This arc is so much fun to write. When I thought of it, I was in the middle of season two. Now, I can finally unleash all the ideas that have been building up and mulling around in my mind since then. I did enjoy how people were noticing small things most people probably didn't realize, like the earth swallowing was based on Numbers. You will be surprised at what you can find in religious texts. Even Australia has some interesting legends and lore that is sure to blow your mind. Oh, I do have some good news. People have been telling me a third season of A Certain Magical Index is coming out, so we should all be rejoicing about that. MrQuestionMark has been wanting that forever. Let's move to questions and then get to the next awesome chapter of the horror of Australia. (Seriously, terrible, terrible place. Haha.)
Whwsms: You caught me. If I spread out the plagues too much, this arc would take forever. I don't want to have a twenty plus chapter battle. No respect is really just them trying to make sure he doesn't get careless. If he gets complacent, he might get hurt. That's how much they care. Fluffy can't be the solution to everything. Sometimes all they need is a Touma Punch (TM) in the face.
Anon Guest: After this arc, he will get more respect. But again, the no respect is just a way for them to show how much their care.
UCCMaster: Few more spells you should be able to recognize and then once Adam directly enters the fray, it should be glorious.
Acpeters: The first half of the plagues were more annoyances, so most of the time was focused on the second half. I like to make sure the girls each of their own experiences with our unlucky hero. So now, this chapter, we are going to see more development among them. The Network… let's say the network is broken for now.
Itherael: You get a tsundere, you get a tsundere, everyone gets a tsundere. Nah, Just kidding, Touma gets them all. There will be a point Touma will have a chance to gain respect. The question is, can he maximize it?
Brosephg: Spoil things for them. Do it. Join the dark side, we have cookies. Pssh, everyone likes to comment on no respect. Touma wouldn't be Touma if the people who respected him actually showed it. Magic is fun to write when you tie it to something. Just saying, fireball, fireball isn't nearly as fun as saying the Flames of Prometheus…etc… etc…
Savaris: You always seem to be able to figure out the general idea of things in your comments. Just close enough to have that sense of pride, but far enough away to get surprised and entertained. Imouto and the network is going to cause issues on their return. Let's not think about that for now. I always felt Mikoto and Misaki could be a golden pair in teasing our hero, but they fight too much in canon. Shizuri, to be a full blown yandere, she would have to try to kill the girls near Touma. She did it to Mikoto once, and she's perfectly willing to kill threats to him. She's borderline yandere.
Guest13: Pssh, cheating is for the weak. Strong people make the rules.
general ironox: Luck is all perspective.
Jujudude: I flipped a coin between Australia and Canada. In the end, Australia has more natural horrors and people would be sad if it disappeared. If Canada disappeared, people might not notice until we run out of syrup. (I'm only kidding Canada, we all love you. Except your lies on bacon.) Ruiko's progression will start happening soon. Yuna was only supposed to be there once, but somehow managed to sneak in several times. We will see what she does later.
wildarms13: Wouldn't be Touma without some comedic stunts while the world is falling apart around him. Pierce doesn't have a lot of big parts that don't involve messing with our hero, so he gets more lines at the end.
Teri-teri: His misfortune was greater than the plagues of god.
anand891996: It was pretty obvious he wasn't dead. Adam even said so.
naruhinasakufan1: Been awhile since I saw your skits. Not bad, but you are making Shizuri to opened. She would never admit stuff like that out loud.
Guest: Komoe falls in line with, "Touma is so cute, but society gets mad at the age gap." Yes… a joke. My computer did not fall out the window… Two reasons for arachnophobia. One, It's Australia, you have to accept the puppy sized ones. Two, it's foreshadowing. Touma stumbled, so he was still on his feet when he grabbed her. Can't tell you last one, because it's answered in this chapter. I had to avoid calling them shock troopers for the longest time.
Guest: (Can't tell if you are the previous guest, so here's separate line.) Will be answered below in the chapter.
Yakutsu Zaishiro: It has the electrolytes plants crave.
Anon Guest: Sounds good.
Handsomistic1: One of the hardest parts with writing Touma is he is more than just the IB. He has survived countless fights, so he gets used to reading people. A level 2 vs someone who can face an army? Sounds like a fair fight. The Sister's Battery Pack, now in AA, AAA, and Ds.
Salishious: The urge to troll by putting Touma was dead in the first sentence was very difficult to resist. Most of his nicknames only come out when he's drunk now. Touma's a symbol, and you always corrupt that.
GameCguru: His harem keeps getting bigger, so threatening Touma Is leading to a bigger tactical nuke rebuttal. Remember, Mikoto's mom is coming back for the weekend during the same time as the raffle.
MightyImpulse: What? People die when they are killed? Nonsense.
Generation Zero: Adam is a lot more direct than Eve. You notice what he does. With Eve, you don't know until it's over. You are going to love when Touma and Adam eventually meet face to face. Can't say anything more than that though.
FrodoFighter: I think Imouto would be a good enough shot to only hit the spider with a barrage of gun fire. Then assume all the nearby tents wake up and barge in to see them together. That is the misfortune that would happen. Aqua's a Saint, they don't need sleep like a normal person. Wait for this… what about drills that shoot out flames as they spin? Adam pulled a lion king in the clouds to scold them. About using your head, I'm sure Rampardos would like to argue with you about the power of headbutts. (For those of you who see this and don't know Rampardos, it's from my other story.) Oh, Touma never strips guys. His luck says girls only. The final plague confused me for a long time about the sisters. So I avoided that situation all together. Brilliant, right? I would love to claim the idea about using white mist, but so many stories and shows using white to show the death by taking away colors. I am really interesting in who you think the girl Caesar is talking about. I'm really interested to know. Coincidences never really exist.
321jazz: Going to keep this short. MADNESS? THIS IS AUSTRALIA! It's only just beginning.
Disclaimer: Random people do not own Toaru Majutsu no Index or any of the characters. Reading this story may cause you to burst out in laughter or start yelling at fictional characters. This may cause nearby people to assume you have gone crazy. Please read responsibly. Magic Gods own all so they can do what they want.
Ow, I feel like I was hit by a truck.
Touma could tell he was lying on the ground, but he didn't want to open his eyes. His head was spinning and his body was sore all over. The last thing he remembered was the earth breaking apart from under him and swallowing everyone. He never managed to see the bottom and must have lost consciousness during the decent. The ground beneath him felt like hard dirt, so Touma had no idea how he was alive. The force of hitting the ground should have killed him. I must have hit the ground or I wouldn't be feeling this pain, so how am I even conscious? Something moved next to him and he knew he couldn't continue to lie around. An enemy could be standing next to him right now. He pushed himself up and opened his eyes. He had to blink a couple of times to be able to see clearly.
He received a shock at who he saw but, at the same time, was relieved.
"Carissa?" he asked groggily, as he managed to sit up.
"Oh," Carissa replied and turned to look at him. "You're awake. I figured I would have to kick you up."
"Where are we?" Touma asked and struggled to his feet. He leaned up against the wall and looked around. They were in some kind of tunnel that seemed to stretch both ways forever. Other tunnels branched off from theirs in different directions, but Touma could not see down there. In fact, the only reason he could see anything was because of a soft green glow originating from the ceiling. The light was coming from some kind of mossy substance. Wait, it's covering the ceiling. There's no sign of the hole we fell down in. Adam must have trapped us here.
"Deep underground," Carissa told him. "But I think you knew that already. How deep, I can't really tell. We were careless."
"Why?" Touma asked confused.
"We figured his magic would be based on Exodus," Carissa explained. "We overlooked the fact he could use magic from other sections of the bible. The earth swallowing spell he prepared for us was based on the Numbers. The brothers Dathan and Abiram would constantly try to put obstacles against Moses, even when they were in Egypt. Eventually, they led a rebellion against Moses and the earth opened up to swallow them all. Adam used our attack as the rebellion, so he could cast his spell. He isn't using Exodus, his power follows Moses." She paused and glanced down a side passage. "It looks like we fell into a maze and I can't tell how vast it is. Also, from the fact no one else who was near us are here, we can safely assume the point was to separate our forces."
"Separate?" Touma frowned. "He's planning to take us down in small groups, isn't he?"
"Precisely," Carissa confirmed. "I saw a few shadows of humans before we fell. They must be the missing people from the surrounding areas. Adam is either forcing them to mine this site, or there's another person here who can do so."
"We have to save them," Touma said instantly.
"If they are alive," Carissa muttered and then she remembered who she was talking to. She continued before Touma could open his mouth. "Listen, I'm not going to sugarcoat things for you, I respect you too much for that. You have been through enough to understand what could happen when facing Adam. There is a chance they have been killed and turned into undead. If that is true, we can only grant them the gift of death. If they are enslaved, we will most likely need to defeat the person controlling them in order to free them. However, to get to that individual may be difficult if the enslaved people will not fall easily."
"But your men will try to save them first, right?" Touma wouldn't move until he received a straight answer from her. Wait, she said she respected me? I think my head is still ringing.
"They will do everything in their power," Carissa finally said, but Touma could tell her tone was strained. "They are knights and nuns. Their purpose is to protect the people and our country."
"Then I'm going to put my trust in them," Touma said and sighed with relief. She really means they might have to use lethal force, but I have to have faith. "I know Agnese's forces are skilled and the knights I have met will definitely find a way to accomplish that." All that is left is to find my friends. I have to approach this rationally this time, or I'm going to end up getting us all killed.
