Chapter 11

- POV: Private First Class Brenner: the next day -

I leaned against the wall of the makeshift tent as I stared at the huge wooden stage set up in the middle of the courtyard. We were all currently watching Montmorency playing a violin while her familiar - that orange frog with the big red bow - danced on a podium for all to see. It wasn't as big or as impressive an event as the number of students would suggest, but it was all very interesting to watch regardless.

Princess Henrietta and Headmaster Osmond were sitting in the shade of a large circular luxurious tent off to the side, while students of all of the school years applauded politely. Montmorency bowed, as did the frog before hopping on her shoulder. With her performance done, the girl picked up the podium and left the stage promptly.

Louise and I were practically last in line as the exhibition slash pet talent show commenced - with dozens of acts ranging from regular tricks to downright magical based performances showcased to the audience. In front of us was Tabitha with Sylphid, with dozens of other students and their familiars ahead of her. Louise was fidgeting in her spot as the next performer approached - her own feet shifting nervously as if she needed to use the bathroom.

"Ugh, is there truly nothing you can do to awe everyone else?" she asked, finally breaking her own silence in a quiet tone.

"Well, I'm not about to shoot someone or something. I'm no sniper too, so I can't shoot something thrown in the air," I said.

"Alright, we'll think of something - something last minute that will be amazing and shatter the other familiars in this exhibition," Louise hissed to herself. "Are you sure you can't think of some sword skills?"

"You learn sword skills, you can't make them up," I said, drawing Derflinger. "I still need to get proper lessons...is there anyone around who can do that after all this is over?"

"A bit irrelevant if you ask me," Derflinger muttered. "Not like you'll look good in this stupid show anyways." I sheathed the sword once again and shook my head.

"It's not a stupid show, it's a very important event for the princess to attend!" Louise cried. "I can't be the only one to fail this show, not with Lady Henrietta watching..."

"Louise, you know she isn't gonna hate you all of a sudden if something goes wrong. How about I tell jokes? Here's one. What's brown and sticky?" I asked. Louise's face contorted in horrible disgust - and I had to hide my amusement when I said the answer. "A stick."

Louise's look turned into anger, and I sighed. "I don't know - this isn't my strong suit. I'm a better fighter than literally anything else. Look, I need to take a walk..." I said, rubbing the spot between my eyes. "I'll think of something, there's still a lot of time before we come up."

"Fine! Just...go," Louise sighed as I set Derflinger next to Louise before I got up. "This is the worst..." I heard her mutter as I quickly headed out. When I exited into sunlight, I saw the next performer, Malicorne, finishing up his own show with his owl familiar and a string of flags. I turned away as I heard the round of polite applause from behind me.

Approaching the gate, I took out a cigarette - thinking about what would definitely wow the audience of this exhibition. Lighting it with another match, I couldn't help but think back to basic training - about the endless week long drills that would make any noble here faint if they even saw one of them happening.

What was I even doing at this point? Breathing in the smoke, I lowered my stick and sighed - a puff of wispy gray steam dispersing lightly in the air. Why was I so concerned about this stupid talent show? I was a soldier- no. No, I am a soldier of the United States Army. I fought soldiers, tanks, and fortifications. I lost many friends and allies, and witnessed deaths of all kinds occur in front of me. I was lost to all of that in this world, and I had wanted to find my way back.

Have I already given up so easily? I breathed in my cigarette once again with a tired sigh, walking through the gate out of the courtyard - where another open field awaited me. Maybe I should just forget about it. I could easily wait out the show and come back later. Louise would be mad, but the world wouldn't end. I was far too stressed out to worry about a talent show when there was a war to be fought back in Europe.

Maybe I should just focus on finding a way to go back home and regroup with my unit. I wonder if they missed me-

I heard a rumbling sound in the distance, and I accidentally dropped my cigarette in the grass as I felt the ground tremble a little bit. On instinct, I quickly stamped it out before drawing my Garand. What in the world was that? I listened for some kind of reaction, but I heard none. Another round applause was barely heard in the courtyard far behind me.

