Stage 03 – The Idiot Has A New Challenger
Riina watched in terror as the fairy was gradually closing distance between the two. To say there was nowhere to run nor hide would be a lie – the space was plentiful and the mist worked like a smoke screen. It's just that she couldn't move an inch, too fascinated with her attacker. She looked puny and delicate, like a snowflake that the thinnest beam of sunlight can melt; and yet the killing intent she gave off was one that could scare away Death itself.
On the other hand, it was hard to refrain from laughter seeing a creature so tiny and so enraged at the same time. That's what Riina's voice thought. Riina herself decided to start running in circles and yelling for help, probably hoping to confuse her enemy. Which she accomplished.
'Stop moving already!' Cirno shouted, puffing her cheeks in irritation. 'Or else I'll shoot you!'
'Wouldn't you do that even if she didn't move?' asked Daiyousei who caught up with her friend and was now hiding behind a large rotten tree trunk.
'Oh, just shut it!' the ice fairy snapped at her. 'I'm trying to fight her seriously so don't interfere! Hey you!' she now addressed the winged youkai, pointing her finger at her. 'Do you have any ide- STOP RUNNING, WILL YOU?!'
No reaction on Riina's part, who continued her frantic "go-away!" dance to Cirno's further annoyance. It was beyond her capability to maintain even a facade of coolness on her face. Kind of ironic, especially when you're an ice fairy.
'What the heck's wrong with her?' she burst out to Daiyousei.
Not leaving her cover, the fairy answered: 'I think she's just afraid...'
'Wow, thanks for nothing! Isn't it obvious she would be afraid? I'm the strongest, after all! Everyone trembles before my might!'
'Sure thing, Cirno...' Daiyousei muttered more to herself than her friend.
'You leave me no other choice, you beast!' Cirno exclaimed dramatically, striking a hero's pose and pointing at the youkai with an ice sword created in an instant. 'EAT ICICLES!'
Riina nearly fainted when she saw a barrage of ice bolts flying towards her at neck-breaking speed. She immediately stopped running, although the momentum threw her against the nearest rock which accidentally happened to be the largest and the hardest in the area. Clinging to the stone surface, she prayed that the projectiles don't hit her. And they didn't.
I've no idea what you're panicking about, the voice told her. This child's aim is worse than your social skills. And that's saying something, trust me.
'You said it yourself!' Riina shouted back. 'Don't trust strangers, looks can be deceiving and all that!'
That woman back in the sunflower field was on an entirely different level. This one looks like she stopped using diapers just yesterday!
'But she's shooting at me!'
And keeps on missing. Why don't you at least give her a good scare and shoot some bullets yourself?
'What kind of advice is that? Do I look like I'm carrying firearms?!'
Cirno's ire grew stronger. None of her ice bullets hit the target yet; she was sure the youkai had some kind of repellent barrier put around her. But the worst of all – the winged creature kept talking to herself, completely ignoring the presence of the two fairies.
No one ever takes me seriously, Cirno thought resentfully. Weren't it for the fact that she's an ice fairy, tears would've appeared in her eyes; instead, she shed tiny crystals of ice. Always having to prove her strength to others. Always being made fun of. Always losing. Always being called an idiot. All she wanted was to win against someone really strong just once in her life, so that no one could look down on her ever again.
Her resolve and her goal to challenge the most powerful youkai in Gensokyo every now and then came into being once the Great Fairy War had ended, the result of which was the utter defeat of not only the mischievous fairy trio who left her house in ruins, but also of the black-white magician. The same one who always helps the shrine maiden solve various incidents. Even Cirno did realise what sort of power these two must possess, being able to beat gods themselves. Yes, in Cirno's eyes Marisa definitely appears as a strong one. But no matter her strength, she's still human. What the ice fairy wanted was a youkai opponent.
She started from the lake. The nearest lair of such mighty creatures was obviously the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Daiyousei, having heard her mad plans, nearly got a fit. She clung to Cirno's legs, begging her not to go. Cirno didn't care much for her pleads and in a few minutes of flight she was standing right in front of the manor's gates. Obviously enough, the gatekeeper was there as well. Obviously enough, she was taking a nap. While this might have been a great opportunity to sneak past the guard and locate a foe much more suitable for her demands (Cirno didn't want anything to do with bosses below Stage 4), it would be also an act of cowardice, typical of a certain thief. So she called out to the guard whose name she doesn't even remember and got beaten in less than the opponent's first spell card duration.