"I see having you meet with George's group was the correct decision." Carissa muttered.
"Huh?"
"Nothing," Carissa answered quickly. "We have more important matters at hand, such as how to get out of this maze."
"Maze?" Touma asked. "All I know is we fell down and ended up in this tunnel. How do you know it's a maze? Did you scout the area already?"
"Not thoroughly," Carissa admitted. "I only woke up a few moments before you, but these tunnels were made for a purpose." She looked around. "It's only a hunch but, if you get separated from someone, you will probably never find them again."
"Is it that vast?" Touma looked around "He must have made the tunnels all over the desert then."
"Or he used magic to warp space," Carissa interjected. "The point is, we need to either find more of my troops or strike at Adam directly to free us all."
"So you think these tunnels are magic?" Touma wanted to clarify.
"I know they are magic. The problem is, what kind of magic is he using and what are the consequences for removing it? I rather it not collapse on us."
"Umm, we might have a problem with that theory."
"Why?" Carissa demanded.
"I'm touching the wall right now," Touma pointed out. When he had stood up and leaned against the wall to balance, his right hand had pressed against it for stability. "And it's not going off." One of Carissa's eyes twitched and she took a deep breath.
"You are so lucky the tunnel is not being supported by magic," she hissed slowly. "That single mistake could have brought the entire maze down on our heads and buried us alive."
"Oh," Touma replied softly. "Sorry, but after falling, I wasn't thinking straight."
"Since no harm was done," Carissa continued and she sounded calm now. "Adam must have only carved the tunnels with magic and the fall transported everyone to different locations. He's planning to wipe us out, so we need to get moving. Are you capable of walking?"
"I'm fine," Touma told her. He shook his head. "A little sore, but I've fought in worst conditions before." He looked around. "Any idea on which direction?"
"We are going to do this systematically," Carissa answered. She pulled out her sword with her left hand and hit the wall with a quick slice. The wall was made of stone and the thin cut was barely noticeable. "We need to mark where we have been. I don't care about if the enemies see it. They probably have a way of tracking us anyways." She reached over and grabbed Touma's left hand with her right.
"W-what are you doing?!" Touma stammered wildly.
"Calm down," Carissa demanded with a roll of her eyes. "Even if the walls are not magical, there is a chance traps have been set up to separate us. You need your right hand to fight, but I can fight with my left hand as easily as my right. Without any rope, this is the easiest way to make sure we stick together." She glared at him. "Do you have a better idea?"
"N-no," Touma muttered truthfully. "You make sense. It's just…" He trailed off and looked away from her. He heard her snicker slightly.
"Let me guess," Carissa said mockingly. "You're a virgin who has never held hands with a girl before?"
"I have held hands with a girl!" Touma protested vigorously. "I'm not a kid!"
"I figured as much," Carissa said with a laugh. "Interesting." Touma blinked and then realized he only denied part of her previous statement.
"Do you enjoy making fun of me?" he asked resigned. Almost every girl I know teases me at some point. What about me makes them want to tease me so often?
"It keeps my spirits up," Carissa confirmed and then her smile faded. "Let's go boy. We have much to do and little time. I also bet you want to find your friends."
"Definitely," Touma agreed. He pushed aside any embarrassment he felt about holding hands with an attractive older woman and followed Carissa down the tunnel. She marked each intersection with the same horizontal mark to indicate they did not enter that tunnel, only passed it. The tunnel they were in eventually hit an intersection and they had to choose between going right or left. Carissa chose left and then put a vertical mark indicating they had entered the new tunnel. This tunnel looked exactly the same as the previous one. The soft green glow was their only light and the only sound was the dull thud of their feet on the hard ground. It was slightly unnerving and Touma kept glancing over his shoulder. It feels like we are being watched and I expect something to jump out at us any second. Nothing happened and the silence lengthened, until Carissa suddenly stopped and he almost bumped into her. "What is it?" Touma whispered.
"Look," Carissa answered and pointed at a tunnel to their right.
That doesn't sound good, Touma thought. He frowned and glanced down the tunnel. It looked exactly the same as the ones they traveled through already and it was completely empty. Touma stopped breathing and listened, in case something was trying to hide, but he couldn't hear anything. Can she detect something I can't? He was about to turn and ask Carissa directly when he finally saw it. It was obvious why Carissa had stopped. "How?" Touma mumbled. "That's impossible."
There was a horizontal mark on the tunnel. It looked exactly like the ones Carissa had left in the previous tunnel.
"This is why I wanted us to be connected," Carissa mumbled and leaned down to examine the mark.
"That can't seriously be your handiwork, right?" Touma asked nervously. "Maybe another knight left it."
"No," Carissa corrected him. "This is definitely my mark. Hmm." She narrowed her eyes. "This leaves two possibilities. Someone can perfectly imitate my strikes or Adam is manipulating space to purposely keep us lost."
"Wouldn't the first option be more likely?" Touma pointed out. "We already saw my hand didn't go off."
"You would think so," Carissa agreed with a slight nod. "But something is off." She frowned and looked around. "My instincts tell me there is more to this."
"How about this then?" Touma suggested. "If you can think of how Adam can manipulate space with his magic, maybe you could think of a way to verify your theory." Carissa turned to stare at him. "W-what?"
"That's actually a good idea," Carissa confessed and sounded impressed. "I didn't think you could strategize like that."
"Well," Touma replied and rubbed his head with his free hand. "I can't really tell you how magic works, but I have experience fighting magicians. Analyzing where I need to block or strike with my hand usually means the difference between life and death. The problem here is we can't be sure if there is even magic. Once we do, we can find out where to interrupt it."
"Heh, good point." Carissa sheathed her sword and rubbed her hand over the thin groove of the strike mark. She kept muttering to herself while examining every inch of it. Touma remained quiet to let her work. Interrupting her would only cause this to take longer. Carissa looked annoyed and began to examine the entire entrance to the tunnel. She ran her hand over every part she could reach, but still never let go of Touma's hand. Eventually, a grinned appeared on her face and she stepped back. "So that's it. Clever."
"So it was magic?" Touma asked.
"Yes," Carissa confirmed. "And I know why your hand didn't go off earlier." She picked up a stone from the ground. "Watch this." She lightly tossed the stone into the tunnel. Touma watched the stone fly through and then immediately vanished in midair.
"It vanished," Touma said astonished.
"The magic is only on the entrance ways to different tunnels," Carissa explained. "The tunnels are not magic. It seems this trap is designed to bend space and send anyone who walks through to another location."
"Then this maze is really a prison," Touma fumed. "Adam is only trying to keep us occupied while he finishes his task."
"Looks like it," Carissa agreed. "If he intends for all of us to get lost down here, he must have based this spell on when Moses was lost in the desert after leading the Israelites from Egypt. They were lost for, forty years I think. Being in an Australian desert must have enhanced the potency of the spell. Not that the specifics for the spell matters right now. We have a more convenient method to dispel it at our disposal." She looked at him. "Touch around the edges here," she ordered.
"If you say so," Touma muttered and stepped forward. He reached up and moved his hand along the edges of the entrance to the tunnel, a couple inches in. Nothing happened at first, until he moved his hand further in, and then the sound of breaking glass rang out. The tunnel in front of Touma instantly disappeared. A solid wall of dirt and rock replaced it about a foot into the previous entry way. Touma dropped his hand in shock and stared at it.
"Perfect," Carissa praised him.
"So what now?" Touma asked. "Are we just going to go around and keep sealing off tunnels?"
"That is the plan."
"What if we get trapped down here or something?"
"We will cross that bridge when we come to it." Carissa pulled him after her and Touma realized any objections were going to be ignored.
"Such misfortune," he muttered.
"What was that!?" Carissa snapped.
"Nothing."
"Help!"
Ruiko was running down a tunnel as fast as she could. Behind her, a man and woman in their late twenties were chasing her. The couple were tanned and wearing long sleeve shirts and pants. They would have looked completely normal, if they had not been swinging mining pickaxes at Ruiko. Both of them had a glazed look in their eyes and barely seemed to register what they were doing. Neither of them was tiring either. They were taller than Ruiko and slowly catching up to her.
How did this happen? Ruiko thought desperately and turned down a side tunnel. She had been working in the medical tent back at base camp gathering towels, when the plagues struck. She was lucky and managed to avoid the boils, vermin, and fiery hail. A couple nuns had been rushed into the tent during the boils. They must have had some allergic reaction of some kind and passed out from a fever. Ruiko's job was mainly to keep cool wet clothes on the patients. Agnese's forces had managed to purify some of the water back to normal from being turned into blood, and then the darkness hit them hard. Ruiko had tripped over a basin and bruised her knee. Eventually, she was able to see again, but was then forced to take cover in the tent when the white mist from the sky came down. When the mist disappeared, she finally thought the attack was over. The troops marched out and all she could do was hope her friends would make it back. Ruiko could not stop the shaking in her hands, even when the troops had moved out of sight. She had no idea what was happening at that point.
Then the earth opened up under the entire camp.
There was nothing she could have done to save herself or the others around them.
Ruiko could only fall into the black void deep within the earth.
