thing."

"What's so stupid about trying to make innovations?"

"We don't need innovation, everything is already as it should be. The only thing that is needed is magic, all else is secondary."

"I mean, there has to be something that magic can't do, right?"

"That is true, and it is handled just fine without needing to be 'improved'. It would be a dreadful day if peasants were to get their hands on something like that."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"Yes, it would undermine our authority! We were chosen by the gods to rule and that is how it should be!"

Tommy chose to remain quiet at that point, partly because he didn't need her angry at him again and partly because he wasn't sure how she'd react if he told her more about Earth. Colbert, on the other hand, would probably faint the second he stepped foot in a major city. Or just at the sight of any ship that would transport them there, for that matter. As they drew closer to the door of the shack, a loud, rhythmic clanging could be heard, followed by a sudden clattering and a string of profanity that Tommy wasn't sure could be coming from the man he met the other night. He turned to Louise just as she turned to him, the look of surprise on her face suggesting that this was just as unexpected for her as well. Louise then turned back to the door and knocked, unsure of just what might come to answer.

"Just a moment!" came the response, irritation coming through loud and clear.

Moments passed and the door finally opened to reveal Professor Colbert, slightly sooty and with a rather large bandage wrapped around his left hand, but otherwise looking the same as he always had.

"Oh, Miss Valliere, and Doctor Oliver too," he began, the anger he had expressed earlier seemingly nowhere in sight, "To what do I owe this visit?"

Louise then turned to look at Tommy, confusion evident before she shook her head.

"Professor, my familiar and I were speaking last night and..." she paused, taking a deep breath as she tried to swallow her pride, "if you have the time, would you be able to assist me in figuring out the... issues I've been having with my magic?"

"Some extra-curricular study? I would be more than happy to lend my assistance, Miss Valliere. It would have to be done after classes are finished for the day, of course, but I see no issues with your request."

"Thank you, Professor," Louise replied, trying to mask her relief.

With a farewell and a second thank you, as well as issuing Tommy's chores for the day, Louise strode off to breakfast, leaving the two men behind.

"You seem to have patched things up well enough," Colbert began amicably.

"It's more of a work in progress but progress all the same."

"How did you convince her to give this a try?"

"When the subject of her magic came up, I offered that maybe an outside perspective could help."

"It very well could indeed, such a thing is rare in this day and age, not much in the way of new or unorthodox ideas. Some day I wish to change that... But enough imagining of the distant future, the very near future requires preparation. My classes, that is to say."

"Are you going to be okay?" Tommy asked, his gaze shifting to the other man's bandaged hand.

"Oh, this? It's nothing to worry about, just a minor burn that I can get patched up in the infirmary. Though your concern is appreciated."

"If you're sure. See you later then?"

"I look forward to it, and any resulting conversations we might have!"

The two men parted and the day passed by without much flare, though monotonous manual labor rarely had much flare, to begin with. Still, it gave Tommy time to think and to plan, how to initially approach Louise's magic problem and potential avenues to pursue once they began. He also hoped that he'd run into Siesta again, he wanted to make sure she was okay after being seemingly spooked like that, and to follow up on the disappearing serving staff. Yesterday didn't give him much time to investigate, and he tried to gather some information that night but without much success. Although, he would be working with Colbert and Louise later, maybe he could ask them if they knew anything.

His thoughts then turned to his new clothes which, while not what he was used to wearing, were well made and quite comfortable. A black men's tunic-style shirt, which he requested be sleeveless for better range of motion, basic brown pants and a simple belt, also requested to have more give in the legs, and a pair of simple but sturdy boots. He unfortunately also had to lose the spikes in his hair, he had no gel on hand to keep it up so he had to settle for combing it in a swept-back look like he used to have, though it wasn't quite the same without the length it used to have.

After his final chores were finished, Tommy began on his personal project, that being cleaning Derflinger. Now that he took a close look, the sword was an absolute mess, with rust deeper than at first glance and even chips in the blade. On the other hand, the damage wasn't too extensive as to be a lost cause and Derf was a very well balanced sword, all things considered, Tommy having given him a few test swings before getting to work. After about an hour of scrubbing and treating with the supplies the blacksmith had provided, some headway was being made. Tommy could begin to see proper steel coming through all the rust and Derflinger did this sort of vibration... thing, almost like he was somehow stretching without limbs.

"Aah, now that is what I'm talkin' about, Partner! You know what I said about you having skill? Forget that, I was wrong. This is what I call skill. I feel like I'm four-thousand, two-hundred and six again!"

"Well, I'm glad you're happy with the job I'm doing, though there's still a lot of work to do."

"And you picked an absolutely fantastic spot too, you've got a good eye, if I do say so."

Tommy looked up from his work to find that time must have flown faster than he had thought as students milled about, going back and forth no doubt between classes. Though Tommy wasn't quite sure what Derf was referring to, the courtyard that he had settled down in to clean him was rather pleasant to look at, he supposed, with plenty of greenery and even a nice looking tree near one corner.

"I'm not sure I follow what you're meaning, Derf."

"The girls, Partner! I had no idea that this place was packed with so many lookers!"

