The plan is revealed. The world will unravel before her power. You must stand as a light against the coming darkness. Will you succeed?
"Come on! Grrrr!"
From the side of the round magic casting chamber, I watch the young Nightcaster struggle with her spell.
In the middle of this round marble chamber, Charity Carpathia holds open a rift to her self-proclaimed shadow realm. From what I can tell, it is a hellish place of fire and darkness, filled with youkai of the strangest kind.
But she is far beyond that world now. Through her summoning portal, the world zooms by as she attempts to reach further and further into the black edge of her realm. For what reason, I do not know. But, I do know she is straining herself terribly hard.
Naturally, it is only a matter of time before her portal erupts.
She loses control, and the spell backfires and explodes into a shockwave. I draw my hand through the air to form a quick border between me and the incoming fragments of fire and magic. Charity on the other hand, is blasted backwards and skids across the marble room. If this room had not been spelled to protect against accidents like this, the explosion would have brought down the roof, and Charity would have died.
None of this surprises me though, for it is the fifth attempt. Once again, Charity fails to accomplish her goal; a goal still unknown to me.
Charity slowly gets up. She quickly changes from wide-eyed shock to pure fury. Her eyes begin to burn brightly once again as her magic flares up and erupts at her angered scream
"AAAAAARRRGH!"
I raise yet another temporary border to separate me from the blast of fire before trying to calm her down. "Charity dear, there's no need to get upset."
She continues to fume as she paces around the now empty room. "But I can do this! I know I can! Gensokyo has enough magic for me to draw on to reach it, but I just keep falling short… I don't know why this is so hard! Argh! This is so frustrating!"
Finally a hint. "And what would that be that you are trying to reach?"
Charity takes a few deep breaths before replying. "There's something I want back there. Something powerful."
An interesting development. "Oh? I thought you were interested in spell books for power. I thought for sure you would be visiting Voile soon."
"Well…" She thinks as she continues to pace. "Spell books are nice, but I only use them as a reference to make my own spells. I don't copy other people; I just reinvent old ideas into my new magic. I write all my own spells in summons. Books just make that easier."
She looks up as she continues to reflect, gesturing with the wall passing Chisel still in her hands. "Ah… but then… I read those old books you gave me, and I understood the truth of this world. The power isn't in spell books or artifacts. It's the people themselves that have all of Gensokyo's power. More than enough power for me to attain my ultimate spell. My long sought treasure. With the right help, I can reach my goal and retrieve my prize of the prison of the shadow realm."
My my. It seems she is learning fast. This looks like an incident waiting to happen. Very interesting. This will certainly give Gensokyo a fun little stir. She's fitting right in. Hmhmhm…
I suppress my chuckle and ask another question. "So what is this thing you seek, and why can you not reach it?"
She smiles a bit. "Ah, but that's my secret Yukari. You'll just have to wait and find out!"
But then, she begins to slump a bit. "As for your second question… Well, there are barriers to overcome. Two challenges. A cage at the bottom of the abyss of the shadow realm holds my treasure tight. The cage is not actually a cage, but an indestructible wall that blocks access and negates all spells."
Her smile then returns as she twirls the chisel. "But I'm ready for that part. Easy easy!"
Ah, that makes sense. She intends to surpass this cage with the chisel.
Then, back into her slump she goes. "But first, I need to overcome the abyss. A near endless expanse of nothingness surrounding the cage. I thought I would have the power to reach it on my own… but it's just too far. The cage is actually outside the shadow realm itself, so I just get weaker the further I reach. I think I may need yet another person's help. I would ask for yours… but I'm the only one who knows what to look for. You would just get lost."
"Indeed. If I do not know where to open a gap, I cannot do so." I note.
"If there was only some way to close this abyss…" She says to herself.
I see. Perhaps… "Perhaps you would do well to read the Gensokyo Chronicle yet again."
She tilts her head sideways a bit. "Hm?"
"I think there is a certain someone who may be able to help with your distance problem." I add. "I'll let you figure that part out."
She looks down and thinks. "Hm…"
I open a gap and turn away. "Well, this was all very fun to see, but it is late, and I wish for some sleep. I will leave you to your practices. Goodnight Nightcaster."
"Hm…" I all I get back as Charity turns away and goes back to her study.
It won't take her long to figure out who to look for. I'm interested to see how she will handle this interaction. I've seen this girl's capacity for destruction, but how will she handle a situation where cooperation is required?
I will see soon enough.
I take another drink of water from my canteen as I walk forward. Good thing I remembered to fill this in the temple before I left…
Darkness sets in quickly over the landscape as I depart from the lake. By the time I reach the fork and begin heading back to the village, the sun is mostly gone.