When she woke up, she found herself to be all alone and her body ached all over. She staggered to her feet and had wandered around for several minutes, unsure of what to do. She tried her cellphone, but there was no signal. Without any lead, she did the only thing available to her; explore. Each tunnel looked exactly the same as the previous one and all were lit by green moss on the ceiling. There were no indications which way lead out and which ways were dead ends. Ruiko tried to keep track of her path, but quickly got confused. She was lost and she knew it. Ruiko was about to resort back to the basic survival strategy when you get lost, stay in one spot and wait for help. However, two people appeared from a side tunnel and saw her.
This led to her current predicament.
What should I do? Ruiko thought desperately to herself. Are those two zombies or are they being controlled? If I fight back with my ability, could I stop them? Questions kept flashing through her head and doubts kept her from stopping. She was hoping she could lose them with her athletic ability, but the two people chasing her were not falling behind. I can't keep this up. The male behind her had almost caught up and was raising his weapon. She ducked down a side passage to dodge the blow and her eyes widened when she saw a familiar face.
"Duck!"
Ruiko obeyed instantly and dived down to the ground as Oriana Thomson held up a small pad of paper attached to what looked like a key ring. She bit into the pad and pulled out a single piece of paper with her teeth. The piece of paper started to glow and then turned into blue light. The light shot forward over Ruiko's head and exploded when it made contact with her pursuers. Ruiko didn't turn around, but she saw the shadows created from the flash and then felt a wave of freezing cold air. She shivered slightly, turned around, and gasped loudly.
The man and woman chasing her were now completely encased in ice.
"Did you…?" Ruiko trailed off weakly. She couldn't finish the sentence.
"Nope," Oriana answered. "They are only temporarily frozen. The magic affecting them is a mind altering type, so I could hardly kill them. They are being forced to work for Adam."
"You're the best onee-san," Ruiko told her and Oriana helped her up to her feet. "What should we do now? Besides those two, you are the only person I have run across."
"This place is quite vast," Oriana agreed. "I ran into another mind controlled native earlier. It's why I knew what happened to those two. It seems like Adam was bringing in people to work for him, but the magic… it's not his."
"You mean someone else is controlling them?" Ruiko asked and her eyes widened. "It has to be one of his companions."
"Precisely," Oriana replied. "But I bet a couple slaves are not all we are going to find down here." She grew solemn, frowned, and then turned to gaze down a tunnel. Ruiko kept her mouth shut and stared too, but also kept her ears open. Then she heard it.
Click, click, click.
It was the sound of something hard hitting rocks. It was soft, but Ruiko had a bad feeling about it. It didn't sound like a knight or nun, so it had to be something else Adam had set up down in his tunnels. "What is that?" Ruiko whispered.
"Not sure," Oriana answered. "But I rather not find out." She grabbed Ruiko's wrist. "This way, quick." She led Ruiko down a side tunnel and they kept running before making a couple more turns, until the sound was completely lost in the distance. "Whew... if we keep running into enemies, I'm going to run out of pages." She let go of Ruiko's hand and glanced at the small booklet in hers. "I should be good for a while, but I can't go unprepared against one of the bosses. I'm really not good for long drawn out battles."
"Sorry for making you waste a spell on me," Ruiko apologized.
"Don't sweat it," Oriana brushed off her words. "I helped because I wanted to." She looked around. "We should start looking for more of England's troops. If we continue to stay spread out, we are going to be easy pickings." She glanced down a tunnel for a moment. "Follow me," Oriana told Ruiko.
"Okay," Ruiko agreed quickly. Oriana stepped into the side tunnel and Ruiko was about to follow, when she stopped. Ruiko's mouth fell open and she rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
Oriana had disappeared.
"Onee-san!?" Ruiko called out, but no reply came back. Where did she go? One second she was there, the next, gone. Maybe there's magic involved? Who am I kidding, of course there is. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and stepped into the side tunnel. She wasn't sure what would happen, but she expected something to. When nothing felt off, she opened her eyes. She turned around and saw the tunnel she had just left and the tunnel ahead of her looked exactly the same. Did I not teleport away? Or did I and not notice? She peaked back around where she had come from, but couldn't tell if the tunnel was the same one or different. I'm lost again. She started walking because there wasn't much else to do. She did decide not to yell out anymore because she couldn't be sure of who, or what, would hear her. Minutes passed and Ruiko did not encounter anyone.
This sucks so much, Ruiko thought silently. There's really nothing I can do. I level up, but a light breeze isn't going to do much against someone like Adam. He took on an entire army by himself! She sighed, sat down, and leaned against the wall. "What should I do?" she mumbled dejectedly. She felt like crying, but stopped herself. She had promised herself she wasn't going to feel sorry for herself anymore. Instead, she tried to focus on what she could do. Ruiko knew she couldn't do amazing things like Mikoto and Kuroko, nor did she have the unbridle courage Touma possessed. She wasn't a coward, but she knew what she was capable of. No, I worked so hard to get stronger for this very reason. She gritted her teeth and stared at the ground in front of her. She started doing the calculations and the air began to spin. Dust started to lift into the air and form a small cyclone in front of her. It wasn't large enough to incapacitate someone, but it could easily trip a person who was running. The cyclone shifted slightly and Ruiko frowned.
There's something interfering with my calculations, Ruiko thought. The air in the tunnel should be still, so I didn't take into effect any… wind. Her eyes widened and she turned to her right. The hallway was empty and Ruiko closed her eyes. I don't feel any air currents, but my ability did. I'm an air manipulator, so maybe that's how I can track it. If there is a breeze, then there has to be an exit, right? She took a deep breath and held out her right hand. She started manipulating the air and felt it. A current of air she was not producing was now clearly visible to her. It was so faint, a normal person could not have noticed it. Ruiko felt a smile tug on her face, the first one in a long time. She finally found something she could do. She walked slowly and silently, as she tried to locate the source of the breeze.
I hope this isn't a trap, Ruiko thought. The breeze seems to be unnatural. She had to keep making random turns down different tunnels to follow it. Ruiko could not see or physically feel the air, so she had to trust her ability. After about five more tunnels, she saw something in the distance. It was a light, but it wasn't green. It was yellowish-white, like a normal street lamp color. That has to be a way out! Ruiko thought excitedly. She started to run, but then stopped. Hang on, it could be a trap. I should approach this carefully. After everything she had witness, being careful was definitely the right choice for her. She moved as silently as she could down the tunnel and the light grew brighter. From her position, it looked like it was leading into a large room. The entranceway was as wide as the tunnel, so Ruiko really couldn't hide, but that didn't stop her from trying. She pressed herself up against the wall and looked into the room.
She gasped.
There were several familiar faces and an unfamiliar one.
"Burn them all!" Lessar suggested loudly.
"I was planning to without your prattle!" Leivinia yelled back.
They both turned to face the enemies rushing at them. The two girls were back to back. Leivinia held up her Symbolic Weapon in the shape of a wand and Lessar clutched her Steel Glove tightly. They had actually fallen into the same location, but it wasn't a tunnel. They were in a large underground room with around five tunnels leading into it. The girls had just gotten their bearings, after being thrown roughly down a hole, when they started arguing. Their argument attracted unwanted attention and summoned the things currently surrounding them. The creatures were horrible evil things no one wanted to encounter.
They were spiders.
Normal spiders would have been fine, but that was not the case. The smallest of them was easily the size of a large dog. The larger ones were the size of a car. The spiders were varying shades of brown, black, and grey, but all were hairy and had soulless black eyes. Their long thick legs made a soft click sound whenever they stepped on a rock. They continued to emerge in numbers from the side tunnels like a flood. They crawled up the walls and in seconds the girls were surrounded. The spiders snapped their fangs and began to slowly close in on them. It was obvious these spiders had greater intelligence than normal ones. They were working as a group to catch their prey.
"We should have left this open area when we had a chance," Leivinia mumbled.
"Whose fault was that?" Lessar asked. "I make one comment and you go all tsun-tsun on me."
"You said you were going to ambush the Imagine Breaker in one of the dark tunnels," Leivinia fumed. "Think about where we are but, no... you only ever think about your libido! We are trapped in one of Adam's defenses!" Her eyes kept darting back and forth at the spiders. She did not like spiders, but she shifted her view from creepy crawlies to enemies and her resolve remained firm. They weren't attacking yet, but she was prepared to burn them all the moment they tried.
"I merely pointed out Lover Boy would need companionship after these stressful events," Lessar huffed. "And he may not get a chance after the fight has been settled. Besides," she glanced back at Leivinia for a moment. "I invited you to join. Why does everyone ignore my good will?"
"Because you're a slut," Leivinia pointed out. "The boy runs away from aggressive girls like you."
"I just have a healthy sex drive," Lessar argued and then she grinned. "But it sounds like you think you know him. How about after this boring fight is finished, we both work together for the real battle?" She chuckled. "You obviously want to, even I can tell that."
"We can discuss it later," Leivinia finally relented.
"Hah!" Lessar laughed victoriously. Her sudden outburst startled the spiders and they pounced. Leivinia was ready for this and swung her wand. A ring of fire erupted around her and Lessar, and then started to spread outwards. The nearest spiders were instantly disintegrated, while the ones closing in were forced to back away. A high pitch screech echoed around the room as some of the spiders were only partially burned. The rest of them started scuttling around the room trying to find an opening and escape the blaze. One of the smaller ones climbed up on the ceiling and then leaped down at Leivinia. "Nice try!" Lessar shouted and swung her glove. She grabbed one of the spider's legs in midair and threw it into Leivinia's fire.
