Hey everybody, Motoharu Tsuchimikado here. Darkbetrayer is letting me do the opening announcements this week. He's been busy with some random game called Minecraft. He did make me promise not to give out certain information, but I am free to answer most questions. Best of all, everyone else can't read this so I can say anything and they won't know. Hahaha. Anyway, let's get onto the comments and questions.
Handsomistic1: Kami-yan has always been into on onee-san types, especially the sophisticated ones like the Tokiwadai Dorm Manager. I know Nee-chin likes him, but she really needs to make a move. I'll do my best to help both of them, but Kami-yan is pretty dense, or just a really good actor. Maybe that's how he draws all the girls into his harem. I don't know much about Kagere's condition, I'm sure it will be revealed at some point. Komoe-sensei was captured, but fear not, we shall rescue her. Well, the church forces probably will while Kami-yan's harem will be most likely fighting the princess. Saten-san hit level 2? I didn't hear about that, but it has been awhile since a system scan.
Savaris: Ah, Kami-yan could never be controlled by just one girl. His ability to walk into a random situation and attract every girl near him can't be controlled that easily. I think I know who you are referring to though and it's hilarious the person below your comment wants the exact opposite. I know the author is working on making some interesting pairings, so don't be surprised if something happens.
Swoob: Nice, a question directed at me. That is an interesting question though. Two Yanderes would probably not be a lasting couple, as one would kill the other. Accel-kun, as he is now, is probably more of a male Tsundere. Not sure if that would work though. He's tough on the outside, but deep down is a real softy. Look at the way he takes care of his loli and Index. Plus he admitted his bro love for Kami-yan. Mugino-san might not be able to break his tough exterior to make the romance work. She's to strong willed.
Well, that's all from me. I'll leave you some fun information though. Kagere, Aogami, Accel-kun, and I are working on making the list of Kami-yan's harem. We are arguing over the top four spots though. I am interested in who everyone thinks are his top for candidates, whether it be how close they are, or if you think they would be the best pair. This is purely for research purposes on our end and will no way affect the story (Wink). I probably won't be able to do comments next week, but I should be able to read them. Don't tell whoever is up I mentioned this. Just let them be confused. None of them can read the comments in the top half of the chapter, only he skits at the end and the comments.
Disclaimer: I do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or any of the characters. Reading this story may cause you to burst out in laughter or yelling at fictional characters. This may cause nearby people to assume you have gone crazy. Please read responsibly.
Touma's eyes darted back and forth as he scanned the mysterious letter. The person obviously knew him, or about him, because whoever had written the letter had done so in Japanese along with using his full name.
Hello Mr. Touma Kamijou,
I am sorry I am not able to tell you who I am or where I am from. Doing so would pose great danger to myself, along with the man who volunteered quite willingly to help end this coup. From what I have heard about you, I hoped you would be willing to help put an end to the princess's coup. Based on her behavior in the past, I assumed you would be locked up in one of the guestrooms .Inside the envelope, you will find a small key. I do apologize for it being hastily made, but time was of the essence. It should be close enough to unlock the doors. The key is not magical, so your hand should not affect it. I had heard rumors about your unique ability and do not worry. I promise to keep it a secret.
As for what you can do to help the resistance, it is simple, but very important. Buckingham Palace's design was created for a purpose kept secret from the public. Curtana Original is incredibly powerful, but there is the risk of that power running out of control. Should this situation occur, the first person to be destroyed by it would be the princess herself. There has been one case in which Curtana has gone out of control in the past, so it is possible. The palace had a facility constructed into it in case this situation occurred again. I believe the princess moved a special railroad car under the palace. This railroad car has a magic circle on it. This circle is extremely complex and the core of the facility. Should it be destroyed, the facility would be useless. Once discovered, the circle could be replaced, but only after a couple days. It is quite complex. Should Curtana start to go out of control, the princess would not be able to use the facility if this circle was broken.
I understand you may have the fear your actions might cause her death. Please do not. The princess would have two options at her disposal for this situation. One, she could try to contain it by force. This option would most likely lead to her death, and she would know this. Two, she can release a great deal of Curtana's power. This would allow her to regain control, but would weaken how much power she would be able to wield for a while.
I understand I cannot force you to do anything. But I hope you take my suggestion to heart.
Signed,
A concerned citizen
Touma read the letter twice before looking at Index. "What do you think?"
"It seems like this person knows about you and Curtana," Index said nodding her head and closing her eyes while she thought about it. "The man said she was a noble woman, so there is a good chance she might be a magician too. What she wrote does make sense. Though, I would have to see the circle to be entirely sure, but the design of the palace's structure does appear to be able to focus Curtana's power."
"Since the royal family lives here," Touma said rubbing his chin. "It would make sense the palace would help contain the power of Curtana. They live here most of the year right?" Index nodded. "But from the letter, it sounds like she met me before."
"I think so too," Index agreed, and then her eyes narrowed. "Have you been meeting other girls behind my back?" she accused him. "Like when you left me alone in that room?"
"No!" Touma denied, raising his hands in front of him defensively. "I just met the knights under George, I swear. They were all guys, so please don't bite me again." He didn't know if any knights were women so he wanted it to be perfectly clear. Index eyed him closely, and then nodded as she believed he was telling the truth.
"So," she asked. "Are you going to do it?"
"Huh?" Touma asked confused.
"If you do it," Index said, sitting down on the bed and watching him carefully. "You will be going against Princess Carissa. Didn't you say, in exchange for letting our friends go, you would work for her?"
Touma stared at her for a moment as that information slowly sunk in. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Your right," he said slowly and the he grabbed his head. "Ah, what do I do?" She kept her word and let my friends go, so I should keep my word and work for her as a knight. But if I go and destroy the circle, it could save a lot of lives by possibly helping end the fighting sooner. But can I be sure of this? It might make the sides more even and cost even more lives. The knights are also good people and just trying to protect their country. The church is doing the same thing. Damn it, I think that was why Carissa wanted me to meet them. She knew it would make going against her more difficult for me. While Touma was busy waging a small debate war in his head, Index continued to watch him carefully, without saying anything. After a couple minutes of silence, broken only by Touma's occasional mumbling, she finally spoke up.
"I can't really tell you what to do in this case," Index said seriously. "You made the promise to her and you should be the one to decide. Naturally, I want to protect my church, but you are not part of either side. If you choose to follow her you are choosing the knights and saving your friends, if you don't, you are breaking your promise to her. I know how important your word is to you." She was quiet for a moment before continuing. "I promise, whichever path you decide, I will support you. You stayed with me through every problem I faced, so I will stand with you during yours."
"Thanks Index," Touma said gratefully. Those words meant a lot to him and he understood what Index must have felt, when he declared he would protect her. He was determined to stop the fighting, but the issue for him was how. He needed some reason to fight against Carissa and not serve as a knight. If only my friends didn't accept her deal, but that really is selfish of me. It's better if they go back to Academy City.
