Gate: Thus the Brotherhood of Steel Lyon's Pride Fought in Their Land

Chapter Thirty - Megumin

Underground, labyrinths, dungeons, caves, everything that was absolutely the places that Megumin was useless. The moment she heard that it was some kind of healing temple, or something similar, underground she knew that she couldn't go there. Or rather, if she did then she would be completely useless down there. Her explosion spell had gotten powerful, far more powerful than it had been, but in a confined space it was more dangerous to her party than it was to the monsters they were facing.

Sure, she could kill the monsters, but it would also result in them dying in the explosion, or having the cavern cave in on them. The problem was she didn't want to let Kazuma go alone again. The last time had scared her. She trusted that he would be fine, but she didn't like the fact that he would be facing danger ahead of the others, and alone. Instead she looked at the ones they were with, and she looked at their weapons. She was an archwizard, and a powerful one at that, but she wanted to be helpful.

"Can you teach me to use one of those?" she asked as she pointed to the weapons that they were holding, "I don't want to be useless down there."

The one named Reeder nodded, "Of course," he said as he pulled a small weapon, "This is a pistol, it's more compact, but it is just as deadly."

He showed it to her, "So, what you will need to do first get a good grip on it. Next, you will need to ensure that when you hold it you are aiming it at what you want to harm or kill," he said carefully, "You need to remember that as a weapon it is always loaded, and it is always dangerous."

She nodded and took the pistol in her hand. She was surprised at the weight of it. It was like holding a sword, but it was all compact in her hand. She looked at the gun itself. There was evidence that it had been taken care of. The pieces looked well maintained, and she tried to understand exactly what it was that she was looking at. Like Darkness' sword it was a tool meant for defending or killing. There were no two ways about it.

Once she had in her hands and she was holding it she looked at him and he nodded, "Good," he said as he pointed to the side, "That is the safety. It keeps the pistol from firing accidently. Flip it down to set it to fire."

She did and he nodded again, "Good, now come with me and we'll see if there is a place where you can practice for a few moments."

"Around the corner," Hancock said, "There's a little range over there. It's not big, just about the right size for someone to squeeze a few shots off."

With that she followed Reeder and they turned the corner to see what looked like a few individuals standing in front of a wall. There ahead of them were a couple of people shooting at what looked like strange statues. They were taking shots at their chests, their arms, and knocking them into pieces. After a few shots they stepped back, and Megumin stepped forward, "Now," Reeder said, "Take a look at the mannequins and pick out the middle one. Try to aim at the center mass, in the chest."

She did and was holding the gun with both hands, "Now, it's important to not just pull the trigger. You have to lightly squeeze it. Doing so will allow you to keep a good grip on the pistol. It will let you aim better, and your shot will be closer to where you were aiming."

She listened and followed his directions. The first shot fired, and it went wide. The shot hit the shoulder of the mannequin instead of the center of its chest. She looked at him and he seemed to be studying where she was aiming, "Did you close your eyes when you fired?"

"I blinked," she admitted, "It's not the sound or flash, but it was the way it jumped in my hands."

There was a moment of silence, "Okay," he said after a second, "That's fair. So, here's the thing. You've got to keep looking at your target. If you blink, or close your eyes, there's a good chance that you will miss what you were aiming at. Either it can move, or you will move. So, you have to keep looking at it. Try it again, but this time keep your eyes open."

She did, and this time it was still off from where she was aiming, but it wasn't completely off. She ended up hitting it closer to the center on the left side, "Good," he said as she breathed out, "That's a good shot. Likely someone would bleed out, or at least they would be out of the fight. Either way that's exactly what you want."

She nodded, "So, this will let me help when we're in close corners, right?"

She watched as he looked at her, "Yes," he admitted after a moment, "But you can't think that it will take the place of everything else. A gun is handy, and important, but it isn't the only answer. Sometimes a person has to take a moment and look around at what's happening. There's more often than not that you'll have to fight your way out of things around here, but sometimes using a gun can be more dangerous than not using one."