One temporary loss couldn't possibly abate her zeal. She reattempted her raid at the mansion a week later only to be chased away once again, this time by the head maid. No other battle has ever given her so much fear – when she returned home, the maid was already there, waiting. Apparently, a bunch of her silver knives had been stuck in Cirno's ice wings and she kindly asked whether she could have them back. Polite as she might have been, the ice fairy was convinced she had grazed death that day.
Some time later, after Cirno had recovered from the shocking experience, she headed in an entirely different direction – the mountains. Lured by the smell of baked potatoes, she easily got lost in the Youkai Forest where more dangers awaited her, mainly caused by the goddess of misfortune. Having avoided the kappa's attacks somehow (mostly because she could freeze her opponent's water projectiles) she got overwhelmed with curtains of fire shot by the waterfall fairies. Never had she felt more resentment towards her own kind than then.
A few Daiyousei's naggings afterwards Cirno set off for the Human Village. She had heard there was a half-beast living amongst humans. She was reluctant to challenge the hakutaku at first, as Keine didn't quite meet her requirements; her decision was sealed after realising she had had an appearance in the extra stage as well.
(As for why Cirno is familiar with such terms as "Stage" or "Boss", you can go ahead and blame Yukari. Or Rinnosuke. It's not this strange to think that either of these two would be able to smuggle a shmup game into Gensokyo, isn't it?)
After a short search of the place, she found out that Keine was conducting classes in school at the moment. Obviously, Cirno could have simply made an unexpected assault on the classroom but since there there was a high risk of other kids getting hurt she decided to scratch the idea. Even a fairy has rules. She decided to wait until the classes are over instead. However, she couldn't have known how long Keine's working hours on that particular day were. She was waiting... and waiting... and waiting... After around six hours she thought it was about time to give up, especially since the villagers had already formed a queue to ask for free shaved ice.
She tried again on the next day. Instantly beaten.
Then she tried with Udongein. Hypnotised and made return home. Then the Prismrivers. The music was so loud she couldn't focus on dodging bullets. Then Patchouli. Chased away with fire. Then Aya. Didn't even let her get close and shot some pictures. Suwako? Finally avenged all the frogs frozen by the fairy. Alice? Didn't even show up to fight, but sent her dolls instead. Yukari? As for this battle, let's just say it made Cirno scarred for the rest of her life.
She fought Youmu last week and sparred with Mokou just an hour ago. No matter what all of her foes might have thought of her the moment she appeared in front of them and demanded a fight, no matter whether they were fighting her seriously or playing with her – they actually did agree to fight. To some extent, she was acknowledged by her opponents. All but one.
It would greatly help everyone if you stopped hugging that rock, me.
'It not like I want to, I just can't move!'
There is nothing to be afraid of, really. Take a deep breath...
'In case you didn't notice I'm breathing like crazy right now!'
...shut up, calm down and take one slow deep breath.
Riina closed her eyes and inhaled the air through her nostrils. Simple, yet it seemed to work. Even the noise the annoyed fairy was making was getting less and less intense, letting her mind calm down a little bit. Everything is fine, everything is...
It stopped being fine the moment one of the icicles finally grazed her. There wasn't enough damage to even tear her clothes, yet the panic she felt overcame her.
'Man down! Man down!' she shouted as she fell to the ground, waving her yellow scarf above her head, supposedly as a sign of capitulation. 'Hold your fire, we've got a man down!'
'You can't buy your life this cheap!' a sudden surge of confidence spread throughout Cirno's body, watching with satisfaction as her enemy crawls on the dirt and begs for mercy. That was the moment she's been waiting for all her life. Seeing a youkai squirm was right next to beating a strong youkai on her list. It was all too good to be true.
'There will be no mercy for you! Now, Icicle Fall!'
Cirno's bullets started to follow a more regular pattern once she shouted out the name of the technique. The icicles were shortly suspended in the mid-air after being shot and then fell following a curved path, forming two curtains of ice aimed at Riina.