"I'm sorry, but what?"

"Oh absolutely! I mean just look at that blonde over there, she's definitely easy on the eyes."

"Derf..."

"And that brunette, talk about a dream."

"Derflinger...!"

"And wow, what a redhead!"

That was it! Tommy immediately stood, slammed Derflinger into his scabbard, and marched to the nearest secluded corner he could find. To anyone that knew Tommy Oliver, he was many things, and angry was usually not one of them. Or at least, if he was, then his buttons were well hidden and difficult to push. But somehow, someway, they had been found and most definitely had been pushed. Seeing the coast was clear enough, Tommy drew Derflinger and immediately stabbed him into the ground, fixing the sword with the most intense 'Doctor Oliver' glare he could muster.

"Hey, whoa, what's going on, Partner?" he asked in confusion.

Tommy said nothing, content to let the sword sit and sweat for a while. He, of course, knew that it was impossible for swords to sweat, but the many things that occurred throughout his life had taught him that there was a first time for everything.

"Seriously, what's the problem here? This is getting kind of weird and awkward."

"Well, now you know how everyone else feels. And the problem, Derflinger? This is a school, those are children, Derflinger!"

"H-hey, cut me some slack, alright? I was just messin' around, havin' some fun after getting out of the rust bin for so long!"

"No, Derflinger, I'm not going to cut you any slack. You can't make comments like that."

"Hey, look, listen..."

"No, you listen!" Tommy nearly shouted, immediately kneeling and grabbing Derflinger by the hilt, "I've been lenient about your snarky comments up to this point but this is where I draw the line. So I'm giving you a choice, you can either stop making comments like that, or I'm going to make you stop. Are we clear?"

"H-hey, I wasn't... I was just..."

"Are we clear, Derflinger?"

"Y-yeah! Yeah... w-we're clear."

"Good," Tommy said gravely, drawing Derflinger from the ground and resheathing him, "I'm going to hold you to that."

As the pair made their way back, Derflinger slowly, hesitantly, raised himself from his scabbard, sufficiently certain that a lot of rust had been scared off of him. And maybe that he had spontaneously developed the ability to wet himself.

"I uh..." he began, unsure of exactly how to word his next sentence, "I had no idea that was such a... sore subject?"

"It's a sore subject for any teacher worth their salt," Tommy answered flatly, "Stay in the job long enough and you hear enough horror stories to last a lifetime."

"Oh," was all that Derflinger could say, for what could he say to that?

"Just don't do it again and we should be fine, okay?"

"Y-yeah, okay."

The spot that they had previously occupied came back into view, the sword care supplies right where they were left, only now it had been occupied by others. The first they recognized was Louise, Tommy could easily pick her long pink hair out of a crowd at this point. The yelling was also a solid clue, which lead to his observations on whom she was yelling at. Before Louise stood a taller, very tan girl with long, crimson hair and wearing a uniform that could politely be described as a size too small. From the way this new girl held herself and the way she spoke to Louise, Tommy could tell their relationship was nowhere near friendly.

Tommy knew a thing or thing or two about bullies, both from teaching and from his own school days. Though back then, most of the 'bullies' he encountered could alternatively be called intergalactic tyrants, but a bully was still a bully no matter what label you used. As he drew closer, he spotted a third, shorter individual that he hadn't noticed at first. Possibly shorter than Louise, the most notable features he could make out were the bright blue hair in what appeared to be a bowl cut and the large, gnarled staff she held in one hand. Anything else, however, was obscured by the book that she had her nose stuck in. Not that he thought badly of it, of course, he was happy to see youth enjoying a good book. He certainly wished he had that outlook at that age.

"Come now, Zero, there's no need to lie," the redhead said mockingly, "Clearly your 'familiar' took the first opportunity it had and ran away from you. I know I certainly would if a didn't have to be here, as would everyone else. We'd certainly have to deal with less of your explosive mishaps."

"Stop calling me that!" Louise shouted in utter fury, "He was here! We agreed to meet here after classes had finished!"

"Sure, Louise, whatever you say."

Tommy chose this moment to make his presence known, the look in Louise's eyes said that this could get ugly if he didn't.

"See? There he is! I told you that he was here!"

"My, my, my," the redhead said upon seeing him, "I hadn't gotten a good look at him before but I had no idea that your familiar was... such a hunk, Louise."

A sharp bolt of dread immediately shot through Tommy, he knew this girl was trouble at first glance but he had underestimated the severity. He had to play it cool, couldn't show fear, or worse, show anything that could be misconstrued as the opposite.

"Are these friends of yours, Louise?" Tommy asked innocently.

"Hardly! They're closer to fiends than anything! And would you keep your disgusting comments to yourself, you harlot?!"

"Now, Louise, that's no way to introduce us. Allow me," the redhead began, turning her full attention to Tommy once more, "Kirche Agusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst, at your service. And this is my good friend Tabitha."

At this, the blue-haired bookworm said not a word, merely nodded from behind the pages at being indicated. The phrase 'colorful cast of characters' chose that moment to cross Tommy's mind, certainly an apt description given everything up to this point, the question was just how colorful would it get.

