italics - thoughts
Bold - Emphasis
Italics Bold - Magic names or titles
"normal" - speech
" underlined bold " - Mental transmissions
Underlined - Flashback
{Bold}- Magic spells or abilities
Disclaimer:I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index nor its characters. All rights belong to Kazuma Kamachi. Except for my own characters that I create
Chapter 21: All paths lead to…
They were barely five minutes in when Shutaura felt something was off.
By all accounts, they should have chosen to keep Akikawa safe until night time, then choose to move out. But because of orders from above, they were told to move Akikawa to an undisclosed location as soon as the terrorist group had found them, instead of driving them off. But, because Shutuara had to obey orders, they were now forced to move Akiwawa Mie in broad daylight, which would give their enemies a clear indication of where they were.
! Shutaura slowly repeated what she had just thought of. A clear indication…
"Great, so the Board changed its mind." Arisa sighed out the horrifying realisation. "Hopefully, we can still keep her safe."
"This is…team B…" The radio attached to Shutaura's shoulder blared to life.
"What's wrong?" Shutaura kept an eye out, her senses tingling. Now that she knew that her team was now stepping into the jaws of a rescue-turned-suicide mission, she wanted to be alert at ALL times, ready for combat.
"She's…coming…"
Yomikawa grunted as she pulled herself into a sitting position. All around her, her team lay motionless. Arrows were sticking out of various areas of their body, somehow managing to pierce their body armour. "Huntress…" Wincing, Yomikawa pressed a hand against her arrow wound. She could feel it's effects already coursing through her body. "She is coming to you…watch out for the esper too…they… … … … ...can… …"
"…they… … … …can… …. krzzsstt" At that moment, the radio shut off. Whether the leader of that group had been knocked out, or if the radio itself was destroyed by a projectile, Shutaura did not know. All she could do was prepare her team for whatever was headed her way.
"Stay aler-" No sooner had the words left her mouth did she witness two members of her group crumple to the floor, wooden shafts sticking out of their shoulders.
So fast! Kicking her mind into overdrive, Shutaura willed herself not to panic, instead giving out her orders in a calm, but firm, voice. "Deploy shields!"
*chink chink chink*
The remaining members of the group instantly complied with her orders, acting like a well-oiled machine. Sliding their fingers down their arms, metal unfurled from the limbs like flowers in bloom, revealing a scaly-looking rectangular shield, similar in shape and size to the ones commonly used by Anti-Skill, albeit in a smaller size.
Thank goodness these are my Unit members. Shutaura did not know how the Anti-Skill members would have reacted, but she was fine with that. Plus, only her members were the ones who were better equipped to deal with these sorts of attacks. After all, their entire person was outfitted with specialised equipment that is custom made for them, including personal shields that had the ability to protect them from point-blank grenade attacks(the grenades I question being from Academy City).
"Stay alert for incoming arrows!" Shutaura quickly assessed the situation, shielding Akikawa behind her arm from any potential harm. Unlike her team, however, she opted to not have a shield outfitted on her person, seeing as the shields themselves were made of previous metals. They could be accidentally explode from using her ability, harming herself immensely. "If you see the enemy, be prepared to attack them. However, our priority is to keep our target safe. No need to unnecessarily attack."
"My, my. What contradictory orders you are giving out." A female voice seemed to coil itself in Shutaura's ears. "Are you sure you can handle me, one who is blessed by the goddess of the moon?"
"You won't get Akikawa Mie that easily." Shutaura replied to the female. "I'm guessing you have already wiped out the other two groups?"
"Quite the assumption there." The female had a hint of mirth in her tone. "But quite correct. None of them have been killed. The ladies, I can guarantee. As for the males…well, no promises. I hate them."
Silver arrows aimed at Shutaura's shoulder and head were fired, their silver heads glinting in the sunlight. Seeing this, one of her members raised his shield slightly, managing to stop the silver arrow in it's tracks as it clattered to the floor. Seeing this, Shutaura smirked inwardly. Were you hoping to pierce through it? Sorry, these shield are made from one of the strongest materials that Academy City cooked up. They are less than a few kilograms too, so they are easily portable.
In response to that, several more arrows were fired, each seemingly coming from all directions. What!? Shutaura's eyes widened at the spectacle, but she calmed down almost immediately. Even if they try this, it's useless if it won't penetra-
Murphy's law decided to give her a wakeup call at that moment.
"Guah!"
"Shit, it got through!"
"Too fast!"
Three of her members shouted in shock. Not that Shutuara could blame them. After all, this time, the silver arrows that the enemy had fired pierced through the shields like they were made of paper, burying themselves deep into their fleshy bodies. In mere seconds, the ones who had been shot collapsed to the ground, like the strings that had been holding them up had been cut.