Stiyl watched, as the knights began to close in on their location. He lit a cigarette and took a deep breath before sighing. He and Agnese were leading the largest church group as they began to siege the city. While Agnese's nun forces were battle trained, they could not stand up to the knights in a direct battle. Instead, they began to take lessons from the Amakusa. The Amakusa were masters of moving quietly and unseen, while still being able to strike suddenly and viciously. They surrounded several of the knight's patrols and took them down with sheer numbers. It was obvious the knights knew they were coming, by the way they started to retreat nearer to other groups. Stiyl looked over at Agnese and a woman, from the Amakusa, named Tsushima. She had blue eyes and long blonde flurry hair. "Is everyone in place?" he asked Agnese. "They do understand this is not a battle we will, or need to, win."
"They do," Agnese replied. "Though, if we can take down a knight or two, without losing anyone, we will, but we plan to slowly retreat." Stiyl nodded.
"Very good," he commented. "I don't like the fact we have to rely on those kids from Academy City but, judging from the fact we haven't heard from Itsuwa, I take it their side is performing well?"
"I heard back from the rescue team. They are in position outside the palace," Tsushima informed him while nodding. "The magic we put on the bus is also still intact so there shouldn't be any problem there either."
"Things are going to well," Stiyl said looking toward the direction of the approaching knights and rubbing his chin. "I feel like we missed something important."
"There's going to be a lot of collateral damage," Agnese pointed out.
"A small sacrifice," Stiyl said puffing on his cigarette. "Besides, I won't be causing any damage. I know how to prevent buildings and surroundings from burning. Both your forces and the Amakusa also do not have any wide damage spells for this battle. Any major collateral damage will be from the knights."
"Your runes are finished being placed now," Tsushima informed Stiyl.
"It's definitely going to look realistic," Agnese said grinning. "At least we don't have to fight the princess's elite guards."
"Kanzaki's group will handle them," Stiyl said, but for the first time there was a flicker of worry on his normally passive face.
"We have the priestess, Tatemiya, and Sherry acting as the strike force," Tsushima counted and looked up at Agnese who nodded. "They have one of the riskier parts of the mission, and they should be facing at least one platoon of elite knights, probably trained directly under Knight Leader. Are you sure those three will be enough? I still feel we should have sent more."
"I agree with you," Stiyl said throwing his cigarette onto the ground. "But the force needs to be kept small, so I sent one more with them. Someone Kanzaki personally recommended. Based on his past achievements, he should be more then capable."
"Who?" Agnese asked, turning to look at him in surprise and curiosity.
"It doesn't really matter anymore," Tsushima answered instead while pointing. "Let's stop talking about useless things. The others are relying on his to distract the knights, and they are here." Agnese and Stiyl turned to look and saw a small army of knights marching toward them.
"Ah," Agnese mumbled. "I knew there would be a lot, but they outnumber us five to one."
"You have your assignment," Stiyl told them walking towards the main church group, his black robes whipping behind him. "Let's make it look like this is a real fight. "MTWOTFFTO. (One of the five great elements from which the world is constructed.) IIGOIIOF. (The great flame of the beginning.) IIBOLAIIAOE. (It is a light of blessing that raises life and a light of judgment that punishes evil.) IIMHAIIBOD. (It is overflowing with calm blessings and with freezing misfortune that destroys cold darkness.) IINFIIMS. (Its name is fire and its role is the sword.) ICRMMBGP! (Be manifested and become the power that eats into my body!)"
Agnese and Tsushima both knew what his chant meant. They had seen it before when their forces had clashed in the past. His robes flickered and expanded, as flames erupted all around him. The mass of crimson fire grew until it was several stories tall. These unnatural flames had something black and dripping, like fuel oil, at its core. It had a very generic form of a human, one could see its face, arms and legs, but it was far too sinister to be called a human. The dark oil in its core was only in the shape of a human. Its size was limited to how many runes Stiyl could place but, thanks to the Amakusa and Agnese's forces, several thousand were placed around the east side of the city. The knights might have noticed the runes, before their forces ran into the circle, but the two large masses of magical energy, from the armies, overshadowed the tiny bit of magical energy from the runes cards. It was Stiyl's most powerful magic, the virtually immortal Innocentius, The Witch Hunter King.
"We will give them all the time they need!" Stiyl yelled to his troops and they cheered. The two forces rushed at each other, weapons drawn, into what would surely be a death match.
Outside of London, on a small hill, two men were leaning up against a tree and watching the large scale battle begin. They were an unlikely pair, both coming from different sides, but drawn together for a common purpose. Knight Leader and William Orwell, formally Acqua of the Back, were talking. Both of them were not participating in the battle for their own reasons. Knight Leader, who would risk his own life for England, and William, a mercenary who would fight for who paid more, seemed to be incompatible like water and fire. In actuality, they were good friends, who drank with each other often, but have not seen each other in years.
"You seemed to have suffered a defeat," William commented. "That seems unlike you when you had the power of Curtana."
"The boy I fought against wielded a rather unique blade," Knight Leader responded. "It severed my ties to not only the Telesma, but my mana as well. Right now, I am working on recovering my mana, but it will be awhile before I can cast even the simplest spells. He appeared to have stopped short of the killing blow. He is not suited for the battlefield." Knight Leader glanced over at William. "Your heartbeat seems to be off. I take it you were also unfortunate."
"I fought the Saint of the Far East and a boy who changed the direction of my blood," Acqua said. "It has been a long time since I fought such an opponent."
"Did you finally decide to leave God's Right Seat?"
"I can no longer protect England from there," William answered. "You appear to have decided on your own path too."
"I follow Princess Carissa," Knight Leader said. "She is trying to bring England back to its former glory."
"I talked to the third princess," William informed Knight Leader, who looked at him. "She asked me to help end this coup."
"I see," Knight Leader murmured. "What did you say?" William did not speak, but his silence gave Knight Leader more information then William's words ever could. "It would now appear we are on opposite sides then."
"It would appear that way."
"When I recover," Knight Leader continued. "I would like to face you again. I will show you how far I have come in the last ten years. I still have not forgiven you for going to rescue princess Villian without me."
"Then we can have a drink," Acqua said standing up and walking toward the city. "Like old times."
Mikoto and Shizuri's jaws dropped when they saw Innocentius rising above the buildings in the far distance. Shizuri had never seen Stiyl's magic before and Mikoto had only seen him use it once briefly. It was afternoon, the sun was still high up in the sky, but the flame creature was visible for miles. "That has to be the signal," Mikoto said, as she finally got the words out of her throat. "He said he would send a large amount of flames into the air, but… that thing is insane. What the hell is it?"
"You seem to think I know a lot about magic," Shizuri answered, regaining her calm composure. "It really is different than our abilities. It's so… I like it. Anyway," she started heading down the stairs. "We going to stand here and talk all day or are we going to move." Mikoto nodded and she ran down the stairs after Shizuri. They threw open the door to the outside and looked around at the deserted streets. They then proceeded to run as fast as they could toward the palace. The crossed three streets before they had to duck behind a brick wall. They had glimpsed a group of ten knights running down the street toward the flame creature. "Let me blast them," Shizuri said trying to stand up. "I can hit all of them before they can react."
"No," Mikoto hissed keeping a hand on Shizuri's shoulder. "We have to stay incognito as long as possible. We don't know how many knights are nearby who can come to their aid. Your ability is too noticeable." Shizuri sighed, but knew Mikoto was right. Shizuri enjoyed carnage, but still would prioritize a mission success over personal feelings. She could get revenge after a mission. After all, she can always blast a couple knights later. And it will probably come up soon anyways. After the knights were out of sight, Mikoto and Shizuri crossed the street and headed through the gardens surrounding the palace. They dived behind a large bush as they saw another couple knights patrolling. "I guess we can't go in through the front door," Mikoto joked.