"Keep watching my back," Leivinia ordered. "And I'll clear the rest of them out." Her eyes narrowed at the remaining spiders. "Okay, you walking nightmares, it's time to die!" She jabbed her wand forward and a torrent of flames shot out. The spiders never stood a chance and kept burning as she moved the wand around the room. When all the pests were finally eradicated, Leivinia lowered her wand. "Heh," she laughed and brushed her hair back. "They thought they had us, but nope."
"I never did like spiders," Lessar added. "And I can't wait to leave this hellhole. Do you know normal spiders here grow to the size of cats and small dogs?"
"I almost think Adam has the right idea about this continent," Leivinia said. "Maybe burning it to the ground before the creatures here escape to somewhere important is the right idea."
"You know who won't like that," Lessar pointed out and swung her Steel Glove over her shoulders. "Do you really want him to stand against you?"
"I could beat him if I wanted to," Leivinia muttered, which caused Lessar to grin. "Shut up! We need to get going."
"Good idea," Lessar agreed. "The smell of burning hair is making me gag." She pulled her collar up over her face. "Sooner we get out, the better."
"All the passageways look the same," Leivinia noted. "Might as well go through this one." Lessar nodded and they walked into one of the tunnels. The tunnel was barren except for glowing green moss on the ceiling. It looked like to her the exact same moss that allowed them to see in the other room. The silence was slightly unnerving to her. "There are no noticeable signs of anyone else," Leivinia remarked. "Do you have any…?" Her voice trailed off when she turned around.
Lessar was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey slut!" Leivinia called out. "You better not have wandered off!" She received no answer and gritted her teeth. Damn it, she thought and rubbed her head with her free hand. She was never going to let go of her weapon. I should have guessed there would be more traps. Adam is separating everyone to make it easier to eliminate us. Lessar will be fine, she's tough, but the boy is going to go crazy in trying to find his noncombat oriented friends. She walked through another tunnel and frowned. It seems like there is magic at every intersection. Is it a random shift, or does Adam actually control where we end up at? She noticed a yellowish-white colored light to her right and squinted down the tunnel. That's different, but it's probably a trap. She heard something behind her and instantly turned around, while simultaneously raised her wand.
She was greeted by a mace and the Lotus Wand.
"Hang on!" Agnese cried out. "We are all on the same team."
"You shouldn't have snuck up on me," Leivinia pointed out and lowered her wand.
"Technically," William pointed out and slung his mace over his shoulder. "You came barreling out of a side tunnel due to Adam's magic."
"So you two know about it too?" Leivinia asked and raised an eyebrow.
"I lost several of my forces through a single entrance," Agnese explained. "It seems to randomly transport us to different locations in the maze. The magic also appears to be on every intersection with another tunnel. If you want to make sure you don't get separated, you have to be connected when you turn down another one. I ran into William here after he knocked out a couple enslaved natives."
"Adam seems to have a companion with mind altering magic," William added.
"What you said about the maze makes sense," Leivinia confirmed with Agnese. "It's consistent with what I witnessed. Lessar and I were separated the same way." She turned to William. "So it is mind control which drew them in, good to know." She looked over her shoulder toward the light at the end of the tunnel. "What do you think that is down there?"
"A trap," William answered simply.
"I thought so too," Leivinia agreed.
"But it's not like we have much of a choice," Agnese pointed out. "We can't walk aimlessly around here forever. Adam obviously wants us to gravitate toward that location." She grinned. "We may walk into a trap, but things won't go as he plans, right?" Leivinia grinned back, but William merely nodded. The three of them turned toward the light and started walking toward it. Every one of their weapons was drawn, because they were not taking chances. Even though they knew the light was a trap, they did not know what would be on the other side. They reached the exit of the tunnel, but did not enter the room, because they couldn't see anything from their position. Agnese and Leivinia grabbed the back of William's shirt to make sure they would not be separated in case magic was on the exit. The three of them walked in and looked around. It looked like they had entered a large underground room. Something white on the ceiling was generating the light and was bright enough to light up the entire room like it was the middle of the day. Agnese's eyes traveled to the far end of the room. "This isn't good."
"But we knew someone would face him," Leivinia added, after seeing what Agnese saw. An elderly man was standing at the far end of the room. His hair and beard were snow white and he was partially bald near his forehead, but the hair on the back of his head was shoulder length. Dark brown eyes stared at them, but they didn't seem to be cold. In fact, they seemed to be welcoming, but filled with a hint of sadness. The man was wearing a simple brown robe with an emblazoned cross on the front. He slowly started to walk toward the middle of the room, but his eyes never left them.
It was St. Peter.
William took a step forward and raised his mace. St. Peter merely gave him a short bow. There was no mockery in his action, only respect.
"Greetings," St. Peter spoke and looked at each one of them in turn. His voice wasn't loud, but full in tone, yet also kind. "But under the current circumstances, I doubt you feel very welcomed. I am truly sorry for Adam's behavior."
"Forgive me if I find that hard to believe," Agnese said and glanced behind him. "Especially since the exit behind you is blocked." A semitransparent wall of what appeared to be water was blocking the tunnel behind St. Peter. It was definitely suspicious to her.
"Sadly," St. Peter continued, and he lowered his eyes to the ground in sorrow. "I am being used to guard the exit. I can't disobey and let you pass."
"Then all we have to do is defeat you," Leivinia pointed out. "Once you fall, we can just walk out."
"I'm afraid such a thing is impossible for you," St. Peter told her with a heavy heart.
"Why?!" Leivinia demanded. "Do you have any idea who you are facing?!"
"I do," St. Peter confirmed. "Two young girls who are quite skilled for their age, accompanied by a man who is a Saint in the current era. Normally, such a team would be able to overcome every challenge thrown their way, but alas, you can't win this fight."
"Why not?" Agnese asked and her grip tightened on her wand. She drew a small dagger out of her habit with her free hand. Leivinia instinctively raised her wand, but did not attack. William slowly moved his mace and rested the end on the ground. He could feel something was wrong. St. Peter was not emitting even a single shred of darkness or hatred. In fact, he seemed to be the exact opposite, pure, kind, and hating violence, exactly like the legends. The feeling William got was that fighting him would not lead to a conclusion the girls would expect. It might have been his Saint body warning him, but he had to wait and see what was going to transpire.
"You see," St. Peter continued. "No magician can defeat me."
"Where did she go?" Lessar asked out loud to no one in particular. One second, Lessar had been following right behind Leivinia through a tunnel and the next she was alone. I bet the tunnel entrances are rigged. Since she disappeared, I guess it's designed to separate us. Great. She started walking down the tunnel, but kept her Steel Glove in the ready position. After the spiders, she was not keen on being caught off guard. The hallway was silent. Lessar eventually reached a dead end and was forced to turn down a side passage. She did this twice more, when she heard a sound that kept repeating. Lessar frowned and stopped to listen closely.
It was the sound of gunfire.
Finally, a sign. Lessar turned left and ran down the tunnel, which slowly curved to the right, so she couldn't see who was fighting. Because of the corner, she almost ran right into Imouto, who was facing the other way. She had been backing up while firing her rifle at something and Lessar was finally able to see what. A large black spider was trying to approach them, but the rapid fire was keeping it at bay. A couple eyes had been hit, which seemed to be the only real damage the monster had taken. A flash of electricity flew at Lessar and she instinctively swung her Steel Glove and grabbed it all. "Duck!" Lessar yelled and Imouto obeyed. Lessar swung her glove once and the electricity ball being held at the end of her weapon flew over Imouto's head. It struck the spider directly in the face.
The explosion blew the spider's head off and the rest of the body collapsed.
"Thanks for the help Lessar, Misaka says gratefully." Imouto lowered her gun to her side. "The spider's hide was much too thick to cause any noticeable damage with this rifle. Oh, Misaka is sorry for shocking you Misaka adds apologetically."
"No problems," Lessar replied dismissively. "It worked out well in the end Sparky Junior."
"Misaka is now only sorry she wasn't able to shock you, Misaka mumbles irritated."
"I was also slightly at fault for sneaking up on you," Lessar continued. "You were focused so intently, it was obvious you would attack anyone who got close." Imouto nodded. "Did you manage to find anyone else before you were attacked?"
"Misaka was with a couple knights, Misaka admits. Misaka got separated mysteriously after walking into a tunnel shortly afterwards and has been wandering around since then."
"Adam set up traps on the tunnels," Lessar explained. "They seem to be sending us to random locations. If you go down another tunnel, make sure you are holding on to someone."
"Ah."
"Let's stick together until we find someone else," Lessar said. "In case we run into more of those things."
"Misaka is going to have nightmares for a while Misaka sighs. All those legs…"
"Let's stop talking about it then," Lessar suggested. "For now, we need to decide which direction we should be heading in."
"Well, Misaka saw an entranceway with a normal colored light instead of this green glow Misaka informs. Misaka was heading toward it until… the nightmare attacked."
"Hmm," Lessar murmured thoughtfully. "I don't really have a better idea. Be careful though, it's probably a trap." Imouto nodded in agreement and the two girls set off down the hall. They stepped over the charred remains of the giant spider and carefully observed their surroundings in case there were more. Lessar saw the normal yellowish-white light Imouto had been referring to. The light was too bright to see any details from so far away, so they had to get closer. They were less than ten feet from the entrance when Lessar whispered, "Be ready for anything."