"Move!" Barking out her order, Shutaura grabbed onto Akikawa, carrying her like a bag of rice. Not minding the surprised 'Eh?' that she had uttered, Shutaura quickly brought Akikawa to a building. As she ran, she quickly tossed numerous balls into the air, as well as stick-like objects. The members of her group did the same, throwing copious amounts of the items into the air.
At first, Akikawa made a sound. Most likely, she wanted to ask about the items they had thrown. But, having predicted this course of action, Shutaura forcefully smashed Akikawa's head against her own, casing the girl to old her head in pain. And just in time too.
No sooner had the girl grabbed her head and reflexively angled it towards the ground, the objects in the air exploded.
*Kisha*
The balls exploded, dispersing a grey cloud over the air. Instead of falling straight to the ground however, it hung in the air like a cloud. As for the sticks, they had exploded with a smaller bang, but instead of dispersing a grey cloud, it released a bright light into the air. Hmph, weren't expecting that, were you? These things are non-lethal things we got the City to develop. They are not great for covert operations, but they shine in these types of things! Rescue and escaping that is!
As she ran, both she and her group used their flashbangs and smoke grenades sparingly, covering the sky and the potential escape areas for them to move into to confuse their foe. It was in this way that the already dwindling numbered group managed to reach the nearest building. Smashing her shoulder through the door, she quickly dived behind some cover, dumping Akikawa onto the ground unceremoniously. Panting sightly from the dash(it was around 600 metres.)
The remaining members of her group rushed in after her, taking cover behind walls or doors, before the retracted their shields. What on earth? Shutaura narrowed her eyes as she replayed in her mind what had just happened. Those arrows managed to pierce through those shields…was there something different about the arrows themselves? Or was she simply using the first arrows as a way to prod our reactions to her attacks? Either way, this does not change the fact she is a dangerous enemy.
Taking a slight breather to calm herself, Shutaura overlooked the remaining members. Out of the ten(not including her), there were now three remaining. Assuming those arrows work the moment they hit their target, that means…two more were hit while they attempted to flee, even while we used smoke and flash bang grenades to reduce the possibility of them noticing our positions as we ran?
Reaching into the inside of her arm, she pulled out a long piece of metal.
It was a knife.
Normally, she would use it as an alternative weapon when fighting close up, or when she had to cut bindings. But it was useful for the more artistic member of their Unit, as it doubled as a mirror to check if they had applied their disguise makeup properly. And right now, she was using it to check for their enemies.
When she looked into the knife, she could already see the effects of the smoke grenades they had used were fading, blowing away because of the wind. And it was thanks to that that she was able to see her enemy for the first time.
She was wearing a sliver parka that went to her hips, as well as a silver-grey pelt skirt that had slits at the side. A quiver of arrows slung at her hip, as well as a hunting knife on her thigh. A wooden bow was held in her hand, along with another folded up one attached to her back. Currently, she was looking through the smoke, her gaze directed at a building opposite of the one she was currently in.
And she was less than 20 metres away from their current position.
Too close. Shutaura immediately brought down her knife, sliding it back into it's sheath soundlessly. If we make a sound, she is sure to hear us. Thankfully, we are safe for now. It looks like she does not know where we are at the moment. Of course, there is the possibility that she is faking it, and knows exactly where we are. She could be the type that plays with her food before she eats it. Either way, we are cornered.
Shutaura grit her teeth in frustration, allowing her emotions to overcome her for a brief second. Out of time, out of places to hide, and unable to defend against their weapons. Even if we had our mechs…I might be able to do something about her, but Akikawa Mie would be exposed to the fight–
"Found you."
"!" Shutaura immediately leapt away from her position, shooting her pistol behind her as she did so. All of them hit empty air. Shit! Did she manipulate my senses to give away my location?
Shutaura's hunch was right. At that moment, when she looked out the window, her gaze locked on with the girl. Despite the distance, and despite the fact her hood was covering her face, she could tell. That the girl was smiling.
Cold shivers went up her spine as she saw the hooded girl raise her bow, aiming at her–
–and a sudden weight was pressed upon her back.
"Gah!" Expelling all the air in her lungs, Shutaura met the floor with a painful thud. She had been forced to the ground against her will. Or rather, her body had accelerated and hit the floor, pinning her down with an unseen weight.
Struggling to lift her head, Shutaura could just barely see that the remaining members of her unit had all been pinned to the floor as well. Regardless of distance, whether they could be seen through the window, or if they were holding a weapon, they had all been forced to the floor, spread-eagled. What…is this?
Shutaura experimentally moved all her limbs. Or tried to, anyway. So, I can't move my arms of legs, nor can I move my body. I can't lift my head, but I can turn it from side to side? Shutaura frowned a little. And, it looks like my face, fingers and toes can move as well, although I have to use a little more strength than usual.
"How do you like my surprise?" Just barely out of her vision, Shutaura heard boots stomping near her. "I bet you weren't expecting to be pinned to the ground like bugs on a board."
"… …" Shutaura chose to kept silent, opting to figure out a way for her to break free from her invisible restraints.
