Part of 2 of the Fouquet Arc! Which is twice as long as Part 1! Why? Because that's the way it broke best.

This chapter almost got too dark, but I decided I like my T rating. Animoprhs have proven that you don't need to be extremely graphic to show how horrific something is.

After about an hour of smashing through the forest, Fouquet's golem finally came to a stop. Soaring high above, Tobias watched as the slim, green-haired mage spread out the earth that made up the golem's body around the forest floor in a messy splat. It was when the person hoisted Louise onto his shoulders that Tobias realized what the kidnapper was doing. By unevenly distributing the golem over a large area, he made it harder for any pursuers to follow her trail. If Tobias hadn't been keeping eyes on the kidnapper the entire time, he would have gotten away with it, especially under the cover of night.

Now Tobias was faced with a dilemma. He could demorph now to reset his time limit, or he could pursue for as far as he could go and hope the mage would have to stop to rest soon. Weighing the options, he decided it was safer to morph now. Morph breaks were never guaranteed on the chase, doubly so in a world where the laws of reality were regularly broken.

Tobias rested himself on a sturdy branch that up high enough to watch the kidnapper but sturdy enough to support a human boy. The mage was surprisingly quick despite the extra baggage on his back. He also was very skilled at avoiding leaving a trail. Even in the dim light, he managed to avoid breaking through bushes or crunching fallen branches. This meant that if he suddenly changed directions, Tobias would need to be following him full-time to catch on.

After resetting his morph, Tobias picked up the sound of large wing flaps in the distance. His hawk eyes could barely pick up the familiar light blue dragon flying in the distance. He mentally cursed. He needed to get close enough to contact Sylphid's owner, but he also couldn't afford to lose track of Louise for too long.

Tobias made the call. The kidnapper was unlikely to change directions at this point, which meant as long as Tobias kept track of his orientation, he wouldn't have too much trouble finding them again. But if Tabitha and Sylphid continued in their direction, they would leave Tobias's thought-speak range range before long.

Tobias flew towards Sylphid. As he drew close, he saw two figures seated on the wind dragon's back. Kirche's fiery red mane was distinct, as was Tabitha's shepherd's crook.

{Tabitha, can you hear me?}

Judging from how the girl jerked, causing her familiar to come to abrupt halt, that was a solid yes.

{I'm going to give you directions to where Louise is being taken, but I need you to slow down Sylphid,} Tobias directed her. {The kidnapper is on foot, and I want him to have a false sense of security so we can rescue Louise without endangering her.}

After a moment, Tobias added, {I also can't hear you from where I am, so if you have any yes or no responses, you'll have to get Sylphid to make some very exaggerated neck motions. Got it?}

Tobias could see Sylphid nod her head in the distance. {Good. Fly lower and turn about twenty degrees to your left. A little more. There. Also, fly a little slower. Yeah, like that. I'll let you know if there are any changes.}

Sylphid once again nodded, so Tobias flew off. Thankfully, as he predicted, Fouquet hadn't changed course, so it was easy to catch up to her. Another hour or so passed by in silence. The only communication was Tobias instructing Tabitha to slightly correct her course.

Finally, the kidnapper came to a stop at a small, rundown shack in the center of a clearing. Tobias waited until the kidnapper and Louise were inside before indicating for Sylphid to land nearby and walk the rest of the way.

When Tabitha and Kirche reached Tobias, he was already demorphed, clad once again in only his underwear.

"A little underdressed for the occasion, aren't you?" Kirche teased him.

Tobias ignored her and asked Tabitha, "Where's Sylphid?"

"Left behind. Too big."

Tobias nodded. That was a reasonable decision. "What's Kirche doing here?"

"Why wouldn't I be here?" Kirche asked. "A midnight rescue is just the type of excitement I need."

Tobias blinked owlishly. "What?"

"I'm Kirche the Ardent! Everything I do, I do it with passion!" Kirche declared. Thankfully, she had the sense to not yell at the top of her lungs. "Besides, this is so strange I couldn't not be involved. After Louise's explosions woke everyone from their sleep, no one was able to find her. Then a maid started yelling to everyone that you were speaking into her head saying Louise was kidnapped. The teachers went off to investigate, or whatever they call it, but Tabitha and I decided to go on ahead."

