Defend the Library PatchCon
Disclaimer: All Touhou characters belong to ZUN. The concept of PatchCon belong to Tasofro. The ideas and original fanon however belong to me! XD
Chapter 4 - Trumps
"Hickory dickory dock
The clock struck twelve
The rat ran up the clock
Hickory dickory dock
The clock struck twelve
The rat ran down
Hickory dickory dock"
A childish, hypnotic singing voice echoes through the library. The voice belongs to Remilia the vampire.
"Remi, would you stop that!, I'm trying to concentrate, now get me the paper on the table"
Patchouli, who is frowning, is conjuring another PatchCon, concentrating her focus intensely at the hovering circle before her with both hands out stretch to the circle.
The outer circumference and a crude star imbedded within the circle had already been conjured but the intricate details of inscriptions of magic coding still needed to be infused. With Remilia helping Patchouli by getting past documentations from the shelves and tables, it saves Patchouli time having to manually look up information, and concentrate on the creation of PatchCon.
"Alright, alright, Patch, geez, you need to have more fun in your time you know" Remilia hands the paper in front of Patchouli to read so she doesn't have break the pace of work.
"Alright, Remi, you can leave the rest to me now" Patchouli says when she finishes reading the documentation.
"By the way, Remi, that song sounds familiar. But why are you singing it now. Don't you remember the situation we're in?"
Patchouli and Remilia are very old friends, having known each other for over a hundred years. When alone together, Patchouli would refer to Remilia with the diminutive "Remi", while Remilia calls Patchouli "Patch".
"How could I forget. Anyway, I just could not sleep last night, the full moon was out that night too, and hence my powers are at its maximum. You know how active I feel when that happens. So while sitting by the window to moon bathe, I told Sakuya to sing me a song to help me sleep. Now the song sticks to my head." Remilia takes a seat behind Patchouli to watch her work
"Hmm…that's nice." Patchouli says in a disinterested tone.
"You know, I haven't seen you around for the past week. Where have you been?"
"I was going out, to collect materials and do research for PatchCon"
"Ahh! So you finally went out! I knew you would take my advice and get some much needed exercise"
"My physical condition is fine the way it is, thank you," Patchouli replies, insulted "bodies don't go bad from the lack of exercise,…. they simply adapt to the circumstance that physical labour is no longer required."
"Of course…"Remilia simply shakes her head, nonplussed, which went unnoticed, as she is sitting behind Patchouli.
A pause.
"Patch, all that has happened so far reminds me of the siege back then."
"Ahh, you mean the Napoleonic Wars? You used to tell me about that."
Patchouli had very little documentation about human wars from outside Gensokyo. She only had stories and recounts from Remilia about the Napoleonic War, which took place before the Scarlet Mansion was transported to Gensokyo.
The Napoleonic Wars, as far as Patchouli could understand were a series of political unrest between an invasive race called the "French", and a group of races that collaborated together to become the "Allies" to defeat the "French." From Remilia's stories, the "French" was led by a legendary human called "Napoleon". Patchouli deduces that this is where the "Napoleonic Wars" got its name from.
Who was this Napoleon?, Patchouli wonders. Remilia described him as a brilliant strategist and decisive general. His downfall was from the insurmountable force of united armies from the "Allies".
A united army defeated an army led by a brilliant strategist. Patchouli summarizes.
"The castle was in siege many times. Once, it was a battle lasting for several hours, so that I couldn't sleep at all with all the noise, the screaming and shouts…" Remilia looks distant, as she closes her eyes and remembers a long distant past.
"I used watched the battle raged outside the castle from the clock tower with my telescope. You could see every thing from there. Oh! You could just see effect of a single command, that moved thousands of soldiers! A single command that herald a row of thunder from the cannons! I used to dream I could be the one to give that command, imagine how that would feel…"
Remilia then stares at the ceiling, reminiscing a glorious past victory. "You should have been there with me Patch. The battles were exhilarating. Hopefully you'll enjoy it in the coming siege."
"Coming siege eh? Hmph, you knew this was coming all along, you could have said something before this ever happened." Patchouli is referring to Remilia's uncanny ability to see fate. As a powerful vampire that is one of her abilities. But the extent of Remilia's powers over fate is still a mystery to Patchouli. "We could have prevented all this, Remi"
"Nothing can change fate Patch. What matters is how we receive it. I, for one will appreciate it. It has gotten pretty boring over the last few months with no activity. I'm starting to love my stay in Gensokyo. This place never fails to entertain me." Remilia says with a giddy smile.