She looked at him, "What do you mean?"

He looked at her, "Here, there are places where certain things never stopped working. We have areas that have filled with gas over the years. Shooting inside of those places is dangerous because it can set off a massive explosion that will take everyone along with it," he said as he looked at her, "So, at those times it's better to deal with what's happening with a bladed weapon or a blunt object."

She tried to understand exactly what it was that he was saying. The idea that the weapon she was holding could spark an explosion made her of two minds. The first was that no device, no matter how expertly crafted, could come close to creating the kinds of explosions that her magic could create. She would absolutely perform a demonstration to show this at any time they wanted one. It wouldn't even be an issue to her. The second was that she didn't want anything specifically to happen to those she cared for.

She looked at Sentinel Reeder and then shook her head, "I'm an archwizard," she said, her voice confident, "I can create an explosion that would easily destroy entire buildings, I can kill hundreds, nay thousands, in a single blast, but I'm a little rusty at normal fighting."

She gave a sheepish grin, "We were taught martial arts in school, and I was good at it, but I didn't keep up with it after school. I mean, I didn't see a point when I can just one-shot most of our enemies from a distance."

He studied her, "That was a foolish mistake, but not one that can't be overcome," he said before he looked at the surrounding individuals. She watched as he spotted someone specific and walked toward them. She followed, uncertain of what he was doing until he was standing before a man leaning against a wall, "Do you have any weapons for sale?"

The guy looked at him, and then at her, "Well, what the fuck do you know, a fuckin' customer," he replied with a lopsided smirk, "Welcome to my little shithole. I'm Bob, and I've got the best sources of bladed weapons in most of Goodneighbor. Although, there's a couple of other merchants that might do one better for you."

He lifted up a suitcase and sat it on the top of an odd looking can, "So, right now I've got a couple pairs of Knuckles. Both of these are from raiders that don't need them anymore," he said pointing to a pair of strange looking grips with blades sticking out of them, "I've got an old fashion shank. Not expensive, but you're only getting two uses out of it before it breaks. I'd say that it's a last resort weapon. Finally, I got the Bowie."

He pointed toward a knife that had a strange gleam to it. The blade practically had a soft green glow, "Now, the Bowie is weird. For some reason when a person uses it they seem to cut deeper than they would with another knife. In addition, it allows them to cut faster. I've never seen it happen with any other weapon. That said, it's good for beginners who are trying to get used to using a knife, but I've heard that it can cause them to lose themselves."

She watched as he looked over the weapons, "She will take the Bowie," he said as he looked at the man, "How much?"

The guy looked at them both, "It's a special knife," he said, "I ain't seen another one like it before, so I'm going to say at least a hundred and fifty caps."

She began to ask what he was talking about when Sentinel Reeder studied him, "From your description it is a good weapon," he said as he studied him, "however, I believe we can make a better deal. We recently went through a few buildings before getting here. In doing so we managed to get some ammo, and recovered a couple of weapons. What about seventy-five caps, a pistol, and fifty rounds of ammo for it."

The man looked at him, "A pistol?" he asked as he stood there, "A good one, or one of those pipe pistols that the raiders have?"

She was about to ask if he wanted her to trade the pistol he had given her when he shook his head, and she watched as he opened a bag that was on his side. He pulled out a small revolver that Kazuma had come out of the police department with, "It's a .32 revolver, police special," he said as he held it, "It uses the common ammo of the raiders, but it packs a better punch. The barrel was designed for firing bullets, and so it isn't a simple smoothbore barrel. You'll find that it works fairly well."

The man studied it, "Huh," he asked as he looked it over, "Mind if I give it a quick try?"

Sentinel Reeder nodded, and she watched as he aimed it toward the wall. A moment later he fired it and hit an old poster that was there. He walked toward it, "Huh, it hit what I was aiming at, so it shoots straight, the kick back wasn't bad, okay, you've got yourself a deal."