"It's pointless, you know?" The female walked over her prone body, allowing Shutaura to see the leather boots that were worn by her enemy. They were caked in mud and dust, but as she watched, they slowly disappeared, as if they had never been there to begin with. "My partner is pinning down your body with gravity 3 times the normal amount you endure. Be thankful I did not ask her to crush your bones in your arms and legs to dust."
Although Shutaura could not see it, she was sure that the female standing before her had just shrugged her arms. "Academy City should be able to heal your body to it's original capabilities, right? Even if you did suffer that high degrees of injuries. Cause Imagine Breaker managed to survive the equivalent of a Nuclear warhead launched by Academy city, right?"
What? Shutaura filed away that surprising bit of information in her head. She believed it to be false, since it came from the mouth of her enemy, but it could have a grain of truth in it. "What…is your…name?" Shutaura's sentence came out slightly garbled.
"It's rude to ask someone else's name without introducing yourself, isn't it?" The female gave a bark of laughter. "Then again, I know who you are, so I suppose I should introduce myself."
At that moment, Shutaura felt the gravity pinning her body to the ground loosen slightly, allowing her to look up.
What met her sight was the silver parka wearing girl she had seen earlier. Only this time, her hood was down, and her bow was slung over her back.
The girl had long auburn hair and had her sliver-red eyes hidden behind wire-frame spectacles. Her skin was also slightly tanned, giving the vague impression of a cross between a classic vampire look and a Western girl.
Wait, why do I know that? Shutaura was bewildered by the information that had popped up suddenly, but she quickly managed to deduce why. Arisa!
"Tee-hee!" Arisa bonked the top of her head with her fist as she appeared in Shutaura's vision. "That was my fault, but it was for a good cause!"
What good cause?! Shutaura shouted out in her mind. Out of the corner of her eyes, she also noticed the form of a black-haired girl holding her hands out. She quickly deduced that that was the person who had caused them to be suddenly flat on the floor, but she directed her attention back to Arisa. If my mind gets distracted, we might not get out of here alive!
"My name is Huntress." The girl gave a small grin. But it was not one borne of positive feelings. It was borne of arrogance and the feeling of superiority. "Of course, that is not my real name, but considering the situation you are in right now, that is a rather fitting codename, no?"
"Release us!" A sudden male voice caused Shutaura to direct her attention to one of her subordinates. "Fight us fair and square, you cowards!"
"Why should I?" Huntress's tone took on a noticeably darker tone. Because everyone was still having their heads forced down, they could not see the changes on Huntress's face.
But Shutaura could.
When her subordinate had first spoken, there was a twinge of irritation that flashed across her face. Now, however, there was a small tinge of anger and deranged madness appearing in her eyes. Seeing those eyes…Shutaura tried to speak, but found her face being forced to the ground. She also found difficulty in breathing, the source of it being the sudden pressure being located on her throat
"You are just a male." Huntress's face could no longer be seen, but Shutaura could easily imagine her face right now.
Full of hatred.
And the desire to kill. "Your leader and I were having a civilised conversation, but you, a stinking, crude, foul male interrupted out conversation…"
*shi~nk*
The sound of metal being drawn instinctively made Shutaura struggle. She already knew what was about to happen. She had been told of it after all.
"…she could be using the base of the Greek Goddess of the hunt, Artemis…" Index's words flashed across her mind, causing her to recall a fact she had remembered.
Artemis is a Greek goddess that protected pure maidens…and, if I remember correctly, she also hated males, sometimes turning them into animals that did her bidding, or as a cruel punishment for doing something they should not have. Shutaura felt her muscles strain, as they were forced to bear their own weight, as well as an unknown amount of gravity acting on it, as she tried to lift her arm up enough to throw some of her geodisks and use it as a distraction. Don't do it!
"I would cut out your tongue right now–" Shutaura heard some slight gagging sounds. It was her subordinate having his tongue being held by the Huntress's fingers, forcing it out of his mouth, while the unknown weight was still being pressed against his face. She was sure it was painful for him to bear the torturous like action. "–but I am under strict orders to not kill unless absolutely necessary. Be glad that you would be able to still talk after this. Instead… …ZeroG, increase the power around this one's groin. Castrate him."
"…can I do that later?" The third person of the group that was after Akikawa Mie, (who was apparently called) ZeroG, asked in a soft voice. There was not a single hint of malice in it. Shutaura briefly wondered if this girl was actually being forced to do these things, but her next words made her retract her previous thoughts on the girl. "I want to secure the asset first. If I coincidentally release my ability on all of them, because she surprised me, then you can just do as you please. Torture them, kill them, just do it when I have secured the asset."
"Oh?... …" Huntress's voice had a hint of interest in it. "…quite merciless of you. Alright then…release all of them but the captain there. I like to play with my food, as you know."
The moment Huntress said that, Shutaura felt the weight that was on her back lessen up significantly. However, she still could not move her arms or legs, so she had to raise her head up to see what was going on.
