New Chapter! And with this new chapter is a new arc! Here we are, the Deep Blood Arc! The are that everyone would have forgot in not for a single scene that forever changed what we all thought about Imagine Breaker. Now, before I get started with the Q&A, I have some bad news. With my current skills as a writer, I am incapable of writing any way for Himegami to be more relivent. Try as I might, there is just so little to work with that it is impossible for me to give her relevance. She really is the ultimate background character. Wait, who was a talking about?
Anyway, Q&A time:
Bluejack222: Fair point. However, I counter with the fact that Index gets kidnapped because Touma is not in the immediate vicinity and those that are witnesses are usually powerless to do anything, such as Maika. So really, the only thing that changes are location. Glad you liked the chapter.
Awareness Bringer: Don't worry, all of the girls will be given a moment to shine so long as they are fit to be part of a harm. I'm not some heartless bastard that leads people along only to crush their expectations. Well, at least not intentionally. Glad you liked the chapter.
MrQuestionMark: After rewatching the anime for research, I couldn't help but draw the parallels. It started with Kurozuma's description after he saved Kongou as a one-off joke, but it just got deeper. Heck, Kurozuma's relationship with Konori is very similar to Touma's relationship with Mikoto, with the girl being saved by the boy and wanting to help to return the favor and not lose the boy to his crazy antics. I am seriously convinced that Kazuma Kamachi made these parallels on purpose because they are all over the place in just the events covered in the anime alone. The parallels thing also applies to why I had the Fate reference, since Touma and Shirou follow similar if not the same ideals, with Touma being those ideals fulfilled. As for the title drops, I took a note from your book, so to speak, in that. The title was supposed to just refer to the addition of Touma in Railgun plots and vice versa, but it quickly evolved into more. I think you'll like the next couple of twists I make.
AriaTheLostMelody: Glad you liked the chapter and the changes to the original plot.
mohamadstar94: Looks like you missed the end note. This chapter is for the Deep Blood Arc. I can confirm however that the Railgun filler Tsuzuri's Summer Vacation will be adapted into a date chapter immediately following the Deep Blood Arc.
ALostBlueIdiot : Oh, you were serious about that? Huh? Yeah, I guess I can make Aogami's ability a Kami Disease Detector. Although, it might just be a sort of sixth sense rather than an Esper ability.
RedSS: Yup, that was the idea. I really wanted my story to be more character driven, and this seemed like the best way to go about it. I admit defeat, it is impossible to give Himegami more relevance.
ArmoredCoreNineBall: Yup, I just pulled a Digimon Fusion on you. It was either that or I have my ships transform into robots and combine larger, spaceship counterparts until they were larger than they observable universe. Pick your poison. I really wanted my story to dive deeper into the characters and explore what makes them tick and their reactions to the other half of the world they are a part of. Touma's identity crisis with his missing memories was just the most underutilized part of the original canon in that regard. Glad you liked the chapter and the changes.
Gashadokuro Amanojaku: I always thought the lack of focus on Touma's memory lose, you know, the event that pretty much made his character a wild card in his own world, was something that could be improved upon and I took this as the opportunity to do so.
Anonymous Noob the 2nd: That was the plan from the get-go, my good sir. I'm sure you'll enjoy it when the time comes.
Guest (1): Sorry to keep you waiting! The interactions between Touma and Kurozuma were some of my favorite parts to watch. They were equal parts humorous and deep, allowing for meaningful moments that could also rouse a laugh. Glad you know you think my writing is improving.
Guest (2): Glad you liked the chapter. Thanks for the tip, now if only I can figure out the timeline that extends beyond Index II.
a certain guest (Guest): First, it's Yuri, not Yuriko. Accelerator is still a boy. Second, heavy emotional conflict between the isn't planned until after the fighting is done. Accelerator doesn't remember his own name and I interpreted the scene from Railgun that sparked my "Touma and Accelerator were friends" theory as Accelerator remembering having a friend, but unable to remember the face or name, only the spiky, black hair. However, Mikoto has seen a picture of Yuri, so she might have some additional conflict in regards to Touma having to fight his old friend that he can no longer remember that has turned into a psychopath.
Well, that's it for the Q&A. Now lets get the disclaimer out of the way so we can get this story on the road!
