The door to Keine's house swung open, shaking on its frame slightly from the sloppy manner in which it was opened.
Keine looked up from the files on her table. "Hmm?"
...Osamu walked in, blushing like a tomato, holding a drowsy Hikari. He walked up to the table, and sat her down on it.
"...Hi-Hikari?" Keine was taken by surprise.
…
Fidgeting, Osamu backed towards the door.
...Keine sighed. "What did you do to her?"
"I- ah…" Osamu stumbled back, looking dazed. Then, he pointed outside.
…
"I'm going to have to apprehend you, if you don't start speaking." Keine frowns.
…
"Engh!"
…
"Hnngh!"
Marigold appeared in the door, pulling along an oni. "Haa~h!
…
She tugged again. "C'mon…"
…
Marigold noticed Keine. "Do-don't just stare… help!"
"Who-who is she…?" Keine was bewildered.
"Fr-friend…" Marigold flopped onto the floor.
Keine got up, rushing to kneel next to Marigold. "Are you okay!?"
Osamu nervously danced in place, unable to form words.
"...M-my favorite letter is seven." Hikari grinned, staring up at the ceiling from the table.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
…
'U-uugh…'
...Hikari lifted her face from the bed she was sprawled out on. Next to her, Hiyori laid on a pile of blankets on the floor.
Hikari tried Lifeup α!
She sat up. "Better…"
…
Hikari tried Lifeup α!
Hiyori groaned. "Wh-whuh…"
...Across the room, Osamu sat tied to a chair.
Hikari walked up to him.
"...Whan-shormana-snorshki?" Osamu spoke in a strange dialect.
'What.'
Marigold peeked into the room. "...Ah, Hikari! You're awake!"
'Thankfully.'
...Hikari tried Healing γ!
Osamu's eyes widened. "...Ho~ly crap. Thank you, dude. I'm fine, now…"
Marigold rose a brow. "What was all of that, anyway?"
Osamu looked away. "Nothing."
…
"No." Marigold rose a finger. "You don't just hug me out of the blue and call it nothing."
Hikari blinked. 'What?'
Osamu wiggled in his rope bindings. "I don't know! That thing did it!"
...Bobbing her head back and forth, Marigold conceded. "...Depends on the status. I don't know what one you wound up with, so I guess I'll drop it."
Abruptly, Hiyori sat up.
Everyone turned to her.
"...G'mornin'." Hiyori drowsily greeted them. "...What happened?"
"You got knocked the fuck out." Osamu informed her.
Hiyori's eyes widened. "I-I did? A-... How? Who?"
"Fairies. Fuckin' bullshit magic, that's how." Osamu expressed his displeasure.
...Hiyori relaxed, looking reflective. "...There are spells for that, then…"
Osamu grinned. "Yeah. Shitty spells. And I'm a mage."
Marigold rolled her eyes. "I'm this close to not untying you."
Osamu nodded. "Yeah, okay. I don't even need your help. I'm an expert at gettin' out of chairs, dude!"
Skeptical, Marigold backed away. "Alright. Keine told me all about that, so… good luck."
Eyes widening for only a moment, Osamu quickly relaxed again. "...We-well, Keine hasn't had me in a classroom for years now! She can suck it!"
...Keine leaned out from around the doorway.
"...Fuck." Osamu looked vain.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
The four walked out of the house, Osamu still stuck to the chair with a bump on his head. He could move his legs, though.
"Keine sure knows how to make a good breakfast." Hikari basked in her comfortable afterglow.
"Yea~h…" Marigold, too, was satisfied.
Hiyori picked her teeth with a toothpick. "...It was alright."
'I'm sure she's ate better underground. Oni probably have big meals… or don't need meals. I don't know…'
"You guys are assholes." Waddling alongside them, Osamu complained. "You let me fuckin' sit there. That was torture! Evil!"
"When you figure out how to untie yourself, we'll get you something to eat." Marigold sternly negotiated.
"Dude- there's like fifteen different kinds of knots here!" He paused. "...And some of these I don't even recognize!"
'Teachers are scary.'
Passing into the town square, Hikari thought back to the reason they visited the town in the first place, before fairies violently assaulted them with support magic.
'...Oh, right. We're here to get Osamu some gear.' Hikari nodded subtly to herself.
"We're here to get snacks, right?" Marigold smiled.
"We're here to get the lump some stuff." Hikari amends her statement.
"...Right." Marigold sighed. "...Snacks, too?"
Hikari saw no fault in that idea either, though. "Snacks, too."
Idly, the four of them followed Hikari to the job board…
Hikari began reading it.
'Sing Of His Final Stand - Long Live Wolfman Rex!'
'Doesn't sound like something I'd be interested in…' Hikari snorted at it.
'Dream Eater Molladonathan - I See Dead People In My Sleep. Free My Eyes!'
"Sucks to be him." Osamu shrugs.
'Giant Enemy Crab on Misty Lake Shore. Help!'
Marigold furrowed her brows. "...When? We were there before…"
...Hiyori puts her finger on a high-up poster. "Look at this one."
Hikari stares up at it…
'Broken Dreams So Grand - Feral Hakurei Miko and Magicians On The Loose'
...Hikari nodded. 'I'm not sure what to think about that title. I'm not feral, though. How could that even happen?'
Grinning, Marigold found amusement. "You're feral, Hikari."
...Hikari turned to her. "Roar."
She decides to read the job offer further…
'Hakurei Miko "Hikari Hakurei" to be found guilty of: Harboring A Fugitive, Associating With a Feral Magician, Assaulting Town Protection, Government Corruption, Treason, Extortion, Murder, Money Laundering, Illegal Fairy Harboring.'
'...Wow.' Hikari slowly leaned back. '...When you put it like that…'
"Pfff~t!" Reeling back, Osamu pointed at the board. "Go-government corruption!?"
"Wow." Marigold's eyebrows rose as she scanned the crime list. "We're apparently very bad people."
'What does treason even mean? Who did we supposedly murder…?'
...Hiyori turned to the party. "What did you three do?"
...Calming down, Osamu turned to her. "None 'a that! I mean, some're true, but…"
...Hikari gave him an impatient stare. "It's exaggerated."
"Yeah, 'zactly." He's pleased with that word. "Exaggerated."
...Hiyori shrugs. "I take it this town is as pleasant as the others?"
All of the other party members nod.
...Hiyori sighs. "Figures."
…
With little other consideration, Hikari finishes reading the job offer.
'Send only the strongest youkai hunters. Hakurei are not to be taken lightly, nor are their associates!'
'They got that part right.'
"...Youkai hunters, huh?" Marigold read it over.
"Buncha pushovers." Osamu summarized, folding his arms. "The whole lot of them."
'I never really saw any of them. Marisa's one of them, but...' She looked into the dimming day sky. 'I hardly knew about any of them.'
Like poetry in motion, the inevitable struck. "Stop!"
...The party turned, facing a bearded man with an iron sword. He wore a trench coat, for some inexplicable reason, even though combat armor probably would have been more appropriate.
"...Hi." Hikari greeted him casually.
"So it was you..." He guided his hand to his sheathed iron sword. "I didn't want to believe it to be true."
"...Oh." Hikari didn't even bother making an intelligent reply.
'What does he mean?'
…
"I must destroy youkai at any cost." He pledges his resolve, bringing his sword to his face. "It is to honor what you once were."
"...That's rude." Marigold doesn't appreciate that sentiment.
Hiyori steps forward. "We're not the youkai you're looking for. We-"
"Nothing you will say can stop me!" He reels his sword am back, glaring. "Prepare to die!"
Villagers turned to the shout, and began funneling away from the five, noticing the Hakurei miko.
"Looks like another fight…"
"Aa~h…"
"I have my bets on the sexy one!" ...His wife turned to him, bopping him with a purse. "Ow!"
Osamu stared from his chair idly, as he took a seat on it. "Woo~."
Running towards Marigold, the man tried to thrust with his sword, only for Hiyori to intercept, standing in the way.
The sword struck her flesh, doing little but rubbing against it.
"Guh…" The human leapt backwards, flinging himself into the air. His trench coat fluttered and opened, ofuda being revealed inside. "Begone, youkai!"
Ofuda floated out, and shot towards Hiyori. She blocked them with her mace, the ofuda exploding into small bursts of holy energy.
Marigold began taking out her Spectrum Shotgun…
"I don't think using that here's a good idea." Hikari decided for her.
...Marigold sighed. "Fi~ne." Instead, she slipped out the NF Burst Gun.
Floating back down, the man took his sword stance again, running towards Osamu.
Osamu shook his head. "Fuck that!"
Osamu tried PK Freeze γ!
KaKaKoo~...
The rapidly freezing and thawing snowflake pattern of ice crystals stopped the charging swordsman in his tracks.
Boom!
He was frozen solid, turned into a big block of ice.
…
"See?" Osamu was smug. "Pushover."
...The ofuda inside his coat began glowing.