"Go to hell!" One of her subordinates, the one with the scar running down his face, dashed forwards, pistol already held in hand. It was the same one who had spoken earlier. "Akikawa-san, run! We will distract her!"
Listening to her subordinate, the girl quickly dashed out from behind the cover of the sofa she was hiding behind, fear clearly showing on her face.
"Pft." Lazily, Huntress lowered her stance, hand reaching for the hunting knife she had on her thigh. "Too slow."
Huntress quickly slashed the air in front of her.
… … …Nothing happened.
At first, Shutaura thought that Huntress had missed. But the quickly growing pool of blood told her otherwise.
"Wha…t?" The face of the scarred man, Crow 7, instantly became slack. He dropped to his knees, hands grasping thin air as it futilely tried to keep his already severed head in place, before he collapsed.
"""!""" Everyone had shocked reactions, none more so than Akikawa Mie, who had frozen in fear, her hands less than an inch from the door that would lead her out into freedom from the grasps of the two before her.
"If you get distracted from seeing something like that, you are not fit to be in this sort of job, no?" Shutaura heard the soft voice of the black-haired girl speaking to her. Eyes wide with surprise, Shutaura gazed at ZeroG. Who the hell wouldn't be surprised!? That girl slashed the air in front of her, and Crow 7 died! He was a metre away from her, but his head got cleanly sliced off, like a hot knife through butter!
Shutaura knew that the cause was magic. That was a fact that only Shutaura knew. And, it was something she thought she was prepared for, having seen some magic form before her eyes through the memories of Arisa, and her own.
But, seeing the magic that was used by Touma's acquaintances and friends, and the magic used by the newest terrorist group before her…they seemed to be leagues apart. Both in their intent to kill, and their mercilessness.
Don't you dare kill any more of my unit! Shutaura struggled even more, but the glance that ZeroG gave was dismissive. As if she knew that no matter what she did, it would be futile.
"Gah!"
"Argh"
"Ah~!"
As she struggled, Shutaura saw and heard her other members fall down. Some fell, clutching arrows that had pierced their bodies. Others held up severed digits or limbs, before they collapsed to the floor, either knocked out, or their vital areas stabbed instantly.
But she noticed a common thread: Only the males were getting severely injured. The females were just collapsed onto the ground, arrows sticking out of their bodies. None of them were fatal shots.
They are alive… Shutaura breathed a tiny sigh of relief. The females are fine. Judging by their bodies, they seem to have been injected with some form of sleeping or paralysis drug. As for the males…
Shutaura actually thought that they would all be dead, but it seemed Huntress had some awareness of the situation. Instead of the extravagant kill at first, she instead chose to painfully knock them out with arrows to the groin area, or to the hands and feet instead. Well, Akikawa would still get scarred, but not as much, I guess.
..
..
"Now, will you come with us willingly? Or would we have to hurt you to make you come with us?"
It took less than a minute for Huntress to incapacitate the rest of her group(plus one dead). And in that time, Akikawa Mie could not move her feet, no matter how much she tried to do so.
Why? Mie frantically tried to move her foot even one step, but it would not budge. Her body had frozen up.
And now…she was face-to-face with the girl who had introduced herself as Huntress.
"… …" Mie kept silent, unable to speak.
"You know, either way would not hurt us." Huntress shouldered her bow. "We can make you follow us, and extract the information from those drives from your brain by force and torture later on, or we could do this the easy way for you. You tell us where the drives are, and we leave you alone."
"… …how can I be sure that you would keep you promise?" Mie slowly looked around her as she spoke. Her eyes took in the collapsed forms of the group around her, all scattered around like clothes on a bedroom(it reminded her of her own room, which allowed her to stop herself from screaming at the sight of blood pooling everywhere.) Out of the corner of her sight, she saw Sequenzia struggle to move against the unseen force that had pinned her down earlier, while the black haired girl just stood to the side, watching them closely.
"…I swear on my maidenhood, and the river Styx, that I would not betray your expectations." Huntress paused for a moment, before she sighed, giving a strange oath as she did so. Seeing her strange look, Huntress heaved a sigh. "Now, see here. That oath I just made? I had just put two things on the line. My virginity, and my soul. To you, that is not worth much, but in my…culture, this is very significant. Especially since I am following a goddess who is a virgin."
Mie blushed at the words 'virginity' and 'virgin', but did not allow that to distract her. No way am I telling you where those drives are! "I don't have them. Not anymore."
"…what?"
"I soaked them in water, shocked them with electricity, dropped them from a large height, burnt them, and blew them up with a grenade that I found." Mie glared at the girl, who was looking at her with wide eyes. "There is no way I am letting you get those drives!"
"…you're bluffing." Huntress's eyes gained a small light of hope in them. "You would not harm the contents of those drives. After all, it's your parents research."
"I did burn them."