Petrified with fear at first, the youkai eventually noticed that none of the projectiles hit her. They were colliding with the ground on her left and right but a small area of land were she was lying was like a safety zone. She started to wonder whether the little girl in blue actually wished to attack her. Whatever the case, she thought it was beautiful – all the colours of the rainbow sparkled amongst the innumerable ice shards.
'It's no use, Cirno!' called Daiyousei, having left her cover at last and now keeping behind Cirno's back. 'The battle with Mokou you just had had cost you too much power! An "Easy" spellcard is all you're capable of in this state! Stop shooting!'
'S-stupid!' Cirno said through clenched teeth, screwing up her face as if trying to force her bullets to change trajectory. 'How do you even cancel a spellcard?'
Daiyousei looked slightly puzzled for a split of a second. 'Oh. Right. My bad.'
Riina's voice decided it was high time to act. Hey, me. Don't you think it is a wonderful opportunity for a counter-attack?
'I believe I told you I don't have a gun!' Riina spat loudly, making Cirno angrier with every word she uttered. The two fairies might have as well not even been there. 'Let me make myself clear: I am all for gun control! I don't want the world to be like in some stupid video games where people keep shooting each other until they all die and when they run out of bullets they grab a crowbar and start killing zombies! Or the show where there's the guy that actually looks like a girl and he's such a pimp cuz he's doing ballet in a gun game with Master Windu's lightsaber! Or the one where little girls try to kill each other with thousands of bullets that aren't actually bullets but energy balls that make you die in one hit and at the end of the day they all end up drinking and partying! That's just ridiculous!'
Really? I was sure you wouldn't have anything against guns. That reaction just now, when you raised the flag... Hadn't you been, by any chance, in the army?
Riina shrugged casually. 'How would I know? My memory's all busted, remember?'
Right. Anyway, I wasn't talking about firearms. Think about it: all of those who have attacked you so far – the sunflower lady, the woman from the forest last night, and this idiot over there – they are all able to conjure some sort of magic projectiles out of thin air. Don't you think it might be possible for you as well?
'That'd be awesome...' she said, squinting her eyes even more than usual at the flashes of lights all around her. It seemed that Cirno's special skill was going to last for some time. 'But how do I do that?'
There was a disquieting silence inside Riina's head, as if all her thought processes had immediately decided to F all their work.
Beats me, the voice responded at last.
Weren't it for the fact that Daiyousei was a few meters above the lake surface, it could be said she was on the edge of her seat. The suspense was impossible to bear. Cirno's spellcard had still a couple of seconds of duration left and during that time she was extremely vulnerable to enemy attacks. The youkai's lack of action filled her with anxiety, too. She didn't look scared any more – she was now more like a child that sees the snow fall for the very first time in her life.
Who is she?, she asked herself. She's never seen anyone like her in the area, save for Yuuka but it's merely a matter of similar clothes. Any other youkai would have seized the opportunity to strike the exact moment the spellcard was used or simply beaten both of them before they could think of even making a move. If she had any strategy in mind, it was chaotic. Did she even want to fight?
At last, Riina fixed her eyes on the ice fairy, giving Daiyousei goosebumps. It was a strong, determined stare, with a tiny twinkle in her eyes clearly saying: "I've got you now". The youkai put both her palms together and frowned, concentrating hard. On what exactly, perhaps even Riina herself could provide no answer.
'She's going to shoot you down, Cirno!' Daiyousei uttered with horror in her voice. 'You have to get out of here, fast!'
'Tch.' Cirno shook her head with a smirk on her face. 'You can't be possibly thinking she's going to accomplish anything by that? I'm the strongest! You hear that?!' she addressed Riina again. 'Go ahead and shoot! Right in the face! Come on, what's wrong with you?! Afraid you're gonna miss? Laaaame!'
'Um, I don't think you're in the position to talk, Cirno...' muttered Daiyousei.
'Shaddap! I'm trying to focus here!' Riina snapped angrily, 'Geez!' she added.
Trying to remain cool, Riina strained to channel her inner energy into her palms. She had no idea whether she actually possessed such but it was worth a try anyway. Her fingertips were trembling so she reckoned it worked, although that might have been due to the fact that it was freezing from all the icicles raining down.
Her hands started to glow like red hot iron. The aura they gave off, a thick red smoke, was being sucked into a single point between them, swirling around like a spiral. It soon created a small fiery orb, like a miniature sun. The more power she put into it, the bigger it grew and the more heat it radiated. It became steaming hot around her in a matter of seconds; even the icicles were melting in the mid-air.