"Jinx." Hikari blamed him.
The ice chunk shattered, the man being freed. Once again, he leapt into the air-
PoPoPoPoPop!
He wasn't given the chance to send out another wave of ofuda, getting bombarded by the party's own projectiles instead.
"Hua~h!?" Falling to the ground without grace, he landed on his bum.
Hikari gingerly approached him as he struggled intensely to reorganize himself, distracted by the potions and ofuda dropping from his trench coat.
Thwack!
"Take that." Hikari monotoned.
"Gah…" He swatted her gohei away, before scrambling away from her and getting back into a standing position.
Hikari tried Shield ß!
Hikari was protected by the power shield of light!
Taking towards Hikari, he planned to put her to the sword.
"D-die…!" Conviction boomed from his voice.
Broad swings met her shield, the swordsman finding it hard to even move it within the shield.
...Hikari attacks!
Thwack!
"Bonk." Hikari monotoned, again.
"Damn it…!" He nearly fell over as he backed up. A beam of light shot from the shield, meeting his chest. "Guah!?"
...The party watched him clutch his new wound.
Dry stares emanate from them, with Marigold commenting. "...I think you're a little out of our league."
The man's eyes flared. "...I-I'll free you… Hikari."
'How does he-... job posting.' Hikari answered her own question.
Raising his bland, stock steel sword into the sky, he calls for help. "I-I'll protect the holy line! For the home of the holy! For the way of the sword!"
...His trench coat vaporizes, outlines of armor forming around his form. The ofuda whirl around his side, and slap onto the armor.
"In the name of the Hakurei!" The man boasts. "I'll free you!"
Taking to the air with a mighty leap, the holy swordsman readies to strike down on Osamu again...
Osamu tried PK Thunder ß!
Thwaa~sh!
"Guh…" The floating swordsman was staggered, floating gently to the ground after being struck…
Thwaa~sh!
Boom!
Part of the job board was blown away.
...He landed before Hikari again, ignoring the stream of colorful danmaku bullets drilling into the side of his armor.
Then he began yelling. "Hraaaa~h!"
Hikari tried Shield ß!
Hikari's power shield of light got stronger!
Whirling around as if his blade wasn't controlled by his own hand, the swordsman's equipment began glowing a warm, yellow color as he flailed wildly at Hikari.
Unfortunately, Hikari's barrier far transcended his human skill, slowing his unstoppable flurry to a moderately impressive but still mediocre series of slaps. Hikari was able to slowly guard against it with her gohei.
Clink.
"Wh-what is this power…!?" Bafflement filled the youkai exterminator's mind.
"Good." Hikari declared. She brought her gohei back once his onslaught ended-
SMAAAA~SH!
-and proceeded to finish him with an onslaught of her own.
Stumbling back, the man's light armor fell apart into tiny fragments of glass, and he fell to his knees. Digging his sword into the ground, he stared up at Hikari…
"...My-my skills… have failed me." He sighed.
...Hikari stares at him gingerly. "Who're you?"
…
"Probably some no name youkai hunter." Osamu resolved.
"...If you care to remember, the name is George." George introduced himself.
…
'Oh. Oo~h!' Hikari's eyes widened. "You're that one George I talked with once in awhile, weren't you?"
...Eyes widening, George stared up at Hikari. "...You… you remember?"
She shrugged. "You were at the meteor site. That's… pretty much the only reason why. I hardly know you."
…
Standing, George turned, "I see." and walked away.
...
"This place seems to be par for the course." Hiyori concludes. "Everyone's just weaker than underground."
Looking like he wants to object, Osamu turns to her, but shrugs indifferently.
'...Good enough.' Hikari supposed the pedantics didn't matter.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
"We need a new hat for you." Marigold decides. "I'm going to die from embarrassment if you keep toting that vomit in clothing form around."
"Hey!" Osamu objects, now free from his chair by the grace of his party members, "It's cool! I'm bringing lime green back!"
"In what culture was lime green ever in?" Marigold dryly tilted her head. "Genuinely."
"...Mine." Osamu grinned.
"Thought so." Marigold shook her head. "There's gotta be something here for you."
Approaching a store side, the party trusted that Osamu knew where they were going.
"Rela~x, guys." Osamu puts his arms behind his head. "They got some awesome swag in this place. They never even know I steal from 'em!"
...Hiyori slowly focuses on him, frowning.
He tries to cover for himself. "...I~ mean steal… their-"
"As long as you aren't stealing anymore, I guess…" Hiyori sighs, shaking her head. "I find it hard to believe someone like you was a petty thief."
...Osamu grinned. "What? Really?"
Marigold began pushing him inside. "C'mon, already. Hikari's gonna get bored of staring at the sign sooner or later."
'Too late.' Hikari ingrained her vision with the building's sign. 'I'm highly doubting that 'Shwifty Designs' will have anything suitable.'
The two remaining party members watch Marigold and Osamu enter the building, before becoming idle.
…
"We could probably get those snacks now." Hiyori suggests.
...Hikari nods. "The square's right over there, so sure."
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: OSAMU'S VIEW ====
Immediately, Marigold's eyes were greeted by an explosion of colors. "...What is this place!?"
Neon-colored shirts lined the walls. Seven colors of trench coats, identical to the one worn by George, hung on racks. Detailed but not too detailed other niches of clothing sat on shelves, ranging from fruity colored ninja gear to fruity colored pirate outfits.
'So fucking cool…' Osamu gaped at the tacky designs.
Marigold shook her head. "This is stupid."
...Osamu furrowed his brows at her. 'You're stupid.' He didn't dare say that, though.
...He looked at the price tag under a large, neon-green top hat.
The price made his jaw drop. 'Twenty thousand yen!? Holy shit!'
"...I just realized…" Realization dawning on her, Marigold slung her backpack off, and dug through it… "I still have this doofy hat of yours."
She lifted the Holmes Brand Designer Hat from her backpack, and Osamu's eyes lit up. "Holy- that's right!"
'Man, that shit was so cash!... years ago, I mean. Almost none exist now, though, so they're kinda back in style…!'
...Osamu coughed. "A-ah, well… it's old!"
...Sighing, Marigold stuffed it back into her backpack. "Fi~ne."
...After a while of ceaseless shelf gawking, an attendant with sparkly purple hair and cyan villager garb approached him. "Like, he~y!"
Osamu grinned, only for the woman to approach Marigold and shake her hand.
Marigold blinked, never having put her hand out. "He-hey…"
"Ni~ce clothes!" The attendant beamed. "Are you the new model fro~m…?"
...Marigold fluffed up. "Wh-what?"
…
Face falling, the attendant rattled off fashion company names. "Kirisame~, Littlero~ck, Pea~r?"
Marigold blinked. "...Pe-Pear?"
...The attendant's eyebrow rose. "...That doesn't look like a Pear design, girl. Like… too little everything Pear related. It… looks more like a Margatroid, but that's just me." She shrugged.
"Margatroid?" Marigold was further confused. Taking a moment, she sorts herself out. "...We're talking clothing lines, right?"
"Mhm." The attendant nodded. "...You do know what company you're from, ri~ght?"
"Ye-yeah, I misspoke earlier." Marigold amended herself. "...Ma-Margatroid… I think."
Her response provoked a dry stare. "You think."
Osamu quickly took his magical friend's side. "Yeah! She's totally from Margatroid! I'm, uh, her agent!"
The attendant snorted. "Aa~h. You look it, dude. No offense."
"Ye-yeah." Osamu looked slightly disappointed by that comment.
"C'mon, then." She gestured for the two to follow. "I'll take you to the back."
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
They moved through halls until they reached a large room with a big mirror.
Bright, vibrant clothing designs sat on hangers which hung from racks on one end of the room. The walls were also a bleak periwinkle, but the wall in front of the mirror was white.
"...What're you doing?" Impatient, the attendant pulled an observing Marigold along. "...Stand in front of the mirror, girl."
Doing as instructed, Marigold became displeased with the bossiness of the attendant. "Al-alright, fine. Would it kill you to be a little nicer?"
...The attendant walked in front of her, giving her a dry stare. "I don't get paid to be nice."
'...What a bitch.'
Donning a tape measurer, the attendant got to work at measuring Marigold's waist and height…
"...You're the first human model Margatroid's ever sent." The attendant commented. "What's your name?"
"...Marigold."
She snorted in response. "She name you, too? Or is that a pen name? Whatever."
Marigold half-grinned at that, but didn't comment.
'Pffft.' ...Osamu was unsure how long this was going to take. "Sa~y, do you think we could, like, get some trial stuff…?"
...The attendant paused, and turned to him. "Do I look like a retard?"
He was very tempted to say yes, but resisted the urge. "..." He didn't say otherwise, either, though he did make sure to grin sheepishly.
Rolling her eyes, she got back to taking Marigold's measurements…
…
Finishing up, the attendant sighs, standing before Marigold again. "All set, honey. Where's the spare outfits?"
