14.08.2023
It is I, the Absolute Madman and since I got no comments to distract myself with we can jump straight into the action!:
Martin led Izuku outside, heading for the plot where Izuku used to practice communing with the daemon. Nezu tagged along for the ride, equally as eager to witness what exactly was smuggled onto UA grounds without his approval.
The first - and biggest - surprise was evident as soon as they rounded the final corner that provided a clear view of their destination. They didn't expect for the usually open field to be occupied by a really sizable aircraft of some kind.
Its dull-red paint job made it stand out from the vibrant lush of surrounding greenery almost as much as the prodigious size alone. Now, Izuku was no expert, but judging by the wonder in Nezu's eyes, this aircraft was clearly impressive. Izuku could agree that its blocky design wasn't aesthetically pleasing in the slightest, but was probably built like that for a reason, function over form. He could definitely resonate with that and respect the choice.
Two large engines sat high up on either side of the craft and the wings themselves along with the tail were placed even higher than that, looking almost as if someone simply welded them atop an industrial cargo container. The overall blocky look only added to that image. There were only a few things that served to break up the otherwise simple geometry but none of those things sat well with Izuku. He didn't have a reason to dislike those things, but something deep in his gut was causing him to look upon the craft with mixed feelings.
"Had I known that you'd tag along for the ride I'd have chosen something more impressive than this prototype." Martin stated as they approached the craft, clearly directing his words at Nezu.
"You can't really fault me for wanting to satisfy my own curiosity." Nezu responded calmly, his eyes studying the vehicle intently. "I was also wondering how you managed to enter the UA grounds without appearing on any of the surveillance cameras, but I believe I've found my answer already." The chimera added as he stroked his chin.
"Yeah, sorry about that, never was one to go through official channels. They're too boring and the bureaucracy takes way too long." Martin explained with an apologetic smile.
"You have nothing to apologize for." Nezu stated immediately. "I myself am not a fan of how much paperwork is required for even the simplest of things. You've also helped me notice a very glaring flaw in UA's security and for that I'm very grateful."
"You're welcome then, I guess." Martin responded. "If you want, Militor Defense Solutions has a new line of autonomous anti-air emplacements cooking - all the joys of shredding airborne hazards without all the hassle of social interactions." The man shamelessly advertised his own product. There was no way Nezu was going to bite it, right?
"Interesting." Wrong. "I might have to look into those once they become available. I won't be able to boast about having the most secure school in the world if anyone was to figure out this weak spot of ours." The last part was added in a whisper, but since Nezu was currently using his shoulder as a podium, Izuku was able to hear every single word.
He didn't know whether to be surprised by Nezu's shallow reasoning or impressed with how much he cared about making UA as secure as it can be.
"That's great to hear!" Martin responded with much enthusiasm. "Just for you I'll be willing to scratch a zero or two off the final price." Izuku really didn't like the grin that followed or that glint in his eye. "But that's for the future." And just like that, Martin was completely back to normal, well, as normal as he could get at least. "For now though let me fetch the stuff I brought for your favorite pet project." Martin stated and vanished inside of the aircraft.
"Did he just call me one of Nezu's pet projects?" Izuku thought as his face became completely blank and all life vanished from his eyes. "I'm not sure what frustrates me more - the name itself or the fact that there are others. And why didn't Nezu at least try to argue?!"
Izuku's musings were cut short when Martin reappeared with some new stuff in his hands and one thing that Izuku was already familiar with floating closely behind him.
"Let's start with the old that's as good as new." Martin introduced and tossed a bracelet over to Izuku. "Lock it on your wrist and I'll transfer the ownership to you." He then instructed and even though Izuku didn't understand much, he did as he was told.
The bracelet didn't glow at first, but once Martin fiddled around with his own, the glow was somehow transferred from his to Izuku's. The case then floated around Martin and flew over to Izuku before positioning itself behind his back just like the old one.
"This is incredible. It was so handy doing my internship and I couldn't imagine having to do without this. Though I have to ask - how did you get my case?" Izuku was grateful for the gift of course, but a bit suspicious as to how Martin was able to steal the case from his room.
"Oh, that's not your case." Martin stated right away and went on to explain a couple of things. "I made it look like your current one, but that's it. I revamped the inside and added a couple of things that might come in handy as well as integrating the anti-grav discs that I've given you previously. It should be way more resistant now. Oh, and I also threw in an AI there so that it can act semi-independently in a fight. Nothing heretical, mind you, just a simple spirit." As with most things about Martin, the explanation was even more complex and strangely worded as usual.
"He said something about some kind of a spirit? And what does that have to do with heresy anyways?" Those were the two main questions that floated in Izuku's mind at the moment, but he accepted the gift anyways. Those thingies that allowed his case to fly behind him were great help and if this was supposed to be even better then he couldn't wait to try it out.