Was it just me? I didn't see anyone else - nor any indication that the noise was heard by anyone other than me. I heard a light boom, this time to the left. Looking in that particular direction, I could feel my eyes widen. There was a cloud of heavy brown dust billowing from the base of the main tower. What was that, and where was it coming from? I didn't have time to go back and disrupt the entire exhibition, not with the tower looking like it could be damaged.

I ran around the tower towards where the dust was coming from. Upon reaching the large doorway to the field where the cloud of dust was rising, I quickly stopped, I pressed my back against the wall before slowly and quietly peering around the corner, in case what was waiting on the other side. I don't know what I was expecting - but what I actually saw was nowhere near what I'd been thinking of.

A huge monstrous figure of rock and dirt stood out of a huge crater of torn up ground. Did it come from underground? Or was it built out of the earth itself? I didn't have time to think - the massive walking rock person was rearing back its equally massive fist, which was aimed right at the tower.

So this thing was attacking the school? I quickly gripped a full cartridge of thirty aught six rounds from one of the pouches on my ammo belt and slammed it into my Garand - hearing the telltale click of a secured rifle before I ran out from cover and aimed at the huge monster. "Hey!" I yelled, flicking the safety off and arming the rifle.

The fist slammed into the tower - or it would have if something didn't stop it a few feet away from the stone. A huge shimmering wall of air was pressed against the rock fist - which seemed to actually take some damage from that attempted blow - with bits of crumbling rock and dust collapsing from its fingers and knuckles.

That was when I saw her. A glimpse of green hair underneath a cloak of black, standing atop the head - or a lack of a head and neck - of the huge creature. So someone was controlling it. "Back off! Drop the rocks and come out with your hands up!" I yelled.

I didn't get any verbal answer - but the massive hand of solid earth reaching for me provided a reply regardless.

I was barely able to run to the side, avoiding getting smashed between the rocks and the ground before I fired. Four shots echoed through the air, aimed up at the figure on the top. I could barely make out the distinct puffs of dust from where three of the bullets struck - near the feet of the figure. The fourth shot likely sailed over her head, and she stumbled back on her perch.

"Dammit..." I hissed before the golem swung once again. Lucky for me, this lumbering giant was slow, and I dodged another blow in the nick of time - my whole vision obscured in a cloud of heavy dust.

"Don't bother trying to stop me! I may not be here to kill anyone, but don't think I won't end your pathetic life if it means ridding me of a pest!" the woman boomed from above. I could barely hear her though, with the dust and the ringing of my ears getting in the way. Plus, the fact she was a good hundred feet in the air likely played a part as well.

How was nobody else seeing this thing? It was literally across the school grounds. And this thing was likely so fat it couldn't hide itself behind the tower. Getting up, I turned to try and aim at the monster once again, only to be sent flying.

I felt myself drop my rifle in the grass as I tumbled from the hard hit, and I found myself trapped in the huge grip of the creature seconds later. Dammit! My left arm was trapped by my body, with my right arm the only movable limb I had. My stomach began to hurt, and I realized that it was likely going to crush me if I tried anything stupid.

I could feel my own heart lurching into my throat as I was lifted high above the ground. "Don't bother calling for help. I placed a silencing spell around this localized area. No one will be able to hear you," the woman scoffed. I turned to see her, standing there ever so menacingly atop her rock monster - was that thin a familiar? No, it seemed more like a creation.

"So stay there like a good little peasant and I won't have to crush the living spirit out of your body," the woman said as the creature began to move once again. "Or I might simply just drop you from this high up - for fun, of course."

My options were limited - severely limited. I couldn't reach for my secondary weapon, and I was clearly unable to break free. The massive creature turned to face the wall again, lifting up its right hand and curling its fingers to aim at the tower once again. And nobody would be able to hear me, helpless as this creature commenced its attack without being noticed.

