Hi everyone! Sorry this took so long, but it got away from me as well. At least more stuff's happening in this chapter than the last time that happened. Anyway, this chapter's a bit less humor-based than most, at least in the middle, but hopefully you still enjoy it. There's a couple more author's notes at the bottom this time, just so I can talk about some aspects of this chapter without spoiling it. One benefit (depending on your point of view) is that this chapter is longer than most, so that delay wasn't for nothing. As always, special thanks to those who bother to review/favorite/follow, but thanks, all of you, for reading!
Previously on The Nine Red Men Incident: The Medic Chapters - The Medic, after landing in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, quickly found Reisen, who took him to Eintei. After a rocky start, the Medic helped Eirin perform surgery on two patients, Ishida and Hoshi, who had cuts on their bodies that wouldn't stay closed. Eventually, they discovered the cause of this was the ingestion of refined youkai extract, something Eirin didn't think she'd see being made again. After finding that they got the extract from a supposedly willing participant, who was now in a coma-like state back in Ishida's warehouse in the Forest of Magic, Eirin began preparations to head off there, and, after a bit of convincing on his part, allowed the Medic to come along as well.
We now return you to The Nine Red Men Incident: The Medic Chapters
Eirin wasn't sure how he'd done it, but by the time she was finished cleaning and putting away her instruments, preparing the extract and injector for the task ahead, instructing the rabbits about what to do in her absence, and informing Kaguya of her departure (which was met with a lazy wave of a hand), the Medic had managed to inspire such fear in Hoshi and Ishida that when she entered the room, they both ran over to her clamoring to leave immediately, while Sukasa, even behind her mask, looked slightly ill. She gave the Medic a questioning look.
"You ask a few simple follow-up questions about possible side effects and suddenly everyone vants to head for zhe hills," the Medic said, a tinge of irritation in his voice. "I even tried to add a bit of humor to it vith the story of how I lost my medical license. Er, temporarily, of course," he said, pushing his glasses back up his nose.
Raising an eyebrow, Eirin opened her mouth to ask exactly how he could have "temporarily" lost his medical license, but Sukasa rapidly shook her head, so Eirin decided not to ask. "Perhaps it was your delivery," she said, instead.
The Medic looked back sheepishly, "Vell, I have been told zhat my sense of humor is a bit strange compared to most."
"Indeed?" Eirin said, feigning surprise. "In any case, I have made the preparations for the journey, so we shall head off immediately."
Hoshi and Ishida breathed a sigh of relief, and the Medic's eyes lit up in excitement. "Vunderbar!" he said, rubbing his hands together. "Oh, I'm so excited." Hoshi and Ishida's faces fell as they realized that the Medic would be coming with them, but a glance at Eirin's expression told them they had no right to complain.
A few minutes later and they were heading out the front doors, waving goodbye to the rabbit at the front desk (who was a different one than the one who'd been there before, the Medic noticed). Hoshi, Ishida, and Sukasa walked in silence, while the Medic asked question after question of Eirin, which she answered as best she could.
Eventually, after quite a bit of walking, they made it out of the bamboo forest, revealing a wide plain, with only a few visible landmarks off in the distance.
"That," Eirin said, pointing to a blob of green in the distance, "is where we're heading."
"Ah, I see, I see," the Medic said, stretching. "If you don't mind me asking, vhy is your practice in such a difficult to reach place? Zhat seems counter-productive."
"Security," Eirin said.
"Security? For whom?" the Medic responded.
"Myself, mostly," she said, somewhat evasively.
"Ah, unvanted attention. I understand," the Medic said.
Eirin raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment, deciding instead to start the trek to the Forest of Magic.
It was, for Gensokyou, a rather long way to have to go on foot, but they managed to make it to the entrance of the forest before taking a short break to recover. After passing around some water and a few snacks, Eirin turned to Ishida. "How far is your warehouse into the forest?"
"Not too far," Ishida said. "I wouldn't think highly of my chances if I had to go deep into the forest every time I wanted to get to or from my stock of mushrooms."
"Good. Lead the way," she said, standing up. Ishida and Hoshi groaned, but at one look from Eirin they bowed their heads in resignation and entered the forest. Despite a few minor incidents involving the plants attempting to attack them, they made good time, and soon the warehouse came into sight.
As they approached the warehouse, they spotted a small group heading towards them. As they approached, the Medic recognized the Sniper and the Scout talking to a few women he didn't recognize. As the other group caught sight of them, one of them, a girl with blonde hair, ran over to them, waving.