"You heard Louise was kidnapped by a golem the size of a building and you two decided that the best course of action was to chase after it?" Tobias deadpanned. On one hand, he appreciated the swift assistance. On the other hand… "Did you at least tell the teachers when you left?"

"We told the maid," Tabitha responded.

Tobias sighed. It wasn't ideal, but he would take what he could get. "I appreciate the help," he said sincerely, even as his expression didn't shift in the slightest. "Though I'm surprised you believed Siesta so easily. I was skeptical that anyone would take her seriously because she's a maid and not a noble."

"I'm very aware of the sounds a pure maiden makes."

"That sounds very concerning."

"Maid was genuine. Her story matched what we knew of you." Tabitha, for once, was the one to explain in more detail. "Sylphid was fast enough to catch up." She gave Tobias a curious look. "How did you get here?"

"I followed them." It was true.

"You're not tired." It was not a question.

"Correct."

"Strange."

Tabitha's observations were poking holes in Tobias's composure. He knew what she was really asking, but he wasn't willing to share. "That's not important now," he said. "We need to rescue Louise, preferably while catching the thief at the same time. What do we have to work with?"

"Ice magic. Triangle Class," Tabitha reported.

"You already know how talented I am at fire magic," Kirche declared proudly.

Tobias was very aware of how destructive Kirche could be. "I'd prefer both of our targets alive."

"You don't think that fire is only good for destroying things, do you?"

Tobias did not bother to respond to that.

"I do have a spell that allows me to use fire without burning people," Kirche insisted.

"Right…" Tobias turned to face Tabitha. "If I can get close to the kidnapper, I can distract him for a few seconds. Can you put him in a block of ice or something?"

Tabitha nodded.

"Good, that leaves Kirche in charge of rescuing Louise in the meantime. You can handle that much, right?"

"Of course! Stop acting like I'm incompetent."

While Tobias's poker face was impenetrable, clear doubt was evident on his face. He turned to Tabitha for confirmation.

"Kirche is capable," Tabitha affirmed. "She will be fine."

"If you say so," Tobias responded with a shrug.

"Why do you trust Tabitha but not me?" Kirche whined.

Tobias's deadpan was even more pronounced than usual. "Tabitha is calm, logical, and observant. So far, you have proven yourself to be loud, annoying, and dangerous. You're a hammer when we need a surgical knife."

"So cruel," Kirche pouted dramatically. "But that's what I like about you." She winked and flashed Tobias her best seductive smile.

That response caught Tobias completely off guard. His heart did not fall for her charm, but his head was very confused by her reaction. "Just follow the plan," he finally grunted, turning away from the buxom girl, who relished in her small victory. "I'll get the kidnapper's attention, Tabitha freezes him, and Kirche rescues Louise before everything goes to hell."

"Why do you think everything will go to hell?" Kirche asked.

"Experience."

Tabitha nodded in understanding. Tobias was both relieved to find a kindred spirit, and curious about her own experiences. However, that could wait for a better time.

The clearing had no cover, and the twin moons illuminated the area well. However, there was a blind spot between the cabin windows. Tobias grabbed handfuls of dirt and smeared them on his hair so the lighter blond strands wouldn't reflect the light as easily. He crawled forward on his belly, approaching the cabin cautiously. He wouldn't put it past the kidnapper to have a trap that would swallow any intruder whole if they stepped on the wrong spot. Magic was stupidly broken.

To Tobias's pleasant surprise, he reached the wall of the cabin without incident. He looked back to where Kirche and Tabitha were, but only saw the redhead. Giving her a questioning look, Kirche pointed up. Tobias tilted his head and saw Tabitha hovering high overhead.

'Stupidly broken magic,' Tobias mentally grumbled. He thought morphing had been powerful despite its limits, but compared to the nonsense magic could do, he was far outclassed. Which meant that he needed to be quick if he wanted to get an opening on the kidnapper.