...Confused again, Marigold tilts her head. "Spares...?"
"Margatroid always sends a copy in every size. We just order more of what we need… which is usually the same every time." She pauses. "...So, where are they?"
…
"This outfit was kinda made for just me." Marigold broke it to her.
...The attendant was not amused. "...Bitch."
Both Osamu and Marigold jerked their heads back. 'Hey!'
"You're not some fucking special little snowflake. I'm supposed to expect Margatroid made that just for you? You'd have to- you'd have to be her fucking daughter or something!" Taking the tape measurer, she throws it across the room.
...Marigold gave a small smile. "...I-I happen to be her daughter."
…
"Get out."
Osamu tries to save the situation. "Can we at least buy some-"
It was unsuccessful. "Have Margatroid make it for you, asshats. Hell, have her open a store for you! Like, get out!"
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Osamu and Marigold run outside, as small, blunt objects are tossed at them. Hanging out of the front door, the attendant shook a brush in the air. "Like, don't come back, dudes!"
'...Damn. Didn't even get to steal anything…'
The two came to a stop just before the center of the town square.
...Hikari and Hiyori walked up to them, holding corn dogs.
"We found these." Hikari states. "Here."
Osamu lit up. "Ooo~! Don't mind if I do…!"
Marigold and Osamu took their food stuffs, and began munching.
"I realized that I never gave you two any money." Hikari informed them.
'...Holy shit.' Osamu just now realized this.
"...Oh, wow." Marigold was similarly bemused. "We wouldn't have left with anything, then. If we weren't kicked out, that is."
Hiyori blinked. "You were kicked out?"
Osamu was quick to fill her in on the details. "Yeah! This total bitch at the counter was all like- 'are you a model that was supposed to show up today'- and Marigold was like 'no' and-"
"Osamu." Marigold spoke over him. "...I think we can condense it a little. But basically, yeah. The attendant there was kinda rude, and we made her upset."
...Hikari was skeptical. "Are you sure she didn't make you upset?"
'Well…!'
Marigold nodded casually. "It was just kinda surprising."
'...Yeah, that.'
…
"You still need a hat." Hikari pointed at Osamu.
"...Yeah." He sighed. "That was the coolest place in town, though…"
...Marigold furrowed her brows. "That's why I see no one in town wearing any of what was on the shelves."
'Hey. Bein' cool's expensive!' He shrugs, grinning.
"...I'd recommend we go somewhere within our price range." Hiyori advises. "For Hikari's sake, if anything."
...Osamu huffs. "Fine…"
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
The only similarity the fancy store and the average store shared were the unassuming exteriors. In this case, however, it was justified.
Comparatively more boring, the store's interior was full of average clothes, common necessities such as towels, and some hats. Common villager clothing was seen on racks.
Marigold stood before the hats, a hand on her chin. "...Let's see~..."
Osamu stared at the hats, bored. "...Can ya just pick somethin', already?"
"Not unless you want a big, heavy knight helmet." Marigold countered. "...I think a wizard hat would look good on you."
Osamu shook his head. "Duu~de. Fuck no."
...Marigold snorted. "Why?"
"...Okay, I know you didn't hear 'bout this in the village…" He raised his hands in the air. "Wizards don't get laid, dude."
…
Marigold gave him the dryest of stares. "Explain my multiple moms."
"They're mages." Osamu counters. "There's, like, a difference. I think."
…
"We're getting you a magician hat." Marigold rolled her eyes. "Better?"
'...I feel like an asshole, now.' Osamu turned away. "Ye-yeah, whatever…"
She took a modestly sized, red mage hat, and brought it to the counter. "We'll be buying this."
A brown-haired girl manned the stand. "Ooo~! He's goin' for the old tyme wizard look, ain't he?"
Osamu groaned.
"...Eh?" She tilted her head.
"Nevermind him." Marigold lifted the yen Hikari gave her. "How much will it cost?"
"Two thousand yen." Gingerly, the brown-haired girl lifted a pouch of her own. "...We don't have one of those cash shelf things, so I just use my wallet!"
'...Wait, what?'
Marigold exchanged the goods, smiling. "...O~kay, then."
"Thank you for shopping Urara Necessities!" She bows. "Please come again!"
With that, the two left the store.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI'S VIEW ====
Osamu wore his wi- mage hat with a mixed expression.
...Hikari nodded. "It fits."
Marigold handed her back her remaining funds. "It was two thousand yen."
'Four thousand yen left…' Hikari nodded. "Mmm…"
…
Hiyori notices Osamu's displeased state. "...Hey."
He turns to her.
"...Nice hat."
...He beams. "Really!?"
Marigold chuckles.
...Continuing down the road towards the village's exit, they're stopped by a girl who yells for their attention from behind.
"Hear! Hear thee!"
...Turning, the party turns to notice a girl with long sleeves and a tall hat moving towards them, smoothly navigating past villagers as she did so.
"A-ah…!" She nearly trips over herself, noticing the party stopped as she requested. Taking the moment, she composes herself. "...Wh-what art thou doing in peace's sanctum?"
…
'I'm sorry?' Hikari took a moment to process her speech.
"...Passing through." Hiyori replied. Osamu and Hikari turned to her curiously.
"A-ahem…" Marigold knew how to handle this. Sort of. "Th-thy thriends- friends, rather- and thyself seek passage out of… your sanctum?"
...The girl gives Marigold a flat stare for her attempt. "...Mononobe no Futo. It… would be most opportune of me to consider the Hakurei judgment. To associate and derive companionship by only the most unkempt and sly youkai... " She gives Hikari a patronizing smirk. "Thou mother must be ashamed, zo!"
…
'I didn't get half of what she said.' Hikari liked literature, but she didn't speak old.
...Noticing Hikari's confusion, Marigold filled her in. "I think she insulted your mother."
It didn't help her. "Well, I got that…"
...Futo snorted. "It seemst thou is simple, as well. A pity. Thy will is not to trouble you in your final hours."
Hikari readied her gohei. 'Those sound like fighting words.'
"Hey, lady." Osamu spoke up. "Start speakin' in a language we can understand!"
"Very well!" She smiled. "Aero!"
Wind kicked up, and a sphere of wind formed around her. It constantly swirled around her form, protecting her.
Noticing the wind armor, the villagers navigated to the far ends of the path on muscle memory.
Hikari felt this become a matter of pride. 'Wind magic's kinda my thing. Sorta.'
"Haha!" Leaping back, Futo flung her arms outward, giant discs materializing and flying towards the party.
Hiyori was very easily able to lift her mace to attack the incoming oversized plates.
Cra~ck! Sma~sh! Shatter!
Futo's eyes widened. "What brute strength! It is a shame my wind will whittle it down so!"
From the distance, she sent more discs towards the party. Marigold attempted to use them as target practice, only for the discs to ignore the bullets.
"Stupid big plates." Marigold jabbed at the super plates.
Hiyori guarded again, this time deflecting the plates which spun into the floor, before dematerializing.
A plate formed under Futo, and she sat on it with her legs crossed and a haughty grin. "I will travel over you! Ah~ohohoho~!"
Hikari resisted the urge to giggle at the exclamation. 'I-I'd rather you didn't…'
The large plate began spinning rapidly, Futo accelerating toward the party, intending to 'travel' over them with it.
Hiyori quickly moved to block, swinging at the plate.
Ti~ng!
Both weapons parried, the plate flying back a bit, and Hiyori recovering from the recoil. "Hnh…"
...Focusing, Futo tried to guide the plate around the side of the oni to collide with the other party members.
Hikari tried Shield ß!
Hikari was protected by the power shield of light!
'Two can play at that game.'
Ti~ng! Hiyori and Futo clashed again.
"Hmph…" Hiyori staggered back from the block.
'How much power does that have?' Hikari was offput by the force the disc apparently exerted on Hiyori's mace…
...She snapped to attention as the large plate whirled past Hiyori, who barely whiffed a swing at it.
"Aa-ah…!" Hikari was put on the spot to dodge. Using her own wind, she attempted to leap out of the way-
Swish!
"Guh!?" Hikari clutched her new gash. 'O~w…!'
Ti~ng!
"Ha~h!"
Hiyori leapt up, and slammed her mace down on the plate from above.
Cra~ck!
"Hwa~h!?" Futo flailed wildly, being flung to the dirt. "Vi-vile! Disarm thyself with haste!"
Hikari tried Lifeup ß!
The bloody gash on her side slowly began to heal, and she felt less hopeless about the thick stream of blood running from it.
'Ow, ow, ow…' Hikari stayed as still as she could. 'Even the hit itself didn't hurt this bad…'
Osamu tried PK Thunder ß!
"I've got this!" He exclaimed gleefully.
Thwaa~sh!
"Hyan!" Futo was knocked into the air by the bolt, most of it dissipating on her wind shield.
Thwaa~sh!
"Gu-guah!?" Her wind shield consumed it again, but she was still rattled.