"Well, it's nice to meet you both," Tommy began as neutrally as possible, "But I'm afraid that Louise and I have somewhere that we need to be."

"Such a shame," the now-named Kirche mock lamented, "Perhaps we can... continue becoming acquainted another time?"

"No! There will not be another time!" Louise exclaimed, trying to pull Tommy away as she did, which he gladly went along with, "Your family has taken too much from mine but you will not get this!"

"We shall see, Louise!" Kirche called out as they left, almost as if accepting a challenge.

"I'm guessing that's what you meant last night," Tommy said, relieved to be away from that potential disaster.

"You have no idea. And where were you? You were supposed to be there when I arrived!"

"I was busy having a serious conversation with Derflinger about his commentary."

"Ha! So he finally got on your nerves too?"

"In a manner of speaking."

Louise then turned to look at the sheathed blade, expecting some attempt at a witty retort, only to find silence.

"I'm impressed, you actually managed to silence him. What did you do?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

As they made their way back to Colbert's workshop, they passed by the dining hall and what could best be described as an extra-pre-marital dispute.

"Montmorency, Katie! I beg of you to understand!" cried out a blond boy wearing a very frilly shirt.

"Understand what, Guiche?" retorted an equally blonde girl, her hair done in a series of long ringlets completed by a pink ribbon, "That your promise to me doesn't count when galavanting with first years?"

"Or that I was the only love of your life when that's clearly not the case?" replied an equally irate brunette, most likely the first year in question.

"Please reconsider your anger," Guiche said, trying and failing to win them over, "I have more than enough love for you both."

The resulting simultaneous slap from both girls rang out across the courtyard, so loud that Tommy was sure that even the birds in the nearby woods had been disturbed by it, and the red handprints left upon the wannabe Casanova's face were bright enough to be seen from several yards away. It was honestly up in the air if the slaps had drawn blood or not.

"So the fool has finally earned his bells," Louise said smugly as the scorned ex-lovers departed in opposite directions.

"Another friend of yours?" Tommy asked half-jokingly.

"No, I just happen to share classes with him as well as the previous two."

"Hey, Partner?" Derflinger asked, speaking for the first time in a while, "How come you don't seem as mad at him as you were with me?"

"Well, well, the rust bucket speaks at last," Louise mocked, appearing to enjoy being the delivering side for once.

"Because you're old enough to know better, Derflinger," Tommy said seriously, his tone brooking no argument, "And he clearly received what was coming to him."

"Fair enough," the sword said before returning to silence.

The door to Colbert's workshop was open as they approached, the man himself stepping through and looking much cleaner than previously and the bandage was nowhere in sight.

"Ah, right on time," the Professor greeted them, "So how shall we begin this study?"

"Yes, how will we go about figuring out why my spells explode, familiar?"

"I've been doing some thinking and I believe that I have a plan," Tommy began, slipping into Doctor O. mode, "But first thing's first, we have to define our terms."

"And what exactly does that mean?" Louise asked.

"It means that the two of you are going to have to give me a quick and easy beginner's lesson on how your magic works."

In moments, a spare table had been cleared, paper, quill, and ink bottle were provided and a candle by which to read and write was lit. Though it was still light out, the workshop's small windows didn't provide much in the way of illumination so candles it was, Tommy really didn't want to see the academy's candle budget if it was always like this. As he took his seat and prepared himself, he took a moment to wonder just how surreal it was to be back on this side of a lesson, his last college course being ten years ago.

"Are you prepared?" Colbert asked, assuming his own teaching mode in front of a chalkboard with Louise standing by his side.

"As prepared as I'll ever be."

"Excellent. To begin, magic is defined by and divided into for elements..."

"Earth, wind, fire, and water?"

"How did you know that?" Louise asked in confusion, "You said you didn't know anything of our magic."

"It's a surprisingly common concept back home, though it mostly shows up in fiction."

"As I was saying," Colbert interjected, "These elements are the basis of magic as they are the basic states of all things in the world."

As Tommy began taking notes, he recognized the similarity of the elements to the four states of matter and wondered how much of science could be applied to them.

"Willpower," Louise began, picking up where Colbert left off, "Is the force by which we impart our will upon the world. Every mage possesses a personal reservoir of willpower with which to cast spells but as a consequence, it is a finite resource and as such, too much use will result in potential exhaustion and even death."

"I think I'm starting to grasp it," Tommy said as he continued to write, "So how does a mage replenish their willpower?"

"The primary and most effective method is simply resting," Colbert began, "A good night of sleep does wonders for willpower expenditure, though a sudden surging of emotions has also been known to do the trick in a pinch. Next, we move onto affinity and the spell matrix."

Tommy watched as Colbert proceed to pull out a stick of chalk and began to draw a series of diagrams: a small circle, two small circles connected by a line, three connected into a triangle, and four into a square, followed by four symbols which he assumed corresponded with the four elements, each arrayed in a cross formation. Earth at the bottom, fire to the left, water to the right, and wind at the top.