Tobias slid up against one of the windows and put his ear to a crack in the window frame. Under the sounds of the grass blowing, tree branches swaying, and night animal scurrying, he could hear the sound of breathing. One, no, two sets. Despite mages' immense power, even they had limits.

Tobias normally would morph to enter the building, but he was hesitant to do so in front of Tabitha and Kirche. While he believed he could trust Tabitha to keep a secret—the girl barely spoke in general—Kirche seemed like a worse blabbermouth than Louise. Instead, Tobias opted to peek through the side of the window.

Sleeping on a dusty, rickety bed, was the kidnapper. Contrary to what Tobias expected, the kidnapper was actually a woman, as evidenced by the shape of the chest that rose and fell with every breath. Lying on the floor was Louise. Her arms and legs were shackled in earth bindings, and there was a strip of cloth gagging her. Otherwise, she was unharmed, just dirty.

Tobias could see a door on the other side, but he quicky decided against entering that way. The bed was too far from the door, and the entire place looked rundown. Tobias could see a wand clutched in the woman's hand. The noise from him entering would most likely give her enough warning to cast a spell before he could get close to her. There was the option of using the thought-speak trick that had saved him at Count Mott's place, but he couldn't risk it here with Louise potentially in the crossfire.

The next most accessible entry point would be the window Tobias was peeking through. Running his finger over the wood, he found it was very weather-beaten. There were glass panes in the window, but they were stained and slightly uneven. It was likely that the window frame had already started to rot. If that was the case, then even his weak human form would be able to get inside if he put enough force.

Raising a finger and pointing inside, Tobias signaled to Tabitha that he was about to go in. He took several steps back and held up five fingers as he started running towards the window. Four. Three. Two. One.

Glass exploded into the cabin as Tobias threw himself shoulder-first into the window. The wooden frame snapped easily even under his meager bulk. The kidnapper immediately woke up and raised her wand, but she was unprepared for Tobias to bodily tackle her with no form of finesse.

It was a proven fact that in a fight between two people of similar strength, the more aggressive fighter usually won. Technique was third to the abilities of hitting people first and shrugging of hits taken in return. Tobias was by no means as strong as Fouquet—being in his weak, thirteen-year-old body—but he knew how to fight by the skin of his teeth. Ignoring the wood and glass that were lodged into his arm and torso, he wrestled the woman off the bed and grabbed her wand.

They landed in a messy heap on the floor. Tobias drove his knees and elbows into whatever part of her body he could find as he tried to rip the wand from her hand. He couldn't see well enough to tell what he was hitting, but judging from the kidnapper's shrieks, it hurt. Eventually, the woman managed to use her free hand to punch Tobias across the face, forcing him to lose his grip on her wand hand.

What she didn't know was that Tobias had let go on purpose. "Now!" he called as he rolled away from the kidnapper entirely.

Tabitha flew into the open window and chanted, "Ice Prison!" Ice crystals formed the kidnapper's body, keeping the woman frozen to the ground.

"Transm—AH!" The woman cried as Tobias struck her across the face.

"Try casting another spell and I'll kill you."

This wasn't the first time Fouquet had been threatened with death in her career. However, looking at the cold, emotionless face of Tobias filled her with a panic she hadn't felt before. His words, spoken with such clear certainty, shook her to the core. He had no weapon in hand, but she could tell that his threat was a grave one.

As Kirche burst into the cabin, Tobias's attention didn't stray from Fouquet's eyes. "Grab Louise and get out of here," he ordered. "Tabitha, can you secure her wand once Louise is clear?"

"Yes."

"Good." Not hearing the sound of Kirche moving, Tobias growled, "Get going already, Kirche. Make yourself useful."

"I'm going, Darling, I'm going," Kirche said. "I just couldn't help but be transfixed by the expression on your face. If you're going to eat her at least be gentle about it."

The boy's eyes didn't leave his target, but Tobias's expression softened as he tried to understand what Kirche said. Was he looking predatory? He did have the habit of glaring at people like a hawk would.

Once Kirche was gone with Louise, Tobias refocused on the woman in front of him. He grabbed her long hair with one hand and held her neck with his other. "Disarm her, Tabitha," he ordered. "If she tries anything, I'll snap her neck."