...Osamu smiled. "That was like, the third time my thunderbolts ever actually hit the freaking target!"
Marigold fired up at her while she was in the air, the wind consuming the pellets…
By now, all of the villagers had already identified the road as unsafe, and word had spread that there was battle. That, and everyone remotely nearby could hear it.
Refusing to let herself be juggled around, Futo performed an aerial recovery, twirling in the wind as she distanced herself from the party. "...Thou art most formidable as a team! However, I've many decades more experience than you, inept disciples of youkai origin!"
...Colorful bullets whizzed past her face, and she pouted. "...Thou needn't be so daft about it... it is simple fact."
"Rather full of yourself, aren't you?" Hiyori stared at her.
"Simple fact!" Futo smirks. "...Though, I have one simpler, simple so that even the primates may discover meaning."
'Words…' Hikari was lost by the strange dialect.
"Wind Sign!" Fluffing up, Futo zoomed towards the party.
Hiyori tensed up, raising her mace…
"Miwa Plate Storm!" Crossing her arms in a fancy motion, giant, green plates popped into existence around her, flying around in a whirlwind of air."
Hiyori blocked as best she could.
Ting! Ting! Ting! Ting! Ti~ng…!
Hikari and her friends fell back as Hiyori was slowly pushed back by each impact. However, the spell card ended quickly, the plates vanishing.
"...Hmph." Futo pouted. "Oni are such bores."
Hiyori snorted.
"Throwing Dishes…!" Futo fluffed up, again…
'Here we go…'
"Mononobe's Eighty Sake Cups!"
She flung her arm in the air, and a large spread of sake dishes flew straight for the building side.
A symphony of shatters rang out, and the fragments of the sake dishes flew straight for the party like deadly shrapnel.
Hiyori's eyes widened. "Everyone! Get behind me!"
Quickly, Hikari practically magnetized to Hiyori's back.
Marigold and Osamu were not so lucky, with their assorted brands of sluggish movement. "Hagh!" Marigold winces as shards of ceramic sliced her side, covering her eyes as she darts towards the oni.
"Ow- fuck! Dude- dududude!" Osamu flails wildly as ceramic shards outright slice through his robing, trailing behind Marigold.
They were given little time to recover as Futo tossed more sake dishes at the other wall, as the other barrage of glass-thin shards was still in play.
"Hohoho!" She expressed her mirth. "Do you four not know how to pla~y? What unfitting antagonists you are, zo!"
Hiyori tried Shield Σ!
The unshielded party members were protected by shields of light!
Hiyori and the party members turned to guard against the new barrage…
"Fu~ck…!" Osamu objected to being sliced and diced, even if the damage was mitigated. "Enough already!"
Osamu tried PK Freeze γ!
KaKaKoo~...
Futo's eyes widened, as the snowflake-shaped pattern of ice crystals began freezing and thawing around her. "Wh-what is…?"
Boom!
"Hawah!" She flinched back, but recovered with a twirl. "Feeble magi!"
Osamu retorts with his middle finger. "Take your stupid dirty dishes and go home!"
Osamu tried PK Hydro γ!
Above everyone, a large blade of water formed. The clear-blue, oversized shuriken glimmered in the day's light as it rained heavy drops across the battlefield.
Everyone got soaked. The shuriken's rain weighted some of the shards down, making the barrages more viable to defend against.
"Oo~h, how damned!" Futo was outraged. "Annoying caster!"
'I don't think she likes other mages much. Or at least Osamu… I can understand that one.'
Hiyori tried PK Freeze ß!
KaKaKoo~...
A smaller series of icicles formed around the tower-hatted individual.
"Yo-you…!" Futo's eyes widened.
Kra~ck!
"Guhuaa~n!"
The shards generated by the spell card fade, as Futo flies back a short distance, her card broken.
...Soggy and covered in small cuts, the party leers at the girl from afar, before slowly closing in.
'Tiny fragments of glass are not cool.'
...Futo's expression flares at the party nears her. "Stop, zo! Miscreants! Stay at distance!" Desperately, she falls onto her back, and tries to clamber away, wet dirt clinging to her robes.
Marigold raised her NF Burst Gun. "You asked for this."
She fired, Futo's face getting filled with colorful bullets.
...Once the burst fire was over, Futo glared at Marigold with teary eyes. "Aw-awful…"
Hikari snorted. "...U~hm…"
Hiyori was taken aback by the sudden change in Futo's disposition. "...We're not trying to hurt you. We just want to-"
"Ha~h!"
Suddenly, Futo lashed out, conjuring plates from the air. Her eyes glowed with a faded green light. Spinning around, she created small tempests as she spun towards each party member, intent on slicing with her plates.
"Ooowww~!" Osamu was sent flying by her first move, Futo slapping him aside with a direct swipe of a plate. Then, the accompanying wind sent him flying across the road…
Her next target was Marigold, who began backing away while returning fire-
Cra~ck!
Futo broke the plate on her head, sending Marigold sprawling "Wh-woa~h…"
Hikari guarded pre-emptively. 'Wo-woah!'
Instead, she targeted Hiyori, attempting to slice her with a plate, only for the plate to break on Hiyori's shoulder instead.
The oni's retaliation was too slow to connect with Futo, who drifted just out of the way.
"Take this!" Futo barked.
Holding onto a central handle, plates generated outward into a sort of dual-bladed plate staff, which stretched to both ends of the street, held together by sheer wind manipulation.
Hikari ran in the opposite direction. 'Nope! No, no, no!'
"Ha~h, hraa~gh!" Futo grunted her heavy exertion out, as she spun the weapon of dishy destruction around. Plates broke on Hiyori multiple times, but regenerated the moment the main staff broke collision with her.
Despite Futo's effort, the shoddily constructed wind weapon bended with great girth and laziness, the wind struggling to make it do more than do fancy spins in place. As such, Hikari managed to avoid the radius.
'Th-that wind…' Hikari felt outdone, feeling the wake of the wind from Futo's plate arts.
Finding herself achieving little, wasting her physical attacks on the oni, Futo leapt and took to the skies, riding atop a snake composed of plates.
"Hakurei!"
Glaring down from her glowing trail of plates, Futo hovered menacingly overhead.
Hikari gazed up at the now mobile girl.
'This escalated quickly…!'
Osamu tried PK Thunder ß!
Thwaa~sh!
Futo was moving too fast, the lightning bolt striking the plates behind her.
Thwaa~sh!
Plate fragments fell to the ground below, blown away by lightning. Futo still had innumerable more, though…
"Damn it!" Osamu cursed at the fluffy plate-rider. "You suck!"
Upon reaching the other length of the street, Futo's plate mechanization shifted and transformed, turning into a large, three-pronged cannon. Futo stood atop it, grinning victoriously.
"Don the face of despair!"
"Ev-everyone! To me!" Hiyori yelled out for her other party members.
Osamu moved to latch onto her side without comment. Hikari moved to do so-
'Marigold!' She realized her other party member was still sprawled out on the floor, dizzily trying to get up.
Deviating from the other two, Hikari ran towards Marigold.
The wind cannon activated.
WOOSH
Hikari had only a split second to hug Marigold before they were all sent flying at high speeds.
'Woaaaa~h!'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Bam!
"Hu- whah!?"
Old man Kirisame shot up from his midday nap on the shop counter.
...The ceiling promptly gave way, two girls falling through it before him.
Thu-thud!
"Aah- aa~h…" Hikari whimpered.
Hikari tried Lifeup ß!
'I almost forgot that we get brutalized regularly. I thought having an oni friend would change that.'
...Hikari stiffly sat up, her digits and limbs no longer experiencing indescribable horrors.
...She turned to old man Kirisame, who had his jaw dropped.
...Then, she turned to Marigold, who was bent in bad places, crying silently.
'O-oh…!'
Hikari tried Lifeup γ!
...
'O-oh my god…' Hikari began freaking out-
Kri-krik!
...Marigold slowly bent back into shape, her limbs contorting in normal ways again.
…
"Aaaaaa~uuuch!"
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
"...So." Kirisame sat back at a chair behind his desk. "...The hell was all that!?"
Hikari couldn't find many words to describe what she just experienced.
"Pain." But that was one of them.
...Kirisame nodded. "Yeah. Pain, alright… You've got some double-joints, Mari. Damn."
Marigold's eyes were still reddish. "He-heheh… yeah."
"Seriously, you looked like you were dead!" Kirisame chuckled. "Don't scare me like that… Heart's not what it used ta be, y'know?"
"So-sorry…" Marigold muttered. "It wasn't entirely my decision."
Snorting, Kirisame reached under his desk. "Yeah, looked like it. I'd be more surprised if it was."
...He pulled out a bottle. "Drink?"
...Marigold shook her head. "No. I may have nearly died, but no."
Rolling his eyes, he took a cup from a nearby adjacent counter and poured himself a glass. "Pffft. Marisa really not teach ya to drink yet?"