"Understood Misaka agrees." The two stepped in and shielded their eyes from the light. Lessar held onto Imouto's sleeve in case a trap tried to separate them. Once they stepped past the entrance, they found themselves in a large empty opening instead of a tunnel. The light was coming from the ceiling, not outside, so it must have been created by magic too. The light wasn't blinding them anymore and they saw the room was empty.
Until something moved out of a tunnel to their left.
Lessar and Imouto raised their weapons simultaneously, but quickly lowered them once they saw who emerged. Two familiar blonde haired females glanced at them in surprised and also lowered their weapons. The younger of the two stepped forward.
"We didn't expect to see you two," Frenda exclaimed.
"Basically, why do these things always happen to me?!"
Frenda was running as fast as she could down a large tunnel. The last thing she had expected was for the earth beneath an entire army to open up and swallow everyone. She had been patiently waiting through insects, hail, blindness, and even a white mist that made the hairs on her head stand on end. Her goal was to shove a bomb into Adam's face and blow him up for all the annoyances he had caused her. She would wait as long as it took, but that did not mean she had to enjoy waiting. When the army finally moved out, she was ecstatic. Even though this was on a much larger scale, fighting was something she was used to. She simply would be taking orders from the knight commanders instead of Shizuri. Though, even the battle hardened soldiers did not expect the earth opening up underneath them.
They are supposed to be the expects on magic, pathetic.
She had woken up on a stone table in the middle of a large underground room. Her entire body hurt and she was surprised none of her bones were broken from the fall, especially since a rock hard surface was under her. After systematically checking all her joints, she reached under her skirt and double checked her arsenal. When she was sure everything was as she left it, she sat up and glanced at her surroundings. She was alone and briefly puzzled over the glowing moss on the ceiling. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and she turned toward the floor. Frenda gasped and immediately stood up on the table. The floor around her was moving. Upon closer examination, Frenda realized it wasn't a floor.
Thousands of snakes were covering the ground.
"Eww!" Frenda whined and looked around. There were only two exits and she didn't see a hole in the ceiling where she should have fallen from. "Basically, not sure how I ended up here, but I'm not staying. Let's see, which one should I use?" She rubbed her chin for a minute. A normal explosive would easily clear the way to the nearest exit, but she couldn't guarantee the force from the explosion wouldn't send a couple snakes flying at her. The snakes were all different kinds, black, brown, silver, some were stripped, some were solid, but she had to assume they were all poisonous. Even if they weren't, erring on the side of caution would not be a bad thing here. She selected her grenade and lightly tossed it into the middle of the snakes in front of the exit. There was a small explosion, but the force was a lot weaker than a normal grenade.
Frenda had thrown an incendiary grenade.
Rather than explosive force, flames erupted when a white phosphorous chemical reaction made contact with the oxygen in the air. The flames would burn a couple thousand degrees for a very short time, but was more than enough to turn most of the snakes to ash. The other snakes not close enough to be burned completely were forced to retreat from the intense heat. This created a pathway for Frenda to escape on. She jumped over a few snakes near the edge of the stone table and took off running. The ground was still extremely hot and standing still would only cause her shoes to melt. She escaped the room and ran down an underground tunnel, also lit by the green moss. She only stopped to catch her breath when she was sure she was far enough away from the snakes. She turned down another tunnel and finally considered her position.
I'm alone and stuck deep in enemy territory, Frenda thought. My explosives are still here, so that's one good thing. Basically, the most prudent option would be to find others and team up with them. All these tunnels look alike and I'm only going to be able to wander around blindly. I need a magician to detect any magical traps Adam's forces set up. They have to have set them up, the snake pit was proof of that. She looked up and down the tunnel she was in. She reached under her skirt and pulled out a grenade. Just in case. She started walking down the tunnel and listened intently. Everything was silent and Frenda was sure she would have heard the thud of a knight's boots, so she turned down another tunnel. This one was also suspiciously empty and she continued to follow it. The path started to curve and Frenda froze. What was that? She backed up when the sound grew louder.
It was a soft hissing sound and then the source came into view.
It was a snake, which Frenda expected.
What she didn't expect was it to be as thick as a trunk of a large tree.
The snake's tongue flickered out of its mouth and Frenda started retreating immediately. The snake was a combination of multiple shades of brown and black. The yellow eyes seemed to have zeroed in on Frenda and the snake opened its mouth. Two sharp fangs, almost the size of Frenda's arm, emerged and the snake hissed again. The snake was large enough to easily swallow her whole. The mouth closed and the snake began to slither toward Frenda with purpose.
"I'm not lunch!" Frenda yelled at the snake. Instead of throwing the grenade, she reached under her skirt and grabbed two handheld missiles with one hand. "Eat these instead!" She tossed them and their rockets kicked in. The missiles flew right at the snake and made direct contact with its face. The fiery explosion engulfed the head from view. "Hah, basically, I bet you didn't see that coming you stupid-…" Her words got caught in her throat. The fire and dust cleared to reveal a rather unharmed snake.
Though, it did look pissed.
"Crap!" Frenda yelled and started running the opposite direction. The snake hissed angrily and began chasing her. This was what led to her current predicament. The tunnel was long, but it was bound to end at some point and the snake appeared to be used to navigating the tunnel. I'm not going to be able to escape, so I have to fight. If its skin is tough, how about on the inside? She turned and raised the grenade clutched tightly in her hand. The snake was moving at her much faster than should have been natural for a large creature in a small tunnel. The snake's mouth stretched open wide and was prepared to swallow Frenda whole. Frenda grinned and chucked the grenade into its gaping maw. Right before the snake managed to bite down on her, she dived down a side tunnel. Her last action was to cover her ears. After modifying her grenades, the explosion should have been deafening so close.
However, there was only silence.
"Huh?" Frenda muttered confused and look up. The tunnel she had just left appeared empty and quiet. Not only had there been no explosion, there was no hissing to indicate the snake was still alive. Is there something up with these tunnels? Frenda stood up and dusted herself off. "Stupid snake!" she yelled. "You better be dead." There was no answer, but it wasn't like she expected any. "Don't tell me that snake was some kind of illusion and I wasted a bunch of bombs on it! Basically, I'm going to be so pissed!"
"It was probably real." Frenda jumped a foot in the air and turned around while simultaneously reaching down for another grenade. She froze when she saw the friendly face.
"You should give some warning before sneaking up on someone," Frenda scolded Oriana and placed a hand on her beating heart. "I almost blew you up by reflex."
"Well," Oriana replied with a smile. "I heard a familiar voice yelling and I came to help. So, what happened? I heard something about a snake."
"I was being chased by a huge snake," Frenda explained and separated her arms as far as they would go. "It was way more durable than it should have been, so I shoved a grenade down its throat. I jumped into this tunnel to avoid the explosion and snake guts." She frowned. "But nothing went off and the snake is gone. Basically, I think I might be losing it or the snake was an illusion."
"It was definitely real," Oriana reassured her. "There are a lot of things crawling around in these tunnels. I ran into a couple giant spiders a few minutes ago." Frenda shivered. "Then we also found the missing people, turns out they have been enslaved, so try to go easy on them."
"No promises, but why did the snake disappear?"
"It didn't disappear," Oriana explained. "You went through a transportation type magic placed at each tunnel intersection. Whenever you move from one tunnel to another, you get transported to a different location."
"Then why didn't the snake follow me?" Frenda asked. "Or at least pieces of it?"
"That is because the magic transports people to random locations," Oriana elaborated. "I met your friend Saten and we got separated because of that. The magic is really only noticeable if you lose your companions traveling with you. Alone, you don't notice anything since all the tunnels look identical. You need to make sure you are holding onto each other when entering another tunnel."
"Saten's missing?" Frenda bit the corner of the lip. That's not good. I figured she would be stuck back in camp. Out of all of us, she's the most vulnerable and I actually like her. I don't really care about Birdway and Lessar. While lost in thought, her eyes traveled to Oriana and down to her chest, which was about to burst out of her partially buttoned down shirt. That's how she manages to hypnotize Kamijou. She's the only woman I have seen who makes that idiot turn into a drooling monkey. Maybe it's not a bad thing I'm still growing in that department. I just wish I didn't have to spend so much on bras. She shook her head furiously. Not the time. "Basically, I hope you have an idea on what to do next, because I have no idea."
"This maze would be a lot easier to figure out if it didn't have a couple interesting tricks," Oriana said. "Let me know what you think after hearing this." Frenda nodded. "Some of the tunnels are like what you described, once you walk through it, everything behind you disappears and you find yourself in another location. However, other passageways allow sound to go through. It's how I found you. Why do you think that is?" Frenda only had to think about that for a fraction of a second.
"Adam wants us to follow his paths," Frenda answered. "We would naturally be drawn to sounds after being stuck in empty tunnels for too long. He plans to lead us somewhere, and I bet it's a trap."
"That's what I thought too," Oriana agreed. "So, any thoughts on what we should do?"
"Normal tactics dictate we should regroup with the rest of our forces," Frenda muttered. "However, I doubt we could do it while wandering around blindly. There is also a chance Adam can manipulate this maze of tunnels at will." She looked up at Oriana for confirmation. When she nodded, Frenda continued. "If he can, our only two options are stay still and let him throw whatever he has at us, or walk into his trap with our heads held high."