"Yo, Ishida!" the girl said. "I haven't seen you in a while. Where've ya been?"
"Recovering," Eirin said, stepping out from behind him.
"Gah," the girl said, jumping back. "Geez Doc, since when do you go around scaring people like that."
Eirin shrugged. "Since I've felt like it," she said.
The girl frowned, before turning back to Ishida. "You were sick, huh? And you didn't come to me for my mushroom potion cures?" she asked, shaking her head. "And here I thought we were friends."
Ishida scratched the back of his head. "Look Marisa, I'm sorry we didn't try the potions, but we kinda didn't have time. And they probably wouldn't have helped anyway," he said looking at the ground, while Eirin briefly adopted a smug grin.
Marisa leaned forward to glare at him. "Are you saying my potions don't work?"
"Huh?" Ishida said, before blanching. "N-no! That's not what I meant, I just meant they wouldn't have helped with what we had. B-but I use them all the time for my colds and stuff, remember?" he said, apologetically, causing Marisa to grin and Eirin to frown.
"You do, do you?" Eirin said frostily, causing Ishida to gulp. "I will have to have a talk with you on the contents of your potions, Ms. Marisa," Eirin said, turning back to look at Marisa.
Meanwhile, the Scout and the Sniper had noticed the Medic.
"Hey Doc!" the Scout said, running over, while the Sniper tipped his hat to him.
"Ah, hello my friends," the Medic said. "How have zhings been for you? I've had an absolutely vunder-"
"Yeah, yeah, that's cool, but d'you got your medigun thingy?" the Scout said, scratching his arm, as the itching cream had begun to wear off. "I'm itchin' like crazy here, doc!"
"I vas vondering vhat ze cause of your unusual complexion vas," the Medic said, rolling his eyes. He grabbed his medigun and focused its beam on the Scout, who closed his eyes and relaxed as the healing particles swarmed around him, healing the irritated skin.
"Uh, Doc?" The Sniper asked. "Why's he glowing green like that?"
"I'm not sure," the Medic said, happily. "I had a theory, but it seems it vas wrong!"
"I'm glowing?" the Scout said, opening his eyes, before jumping back. "Gah! Get it off, get it off," he said, trying to brush away the glow on his body. "The hell's going on?" he said, turning to the Medic.
"As I said, I am unsure," the Medic said, rubbing his chin. "I believed it to be caused by the particles' reaction to magical energy, but you are not magical, at least no more so zhan ze rest of ze team, correct?"
"Wha-no! Of course I'm not magical," the Scout said, still hopping around trying to get the glow off.
"That rash was caused by a magical attack though, wasn't it?" the Sniper asked.
"Yeah, don't remind me," the Scout said, grimacing.
"Fascinating," the Medic said. "Your injury vas caused by magic? I vasn't avare magic could cause rashes. But zhat does explain ze glow."
"How long'll it last, Doc?" the Scout said, still worried. "I don't wanna look like I'm radioactive all the time."
"Oh, you don't look like you're suffering radiation poisoning," the Medic said, waving a hand dismissively, "You're far too not-doubled-over-in-pain for zhat. But if you simply mean ze glow, in my experience it vill fade after a few moments."
Sure enough, a few seconds later, the glow began to fade until he simply looked slightly ill, not radioactive.
"That's what, the fourth color your skin's been today? I like this better than the last one," the Sniper said.
"Oh, shut it," the Scout said, folding his arms.
"Hmm, vell zhat's odd. I vould have thought it vould fade completely. I vonder if ze healing process is not quite finished? Or perhaps ze fact zhat ze particles had to cover your entire body made zhem last longer? Zhis requires more study." He looked to the Sniper, noticing the bandages on his body. "Ah, you are injured as vell. Hold still!" he said, pointing his medigun at the surprised Australian.
"Wait, hold on, Doc," the Sniper said, putting his arms up to try and block the incoming medibeam to no avail. The particles swarmed around him and healed the scratches on his body, but didn't cause him to glow like the Scout. Raising his sunglasses to get an unimpaired look at his body, he sighed in relief.
"Am I to take it zhat zhose vounds vere not magical in nature, zhen?" the Medic asked, as the Sniper gave a nod, looking relieved. "I see, I see," the Medic said, taking out his notebook and scribbling in it. "Very interesting." He looked up to see a woman in a red dress and green ribbons talking to the Scout, who was complaining loudly. He was about to speak to her when Eirin tapped him on the shoulder. "Ah, Frau Eirin. Are ve prepared now?"