Disclaimer: All characters and plotlines of the "A Certain" franchise are credited to Kazuma Kamachi.
Chapter 15: Hunting for the Vampire Hunter
Stiyl Magnus walked through the dark, central room of the Windowless Building in the center of Acadmey City. The only sources of light in the room were the faint, yellow glow of the circuits on ground and the tube they fed into. Inside said tube was something that could only be described as a human, but an odd one at that. The person floated inside the tube, upside down and wore a hospital gown. He or she, on one could really be sure, had both male and female features, having waist length hair, a petit yet masculine build, and a face that would fit on either a man or a woman.
"Stiyal Magnus," the person greeted, "You are no different from the others. Every person that comes here has the same reaction to my rather unusual appearance. But it makes sense to me. If machines can sustain my life, why make my body do it?"
"Yes, director general Aleister," Stiyl replied.
"I believe you are already aware of the reason you have been called back here from England," the person identified as Alester deduced, "A situation as developed."
"If you mean 'Deep Blood', I know," Stiyl confirmed.
"We have indeed located a young girl with the ability to kill a certain creature," the director general of Academy City continued, "a creature that we aren't even sure actually exists. Here is were it gets unusually complicated. Sorcerers aren't usually allowed in the city, and yet one has involved himself in this."
"In Academy City?" Stiyl asked in confusion.
"Crushing a sorcerer is no problem. If pressed, we could handle it," Aleister clarified, "But of course, I would prefer to avoid such a conflict. Pitting members of the scientific and magic communities against each other is a dangerous game, as you know."
This was a fact Stiyl knew all too well. The two sides currently had an uneasy truce in place and that could easily crumble if a representative actively attacked the opposing side. Should one side have a clear win over the other, the whole world would be thrown off balance into chaos as the two sides fall into conflict and drag the rest of the world into it. It would not end well for anyone.
"But you believe that the problem can be solved by sending a fellow member of the magical community to deal with this sorcerer," Stiyl deduced.
"That is my plan," Aleister confirmed, "Additionally, I have at my disposal one of the natural enemies of sorcery."
"Do you mean Imagine Breaker?" the fire mage asked in confusion, "But sir, I thought the idea was to avoid using Espers at all."
"It won't be an issue," the person in the tube reassured, "He's a Level 0 with no abilities to speak of. He has no excess to privileged information, so using him will not risk a security breach, yet he will be helpful in dealing with out sorcery friends."
"Basically, you brought me back here to team up with the boy," Stiyl concluded.
"He does not have the brains to understand your magic, nor does he have the power to recreate it," Aleister continued, "You won't have to worry about your magical secrets being revealed."
"There are still a few things that bother me," Stiyl admitted.
"And what might they be?"
"First, there is the obvious requirement of needing to work with that boy, but seeing as there is no other option, I will bear with it," Stiyl listed, "The second issues has more to do with the people the boy associates with. One of them is a Level 5 Esper and two of the others are members of Judgement alongside the boy. They would surely wish to get involved if they were to learn about this operation, which can only spell trouble. Not only that, but based on our research from our last visit, one of the Judgement girls is regarded as one of, if not the, best hacker in Academy City. Surely, if anyone could hack into your files on the science/magic conflict, she could."
"Rest assured, everything will be taken care of," Aleister replied with a smile, "No matter how impressive of a hacker this girl may be, my defenses are surely more than she can handle. As for your other concerns, these girls may even be of additional help, so long as that help is not combat based."
"What do you mean?" Stiyl asked skeptically.
"This is an infiltration mission," Aleister smirked, "You are from the west. Surely you have seen a spy thriller before."
Following the end of the Big Spider case, Konori had given Touma, Kuroko and Uiharu a few days off as thanks for their help, especially considering how personal the case was to her. The girls were currently wandering throughout the city, trying to think of something to do. Index had decided to hang out with Touma, who had been busy that day buying a couple of extra school supplies. As a result, Touma and Index were absent for the time being, leaving the girls to try to figure out something to do on their own.
Unfortunately, which was strange since Touma wasn't around to affect them with his misfortune, the girls couldn't think of anything to do, so they just kept wandering the city, trying to think of something. They considered a movie, the mall, and even the pool, but nothing seemed overly interesting that day. Heck, even Judgement work seemed more appealing at that moment. Not only that, but the girls had a strange sense of deja vu, like they had the exact same conversation just a couple of weeks ago.