"Every mage possesses an affinity toward an element and in rare cases, sometimes two," Colbert continued, indicating the symbols, "This affinity affects how much willpower is expended per spell."

"Say, for example, that a basic spell costs one unit of willpower," Louise began, grabbing her own chalk, drawing a square on the board and drawing a line down its center, "A mage with an affinity to a spell's element will be able to spend a fraction of the cost and as they grow stronger, the cost is lessened further. Conversely, a mage with an opposing affinity to an element will have to spend double the cost in comparison."

"Now, the spell matrix is how we categorize the strength and complexity of a spell and there are five levels," Colbert resumed, indicating the connected shapes, "Cantrips, which cost little to no willpower and are mostly utility in nature, Dot spells, Line spells, Triangle spells, and Square spells. These categories also apply to measuring a mage's skill and strength. As an example, I am a Triangle mage with an affinity for fire."

"You mentioned complexity in regards to the shapes," Tommy began as he went over what he had jotted down, "Does that mean more than one element can be put into a spell?"

"Correct," Louise began again, "Every mage who is a Dot or lower can only cast spells that consist of one element at a time. As they grow in strength, however, they can begin to create more combinations of elements or even just add more of the same element. A simple Fireball consists of only one unit of fire, but if another unit of fire or even a unit of wind is added, it becomes more potent."

Tommy looked over everything that he had written and everything on the board, his mind swirling with potential ideas. He wondered just why he never tried to learn at least a bit of this, he knew plenty of magic users so it's not like he had few options. He might not have been able to actuallyuse it but simply knowing it could prove useful for any number of situations. For now, though, he had enough for what he currently had in mind. As the impromptu lesson came to an end, the three made their way outside, guided by Colbert as he led them through the academy gates to a wide, grassy field in which to conduct their tests.

"Based on everything I've learned, Louise should possess an affinity for at least one element," Tommy began, notes still in hand, "And based on personal experience, explosions can be a result of one of these elements in application. Say, an object filling with water or air too much or too quickly, or an object heating up too rapidly. An explosion, by its very nature, is a reaction caused by an external stimulus, one in which air is rapidly forced away from the epicenter."

"So what are you planning to have me do?" Louise asked, dreading what was about said.

"I'm going to need you to deliberately cause some explosions so that we can observe exactly what they do."

"I was afraid of that. But why this specifically?"

"I think that the tutors and experts that you studied with were looking at this from the wrong direction, they were trying to steer you away from the explosions when I believe the answer lies within them."

"...Fine. But what exactly will I be casting at?"

"Professor, are you skilled enough in earth magic to create a suitable target for Louise?"

"I believe I am, Doctor. Please stand back and I will get to work."

Tommy and Louise did so as Colbert took his staff in his hand, closed his eyes, and began the incantation. A string of syllables passed the man's lips, ones which Tommy had no clue as to their meaning, and his voice echoed just as it had the other night.

"Earth Wall!" the professor called out and indeed, a wall of earth rose from the spot that Colbert aimed at.

Tommy approached the wall to look it over, roughly six feet tall by three feet wide, this should work perfectly. Before he returned to the others, he gave the wall a sharp knock and found that it was quite solid, he'd have too really try if he wanted to do any damage to that.

"Can we finally get this over with?" Louise asked, raising her wand as Tommy approached.

"Not just yet, we're going to need some protection first."

"Protection?"

"I mean no offense by that, Louise, it's simply a standard procedure where I'm from."

Within moments, a second wall had been raised, one tall and wide enough for all to take cover behind and a small gap through which Louise could cast. With everyone in position, Tommy gave Louise the go ahead and the incantation came forth, her words echoing as she reached the final word.

"Fireball!"

The explosion echoed out, muffled slightly by the wall that stood between it and them but it was an explosion all the same. As the sound died out, Tommy peeked from behind his side of the wall and saw the target seemingly intact. If the explosion hit it, there was no effect, at least not visible from this distance.

"What did you observe, Miss Valliere?" Colbert asked, peering around to make his own observations.

"...I think I missed?"

"Even if the target wasn't hit, we should still take a look just in case," Tommy stated.

Even up close, the target still seemed intact, Tommy gave it another sharp knock and found it still just as solid. Soon they were scattered about, trying to find what the explosion did hit, if anything. As he turned back around, something caught his eye. It wasn't something that would be noticeable at first glance but it certainly caught his attention.

"Louise, Professor! I think I found something!"

The two returned and now saw what had been found: part of the target's rear corner appeared to have been sanded off. Tommy gently ran his hand along the affected area, perfectly smooth and still seemed just as solid. Immediately he was on his knees, searching through the grass at the foot of the target and found exactly what he was looking for, a small pile of fine dust.

"What do you make of this, Doctor?" Colbert asked, just as perplexed by the discovery.

"I think we need to do this one more time, just to be certain."

As they settled once more behind their barrier, a thought occurred to Tommy that hadn't crossed his mind previously.

"What does it feel like when casting a spell?" he asked his cohorts.

"It feels like a great tide is swelling up inside of you," Colbert began, "It continues to grow as you continue the incantation, imparting your will upon it until it is released to do what you had commanded."