Mie was not bluffing. After her meeting with Shutaura last night, she resolved herself to destroy those drives. Even though she knew it was nearly half her parent's life work(father), prestige(mother) and most of parent's time(both), she knew that she would not allow them to get the results they desire. Not after what she heard about what they did to her mother and father.
"…" Huntress wordlessly pushed Mie against the wall behind her, causing it to creak under the sudden amount of force it had to endure. A-air! Mie suddenly found her oxygen supply being reduced to almost nothing. Huntress's hands were around Mie's so her own weight was causing her own deprivation of oxygen.
"!… …" Pain shot up her lower back as well, but Mie ignored it, choosing to glare at the girl who was holding her up from her collar. Although, the short gasps that she let out did not help her intimidation act.
"… … ...tch, so you did not lie." Huntress released Mie, allowing her to catch her breath. "Damn, it's always the one you least expect, huh."
Thank you very much? Mie coughed, confused if she should be happy that she managed to fool Huntress, or if she should be insulted by not being expected to lie her way out of this.
..
Yes, she had successfully lied to Huntress. But, at the same time, it was not a lie.
What she had said was true. She did destroy the drives that held her mother's and father's data. By dumping it in water, running electricity through the water that had the drives, dumped it into a small fire she held in her bathtub(while miraculously not setting off the fire alarms and waking everyone up to her deeds at that moment), tied a grenade to the drives, released the pin, and threw it outside as far as possible. It may have been overkill, but Mie had watched too many dramas. Plus, she did not feel at ease until she had done at least that much.
…but, her parent's life work, their data that was stored in the drives…they were not lost.
Mie had simply uploaded them onto another storage drive, before she hid the drive holding both her parent's information.
Well, that was very risky, I guess. Internally, Mie sweatdropped at the amount of work she did. If I had forgotten to back it up before I blew up my parent's drives…their data would have really been lost! Who knew their drives could still survive after being burnt, soaked in water, and shocked!
She knew that the storage devices that academy City made were very sturdy and durable, but she did not expect them to be able to protect its data from electric shocks(the house tripped, but because she was expecting that, she had already propped up the breaker switches with sticks and pegs she prepared earlier), being dunked in boiling hot water, and being placed in a fire!
…in hindsight, she should have realised that such half-hearted techniques would not work on products that were certified to be durable against even level 3 espers…
..
"So, what do we do now?" Huntress sighed, scratching her head in slight irritation.
"…you could just extract the data painfully from her brain?" ZeroG suggested with a calm face. "That was the other alternative, right?"
"That was to get the location of the drives if she refused to cooperate!" Huntress frowned. "…but, if she glimpsed at the data before…we might be able to get the data on the liquid diamond."
They want the data on the liquid diamond? Mie blinked in surprise. But it's useless for them. There is not a single practical use for it, and even if they do have a use for it, to produce the results from the data…they would need specialised equipment, and some of the elements needed to produce the liquid diamond in the first place!
Then, Mie processed the first part of the conversation, as well as the final part. Eh?...I did read the content's of mom's reports before…NOOOOO! Mie acted immediately, attempting to crawl away from Huntress, before she broke into a run, straight for the door they had entered from.
*pish pish pish*
"Oh? So you did glimpse at the data of the liquid diamonds, didn't you!" Before she realised, Mie found herself pinned to the wall and window with multiple arrows.
Eh? Mie's mind was unable to catch up to the events happening around her.
She had only heard three whistling sounds…but more than twelve arrows were pinning her in place! And all of them were shot in such a way that it prevented her from moving a single inch too, all just scrapping her skin!
"Well then…" Huntress slowly approached Mie, taking out a jar from a pouch that was slung across her hip. "Time for you to sleep~"
Then, all went black for Mie.
"Phew, that was a nice warm up!" Huntress let out a breath. Mie had fallen slack, the arrows pinning her to the wall and window frame the only things that were preventing her from falling onto the ground face first. "Although, I wished I could have killed a few more males."
"…why didn't you?" ZeroG glanced at their captive captain. She had stopped struggling a while ago, but it did not worry them. After all, ZeroG's esper ability was nearly omnipotent.
..
ZeroG's ability could be classified as a 'vector manipulator' as well, similar to the first-ranked esper, Accelerator. After all, her ability was to control the influence of gravity of her targets.
Once ZeroG designated someone as a target, she would be able to inflict her ability's power over them. She could increase someone's experience of gravity so much that they would be turned into a stain on the sidewalk in a second, or she could reduce the influence of gravity they were experiencing such that they would float away, like a helium-filled balloon, unless they were tethered to the ground or a heavier object.
This was not only limited to humans as well. It can extend to non-living objects, like cars and jeeps, or any living thing, like plants or animals. And she could be precise with her control as well, so that only a few points would experience this effect, instead of the entirety of the object or person she was targeting. If she were to be classified…it would be a level 4.