"Pretty much," Oriana laughed. "So I take it you like option two?"
"Adam's going to regret messing with us," Frenda declared. "The best way to crush his type is to walk into his trap and blow it apart. Once his grand master plan falls apart, they can't do anything."
"I doubt it will be that easy," Oriana said with a smirk. "But I like your enthusiasm. Also, we may be able to regroup with more people heading in that direction. Kill two birds with one stone. Sound good?"
"Agreed." Frenda decided to follow Oriana's lead. She was after all more familiar with magic and seemed to be able to detect something in the air Frenda could not. They traveled down tunnels and Oriana would motion when they had to turn down another. Before they entered any new passageway, Oriana always made sure Frenda had a firm grip on her. It was obvious she didn't want to lose anyone again. As they were making their way to whatever trap Adam had planned, Frenda had some time to think about her actions. She actually had a second reason for walking into Adam's trap. She figured Touma would be heading in that direction. He doesn't think things through and just reacts, so it's obvious he's going to charge straight into the trap. Frenda reasoned they would have to save him. Eventually, she saw what appeared to be normal colored yellowish-white light in the distance. "What's that up ahead?"
"Our destination," Oriana replied. "You ready?" Frenda nodded and pulled out a couple missiles from under her skirt. They moved silently in the direction of the light. Once they were close enough to make out the entrance to another area, Frenda grabbed onto Oriana's shirt before they stepped in. The area was not lit by the green moss and instead the white light was raining down from the ceiling of the large underground room they had just entered. It wasn't deserted and it appeared two other people had entered the room moments before them. The two girls had raised their weapons at Frenda and Oriana, but froze when they recognized each other.
"We didn't expect to see you two," Frenda exclaimed.
"Should have known we would run into others when we followed the path," Lessar answered. Her eyes fell onto Oriana. "I'm surprised you decided to join us."
"Not like I had much of a choice," Oriana pointed out. "The base camp sunk into the earth too. Figured I should help out if I want to get out alive."
"She's the only reason we were able to find this place," Frenda added. "I wouldn't have figured out about the tricks around the intersections."
"That was annoying," Lessar agreed. "Birdway and I were separated because of that. I would have liked her to stay with me. Her fire is great to deal with the spiders."
"Eww," Frenda shuddered. "I only dealt with a couple snakes, though the last one was gigantic."
"You dealt with a gigantic snake?" Lessar asked and raised an eyebrow while her eyes twinkled. Frenda opened her mouth to explain when she realized what Lessar was getting at. Her face flushed red with anger and embarrassment.
"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Lessar only laughed at her.
"Since we encounter giant spiders Misaka points out. A giant snake would not be unusual. However, Misaka does not understand where the gutter comes in. Was there a giant gutter underground? Misaka asks curiously." Lesser and Frenda opened their mouths to explain.
"As amusing as this is," Oriana interrupted before the two girls could start arguing. "We have more important things to attend to."
"Like the man who just entered the room Misaka interjects." At Imouto's words, all three of the girls turned. She was pointing up to a small ledge on the far wall of the underground area. All four of them had initially missed the ledge since no one had been moving to draw their attention. Now, a man stood up there and looked down at them. A white marble throne had also suddenly appeared and Imouto had not recalled seeing it there before. The man had brown hair and was wearing ornate red and gold armor. The gold armor piece mainly covered the chest and legs, while the red cloth covered his arms. Wrapped around his head was a small gold crown that was patterned after a circle of leaves. His expression was easily recognized as one full of superiority. His gaze only held contempt for the girls, as if they were insects who invaded his home.
"Who are you!?" Frenda yelled at him.
"The common folk should learn to address their superiors with a more humble tone," the man said. "But I suppose it would be too much to expect strangers from overseas to recognize me."
"Or we don't care," pointed out Lessar.
"Would you be so kind as to tell us who you are then?" Oriana asked. She was pretending to be polite, because it was much easier to fight other magicians if you knew information about them. Names can give national origins, which could narrow down the types of magic they use. It wasn't perfect, but you rarely knew everything about your opponent. A shred of information could grant a huge advantage if used properly.
"Finally," the man said and granted Oriana a small nod. "Someone with a shred of manners. My name is Julius Caesar, former ruler of the Roman Republic until I was betrayed. I now use my skill and knowledge for The Fallen."
"It's not like we care about your past!" Frenda declared. "Since you are with Adam, you are our enemy. All we have to do is blow you up and find a way out of this maze."
"You make it sound so easy," Julius yawned. "Bravery is not a bad thing, but there's a difference between that and recklessness. I do not fight alone. When I fight, my countrymen fight with me." He snapped his fingers. The sound of footsteps echoed from the tunnels on the far side of the room before around twenty people entered. They looked like normal civilians, men, women, and even a couple children who could not be more than fifteen or sixteen. Their clothes varied greatly, so it appeared they didn't get a chance to change before coming here. If the numbers wasn't bad enough, each one wielded a shield in one hand and a spear in the other. They marched in unison into the room and formed two rows. They all stopped simultaneously and the room went silent again.
"So you're the one who has been manipulating the missing citizens," Oriana accused and her eyes narrowed.
"Some are born to lead," Julius answered instead of confirming her statement. "Some are born to follow. I simply had to show them their true nature is to serve. They crave subjugation and I provide. It will always be much simpler when the intelligent rule over the masses."
"Slavery has been outlawed for years Misaka points out. While Misaka may not know the exact date for the continent of Australia, it is highly unlikely they still allow it." Imouto could easily ask the network to search the exact date when slavery was outlawed in Australia, but there was some strife between the Sisters and the request would most likely be denied. Misaka should avoid asking the network for assistance unless the situation becomes dire.
"I make the laws here," Julius answered unperturbed.
"This could be tough," Lessar muttered. "It's one thing to fight willing enemies, another to fight mind control. I would get a bad taste in my mouth if I killed one of them."
"I trust you have subjugation tactics then?" Oriana asked.
"Naturally," Lessar confirmed.
"Misaka will provide cover fire when possible Misaka volunteers."
"What about you?" Lessar asked Frenda. "I seem to recall you being over excitable with your explosives."
"I'm a professional," Frenda answered with a sniff. She had already run through several scenarios in her mind. The easiest and most efficient tactic would be to blast the enslaved people out of their way and attack Julius. That would be the approach Shizuri would have ordered her to do. Because of the three other people she was with, along with what she thought Touma would say if she tried, that option was not available to her. If Birdway was here, I could go all out. These three probably won't want to kill the bystanders. Thanks for making things so difficult. Subjugation without killing is a pain in the ass. "Basically, I can adjust my tactics accordingly." She pulled out a grenade.
"Seems like vermin are unable to comprehend their place," Julius sighed. "Well, I knew this would happen." He raised his hand. "Troops, forward!" All of the mind controlled civilians raised their shields and lowered their spears in unison, before marching toward the four girls.
"It seems the holographic system being used to disguise the location has broken apart to reveal a mining site."
It turned out England's forces were not the only group monitoring the situation in Australia. Back in Academy City, a group was watching England's army approach Adam's base through a very powerful satellite camera. They couldn't get a perfect view from the angle, but they had a generic idea of what was happening. Five people were on computers in a semi-circle in front of a sixth. The sixth person was sitting down on a raised platform and monitoring the rest. This person was even more unusual because she was only a high school girl.
"Do we have a clear picture?" Seria asked and clicked a few buttons on her console.
"Since the cloud covering is gone," a man said without turning around. "We don't have to rely on infrared scans. England's army has stepped into the base." He clicked a button and his screen zoomed closer. "A man is standing on a gold disk, but we don't have the ability to hear what they are saying, unless we-..."
"I just detected a large seismic disturbance," a woman suddenly interrupted. "Directly under England's forces. Putting up on full screen now." Seria frowned and cross her arms as she glared at the information. The screen was showing the shockwaves originating from under the army, not heading toward them from another location. Another focal point of tremors erupted under the other section of the army that had separated from the main group.
They aren't near a fault line, Seria thought. The enemy must have set up a device in preparation. Anything that could force a high pressure explosion at the right point would be able to achieve something like this, but I didn't think that kind of technology was widespread outside the city. I really should pay more attention to the news. Her face grew dark when the screen changed to display visible graphics of the situation from the satellite. "What's happening?"
"It seems the tremors are leading to the earth breaking apart underneath England's forces." The man kept his eyes glued to his screen. "The infrastructure system of the excavation site should not have collapsed from a tremor of that magnitude. Not only that, we are losing all the heat signatures. The entire army is disappearing into nothing."
"It must be some form of spatial manipulation," another woman added. "Life signs and outlines are not fading out, but vanishing instantly. We would still be able to detect the human body. Hmm," she paused for a second. "The earth closed up again."
"So they have an earth manipulation ability too," Seria deduced. "Or a device capable of replicating that ability." She tried to act calm and passive, but she was screaming inside. He was in that army! If anything happened to him… She had been monitoring Touma Kamijou while he had been out in the city last evening and noticed him meeting two girls besides the Railgun. One she was able to look up in Academy City's database, a girl named Lessar who was added as a guest only a short time ago, the other girl was an intruder who continued to sneak into the city. Seria monitored their conversation to a degree, but most of what they said did not make sense. They had mentioned magic. Since Seria knew magic did not exist, it must have been some kind of code. She made a note to talk to Misaki about it at a later date, but then that morning, she received a call that put her in charge of monitoring a situation in Australia. This was extremely unusual. She was only put in charge of matters involved with the city. That led to the current situation. "Can we send a stealth jet in to get a closer look?"