"Do you feel that, Louise?"

"Yes, but... it feels wrong, at least toward the end."

"Wrong how?"

"Like...it feels as though the swelling stops suddenly and then drops out at the last moment."

"I'm going to need you to focus on that this time, Louise. See if you can push through whatever causing it to stop."

Louise nodded and took her position, as did the others, and began her incantation once more but the result was not to be the same. As the final echoing word passed her lips, the world shook. It hit like a rocket blast, Tommy could feel the impact through the barrier and even caught sight of Louise being knocked back from the small amount that got through her gap in the wall. As stability returned and Tommy was certain he wouldn't also topple over, he rushed to Louise's side.

"Are you okay?" he asked urgently, looking to see if she had been injured.

Colbert was at her side a nanosecond after Tommy and immediately began chanting. As he finished, a look of relief spread across his features.

"She is unharmed, just a bit dizzy is all."

"Wha...what happened...?" Louise asked, slowly righting herself.

"Do your explosions always vary in strength like that?" Tommy asked in return, still a little jarred by the sudden shock.

"Y-yes, but never like that. The last explosion to come anywhere close... was when I summoned you."

As Louise became able to stand, the three made their way to check their results but they were not what they expected. Or, perhaps, exactly what they expected. The surrounding area remained just as pristine as before, only a little ruffled from the blastwave. But the target? The target was gone, nothing left save for a neat pile of dust. No, that shouldn't be possible, a blast like that would have left debris scattered about or would have kicked up the dust, like what happened with the bandit kids the previous day. It was as if the explosion hit and the target only collapsed right afterward, not during. Tommy's mind raced, what was different about the target compared to everything else? He looked down to find his notes still clutched in his hand and the answer hit him: magic.

"Louise, as far back as you can recall, was anything destroyed when you made an explosion?"

Louise looked puzzled than began to concentrate, trying to remember as far back as she could.

"...Yes, things have broken when they were knocked over but other than that... a few enchanted objects, I think?"

"Has this happened recently?"

"Yes, in Madame Chevreuse's earth magic class. She had us practicing transmutation with some pebbles and..."

"Were the pebbles created by magic?"

"Yes."

It was beginning to fall into place. For some reason, Louise's explosions seemed to disassemble other magic. Anything enchanted, or at least created by magic whole cloth, caught in the blast radius would seemingly crumble into its constituent parts, including the target and... Tommy whirled around and rushed back to the barrier, finding exactly what he expected: a large gouge dug out from where the blast hit, almost sheared completely through, with piles of dust resting at the base.

"W-what does this mean?" Louise asked as she and Colbert caught up.

"I don't know, I only just learned the basics today. But I do know that this a step forward, in which direction I couldn't tell you but forward is still forward all the same. Has this kind of dismantling effect been recorded before, Professor?"

"I...I believe I've read about something like this once," Colbert began, moving closer to the disintegrated part of the wall, "I believe that I have a hypothesis but I won't be able to confirm it until I've done some research in the library."

"Then I guess we're done for now, what do you think, Louise?"

Louise stood silent for a moment, looking down at the wand grasped in her hand, uncertainty playing across her face.

"I'm supposed to have an elemental affinity, I'm supposed to know what kind of mage I am by now. So what element is this?"

"We'll find out soon, Louise," Tommy replied, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder along with a smile, "Just give it time and you'll know exactly who you are. It's starting to get late so why not head back ahead of us, maybe grab something to eat?"

Indeed, the time had flown and the telltale orange of sunset began to streak across the skies. With a quiet nod and bidding of farewell, Louise turned and walked back to the castle.

"Hey, thanks for helping..."

"I warned you."

Tommy turned and immediately found the business end of a magic staff inches from his face. This was starting to become a bad habit, he was starting to feel as rusty as Derflinger.

"I told you that if anything were to jeopardize Miss Valliere, jeopardize any of my students, I would not hesitate. First, you procure a sword seemingly from nowhere, and now this?"

"I had no idea that any of this was going to happen," Tommy said, raising his hands in his best attempt at placating the other man, "There is no way that I could have predicted any of this."

"I know, which is why I have yet to scorch your head from your shoulders," Colbert stated evenly, lowering his staff "But if this is what I think it is, you had best hope that this is all that happens."

"Do you believe that Louise's magic could be that dangerous?"

"I pray that it is not, but if it is? Then Miss Valliere's troubles are only just beginning."

No further words were said, save for one last incantation followed by Colbert lifting off into the sky, presumably back to his workshop. As Tommy stood there, the remaining earthen construct managing to stay up despite the damage it took, he couldn't help but curse his luck. There was just no staying out of trouble for him, was there?

It was well into the night by the time that Headmaster Osmand had finished the stack of paperwork before him, it hadn't taken this long before now but Miss Longueville's sudden absence had left him to take the brunt of it. As he stretched his limbs, his old bones creaking and popping in protest, he decided that it was probably time to turn in for the night. Though he doubted that he would get much from it, sleep had not come easy this past while, thoughts and guilt about those missing under his care and those that remained. But rest he must, or as much as he could manage anyway, the wheels of bureaucracy did not stop simply because one man needed a nap. As he moved to get up, his gnarled old staff in hand, an urgent knock came at his office door at which he promptly sat down again.