"Shut up," Shizuri replied irritated. "I'm not in the mood for your jokes. You know damn well we couldn't go through the front." She peeked out from behind the bush. "Stiyl told us they wouldn't have any magical defenses, so the windows should be locked at the most. You can at least open them, right?"
"If the locks are metal, easily," Mikoto replied, insulted Shizuri would suggest she couldn't do something so simple. "If they are just sealed, we might have to force our way in." Shizuri grinned and Mikoto realized the mistake she made. "Let's avoid drawing attention though," she added hastily. She stuck her head out too and looked around. "There, near the side. If we time it right, none of the patrols will see us." Shizuri followed her gaze and nodded, after she calculated the distance between patrols. "On three," Mikoto said. "One… two… three." They both ran as fast, and quietly, as they could, until they arrived at the window. Mikoto touched the window frame and grinned, as her magnetism caused a small click of the lock. "Get in," she hissed as she pushed the window open. "Hurry." They both climbed in and close the window. Shizuri relocked it with her hand and they dove out of sight, as another group of knights rounded the corner a few moments later.
"At least you can use your power to a degree," Shizuri said, standing up and walking through the darken room to the door. She pushed her ear up against it and listened for a moment. "Hallway is clear."
"I know my capabilities," Mikoto said through gritted teeth. She had briefly thought about reminding Shizuri she had beaten her once before. But, Mikoto could not risk starting a fight and jeopardizing the rescue of Touma and Index. "Ok," she continued changing the topic. "We need to decide which way we should go." Shizuri nodded, slightly pleased Mikoto was not being completely stupid on their mission.
"We are closer to the knight wing," Shizuri said. Stiyl had given them a map of the palace, before they left the hotel, to memorize. "The guest wing is a little further away."
"We agreed these two would be the most likely choices," Mikoto mumbled. "But there's a possibility she took them somewhere else. If we choose wrong, we probably won't be able to avoid detection."
"We need to choose fast," Shizuri told her. "You met the b$%^& before, so you choose. You will have a better idea how she thinks. If you're wrong, I can at least get a chance to crush a couple of the knights." Mikoto glared at her, and then sighed.
Think Mikoto. She grabbed her head and concentrated on what she knew about the princess, and how Touma and Index would react. If he's going to serve as her knight, the knight wing seems the best place to hold him. But, Index is supposed to be really important. I believe someone said something about having a lot of knowledge about magical books. If Carissa knows about that, and she probably does, then Index wouldn't be kept with normal guards. Knowing Touma, he would want to make sure she is safe and fight to remain near her. Mikoto nodded her head slightly and looked at Shizuri.
"Well?" Shizuri said, tapping her foot impatiently.
"We are heading to the guestrooms," Mikoto said confidently.
"You better be right," Shizuri mumbled. She leaned up against the door again for a moment. Appearing satisfied, she opened the door and they both ran out into the hallway. Their steps echoed softly down the deserted hallways, but there was nothing they could do about it, since they had to move quickly. They were just lucky the rug was thick and it muffled their noise as much as it did. They were also not wearing heavy armor like the knights. This saved them when they heard thudding coming from a side hall. They opened the nearest door and dove in as a couple knights passed where they would have been moments before. "It sounds like there was only two," Shizuri said. "We could take them." Mikoto clicked her tongue, but didn't respond. They manage to cross most of the palace, to the side with the guestrooms, before their luck ran out.
"You two there!" a muffled male voice called out and Mikoto and Shizuri turned around. A knight in full armor was looking at them. He reached down to his hip and grabbed a large mace. "Identify yourselves!" Shizuri decided to identify herself first, in her own special way. Before Mikoto could say anything, a green beam flew past her and collided into the knight's chest. A loud boom echoed down the hallways and shook the floor beneath them. The man fell, his armor in pieces and covered in terrible burns, onto the ground unconscious.
"How's that for an introduction?" Shizuri asked Mikoto grinning.
"You just alerted the entire palace we are here!" Mikoto shouted angrily. They both sprinted, as fast as they could, toward the guestrooms. They no longer worried about being quiet, as Shizuri had ruined that approach. They encountered several knights along the way. Those in armor, Mikoto let Shizuri blast them, since they appeared to be able to survive the blast and still get incapacitated. Mikoto handled the non-armored security. She found out quickly she had to shock them with several times the amount of electricity, as she would a normal person, to knock them out, but it was still within her capability. The hallways made aiming easier for both of them because it was harder for the knights to dodge. It was also harder for Mikoto and Shizuri to get surrounded as they could only be attacked from two sides at a time. They turned down one hallway and saw three knights at the end of it. The knight in front was carrying a large metal tower shield and it blocked most of him from their view.
"They never learn," Shizuri sighed and a green orb appeared in her outstretched hand. A moment later, a large green beam shot out, from the orb, and down the hallway. Shizuri was use to her powers destroying the knights, anything actually, in one hit. This time, when the beam hit the knight's shield, the green beam exploded and there was a small crackle of bright light. When the explosion cleared, the shield was untouched. "What the f%^&?" She fired two more beams and the exact same thing happened. "Damn it," she snarled. "What the hell is that shield made of?"
"Let me try," Mikoto said and she shot out several electrical arcs down the hall. She was planning to try to avoid the shield, since it appeared to be indestructible, but all the electricity was stopped by a white light, originating from the center of the shield. The light came out in small waves and blocked the entire hallway. When the knights realized the shield was holding, they started to march down the hallway. The knights didn't run, because the one holding the shield had to lead. The shield was too large to run with. 'Well this isn't good," Mikoto mumbled. "Is that shield powered by magic to make it indestructible?"
"Nothing is indestructible," Shizuri replied grinning slightly. Several orbs appeared around her. "I'm going to crush their defenses and show them what true power is."
"Great," Mikoto said dryly.
A loud boom violently shook the entire room Touma and Index were staying in. Touma stumbled against a table in surprise, while Index fell off the bed. "What was that" Touma asked rubbing his sore knee. He had hit the corner of the table and now his leg was on fire.
"Sounds like a fight is taking place," Index answered as she picked herself off the floor. "Weird, I don't sense any mana from the intruders, but several of the knights are being taken out."
"What…?" Touma asked surprised, but then focused his thoughts. The room shook again from another explosion. "No mana, but definitely a fight. It can't be. I think our friends have come, but that's impossible. Carissa said the bus arrived with them at the airport."
"How did they manage to sneak in?" Index mused to herself. "Ah, they can't be tracked because they don't use magic."
"I was told church was moving most of their forces against the palace," Touma added. "Also a small group was trying to flank from the other direction." Index shook her head.
"Think about it logically Touma," she scolded him in a superior tone. "The knights track people who can use mana. Since people from Academy City don't use magic, they can't be tracked easily. They were probably sent in to rescue us while the church drew the knights away. They shouldn't have gotten involved." She cross her arms and looked grumpy. "Your friends sure take after you. They like to do stupid things, regardless of the consequences."