She nodded. "I've managed to 'convince' Marisa she should stay outside and not interfere."
"Oh? I didn't realize zhat vould have been a problem, but alright," the Medic said. "Vell my friends, I have some zhings to do," he said, turning back to the Scout and Sniper. "But I vill meet up vith you later, yes?"
"Huh? Wait, Doc, you're not gonna go with us?" the Scout said. "We were gonna go meet up with the others. Engie figured out where they were."
"Oh he did?" the Medic said. "Zhat's nice. But I am consulting Frau Eirin here about a medical issue one of her patients is having. I vill meet up vith you again later, zhough?"
"Eh, we've still got to hang around here since Marisa's got to collect some stuff from her house," the Sniper said. He turned to Eirin and asked, "Would you be able to show him there when you're done?"
Eirin frowned. "Well not personally, no, but I could have Sukasa bring him over, I think."
"'Preciate it, ma'am," he said, tipping his hat, before preemptively clamping a hand over the Scout's mouth and dragging him away towards where Marisa and Patchouli were waiting, the red-dressed woman giving an apologetic smile before bowing to them both and heading off after the Sniper and the Scout.
"Vell zhen. Shall ve?" the Medic said. Eirin nodded, and they walked back to where Ishida, Hoshi, and Sukasa were waiting.
"Lead the way, gentlemen," Eirin said. Nodding, Ishida began walking deeper into the woods, Hoshi following, with Sukasa, Eirin, and the Medic following behind. Along the way, Eirin asked Sukasa if she knew where Marisa's house was, and, after receiving confirmation that the rabbit did indeed know where the witch's house was (through attempts to track back some of the thefts from the clinic back to their source), asked her to lead the Medic there when they were done at Ishida's house, to which Sukasa agreed.
A few minutes later, the group stood outside a large, rundown shack. As they'd approached, Hoshi and Ishida had started trembling, and were now shaking so much that Ishida was barely able to grab the door. Stealing a glance behind him, he saw Eirin's steely gaze and quickly flung the door open to reveal a completely empty entry room. Visibly shaking, Ishida and Hoshi stepped inside. Sighing, Eirin stepped in afterwards and placed a hand on their shoulders, causing both of them to jump. "Tell me where they are, and you can stay here with Sukasa," she said. Letting out a sigh of relief, Ishida pointed towards the door opposite them. Nodding, Eirin turned and looked at Sukasa, who nodded. "Mr. Medic," she said, gesturing towards the door, "after you."
"Oh, zhanks very much," he said, sliding the door open to reveal a large, poorly lit room, in which some mushrooms were littered about. As he stepped inside, he suddenly felt cold. "Oh, zhat's new," he said, writing in his notebook. He heard Eirin cough behind him. "Vhoops, sorry," he said, stepping to the side so that Eirin could get into the room. Eirin looked around before spotting what looked to be a bronze-colored tendril leading further into the room. Not waiting for the Medic, she strode forward towards the tendril, a grim look on her face. The Medic, noticing her striding forward, quickly fell into step behind her. As they approached the back of the room, the light began to fade until the only way they could see was by the faint glow of the Medic's medigun. They crept forward, following the tendril, which seemed to be getting larger and larger. Soon, they saw other tendrils join the first one, all seemingly originating from the same place. As the Medic took a closer look at them, he saw that they were reflective, and that a shimmer seemed to run down the length of them towards the center at discernable intervals, two in quick succession, then a long pause, then another two. Thinking on it, he quickly realized that they corresponded to a rather slowed heartbeat. He made a note in his journal, and nearly walked into Eirin, who had stopped in her tracks.
"Vhoops, sorry," the Medic said. "I vas recording my observations. Did you know zhat zhese tendrils seem to shimmer in time vith a heartbeat?"
"Yes, I noticed," Eirin said. "And here's the heart that's beating," she said, stepping to the side, revealing a structure that nearly took the Medic's breath away.
Behind her, the tendrils converged into a giant spiral on the floor. From the center of the coil, a semi-reflective orb rested, reaching from the floor to the roof. A few thin tendrils spiraled up the orb before attaching to the ceiling. Approaching the orb, the Medic (after being momentarily distracted by his own distorted reflection) noticed that the orb seemed to be filled with a strange, murky liquid. "Is zhat-" he began to ask, before a body swam into view, its face hitting the spot the Medic had been examining. "Haaa!" he yelled, jumping back, before realizing what it was and calming down. He placed a hand over his heart, trying to restore it to its normal speed. "Oh, zhat startled me," he said, turning sheepishly to Eirin, who wasn't paying attention to him. Instead, she was staring at the recently surfaced body intently. Frowning, the Medic turned to look at the body as well.