"Have you guys thought of anything yet?" Mikoto asked, her head slumped over as she walked.
"No, nothing," Kuroko whimpered.
"I am seriously bored," Saten whined, "Not even flipping Uiharu's skirt seems appealing right now."
"For once, we agree on that topic," Uiharu moaned.
"If Kamijou were here, I'm sure it would be at least twice as enjoyable to do," Saten added, "His reactions are just as hilarious, if not more so."
"And you wonder why he gave us all those nicknames," Uiharu said, sheading a few tears.
"Wait, isn't that that idiot right there?" Mikoto asked, pointing just ahead of them as she looked up.
True to her words, Touma could be seen with Index, hutched over what appeared to be a cardboard box on the side of the road. The sight of their friends instantly put a spring in the girls' steps. Touma always had a way making things interesting, for better or for worse. If they joined up with him and Index, maybe something might happen that could keep them occupied.
"Kamijou, Index, hey!" Saten called out as the girls ran towards their friends.
"Oh! Hey girls," Touma greeted with a small wave.
"What are you looking at there?" Uiharu asked in curiosity.
"Just an abandoned cat Index wanted to take home," Touma replied, "Naturally, I told her she couldn't keep it."
"Why not, Touma?" Index begged. "Sphinx needs a new home. Why can't we keep him?"
"Don't just go naming him right off the bat!" Touma responded, "Once you name it, you start getting attached to it! Besides, you can barely take care of yourself! I don't want to have to deal with trying to support you and a cat!"
"But look at him! He's in so much pain!" Index pointed out.
True to her words, the cat that Index had prematurely named Sphinx was rolling around in his box, clearly in pain. He pawed at his head as if trying to ease a headache and whimpered in pain.
"Actually, I think that might be me," Mikoto admitted, "My Esper ability causes me to constantly emit a weak electromagnetic field, and lots of animals don't like it.
"See? All the more reason you can't keep him," Touma pointed out, "Zapper constantly visits you to help keep an eye on you. We can't let this cat suffer just because you want to keep him. At least give him a home where he won't constantly be bombarded with electric pulses every time someone in specific visits."
Of course, Index didn't take the news to kindly and started to throw a temper tantrum. All the girls could do was watch awkwardly as Touma remained perfectly calm and stood his ground regarding the cat. Even if it was awkward, it was still more entertaining than walking aimlessly through the streets.
Eventually, the cat couldn't take it anymore. The electromagnetic waves were bad enough, but not there was a loud, shrill, pounding sound in his head. Having reached his limit, the poor cat jumped out of it's cardboard box and ran off, leaving the group a bit stunned.
"You see? You scared him and now he's run off," Touma noted.
"It you and Mikoto's fault!" Index claimed as she stomped off in the direction the cat had run off to.
"How is it our fault?" Mikoto asked, confused.
"You two are the oldest ones here," Saten pointed out.
"Not helping, Saten," Kuroko reprimanded.
"First, you admitted yourself that your Esper ability was hurting him," Index explained, "In addition, I heard there is a Japanese instrument that is partially made out of cat skins. How can Sphinx not be scared when stuff like that's going on?"
"Well, if you want to go there, don't the English chase foxes?" Touma countered.
"Fox hunting is a noble sport dating ba-," Index began to say, but stopped when she felt something off, "What's that? I can feel magic flows coming together nearby."
"Huh?" everyone else asked, completely lost.
"Its color is green; its attribute is earth. Is it a runic formula?" Index pondered as she ran off.
"Index, where are you running off to?" Saten yelled.
"It feels like someone is setting up a magic circle," Index explained as she ran, "I'll see you at Ruiko's dorm latter."
"Honestly, that girl," Mikoto huffed.
"I know, she like the little sister I never asked for," Touma agreed, scratching his head.
"I don't know," Saten mused, "Sometimes, you two act more like her parents than her older siblings."
"Don't start with that again!" Mikoto yelled in embarrassment, "Come on, idiot! Help me out here!"
However, Touma didn't appeared to be paying attention at all. His bored expression had been replaced with a very serious one. His eyes darted around the street, as if searching for something.
"Is something wrong?" Kuroko asked in concern.