"Enter..." the old headmaster wearily called out, thoroughly not wishing to deal with things right now.

"Oh thank the Founder I caught you, sir," Colbert said as he walked through, "I have something urgent that I must inform you about."

In all the time that Osmand had known Jean Colbert, he had never been one to be, for lack of a better term, serious. He, of course, took his job quite seriously, approached teaching with a passion and enthusiasm that Osmand rarely saw in others of the profession. And yet here the man stood, with a look that could bore clean through stone if he stared at it long enough, and the old, familiar book clutched under his arm had also caught the old man's attention.

"What are you doing with that book, Colbert?"

"I was researching a hypothesis that I came upon earlier today, and I believe that this book holds the answer."

Colbert proceeded to explain the events of the day, of Miss Valliere's request for some after-class tutoring, of how her familiar had convinced them to conduct an experiment to see what caused her spells to misfire. And most of all, the discovery that they had made. Though it was by no means a secret discovery, Osmand, and presumably the entire castle for that matter, had heard the explosion in the distance. He had wondered just what had caused such an event, it was big enough that it managed to rattle his window a little from so far away. And so Osmand peered through the old tome, to the pages that Colbert had indicated, and looked upon what the future may hold.

"Are you certain, Jean? Absolutely, completely certain?"

"I'm sorry to say that I wish I wasn't, Headmaster, and that this discovery is one that I wish I hadn't made."

"The wheels of fate are in motion then, and Miss Valliere's path will possibly become quite treacherous."

Osmand then stood from his chair, reached for his pipe, and turned to stare out his window into the black of night. What would come, oh what would come? Will the world as they knew it continue to shine on, or would it fade to black, dark as the night that stared back at him? Too soon to tell and yet not soon enough, such was the way of approaching crossroads. As he continued his musings, something outside had caught the headmaster's eye, a slight movement down on the ground. With a wave of his staff, the mirror that usually reflected his office shifted, now to a perfect depiction of the outside. Gazing through, Osmand could make out approximately half a dozen figures in the low torchlight, all heading toward the front gate. As he peered closer, looking through his spectacles for any notable details, he saw... wait, was that...?

"Jean! Get to the front gate, now!"

Louise's room was quiet, save for the sound of shuffling paper, and the occasional scratch and tap of a quill. Tommy sat on his bed of straw, going over the notes he had taken that day. Science was never as straightforward as it was made out to be, curveballs were frequently a thing and not even the most experienced of scientists could predict how wildly they could go. In this case, it was explosions with a potentially nasty side effect, something that he would have to be careful around even while he was morphed. There was something that they hadn't taken into account, but what? Maybe it lied somewhere in what they weren't able to cover that day? He couldn't quite place it but something had been nagging at the back of his mind, like everything was staring him in the face and his eyes kept glazing past it.

His gaze then shifted to Louise, who had been working on an assignment though not quite at the moment. He recognized the telltale signs of distraction, quill held limply between her fingers, eyes unfocused and staring through her work. What happened earlier must still be on her mind, and how could it not be? He tried to give her peace of mind, help her figure herself out, but what did he give her instead? False hope? Confirmation that something was wrong with her? That would be enough to make work the farthest thing from anyone's mind.

"Is everything okay, Louise?"

"I...yes? No? How can I possibly know?!" she shouted, throwing her arms up and sending paper flying, "Just who am I, Thomas? Who am I supposed to be?!"

"The only person that you can be is you."

"That's not good enough," she shouted again, standing and turning to glare at him, "That's not an answer!"

"Then I'll ask a question: who do you want to be, Louise?"

"I want to be strong! I want to be skilled and capable to show everyone how wrong they are! I...!"

"Go on, Louise."

"...I want to be a wind mage," she said, sitting back down, "Like my mother."

Tommy stood up then and walked over, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"What kind of person is your mother?"

"Strong, absolutely indomitable, she can halt a raging manticore with just a glare."

"She sounds impressive."

"Naturally, you don't get to be a duchess by being average."

"Do you remember what I said earlier," he asked, seeing that her spirits were lifting, "About how explosions can be caused by the elements?"

"I do, but what does that have to do with this?"

"I was thinking, maybe you are a wind mage, just one that uses a very specialized variant of wind magic. Are there any wind spells that can slash or pierce in any way?"

"Yes but they are quite advanced, wind is the least tangible of the elements so to form it so precisely requires much skill or talent."

"So it's possible that you could have a talent for it."

"But why does it only work on magical objects?"

"I honestly can't say, all we can do is wait until tomorrow and find out what Professor Colbert went to research."

Louise said nothing, merely sighed once more, and went to the window to let some air in. Tommy could tell from where he stood that it was one of those Spring nights with just the right amount of chill to be refreshing, a light breeze coming through as silence fell once more.

"Who in their right mind would be out at this time of night?"

"What?" Tommy brilliantly asked as he moved to the window.

"There's someone down there," Louise explained, "They look like they're walking toward the front gate."