Well, if I couldn't be heard...

Growling, I grabbed one of my M18s and crammed it between the firm dirt of the hand holding me, and my own body before I yanked the pin. Quickly tossing the pin and holding up the grenade with my free hand, I quickly began to wave the canister as huge clouds of green smoke began to billow out.

"What is this?!" I heard the woman demand, moments before my own vision was obscured by the thick green. I cried out as the hand began to crush me, and I felt my vision begin to blur. Please be seen...

- POV: Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière: a few minutes later -

"Huh?"

"Look!"

"What is that?"

"That's an odd color of smoke..."

I turned to see the tower, and the huge cloud of green gas that seemingly began to surround it. What was that, and where was it coming from? And Brenner wasn't back yet...

The exhibition had been paused in the middle of Tabitha's performance with Sylphid - with me being right behind her. Right now, everyone was whispering to each other - confused by the sudden appearance of green smoke in the air across the grounds of the Institute.

"Smoke? Didn't Brenner say he carried smoke with him?" I heard Kirche ask in the audience.

"Yeah! Yesterday, he said he had something that let off a lot of smoke when activated," Montmorency said back. "You don't think..."

Oh no.

"Brenner!" I cried in panic, and I quickly ran from my waiting place towards the gate, past Lady Henrietta's tent and away from the stage. I was barely able to hear Derflinger yelling at me to stop. Behind me, I was barely able to hear Kirche and Montmorency give chase - with a bewildered "Where are you two going?!" being heard from Guiche.

I was utterly breathless when I reached the other side of the tower where the smoke and plenty of heavy dust clouds were billowing. When I looked up to see what was happening, I froze at once. "G-golem?!" I croaked fearfully.

The left hand of the massive rock summon was covered in that green smoke, with the right hand pounding the tower relentlessly - striking a force field that was in the way, rather than the stone walls itself. I was barely able to hear Kirche and Montmorency approaching. "Louise, just what do you think you are...doing..." I heard Kirche's voice demand before it slowly began to turn into one of disbelief behind me.

The golem before me was huge - absolutely huge. Dust and bits of rock were crumbling off of its segmented body. And on top of this - literally, there was a dark cloaked figure standing on top of the golem, looking down on us as it relentlessly attacked the tower. Looking down, I saw something brown lying on the grass - Brenner's gun.

"What do you think you're doing?! And where's my familiar?!" I yelled as loudly as I could at the golem's summoner, when I heard the sound of approaching footsteps nearby. I turned to see an out of breath Guiche and Malicorne joining us with their familiars. Flame was by Kirche's side, and Montmorency's familiar - Robin, sat atop Montmorency's shoulder.

"Hm. More pests," the figure up above said, though I was just barely able to hear her due to the intruder being so high up. "Do you children believe you and your little pets can handle me at the height of my power?!"

"Louise, get the hell out of here!" a voice called - and I felt my heart leap into my throat.

"Is that...Brenner?" Guiche asked, squinting as he tried to look up. "But I don't see him."

"You idiot, that golem is holding him!" Montmorency cried - pointing at the billowing green smoke in the left hand of the golem. I turned, only to see my familiar, struggling in the grip of the hand. He was holding something, something that was releasing all that green smoke - which was quickly dispersing into the air.

"Brenner!" I screamed, and I lost all my composure. Lifting my wand, I muttered the spell for a fireball before releasing it at once. There was silence for a moment, before a mighty explosion blasted against the golem's fist as it tried another punch at the tower. The golem actually stumbled a little, with the rest of us wincing from the loud boom. Regardless, it did nothing to hide the fact that what I had summoned was not a fireball - merely another explosion.

However, that seemed to do something for everyone else.