My efforts to reach the Scarlet Devil Mansion and seek the aid of their library have failed. A terrible mistake had me encounter three powerful poltergeist girls instead. I'm tired, frustrated, and low on ammo. What's more, I hear even more news of the hostilities that the mansion holds for me. I certainly won't survive entering that place as I am right now.
And now, I am alone here in the dark. I was lucky in the forest on my first night, but I am in the middle of a wide open area, and all I can see is pitch black around me. Thankfully, my good eyes let me see the path in the early dark, but not much more. Soon, I will be completely blind under this cloudy night.
This is not good. I hope nothing is out here… I don't stand a chance like this…
Thankfully, it is not a youkai I find out here. Instead, I find a light.
A lamp? I wonder who that is.
The light is directly on the road ahead, so there is no way for me to avoid it if I don't want to step off the road. So, I continue towards the light ahead.
But as I do, the light seems to move away.
Are they moving away from me?
I can't see any motions in the light. It's as if the light is going out as I get closer. I can't tell how much further away this thing is at this rate.
But soon, I get a confirmation of distance I can use. A voice. A soft humming voice of a young girl.
The humming gets louder as I approach the dimming light ahead. I soon reach the voice, but by the time I do the light is almost gone. I can make out the outline of some kind of stand, but not much else.
What is happening to my vision? Is this some kind of magic?
"Oh my! Another night blind traveler? Deary me, how strange! This Gensokyo darkness just does horrible things to these poor humans' eyes." States a girl in a sing-song voice.
"Who's there?" I ask the shadow behind the stall.
"Oh, you cannot see me? You truly are suffering from night blindness then. It's a horrible thing isn't it? These cloudy nights just ruin the eyesight of you humans." She states.
Just who is this girl? I wonder if my Intuition spell will help.
I turn away just slightly as if looking around and cast my spell while she can't see my hand gesture.
When I look back, I can see the girl clearly as every facet on her emits a soft bluish glow. The rest of the world is dark, but she is completely clear to me now.
The girl is a young girl, about a teenager physically, but clearly a youkai. She has a pair of soft gray feather wings and gray eyes. Her hair is an unusual vibrant pink, and is topped with a winged hat that matches her own wings. Her dress consists of a simple brown cloth dress that is slightly splattered with stains.
Her singing tone may be sweet, but now that I can see her sly expression more clearly, I know instantly this is some kind of trick.
The mystery girl goes on with her scheme. "Ah, but I have something that may help you dear human. You could pay a fortune to have that crack doctor in Eientei cure your blindness, but for less than a fraction of the price you could buy one of my special grilled lamprey sliders! This tasty treat is healthy, and has all the nutrients you need to counter blindness. You look like you have much traveling to do, but you won't get far with eyes like that. Just a little coin and my lamprey will heal you right up!"
Enough of this crap. You're just like those con-artist peddlers back on my world.
I surprise the girl by quickly drawing out my knife and pointing it towards her. She flinches as I aim the weapon at her stomach.
"W-whoa! Hey! What are you-"
"Release me from this darkness now!" I demand.
The girl makes a defiant lie. "Hey! No need to get upset at me! It's not like I'm the-OW! Hey! Keep that thing away from me!"
I poke her yet a second time; reaching over the stand and lightly prodding her in the chest as a warning.
"Now." I say again. "I can see you as clear as day with my magic. You're little trick won't work on me. I suggest you give up now."
An agitated sigh, and then my vision returns. The light is bright again, and I can clearly see the youkai and the stand she owns.
"Alright! Geez! Just back off! I'm just trying to make a living here." The girl says with a groan.
I cancel Intuition and sheath my weapon. "Thank you…"
The stand she operates has a grill and some kind of eel-like things set on sliders to cook. A food stand; one with wheels and a handle to allow it to be moved. She actually does appear to have a business; albeit a shady one.
The girl crosses her arms and glares at me. "If I wasn't working… if I had my spell cards, then I would cut you down to size in an instant, human."
"Keep your scams to yourself next time." I shoot back.
"Scam? I'm not scamming anyone!" She defends.
Liar. "Really now? Then what was that darkness thing? You were quite adamant on the fact that your food can cure this supposed spontaneous blindness. It must be awful convenient to have the power to blind isn't it?"
She readily defends her stance. "It's just a promotional display! I take the night blindness off if they walk away. It doesn't hurt anyone. And for your information human, lamprey does promote good eyesight. I just do this little trick to grab late night customers is all! I swear I've never conned anyone out of anything in my entire life!"
I don't have time to argue this… "Whatever. Maybe if you had a decent stand and worthwhile product, then you wouldn't need to trick customers to get a sale. Just leave me alone demon."
I begin to turn away and leave…
"Hold on just a minute there!" The girl shouts from behind.