It seemed to be that of a young woman, though her face was far paler than what could be considered normal. Her long white hair floated around her face, occasionally revealing her eyes, which were closed. She was dressed in the robes of a priest, and her hands seemed to be stuck clasped together in prayer. Though she initially looked to be completely still, he saw a spasm run through her, causing her eyes to twitch. "Fascinating," he said. "I vould have expected her to not be able to feel anyzhing in zhis state, but she seems to be in pain. How odd."
Eirin glared at him, though he remained oblivious, writing his notes. Sighing, she opened up the case she'd brought with her, revealing the vial with the youkai's essence, as well as an injector and a saw. As she carefully got the youkai essence into the injector, she spoke up. "Well, what was extracted was essentially her magical energy, which youkai need to live. Even in this cocoon state, she's still trying to draw on energy that no longer exists, almost like if you were to have had no food for weeks and were still trying to move around. Honestly, she should probably be in more pain than this, but I would guess that since there's such a high concentration of magical energy in this area, she's able to filter some of it out of the surrounding air in order to alleviate a bit of the problem." She looked carefully at the now-filled injector, making sure she'd gotten as much of the essence into it as possible.
"Ah, zhat vould explain it," the Medic said. "Do you require assistance?" he asked, turning towards her.
"I'm not sure yet," she said. "Give me one second." She quickly attempted to plunge the needle into the orb, only to have the injector simply glance off. She sighed, checking the tip of the injector to make sure it wasn't broken, which, as she expected, it wasn't. "Damn. I suppose it would have been too much to hope that it just worked right away. Right then," she said, handing the injector to the Medic as she grabbed the saw. "Hold onto that," she said, as she began to try and saw at one of the tendrils. "When I manage to break through this tendril, it should snake up towards the ceiling, leaving a gap in the shell. When that happens, plunge the injector into her and push the button to deliver the extract."
"Does it matter vhere I inject it?" the Medic asked.
"No, not really. It's not like it needs to go into the bloodstream or anything. Just try to avoid vital areas," Eirin said, sawing at the tendril even faster, though she didn't seem to be making any progress.
"Ah, vell, alright," he said, a hint of disappointment tinting his voice. "And zhat liquid in zhere von't be dangerous to me?"
"Well, it shouldn't be," Eirin said, growing more frustrated with her sawing. "But you do have gloves on, so even if it was you should be protected. It shouldn't be too acidic."
"Zhat's not zhe most reassuring answer, Frau Eirin," the Medic said.
"Well, I don't have that much experience with this, and I didn't think you'd appreciate false information," Eirin said, panting from exertion. The tendril still hadn't even been scratched.
"Zhat is true," the Medic said. Shrugging, he held the injector tightly, prepared to strike when necessary. "I suppose I'll discover one vay or anozher soon enough."
Eirin grunted as she attempted to saw a bit too far forward and the saw clattered to the ground on the other side of the tendril. Eirin groaned and leaned back, massaging her shoulder. "Not at this rate," she said. "The tendril's too tough to even be scratched by the saw." Sighing, she stood up and stretched a bit. "Time for Plan C." She closed her eyes and began to focus. A glow of light appeared, and before the Medic could even blink, the glow had disappeared, being replaced by the same bow Eirin had used to threaten him earlier.
"How did you do zhat?" the Medic said, frowning.
"Magic," Eirin said, rolling her shoulders. "In any case, this is necessary for Plan C. The arrows this bow shoots can be made stronger by pouring my magical energy into them. I didn't want to have to use it because that will drain a lot of my energy, but it looks like we don't have a choice." She stood off to one side, aiming her bow at the orb such that it would strike a glancing blow, causing only a slight tear in it. She explained her plan to the Medic, who gave her a questioning look.
"Vhy vould you shoot at zhe orb? Veren't ve going for zhe tendril?" he asked.
"Unfortunately, the arrows are pinpoint in size, so destroying the tendril would take more arrows than I have the energy for. I'm hopeful that if I can strike this blow correctly, it'll create a tear rather than simply a hole. And based on the texture of the orb, I believe that'll be enough for you to simply reach through and use the injector. To be on the safer side, try to inject her as soon as possible after the tear is formed. It's possible the breaking of the orb will cause severely negative effects."