'I didn't think of this before…' Hikari realized. 'These two would know each other, wouldn't they? They're family.'
"I'd prefer not to drink." Marigold declared. "The times I have, it was in moderation. Even so, I've seen what it does."
...He shrugged. "Fair enough, I guess. Can't force ya to do anything. Learned that the hard way with Marisa! Hehehe~!"
…
Sipping from his glass, Kirisame sighed. "After what I just saw, I jus' thought t'myself: I'm'onna need a drink after that one!"
Hikari pivoted around, taking in the store's clutter. '...I wonder what he offers? I haven't been here in forever…'
"You doin' some incident huntin', Hikari?" Kirisame spoke to her daughter's friend's daughter.
"Hu-huh?" Hikari wasn't paying attention.
"Bustin' some youkais?" He grinned.
"O-oh." Hikari shrugged. "Yeah. Sorta. I guess?"
Chuckling, he took another sip. "Atta girl. Y'remind me, of Reimu."
'...That was rather blunt.'
...Hikari began walking into the store's shelves unannounced. Marigold turned to converse with her, only to find her walking away. "He-hey!"
"I wanna see what's for sale." Hikari stated simply. "There's a lot of interesting stuff, here…"
Kirisame watched with bated glee as the newest Hakurei miko took to his wares. He also hoped she actually brought money.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
"Where do you think the others are?" Marigold wondered aloud, as Hikari stared at some stacks of colored construction paper...
"Probably beating up that fluffy lady." Hikari decided. "I dunno whether or not that attack of hers was her last hurrah or not, though."
...Marigold nodded. "It could have been, couldn't it?"
With that, Hikari went back to staring at the construction paper…
…
She got bored of the construction paper. "Is there anything… useful, sold here?"
Marigold shrugged. "He does sell Hakurei ofuda and stuff."
...Hikari furrowed her brows. "How?"
'No wonder my mother never gets money from donors.'
Marigold shrugged.
...Hikari marched back to the front desk. "How and why do you sell ofuda?"
Kirisame paused, looking up from his drink, before he shrugged himself. "Dunno. Probably a good idea at the time."
...Hikari slouched.
"Ooo, ooo!" Marigold's voice rang out from the shelves.
Hikari stared at them dully, in anticipation.
…
Marigold scurried out, holding a long, metal tube. "I found this!"
"Metal." Excitement seeped from Hikari's voice. "Good."
Snorting, Marigold took it to the counter. "A cylinder like this could be used for so many things!"
"How much even is it?" Hikari inquired…
"A mere thousand yen." Kirisame smiled. "For you, anyway."
Eager, Marigold turned to Hikari. "Can we get it? Please?"
...Hikari shrugs. "Alright. It's cheap enough."
"Yea~h!"
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Marigold obtained Steel Cylinder!
'Three thousand yen left…' Hikari stared at her dwindling pouch with an ironic smile. 'Friends are expensive.'
...Turning to her friend as they strutted down the village road, Hikari gave the magi a cynical stare as she hugged the metal cylinder. "...You sure you can carry all of that in that big bag?"
Marigold shrugged. "I've probably got good back and leg muscles, by now. It honestly sucked a lot harder days ago, but you get used to it. Just don't ask me to move fast. Or turn sharply."
...Hikari grinned. "You're tubby."
"I guess so." Marigold grinned back.
In the village square, they came upon Mononobe no Futo, who had a plate smashed around her head. She was lying on the floor with a dazed expression on her face.
'Guess Hiyori won.' Hikari deduced.
"...Cr-crown Prince…?" Futo managed. "Art… art thou here?"
...Hikari crouched next to her. "No."
…
"Ho-how…" Futo stared at Hikari with wide eyes. "How are you living?"
Standing back up, Hikari dusts herself off a bit because she feels like it. "Just fine. Thanks for asking."
Futo glares at her.
"Hey!"
The two heard Osamu's shout from across the square. Hiyori came out from around an alley with Keine, and the three quickly jogged over to the other three.
"See? Toldja she'd be fine." Osamu smiled.
"...If that's how you want to put it." Hiyori hinted at otherwise, but smiled herself.
...Osamu gave her a quick glance.
"I heard about what happened." Keine sighed. "I was terrified…"
...Futo glared from the floor, before attempting to stand. "...H-hah! I knew- woah!" She fell backwards, the plate around her neck breaking on the process. Cra~ck!
Rubbing her neck, she got back up again… "As thyself began, I knew Keine of association with the feral!"
Keine marched towards Futo, and grabbed her by her tower hat. "Eep!"
"Come with me." Keine smiled patiently. "You and I are going to have a long talk about village rumors."
"Bu-but it were posted! Even sealed!" Futo argued back hastily. "By decree of the village proper! She is recognized, I decree! Recognized!"
"...Take me to the job board, then." Keine declared. "I'd like to see whoever posted it, and talk with them."
...Futo sighed. "Ve-very well… give me due time." She slowly trudged to the job board, which was only a few feet away due to them being in the village square.
...
As the two women walked away, the party convened proper. Hikari took the initiative to speak first. "Where should we go next?"
"I wanna see if the Kappa Valley can update my tech." Marigold decides. "The microwave gun's cool, but if I wanna avoid killing people and don't wanna make too much noise…" She trails off, leaving the rest of the sentence to implication.
"That's cool." Hiyori agrees.
"...As long as we have the money left." Hikari regains her cynical grin.
...Osamu folds his arms. "As long as they don't shove no more industrial night lights in our face. That shit had to have damaged my eyes… and I need those for seein'!"
At Hiyori's questioning stare, Hikari shrugged.
Marigold was set on going before night fell. "Should we leave the village to teleport?"
"Unless ya wanna freak everyone out even more, then yeah." Osamu answers… before breaking out into a grin. "Actually, that-"
"We're leaving the village before we teleport." Hiyori finalizes their plan of action.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
KraKoo~m!
Having planned ahead this time, Hikari hung onto Hiyori's side as they skidded to a halt. Unfortunately, this halt was in a shallow creek, leaving the party sans Hiyori to fall into it and get soggy, again.
"One of those cold, wet kind of days, I suppose…" Marigold expresses her discontent as the sun begins to set.
"Goddammit…" Osamu grumbles, trudging back onto his feet. "What asshole invented creeks?"
"Fri~ends!"
The party looks up from the creek, spotting Nitori with a wagon of parts. "Hello!"
Marigold breaks from the water, moving as fast as her big, wet backpack will let her.
After everyone's marched onto the shore, Nitori greets them proper. "What were you all doing in the water?"
"Havin' a fuckin' bath." Osamu snips.
...Nitori grins.
"We- uh, we came to get my stuff upgraded." Marigold explains. "I'm pretty excited about it."
"...By having a bath?" Nitori tilted her head.
"Yes." Marigold dryly responded. "By which I mean no. I-"
Nitori cut her off. "Actually, I could help you with that!"
She lit up. "Really!?"
"Yeah!" Nitori got hype, too. "C'mon, friend! We're gonna make guns!"
'...Something's weird about that sentence.' Hikari can't put her finger on it.
Leading them across the length of the Kappa Village, Nitori brought them along the path to her underground abode, again.
'The woods are pretty at dusk…'
Eventually, they reached the deep, dark pit of water. "Hop in, guys!"
…
Nitori notices them not hop in. "...I'm tryna be polite, you know."
"I'd like to remind you that none of us can swim." Hikari reminded her.
"...Ooo~h! That's right!" Nitori giggled. "Sorry. That kinda thing just slips my mind sometimes. That, and I gotta fix the elevator."
'Uh oh.' Hikari stared at Nitori. 'I don't wanna know what happened to it.'
Osamu's curiosity was piqued. "What even happened to it?"
"I ki~nda stuffed too many robot parts on it." Nitori scratched her cheek, seeming slightly embarrassed. "So it just fell and was crushed into the Earth. When I dug it out, it, uh… we'll call it dead. That sums it up."
...Marigold nodded slowly. "Great. How will we get down, now?"
Nitori raises her brow. "Can't you guys fly?"
"Nope." Osamu looked smug.
"Hold on, hold on…" Nitori furrowed her brows. "You can't swim, sure… but you can't fly!?"
"We were dropped on our heads as children." Hikari comments, earning dry but amused stares from her party members.
...Nitori sighs. "Alright. Well, can't… can't your oni friend hold you and just jump down? Unless she's somehow incapable of jumping, too…"
"I can do that." Hiyori insists before she's belittled further.
Perking up, Nitori moves towards the water. "Great! See you guys down there!"
Splash. With a quaint dive, she creates a tiny splash, vanishing into the dark water below.
Osamu's eyes widened. "...She-she can just do that?"
"Kappa and water are good friends." Marigold summarizes.
…
"The elevator was aro~und…" Hiyori walks around the side of the rock behind the pond, the party following. She eventually comes to a shaft. "Here."