Why a level 4? Well, the answer would be simple; She could only limit herself to either multiple points that experienced this effect, or only a few targets that received the full-body effect. The total count would be 30 for the former, and 7 for the latter respectively. Well, scientists would have a field day trying to us this ability to its fullest potential, but since ZeroG was not an inhabitant of Academy city, nor did she receive the drug treatment that created these espers in Academy city, they would be unable to legally obtain her and study her brain waves, as well as her ability.
If there was only one drawback in this ability… it would be that she needed to know who it was that she was targeting. Meaning, she would need their names. She is unable to start using her ability on a random item or person, unless she knows the item's name. For example, a computer as a laptop, or a tree as a oak tree. Basically, she need to classify them properly, or have their name.
..
Not that they would have a choice in the matter. Huntress smirked as she tied up Akikawa Mie. Since we are both technically outsiders who are after Academy City's data: In other words, terrorists and robbers.
"Hey, could you make this girl lighter?" Huntress nearly groaned at the weight of the girl she tried to shoulder. Heavy! How much does she weigh? Or rather, how is she so slim?! "She weighs more than she looks."
"Sorry, but you won't be going anywhere with that girl."
"!" What the-
*BOOM*
"Argh!" Huntress screeched out, a burning hot pain travelling up her wrist. Reflexively, she looked down to see what had happened to it…or rather, what was left of it. M-my hand!
When she looked down, her free hand was brunt pretty bad. Most of her wrist, in fact, was pretty much carbonised flesh. Her hand itself was fine, as was her arm from elbow up, but the area around the wrist was pretty much a ring of blackness.
"Like it?" When Huntress turned around, she saw that her fears had come true.
"Thanks for wearing a silver bangle on your hands." Shutaura Sequenzia had her gun cocked, ready to be fired at a moment's notice. "Now, if you would please…"
A few minutes prior…
Damn, I can't get free! Shutaura felt like her arms were going to be ripped from their sockets. Actually, the more I struggle, the more it hurts!
"…please, stop doing that." ZeroG murmured. "If you struggle, I would have to increase the gravity again. I'd rather not have to crush your well-endowed body, and traumatise that girl over there… … …actually, on second thoughts, please do that. You may have been able to reduce the effects of my esper ability once, but that does not mean you would be able to do it again."
So, she is increasing the gravity whenever I struggle? Shutaura narrowed her eyes. …but, what does she mean by 'escape her ability'? I was always under its influence, from the moment she stepped into building and now.
"Really? But, you did escape it's effects though. Only temporarily."
…what do you mean by that?
Arisa appeared in her vision, a small frown on her face.
"Remember earlier? When I said I was doing something that was for a good cause?"
You mean when you shared with me some of your memories… Shutaura frowned.
..
Shutaura and Arisa shared one body(although at times, they could split up. It took a lot out of them to do it though). And they could share their memories. But that did not mean that their memories were linked together, allowing one to access the memories of the other, and vice versa.
They had their own lives before they merged back into one 'person', so it stood to reason that if their personalities did not get integrated by one or the other, then their memories would stay separate as well. Of course, they could choose to share their memories with each other via two ways(they discovered both of them by accident.)
The first one is very simple. They had to prepare themselves mentally, before the personality who was 'taking a backseat' delved into the personality who was controlling their body. Basically, the one who was not in control(Arisa) would have to enter the subconscious of the one in control(Shutaura). This would result in the one who was not in control(Arisa) to see the memories of the one in control(Shutaura), or the one in control(Shutaura) to see the memories of the one not in control(Arisa).
They had to brace themselves before they attempted such a thing, otherwise, their body would get some side effects. They were, and not limited to, nausea, nose bleeds, muscle cramps, sexual urges and vomiting.
The second way was a little more complicated, as well as more dangerous. When the personality in control(Shutaura) lets their guard down, the one not in control(Arisa) would have access to whatever the one in control is seeing, feeling or tasting. This also means that, if the one not in control(Arisa) wished, they would be able to take or give memories from/to the one who is control(Shutaura).
This meant that if Shutaura or Arisa experienced something they wanted to desperately forget, the other could help 'delete' that particular memory. Similarly, if one of them wanted to remember or know what the other experienced, then they could share with the other that particular memory.
This also meant that, if they were not careful, they could accidently share with each other important information(like surprise birthdays) , or 'delete' important memories(like passwords and time-sensitive information)
But, on the bright side, they could use this method to share vague memories, which would allow the sharing of information between both sides, without any demerits whatsoever!
..
"Yeah, when I did that." Arisa nodded her head. "…do you not get what I am saying?"
…no?
"Mou~ This is why you should pay attention to your body." Arisa pouted.
Well, sue me. Shutaura barked back. I was still traumatised by those memories you made me forget and the ones you shared with me!
She was still unable to get the feelings of embarrassment when she recalled 'herself' being seen by Touma. Naked.