Nodding, the Medic got into position, as Eirin began charging an arrow for her bow. As the magical arrow began to glow, the Medic asked, "Do you zhink zhis vill vork?" holding the injector behind his head with one hand while keeping one hand out to show where he was planning to strike.
"Honestly? I have no idea." Eirin said, straining to keep the bow taught while adding energy to the magical arrow.
"Perfect," the Medic said, a manic grin on his face.
Shaking her head, Eirin once again wondered what was wrong with the man. Refocusing, she fed more of her energy into the arrow, until eventually it was glowing as brightly as it could. "Are you ready?" she asked. The Medic nodded. "Here goes nothing," she said under her breath, and let the arrow fly.
The arrow sped through the air, leaving a trail of light behind it. As it hit the orb, there was a brief moment where Eirin thought it hadn't been enough, that the arrow was simply going to deflect off, but then the arrow was in the wall on the other side of the room, and liquid had begun to pour through the tear it had created. Inside, the girl began to writhe in pain, but before Eirin could call out, the Medic had plunged the injector through the tear and into the girl's shoulder, shooting the youkai extract into her. As he pulled the injector back out (noticing that there was still a tiny bit of extract in the injector), the girl stilled. At that point, the tendrils began to dissolve, dispersing into magical energy, making it look like millions of fireflies had suddenly appeared in the dark storeroom. The Medic, noticing that Eirin seemed to be distracted by ensuring the girl's recovery, surreptitiously tilted the injector so the bit that was still left in it was hidden from view. The girl seemed to be doing fine, and it would be a waste to simply give up the last bit of the intriguing substance. When he was sure it was secure, he turned back to Eirin and the orb. The orb was pulsating, and, as the last bit of the tendrils dissolved, the orb burst open. The Medic, expecting to be covered in whatever the liquid had been, put his arms in front of his face, but nothing flowed out. Instead, the remaining pieces of the orb disappeared into glowing fragments as well, leaving only the strange girl. For a second, she seemed to float, before collapsing to the ground. Eirin quickly ran over and began checking her vitals. She breathed a sigh of relief, before coughing and turning back to the Medic. "She seems to be ok. Her breathing's normal, and her heartbeat's there, though it's a bit slower than I'd like."
"Ah, vunderbar! Such good news," he said. "It vould have been a shame to go zhrough all zhat for nozhing."
"Thank you for your help, once again," Eirin said, letting out a resigned sigh.
"Oh no, no, zhank you for zhis opportunity! It vas a very illuminating experience," he said, looking at the glowing magic particles and attempting to catch one in his hand.
Eirin groaned and shook her head. "I didn't expect you to be the type to make puns."
"Vhat?" the Medic said, surprised. "Did I say a-oh, right yes, 'illuminating.' I hadn't even realized. Only a coincidence, zhough, I assure you." Turning away, he managed to catch one of the particles, which gave him a small shock before fading away. "Ooh! Zhat vas invigorating. Did you-" he began before a groan interrupted him.
The girl had begun to stir. Slowly, she opened her eyes, before immediately clenching them shut against the light.
"Ah, Fraulien!" the Medic said. "You have avoken! Excellent, excellent. How are you feeling?"
Groggily, she tried to answer, but she seemed to be having trouble forming the words she wanted.
"Do you have a concussion? Have you been rendered mute?" the Medic asked, his notebook in hand.
Eirin placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think asking more questions is going to help her answer them any faster."
"Ah, yes, sorry," the medic said, embarrassed. "Oh!" he said, feeling around in his pockets until they settled on his pocket flashlight. The lens was slightly cracked from his initial fall, but it still functioned. "Zhere ve go. Could you open your eyes please?" he asked the girl. She tentatively opened her eyes again, blinking furiously in response to the dim light. "Now, look over here please," he said, as she looked around, trying to determine where she was. She turned to face him, and he shone the flashlight into her eyes. Before she shut them again with a wimper, he managed to see the pupils shrink. "Oh, vell zhat's good at least," he said.
Eirin crouched next to the girl. "Sorry about him. It was a rather important test, but still. I'm Doctor Eirin Yagokoro. Can you tell me your name?"
The girl blinked for a second. "I-it's Shomei, I think. But why am I here?"
"You don't remember?" Eirin asked.