"We tried that before," the oldest man there answered. "Before you joined us, the last planes were shot down and we can't figure out how. Every system would just fail and they would fall to the ground, even the communication array. We can't send anything until we have a clearer picture of what kind of technology they are using. We can't detect anything."
If they are even using technology. Seria surprised herself with that kind of thought. The idea something besides science existed was preposterous. For now, she had to focus on finding a way to make sure Touma got out of this alive. She knew he was there, but what exactly he was doing there was another story. "Keep monitoring the situation for any changes and prepare to send out the jets. We will hold them back until we are sure the sky is clear, but they need to be ready to launch immediately. I'm going to work on making sure we have clearance to turn that entire area into glass if things go south."
"Yes ma'am!" the other employees said in unison.
"Good," Seria muttered and reached for the phone. If something happens to that boy, this organization will wish they were dead.
"Any idea how large this maze is?" Touma asked.
"No," Carissa answered curtly while waiting for Touma to negate another tunnel. "It could be stretched out over the entire desert or it could be spatial magic designed to place people in different space side by side and not even realize it. For now, focus on the task at hand. Every intersection we close in, we narrow down the route for us and anyone else who manages to find their way here."
"Your plans always seem to be doing more than one thing at a time," Touma remarked and heard his hand go off. The passageway disappeared behind a wall of rock and dirt. So far, they had only found one entrance that was not magically trapped. Carissa hypothesized it was because a maze has to have an exit, otherwise it isn't a maze. Touma was also still nervous about holding hands with Carissa constantly and his hand was sweating. If Carissa noticed, she didn't comment on it.
"Of course," Carissa snapped. "It's called multitasking. I'm a busy woman and have to budget my time accordingly."
"Must be tough being royalty," Touma commented.
"You don't know the half of it boy," Carissa sighed. "I'm not even Queen and most of my time is spent working with the military, as I possess the aspect of military might. Not that I mind, but I'm also expected to attend social occasions, and help settle disputes. It does get tedious after a while. I rarely get a moment to myself. Riméa is the one who sneaks off to enjoy her own company or whatever else she does. Villian… she enjoys conversing with people, so social obligations are kind of like a vacation for her."
"I take it you don't get vacations often then?" Touma joked and instantly shut up when she glared at him.
"I don't get that luxury," she hissed softly. "Isolation is the closest thing to that." Touma gulped.
"Sorry," Touma apologized and Carissa raised an eyebrow. "I had to stop you, not just for England, but for yourself too."
"Enough," Carissa cut him off. She wasn't looking at him, but Touma felt like she was done with that subject. "I heard it all from you before and from my mother about what you told her. I don't need another lecture. Besides, we have more important things to be worried about." Touma did not know Carissa felt like she could not look him in the eyes and decided to focus her attention elsewhere. "Negate this wall here." Touma nodded and obliged quickly. "I think even if we can't find an exit, negating enough sections will start to unravel Adam's spell."
"Like holes in a moth-eaten sweater?" Touma asked.
"Pretty much," Carissa confirmed. "His magic will eventually start to break apart and my forces may be able to find a way out of the maze to regroup. Heh, I thought Adam would be smarter than this. He should know what happens when you get left alone to do what you want." She looked around. "I expected us to get attacked already. Don't tell me we have to go to him before anything happens?"
"Please don't say that," Touma said desperately. "With my luck, we will be swarmed by the hundreds now."
"Quit being a downer," Carissa told him with a roll of her eyes. "Seriously, what do you think is going to happen? We already assumed we could run into zombies, plus some of Adam's minions, and you didn't freak out about that."
"You don't know about my luck," Touma told her. "I am cursed with horrible luck because of my hand. Being attacked by zombies would be good luck compared to what I normally have to go through. We will probably encounter a monster we couldn't imagine."
"There's a chance Adam might have achieved the level of magic god," Carissa reminded him. "That is the worst case scenario. Anything else is well within the scope of our expectations." She frowned. "But this thing about your luck, I don't believe it."
"Huh?"
"You managed to survive a civil war in England," Carissa pointed out. "And you actually managed to play a crucial part in it. Then you and your friends managed to come out of it relatively unharmed. Not only that, you had encountered Eve and Adam before, and still managed to survive. Plus, you managed to protect the Index Librorum Prohibitorum from countless enemies and you are still alive and kicking. That sounds pretty lucky to me."
"That's just it," Touma refuted and started venting before he knew what happened. "What kind of high school student goes through stuff like that? I didn't even know magic existed until a few months back. Then I start getting attacked by so many magicians without knowing half of what was happening. This isn't even counting what happens to me involving the science side, which is just as crazy. When I finally made friends, admittingly with some people who seemed to have it out for me, and we were headed to England for a vacation, we were suddenly drawn into a war. The trip was entirely because of me too. That is my kind of luck. I only survived because my friends were willing to help me to the point of risking their own lives, no matter how much I'm against it."
"I noticed that," Carissa muttered. "But my previous statement still stands."
"Why?"
"You are still alive," Carissa pointed out. "And from what you said, your friends still stick by you. Either you are a good leader to inspire loyalty in those around you, or you are lucky to have friends willing to risk their lives." Touma couldn't think of anything to respond to that and Carissa continued. "At least I now know what kind of environment you grew up in. It explains why you surpassed my expectations. Had I known, I doubt you would have been able to defeat me."
"Once your sentence is over," Touma told her. "Maybe you can have some downtime with your friends." Carissa turned slowly toward him and he paled under her glare. "You… you do have friends, right?"
"Of course I do," Carissa snapped. "It's just my position does not allow me the luxury of downtime anymore. When I was younger…" She sighed. "You wouldn't understand what it is like to be royalty."
"I suppose I don't," Touma admitted. "It doesn't sound like the kind of life I would like. I understand having to do things you don't enjoy, but I still don't think you should be forced into a position you don't want to be in."
"It's not bad most of the time," Carissa said offhandedly. "Maybe a little lone-…" She suddenly stopped and looked to her right. "Did you hear that?"
"No," Touma answered and turned to look down the tunnel. "What is it?"
"Shush," Carissa hissed at him and she frowned. "Negate this." Touma nodded and started moving his hand around the entrance. After about thirty seconds, he frowned too.
"My hand is not going off," he told her.
"Interesting," Carissa mused. "It seems like we have found the right tunnel." She grinned and pulled Touma in after her.
"Wait!" Touma cried as he struggled to keep up with her without tripping. The tunnel was curving and descending further down into the ground. "How do you know this is the right way?"
"There was no transportation magic," Carissa answered. "I told you before there had to be an exit. This must be it." She paused. "Well, it could also be a trap."
"Why are you grinning then?!" Touma demanded to know and Carissa laughed.
"If it is a trap," Carissa explained. "That means Adam has to have someone who he believes can defeat us. It might even be him. When we defeat the guard, it will sure to be a blow to his plans. It would be far more productive than just wandering around aimlessly. Oh," she pointed, "That room looks different." A yellowish-white light was coming from the exit of the tunnel. It was a drastic change from the green light from the moss on the ceiling. "You ready boy?"
"As ready as I will ever be," Touma sighed. The thought of his friends who were trapped in these tunnels rose up in his mind. He gathered his resolve and made a fist with his right hand. There's no time to regret anything I have done. Adam has to be stopped, not only for them, but for everyone suffering at his hand. "No," he amended. "I'm definitely ready to stop him."
"That's the face I remember," Carissa commented and noted the change in his tone. "Time to greet our host." She and Touma entered the room and looked around. Touma's mouth dropped in a combination of shock and awe.
The room must have been a snake hatchery.
Hundreds of snakes of all sizes were slithering in an out of holes in the walls, floor, and ceiling. The majorities were black and brown, but many of them were stripped with red or yellow. There were also pleated and diamond designs. Touma even saw a couple that were shades of blue and green. The snakes were also all different sizes. Some were normal sized, less than a meter long, but others were easily ten meters long and as thick as a small tree. They looked like they could swallow a man whole. Touma shuttered and gritted his teeth when he saw three abandoned suits of armor and a nun's habit. We are too late…
"Snakes?" Carissa asked out loud. "I expected… more. I suppose it will be easier for you to fight these than a human."
"Can we not and find another way?" Touma asked hopefully.
"No!"
"Thought so. How do you want to do this?"
"Hmm, I suppose we should see if these snakes are like the locust-…" She cut off when a voice echoed down from the ceiling and they looked up.
"It looks like we have more guests. Let's go down and greet them."
Touma gasped in horror with what he saw next.
There was a huge hole on the roof he had not noticed because of all the other snakes. It was easily six or seven meters wide and covered a good portion of the ceiling. That wasn't the issue though. Touma wasn't scared of the hole. What almost made hit soil himself was the head of an enormous snake that descended down from it. A snake that size could not exist naturally and it would be able to swallow a car without any issues. It was bright green with glowing yellow eyes. The small black slits in its eyes seemed to focus on Touma and Carissa. It hissed and a fork tongue flickered out of its mouth for a second, as if it tasted the air. The neck extended and the head lifted parallel to the floor. The scales on the back of the snake seemed to be slowly turning to blue. Before Touma could say anything, he received another surprise. A girl stood up on the head of the snake, a couple steps back from its eyes.