Ugh…
I turn back to the girl to find her red in the face; absolutely furious.
"I'm not letting you walk away with that comment! My grill serves nothing but the best in Gensokyo! I bet a tall and mighty adventurer like you can't even begin to comprehend the skill and fine art that goes into gourmet cooking. You can call me a con-artist all you want, but I won't stand for my hard work and passion to be insulted by some passerby!" She rages.
She then yanks one of the sliders off the grill and thrusts it out to me. "Try this. I dare you to eat this and say it's not good! This grilled lamprey is spiced and marinated with my own secret recipes. Some of these ingredients don't even grow in Gensokyo! It's the absolute best! I dare you to try and say otherwise!"
I sigh. This girl is ridiculous. She just can't take a loss can she?
"Fine…" I groan. "I'll try it…"
I take the hot lamprey out of her hands and delicately take a bite out of the eel like fish.
Hm? This… is really good! I didn't think this would taste like this at all.
The meat is tender, yet not sot and fishy-like as I suspected it might be. It has a strong spice, but is not painfully spicy either. Everything is flawless.
The youkai girl grins. "Oh? What's that look? Is that ecstasy I see? It's good isn't it? Certainly not some worthless product like you said. Let it be known that Mystia Lorelei takes the upmost pride in her work."
I can't counter that. I won't deny that this is some of the best tasting fish I have ever had…
I finish the small meal faster than I thought I would let myself and set it down the leftover stick.
I resign with a sigh. "Fine. You have me there. That was good. Maybe I'm mistaken about you."
She crosses her arms and smiles wide in victory. "Ha! You bet you are! Calling me a con-artist and insulting my food… You humans are all arrogant little fools. You should know better than to question an experienced youkai like me!"
Ugh. Does this girl's pride have no bounds? This is becoming a huge waste of time.
I apologize in hopes of ending the situation. "Fine. Mystia was it? I'm sorry. I meant no insult. I've just had a bad day and I'm a sour mood. "
"Yes well…" Her expression and tone softens a bit. "Try being a little more tactful next time, hm?"
I guess that's that. It's gotten late thanks to this mess. I wonder if the Kappa bazaar is open now that I've wasted all this time.
I risk asking Mystia a question. "Hey, question, do you know where the kappa bazaar is? I'm looking for someone."
Surprisingly, she gives a straight answer. "If you're facing the village gates than it's to the left of the village. Should be opening soon actually. They open at midnight on the day of the event for the night-time youkai and whatnot. You can go there if you want, but I don't recommend humans going there when it's the youkai's turn to shop. A fool like you is bound to get killed. "
I don't think I should stand around either. For some reason, I have the feeling that the Nightcaster will be up to something soon.
"Thanks for the warning. I think I can handle myself though." I reply.
She huffs. "You're funeral."
I then turn away. "Well, I'll be going. Bye for now."
"Right… bye." She says with another huff. "Just remember to straighten up that attitude. Oh, and I'm not forgetting about this either! Next time we meet, I want a battle! You hear me human?"
Just keep walking…
The youkai girl's voice fades away as I continue to leave and head down the road towards the village.
Well, that sort of went well I guess. I didn't get attacked at least. Now, to find this bazaar.
The night is impenetrable now. I have to keep my eyes downward just to see the small bit of ground in front of me. Looking up is just blackness.
Until, I finally begin to see the human village again. The lights of the market carry into the late night, and illuminate the village.
And to the left, I see an even grander display of lights. Radiant energy powered lights like the ones back on my world shine against the dark and illuminate the bazaar grounds not too far from the village.
What on earth? Is that magic, or technology I'm seeing?
Curious, I head towards the lights of the bazaar. After a few minutes of walking through the grassy field, I arrive at the front of the bazaar. A big banner hangs over the front, welcoming everyone.
I find am correct in that the lights are indeed energy lights like the ones I know; round cylinders connected to a buzzing generator near a tent. But, that is certainly not the only technology I see.
The entire bazaar is like a festival of technological displays. Various young youkai attend different tents and stands that offer technological phenomenon; some I have never even seen. The devices range in simple from use, like a blower that can dry things with heated air, to bizarre, like a box that can perform mathematical calculations.
Just who are these kappa?
Looking around at the stalls, I see a few identifying traits amongst the kappa girls. They all seem to share the same green caps and wear similar dresses that are aqua in color. Aside from differences in hair and eye color, they are all similar in dress and stature; with only one or two exceptions.
How am I supposed to find this girl when they all look alike?
Slowly, I walk through the grounds. Many different youkai move between the stalls, buying and conversing with the kappa. Everything is quite busy here. Just as Mystia said, they appear to have just set up and opened.
No humans. I don't want to let everyone know I'm the only human here. I don't know how they'll take it.