With that she watched as the pistol and ammo was traded along with seventy-five of the caps. She was still trying to figure out why their money looked so strange. When that was done Sentinel Reeder handed her the knife, "Here, now we will practice with this, but that will have to be later. First, we need to get ready to follow Adam."

She nodded, "It's the first time that I've been in a labyrinth in a long time," she replied as they walked, "I chose to stay out of them since it was hard for me to fight inside of them with magic. Thanks for giving me an alternative."

He nodded, "I would prefer to see those that I am working with able to defend themselves."

She watched him, and there was something decent about him. It wasn't that he was an overly good person. She could tell that he likely had secrets, but he didn't seem like a bad one either. They met back up with the others and she had the knife in a small sheath had come with. The sheath was on her belt, much like the holster for the gun. She noticed that Kazuma was looking at her, "I didn't think that you'd want to use anything other explosion magic."

She grinned, "This isn't using magic, this is just fighting, and I've done that before," she replied, "Besides, I'm going in there with you."

"I'm not!" Aqua said as she stood there, "No, I don't want to be surrounded by the undead, or chased by monsters, or anything else! I won't do it! I won't!"

Megumin looked at Aqua and she felt pity for the goddess of the Axis faith. She understood that she had been traumatized when she went with Kazuma into the dungeons before. It had been enough to cause the goddess to cry and beg to never have to go back into another one. She had practically promised the entire world to Kazuma if he wouldn't force her to go back into another dungeon. Of course she understood why the undead had flocked to her. They wanted to be released, and Aqua had that power in spades.

"No one is asking you to," Kazuma said after a moment, "Seriously Aqua, you're more of a liability than you are a help when it comes to that kind of thing. We'd have to make sure that you're safe the entire time, and I'm convinced that you'd just fall down and throw a fit if we made you go with us."

"I'm not that bad!"

Megumin shook her head, "Aqua," she said as she looked at her, "Yes, you are that bad," she said, her voice even, "You're exactly that bad. I mean I can't cast magic in enclosed places, and so I had a valid excuse, but you're a healer and you won't go because you're scared."

Megumin watched as Aqua's gaze fell on her, "Listen here," she said as she seethed at the archwizard, "I am the goddess of water! I am worshiped by all of the Axis religion, and I am revered for my beauty and power! You don't dare tell me that I don't have an excuse!"

Before she could get any further Megumin shook her head and looked at her, "You don't have an excuse because you're powerful, can use magic in enclosed places, and are able bodied. You don't have a single excuse, but that doesn't matter."

She looked at her, "Thanks to Sentinel Reeder I can go with Kazuma and the others. I'm going to go, and I'm going to help watch his back. When we get back all of us will split whatever treasure we find, and you can just do without."

"Wait, treasure?" Aqua asked, her eyes sparkling, "As in money to buy some expensive booze kind of treasure?"

Megumin shook her head. In a way she couldn't fault Aqua for how she acted. From what she knew about deities they all acted in the way that was reflected by their followers' faith in them. She'd been to the hot springs where Aqua's followers had been centrally located before, and she had seen first hand how they acted. All of them, every single last one of them, all reflected Aqua's own attitude and thought process.

They were, in essence, all fairly insane. Aqua was simply an extension of that, but it didn't make her like it either. Aqua's attitude and interests were in a complete opposition to what she believed a goddess, even Aqua herself, should act like. Then again, as a Crimson Demon she didn't specifically bow to any single goddess. She understood that they had their place, but she didn't feel that connected to any of them.

She respected Darkness' belief in Aries, and she respected all of Aqua's insane followers' belief in her. She didn't feel that it was her job to make Aqua feel or do anything, and she didn't think that it was Aqua's job to force her into acting anyway that she didn't want to act. Besides, from what Kazuma had explained Aqua had been forced to leave most of her goddessy powers when she came to the mortal realm. It meant that she was basically an exceptionally powered archpriest, but that was about it. Her access to her goddessy powers was mostly in her goddess requiem.