"No, I remember why I'm, well, here, but why am I," she paused, looking for the right word, before continuing "awake, again?"
"Because we returned the extract that they took from you," Eirin said.
"Why?" she asked, softly.
Eirin frowned. "I wasn't aware we needed a reason, but if you must know, it was because it was ripping them apart from the inside, and it would have killed them and you if I didn't return it."
The girl looked up, covering her mouth in shock, as she whispered, "Really?"
"Oh yes," the Medic said, stepping in. "It vas truly a spectacle! Zhere vere all zhese little cuts zhat just kept popping up, and zhey couldn't really be healed, zhey'd just pop open again. Ve had to do two open heart surgeries at vonce!"
"Mr. Medic," Eirin said warningly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps she doesn't need to hear the details," she said softly to him.
"Vhy vouldn't she vant to hear zhe details? Zhose are zhe best parts!" the Medic said.
"Look, just, just study the magic energy that's floating around, won't you?" Eirin said. "I'm sure you could learn something from it."
The Medic frowned. "Hmph. Vell fine zhen. I know vhen I'm not vanted." He paused. "Sometimes, anyvay." He took out his notebook and began studying the particles in more depth.
"I'm sorry about that," Eirin said, turning back to Shomei, who was looking at her hands and shaking. "He doesn't have a lot of tact. And that means a lot coming from me," she said, weathering his glare. "I wish I'd brought along Reisen," she muttered under her breath. "She'd probably handle this better." The girl didn't respond, save for stilling slightly. Sighing, Eirin knelt down next to her again. "Look, I don't really have a delicate way to ask this, but did you willingly let Hoshi and Ishida do this to you?"
"Yes," she said, softly.
"Why?" Eirin asked.
"Scientific curiosity, perhaps?" the Medic asked. Eirin shot him a glare, and he rolled his eyes and looked back at the floating particles, turning his medigun on them, causing them to clump together and change color slightly, which he recorded in his notebook.
Shomei sniffed. "No. It was because I'd given up."
"Given up on what?" Eirin asked.
"Do you know what kind of youkai I am?" Shomei asked, looking Eirin directly in the eyes.
"I have my suspicions," Eirin said. "But I couldn't say for certain."
"I am an Ichiren-bozu," she replied.
Eirin nodded. "I had guessed"
"Explain, please?" the Medic asked. "Vhat is an 'ichiren-bozu'?"
"An ascended spirit of prayer beads, essentially," Eirin said, as Shomei fiddled with a bracelet of beads that had appeared around her wrist.
"Ah, I see. Is zhat something zhat could happen to any object?" the Medic said, taking notes and looking at his medigun.
"Well, theoretically, but it would take a hundred years," Eirin said. "And typically, only neglected objects."
"Ah, vhat a shame," the Medic said. "Perhaps if I could extend my lifespan in some vay other zhan zhat horrid machine of Dell's," he said, tapping his finger on his chin.
"Is that what happened? You were abandoned and wanted revenge?" Eirin asked.
"No!" Shomei said, emphatically. "My master was always kind to me. He prayed every day that he would be able to spread enlightenment to the people around him." A wistful looked crossed her face. "He would spend so much time praying that sometimes he'd have to be reminded by the others to eat and drink. But then," she continued, her face falling, "he died, as all humans do. And when they cleaned out his few possessions for the next monk, I was thrown out and forgotten. But I don't begrudge them that. It's not what my master would have wanted. I wanted so badly to achieve his goal for him. It took another fifty years, but when I finally became a youkai, I knew I had a chance. But every time I tried to spread my master's teachings, it went wrong. The best times were when they simply chased me out without listening. Then I was the only one who got hurt. The other times-" she began, her voice faltering. "The other times it was worse. If I tried to teach his ways to the other tsukumogami, they'd either only pretend to listen just so I'd help them get close to the targets of their rage, or the humans would use our meetings to try and wipe us out. I only made things worse. So, when those two approached me, I didn't want to talk to them, I didn't want to cause anyone else to get hurt. But then they started talking about their plan, and I thought, I thought that this way, I'd be able to help someone. Maybe lots of people, indirectly. And if my presence was what caused all my earlier attempts to fail, then maybe, maybe this way I wouldn't be able to ruin it. But, but I guess that wasn't true," she said, her eyes getting wet. "I g-guess no matter which way I try and help, I'm just useless."