He could see the shadow of Tabitha's head bob in response. He heard the sound of ice cracking, and then the sounds of more ice forming.

"Done."

"Good. Is there any other way for this person to be a threat?"

"Not to my knowledge."

"Are you confident in your knowledge?"

"Yes."

Tobias nodded. "Keep an eye on Kirche to make sure she isn't doing anything weird to Louise. I'm going to interrogate our prisoner."

Tabitha was silent for a moment before replying with a soft, "Understood."

As the door swung closed behind Tabitha, Tobias readied himself for the next part. "Now," he said, addressing the woman he held at his mercy. "What should I do with you?"

This was the first time Fouquet had been caught since she had started her crime spree. It was a cold, biting, entrapped sensation. Or maybe that was just the ice covering her body. Either way, she was now trapped in a room with the near naked boy who had just attacked her like a wild animal. Blood was still dripping from where shards of glass were lodged in his body. Whether he was still high on adrenaline or just didn't care about his injuries, she couldn't say.

What she could tell was that Tobias was conflicted. Oh, his face wasn't very expressive. From what she remembered after spying on Osmond and the rest of the faculty, the boy was a bit touched in the head and displayed little emotion aside from varying degrees annoyance. However, his eyes told a very different story. His gaze flickered from her face, to her entrapped body, to the hand where her wand once was, back to her body, before finally ending at her face. He was trying to assess whether or not she still a threat.

A rookie mistake for any interrogator.

"Is this the part where you make me talk?" Fouquet asked cheekily.

"I suppose." His tone was disinterested, reluctant. Bland, but informative. "You got a name?"

"It's rude to ask a lady's name without giving your own."

"Where's the lady?"

"Nice comeback. How long have you been planning to use that one?

Tobias narrowed his eyes. "If you're just going to waste my time, I could just kill you."

Fouquet couldn't tell if he was serious, so she played it safe. "If you kill me, you'll learn nothing," she warned.

"People I leave alive had a bad habit of showing up when I don't want them to," Tobias responded without hesitation.

He wasn't lying, Fouquet could tell that much. However, she could also tell that he didn't want to kill her. His grip was still on her neck and hair, but it was only uncomfortable, instead of painful or potentially life threatening. Fouquet could assume that the boy had killed people before, but not with his bare hands. He also was a complete novice in interrogation. As long as she played her cards right, she was safe.

"I suppose you could kill me," Fouquet said thoughtfully. "But then you'd never find out where I hid all those treasures."

"What treasure?"

"I'm a thief," Fouquet confessed with pride. "I've stolen plenty of expensive artefacts from prissy nobles.

"Who cares?" Tobias said dismissively.

So, he wanted to play hard ball? Fouquet was fine with that. "All together they're worth quite a pretty penny. Probably enough to feed a family for several years."

"Again, who cares?"

It was then that Fouquet realized that the dismissal in Tobias's voice wasn't a ploy, but genuine disinterest. She looked at him like he was crazy. "You could buy a mansion with the valuables I've stolen," she explained.

"If money is the only thing on your mind then I guess I have no need of you." The pressure on Fouquet's neck intensified as Tobias started to twist.

That was not what Fouquet expected to happen. Everyone had at least some desire for material wealth. Even if he wanted more than just treasure, that should have at least been a useful bargaining chip. "W-wait!" Fouquet sputtered as pressure began to build on her throat. "What do you want from me?"

The pressure on Fouquet's neck stopped as Tobias immediately relaxed his grip. Another immature mistake on his part. "I need to know who else is a threat to Louise," said Tobias. "Are there any more super-powered criminals in the staff? How about the student body? External threats? Who hired you?"

The response threw Fouquet for a loop. "I offer you more money than a commoner can see in their lifetime, and you're still worried about your master? What are you, some kind of attack dog?" she scoffed.

"Answer."

The threat was clear, but Fouquet wasn't done pushing her luck. "What's in it for me?" Seeing Tobias narrow his eyes, she added, "You could just kill me after you get what you want out of me. What makes me certain that I'll get out of here alive even if I answer your questions?"

