Quirks and magic

684Chapter 26: Apprentice No More, Part 2

A/N: I apologize in advance. This was supposed to be the finale of the arc, but due to unforeseen complications I made the decision to ultimately make this a three-parter instead. Part 3 will be up tomorrow, and will most definitely be the end of this arc. Then we enter U.A!

"Hatsume!" Izuku screamed, leaning forward as if he was going to rush Brigand in his panicked state. Two hands landed on his shoulders, however, stopping him from making a dash for the gun and the man holding it. Izuku glanced back and saw both Spider-Man and Wong had slapped a hand on his shoulders.

"Remain calm, Midoriya," Wong said as he narrowed his eyes at the smirking Brigand.

"Yeah, relax kid!" Brigand sneered, poking Mei's cheek with the barrel of his gun as the girl stood deathly still. "You wouldn't want to spook me, would you? Who knows how itchy my trigger finger is today...actually, you do know, don't you?"

"Wait for the opportune moment," Spider-Man whispered into Izuku's ear, having faced more than one hostage situation before and during his tenure with the Avengers.

"The Diacatholicon," Wong spoke, perhaps hoping to gleam some information from Brigand while stalling for time all at once. "I see that you do not have the relic on your person."

"The chain with the orbs? Yeah, already sold one of them off," Brigand informed them. "Made quite the haul with a single one, too. Good thing I kept the other two around. I had a hunch I'd get buyers, but they must be quite the catch if I'm getting heroes and sorcerers lining up to my front door!"

"Unfortunately for you, we're not here to make a purchase," Spider-Man glowered.

"Oh, I'm well aware what you're here for," Brigand said smugly. "But unfortunately for you lot, now you're going to have make some deposits on my behalf!"

"What are you saying?" Wong inquired cautiously.

"You put me in quite a predicament financially, laying waste to my drones the way you did," Brigand explained, raising the tip of his gun and tapping it against Mei's temple. "And you're going to help me recoup my losses if you want this pretty little thing back in one piece!"

"...You want more relics from the Sanctum in exchange for the girl's life," Wong said with a frown.

"Bingo!" Brigand guffawed. "I'm well aware that magic isn't something the average schmuck knows anything about, but if my latest incursion is proof of anything, it's that relics can fetch top coin if you can find the right buyer! Tokyo, Chinatown, Latveria—all will be lined up at the door of Brigand!"

"We won't let you use Hatsume and us as a way to make off like a bandit!" Izuku growled, clenching his fists as he desperately sought an opportunity to save Mei and take down the thief.

"It's Brigand! I'll make off like a 'brigand'!" Brigand angrily berated. "Kids these days, I swear...no sense of professionalism! Besides...you've no one to blame but yourselves for this! You didn't consider the possibility of having the tables turned on you so quickly or easily, did you? But me? I'm always looking five, ten, twenty steps ahead!"

"You have a really annoying voice," Mei suddenly piped up. A strained silence fell upon the warehouse and everyone inside it as all eyes were on the girl being held hostage. "It's nasally and really unpleasant to listen to."

"What did you just say?" Brigand snarled, giving Mei another hard poke in the cheek with his mystical gun.

"H-Hatsume, please—" Izuku stammered, appearing particularly tense.

"Let me guess: deviated septum?" Mei continued with a chuckle. "Yeah, I recognize it from personal experience. I once broke my nose as a kid when a giant wrench smacked me right in the face. It's an occupational hazard for an inventor, I suppose...and also one for a professional thief like you, too."