"Vhat vas zhat?" the Medic said icily. "Did you just call yourself useless?" Shomei flinched at his tone, but nodded. "Pah, dumnkopf! Nozhing is useless! Everyzhing provides data about itself and its circumstances! Perhaps zhat information is not considered useful at zhe time, but eventually someone vill come along and find some purpose for it. For instance," he said, pointing a finger at Shomei, "vithout you, Frau Eirin here vould not have learned about zhe book zhat still exists detailing zhe extraction process, and vould not have been able to stop it from spreading, and, more importantly, I vould not have had zhe opportunity to learn about zhis process and vhat it causes. My knowledge vould be less zhan it could have been, and zhat vould have been a tragedy!" Shomei's expression had shifted from despair to confusion. Eirin sighed.
"Look," she said, patting Shomei on the back, "though he kind of got off track there, his first point was pretty accurate. If it hadn't been you they found, things could have been much worse. The last time I saw this happen," she said, a deep frown on her face, "with a less-than-willing subject, those who were injected died horribly, after only a few minutes. I would wager the only reason Hoshi and Ishida managed to survive any longer than that is because you didn't want them to die."
"Ah, really?" the Medic said. "So zhen zhe subjects mental state has an impact vhat happens to zhe host? Is zhat some property of zhe extract itself taking on aspects of its original owner?"
"It's likely," Eirin said, nodding. "Though that is perhaps somewhat distracting to the point," she began, before the Medic could get off on a tangent, but he was already eagerly shaking Shomei's hands.
"Oh, zhank you, zhank you, zhank you," he said. "Do you see vhat vunderbar knowledge you've given me? Vithout you, I vould never have even considered that affect could affect the effectiveness of zhings extracted from zhe body! Perhaps, vith zhis information, I can modify zhe respawn machine so zhat ve vill respawn faster if ve have a better mood. Zhough zhen perhaps if ve vere upset ve'd respawn slower, and zhat vouldn't be good. I must consider zhis," he said, trailing off.
"What is this 'respawn machine?'" Eirin asked, but before the Medic could answer, she held up her hand. "You know what, it's not important right now." She turned to Shomei. "I'm sorry about him," she said.
"No, I'm-I'm grateful," Shomei said, a tiny smile on her face. "I'd forgotten what it was like to be thanked, sincerely, for something I did. Even if it's not for the reason I intended, I helped someone. I'm n-not completely useless."
Eirin blinked, before sighing and shaking her head. "Well, it's a start, I guess. Mr. Medic," she said, looking at the man, who seemed to be lost in thought about his respawn machine.
He started, causing his glasses to nearly fall off, before whipping around, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Ah, yes, vhat is it Frau Eirin?"
"I am afraid we have run overtime. I did tell that man that I would have Sukasa take you to Marisa's house, and with all that's happened, we've been here a bit longer than I expected," she said.
"Vhat? But zhere's still so much for me to learn!" the Medic said. "Vhat if ve're about to uncover somezhing so revolutionary it vould change zhe very nature of medicine?"
Eirin raised an eyebrow. "I highly doubt that," she said. "Besides, wouldn't you need time to collect your thoughts on what you've already learned?"
The Medic waved a hand dismissively. "Pah. Scientists shouldn't let reflection get in zhe vay of learning! Alzhough," he said, tapping his finger on his chin, "I suppose I could use some time to organize and extrapolate. But I vould like to have a souveneir, of sorts. Somezhing zhat I could use to remember zhis vhenever I vant."
"Would you now," Eirin said, repressing a sigh. "And what would that be?"
"Oh, nozhing too big. I vas thinking somezhing along zhe lines of zhe injector ve used. It's also a quite fascinating piece of equipment, so I'd like to be able to study it more."
Eirin looked puzzled. "That's it?" she asked. It's not like the injectors were even that rare, she had plenty back in her office. She was a bit surprised that he didn't have a similar one in his, considering it was actually a relatively old design.
"Vell, I could ask for more, if you vant. Vhat about-" the Medic began, before Eirin interrupted.
"No, no, that's perfectly fine," she said. "You can keep it." And then, because he'd seemed so enthusiastic, she added, "If you have time after you finish whatever you're going to do with those teammates of yours, stop by. We'll have that discussion about localized diseases you wanted."