"That's not the problem here!" Arisa had the decency to blush for the trauma she gave her counterpart. "I think I found out how to bypass ZeroG's powers. Well, at least temporarily."
…spill.
"Okay, remember how we can't get drunk? Well, I thought that maybe this new 'ability' of ours can help remove any sort of mental attack on us, as long as the attack is focused one mind, not two. And, I thought that maybe ZeroG's ability works like a mental attack: It only affects one person at a time. So, when I shared that memory with you, I could feel our body getting much lighter for a brief moment."
…I see. Shutaura's mind whirled, thinking of a plan. So, if just sharing our memories does this sort of effect, then you slipping into my sub-conscious should give an even greater effect, for a possibly longer time as well too. In that case…ready?
"…on three?"
On three. Shutaura mentally prepared herself for what she was about to do.
"one…"
two…
Three! / "Three!"
"…Hmm?" ZeroG raised an eyebrow. Shutaura had finally stopped struggling, instead laying against the ground limply, like a doll who had it's strings cut. "…so, you finally stopped struggling the-"
Eyes widening, she quickly realised that something was wrong. Or rather, what was wrong.
"You-" ZeroG frantically opened up her palms, activating her ability once more. "How did you-"
*clack*
The soft sound of flesh meeting bone was the only thing that resounded in ZeroG's head before she fell, eyes rolled into the back of her head.
"Sorry." Shutaura settled the knocked out girl onto the ground gently. Arisa, you okay?
"I'm…fine…" Arisa's voice rang out clearly in her skull. To be honest, it felt like Shutaura had a hangover, combined with someone speaking directly into her skull. Which was honestly true, as the latter part was reality. "Although…we might have to split up after this is all…hah…said and…done…hah~."
…that would be for the best. Shutuar forcibly pushed away her desires at the moment, taking out her gun from her holster soundless, as well as unravelling some wires, which she manipulated with her ability. Well then…I would have to thank Huntress for wearing silver-coated bangles.
With a flick of the wrist, she sent her wire through the thick bangle, getting ready to activate her ability at a moment's notice
"Hey, could you make this girl lighter?" Huntress had not noticed the change in both her partner's state, as well as Shutaura's. "She weighs more than she looks."
"Sorry, but you won't be going anywhere with that girl." Her eyes glowing, she used her esper ability, Earth Palette, for the first time in a long time.
"!" huntress tried to get away, but it was already too late for her.
*BOOM*
"Argh!" Huntress screeched out in pain, her head instantly glancing down at her wounded arm. Her wrist, which had once been adorned with a thick bracelet, was now almost charcoal black. As she watched, her fingers twitched, causing Huntress to let out a small hiss of pain.
Even Shutaura had been slightly surprised by the amount of force that had been in the explosion. I know I managed to direct the explosions inward, but to think it dealt this amount of damage…maybe there were more precious metals in that bangle than I thought.
"Like it?" Huntress turned around, a look of fear on her face. When she saw it, Shutaura gave a small smile. She would be lying if she said that she did not enjoy the look on Huntress's face.
"Thanks for wearing a silver bangle on your hands." Shutaura aimed her gun at Huntress, finger on the trigger. "Now, if you would please…release Akikawa Mie from your custody."
"… …" Huntress kept quiet, not acting at first. But, when Shutaura fired off a warning shot that shaved off a few strands of her red locks, Huntress slowly lowered herself to the ground, left arm dangling useless, as she slid Akikawa off of her shoulder.
"Good." Shutaura kicked over of a pair of cuffs towards the girl. It looked more like bracers welded together, only on a smaller scale, but it was because it looked like that that someone with injured hands could have their arms restrained. "Put those on. They would automatically clamp on your hands…or what is left of one of your hands. They would restrict your movements."
Honestly, Shutaura would have rather shot at the girl right there and then, her orders not to kill anyone be damned. After all, she had not only severely injured several of her Unit members, she had also killed one of them in cold blood! But, there were things that the girl had to answer for. The main one being…
What is Legion planning? Shutaura narrowed her eyes, indicating with her gun for Huntress to pick up the cuffs once more. If we can find out what they are planning, we can have a clearer picture of what is going on.
"…you win." Huntress directed a small smile at Shutaura, but it did not reach her eyes. Rather, the smile was filled with self-loathing. "To think the hunter became the hunted…such a blunder cannot be forgiven on my part."
"Put on those cuffs." Shutaura's eyes glanced at the open electronic shackles briefly. She knew that the girl was bidding for time, but even if she knew, she could not act unless she made moves to escape or fight her. For all she knew, Huntress could also manipulate air currents, using her bullet to injure or kill another person.
"I think not." The moment she blinked, Huntress had already moved to the side of ZeroG.
What!? Shutaura instantly aimed her gun towards the duo, but with a quick flip, one of her Unit members was draped over both Huntress and ZeroG, acting as an temporary shield. Tsk.