The girl was almost completely naked.
Touma wasn't sure what was covering the little bit of modesty the girl possessed. A thin strip of something that resembled scales wrapped around the girl's chest and around her lower half. Touma could not tell if it was cloth or actual scales. The scales were all different colors and seemed to change colors when he looked at them. He forced his eyes off her well-proportioned body and traveled to the girl's face. Her skin was a rich chocolate color and her hair was black, which reached down to her hip. Her face wasn't young, but she could hardly be called old. She might have been in her early twenties. The only unusual feature on her face was her eyes. They were snakelike, but also encompassed every color Touma could imagine. The girl was examining him intently and he felt like she could see right through him. He couldn't take his eyes away from hers.
"Who are you?!" Carissa demanded up at the girl. She had let go of Touma's hand and that is when his brain clicked back into gear. He had been mesmerized by the unknown girl's eyes.
"Issn't it cusstomary to introduce yoursself firsst before assking for ssomeone else'ss?" the girl asked. Her voice was light and feminine, but she seemed to be hissing slightly.
"You want to talk manners?" Carissa growled back. "After your boss threw us down here in the first place?"
"Adam can be rather extreme," the girl answered. "But he iss hardly my bosss." Touma frowned at this.
That is strange. If she's not working for him, why is she even here? Carissa seemed to have the same thought.
"Sounds like he either threw us into your lair," Carissa said and crossed her arms. "Or he is forcing you to work for him." The girl merely shrugged in response. "No answer, huh? Fine. My name is Carissa, second princess of England and leader of the allied forces against Adam. This boy here is Touma Kamijou, my… companion. Now then, who are you?"
"Wow," the girl remarked. "You are all the way from England? I never vissited your country, but I heard all about it. After all, your rulerss kept dropping off your citizenss here for yearss." Touma was confused, but he noticed Carissa was hanging on to every word, so he remained silent. "I'm not a fan of your tone, but you did give me your name, sso I will return the courtessy. My name iss Julunggul." Touma instantly knew something was wrong.
Carissa's face had paled and her expression turned solemn.
"What is it?" Touma whispered urgently.
"Our worst fears may have been confirmed," Carissa whispered back and Touma had to think about it a moment before it sunk in.
"Is she a magic-…?"
"Possibly," Carissa answered before he could finish. Her eyes narrowed at Julunggul. "So, you're saying you are the Rainbow Snake Goddess?"
"I'm ssurprissed," Julunggul replied and she looked startled. "Not many in thiss age remember me."
"I took it upon myself to research a basic understanding about the lore and traditions before arriving," Carissa said. "There was always the possibility Adam was using local magicians to help him."
"Who is she?" Touma asked urgently, a little louder this time.
"Julunggul," Carissa finally answered. "Also known as the Rainbow Snake Goddess. An important deity with the Aboriginal Australians and is their fertility goddess. She oversees the maturing and initiation of boys into manhood and is also associated with rebirth and weather. According to legends, when a rainbow is seen in the sky, it was said to be the Rainbow Serpent moving from one waterhole to another, and this legend explained why some waterholes never dried up when droughts struck."
"I do a lot more than that," Julunggul spoke up with a pout. "Though, the rite of manhood wass a very important occassion for the humanss here." She looked over at the armor lying in the corner of the room. "A few otherss arrived before you, but they were not in a talkative mood, sso my petss quickly devoured them."
"How could you?!" Touma roared out suddenly, which caused Carissa to flinch slightly in surprise. "What do you think a human life is?" Carissa glanced out of the corner of her eye at him.
I like the look in his eyes. That's the same strength I saw before, but it's not the time boy.
"A life iss a life," Julunggul replied with a shrug. "If you look at nature, many animalss eat each other to ssurvive. It iss the circle of life." Before Touma could reply, she continued. "But I'm more interessted in you."
"Me?" Touma was completely confused again, but his confusion was being replaced by anger. Julunggul didn't seem to see human lives as important.
"Your aura," Julunggul pointed out and sniffed the air. "The sstench of love and lusst iss sso potent around you. The connectionss between you and otherss have formed ssolid threadss and yet you have remained untouched, sstuck in your boyhood. I have never sseen anything like thiss."
"I… have no idea what you are talking about!" Touma lied forcefully. He did in fact have a few clues of what she was referring to. He had heard of threads being used to describe relationships before. The bonds he shared with his friends were strong, and then there were a couple girls, like Mikoto, Misaki, and Ruiko, who he had heard say they like him. Lust had to refer to Lessar. For some reason, she acted like she had the hormones and sex drive of easily a dozen girls going through puberty. "And what do you mean stuck in boyhood?"
"You are a virgin," Julunggul elaborated simply. Carissa had to suppress a smirk, but Touma's mouth fell open.
"Wha….? That has nothing to do with any of this!" Touma shouted as his face began to burn. "There is nothing wrong with a high school student being a virgin!"
"High sschool?" Julunggul looked confused. "Huh, I have been out of touch from human ssociety for quite a while." Her gaze focused on Touma. "It'ss not your age. That is not unussual. Your aura sshowing the connectionss you have formed with otherss iss far greater than anything I have sseen. A person with a ssingle thread ass ssolid ass yourss would be considered to have found a ssoulmate. Ssome ssocietiess may engage in ceremoniess before taking the sstep to manhood, but many would take the plunge much earlier. Ssomeone with multiple threadss sshould never be sstuck in boyhood." She sniffed the air. "And then there iss the interessting development of you posssesssing the Imagine Breaker. Adam wass right. You are unnatural." Her voice grew softer with ever word.
"You know about my hand?" Touma asked surprised. "I should have figured Adam told you."
"I knew about it before I met him," Julunggul corrected Touma. "But he knew about it before meeting me too. Did you think you were the first human who wielded it?" Touma kept his mouth shut. Anything he said would betray his ignorance and he had no idea who would have had the Imagine Breaker before him. He heard it has appeared a couple times in history, but he didn't know anything more than that.
"None of that matters right now," Carissa interrupted and stepped forward. "The only thing we have to deal with is getting past you and finding Adam." Her eyes narrowed and she raised her sword. "Just because you took the name of a magic god does not mean you actually are one."
"Excusse me?" Julunggul hissed. Her face twisted in a combination of irritation and anger. The air in the room instantly plunged. Touma gasped and saw his breath. At the same time, all the snakes on the ground and walls began to retreat into the countless holes. Touma did not think snakes could show fear, but he believed every one of them did not want to be anywhere near Julunggul. Then the air turned against him. His body was being crushed by the instantaneous pressure. He fell to his hands and knees. It was all he could do not to collapse on the ground. He could see Carissa was in a similar situation. His breath caught in his throat and he could no longer breathe. The air in his lungs refused to move. There was nothing he could do except wait for it to end or die. What felt like centuries, but was probably only a few seconds, the pressure lifted and he could breathe normally again. "I may have losst my sshard, but putting me on the ssame level of a human iss inssulting. You will remain quiet until I finissh talking with the boy. I have nothing more to ssay to you, bessidess that, you sshould be repenting for only adding to hiss ssituation."
Huh? Touma thought. What does she mean Carissa is adding to my situation? Touma was lost, but he was sure of one thing. Julunggul was in a completely different league than he and Carissa were. He had to think of something fast. A direct confrontation would not work.
"Where wass I?" Julunggul mused. "Ah, yess." She turned to Touma. "We were told, if we encountered you, to capture you alive until the battle wass over."
"I figured that much," Touma replied. "We know Adam needs my hand for his plan. That doesn't mean I am going to sit back and let you do what you please." His eyes darted over to the armor and clothing left from the previous troops. "I won't let you kill anyone else. I'm going to stop you and then move onto Adam."
"That expresssion iss nice," Julunggul laughed. "Esspecially your eyess." She leaned forward on the head of the giant snake. "You sshould be grateful to have run into me. I am much nicer than Juliuss. While I keep you here, I wass planning to ssolve your little problem."
"What are you talking about?" Touma demanded, but he suddenly felt a chill down his back as she smiled deviously at him.
"You fell into thiss maze a boy." Julunggul licked her lips. "And, thankss to me, you will leave thiss place a man."
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.
Shizuri: …
Accelerator: HAHAHAHA!
Misaki: Noooo…
Motoharu: Oh yes.
Mikoto: You idiot! Run!
Aogami: Kami-yan falls into a pit, so he gets closer to the princess and then gets a beautiful snake girl?! I hope your death is slow and painful! Why do you get every girl in the story!?
Motoharu: Wait, what if Kami-yan disease only works because he hasn't take the next step?
Aogami: Huh, I suppose that could be a possibility and we need that for our presentation in college, but I really don't want to check.
Motoharu: Me neither. Yo, Accelerator!
Accelerator: Go to hell.
Aogami: Come on man, help your friends out.
Accelerator: Fine, how about a warning. The hero's cheerleaders are about to kill you.
(On the other side of the room, the two people smart enough not to get involved sat.)
Kazari: Saten-san is finally realizing her potential.
Jason: Now's the time for her to grow exponentially.