"Guess it's my normal luck then," Touma said as another couple of booms echoed through the palace. He might have been imagining things, but they seemed to be getting louder and closer. "If my friends are here, it means they didn't accept Carissa's deal. The knights are going to treat them as hostiles," another boom shook the walls, "and I seriously can't blame them. Let's go and find them. I'm not going to help Carissa if my friend's lives are at stake." He ran to the door and pulled out the key. Another boom, which sounded really close this time and almost like it came from the end of the hallway, made him drop the key. He finally managed to get the key in the lock, amid the continuous explosions, and opened the door. The door opened into the room and Touma was about to take a step out into the hall, when three bright green beams flew down the hallway in front of him. If he had taken a step out a second earlier, he would have been right in their path. He stuck his head out carefully to look around.
"IDIOT!" Mikoto yelled at him. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Touma pulled his head back inside the room, as a bright white light shot from the other end of the hallway. A moment later, Mikoto and, to his surprise, Shizuri barreled into him as they entered his room. They slammed the door behind them with a loud bang.
"What are you doing here?" Touma asked. "The last I heard the bus was heading toward the airport."
"That's what everyone was supposed to think," Mikoto answered hastily, as she used her magnetism to lock the door. "Shokuhou-san, Kuroko, and Itsuwa are on the bus confusing the guards. We don't have long till they burst in." She looked around. "Damn, no way out."
"Short hair," Index called out. "You should have just left!" Mikoto ignored her.
"So have you been relaxing in this room the entire time," Shizuri asked Touma.
"No," Touma answered shaking his head. "Index and I got locked in here a little while ago."
"Anyway out?" Mikoto asked and Touma nodded.
"There's a passageway through that wall," he said pointing. "You can't open it from this side though."
"We might have if you didn't destroy the circle," Index pointed out. Touma grinned sheepishly, but Shizuri took charge.
"I beg to differ," Shizuri said holding out her hand. A minute later a green orb appeared and Touma immediately jumped at her and grabbed her hand. "What the hell are you doing?!" she demanded staring at him.
"We can't leave yet," Touma told them. "We need to get to the basement."
"Why?" Mikoto asked.
"I received a message from someone using that passageway," Touma explained as fast as he could. He could hear the knights slamming against the door and, even though it was thick wood, it was about to break. If they used magic, it would be destroyed instantly. "There's a magic circle there, if disturbed, should weaken Curtana."
"You want to do it before we leave," Mikoto said carefully, glancing back at the door about the break. Touma nodded.
"That's all well and good," Shizuri snapped. "Anything to annoy the princess brat, but just how long are you going to hold my hand?" Touma immediately let go and looked embarrassed. Mikoto might have been mad, but there were more pressing issues on her mind at the moment.
"They have a shield that can block our attacks," Mikoto told Touma. "We can't stop them. They are also using bows that seem to be turning arrows into small missiles."
"I'll take care of the shield," Touma told them. He ran to the wall, next to the door, a second before the door exploded and shards of wood flew across the room. The knight in full armor, with the metal tower shield, entered the room and Touma stuck his hand out. The sound of glass shattering echoed as his fingers lightly touched the shield. He pulled his hand away a moment before Shizuri shot her Meltdowner beam at the knight. The explosion destroyed the shield and his armor as he flew backwards into his two companions. They crashed into the wall, on the other side of the hallway, and were left tangled up in a small pile. Touma exited the room first and Mikoto and Shizuri followed him.
"Good plan," Shizuri complimented Touma, as she started to pass him. She suddenly stopped and looked at the knights. The two in the back were getting up, but froze as several orbs appeared around her. "Your combat skills are still up to par I see. Anyway, let me just finish these guys off and we can go." Her grinned turned malicious as the knights looked up at her with fear on their faces, but they also looked determined. One of the orbs shot toward them, but Touma had already been moving long before she even aimed. He reached out a hand and negated her beam. "Do you want to die?" she asked angrily. Touma waved his hand at her and turned to look at the knights. Shizuri crossed her arms and looked furious, but didn't do anything, even though she had a perfect opportunity to shoot him in the back. Mikoto couldn't believe her eyes at this sight.
She's not going to attack him for interrupting her? What happened between them? A couple possibilities flashed through her mind, making her embarrassed and angry, before Touma spoke up to the knights.
"I rather we avoid violence," Touma said looking down at them. He kept his face and voice calm, even though he was nervous. "If you leave now, there will be no need for bloodshed. You can take your comrade and leave." The knights gave each other a brief look. They knew who Touma was, and his reputation with Carissa. They were also impressed the two girls, who had been causing them so much trouble, appeared to be following him. They nodded slowly and Touma took a step back. The knights dropped their weapons and grabbed the unconscious knight. They dragged him off down the hall while Touma turned and walked the other way. After the knights were out of earshot he turned to Index, Mikoto and Shizuri. "Um," he said rubbing the back of his neck. "Do any of you know the way to the basement?"
"As soon as you do one impressive thing," Shizuri muttered and face palmed. "You show your uselessness. I swear you are as bad as Frenda sometimes. We need to hurry. They are going to bring backup because you were stupid and let them go."
"We memorized the palace layout before we came," Mikoto informed him. "Come on, the nearest stairs are this way. We can't stay here or more guards are bound to show up."
"We can take them," Shizuri grinned. "If they have the shields, Kamijou can just break them."
"We don't know if they have even more powerful weapons," Mikoto said irritated. "Why do we need to go into the basement again? Something about a magic circle right?" The last question was directed at Touma.
"Yes," Touma nodded as they reached the stairs. "I received a message from a guy who said it was from a noble woman. She must have been a magician, because she knew about Curtana. There is a train car with a magical circle that is used to help control Cortana's power when it starts to run out of control. If I touch it, Carissa won't be able to use it."
"How will that help?" Shizuri asked. "If it doesn't run out of control, then this plan is a waste of time."
"Because," Index piped up and they all turned to her. "Princess Carissa has just found an incredibly powerful artifact. Even if she learned the theory, practical application is a completely different subject matter. At some point, she will try to draw more power then she can contain. This will cause Curtana to run out of control. If she tries to forcefully contain it, she might die as a result."
"So what was the problem?" Shizuri asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The problem is," Index continued, glaring at Shizuri slightly. "Is the resulting explosion from a mass of uncontrolled Telesma could destroy London. She would have to choose to release Curtana power in order to survive. This would limit how much power she could grant to her knights and, overall, weaken her forces. She would be able to regain the power eventually, but the struggle for the throne would be over long before that."
"Speaking of throne," Touma said turning to Mikoto. "Has there been any word on the Queen or other princesses?"
"Kanzaki-san and Accelerator found Villian," Mikoto told him.
"Really, Accelerator did?" Touma asked surprised.
"It appeared he followed Kanzaki in order to fight a strong opponent," Shizuri added. "It must have been a tough battle. He wasn't in the best of shape. Though, he wasn't nearly as bad as Kagere. He got wrecked."
"Jason did?" Touma turned wide eyed to Mikoto. "Is he going to be ok?"
"I think so," Mikoto said and they got quiet for a moment, because they hit the bottom of the stairs. They looked around, didn't see or hear anyone, and continued in the direction of the subway tunnel. Mikoto and Shizuri had a rough idea from the map where it was, but they couldn't be completely sure. They had not planned to go out this way. "Anyway, he was pretty exhausted and was injured, but he was alive and appeared to be getting better. The church was going to heal them when they got a moment."