As Tommy peered downward, he could make out maybe five, six figures moving in the dark. As the last one left the torchlight, he caught a brief glimpse of some details, shoulder-length black hair, and the frills of a maid's uniform. Tommy bolted for the door, grabbing Derflinger along the way and strapped the scabbard to his back. He was not going to let this happen if he could help it.

"Wait, where are you going?!"

"Stay here, Louise, this is exactly what I warned you about."

"Oh no, you are not leaving me behind. I am a noble and it is my duty to put a stop to any injustice. You've prevented me from doing so twice already but not again!"

Tommy tried to come up with an argument that this was a bad idea, but any argument worth anything would take too long and there was precious little time as is. Just taking the time to think was losing time and potentially lives.

"All right fine, but if fighting breaks out, stay back."

The pair left the room and ran as fast as they could, the castle corridors flying by.

"So what about this has got you so motivated?"

"I've got to admit, I'm curious too, Partner. Not that I'm complaining, this is the first action I've seen in ages!"

"I was meaning to bring it up but things kept coming up and it kept slipping my mind. I met one of the maids yesterday and we got to talking, she mentioned that a lot of the serving staff had been going missing lately and I think we just caught them in the act."

"That's preposterous, there's no way that anyone could infiltrate the academy like that! Although, it would explain why meals have been subpar recently..."

"Jeez, you fleshy types are always thinking with your stomachs."

"Not now, Derf!"

As the doorway came into view, Tommy leaped over the banister and dashed outside. The night was quiet as he scanned the courtyard for any sign of them, any trace, but there was nothing.

"W-wait...wait...!" Louise gasped as she caught up, not used to running like that, "Where...are...?"

"Miss Valliere?"

The pair turned and found Professor Colbert standing in the entryway, staff in hand and looking between confused and furious.

"What are the two of you doing out here?" the man asked incredulously.

"We...we witnessed suspicious activity and came to investigate, Professor," Louise replied.

"No, you should be in your room, nowhere near anything like this," Colbert reprimanded before turning to Tommy, "What is she doing here?"

"I told her to stay but she refused, and there wasn't time to argue."

"You told her to...what are you doing running into who knows what?!"

"I'm not going to just sit by when I know that someone is in trouble," Tommy countered, "Look, the longer we argue, the farther away they get, and the three of us have a better chance of solving this than just one."

"Out of the question! I am not going to let anyone under my care potentially throw themselves to the wolves like this!"

It was a second before both men had realized that Louise had taken off toward the front gate ahead of them. Looking into each other's eyes, a silent agreement formed, that they would settle this later. As they rushed to catch up to their wayward charge, Tommy noticed something was off, something missing.

"Aren't there supposed to be guards here?"

"There should be but I see neither hide nor hair of them."

"Perhaps they were taken as well?" Louise asked.

"Or they could be in on it," Tommy added, "It would explain how this has gone on for so long. They're on foot so they can't have gotten far, do you know anywhere nearby that's secluded, Professor?"

"The only place I can think of is the woods. I recall a rumor from when I first started here that there was a cave within."

At this, Louise immediately resumed her charge, a proper destination now in mind. It wasn't long before they caught up to her again, being both larger and more physically fit, and before long they had reached the edge of the woods. Before they even entered, they could tell that the canopy would be thick and thus dark, meaning tracking their quarry would prove difficult. But before Tommy could say anything of the sort, Colbert tapped the butt of his staff against the ground, an orb of flame coming to life and hovering just above the top.

"How did they get so far ahead of us if they're just walking?" Louise asked as the stars disappeared amongst the thick upper foliage.

"They most likely heard us arguing and picked up their pace," Colbert replied bitterly.

"This might seem like a morbid question, Professor," Tommy began, "But how easily can the academy's healers fix a broken limb?"

"Depending on the severity, relatively easily. But why?"

"On the off chance that this turns violent, it'll give us a way to disable them and bring them back without permanently hurting them, if other methods prove ineffective. After that, they can be questioned."

Deeper into the woods the trio trekked, their ears peeled for any sound, and their vision aided only by the flame Colbert provided. Each snap of a twig, every rustling of foliage kept them on edge, unsure if it could be their enemy, the wind, or even their own feet. Tommy stayed in a ready stance as they marched, knees bent, hand on Derflinger's hilt, like a tiger ready to pounce at the slightest provocation. He and Colbert maintained a circular pattern, keeping Louise between them at all times, her wand in hand, and ready to cast. Every breath felt like an eternity and Tommy couldn't help but kick himself, he wanted to see action again and he was certainly getting it.

A red glow then came into view, small, flickering, but enough to illuminate the vague outline of a rock wall and the cave entrance it held. They approached slowly, cautiously, unsure as to the source of the glow but their answer soon followed. The glow intensified, revealing a hooded figure standing within the mouth of the cave. A sudden shift, the glow darting left as if being swept through the air. As if...

"Partner, behind you!"