In a brief moment of expression, a look of contemplation came over Tobias's face. Fouquet inwardly cheered. While she didn't doubt that he had the resolve to kill her, she now knew for certain that he wouldn't risk it if she was somewhat cooperative. He wanted information, and while Fouquet didn't have a lot, she knew how to leverage it to her advantage. Exploiting his paranoia would be child's play.

Eventually, Tobias's expression once again settled, and his eyes hardened. "I think you're misunderstanding what's going on here," he stated.

"Oh?"

"You think this a negotiation. Let me remind you that I'm here to interrogate you. That means answering me is in your best interest."

Fouquet barely refrained from rolling her eyes. "Kid, let's be honest with each other. I have the information you want. All I want to do is live. It's a simple exchange. Nothing complicated."

Tobias was openly glaring at her, but Fouquet continued. "Face it, you're not much of a negotiator. Let me give you one piece of advice for free. When you're trying to make yourself sound intimidating, don't do it while bleeding out in your underwear. It's very hard to take you seriously like that."

That prompted the boy to finally look himself over and notice the streams of blood that were running along his arm and side. "I was wondering why my arm was feeling pins and needles," he muttered under his breath. He decided to leave the obstructions where they were. Morphing would deal with any infection, and ripping them out now would cause him to bleed out faster.

Fouquet smirked. Tobias was an unreasonably pragmatic person. Now that she had made him realize that cooperation was the only way they would both get what they want, she was one step away from getting off scot free.

Tobias sighed. "You're right. I'm not much of a talker, let alone a negotiator," he conceded. Then his eyes narrowed. "But I do have a bit of first-hand experience with interrogation methods. Let's see if you can handle this was well as I did."

Fouquet readied herself to be punched, slapped, or otherwise physical assaulted. However, Tobias didn't move. Instead, an expression of intense pain came over his face, breaking his usual emotionally void visage.

Then Fouquet screamed.

Pain. Everywhere. The ice didn't numb it. The screaming from her throat didn't help either. All she could do was scream as every part of her body was tortured in agony. Every muscle felt like it was being seared in flames. Every inch of her skin burned from the inside and outside. Her head was being caved in by the force of several hammers, her throat was being ripped apart—

Pleasure. That was the best way she could describe it. Like all the previous pain was nothing more than a nightmare from the night before. The lingering sensations faded away as Fouquet felt a pleasurable sensation beyond her wildest dreams. Absolutely nothing compared to this feeling tingling through her entire body—

Pain. After being on cloud nine, this pain felt even worse than the last. Fouquet wanted to go back to that feeling of incredible bliss. Now she was being cooked, prodded, and ripped apart from the inside out. Make it stop. Make it stop!

Pleasure! A peace she now craved. She wanted to enjoy every moment of it. Here, there was nothing that could hurt her. She couldn't let it go—"

Pain! Not again. She didn't want to go through this again. Stop! Please! Make it stop! It hurts! Stop! Please! Stop!

"Stop! Please…" Fouquet found herself muttering as she slowly came to. Her eyes took a moment to adjust. She was still trapped in ice, but there was a vile taste in her mouth and a warm wetness under her trousers. She could feel sweat still forming and dripping from her brow despite the coolness covering the rest of her body.

Tobias was still sitting where she had last seen him. He was breathing heavily with his eyes closed, but looked otherwise fine. When he opened his eyes, they were cold and focused. "It's easier to do this at the press of a button," he commented. "I guess I'll have to do this a few more times to make it an hour."

"No! Stop!" Fouquet didn't like how hoarse and desperate she sounded, but she couldn't take any more of it. "Please, no more. Whatever that was, don't! Please…" She was cut off as she involuntarily retched. Her muscles were too weak to properly expel the bile, so it took several seconds of choking before she was able to spit it all out. The taste was still in her mouth, but without water to wash herself off with, it was the best she could manage.

Various emotions flickered through Tobias's eyes, too subtle for Fouquet to distinguish them. "Don't make me out to be the bad guy here," he grunted. "That was barely five minutes. I lasted over two hours."