"As much as I would like to agree with that and surrender quietly," Huntress kicked open the door with such speed, Shutaura could not follow her movements. "I need to evacuate now. Besides, it would seem that my teammates have already obtained the data we desired."
What? Shutaura was momentarily confused by her words, before her mind linked the connections she needed. "You! You were using her as bait?!"
"That's right~ Took you long enough to notice." Despite the fact that Shutaura could not see Huntress, the flying locks of hair told her all she needed to know. "We were decoys. Well, if we could obtain the data from Akikawa Mie, it would have been best, since we would have been able to double-check its authenticity. Well, bye~"
"Sto-" A flash of light forced Shutaura to cover her eyes. When it died down, all that remained was the unconscious member of Shutaura's Crow unit, and some drops of blood. They got away…
"Erm, Shutaura…" Aris popped up in Shutaura's vision, a heavy blush on her face. "Can we separate? I need to use the toilet…badly…"
… …
Shutura kept quiet for a moment, causing the pinkette to panic. "I'm sorry for last night! Please, can I go? I can't hold it in any longer!"
…Remember to clean up after yourself. Shutaura sighed. Faint light emitted from her body, before it died down, revealing the clothed figure of Arisa.
"Wah!" Quick as lightning, the busy pinkette dashed through the kitchen. Shutaura heard the doors slam shut, but not before she heard the faint sounds of her other half whimpering in relief. Sighing again, Shutaura quickly closed the blinds on the windows and locked the doors, before she piled the unconscious and injured bodies out on the floor as comfortably as possible, all the while holding in her urges, subconsciously rubbing her thighs together as she worked.
I want to use it too you know…
Moments prior…
"Shit shit shit shit shiiiiiiiit!" Touma screamed as he dodged the literal bullets of death being aimed at him. "Why do I get this sort of misfortune?! Especially with water recently!"
"Blame your right hand, I guess?" Completely unlike his companion, Informant was shooting the debris that were being shot at him from the water into tiny pieces, dodging the more bulky ones by submerging himself underwater for periods of time, before resurfacing and blasting at the floating-yet-nearly-flying debris nonchalantly. "Index did say that your hand was constantly negating your luck, after all."
"…I hate my luck. Such misfortune." Touma lamented his luck as usual, managing to pick up a floating pipe as it floated by. Which was a feat in itself, as the water was running through the house at nearly 40km/h. "wait, did Index say that before? Or rather, how do you-"
"Heads up!" Informant interrupted Touma's question, trading one of his pistols for a sword that was attached to his back instead, before he sliced what looked like a washing machine that was noisily bumping its way towards the duo.
"Wa––it!" Touma could not get out of the way in time, instead getting pinned down by the washing machine. As Informant watched, Touma got swept outside of the house, washing machine acting as an immoveable object.
When he saw the place that Touma was going to end up…his eyes gained a light of pity in them. "Poor guy…hope he survives getting squished like a bug…"
"SUCH MISFORTUNE!" Such a shout could be heard over the roar of the mini tsunami.
Yep, he's alive. Informant looked back at Touma's position(or where he assumed it to be), absentmindedly slicing yet another bulky object(this time, the upper half of a exo suit that Academy City frequently used.) Welp, better get him out of that predicament.
AN
Okay, I know that some people are going be screaming things like "that does not make sense what so ever for the gravity thing" in the reviews. I might as well, since shit makes no sense whatsoever(especially since I explained her ability).
Well, two words: Debuff immunity.
To be more precise, it is something more akin to a perk that they got from the Orion incident aftermath. Arisa and Shutaura are a literal two minds in one body. Not only is this a miracle taken form, her entire existence of splitting into two separate bodies and back again with no repercussions is a miracle in itself. So, my take gives her this unique ability of debuff immunity when certain conditions have been fulfilled. So things like food poisoning, being drunk, and food comas(yay for the ladies!) are pretty much gone passively. When they do things actively, like to escape the gravity thing, then effects like telekenisis or burns from an esper can be broken free from or get healed faster.
That said, she is not invincible. She can temporarily reduce the wounds her body is inflicted with, like knife cuts and bullets wounds, but both parties would get the same amount of pain as a result. Also, this only works if people do not know there are two minds in her body. once that fact gets known, this ability is null. It does not work against poisons already in the body, fatal wounds, or in the middle of combat, and possible death by natural causes, like drowning, oxygen deprivation and severe blood loss.
In essence, as long as the opponent does not know there are two presence in one body, Shutaura and Arisa have a higher resistance towards anything 'supernatural', like Touma's hand, as well as nothing harmful that could affect their mental state, like being drunk.
All in all, this part between Black Crow Unit and Huntress is quite satisfactory for me. Not sure about all of you though!
Anime is Life, please review, and remember to tune in for the next chapter in three weeks!
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…I know the names are mediocre. Sue me…
EDIT:
Yeah, I know this chapter is pretty late. My defence: Backlog of homework. Ah, my sleep and anime are being deprived from me…