"Flame!" Kirche ordered, and both she and her familiar began to attack - releasing barrages of flame attacks towards one of the golem's legs. Guiche was spun into action as well - his own wand releasing petals and forming almost half a dozen knights of brass, which leapt up to attack the other leg of the golem.

"Now you're starting to rile my temper! Very well, you asked for it!" the summoner of the golem snarled, and she waved a hand. "Golem, crush them!" As she commanded, the summon of rock turned and raised its fist.

"Malicorne, call for help!" Kirche yelled as she braced for the incoming attack. The chubby classmate and his owl quickly ran as the golem's fist closed the distance faster and faster.

Lucky for us, she was going up against all of the elements.

"Quick, get behind me!" Montmorency yelled, and she cast her own spell, her own wand outstretched. At once, the tip of the wand began to spray out a wide and powerful stream of water. The right fist almost immediately began to melt - with much of the rock crumbling from the sheer pressure of the attack.

"Insolent brats!" the woman roared before she extended another hand. The ground beneath us rumbled loudly, and we were all thrown off of our feet as the dirt and grass shot up right from under us, flying to reform the water damaged earth. "Now die!"

A shot rings through the air. A pained yell was heard afterwards, and all seemed to freeze, with the rest of us slow to get up. I looked up from my spot in the dirt, seeing Brenner aiming his own smaller weapon at the enemy mage atop the golem. The woman was clutching her shoulder - her body under that cloak shaking in what appeared to be pure rage.

"Motherfucker!" I heard Brenner yell, and he fired two more times. One hits the golem itself, and the other misses with the lack of an impact.

"How dare you!" the woman roared, and the arm holding Brenner quickly lifted itself high into the air, right before it opened up, dropping Brenner very high up. I felt my own heart stop when I saw it - his body plummeting towards the ground.

"Nooo!" I screamed, just before a blur of bright blue swept under the golem's arm, catching Brenner's body as he fell. Sylphid spun around, Tabitha on her back as Brenner gripped her outstretched arm, his other arm holding his gun aiming at the golem.

"Tabitha!" I yelled, stumbling to my feet as Sylphid flew towards us. Thankfully, she landed - and Brenner slid off her back and down her wings, right into my arms. "Brenner...you idiot! What were you thinking?"

I would get a very nasty reprisal of the aftermath of a certain duel that happened a few years ago, with Brenner trying to speak to me - only to spit out blood. "Fuck...that hurt..." he croaked.

"I'll get a healer!" Kirche quickly shouted before the sound of a massive explosion filled the air. Looking up, we could see the new cloud of gray smoke billowing from the tower, the fist of the golem buried into a newly created hole. "H-how?! The barrier!" Kirche gasped as the woman ran down the golem's arm - into the hole before emerging with something clasped in her hands.

"I suppose I should thank you for making my job easier! Pray you never see me again!" the intruder - now thief cackled as she climbed back up her golem, which began to turn around from the tower - quickly making its escape by stepping over the walls.

A loud shot blasted itself right by my ear, and I heard nothing but ringing for a moment before another ear piercing shot made itself known. Brenner was shooting up at the escaping golem, pulling the trigger a third time, then a fourth. Then a fifth shot rang out before the gun made a clicking sound at the sixth trigger pull.

"Bitch..." Brenner coughed, pulling the trigger a few more times - his efforts amounting to nothing other than several harmless clicks before his arm fell limply by his side. "Dammit..."

"Brenner...what happened?" I whispered, my own voice quivering. He was hurt, probably as bad as when he fought Guiche - maybe even worse.

"I ran into her and that...ugly rock thing," Brenner began to explain, as the collective commotions of knights and the Institute's faculty began to arrive. Tabitha slid down Sylphid's wing to join us as my familiar spoke to me. "It was punching the tower and I tried to get it to stop...then it picked me up-"

"And you started using that smoke thing, right?" Montmorency's voice asked. I turned to see the blonde girl holding one of the canisters kept on Brenner's straps - missing the ring shaped object that was normally on it.