"…how on Halkegnia did you survive two hours?" Fouquet asked. She couldn't imagine taking even an hour of that kind of torture without going insane. "Who would do that to you? And how did you do that to me?"

"I'm asking the questions here."

Fouquet immediately shut her mouth. While Tobias wasn't a skilled interrogator, whatever he did was an experience she never wanted to go through again.

Tobias was silent for a moment, then, after a moment of deliberation, sighed and said, "I had some enemies; dealt with them afterwards. That's all you need to know."

Bloody Brimir that told Fouquet plenty. If there was a reason this kid was messed up in the head, that'd be it. She mentally cursed whoever had done this to him for creating the monster she now had to face.

"Moving back to my previous questions," Tobias began. "Your name?"

"Fouquet of the Crumbling Earth."

Tobias's eyes narrowed again. "Don't lie to me."

Fouquet wasn't sure how he knew, but she wasn't going to contest that. "It's not my birth name, but it's the name I'm best known by," she explained quickly. "Ask the mages! Every aristocrat in Halkegenia has heard of me!"

After a moment's deliberation, Tobias nodded, accepting the answer and not pressing further. "You mentioned you're a thief. Do you work for anyone in particular?"

"Nope," Fouquet immediately denied. "I'm a freelancer. Occasionally I go to information brokers and the like, but I mostly keep to myself. Less hassle and more profit that way."

"So, you don't have any accomplices in the faculty, staff, or student body?"

"As if I would work with those brats and sellouts."

"Fair enough," Tobias conceded with a nod. Interestingly, he didn't correct her for insulting the other nobles. "Is there anyone else you know of who has interest in the academy?"

"Everyone's interested in the academy," Fouquet deadpanned. "The Tristan Magic Academy is the best magic school in Halkegenia, and its Vault has treasures worth enough to feed a normal family for a lifetime."

"So why hasn't more people tried to break in?" Tobias asked. "The security isn't all that tight if you were able to sneak in so freely, Mrs. Longueville."

Fouquet clicked her tongue. Well, now she had a good guess why he didn't believe she gave her actual name. "Most criminals aren't mages, let alone skilled ones. It'd be suicide to break into a school with faculty that are all at least triangle class, and almost a quarter of the students are bordering line class. I was hoping to get more time to find the Vault's weaknesses, but thanks to the monster and dragon attacks in the past few days, I was forced to move up my timetable without warning. I can't think of anyone else who'd try something similar."

Tobias half-nodded, feeling no shame. "And why did you kidnap Louise?"

Fouquet could hear the coldness in Tobias's words. What she said next would likely determine if she lived or died by his hands. "I was only trying to steal from the Vault, but she showed up out of nowhere. I wasn't targeting her, I swear! All I wanted to do was restrain and silence her so I could break into the Vault! She broke out and attacked me, so I kidnapped her to get some ransom money. It was entirely spur of the moment and I had no intention of harming her!"

"And how can I be sure of that?" Tobias challenged.

"I never seriously hurt people in my heists," Fouqet stated. "I normally avoid detection altogether, but when I do fight, I immobilize, not kill! If I did go around killing people, I'd have a bigger bounty on my head and be hunted down for real. The only reason the crown hasn't sent swarms of guards after me is because I never harm people, let alone kill them. I just tear down their 'impenetrable' walls and steal their valuables, leaving a calling card to build my reputation. That's it. You can ask the students and they'll say the same thing!"

Tobias studied Fouquet for a long moment. Then, he nodded. "That answers all of my questions. We're done here." He rose from his seat, shaking his legs to get back the feeling.

"Wait."

Tobias paused, turning back to Fouquet. "What?" he growled.

"What are you going to do with me?" Fouquet was ashamed of how weak her voice sounded in that moment.

Tobias shrugged. "I don't really care so… I guess leave you there until those lazy teachers show up."

"Can you at least get me out of the ice?"

"And give you a chance to run away? I'm not stupid."

"Please… my body is freezing."

"…"

"…and I need to clean myself up."

Tobias looked conflicted. While he didn't particularly care for the thief's well-being, he wasn't a cruel person either. Fouquet may have kidnapped Louise, but she could've been far worse.