"There's also a secret compartment for your other stuff." Martin pointed out and Izuku couldn't stop himself from checking it out.
The case conveniently floated in front of him - as if it read his mind and acted accordingly - and even unclasped the latches keeping it close, leaving Izuku to open the thing himself although he suspected that could've done so on its own. The inside of the case looked more ornate than the one that housed the sheath for his bastard sword, but that's about it. The inside of the inside was what Izuku was more interested in anyways.
Izuku was surprised to find the hidden button in the same exact position as his old case had, but decided not to show or voice his surprise. There were always strange things happening whenever Martin got involved, but letting him in on everything could not be a smart idea. For his part, the inventor stayed quiet, not commenting on anything and simply observing.
Once the secret compartment was opened, Izuku found himself taken aback once again.
"What are you doing here?" He demanded as he stared at the dormant form of the daemon itself.
"I was out and about and noticed this unoccupied property that looked comfy as fuck so I took it. Don't get your panties in a twist, your old case is safe and sound in your room." The daemon responded in what was a surprisingly casual manner even for it.
"I take it he enjoys his new place?" Martin spoke up, catching Izuku's attention and breaking him out of the mental discussion.
"I think so." Izuku responded hesitantly, wondering how Martin could've known that the daemon was in there without being able to see it. "Did he piece it together by watching me or did he know right from the get-go?"
"Well, I guess your opinion is what matters in the end, right?" Martin said with a smile, not calming any of Izuku's worries whatsoever. "Alright, with that out of the way let me walk you through some new stuff." As he said that, Martin fished out something from the surprisingly indiscernible mess that he was holding in his arms.
The item he decided to start off with was a gauntlet, but as expected of the enigmatic inventor, it was no regular gauntlet.
"I call this baby the Lightning Claw for the sporadic lightning that I assume it's capable of generating. I assume stuff because I tailored it specifically to you and your capabilities and couldn't get a test dummy to match your parameters. Nevertheless I'm pretty sure that it should work. I hoped to make it react with your ability just like that giant sword of yours does and it should behave similarly." Martin explained, his words making sense, though Izuku once again sensed that he wasn't being told the entire truth. "I'm pretty sure that you're questioning why I'd give you a reinforced gauntlet when you already have a giant sword to cleave stuff in half with, but this gauntlet is pretty special. And if you don't believe me, try it on!" The inventor urged and even extended the gauntlet to Izuku.
Izuku took the offered piece of armor and slipped his left hand inside the gauntlet, the inside a tight fit around his hand. He had to admit that this gauntlet was quite comfortable in comparison to the one that was a part of his hero suit and he was thinking about replacing it with something like an armored glove. What Martin had just unveiled was the exact opposite of what Izuku was imagining when he thought of an upgrade. The gauntlet was almost as big as his head and was looking ridiculous on his arm even though he was quite the big individual already. His hero suit would most likely make it look less out of place, but he wasn't exactly convinced. The bright red paint job definitely didn't help the case.
"This is a great gauntlet, but I don't think I need one. My gauntlets have a very unfortunate tendency to suffer substantial damage in combat." Izuku said, obviously referring to the two gauntlets that he'd already destroyed when handling the Black Blade of Antwyr. "I'm sure you've put a lot of effort into it and I'd hate for it to be damaged because of me." He added to make sure his gratitude was properly conveyed.
"Oh, I know all about your tendencies. It's what armor is for though, right? To protect the wearer and suffer in their stead." Martin refuted immediately, bringing up quite the sound argument. "And you don't have to worry about damaging it - I'm pretty sure you're right-handed so I made this gauntlet to fit your left one - that way it should stay out of trouble for the most part and you'll be able to have a weapon ready to go at all times." There really were no gaps in his explanation and Izuku found himself agreeing with the logic.
Despite its bulkiness and overall size, the fingers were inexplicably dexterous and responsive. The feeling wasn't as perfect as what a simple glove could achieve, but having much greater protection without the need to sacrifice much of his agility was something that Izuku couldn't overlook. He also realized something as he listened to Martin - without his swords he is as good as naked. Sure, the daemon could most likely teleport to him no matter where he went, but he really didn't want to rely on that power. Izuku didn't have any martial arts training though, so having what is basically an oversized fist wasn't exactly a great alternative.
"Well, I can certainly appreciate the protection, but I'm not sure how good I could be at punching things while wearing a massive suit of armor." Izuku shared his opinion and watched as a disturbingly wide grin morphed on Martin's face.