"Okay, if there's treasure I'll go, but I'm not walking in front," she declared, "I'm following behind Kazuma since he can use lurk, and he can make sure that I'm included in that."

"Aqua," Kazuma said after a moment, "You're going to be deadweight down there. We really don't need you with us. Because if you go then I've got to babysit you the entire time."

"I'm not that bad!" she cried, "Megumin tell Kazuma that I'm not that bad!"

She looked at her, "Aqua, I like to think of you as a friend," she said, "But you're that bad. If you go with us then you're going to have to put out some effort. That means using your healing magic, creating magical barriers, that kind of thing."

She watched as Aqua's face scrunched up, "You all think that I'm useless!" she cried, "I'm not! I'm not useless!" I'm a goddess!"

"Aqua," Darkness said, "If you go then you can walk with me. I can protect you, but I will ask that you do as Megumin suggested and that you actually help out. We can't have you just going ahead and acting as if there is nothing for you to do. We will need you to perform healing magic and miracles."

Aqua looked at them all, "Fine," she said after a moment, "I'll make sure to heal anyone that needs it, and if there's undead or ghosts, or anything else I'll be sure to release them from their torment."

With those words Megumin watched as the one called Hancock nodded, "Good," he replied, "Since that's out of the way, and you've got the crazy ready to go I'll lead you down to where the tunnel connects."

They began following him toward what looked like an old subway station. He led them down it and into what was the remains of a subway station that was being converted, "Looks good so far," he called out to a few people, "Glad to see you all getting started."

There were a few nods, "Should be a decent pub," a strange sounding voice said. Megumin turned to see a strange creature floating with three arms under it. It had three eyes sticking out, and its body was round. In a way it reminded her of the protectrons, "Want to thank you for selling me the rights to set up shop."

Hancock waved him off, "Not a problem Charlie," he replied, "You're for the people, of the people, that's all we can ask."

There was a moment of silence, "These folks though are going to enter into the tunnel and check out that place. I've hired them to do it for us, so maybe extend a hand when they come back right?"

Odd lights lined the tunnel as they walked. Megumin noticed that they were flashing, each one giving off a faint yellow light that seemed to light up the world around them, but not very much. Between each flashing light was the hungry darkness. It was a bottomless void of emptiness that threatened to swallow all up that dared to enter it. Megumin knew that right now she was going to have to get her eyes used to the dim light.

Kazuma had once said that lighting a torch inside of the dungeons was dangerous. He'd claimed that monsters could see when someone had a torch lit, and they would flock to it. She didn't want that to happen, so instead they were carefully plotting forward. She stepped lightly, uncertain if there were traps or not. As they moved, she reached out and touched Kazuma's cloak. The adventurer clothes that he was wearing were meant to be all purpose. It was light enough to not restrict movement, and yet the cloak would provide some ability to trap heat or deflect the rain if he was caught out in it.

He'd said that it did occasionally make him warmer than he needed to be, but that it wasn't the worst thing in the world. Personally, she thought that the cloak was a good touch. Granted, it could be better. He could have chosen a black cloak, or maybe a dark crimson red one, but still the forest green cloak had come in handy when they were out on an adventure. Right now it was handy because it was allowing her to keep up where he was going. She didn't want to get lost, and she didn't want to get separated. As they walked the soft sounds of rock crunching under their feet could be heard.

"I'm surprised that there aren't any ferals in here," Paladin Jefferson said as they moved toward a larger opened area, "Most of the metro stations I've been to have been lousy with them or raiders."

There was a chuckle, "And normally you'd be right," Hancock replied, "But it just so happens that this section of tunnel is clear as can be."