...Hikari stepped up to it, and stared down. "...Like that one time in heaven?"
'That's a long way down…'
Hiyori nodded. "Basically."
Quickly, she moved to grab the three, scooping them up in her arms.
Surprised, Osamu and Marigold reacted. "Eeah!?"
...Hikari lept into the bundle of people in Hiyori's arms. "The goal is to not let us shatter into a million pieces."
Moving awkwardly over the gap, Hiyori acknowledged this. "Mmm. I've got an idea, I think…"
...Suddenly, Hiyori leapt down the hole. Darkness quickly engulfed the party...
'Woaa~h!'
A grinding noise was heard as Hiyori twirled around, and dug her back into the farther wall. Like that, she was able to control the speed of their dissent, at least enough to keep the bottom impact from injuring the party in her arms.
Bam!
They hit the bottom, dim light flooding from the open door ahead.
"...Damn! Warn us first!" Osamu objected to her practice.
"Sorry." Hiyori expected complaints.
"That was smart." Marigold complimented.
Hiyori blinked. "...You're welcome."
...Wiggling from Hiyori's broad grasp, Hikari stepped into the dim room ahead. The other party members did similarly, as Hiyori pulled her sandalled feet from the rock they were embedded into.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: MARIGOLD'S VIEW ====
'Still so dark down here… how does Nitori get any work done?'
Glancing around, Marigold's eyes set on a protrusion on the right side of the room. She began approaching it…
Splash!
Nitori leaped from it, nearly flopping into Marigold as she got out. "Hawawa!?"
Marigold stepped back. "A-ah!"
...Once Nitori realized the scene, she began chuckling. "Wo-wow! You guys got down here fast! Maybe I don't even need that elevator!"
"Please add another elevator." Marigold pleaded, adding an exasperated grin.
Nitori rolled her eyes. "Alri~ght… What did you want me to help you with, anyway?"
Perking up, Marigold reached for her backpack, taking out the large, metal cylinder. "I-I wanted to either upgrade one of my current weapons, or do something with this…"
...Nodding, Nitori reached for the metal cylinder. "Hmm. Hmhmhm." She grabbed it. "Oo~h! Nice metal, here…!"
Flipping it around, Nitori tapped on it, rapped her knuckles on it, and then held it up to her nose…
Marigold blinked. "Wh-what are you doing…?"
"Checkin' for stuff." Nitori sheds light upon the matter. "...Ya didn't enchant the metal, so we can do what we want with it. Cool."
...Hikari and friends begin moving towards the long hallway behind the two, to their ignorance. She makes a 'shhh' motion with her lips, leading the other two.
"Would it be different if it was enchanted?" Marigold tilts her head…
"Yeah, magic can do screwy stuff to metal. I mean, steel's usually fine with whatever, but I've had some crazy people come up to me with stuff enchanted to explode." She giggled. "That stuff's fun to work with! I mean, the exploding kinda sucked, but the guy's face afterward…!"
Marigold just gave her a flat stare.
"Hahaha~! O-okay, okay, back to the work…" Nitori calmed down. "I mean, I can do unenchantments bing bang boom, no problem. If it's simple enough, anyway. Bigger stuff I just gotta tough out. Honestly, though, some of it's fun to work with!"
"Please don't make me reconsider coming here." Marigold's grin became awkward.
Nitori's excitement dulls. "...Ahah. Yeah, okay… What do ya wanna make?"
...Marigold shrugs. "Well… can we brainstorm, first? I didn't get much time to think about it…"
Nitori's mouth almost shifts into a frown, for a moment… then she beamed. "Oo~h! I've got a perfect idea!"
"Brainstorm." Marigold insists. "As in, discuss."
"We could make a bazooka!" Nitori gushes, mouth open with excitement. "It's been a long time since I made a bazooka!"
Turning to the kappa, Marigold fluffs up. "No-now wait just a-"
"C'mon." Nitori pleads. "A bazooka."
…
'Well…'
"Al-alright…" Marigold gives in. "But if we do do that, make it have infinite ammo."
"Hehehe~!" Nitori rubbed her hands together. "Leave it to me, friend!"
…
Quietly, Nitori spoke again. "What's your name again?"
'Really, now… I guess I can't blame her.'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Boo~m!
The splash of raw explosive energy collided with the wall, eating away the metal exterior. Rock was revealed on the other side.
"Woo~heheheh!" Marigold grinned widely. "I didn't know explosion propelled explosions were a thing!"
"You can do a lot with temporary matter compression." Nitori was smug. "...You knew more than most people. I mean, you knew pretty much nothing, but at least you didn't suggest springs. Every newbie suggests springs…"
'...Why springs?' Marigold shook it off. "We-well, I was right about those fire stones being combined with gravity stones."
"Yeah, and I was right about gravity existing." Nitori bit back with sarcasm. "...Just keep practicing, alright, friend? I know humans can learn fast."
"Magician." Marigold corrected.
...Nitori's jaw dropped. "Why didn't you say so!?"
Marigold was taken aback by the comment. "What do you mean…?"
"You coulda, like, made this thing have more mana than there is metal!" Nitori gushed. "This thing could be shooting tiny suns!"
...Sighing, Marigold broke the truth to her. "I can't cast magic."
…
"Tiny suns?" Nitori tried, gazing questioningly at the magician.
"No. Sorry." Marigold shook her head.
...Nitori appeared crestfallen. "Dang…"
Marigold obtained Heavy Bazooka!
Running her hand along the shiny, laser-painted side of the tube, she took in the aesthetic. The room's lighting may have been dim, but she could make out the faint green color, along with neon blue rings that adorned it for adornment's sake.
'I still don't know why the room's this dim, but she seems to be fine with it.'
At the bottom, there was a simple pistol-esque handle with a trigger. There was no exhaust port like a typical bazooka might have; it simply ended in the smooth backside they had added to the cylinder.
'In retrospect, Nitori really didn't go past the size of the cylinder very much. While this hand-sized handcannon's great and all, the recoil's still pretty intense…'
"What did you do to mitigate recoil?" Marigold questioned.
Nitori blinked. "...Why would you do that? Recoil's part of the cool factor!"
'...It would be.'
"How does this even have recoil?" Marigold pressed further.
Nitori grins. "You know that layer of smaller stones and plates I put behind the gravity stones?"
...Marigold nods. "You said that was to keep it from breaking."
"I lied. It was just to add recoil." Nitori amended.
'...Good. Straight priorities.'
...Shaking her head, Marigold nodded. "Thank you so much for your help, Nitori."
"No problem! I had fun!" She smiled, holding out a hand. "Pleasure doing business!"
Marigold went to shake it…
Boo~m.
The underground facility shook.
Marigold stared into Nitori's eyes.
…
Nitori began sprinting down the hall, Marigold following suit.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI'S VIEW ====
Boom! Bam! Boom!
Hikari slammed the door shut, eyes wide.
"I told you not to open it!" Osamu rushed to her side, moving to keep it shut.
Hiyori raised her arms over their heads, exerting far more force on the door than the two humans combined.
Boom! Blam! Boom!
'Wh-what are in all these-'
"What the fuck are in these rooms!?" Osamu vocalizes Hikari's thoughts.
BOOM
The door is blown off its hinges, the party being pushed to the other side of the hall, Hiyori acting as the buffer that prevents the other two from being squished.
"A-aah!" Hikari squeaked.
"He-hehehe…" Osamu rubbed the spot on his forehead where he banged the door, being less fortunate than Hikari. "Maybe, uh… we should scram."
Boo~m!
The blast sent a wave of flames past the three, missing them only due to the door of unknown metal's grace.
Hiyori thrust the door forward-
Boom!
It was pushed back into the three, Hikari bracing for it while Osamu gets slammed in the face again.
"Oo~h…" Osamu rubs his head. "O~w."
Boom!
An explosion echoes from the further, untraveled hall.
'We've got to get out of here!'
Thinking similarly, Hiyori kicks the door back again, moving to grab Osamu and Hikari-
Bam!
Launching herself ahead, the fire grazes them from behind.
'So loud…'
Blam! Boom!
Hikari tried to use her wind to help Hiyori, but the fact they were deep underground, again, made that difficult.
Even so, Hiyori cleaved into the tiled floor with her legs, ripping ahead.
Very quickly, they caught up with the bewildered forms of Nitori and Marigold.
"What's going on!?" Marigold yelled over the big kabooms.
Hiyori latched onto the two as well, and ran faster.
Hiyori tried Teleport α!
KraKoo~m!
…
Blam, boom, bam bam, boom!
The lab became napalm.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
KraKoo~m!
Touching down outside the Palace of Earth Spirits, Hiyori skidded to a halt in the thick rock.
"Wha-woaa~h…" Nitori's eyes were wide with wonder. "...I gotta make a teleporter like that."
'Of course.'
...Hiyori drops them unceremoniously, unleashing a symphony of discomfort.
"Oof…" Marigold sighed. "What did you guys do now?"