The energy ball was now the size of a fully-grown watermelon and its killing potential could be estimated to be one of a bazooka rocket. More than enough to wipe the fairies off the surface of the lake and possibly knock out Riina herself for a couple of hours.
Turn the tap off a bit, will you? The voice in her head sounded a tad concerned. It made Riina uneasy – unless it was really fed up with her about not using her brain often enough, it tended to be void of emotions and monotonous like a text-to-speech program.
It was a signal that things were getting out of control.
Although Riina tried to stop feeding it more power, the orb kept growing larger and larger. The immense heat turned ice projectiles into vapour and was strong enough to be felt by the fairies, especially Cirno who wasn't very fond of such temperatures.
The ice fairy eventually fainted, thus stopping her spellcard. Daiyousei took the opportunity and carried her friend far away from the line of fire, not even daring to look over her shoulder as they fled. She wouldn't have even seen Riina's silhouette, now that the absurdly large bullet completely hiding her from sight.
Oh well, Riina thought. Then the orb exploded.
As Reimu made her way up the Youkai Mountain, her clothes already torn and covered in kappa blood, a sharp sound pierced both the air and the shrine maiden's eardrums like a thunder. All the fairies that were pouring down danmaku on her head just a while ago were now fleeing in terror, opening a straight path up the waterfall.
Reimu didn't bother with figuring out the cause of the explosion. She had an incident on her hands and she couldn't be bothered with trifles. It's not like someone has just evaporated a third of the lake, wrecked hundreds of trees and halved the lake's fairy population, Reimu reasoned. Right?
Having arrived at the tengu's place, she started to look for something resembling a house. While doing that, she wondered whether tengu actually build houses. Being a cross between humans and birds, wouldn't it also be possible that they just built nests on the trees?
The mystery behind the form of housing of the tengu had to wait as Reimu finally spotted the person she was looking for. Aya Shameimaru, the journalist for Bunbunmaru Newspaper, the latest issue of which was now in Reimu's trash bin. She was about to call out to Aya when it struck her. The tengu was lying unconscious on the ground, signs of heavy combat all over her body. The rocky soil bore innumerable markings and carvings, presumably from a fierce exchange of danmaku. Every now and then you could spot a splash of blood.
'Aya! Hey! Snap out of it already! Aya!' Reimu grabbed her shoulders and shook them, hoping that the girl will wake up. It wasn't much of a help. Aya was out cold, pale and motionless. She wasn't breathing.
Blood drained from Reimu's face and her heart sped up, the pumping noise in her ears was deafening. She gulped as she realised the truth and a mere thought of it was driving her insane.
She had to perform a mouth-to-mouth.
Reimu covered her nose as tiny streams of blood started running out of it. She gave herself a slap on the face that echoed in the mountains and frightened birds. What are you getting all excited about, you idiot?, she chastised herself in thoughts. She's a girl just like you, right? She needs your help, right? What's the big idea? That's right, Reimu, you should calm down first and approach the problem coolly. Think about it this way:All you have to do is to press your lips against hers and pump some air into her lungs. It is to save her and it's not even a kiss, so it shouldn't be a problem even if you didn't get your first...
'I CAN'T!' she boomed with a force capable of waking the dead. Continuously slapping Aya across the face, she repeated "Get up! Get up!" like a mantra, praying to gods that she wouldn't have to resort to using CPR.
Her pleads were listened to at last as the tengu opened her eyes and called the shrine maiden by her name. Aya was so touched to see how relieved Reimu was at her revival it nearly made her cry. She felt she was too weak to do even that, though, and said: 'That's gonna be one of the best scoops of this month. Imagine, Reimu: "Old Hag Takes What She Wants. Beats Up Press Reporter". Wish I had taken enough pics, what a shame...'
'Wait,' Reimu said. '"Old hag?" Who did this to you? Who attacked you?'
'Think,' coughed Aya. It was hard for her to breathe. If she weren't a tengu, she would have been done for; thankfully, a good rest is all she needed to recover. 'How many old hags are there in Gensokyo?'
'My bet is on Yukari.'