"It depends, Remi. You wouldn't find it very entertaining if you lose, right?"
"No, I wouldn't find defeat entertaining …"
A long pause. Only a soft humming of the magic circle fills the room as Patchouli continues to make finishing touches to PatchCon.
"I'm sure the castle will hold this time." Patchouli reassures herself, "it is a strong castle, it has seen many battles and from what you've told me, it has always been victorious in the end"
Remilia takes in what Patchouli has said, and looks a bit upset. Unfortunately, Patchouli didn't see it because Remilia is behind her.
"Besides, what would the witch know of siege warfare? She's too young to know anything of invading a well protected castle. With PatchCon, and our army of dolls, the Scarlet Mansion will be impregnable!" Patchouli continues to banter.
"It also depends Patch…"
"What do you mean Remi?" Patchouli, this time pauses her work and turns around to face her friend. Somehow Remilia has lost her carefree mood earlier, and instead she looks serious.
"From my experience, every castle has its weakness. Humans are a very resourceful bunch. Marisa is also a very determined person. That combination of determination and resourcefulness will be her strength. Let us hope she doesn't find the castle's weakness."
"What are you saying Remi. Are you saying we'll lose? Have you seen our fate?"
"No, not at all. Honestly, I can't tell if we'll win at this stage. But this has nothing to do with fate. I am merely speaking out of experience. Our victory is not guaranteed. Right now, we will have to think carefully and critically. We will have to utilize our strengths as much as possible. We also have weaknesses and so does our opponent."
"What are our strengths beside our fortress then, Remi?"
"Numbers, Patch. Me, you, Sakuya, Koakuma, and China. If we work together closely as a team, we will sure have an edge in the battle."
"United we stand, divided we fall" Patchouli quotes a well known philosophy. "But I doubt we will have anything to worry about when it is 5 versus 1."
A pause.
"Perhaps that's true Patch. But we will also have to understand our opponent and predict our opponent's next move. Victory and defeat is usually defined by the ability of the chess player to read the signs of the opponent's next move. A small sized army can out maneuver a large army if you can predict the opponent's next move."
"Know thy enemy" Patchouli quotes again. "But, Remi, I do know Marisa. And I doubt she can win against ME in a battle of wits. She is very young, and I have much more experience and maturity than her. She will never match my intellect."
Remilia considers Patchouli's reasoning for moment before sighing. "You're right. What was I worrying about? Evidently we'll turn out fine."
"Of course we will", Patchouli reassures her confidently.
"Sorry if I seem to be hassling you Patch, it's just that…from past experiences, I've witness casualties from both sides of a war. War isn't like a chess game you know. There are always real casualties in a war. Lives are lost and broken, and- "
"That will not happen, Remi" Patchouli interrupts with conviction. "I'll make sure no member of the Scarlet Mansion will get hurt. That is my promise. We are using Dolls remember? There will be NO casualties."
"Losing dolls don't count as casualties?" Remilia asks incredulously.
"Of course not. They are simply dolls. Mass Produced Soldiers. These dolls have no families to mourn them, nor any children to leave behind. Their sole purpose is combat. Losing a doll won't count as a lost in life, because these dolls weren't built to live, Remi. That is my idea of a Perfect army!" Patchouli's eyes seem to shine she boasts of her invention.
"My, my, the nature of warfare sure has changed. You surprise me sometimes." Remilia chuckles.
Patchouli turns back to her work and continues with a scowl "Besides, we have no choice but to fight. Soon, we will be fighting another Perfect army."
It would be matter of minutes now to the completion of PatchCon.
Patchouli slumps on her armchair in front of her working desk.
PatchCon was completed. The frantic work has been exhausting. Yet, there is no time for rest, for Patchouli immediately set down to work on another critical project.
Somehow, the conversation with Remilia earlier had been unsettling to Patchouli.
Know thy enemy, Patchouli remembers her own words.
That combination of determination and resourcefulness will be her strength.
"If I really know Marisa, then Marisa will realize her weakness in her lack of experience in siege warfare, especially using dolls. And she will do something about it. Therefore, it is a weakness that cannot be guaranteed." Patchouli muses.
It was time to have a backup plan.
In front of her are 5 blank paper cards.
"When the circumstance calls for it, my trump cards will be there." Patchouli says to herself as she sets down to create her "trump cards".
End Chapter 4