"My-my damn back, dude…"
...Hikari adjusted her clothes. 'This happens too often.'
Hikari tried Healing α!
"...Aa~h." Osamu stands. "Hell yeah, baby!"
...Taking a good look around, Hikari realizes where they are. 'Literally.'
"Who turned out the sun…?" Marigold looked around the dim underground…
...Nitori noticed the palace. "He~y! This's Satori's place, isn't it?"
Hiyori smiled. "Yeah."
The door to the palace swung open. "What… was that…?"
Ellen, the small blonde cat girl, recognized the party. "O-oh! Come on in…!"
Noiselessly, the door swung wide open.
Progressing inside, the party plus Nitori mode conversation.
"...Are you mad about your lab?" Hiyori brought up for her morality's sake. "I mean… we destroyed it."
Nitori slouched. "...Darn it, you're right. Gonna have to set my 'days without an accident' counter to zero…"
...Hiyori was crestfallen that her kappa friend was sad.
She perked up, though. "Well, it doesn't matter, anyway. All the stuff's fine, and the doors're mostly blast proof. I kinda lined the hallways with explodium as a precaution against the bots."
"...Oh." Hiyori stared at her dryly. "Well, sorry anyway, I guess."
"It's no problem, friend." Nitori smiled at her. "...As fun as it would be to stick around with you guys, I'd be bored out of my mind if I sticked around with you guys. See ya!"
With that, Nitori pivoted on her heels, and left the palace.
She paused. "Oh, yeah! Tell Satori I said hi!"
Then she left the palace.
…
"I thought I heard a deafening crackle."
Satori stepped into the middle of the foyer stairs ahead. "I didn't think it'd be you four."
Hiyori nodded. "We were kinda in a pinch, and I picked the first place I thought of to teleport to."
Satori smiled. "You thought of here, then?"
"Yeah." Folding her arms, Hiyori sighed. "We've been busy."
'...The only problem is that we don't know where the last sanctuary could be.'
At Hikari's thought, Satori closes her eyes. "...I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid there's another one of these troublesome 'sanctuaries' down here, too."
Osamu beamed. "Where is it!? We gotta go kick some red ass!"
'Pffft.'
...Hiyori snorted. "You know, if a red oni heard you say that…"
Satori shook her head. "He didn't know, you."
...Osamu was confused. "God dammit. Okay, what did I say? It's not like I made fun 'a some girl's boobs!"
'How are those related…?' Hikari, too, was confused. '...We need to get back on track!'
"Well, you see…" Hiyori began, "Underground-"
Abruptly, Satori cut in. "I apologize to cut you off… but Hikari is right. I assume you four must deal with this sanctuary with haste."
Nodding, Hikari agrees with this idea…
She yawns. "Ha~h…"
…
Marigold yawns. "Ha~n…"
Osamu yawns. "Huaa~h…"
Hiyori yawns. "Haa~h…"
"I didn't know human psychology applied to oni, like that." Satori's curiosity was piqued.
Hiyori tilts her head. "I'm not even tired."
"I'm not, either… I think." Osamu voices.
"I am." Marigold voices. "I'd rather not use my bazooka as a pillow, if I could help it."
Satori blinked. "When did you get a bazooka."
'Shady kappa research deals, I'm sure…' Hikari lazily struts towards the foyer stairs. "I'm finding a bed."
"...Hyaa~n…" Ellen yawned, herself. "Me~ too~..."
Marigold and Ellen tag along behind Hikari.
…
Osamu flops onto the floor.
Hiyori stares down at him. "We might need to put a hold on exploring that sanctuary, for just a little while…"
Satori grins. "Very well. Rest is important, after all. You should get some sleep, too."
"...I guess so."
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
…
…
Hikari rolls over. 'Mmnh…'
…
'Cat.' There was a cat on the other side of the bed, sprawled out.
She gave it a soft, dreary-eyed stare for a few moments, before trying to sit up.
Only to find more cats hogging the bed.
'Cats…' Hikari blinked.
...She looked over to Marigold's bed, where the cats seemed to have pushed her off and onto the floor.
'Ca~ts!'
Half-awake and half-alert, Hikari stands up on the bed, and does a short, wind-enhanced hop to clear the cats-
Thump.
'Sticked the landing. Mostly.' Hikari was proud of her jump.
...She drowsily trotted up to Marigold, and used her hands to gently inflict violence on her.
"Hu-whuh…?" Marigold's eyes blink open as she wiggles on the blanketed floor. "...Oh. Mornin', Hikari…"
"Ah~." Hikari sounds her acknowledgement.
From there, she stumbles towards the door, and assaults it in an attempt to jiggle the handle. After enough effort, she succeeds, moving outside the room…
...Lazily, Marigold gets up, following behind.
The two eventually meander into the main foyer, where Hiyori and Satori stand, conversing.
"-Then we teleported to the Kappa Valley, and opened some doors we shouldn't have." Hiyori seemed to have been explaining some of the context behind their arrival.
Satori grinned. "You don't have to vocalize it, I'm sure you know…"
"...It just feels more natural." Hiyori shrugs.
Making sure to hold onto the railing, Hikari slowly descended down the foyer stairs…
"Your friends seem to be awake." Satori mentions.
At that, Hiyori nods. "Two of them, at least."
'Osamu's not here, yet…?'
Satori, too, nods. "Nope. He's over there." She points behind herself, to the sleeping lump on the floor.
'Oh. That makes this easy, then…' Hikari rose her gohei mechanically, and approached the sleeping man.
Marigold was slightly more sympathetic. "Hikari, shouldn't you-"
Thwack!
"Aaa~h…" Osamu moaned groggily, crawling away idly. "Ju-just a few more... minutes…"
Thwack, thwack!
"No~!" He flailed his limbs. "Aa~h!"
Thwack!
…
With little other choice, he got up. "I-I'm up already. Geez…"
"Good." Hikari turns to the others, again. "Where's the sanctuary place?"
...Taking a moment to process Hikari's sudden request, Satori responds. "It's in on one of the mountains to the east. An underground mountain, mind you."
'...Now just how does that work?'
"There?" Hiyori jerked her head back. "Really?"
Satori tilted her head. "Wouldn't it be fitting, though? It's probably one of the least explored places of the underground, and the place with the most ruins in all of Old Hell. It seems rather predictable."
"...I'd like to know how you figured this out." Hiyori spoke. "Did you travel there?"
...Satori nodded. "Yes. With Okuu and Orin, so don't worry."
Hiyori opens her mouth to object, only to remember that Okuu devoured a sun god and acquired its powers for her own. "...Ah."
'I'm pretty sure this adventure would be a million times easier with that raven on our side.' Hikari grinned.
Satori turned to her. "You shouldn't sell yourself short, Hikari. You four managed to beat Okuu, didn't you?"
"Just barely!" Osamu objected, waking up the way only he knew. "We nearly got our asses toasted!"
Satori giggled. "...Don't worry. I have confidence in you four."
"So do I!"
A wild Koishi appeared! "He~y, Ari!"
...Hikari stared at her dryly. "Hi."
"Was I a big help!?" Koishi energetically greeted. "Was I? Was I!?"
'Too early for this…'
Koishi deflated, appearing drowsy. "Co~me o~n, big girl… Do it for me~?"
"...Sure." Hikari sighed.
'Honestly, you may've hurt more than you helped, but that's partly my fault for summoning you at bad times.'
Satori was unsurprised. "...So that gem did what I expected it to."
Marigold smirked. "I knew you knew."
"I knew you knew I knew." Satori countered.
Marigold mentally conceded defeat.
'...I might need a moment to wake up before we do anything more.' Hikari stretches, yawning. "...Ha~h."
"...Hyaa~n…"
'Oh, no.'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
END OF CHAPTER 25
Protagonist: Hikari Hakurei, Disciple of Paradise
-Inventory-
Weapon: Miracle Gohei - Ability to whack stuff really hard. Amplifies whacking power, too! Able to deal magical damage. Adds an increased chance to deal critical hits.
Arms: Iconic Hakurei Arm Sleeves - Keeps arms warm. A Hakurei tradition. How they stay on is a Hakurei family secret.
Body: Combat Miko Outfit - A black leotard and hakama combination worn by the previous-previous Hakurei miko. Designed to be suitable for excessive physical activity and close combat, it slightly improves physical combat prowess. Now with less sideboob!
Misc: Royal Red Ribbon - A ribbon made with rich materials, with a floral pattern.
-Skills-
Attack: Quickly! Swing your gohei at them for massive damage!
PK Fantasy α, β, γ - Bombards the enemy with pain in the form of flashing colors. Deals magical damage. Heavy mental strain that increases with each tier. Third tier forms a barrier, which breaks upon moderate damage.
PK Flash α, ß - A bright flash that distributes very random status effects to enemies. Usually makes people cry. Higher tiers increase chances, and introduce possibilities of fainting or dispel.