"That's good," Touma sighed. "When I heard Knight Leader went after him, because they thought he was a member of The Fallen because of his shadow…" He stopped talking and went silent as he heard people talking loudly around a corner. He leaned up against the wall and Mikoto, Index, and Shizuri imitated him. Touma peeked around the corner and saw two men talking.
"I can't believe someone was stupid enough to attack the palace," the first one said. "With all the knights patrolling the area."
"Actually," the second man pointed out. "Most left to fight the traitors who refuse to accept the princess's rule. Anyway, get back to work. We need to make sure this railcar is working perfectly or she will have our heads."
Bingo, Touma thought, smiling slightly. He walked out into the open, toward the two men, and the girls followed him. The men had their backs turned and didn't see them approaching until Shizuri spoke up, causing them to turn around.
"If you make any unnecessary movements," she said grinning with four orbs circling around her. "You die."
"She's serious," Mikoto said sighing. "You really don't want to make her mad."
"You must be the intruders," the first man said quietly. "What do you want? We are just mechanics and can't fight."
"Sorry about this," Touma said and nodded to Mikoto. She knew what he wanted her to do. She let loose a bolt of electricity, causing both men to fall to the ground unconscious. Touma didn't like hurting them, but it was better for them to be unconscious, instead of seeing what they were about to do. This way, it would look like they at least fought back and Carissa might go easier on them. Well, he hoped that would be the case, but wasn't that optimistic. They approached the side of the tracks and looked the car over. "Index," he said. "Tell us what we got." They waited a moment, as Index climbed into the car and looked around.
"It looks like she was right," Index said referring to the woman who wrote the message. "Just get in and touch here," Index said, pointing to a spot in the center of the car. '"This is the center focal point. If your hand touches it, the entire car will become useless. She will have to remake the entire circle from scratch, in order for it to be operational again."
"Couldn't we just destroy the car?" Shizuri asked. "It would be a lot more permanent."
"Yes," Index nodded. "But they would notice it sooner. The circle won't emit a magical aura, until it is properly positioned. They won't have any reason to use the car, unless Curtana starts to run out of control. That is when they will notice it has been tampered with."
"And by then it will be to late," Mikoto finished wide-eyed. "If we blew it up, they would start replacing it immediately."
"Fine," Shizuri said raising her hands in exasperation. "Whatever, I don't care." She tapped her foot impatiently, while Touma negated the magic circle with his hand. "What now?"
"We could try to leave through the tunnel," Mikoto said pointing. "Going back up into the palace seems like suicide. They should be combing every inch of it looking for us. It's only a matter of time before they find us down here."
"Might be sooner than you think," Shizuri said, pointing her finger at the end of the underground tunnel the railcar could travel down. Everyone was silent as they heard heavy boots, in the distance, marching towards them. The knights must have been a good distance away, but their footsteps echoed down the empty tunnel and alerted them. "Sounds like they plan to surround every escape tunnel."
"Then we have to go back up," Touma said taking a step back to the stairs.
"I can't tell how many there are," Mikoto said, squinting slightly as she looked toward the noise. "It's pitch black except for that small light."
"If we go up through the palace again," Index informed them. "We are sure to be surrounded. We might have to resort to forcing our way out."
"Sounds like my kind of plan," Shizuri grinned.
"Wait," Touma said pointing. "What's that?" Everyone turned to look and saw a small door with a latch. Mikoto ran over to it and leaned down to examine the lock. A moment later, along with a small spark, the door opened and she peered inside. "It seems like a maintenance walkway tunnel that leads parallel to the subway tunnel. It's really dark, but some of the areas have holes to be able to see lights from the trains. We could probably hide behind the solid area before the knights get here." She pulled her head out and looked back at them. The only lights were by the rail car where the two men were working and the small light in the distance from the knights.
"Better than nothing," Touma said. "Let's hurry." Mikoto nodded and waved them through. Index went first, then Shizuri, followed by Touma, and Mikoto was last. She locked the door with her power to make it look like the door was undisturbed. The corridor was dark and narrow, and they didn't want to try to use any lights to avoid giving away their location. The knights were only a couple minutes away. This forced them to feel around blindly, as they made sure they didn't bump or trip on anything jetting out of the walls.
"I can't see anything."
"Just keep going straight."
Bang. "Ah that hurt."
"Shut up idiot, you're going to get us caught." Bang. "Ouch. Warn me the pipe is there."
"If you're stupid enough to hit the same thing as him… Who just touched my a$$? I'll kill you."
"Sorry, please don't hit me, ouch." Someone got smacked. "I'm sorry."
"There's a time and place to be frisky, do it with Frenda later."
"Shut up, he's not going to do anything like that."
"They are approaching."
All of then snapped their mouths shut and leaned up against the wall. The area, in front of them and behind them, had walls with viewpoints. They had to squeeze close to each other, to avoid the light illuminating them. Touma felt his hand touch something soft behind him and then heard Mikoto gasp quietly. He couldn't tell what it was for sure, but quickly moved it back towards his body and his face burned. Shizuri and Mikoto where both pressed tightly up against him, as the knights got close enough for them to hear the knights talk. They sounded annoyed, but continued to march in file, their footsteps thundering down the tunnel. Touma, Mikoto, Shizuri, and Index knew all the knights had heightened senses, so they tried to avoid moving and even tried to breathe silently.
"I can't believe the trouble those intruders are causing."
"To actually sneak into the palace and harm several knights, what are they?"
"Enemies," a more commanding voice said. "We are to secure the tunnel entrance and kill any intruders without mercy. If I hear any of you complaining about your task again, I swear I will make you run marathons until you die."
"Yes sir!" The knights passed them and headed toward the railcar. As they were about to finish passing Touma, he realized they had left the two unconscious men out in the open. The men were on the other side of the railcar, so it would take a few moments for the knights to see them, but they would be spotted soon enough. Touma nudged Shizuri forward. He knew she probably didn't know what he was thinking, but she figured out what the sign meant easily enough. She pushed Index forward and everyone else followed as fast as they could, while still staying silent. Their luck finally ran out when a male's voice echoed down the hall. "We have two casualties. The intruders were here."
"All men guard the exits. There are only two directions they could have gone. Down the tunnel we came through or back up the way they came. They must have gone back up. I'm calling this in. Move out your bloody idiots! Don't let them escape." The thud of men in armor, stomping around the railcar area, echoed down the tunnel.
"Hurry," Touma whispered and all of them ran, as much as they could in the narrow tunnel, until they reached the end of the maintenance line. Mikoto had to squeeze past everyone else to unlock the door, without causing an explosion. Something Shizuri had offered. They exited into the tunnel and started running. There were now soft emergency lights on the ceiling, so they could just barely see and not trip over the tracks.
"There's a door," Index pointed out. The stopped for a moment, turned to look in the same direction as Index, and then ran toward the door. Mikoto unlocked it and they ran up the stairs into a small building with no windows and a single metal door. There were shelves of tools and several large cupboards.
"Looks like a mechanic station," Mikoto said. "Makes sense after we went down that tunnel."
"Well," Shizuri said crossing her arms. "I guess the mission was a success. We got these two and escaped. Now, we just need picked up." She glanced over at Touma. "I think I still need to punish you for trying to grab my a$$."
"It was an accident," Touma replied defensively. "None of us could see in the darkness."