Aya gave a nod. It seemed quite obvious, for no other youkai would wreck so much havoc on a whim. It worked nine in ten cases. Either her or aliens.
'So what just happened?' asked Reimu, treating Aya's wounds in the meantime with some ointment. She remembered she had got it from Marisa once but never used it, suspecting it to have been borrowed from Eirin's supplies. Gods know what effects it has, let alone what it was made of. It was very nice of Aya to become a test subject. 'What sort of business did Yukari have with you? She must have come here for a reason.'
Aya was a bit anxious to reply. 'Um, you know, if I tell you right now then what will be left for my tomorrow's issue?'
'Career or life. Choose.' said Reimu with a nasty grin on her face. A bunch of sealing talismans in her hand made it quite apparent she wasn't joking. She didn't even need these to convince Aya she was dead serious. The Hakurei shrine maiden never jokes. The moment she does, Aya will have a piece of news that will make Bunbunmaru Newspaper's popularity skyrocket.
'All right, all right! I'm talking! So...' Aya cleared her throat and coughed some more. 'It was right after I was done distributing my paper. Something like 2PM. You know, it's not exactly the best time of the day to deliver newspaper but since pretty much everyone was so insomniac last night, I thought they'd like to take a morning nap before...'
'Cut it short. Please.' Reimu asked with a forced, cold smile.
It didn't sound like a request to Aya.
'Right. So when I got back to the mountain, she was already here waiting for me, that Yukari. As you might have expected, she didn't approach me directly to tell what's her business right away but began with courtesy and chit-chat. When we got past that, she said there was something she wanted to ask me. Something about one of my articles. See, usually no one takes any interest in what I do or the news itself so I listened to her. Then she asked about the outsiders.'
Reimu felt as if a huge iceball fell into her stomach. If Yukari has taken interest in it, then the incident might be the real thing after all. That damn old bag, she cursed. Poking into what's not her business. Every. Single. Time.
Worse than the thought of Yukari's interference however, was the one of the outsiders themselves. Who were they and where did they come from this time? Hopefully it couldn't be further than the Moon.
Reimu noticed Aya was staring at her. She must have had a strange expression on her face. 'So what did you tell her?' she asked her to continue.
'Nothing. Think I would give my info to anyone before publishing it first? Not just like that, anyway. I tried to avoid the question but since it's Yukari we're talking about, there was no use. She pressed harder and harder so I told her to piss off. Didn't work, she just said I have bad manners. I fled while she wasn't looking. Again, no use. I may be the fastest in Gensokyo but even my wings can't beat teleportation or whatever gap she's using to get around from place to place. That's when I got really fed up with her and attacked her which was, by the way, my biggest mistake. No, scratch that, it was the second biggest one.'
'Something even worse than being nearly beaten to death?' asked Reimu.
'Yeah, not enough film in my camera.' said Aya, dead serious. 'But anyway, I got my ass whopped in an instant – that hag's crazy, she'd dropped a steamroller on the top of my head! So I told her.'
'I'm all ears.' Reimu said expectingly.
'Some weird structure had appeared in the Forest of Magic – just like that, overnight! Not something anyone can just make happen. Looks ugly, if you ask me, as if built by ten-year-olds with blocks of cobble. Whatever it's supposed to be, none of ours was involved. I had it double-checked while delivering paper: youkai, fairies, gods, oni – all where they should be, not plotting anything. Of course, all except Yukari.'
'And the outsiders?'
'Couldn't get a glimpse of any. Some people claim they've heard them talking but that's about all I got. Sorry.'
'So we have no clear proof whether there actually are any outsiders?'
Aya spread her shaking arms helplessly. 'Afraid we don't.'
Reimu gave an exasperated sigh and got up. She offered the tengu to stay at her shrine until her injuries get better ("Provided you don't eat anything. I'm short on money, you know.") but Aya just shook her head. 'Thanks, but I'll be fine here. And it's not like it can get any worse than this. Yukari may be a violent thug but I've yet to see a murder occur in Gensokyo. This would be worth not only a front page – an entire extra issue too!'
Provided the reporter's not the victim, thought Reimu. She said good-bye to Aya as she rose into the air, ready to fly.
'Where are you heading to now? Aya asked.