They stepped up onto another platform, and what stood out in front of her was something she hadn't expected to see. The front of it looked similar to a temple. Large white columns ran from the ground to the ceiling that seemed to be about far above them. From what she could see there were at least three floors of the building, and that was where Hancock stopped, "This is it," he said as he pointed to it, "We know that it's name is the Fluttering Angel Medical Center, and we know that it was put in prewar by the government. That's all we know though."

She looked as Paladin Jefferson walked up to the doors. He seemed to study them for a moment, "Steel doors," he said after a moment "Marble walls, and from what I can see lead lined. Whoever had made this place had made it to withstand nuclear fallout."

"Kinda what we thought," Hancock replied, "Thing is, I've lost six people who tried to get inside of there already. That's not counting any adventurous soul that braved the metro tunnels to get here. So, you go through, make sure it's clear, and we'll take in the refugees for you."

He laughed a little, "I'll make sure that you're paid as well."

After a moment Paladin Jefferson nodded, "Sounds good to me," he replied as he stepped forward, "We'll get started, and we'll let you know what we find."

With that she watched as Hancock walked back toward the station they had been at, and she stood with Kazuma outside of this building. There was a sense that something inside of the building didn't want them there. She couldn't explain it, but it certainly felt that way. Paladin Jefferson looked at it before motioning to Kazuma, "Mind to check for traps before we get started?"

She watched as Kazuma walked forward, and he began to search around the door. She wasn't sure if Paladin Jefferson was being paranoid or just cautious, but regardless it seemed to have paid off after a moment, "Yeah, I see some basic traps," Kazuma said after a moment, "Looks like someone rigged up an explosive to trigger once the door opened."

She watched as he worked, and a few moments later he walked back toward them with looked like a small metal oblong ball with fins on the end of it. The outside of it blinking with some red light, and he was holding a strange little box that he'd disassembled. There was a moment where she heard a slight curse word from Sentinel Reeder, "A mininuke," he said as he stood there, "They wired a mininuke as the explosive. Well, that tells me that it wasn't raiders that set the trap."

She looked toward Sentinel Reeder who shook his head, "Raiders would have used some basic explosives, maybe a few hand grenades, but this was done prewar by the military," he said as he stepped forward, "From what I can see they designed a basic laser tripwire for it. Good job on disconnecting it."

He stood there for a moment, "Now I'm curious about why this is here."

With that he tried the door, and it slowly creaked open. The entire lobby looked dark, and from what she could see there wasn't a stitch of light in the place. At least there wasn't until the door opened wider. When that happened multiple lights began to turn on overhead. She looked around as the lights began to buzz alive, and the sounds of the flickering of some of them could be heard. Slowly but surely the entire lobby filled with light, and as it did she noticed the sound of something whirling around over them.

For a moment there was nothing, and then multiple lights began to shine to a single place. That place was a long thin piece of glass. She watched as the lights began to filter through the glass, and on the other side of it a form began to take place. She watched as the form started out fuzzy, but slowly it came into focus, and she was looking a woman wearing a white coat. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, and her eyes were seafoam green. She looked at the woman in a little envy.

"Welcome to the Fluttering Angel Medical Center for United States Testing," the woman made of light said, "Sadly, if you are seeing this then it means that the worst has happened. As such, I am afraid that only individuals with at least military grade clearance can enter the facility."

Sentinel Reeder groaned, "I am Lieutenant Harold Reeder of the United States Army," he said, his raspy voice coming through the power armor, "In addition I am also the head firearms tester for the army and navy."

There was a moment of silence, "Lieutenant Harold Reeder, Your clearance has been granted," the woman made of light said, "Are the others with you assistants?"

"Yes," he replied after a moment, "They are all currently with me to help do a safety check on the turrets and defensive equipment."

"Very good," the woman of light said, "Then please proceed. Do take caution, the main systems have lost all contact with the third floor."

"Well, that's not ominous at all," Kazuma said as he looked at her, "So, I'm betting the first place we're going is the third floor."