"Ah, zhat vould be vunderbar!" the Medic said, reaching out and shaking her hand enthusiastically. "Zhank you very much. And zhank you, too, Fraulien Shomei," he said, smiling at her. "I vill see you both again later, yes?" Eirin gave a terse nod, while Shomei, after a bit of hesitation bobbed her head quickly. "Excellent, excellent." The Medic turned and walked back through the large warehouse, as Eirin tried to help Shomei to her feet. As he walked, he glimpsed around at where the tendrils had been, now dissolved into more magic particles, and smiled. Bringing the injector up to his face, he looked at the tiny amount of extract that was still within it. "Oh, zhis is going to be so much fun," he whispered to himself.
As he entered the front room again, he found Hoshi and Ishida sitting on the ground, facing away from each other, Hoshi sporting a bloody nose, while Ishida had a black eye. "Vhat happened here?" he asked Sukasa, turning his medigun on them, ignoring their complaints. Sukasa sighed.
"They had an argument while you were gone. It got a bit out of hand, so I had to separate them for a bit," she said.
"Vhat about?" the Medic asked.
"About whose fault this all was, essentially. A rather stupid argument, as things go," Sukasa continued.
"Ah, I see," the Medic said, before shrugging. "Vell, I suppose zhat vas to be expected. In any case, could you take me to zhe house of zhat fraulein ve saw earlier? I believe her name vas Marisa."
"Oh! Yes, but we should probably wait for Miss Eirin to get back," Sukasa said. "Someone needs to watch them, after all."
"Ah, vell, you may have to vait a vhile. She died fixing trying to save zhe youkai's life. Very tragic," he said, wiping a fake tear from his eye, as Hoshi and Ishida turned towards him in horror.
"She's not really-" they said, before trailing off.
"Of course she's not," Sukasa said. "Miss Eirin could not die from something as trivial as this."
"Ah, my joke's spoiled," the Medic said. "But zhe look on your faces," he said, barely holding in a laugh, "oh, it vas even better zhan vhen I told zhe Scout he had broken his, vell, penis." Turning from the surprised and angry glares Hoshi and Ishida were sending his way, he cleaned his glasses. "In any case, Frau Eirin and Fraulein Shomei vill be back here soon."
"Sh-she's ok?" Ishida said, while Hoshi nodded anxiously.
"Zhe Fraulein? She's fine physically, at least," the Medic said. "Mentally, vell," he half-shrugged, "zhat's not my department." Hoshi and Ishida looked at each other nervously, before nodding and heading into the warehouse.
"Wait!" Sukasa said, before the Medic put his hand on her shoulder.
"Zhey'll be fine. It's not like zhey could really do much to hurt either Eirin or Shomei now. Besides, zhey probably want to help zhe girl," the Medic said. "Anyvay, you have somevhere to take me!"
Sukasa shrugged off the Medic's hand to take a peek through the doorway, before smiling slightly and lightly closing the door. "Right. Let's go then, Sir Medic," she said, opening the front door and walking back out into the Forest of Magic, the Medic following behind her.
And once again I continue my poor habit of ending in a kind of awkward spot. Oh well.
If you're disappointed by the (slightly) less humorous tone of this chapter, I apologize, but it needed to get just a bit more serious here due to the subject matter, and I hope I struck a good balance between the serious parts and the more humorous parts.
Anyway, I wanted to talk about using what is essentially an OC for the resolution of this particular plot thread. In case it wasn't clear by some of the other chapters, I tend to have an overall idea of the plot, but I kind of fill in the specifics off the top of my head once I get to that section. By the time it came to resolve this plot, I couldn't think of any canon characters who would really fit in the role I needed, so I created Shomei. I know some people tend not to like OCs, so I tried to make her role as small as possible while still creating a (hopefully) believable reason for why someone would willingly submit to the extraction process, and to do that I had to give a bit of backstory/resolution (that's also why I made her an Ichiren-Bozu, for the curious. I was considering an Ungaikyo, to match the description of the extract better, but I thought the Ichiren-Bozu would allow for a more believable motivation). I don't think it turned out too bad, relatively, but I would like to know what you think, if you care at all. I have been using OCs as side characters for pretty much all of this story, so it's hopefully not that bad, but I just thought I'd mention it to assuage my unfounded fears.
On a different note, we're getting pretty far along now! I'm really excited to have almost (I've still got the most important part to go, but still) finished this, as it'll mark the first time I've actually completed a (relatively) large creative task like this that I've set for myself. Thanks so much for motivating me, all of you. People think it all the time, but only the most dedicated or inspired people will actually manage to complete a decently long fanfic like this without support, and you've given me so much of that by reading. Thanks so much, especially if you bothered to read these author's notes and put up with my self-doubt.