Tommy lunged to the side, Derflinger drawn and readied in a flash and stood between their allies and assailants. By the firelight, he could see the spear that pierced the ground where he once stood, followed by the guard that still held it. As the spear was drawn from the dirt, a second figure emerged from the shadows, then a third and a fourth. Soon, six individuals stood before them, the two guards and four of the academy's servants. But something nagged at Tommy's instincts, something didn't feel right. Their movements were sluggish, they didn't stand as if they were prepared to attack. Almost like...

"Cease this and return to the academy at once!" Colbert commanded, brandishing the flame that illuminated the forest.

The command appeared to fall on deaf ears as silence was the only reply.

"What is wrong with them?" Louise asked, voice hushed.

"I think they're being controlled," Tommy answered, shifting his stance "Look at the way they move, people don't just shamble around like that."

"If they're being controlled by magic... does that mean...?"

"My thoughts exactly. Professor, can you keep the light going while casting other spells?"

"I'm afraid not, no mage can cast more than a single spell at a time."

"Don't sweat it, Partner. I may not have 'em but I'll be your eyes in the dark."

In the span of a second, chaos erupted. The red glow pulsed once more, followed by the earth rumbling and the cave sealing shut. The enthralled charged forth and Tommy to meet them, ducking below the first spear and deflecting the second with Derflinger, the firelight going out and two sets of incantations beginning. Tommy ducked and weaved, blocked and deflected as more spear strikes came, thankfully hindered by their wielders essentially being unconscious.

"On your left!" Derflinger cried out.

Tommy lunged to the side again as one of the unarmed servants made to charge him, then rolled out of the way of another spear strike before swiftly closing the gap. Blade and shaft collided, sharpened metal backed by enhanced strength instantly splitting the wood, before Tommy delivered a swift kick, knocking the entranced guard away. He turned to survey his surroundings, five opponents left, one still armed. He dashed straight to the other guard, intent on disarming him as well, but his path had been intercepted by the unarmed servants. Tommy dodged and weaved as they came at him, not wanting to defend with Derflinger out of fear of permanently maiming them. They fought like wild animals in their enthralled state, lunging in from every possible angle, trying to bring down what they perceived to be the largest threat.

"Wind Hammer!"

Tommy immediately lunged back as far as he could, as the burst of wind plowed through where he had been standing and knocked his ensorcelled opponents off of their feet. Knowing what was coming next, he ducked behind a tree and hunkered down.

"Fireball!"

The explosion ripped through the forest, buffeting anything and everything as it radiated from its epicenter. Tommy stood and rushed over to the servants and guards, checking their vitals and found they were all alive, just a bit battered.

"They seem to be okay, let's get them back and..."

"Aaah!"

"Ugh!"

Tommy instantly turned at the screams to find both Louise and Colbert doubled over, as well as...

"Siesta?!"

Despite the dark, he could recognize that it was indeed the maid that he had met the other day, standing over his companions. She said nothing, but what he could make out of her stance spoke loud and clear. He sheathed Derflinger right as she made her charge, and proceeded to deflect the first in a series of blows. She didn't fight like the others, this was skill brought on by years of training. Her speed, her technique, every blow aimed at one of his nerve clusters. Whoever had trained her did a fantastic job, as this level of skill had somehow come through otherwise total domination of her mind. He ducked beneath a strike to his temple, followed by deflecting a blow to his throat. She made to sweep his feet and he leaped over her head.

As he landed, a sudden, sharp pain erupted in his side, followed by the all too familiar feeling of a foot colliding with his back and knocking him forward. On instinct, he tucked into a roll and landed on his feet, his hand holding his side where the wound had no doubt been reopened. How did she know that he was wounded? He must have been favoring one side too much and she exploited it. Tommy couldn't help feeling a bit impressed, but now wasn't the time, he immediately turned and prepared for the continued onslaught.

"Fireball!"

The explosion went off right as he came face to fist with Siesta, his nose coming very close to being broken before she collapsed on him. Gently, he laid her on the ground and checked her pulse, just to be sure.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he rushed over to his compatriots.

"I am all right, though winded," Colbert replied, holding his midsection, "But Miss Valliere might need a healer."

"She snuck up on me and twisted my wrist!" Louise groaned, clutching her wrist with a pained grimace, "Just who was that and how could she keep up with you?"

"That was the maid I mentioned, the one who told me about the servants who went missing. And wherever she learned to fight like that, they certainly taught her well. Now we just have to figure out how to bring them all back with us."

The sound of incantation then reached his ears as Colbert, recovered enough to stand properly, began casting upon the unconscious.

"Levitation!" he called out, and each one of them lifted into the air.

The trek back to the academy was a slower affair, as not only did they have to navigate a dark wood, they had to make sure the rescued captives didn't bump into anything. But as surely as water was to flow downhill, so too did they eventually find their way out, the academy now in view. As they drew closer, they could see that a crowd had gathered outside. Tommy watched by the side as the victims were tended to, as well as Louise before she was scolded for running into a dangerous situation. And all the while, he kept catching glances from the old man who seemed to be in charge, he wasn't entirely sure but he thought he recognized suspicion in those looks. All in all, while they had succeeded in this rescue mission, he couldn't help but feel that this was far from over.