"Yea," Mikoto added defending him. "He accidently hit me too. We couldn't do anything about it."
"Oh?" Shizuri replied, raising an eyebrow. "Where?" Mikoto didn't reply and her face turned red. Shizuri grinned.
"Touma," Index demanded. "Why didn't you touch me? Are you trying to flirt with them? Do you not see me as a girl?"
"No!" Touma denied. "You were in front of Mugino, so I wouldn't be able to accidently run into you."
"This is fun and all," Shizuri said, still grinning. "But call the others already so we can leave. Standing around in enemy territory is stupid and suicidal."
"I agree," Mikoto said. She pulled out her phone, and just started dialing, when Index jerked her head and started at the wall.
"GET DOWN!" she yelled. Everyone reflexively dived to the floor, and it was a good thing they listened so quickly. A moment later, everything three feet off the ground, walls, shelves, celling, were blown away in a flash of light. It happened so fast, not even dust was left in the air. Touma looked up and saw nothing by sky above him. He pushed himself up, looked around, and felt despair rise up within him. He couldn't say anything, when he saw the position they were in. They were completely surrounded, by countless number of knights in all directions. Leading them, around a hundred feet away from him, and looking quite pleased with herself, was Princess Carissa. She had Curtana slung over her shoulders in a nonchalant manner while staring directly at him.
"Your plan wasn't bad," she said grinning. "But you are a hundred years too early to think you could outwit me. I think you require some discipline boy. But first," her glare grew cold. "I believe I have to get rid of those two pieces of baggage. No one steals from me."
"What is that?" Kuroko gasped pointing. Misaki and Itsuwa turned to look in the direction she was facing, and then Misaki gasped too. A giant flame monster, in the rough appearance of a human, was rising above the city.
"That's Stiyl's flame magic," Itsuwa explained. "It's called Innocentius, the Witch Hunter King. It's also the signal for Misaka-san and Mugino-san." She glanced down at her watch and noted the time. "We are only to move out at the last minute. If we start moving to soon, we will be noticed and the escape route will be compromised for all of them."
"How long?" Misaki asked, unable to take her eyes off the flame creature.
"Ten minutes top," Itsuwa replied nervously. "If they contact us earlier, we will move out."
"We can't see anything from here though," Kuroko said looking around. She didn't want to just stand around doing nothing when Mikoto was risking her life. "Can we watch from that tower up there? We brought binoculars."
"I suppose we could," Itsuwa said thinking. "I would like to see how the knights around the palace are moving."
"Ok," Kuroko said happily and grabbed Itsuwa and Misaki. A moment later they all found themselves on the tower. As soon as they got the signal, Kuroko would teleport them back into the bus to head out. They all pulled out binoculars and started to scan the palace. She was surprised at how far the binoculars could see. Maybe there's magic on them. "Does anyone see them?" There was silence for a little bit, until Itsuwa spoke up.
"They just snuck in through a window," she informed them. "They timed it well and slipped between the knight's patrols." She put the binoculars down and sat down on a chair. "Now we have to wait. I don't know how long it will take them. They have to move quickly."
"They studied the palace layout," Misaki said. "And I saw Mugino-san's power can defeat a knight in one shot. So as long as they don't run into the princess, or to many guards, they should be fine."
"Onee-sama can also handle herself," Kuroko added. "She should be able to rescue those two and get them out safely. They should be heading east if, possible, toward us to make picking them up easier."
"They are both smart and know the plan," Itsuwa said standing up again. Nothing noticeable happened for a little bit and Misaki started pacing back in forth in worry. They only message they would receive was when Mikoto and Shizuri were ready to be picked up. Kuroko sat down, but the look of worry on her face didn't change. Itsuwa was carefully monitoring the palace and something happened to make her frown. "I think they ran into trouble. Some of the knights are running in and out of the palace. This is bad. They are now surrounding the palace."
"What do we do now?" Misaki asked standing up immediately. "It will take us a few minutes to get there, even without anyone on the roads."
"We obviously need to help," Kuroko said determinately.
"We can't yet," Itsuwa replied, but her face was looking anxious too as her hand made a fist. "If we leave now, we are guaranteed to get surrounded and Misaka-san and Mugino-san will be stuck in the palace. I know it's hard, but we have to wait."
"But…" Kuroko started to argue when she felt Misaki put a hand on her shoulder. Kuroko turned to look at Misaki's face and she shook her head slowly. Kuroko wanted to argue, but when she looked into Misaki's eyes she stopped. Kuroko could tell Misaki was just as worried as her, if not more, but she was trying to keep herself calm. She's in love with the ape, but she can still keep a clam demeanor. I need to learn from her. If I act rashly, I could cause problems for onee-sama. She took a deep breath to calm herself and turned back to Itsuwa. "Let me know when." Itsuwa nodded and kept monitoring the situation. She suddenly gasped and Misaki and Kuroko turned to her.
"What happened?" they asked in unison.
"This is really bad," Itsuwa said putting her binoculars down for a moment. "The princess just walked out of the palace. We thought for sure she would be leading the knights against Stiyl's group. If they try to leave and run into her…" Her voice died out which did not alleviate Kuroko's and Misaki's worry
"She's supposed to be a lot stronger than all the knights, right?" Misaki asked softly and Itsuwa nodded. The pit of her stomach dropped and she was trying to keep her composure, mainly to stop Kuroko from acting rashly and jeopardizing rescuing Touma. Her hand unconsciously reached into her bag grabbing her remote. If she did anything to him, I swear I will make her regret it. She mimicked Kuroko and took a deep breath to remain calm. "What's she doing?"
"I can't hear them," Itsuwa replied gazing intently through her binoculars. "But she's talking to one of the higher ranking knights." There was a pause. "What is she planning? She's leading the knights away from the palace in our direction."
"What?" Kuroko said anxiously. "Is she coming for us?"
"I don't think so," Itsuwa said slowly. "They wouldn't be simply marching. We are too far away. She seems to be following something underground…. oh no." She put her binoculars down and reached into her pocket to pull out a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it and smoothed it out on the table while Misaki and Kuroko watched. "I knew it. There's a subway tunnel under the palace. It has several purposes, including evacuation and having a railcar to use as part of a magic circle. The basement is used to help control Curtana's power. Stiyl said that was going to be our next goal once we rescued Index and Kamijou-kun. They must be trying to escape through the tunnel."
"And the princess and her knights are chasing them," Misaki finished.
"We have to help them now," Kuroko yelled.
"I know," Itsuwa said running her finger along the subway route on the map. "These are the access points… and it looks like only one is close enough for them to reach. Got it, let's go, we don't have much time." She grabbed the paper, just as Kuroko grabbed her and Misaki. Kuroko teleported them all back down into the bus. Itsuwa hopped into the driver's seat and put on her seatbelt. "Hold on," she said, a fire burning in her eyes. "This is going to be a bumpy ride." Kuroko and Misaki gave each other a surprised look because of Itsuwa's sudden attitude change. They sat down, holding tightly to the metal seats.