Hypnosis α, Ω - Puts weak enemies to sleep for a short time. Works better on tired or exhausted foes. Can also be used in a far more costly form that works on multiple opponents.
Shield α, ß - Halves damage the target takes. Only works against physical attacks, and enough strikes, or powerful strikes, will dispel it. Higher tier turns it into a power-shield that protects even better and even reflects a fraction of protected damage.
Lifeup α, ß, γ - Heals target a little. Higher tiers heal more grievous wounds, like bone fractures.
Healing α, ß, γ - Heals basic status ailments. Higher tiers can cure more dire effects, like burning alive.
Teleport α - Allows instant transport to the general location of an area remembered by oneself or one's party members. Requires a long, fast run-up to execute, however.
Ofuda Toss - Throw a holy ofuda that does massive holy elemental damage to youkai and dark elemental foes. Effect lessens the more holy the thing you're attacking is, to the point of healing holy things. Only works if you actually have ofuda, though.
Summon Koishi - Using the Heart Gem's power, Hikari summons Koishi Komeiji. Casts three random HK spells on enemies, before using a higher tier one that depends on her current mood. Typically can manage two uses before she's out of mana. Costs sizable mana.
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Mage: Osamu Katsumi, the Wannabe Mage
-Inventory-
Weapon: Fisticuffs!
Arms: Nothing
Body: Rugged Robe - A sturdy robe enchanted to resist damage. Made partially with sturdy cloth from deep underground.
Misc: Red Mage Hat - A red colored mage's hat made from cloth in the Human Village. Minor resistance to thunder, ice, and fire magic from its well worn usage in the past. Didn't see much action… until Osamu bought it!
-Skills-
PK Thunder α, ß - Very random thunder attack that deals limited damage. Higher tiers increase number of bolts, and sometimes power.
PK Hydro α, β, γ - Gets everyone wet. Usefulness with PK Thunder and PK Freeze depends on whether you hit yourself or not! Creates whirling water spirals at higher tiers.
PK Freeze α, β, γ, Ω - Generates ice crystals at the target's location. Medium damage and effect; may freeze some targets, especially wet ones. Highest tier has a near-guaranteed freeze chance and immense ice damage, at the cost of being very taxing.
Fireball - Manipulate mana to make a shoddy fireball. Low damage and effect.
Static Hands - Not a real spell. Result of a very undercharged PK Thunder that can accidentally go off.
PSI Telepathy α - Speak to friends you haven't met yet! Unstable connection and only works if they have the skill or are asleep.
PSI Shield α, Σ - Halves damage from magical and psychic attacks. Thunder spells fry it instantly, and harder blows dispel it. Second tier applies basic shield to entire party at higher mana expense.
PSI Magnet α - Costs no mana to use, and steals a very tiny amount of mana from the enemy. Enemy has to have mana in the first place for it to work, though.
Offense Up α - Get pissed! Boosts strength and confidence depending on caster's power and receiver's power.
Defense Down α - Throw the enemy off their game. Makes them slightly more vulnerable to physical attacks.
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Inventor: Marigold Knowledge, the Tri-Magi Love Child
-Inventory-
Weapon: Spectrum Shotgun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Filled with foil chip bags to conduct the mana, and it is transmitted into a wind stone. Upgraded to draw mana from a simple wooden block filled with immense magic reserves, giving it virtually unlimited ammo. The addition of a battery and a prism allow it to fire seven rainbow colored beams at a wide spread, which deal non-elemental damage. Firing long enough allows them to focus and deal incredible damage, at the cost of insane recoil and instability.
Arms: Nothing
Body: Custom Adventure Dress - A custom dress made by Alice. Provides slight defense against magical and psychic attacks. Now allows freer movement with a shorter skirt, and a more flexible material.
Misc: Swirly Glasses - Lets Marigold not be blind.
Backpack - Allows extended inventory. Aged relic from the Kourindou.
Unnamed Lock Opening Device - Opens locks very precariously. Made with steel, burnt cloth, packaging peanuts, thumbtacks, string, and wooden wheels. Don't even ask…
Ruler - Lets you measure the world around you!
Protractor - Lets you find the angles of anything ever. Totally overpowered.
Scotch Tape - Transparent adhesive from the outside world. Weak, but handy!
Deck of Cards - Allows Marigold to play Strip Poker with the party. Just kidding… or am I?
Shield Killer - Electrical device used to subdue harassers. Has settings ranging from Tickle Torture to Arse Blaster. Fires electrical projectiles, of unknown power.
NF Burst Gun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Uses a Pop Gun as the base, but amplifies its power with an array of random batteries jammed into the base with the Pop Gun. The more batteries, the better, but the typical yield is about five bullets per trigger. Spamming the trigger doesn't make it go any faster, unfortunately. Has no foreseeable ammo limit, and the batteries are only there for mana circulation, meaning their power is really inconsequential.
Holmes Brand Designer Hat - Village swag! A retro village hat that ceased production ten years ago. Sells for a pretty penny nowadays, but it's pretty useless otherwise.
Slime Generator - A bulky box that shoots a small splat of slime. Doesn't seem good for much.
Counter-PSI Device - A weird device Marigold found from a flying saucer. Works in strange ways, and seems to disrupt everyone's concentration. Marigold is immune to its effects.
Charm of Sleep - Grants immunity to sleep while equipped, or held. Can be equipped to Arms or Misc.
Microwave Gun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Constructed with a controlled flame crystal and metal parts, it fires a beam of sustained microwave energy that cooks biological foes alive. Fire-elemental at its core, it's also very inefficient against machines.
Defense Shower - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Made of a broom, a showerhead, some magnets, and uses jars of water as ammo. Slapped together with ofuda, giving it a holy defensive effect. The jars are usually filled with Talcum Powder, for alchemical purposes. The liquid that is dispensed becomes auto-applying lotion.
Heavy Bazooka - An invention developed in part by Kappa Tech and Marigold Knowledge. It shoots heavy fire-based blasts of fire magic, and deals high knockback. It was constructed by stuffing some fire and gravity stones into a tube, adding a cap on one side to direct the fire, and hooking a magical wire to the handle. Nitori did most of the work, though...
-Skills-
Uses A Bazooka As A Pillow - What if it goes off.
MP Rage - Restores MP on damage taken! Because, y'know, she can use it!
Fluffy - You can tell that I'm running dry at the ideas bank, here!
Flies Passenger Airliners - In her spare time, I assure you.
Smokes Meats On The Barbie - Barbies make good kindling.
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Fighter: Hiyori Hashimoto, the Buddhist Oni
-Inventory-
Weapon: Mace of Devas - The last of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Ability to whack stuff really hard. Increases critical hit rate by lieu of being a really big, blunt, spiky weapon. Allows partial blocking of magic attacks.
Arms: Shackle of Devas - The first of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Grants immunity to sleep-inducing magic. Grants fifty percent resistance to wind and thunder magic.
Body: Kimono of Devas - The second of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Grants immunity to paralyzing magic. Grants fifty percent resistance to fire magic. Insanely durable. Has a floral design to it…!
Misc: Bows of Devas - The third of the four treasures held by the Devas of the Mountain. Grants immunity to confusion-inducing magic. Grants fifty percent resistance to ice magic.
-Skills-
PK Starstorm α - Summons forth the stars from the night's sky to rain down upon enemies. Hits all enemies, and deals high magical damage, at the cost of being highly mentally taxing. Can hit allies if they're in the effective area, as the white stars don't have homing properties. Power proportional to amount of enemies, as well.
PK Fire α, ß - Creates an igniting blast of flames at the target's location. More impact comes with higher tiers.
PK Freeze α, β, γ - Generates ice crystals at the target's location. Medium damage and effect; may freeze some targets, especially wet ones.
Shield α, ß, Σ - Halves damage the target takes. Only works against physical attacks, and enough strikes, or powerful strikes, will dispel it. Higher tier turns it into a power-shield that protects even better and even reflects a fraction of protected damage. Highest tier applies a basic shield to the entire party.
Lifeup α, ß - Heals target a little. Higher tiers heal more grievous wounds, like bone fractures.
Healing α, ß - Heals basic status ailments. Higher tiers can cure more dire effects, like burning alive.
Teleport α, ß - Allows instant transport to the general location of an area remembered by oneself or one's party members. Requires a long, fast run-up to execute, however. Higher tier is largely automatic and requires little room to execute.
Martial Arts - Skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
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Author's Note:
JESUS THIS TOOK FOREVER
bloody college, yo…
that, and i'm in the newspaper club, so i write articles now and again
in any case, end-game start HYPE yo
added in ANGRY MONONOBE just to spice up the PREPARATIONS; she's a fun fight to write, especially when ai blended some of XALDIN into her attacks
her OLDE ENGLISH isn't as onpoint as in FREAKIN GENSOKYO because the proofreaders/editors're different, and this one's not OCD when it comes to YE OLDEN LITERATURE, which is KOO
as always, see you all next time!