"How about cutting things while wearing a massive suit of armor? From what I heard you're pretty good with sharp things." Martin responded, acting composed enough to have Izuku start wondering whether or not he'd planned for things to go this way. "I want you to squeeze your fist and redirect some of that golden stuff into the gauntlet like you do with your sword. If I'm right about a couple assumptions of mine, then you should be really happy with what happens next." After a promise like that, Izuku couldn't really refuse.
Plus he was pretty sure that Nezu would force him to do everything Martin asked just to satisfy his own curiosity. While scary in and of itself, Izuku had to respect his principal for really sticking to his madmammal persona. Feeling quite curious himself, Izuku did as he was told and focused on the gauntlet.
He wasn't sure what to expect - especially since Martin was involved in this and he had an enigmatic tendency to demolish expectations on a regular basis - so he couldn't stop himself from gasping in surprise when five long claws suddenly sprung from the knuckles of the gauntlet, his familiar golden glow encompassing the bladed protrusions exactly like it did his sword.
"Yas! I was right!" Martin cheered, which was probably the most emotional response that Izuku saw from the man. He calmed himself down soon enough and went on to explain the newly discovered feature. "I did some digging on spiritual energy manipulating quirk and everything around them and tried to figure out how to make something that could react with your abilities. I always figured that a big sword is neither flexible nor handy to use, so you must've stuck with it for a reason. Let me guess, you got the sword from that monastery of yours, right?" Martin assumed, pretty confident in his words.
"It was a parting gift from the headmaster, yes. How did you make something that responds to my quirk? I tried many different weapons and materials in the past, but nothing worked. Not to this extent anyways." Izuku explained as he marveled at the claws, now he at least knew where the gauntlet got the 'claw' part of its name.
"I'm afraid that's a trade secret." Martin responded elusively. "What I can say though is that the claws themselves are the only parts that react to your quirk, that's why the rest of the gauntlet doesn't glow the same way they do. If you end up incorporating the Lightning Claw into your hero suit I'll send your support division the exact blueprints needed for repair and maintenance and supply them with spare claws for when things in the field don't go as planned." Martin offered, making this offer almost too good to be true.
"It's not that I'm not grateful for the gift, but what do you get out of this?" Izuku asked cautiously, hoping not to offend the man.
Martin, defying all expectations once again, bellowed shortly before calming himself down, though an amused smile stayed on his face.
"I respect your business instinct. " The man commended. "Let's just say that Nezu here is a really good customer of mine and I'm hoping to strengthen this bond by helping him out in his time of need which conveniently involves helping you. Plus you're already looking like a poster hero boy and I like my publicity." Izuku was taken aback by the bluntness of the answer, but he did kind of respect the honesty.
"Well then, I'd love to have this in my arsenal." Izuku responded, sealing the deal.
"Great! I'll forward the blueprints and the manual to your support department as soon as I get back home. Now, take a look at all the other stuff I have prepared!" Martin said enthusiastically before once again reaching into the mess that he was holding.
Martin put many items on display, and although many of them looked very cool, Izuku ultimately decided to pass on them. He didn't see a need for a chainsaw sword or a fully automated gun that shot can-sized rockets. How Martin was able to hold all of that in his hands was a mystery that Izuku didn't even try to solve. He was doing it so it was obviously possible, but the exact mechanisms at play were not that important.
Right before his departure, Martin handed Izuku a tiny book that explained in detail everything that his new case could do before boarding his craft and flying off.
Izuku dropped Nezu off back in his office and made a quick stop at the teacher's lounge to inform Aizawa about the newest addition to his kit before finally heading back to the dorms. Half of the day has already passed and he's yet to hang out with Shiozaki and tell her all about what happened yesterday!
"I guess I have even more things to tell her now!" Izuku thought to himself with a smile as the dorms came into view.
"Who was that man? The purple-eyed one?" The daemon suddenly spoke up, surprising Izuku and causing him to pause in his step.
"That's Martin Kravchenko, he's the owner of a company called Militor Defense Solutions that I think specializes in security or stuff like that, why you ask?" Izuku responded, curious as to why the daemon would show interest in Martin of all people.
The two have been stuck together for quite a while already, but this was the first time that the daemon showed any interest in another person.
"His face looked punchable, that's all." The daemon responded, causing Izuku to smirk involuntarily.
"I'll make sure to tell him the next time we meet." Izuku stated to end the conversation and the link went silent once again.
What Izuku didn't know was that the daemon could choose to broadcast its thoughts into his mind and right now it chose to withhold some information.
"Arrived in a knockoff Stormraven, 'invented' a Boltgun, a Lightning Claw and a Chainsword…" The daemon thought to itself as it recalled the conversation. "Things just got… interesting."
Interesting indeed! At least I think it is. So Izuku got himself some upgrades to his gear but it really makes you think where all this stuff came from, huh?
Well, no spoilers for now, so have a great day and I'll catch y'all in the next update!