I keep my gaze downward slightly, and don't acknowledge anyone so as to not draw any attention to me as I search the bazaar.
But of course, my luck goes bad. A tall woman who isn't paying any attention to where she is going trips on another's foot and staggers towards me.
"Whoa-oh-oh!"
I try stepping aside, but with her flailing her arms about, she inevitably ends up knocking me down anyways. The two of us bump into each other and tumble to the ground. She lands on top, and pins me down with her weight.
Slowly, she stands up. "Ah, geez. Sorry 'bout that. You ok?"
I get up after her. "Yes, fine. You?"
She shrugs. "No worries."
…
The girl is tall, about as tall as me, with dark pink hair tied with hair two bobbles and bright red eyes. She has a beautiful blue and white dress along with a belt, both of which fit tightly on her mature frame. She's quite attractive, yet I am somehow bothered by her. Behind her casual stance and attractive figure I feel some twisted power in her.
But in spite my nervousness, she is friendly. "Name's Komachi. Having fun in the bazaar?"
Just be casual. Don't make a scene out of this. No one else seems to be paying me any mind, and she doesn't seem to suspect me to be a human yet. If I just keep the conversation normal, than I should still be safe.
"Yes." I calmly reply. "How about yourself?"
She nods. "You bet! I just love looking at all this cool stuff. It's a good place to spend some off time. I don't know where these little kappa get all these cool ideas, but I just love these bazaars. You should see the stuff they have in the back. They got this machine that makes this really spooky fog. Oh, and this other thing…"
She goes on with description after description while I listen. She certainly seems to be having fun.
I think to myself while she talks. So she's been around here for a little while. Maybe she's seen Nitori.
I stop her mid-sentence. "Excuse me, but can I ask a short question?"
She nods. "Sure. Shoot."
"Do you know Nitori?"
She looks off to the side a bit and sighs. "Well, yeah actually. She's a really skilled kappa. The kappa got some smart cookies on them, but Nitori beats 'em all. But, sadly, she isn't participating in this year's bazaar. She's helping with the management and stuff instead. She's got a big manager's tent somewhere in the back I think. It's too bad. I was hoping to see some more of her amazing inventions this year."
Finally I'm getting somewhere. "I see. Thank you Komachi. I need to go see her so if you'll excuse me."
"Yeah… I guess I should be getting back to work soon too. Don't want to get behind schedule and get chewed out again." She says as she walks past me and towards the entrance. "See ya."
I give a short wave goodbye and head further into the bazaar.
Whew. That worked out well. Glad to be past her. Hopefully I won't see any more chatterboxes like that. Now, onward.
Nitori is somewhere nearby. I just need to find her tent. I only hope she'll be able to help me at all. Marisa said it was no guarantee.
What should I say? I wonder how I should put this… I need to think this through… I muse as I continue to walk.
Thankfully, the rest of my travel through the bazaar causes me no trouble, and I soon find the tent that says 'management only' on it. It's a large tent with a pair of flaps acting as a door. I can hear movement on the other side of the entrance.
Alright. This is it. Nitori is here. I know she's a kappa, so she's smart, and that she's not good with humans. This is going to be tough to work out, but I have to try. If I just stick with some basic etiquette and be respectful and honest than maybe I can turn her opinion of humans around enough to convince her to help me.
I mentally prepare myself once more before stepping in. Good first impressions Joseph. I need her help no matter what. I won't survive this place without some kind of armaments to help me. I need this to work.
Ok. One, two, three.
I feel a little nervous as I push open the flap of the tent and step inside. I've gone through a lot of trouble just to get this far, and I have even further to go yet. I hope I can do this right.
I finally step inside and start by calling attention to myself so as to not startle her. "Excuse me."
"Hm? Who's that?" Responds a voice from around the back.
Alright… here we go.
A/N
Thank you reading my next chapter.
So I begin to give a hint at Charity's plan, and show that it may come to fruition much sooner than expected. Again and again, things just keep getting worse for Joseph. He's a strong character ability wise, so by tearing down his world and making his situation more desperate, I will be able to impose greater and greater challenges against him in spite his strengths.
Also, I had a lot of fun with Mystia. I wanted to capture her personality as a trickster youkai, and also establish a reoccurring theme that youkai are often prideful and arrogant around humans, especially so since Joseph is a sort of youkai exterminator. Most of the time, Touhou characters will either try to act tough or act high-class around Joseph to try and show him up, but he certainly isn't the kind of person who is amused by this attitude. Finding a way to work around that arrogant shell people have and understand the true personality within is one of the challenges Joseph will face in understanding and eventually befriending Gensokyo and youkai.
Thank you again for reading. The next chapter will be ready soon.