Tobias slowly nodded. "I'll get one of the girls to let you out and watch you for a bit," he said. "But first…" He stepped towards her and put a hand on her sweaty forehead.

"What are you…" Fouquet's words trailed off as her mind began to slow down. For a few seconds, all of her senses became muted and she felt herself become unreasonably tired. Then, she snapped back up, seeing Tobias already at the cabin door. "What was that?!" she sputtered.

"A little extra insurance," Tobias replied without turning around. "I acquired you. That way, if you end up causing trouble, I'll be able to hunt you down more easily." He glanced over his shoulder to give her a warning glare. "I personally don't care what you do with the rest of your miserable life, as long as Louise isn't harmed. Do not make me hunt you down." With that, he turned on his heel and slammed the door shut.

Tobias took a moment to compose himself as he leaned against the closed cabin door. Reliving that painful memory had affected him less than it had Fouquet, but it still left its mark. Muscles spasms had shaken every inch of body. His right arm and side were aching and numb. His legs felt like that been put through a ringer. Tobias's only solace was that the interrogation was success, if only barely. He needed to get better. Stronger. There was no way his current skills would cut in a world like this.

Slowly, Tobias trudged away from the cabin. Louise, Kirche, and Tabitha were sitting in the clearing a good way's off. Kirche and Louise had their back to him, but Tabitha was turned at an angle. She caught his eye with a small nod of acknowledgement, which he returned.

Kirche, somehow having the skill to pick up Tabitha's slight motion, immediately turned around. "Are you finally done, darling?" she asked him as she fluttered her eyelashes.

"Don't call me that," Tobias said brusquely. His attention focused on Louise. Aside from the dirt that covered her from head to toe, she looked well enough, if not a little pale. "How are you holding up?"

"I passed out being suffocated by the golem of an international thief, and I woke up to find my familiar naked wrestling her while bleeding everywhere," Louise said in a flat tone that mirrored Tobias's own. "Tell me, how do you think I'm holding up?"

The sarcastic bite in Louise's voice caught Tobias by surprise, but it also gave him a feeling of relief. "If you have enough energy to be sarcastic, you're fine."

"What about yourself?" Louise challenged him. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

Tobias tilted his head to the side. "No. That's why I had Tabitha assist."

"And me!" Kirche interjected, only to be ignored.

"That's not what I meant," Louise said with a shake of her head. She waved her hand up and down to indicate Tobias's body. "Look at you! You're bleeding everywhere!"

Tobias look down on himself. Walking across the clearing had agitated his injuries. Blood was leaking the larger impalements on his body. Ah, no wonder he felt so numb. Blood loss. He'd need to morph to restore his missing blood before he passed out. "I'm going to go pull out these before they get infected," he said.

"Leave them in," Tabitha ordered. "You'll bleed out."

"I know what I'm doing," Tobias retorted. "Besides, I need you to defrost Fouquet and watch her."

"Why?"

Tobias thought about the most tact way to describe Fouquet's present situation. "She made a mess on herself and you're the only person here I can trust to handle her while she cleans up."

The chirping of crickets resonated across the clearing.

"W-wh-why are you so crude?!" Louise exclaimed as her face turned as red a tomato.

"That was the nice way of putting it."

Kirche raised up her hand. "I could handle—"

"Denied." "No." "Unnecessary." Tobias, Louise, and Tabitha quickly shot Kirche down, causing the redhead to pout.

"Even Tabitha is being mean to me," Kirche lamented.

Tabitha gave Tobias a nod before flying towards the cabin. With Kirche sitting at her personal pity party, Tobias moved to slink into the forest. Louise tried to follow him, but he held a hand up.

"I can handle this better on my own," he insisted.

"As your master, it's my job to take care of your well-being," Louise countered.

"Have you ever tried to pull glass out of someone's body?"

"Well… no, not exactly…"

"Then let me handle it myself," Tobias said. "Less pain for me, no chance of you hurting yourself, it's a win-win."

Louise was visibly frustrated, but she knew he was right. "I'll watch you so I can learn," she decided.