"Don't you girls feel that?" Touma replied, "I'm not entirely sure, but something doesn't feel right."
"Now that you mention it, the street does feel abnormally empty," Uiharu agreed.
"You should know what's happening," a voice that only the girls could recognize said, "The runes are designed to keep people away."
The group turned towards the owner of the voice standing behind them. Needless to say, everyone was shocked to see this person in particular, for one reason or another.
"Long time no see, Touma Kamijou," Stiyl Magus greeted.
The group was stunned to see the sorcerer before them, especially Touma. Naturally, Touma had no memories of the man in front of him and was unable to immediately react. It especially didn't help that Stiyl had used Touma's name, as if expecting him to have vivid memories of him. Sure, the girls had helped him with a few of the events that he had not written in his journal, but there was only so much they could provide since they didn't interact with the sorcerers directly, at least according to their accounts. Any information they could provide was originally supplied to them by Touma before his accident, so there were many gaps in the information they could provide.
"What, I don't even get a 'hello'?" Stiyl asked mockingly.
"As if you would get one after the hell you put this idiot through, Stiyl Magnus!" Mikoto yelled, venom clear in her voice.
"Good," Stiyl replied, "I didn't want you all to think I was you friend or anything."
"Where's Index?" Kuroko demanded, holding out several pins as a threat.
"There's no need to worry about her. She just went off to investigate a magical force she discovered, right?" Stiyl deduced, "Besides I have not come to fight you Espers."
Stiyl pulled out a rune card from his robes.
"However, that doesn't mean I'm above attacking the boy!"
Stiyl threw the rune card at Touma, which proceeded to burst into a torrent of flames. Reacting quickly, Touma jumped in front of the girls and stretched out his right hand, the hand that held Imagine Breaker. The flames collided with Imagine Breaker and stopped in their tracks. The sound of Imagine Breaker rang out, the shattering of glass, and the flames disappeared. Despite the attack being negated, Touma could help but feel a bit out of breath, his face expressing the need for him to stay on guard.
"That's the expression I'm looking for. That's much more appropriate for our relationship," Styl mused as he reached inside his robes, "so don't got thinking that that's ever going to change."
"I swear, you better not be reaching for another one of those spell cards of your," Mikoto threatened, her bangs beginning to spark.
"Relax, it's not a trap or anything," Stiyl explained, revealing a file envelope, "It's what I wanted to discuss with you."
Stiyl raised the file over his head. Once high enough, several pages flew out of it and began circling the envelope for all to see.
"Have you heard of Misawa Prep School? It's here in Academy City," Stiyl asked.
"Yeah, we've heard of it. It's here in District 7 and under the 177th Judgement Branch's jurisdiction," Uiharu confirmed.
"Okay then. There is a girl being held captive there," Stiyl explained, "Apparently, the school has had some changes. It has become the base of a pseudo religion that centers around the worship of science. We don't know all the details. What we do know for sure is that the school has been taken over. They are now led by a bonified sorcerer. To be more precise, an alchemist of the Zurich school of alchemy."
"He's the real deal?" Touma asked.
"I know, sounded pretty far fetched to me at first too," Stiyl replied before realizing something, "Wait a sec, your accepting this too easily."
"You really aren't that close to this idiot, are you?" Mikoto cut in, attempting hide Touma's amnesia.
"Yeah, everyone knows the unlikely always happens around this guy," Saten agreed, "I you want to see some sort of miracle, just hang with Kamijou for a day."
"This kind of stuff is just the norm for him, sad as it is to say," Kuroko added.
"Still, it keeps things interesting at least," Uiharu supplied.
"Yeah, I've just come to accept this kind of thing happening to me," Touma played along, "I don't see any problem in me just agreeing with you. Do you? Or do you just need something to complain about?"
"I guess this going more smoothly is acceptable," Stiyl admitted.
Stiyl went on to explain that the alchemist in question was known as Aureolus Izzard. He had apparently disappeared about three years ago and had been in hiding ever since. Izzard came out of hiding recently to go after the girl Stiyl had mention earlier, the girl with the power known as Deep Blood. Stiyl went on to explain that Deep Blood was the ability to kill vampires, something that shocked the group on more than one level. Not only was the group surprised by the existence of a power to kill vampires, but they were surprised by the implications that vampires existed. Of course, the idea that vampires existed was made even more confusing by the fact that even sorcerers could not confirm that vampires truly existed.