They were not prepared for Itsuwa and her driving when she was serious. They tore through the remains of a small fence and landed with a thud on the road. Itsuwa spun the wheel and they barreled down the streets, avoiding the few abandoned cars left on the road. Misaki and Kuroko could feel themselves being thrown to the side every time Itsuwa made a sharp turn. She was ignoring all traffic laws and working on getting them to their destination as quick as possible. I am never riding with her in an emergency again, Misaki thought to herself. She was getting nauseous and probably wouldn't be able to hold it in much longer. She got a sudden moment of relief when the Itsuwa slammed on the breaks, though she almost hit her head on the seat in front of her. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know what happened," Itsuwa said pointing. "But take a look." Kuroko and Misaki both stood up and looked through the windshield.
"It's like a warzone," Kuroko said. They looked out across the street in shock. There were large craters in the road and the nearby buildings had deep gouges in them, like someone was cutting them with a large blade. About twenty knights were lying all over the street. Some looked better than others, but it appeared as if they had fought a powerful enemy and lost.
"Sorry to ask you this," Itsuwa said. "Can you remove the knights out of the way?" Kuroko nodded and proceeded to teleport them out of their way, as Itsuwa navigated between the craters.
"What do you think caused it?" Misaki asked.
"I don't know," Itsuwa said truthfully. "None of the church forces should be here. Whoever did it really helped clear the way for us. But we can't stop and think about it now." Her eyes were still glued to the road. "We have to meet up with the others." Misaki nodded, but she knew they couldn't tell Touma about this. He would be upset they didn't try to help the knights instead of coming for him.
He always worries about others over himself. He's such a prince in that way, but I wish he would think about what I would do if I lost him again. The memory of the despair and loneliness, she felt when Touma could no longer remember her, haunted her once again. She swore to never let that happen again. She would do whatever it took to rescue him, the way he had saved her so long ago. It didn't take long for Kuroko to finish and teleport back in, but it was still a delay. As soon as they got through the street, Itsuwa floored it once again. Misaki turned a delicate shade of green and Kuroko did not appear much better, but they kept staring straight ahead, with determined looks on their faces. They were able to continue for a couple minutes, and were approaching their target, when something suddenly hit the bus form the side with a loud thud. The bus started to spin and crashed into a street lamp pole. The bus's wards held, though there was a large dent on the side, and all three of the girls saw who had attacked them.
Several knights were jumping down from the rooftops around them. One of them called out loudly, his voice magnified. "Come out and surrender or we will use force."
"Dang it," Itsuwa fumed, pulling out her spear. "If we try to pass them they will just blast us off the road."
"I'll stop them," Misaki said pulling out her remote and pointing at the approaching knights. She had meant to control all of them, since she knew how their defenses worked, but she only managed to grab control of two of them. "Their minds are shielded differently. I need time to break through." She ordered the two she managed to take over to act normally until needed.
"I'm going out to stall them then," Itsuwa said. "If they destroy the bus getting to us, we can't evacuate the others."
"I'm going with you," Kuroko volunteered instantly. "I'll be able to get you out of there if things go south." Itsuwa didn't like Kuroko taking risks with her, but she had to admit Kuroko had a very good point. She nodded and they stepped out of the bus, while Misaki kept her head down and worked on trying to take over the knights. She frowned as her power was blocked. A normal person's mind could be manipulated effortlessly, though people with abilities that generated electromagnetic fields, like Mikoto, could block her ability. To bypass the magic defenses, the earlier knights had, Misaki had to apply her powers in slightly different ways. She had to keep trying different things until something worked. Now, it felt like she was trying to solve a Rubik's cube without knowing the formula on how to do it. It was similar, but nothing she did gave her the desired results.
"We surrender," Itsuwa said raising her hands above her head. Kuroko noticed she didn't drop her spear, but the knights didn't really seem to care.
"I see you decided to pass on Lady Carissa's kind offer," one of the knights said looking at them. "Shame, it was your only way out of this. You may have had an easy time with the earlier knights, but we have been blessed with much more power." He raised his hand and two of the knights moved instantly. Kuroko braced herself to teleport away, but the knights didn't go after her or Itsuwa. They moved, at speeds her eyes could barely follow, and they struck two other knights in the back of the neck. They fell to the ground unconscious with a thud. "They volunteered to take less of Curtana's power so we could identify your powers. You won't be able to corrupt our minds like theirs." He raised two fingers, and pointed toward Kuroko and Itsuwa. The two knights attacked immediately again with the signal.
This time, Kuroko was completely ready. She teleported herself and Itsuwa away as the knights tried to flank them. She had guessed correctly the knights would try to flank them and she teleported out of the way. When she looked at them, she saw they hadn't drawn their weapons yet. Are they underestimating us, or trying to capture us alive? She was impressed at the way Itsuwa was able to correct her form immediately after teleportation. She leaped at one of the knights and jabbed her spear into the knights back. There was an explosion and the knight stumbled forward, but he remained on his feet. He reached down and pulled out his sword, turned, and swung the blade at Itsuwa. She raised her spear and blocked it, but the force of blow knocked her back several feet. The second knight moved to flank her and swung his sword. His blade passed harmlessly through the air as she disappeared. They looked around and saw Kuroko pressing a hand against Itsuwa's back. "What's the plan?"
"We have to defeat them or we can't save the others," Itsuwa told her. "I can barely penetrate their armor with the amount of Telesma they are receiving."
"Then we just have to…" Kuroko started to say but stopped as the knight who was in charge yelled at them.
"I suggest you surrender," he told them. They turned and saw he had Shokuhou-san by the hair with one hand and a sword pressed up against her neck with the other. "Or she dies. Do you think we wouldn't notice her trying to take over our minds?" He shook Misaki and she winced in pain. "What's in her bag?" he asked another knight.
"Remotes and a small case of an unknown white powdery substance, sir."
"What the…" the knight said. Remotes were the furthest thing from his mind. He had no idea how Misaki would be using those as weapons. He considered what the white powder was and concluded it was some type of drug. "Anyway," he turned his attention back to Kuroko and Itsuwa who hadn't moved. "Drop your weapons and surrender." Itsuwa opened her hand and her spear clattered to the ground.
"No!" Misaki called out. "Don't worry about me."
"Shut up," the knight said shaking her by the hair again. He nodded to one of the knights and he threw Kuroko and Itsuwa handcuffs. "Put those on," he ordered. Kuroko and Itsuwa didn't say anything, but complied. "Good," he dragged Misaki over to them and threw her into Itsuwa. "Inform the princess we caught the intruders. Ask her what she wants done with them."
"I can get us out," Kuroko whispered. "They can't block my teleportation, but what should we do?"
"I'm out of ideas," Itsuwa whispered. "They are infused with Telesma and their skills are far beyond what normal people can handle."
"That white case there," Misaki whispered. "It's the last chance we have. If you can get it to me, I might be able to do something."
"What is it?" Kuroko asked softly.
"It could possibly give me a temporary boast to my ability to bypass their defenses," Misaki answered back. "Other than that, I'm out of options and I rather not be used as bait for the others."
"Possibly?" Kuroko asked.
"It hasn't been tested yet," Misaki smiled weakly. "It's the reason I didn't really want to resort to it."
"It sounds like it is our only option," Itsuwa said. "if you are sure, we have to try." Misaki nodded and Itsuwa looked at Kuroko. "As soon as we get an opportunity, grab it."