Tobias raised an eyebrow. "Why would you need to learn how to pull out broken glass from someone's shoulder?"

"You never know, it could come in handy when dealing with a crazy familiar who always gets hurt," Louise remarked drily.

"Noted. Still, no." Tobias turned and walked away.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Louise argued. "I'm your master, so what I say goes."

"Can you stop acting like a spoiled brat for once?" Tobias snapped as he whirled around. Seeing the hurt expression on Louise's face, his temper quickly cooled. "Sorry, I just need to take care of this before I bleed out anymore." He shuffled away as quickly as he could without showing how unsteady he was on his feet, leaving Louise to her thoughts.

Louise didn't think she was a spoiled brat. She was a hardworking rising noble lady who always tried her best. She wasn't soft! Her mother trained her in the Rule of Steel, to be unflinching, unwavering. And yet, how could she compare to her familiar? He had chased down Fouquet in the dead of night, intentionally harmed himself to rescue her, and was handling his injuries on his own.

What had Louise done? Nothing. Actually, worse than nothing. She had confronted Fouquet on her own and gotten herself captured in the process. Far from being a respectable noble, she had played the role of a damsel in distress. Except, instead of a knight in shining armor coming to her aid, she had her down-trodden commoner familiar.

No, she wasn't going to accept that. If she was going to become a mage worthy of her family name, then she couldn't let herself be outdone by her own familiar. Louise marched over to where Tobias had walked to. Whether he wanted her help or not, she wasn't taking no for an answer.

{Stop.}

The thought caused Louise to stumble, but she quickly recovered and kept marching forward. "I may not be able to help you know, but I'll learn. And you can't stop me!" she called out.

{Louise. Turn around.}

"Where did you go?" While Tobias didn't answer, she heard the sound of something shuffling nearby. A form quickly ducked behind a tree, hiding from her view. "There you are."

{LOUISE!}

The shout assaulted her mind, but Louise pressed through it. She heard an odd squelching sound as she reached the tree the noise was coming from. Behind the tree was her familiar, sitting slouched against the trunk of the tree. Blood was stained all over where he lay, as were shards of glass and bits of bloodied wood. His face was pale, and his eyes were wide in borderline panic.

"What do you think you're doing?" Louise asked.

"Trying to handle things on my own," Tobias hissed.

"You're not supposed to handle things on your own," Louise admonished him. "You aren't supposed to do everything for me!"

"Really? Because that's how you described familiars to me."

Louise bit her lip. She had put that expectation on him, but she hadn't meant it that way. "You should have let me see," she said finally. "I need to learn how to take care of you since you're doing a poor job taking care of yourself."

"Maybe next time."

"There better not be a next time!"

"No promises." Tobias shifted uncomfortably. "Would you mind… leaving now?"

"Why?" Louise asked suspiciously. "You look like you can barely stand."

"I'll be fine in a minute."

"Then why don't we leave now? I'll help you up."

Tobias was surprised by the sincerity in Louise's voice. She really did want to help him. Not superficially, but meaningfully. While he appreciated the sentiment, he couldn't accept her off this time. "I have to take care of something sticking out of my underwear."

Louise froze. Vibrant red crept her face. "Why didn't you say that earlier, you pervert!" she cried as she dashed away. "Fine! Go on your own! See if I care!"

Only when Louise's form was finally lost in the trees did Tobias let himself relax. Gingerly, he stood up, revealing a set of ginger tail feathers sticking out of his tailbone and pulling on the band of his boxers. "At least the rest of my body came back in time," he said in relief as the feathers began to recede. "That would've been really bad if I still had my beak."

Tobias torturing Fouquet with his own memories was something I anticipated very early on. I'm almost surprised the Animorphs didn't try something similar earlier. But mental and psychological torture can easily get out of control, I don't see any of the Animorphs besides Marco approving of such a tactic. (Plus, Animorphs was mostly kid-friendly). Tobias has new tool in his arsenal, even it is highly situational.

I don't know when Louise and the others will find out Tobias's secret, but there's mounting evidence that he's nowhere close to normal. And when they find out what he did to Fouquet... well, that's going to be awkward.

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