The interesting part was when Stiyl revealed his intentions to infiltrate Misawa Prep School in order to retrieve Deep Blood and put a stop to whatever plans Izzard had regarding power. However, one thing didn't make sense to the group.
"Why are you telling us all of this?" Kuroko asked suspiciously.
"Simply put, I will be requiring his assistance in this operation," Stiyl answered plainly, pointing at Touma.
"What? You can expect me to just go along with this!" Touma argued.
"Actually, I do. For now, Neccessarious is content with leaving Index in your care and using all of you as a chain to control her," Stiyl explained, "Should you refuse, that can easily change, and Index will be forced to leave your care and return to Neccessarious. Surely, you wouldn't want that."
"Even so, you can't expect us to just let this idiot go in alone with only you as support," Mikoto countered, "If he's going in, them I'm coming too!"
"Same here!" Kuroko agreed.
"Zapper, Pigtails!" Touma whispered, trying to get them to keep quiet.
"As much as I would like to have the extra fire power, I cannot allow you two to come along," Stiyl said, "You don't know this, but there a very unstable balance of power between magic and science. To have an agent of science like an Esper defeat a sorcerer in combat or vice versa would result in a lose in that balance, dragging the world into a conflict it simply will not survive."
"So, what? We just have to trust that you won't go and betray Kamijou while you two infiltrate a prep school, unobserved?" Saten demanded.
"I said you couldn't face a sorcerer in combat. I never said you couldn't provide help," Stiyl clarified.
"So, what do you propose?" Touma asked.
"Word on the street says the girl with the flower headband is a computer whiz," Stiyl explained, "If you really want to help, you can set up a couple of wiretaps to stay in contact and guide us through the school. In fact, I would recommend it; it will make the job go much more smoothly. Of course, you will need to provide the equipment."
"And you expect us to just go along with that?" Touma questioned.
"Do what you want," Stiyl replied as the files returned to the envelop and he walked away, "The choice is yours.
As soon as Stiyl was out of sight, the streets filled with the sounds of city traffic once again. The girls plus Touma all looked at each other with questioning eyes, as if silently discussing what to do. However, those few looks between the friends were enough for them to come to a decision. After all, it was the obvious choice, especially when Touma was being involved.
Later that day, the group rejoined Index and took her home to Saten's dorm. Once they arrived, they discovered that Index had snuck the abandoned cat she named Sphinx in with her under her habit. It was quite obvious what was happening from the get-go, all things considered. No fourteen-year-old girl has a bloated stomach one second and a large bust the next. The bloated stomach was especially unlikely in Index's case since her stomach was basically a black hole. It also didn't help that Sphinx was quite the active kitten, meowing and revealing his hiding spot nearly immediately after coming into the dorm.
While Touma was furious at first, the sound of tears from Index was enough to get him to calm down. After some convincing from the girls that it wouldn't be a problem to let Index keep Sphinx, he conceded and let Index raise the kitten as her own. As much as he hated having Mikoto pay for both Index and Sphinx's expenses, Touma knew there was no wining an argument with these girls. He was just glad Mikoto had so many research funds handy.
Touma, Mikoto, Kuroko, and Uiharu then left the dorm, claiming to need to pick up a couple of computer parts and equipment for Judgement work, something that wasn't entirely a lie. As the group left, Saten promised to keep an eye on Index while they ran their errand. Once outside of the dorm room, the group found Stiyl kneeling just outside, sticking rune cards across the walls and floors.
"What are you doing with those?" Touma asked.
"I thought I would leave her with some protection. Innocentius should do it," Stiyl explained, "Not that I don't have faith in your friend, but I'd rather leave behind something a bit stronger. There's not telling what could happen while we're away during this operation. Some other sorcerers might take Index away while we're occupied. She can be a handful."
"Do you have a thing for Index?" Touma asked out of nowhere.
"What?! Of all the stupid things to ask!" Stiyl replied, blushing heavily and dropping the cigarette he was smoking.
"Wow, you do have a thing for her, don't you?" Kuroko mused, recognizing the reaction from when Mikoto interacts intimately with Touma.
"That's honestly kind of creepy," Uiharu shivered, "Considering the age gap between you two."