The knights lined them up against the bus and had them sit on the ground. Kuroko watched and noticed the Misaki's bag was unguarded, the knights didn't see remotes as a threat, but they were constantly under watch. She wasn't going to get an opportunity to grab the case. I wonder how it magnifies her ability anyway. "We have to trick them into giving it to us," she whispered. "I can't get an opening."
"Sounds easy," Misaki said, sounding a lot more confident then she felt. "I know a couple ways. Play along." Her plan was going to rely a lot on if the knights were as chivalrous as in stories she had read. They didn't try to kill them immediately, so Misaki was hoping the stories were true. She started coughing loudly. One of the knights near them turned his head slightly to glance at her, but he didn't move. She continued, slowly getting louder, but pretending to try to cover it up. The knight looked like he was getting a little concerned, and Misaki knew she had him. She then pretended to collapse onto the ground and made her breathing sound ragged. That drew the knight's attention and he moved over to them.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Medicine…" Misaki said weakly.
"She needs her medicine," Kuroko said, understanding what Misaki was doing. "It should be a small case in her bag. If she doesn't take it regularly, she can't breathe."
"Huh," The knight said, not sounding convinced. "Sir, we have a situation."
"It better be important if you are bothering me," the knight in charge said walking over.
"The girl here can't breath and she said the medicine is in her bag."
"They are probably going to die anyway," the commander said but he rubbed his chin thinking. "I can't in good conscious let a prisoner die while in my custody. The powder does not appear dangerous or magical. Let her have it, but do not release her cuffs. If she tries anything funny, kill her." The knight nodded and walked over to Misaki's bag. He grabbed the white case and brought it over to Misaki and opened it. Misaki was not happy at how she would have to eat it, it was really degrading, but the thought of Touma overrode any sense of pride she had. She leaned forward and licked the powder once. The knight clicked the case shut and threw the case into the bag, before walking away. Misaki had no idea how long it would take before the Body Crystal took effect, but she was aware of Kuroko and Itsuwa watching her.
What happened next, she was not prepared for.
Her brain suddenly started pounding, like it was being smacked against her skull. Her pupils dilated and her vision blurred for a moment. She slowly got back up in a sitting position, but she barely seemed aware of what was happening. She turned her head to look at Itsuwa and Kuroko, barely noting their surprise. Itsuwa looked concerned, but Kuroko looked surprised at the change in her eyes. Misaki turned her head back toward the knights and concentrated. Normally, she had to follow the rules she made for herself, to control her power and not cause damage to herself or others. She used her remotes to channel a specific mental ability, like sleep, forget, and others. It took a rare situation for her to not use them. Now, she didn't even think of using them. Everything was so clear to her and she could feel her power slipping into the knight's minds. The defenses that were once so complicated, seems like a child's puzzle to her. She took over all the minds of each one of the knights, besides the commander, immediately. Her power continued to pulse in her mind and she was surprised at how easy this was.
"Shokuhou-san?" Itsuwa asked cautiously. "Are you ok?" Misaki nodded slowly, not bothering to answer.
"Did it work?" Kuroko asked and Misaki smiled.
"Yes," she said simply, her voice sounded normal to the others, but to Misaki, it came from so far away. Her mind didn't care what she said because she could hear it in her mind. A moment later the commander was completely surrounded by his men.
"What are you all…" he started to say then spun around and looked at Misaki. "You b#$^%!" Misaki didn't rise to his taunts and instead stood up slowly. Kuroko and Itsuwa imitated her actions and Kuroko teleported off all of their cuffs. "How could you take over their minds so easily?"
"Like this," Misaki answered. A moment later, the commander went limp as his mind was overwhelmed by Misaki's power. She looked around at all the knights and she had them stand at attention around her.
"Wow," Kuroko said impressed. "You took over all of their minds so fast."
"I thought you were having trouble using your power on them," Itsuwa said.
"That powder is giving me a temporary boost to my ability," Misaki informed them. She clutched her head as it started pounding. "We should hurry. I don't know how much longer it will work before I suffer withdrawal." She walked over to her bag and picked it up. Kuroko and Itsuwa nodded, though both looked concern, and reentered the bus. Misaki followed, but decided to bring the ten knights with them. If she got too far away from them, her hold would break and they would call ahead, so the other knights would be prepared. The knights grabbed the metal rails and stood silently as Itsuwa shifted the bus into drive.
"You sure it's wise to bring them?" Kuroko asked.
"It's better than leaving them here," Misaki replied. Kuroko opened her mouth and then shut it again as Misaki used her power on her. Misaki's head was pounding and she didn't want to answer Kuroko's questions. She also slightly manipulated Itsuwa's mind to avoid asking about her power. She sat down and grabbed the metal rail on the seat in front of her. She put a hand over her mouth as she was overwhelmed by the urge to vomit, and this time it wasn't Itsuwa's driving. She closed her eyes, as the bus swayed, and they headed in the direction of Touma, Mikoto, Shizuri, and Index. Her mind was only focused on Touma though, even more the usual.
She could not know this was a side effect of her taking Body Crystal not made for her. It actually overloaded her ability, and because her ability was mental, it had unintentional side effects. Her mind was able to focus much easier, but only on a single target. When she targeted the knights, she was focusing on bypassing their defenses and taking over their minds. Now, her mind had traveled back to Touma, and all she cared about was finding him. All of her concentration was now solely focused on locating and saving him. She kept her control on the knights, only because they would help her accomplish that goal. She opened her eyes and stared straight ahead, unblinkingly. I swear my prince, I will save you. No matter the cost.
There was one other side effect that was a lot more serious, but she had no way of detecting it. Her mind had established links with the knights. Because she was keeping direct control, she normally could do this with around a dozen people but she could probably handle several times more in her current state, there was a two way information system connecting them. There was her mind going towards the knights, and all the memories, sights, sounds, and more coming from the knights to her. Somehow, the link was mixing with the sheer amount of Telesma the knights had and it was flowing back, through the link, into her body. Normally, if an ability user tried to use magic, they would suffer from the two different sets of laws clashing. She, however, was not casting spells. Instead, the Telesma was flowing through her ability and fortifying it and herself. If Kuroko and Itsuwa had not been manipulated, to not bother with questioning her, they might have noticed the first change.
The stars, in her golden eyes, had changed to such a dark blue, they was almost black.
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish I ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.
Motoharu: The opening announcements were really fun. I definitely would be interested in doing it again.
Touma: You did something bad didn't you?
Motoharu: I have no idea what you mean.
Touma: AH YOU DID! Dang, I can't see what he put.
Accelerator: It can't be that bad.
Touma: You wouldn't say that if he talked about you.
Accelerator: He wouldn't dare.
Me: Well, those comments were informative and he followed all the rules. I'm impressed I didn't have to ban you. You didn't mention 4chan once.
Motoharu: Told you.
Me: Guess I need to find someone else now.
Misaki: I volunteer.
Mikoto: No, I don't trust her.
Me: Eh, she was first. Ok Shokuhou-san, you can answer questions and comments for next chapter.
Motoharu: SO Kami-yan, I saw you cooping some feels. Nice to see you getting bolder.
Touma: Don't bring that up…
Frenda: Wait, what happened?
Shizuri: He grabbed my a$$.
Misaki: WHAT!
Mikoto: It was an accident, he accidently touched me too.
Shizuri: Heh, you have nothing to grab.
Mikoto: WHAT DID YOU SAY?!