"Yeah...you shouldn't have gotten so close..." Brenner said, looking back at me. "Are you alright?"

"Idiot, I should be asking you that..." I whimpered. His breathing was labored, and I had the sinking realization that he might actually die. Before I could scream for help, a hand gripped my shoulder, shocking the life out of me. I whirled around to demand my shoulder be released before I was tightly hugged.

"Louise, it's alright..." Henrietta whispered. "We'll take good care of him."

"But...he..." I tried to say, as my own sobs began to wrack my own body - the sight of my familiar in such a wounded state leaving me so shaken.

"I won't let him die, I promise," Henrietta said as her knights surrounded them, two of them slowly lifting Brenner carefully. "And none of you will face punishment, I will personally make sure of that." I felt her release her hold on me several seconds later, watching as she stood up and issued orders to his knights.

"I want this man to be healed as quickly and carefully as possible. If he dies or suffers more, I will never forgive you!" Henrietta ordered - in a commanding voice I'd never heard. I didn't even think she could have it in her heart to be harsh. Then again, she had to have hardened from the years she spent as ruler.

I heard the knights comply as I wiped the tears from my eyes. "Get up, Louise," Kirche said from behind me, and I felt her hoist me up by the undersides of my arms. I thought she'd leave me wobbling, but she surprisingly kept supporting me all the while, helping me walk towards the dorms. I turned to see Professor Colbert walking towards me and Kirche, Brenner's discarded weapons - as well as Derflinger - in his hands.

"Miss Vallière?" Headmaster Osmond stood before me, bowing. "I offer my sincerest apologies for what has happened..."

"L-Lord Osmond, you mustn't-" I tried to say.

"No, this is an act of negligence on my part. I should have left the vault...and the surrounding grounds under proper guard. It was foolish of me to believe nothing would happen on the princess's visit..." the headmaster said. "I will personally work around the clock to ensure that Mister Brenner makes it through this difficult time."

I noticed his voice slowly waver at his declaration, and I knew that he was dead serious about it. "I-I thank you, headmaster," I said, as composed and as steadily as I could speak in my current state.

"And I shall declare that by Lady Henrietta's will, Miss Zerbst, Miss Vallière, Miss Tabitha, Miss Montmorency, Mister Gramont, and Mister Grandpré shall not face any repercussions for this terrible incident," the headmaster declared before leaving.

"Come on, Miss Vallière," Professor Colbert said, speaking up to many of us. "Surely you must all be tired. Go to your rooms and get some rest - classes will resume first thing tomorrow morning."

"Y-yes, professor!" Montmorency said before hurrying to the dorms, with Guiche hot on her tail. Malicorne was right behind them, and Tabitha walked back with Kirche - who was uncharacteristically quiet. Colbert quietly helped me back up to the dorms, remaining silent throughout the entire walk.

When we reached my door a good ten to fifteen minutes of walking later, the professor rested his hand on my shoulder. "We will make sure he recovers from this. I assure you," he said. I could only nod quietly as I opened the door. Professor Colbert stepped in after me, gently leaving both of the guns and Derflinger on the table before leaving and closing the door behind him.

"Hey, I heard a nasty commotion before you ran off! I couldn't hear a thing! I want answers! Where's Brenner?" Derflinger demanded once I heard the professor's footsteps disappear down the hallway. "Louise, where is he?"

I didn't have the heart to answer him. I didn't even have the energy to change my own clothes - and that made reality hurt all the harder. Brenner wasn't here to undress me, and he wouldn't be for a while. I simply kicked off my shoes weakly and collapsed in bed, struggling to pull the covers over me and curl up.

Derflinger eventually fell silent, and I closed my eyes. Despite the utter lack of energy, as well as the aching exhaustion from the earlier events, I couldn't sleep. Not without Brenner beside me.

Is this what it's like to really care about someone?