'The outsiders may or may not exist. It doesn't matter. What does is that I am a shrine maiden and it is my duty to investigate anything that could potentially endanger peace and balance of our realm. If that structure is of this sort, then I'll see that it's dealt with.'
Smirking to Aya, she added. 'And like hell I'm losing to Yukari.'
Aya was awestruck. As if under inspiration, she started coming up with headings for the tomorrow issue's articles.
'"Red-White VS Gap Hag. Bloody Duel Over Pile Of Stone". It will be perfect! As soon as my readers see it they're going to start reading like there's no tomorrow! Hey Reimu! Make sure Yukari doesn't end up with severe injuries, I want to interview her afterwards! On another thought... Do you want my camera? Maybe you could snap a couple of photos? Just make sure there aren't too many of your danmaku in the way so-'
'I've got a better one.' Reimu interrupted her. Aya didn't like the hollow tone of her voice. '"Tengu Reporter Breaks Arms. Can't Continue Work."
'What are you talking about, Reimu?' Aya asked, giggling nervously. 'Look, my arms are fine, they're not- ... Reimu?'
Media was torn. Battling in her head were two emotions: fury and shock. She couldn't decide to which one should she give vent: curse Latya for all eternity for being a heartless deviant, or still be amazed at how could what she had said earlier be even possible?
Latya was her sister.
A foster sister, to be precise. She claimed to have been rescued from a bandit raid on her native village by Media's father and adopted. Still, it was the first time Media has heard of her parents ever having other siblings than herself. It hurt, hearing such a secret was hidden from her my her own family. What reasons could they have for it?
And how was it possible, physically speaking? Using this world's time measurement, Latya was at least in her late thirties, judging from the way she looked. That would make the age gap between her and Media above twenty years. That's about the same gap she would consider to be between herself and her parents, making it outright impossible. And on the top of that, Latya had said the bandit attack occurred some one hundred years ago! Has the world gone mad?!, she yelled internally.
Although, seeing what she's been through so far: her kidnapping, helping Latya in her plans, ending up in a strange world with no way back home; the list of things filling her with shock or surprise shortened every minute. Not even an hour earlier, she had raised a rumpus about a stray fairy that somehow got inside the mansion, nearly obliterating the poor creature with magic in the process. Now, through the gaps in the planks covering the windows she could see whole flocks of them, chasing each other as any normal kids would do.
She wasn't exactly normal to begin with. She was a witch. Like Latya, she could make the powers of the universe bend to her will. Like Latya, she's been taught all magic knowledge she possessed by the same person. Her father.
Nobleman, owner of a pompous mansion, ten nearby villages and a town, Lord von Miener was a powerful and mysterious man, feared and shunned by the commoners. There were all sorts of rumours and legends about him that never ceased to lose popularity in taverns. Some said he was a demon, others claimed him to be the Devil himself. The elders were convinced that von Miener was a vampire, living for whole centuries, knowing ancient magic and hardly ever leaving his manor except at night. The younger generations saw him as some kind of a dark hero, a vengeful spirit that travels from village to village, saving those in distress by cutting down the evildoers. He was both a saint and a cursed one. Both a guardian angel and a hellish fiend.
Father was always very secretive about his past. All the people he's met said he must have come from some foreign land far beyond the seas, given his exotic appearance and outlandish demeanour. Media used to say he had more power than he actually showed; as for why, she has never come up with an answer that didn't sound like another bedtime story for the villagers' kids. But would it be really bizarre to say, given Media's current circumstances, that Lord von Miener was actually an omnipotent, ancient wizard, trying to lead a more or less normal life, helping the poor, sharing his knowledge with a few chosen ones?
A knock on the door burst in on her thoughts. Media felt as if an iron fist clenched around her insides. Lady Latya was inside, redecorating the interior. That could only mean-
'Get the door, Media.' the sorceress called out to her. 'It appears we have a guest.'
Media rushed towards the door, heart pounding as if it wanted to burst out of her chest and repaint the walls. Careful not to trip on her way (her limbs went numb), she let her imagination go wild, trying to guess what sort of monster shows up in the doorway. On the other hand, would a monster bother with doors and knocking?, she wondered.
It wasn't a monster, or at least didn't appear so. It was a woman.
'My deepest apologies to have come here unannounced.' she spoke, a small smile painted faintly on her face. 'Forgive me. My impoliteness truly has no... borders.'