"It's not like that! First, she's just someone I look out for, that's all. She's my friend, of course I care about her. Not… like that," Stiyl explained, earning a smug look from the girls, "Second, I'll have you know the age gap between us is not that big. I happen to be fourteen years old."
"What?!" the students yelled in surprise.
"But, you smoke! And you're a head taller than Kamijou!" Uiharu reasoned.
"I use magic to make myself look older," Stiyl huffed, "People don't necessarily think you're much of a threat when you look like a little kid. Of course, you girls would probably know."
"What did you say?!" Mikoto roared.
The railgun tried to attack the sorcerer, but was barely held back by Touma.
"Rotten luck," Touma cried as he struggled to get Mikoto under control.
After quickly swinging by Uiharu's dorm and Seventh Mist, the group had all the supplied they needed to infiltrate the school with some sense of proficiency. They stood in front of Misawa Prep School later that afternoon with Touma equipped with several pieces of surveillance equipment. Wire tapped to his shirt was a miniature microphone and a tracking device. On his left ear was a miniature camera while on his right ear was an earpiece communicator. All of these devices were connected to Uiharu's laptop, which cross-referenced the data from the tracker with a floorplan of the building to keep track of Touma's position in the school. Stiyl opted not to be wire tapped, considering he was never a big fan of technology. The girls decided not to argue with him. After all, the wiretaps were meant to help guide Touma.
The plan was simple. Stiyl and Touma would infiltrate the school itself while Uiharu provided them with guidance throughout the building. Meanwhile, Mikoto and Kuroko would keep watch outside and make sure Uiharu's work wasn't interrupted. The Level 4 and Level 5 would also provide additional assistance in the event that Uiharu couldn't find a solution to a problem herself.
Before going in, Stiyl revealed some more information about the mission that the thought would be important, now that the students were onboard. Apparently, the goal of alchemists was to be able to manipulate reality on a whim with only a thought. Uiharu couldn't help but point out the irony in that goal with the history of alchemy itself. A failed alchemical experiment resulted in the discovering of gunpowder and led to the creation of chemistry, one of the major pillars of scientific research. Scientific research would them move on to develop Esper abilities, which were able to manipulate individual aspects of reality with merely the Espers' thoughts. Needless to say, Stiyl was a bit miffed by that observation.
Continuing with his explanation, Stiyl presented the group with a picture of the girl possessing Deep Blood so they knew when the found her. Upon presenting the photo, Stiyl explained the girl's name was Aisa Himegami. Touma was quite shocked to see the picture, explaining to the girls the he had met her earlier that day after being forced to treat Index, Tsuchimokado, and Aogami to milkshakes and burgers. Obviously, it was going to be an awkward reunion when they found her.
Once Stiyl and Touma had walked into the building, Uiharu was on high alert on her laptop. She kept a sharp eye on the media feeds she was getting from Touma's equipment,
"So, have they run into anything yet?" Mikoto asked, looking over Uiharu's shoulder.
"Don't be silly, Sissy," Kuroko replied, "They just walked in."
"Actually, I think we did find something," Touma said over his earpiece, "Looks like a robot of some sort. It appears to be broken."
"Doesn't look like any robot I've seen before," Uiharu said as she focused Touma's camera on the pile of metal in front of him.
The apparent robot was humanoid in shape. It was leaning against a support column and leaking some sort of red liquid.
"What are you talking about?" Stiyl asked Touma, his voice audible to Touma's microphone, "That's no robot. It's a corpse."
Upon closer inspection, the girls were quite shocked that the sorcerer had spoken the truth. The supposed robot was actually a dead body. It was clad in a suit of steel armor and the red liquid was the blood of the poor, unlucky soul. One thing was for sure, it was going to be an interesting evening.
That's it for the start of the Deep Blood Arc. I must say, I think I did a decent job with this chapter and was able to write around the laws that keep the magic and science sides balanced.
Also, am I the only one that noticed that thing about alchemy in the "A Certain" franchise? I can't be the only one that noticed how its fundamental structure being similar to scientific Esper powers parallels how real-life alchemy gave rise to chemistry, a major pillar of science.
These end notes feel really empty. Maybe I'm add some sort of metafiction to these at some point.
Until next time! Leave a review if you liked!
Don't trust someone over 30! (I found more Taiga quotes! Yay!)