Touhou Duel Masters Cafe
Chapter 35 – Silver Key (2)
"Yeah… A Silver Key… Alright. We'll continue to investigate this symbol and what they're planning." Cutting the communication link with Yakumo Ran, Jonathan turned to the others. "Now that we've got this symbol of sorts...we can snoop around and find what's up with this... cult, or whatever it is. But now we've alerted them, so we should be careful and stick together, in case of another attack."
Michael nodded, along with Nekohana. Demon Subaru snorted instead.
"Now then...let's get to work."
Demon's Subaru scenting abilities proved to be more than useful, as after a few days of investigations the group had arrived at what seemed to be one of the main hideouts of the Silver Key cult. It had been masked by a magic barrier, and thus they were unable to sense the sizable amount of magic energy at first. Demon Subaru was however able to track down this hideout using the blood a few members they had defeated. Needless to say some of that was quite mess, much to the displeasure of those other than Demon Subaru. But since he was doing work, they decided to let it slide in the end.
"Should we knock?" As the four stood in front of an old abandoned factory located in the outskirts of the town, Michael smirked.
"I'll knock." Taking a step forward, Demon Subaru raised his fist, and throwing a straight punch the heavy gates blew inwards, leaving a gaping hole where they were. "Anybody home?"
"That works." Jonathan shrugged.
As the dust subsided, the group stepped in to confront whoever was inside.
"Why there.. What rude visitors we have." A voice chirped up, bouncing around the metallic walls. "I'm impressed that you've found this place."
"As if an abandoned warehouse wasn't suspicious enough, that is." Nekohana quipped.
"It doesn't matter much anyway... since you're all going to die here." A woman revealed herself, her long black hair tailing behind her. "For our great father... we shall not have anyone interfere with out plans. But before I wipe your existence off the face of the earth, tell me. How did you know about us?"
"That's none of your business." Michael retorted.
"Hmph. Very well. I shall pry that out of the brains of you skulls." The woman took out a grimoire, and opening, it she began to chant, the book's shining pages illuminating her face.
Skittering noises and low growls slowly filled the factory.
"This stench… They're not youkai." Demon Subaru sniffed the air and scrunched his noise, pawing his hands through his black hair. "These are different…and I haven't seen these before."
"Naruhodo…" Jonathan readied himself as he figured that the woman had no interest in dueling them to settle the matter. "Silver Key…I can see what's up now."
"Aah… Yog=Sothoth." His best friend muttered.
"Yog=Sothoth? What's that?" Nekohana cocked her head, but nonetheless readied herself for battle.
"An supposedly fictional, Lovecraftian deity that sits on his throne, the Ultimate Gate in the outer universe…and presides over time and space." Michael tensed up, smiling a little nervously. "Or rather…Time and space itself. An unfathomable being that possesses unlimited knowledge, and dwarfs almost anything in existence. Yare yare… To think that somebody is actually worshipping him… As much as I'm a Christian…sometimes it's just crazy to think that something like that exists."
"And if somebody's worshipping…he might as well be real. Or at least…there's something that actually parallels his existence." Jonathan continued. "…We can't let them reach or summon him."
"You're telling me…that something like that is real?" Nekohana gulped, as she tried to comprehend the reality of a being that is time and space itself. "I know the Christian God…but this isn't something you'd worship and pray to every Sunday. Right?"
"If the stuff surrounding us is any indication." Demon Subaru spat. "Yog=Sothoth... That's way beyond something even of youkai imagination."
"Do not utter out father's name so recklessly!" The woman screeched, but quickly regained her composure. "Now that you know what we seek...then there's no reason to let you go after all. Get them!"
At once the surrounding Lovecraftian mythological creatures, which were nothing but reality right now, lunged at the four, who scrambled and separated.
"Chi...!" Demon Subaru quickly changed into his true form to take on the attackers, becoming the large Lion youkai and dealt with the mass of abominations that included enormous spiders and Hunting Horrors, that were giant wormlike monsters that possessed umbrella-like wings on their bodies. "Hellvorof! Get them!"
Taking out a card, it vanished in a puff of smoke, and in its place was the wolf-plushie who shook his head.
"Master! It's been some time you've let me out!" Hellvorof yipped in delight. "...What's this place?"
"Questions later." Shishima growled, pointing at the coming wave of assault. "Deal with them first."
"Hiii!" Hellvorof stood stunned at the ominous monsters, and quickly turned his back and fled from them, being chased around as he did his best to dodge and evade.
"Useless fool..." Shishima grumbled, and once again turned to the mythological creatures.
"Kuh..." Michael, careful not to destroy the whole place and attract attention, summoned smaller versions of his creatures to deal with attackers, as did Jonathan, and they slowly cleaned up their enemies without eliminating the whole factory from the face of this earth.
"Roaargh!" Nekohana also turned into her true youkai form, and the lioness youkai tore away at the hordes of spiders and ghouls, along with the Moon Beasts that tried to stab her with their spears.
"Not bad... But how about this?" Chanting again, the woman grinned maliciously. It was not long before multiple stumps appeared, standing meters tall with numerous tentacles extending from the top that also seemed to make up their pitch-black bodies, and green sap dribbled from the multiple gaping maws all over their bodies. The grave like stench was so foul that Michael and Jonathan covered their noses, barely resisting the urge to throw up their latest meal.
"Dark Young...!?" Michael exclaimed. "They're supposed to be affiliated with Shub=Niggurath...!"
"Our father gives us unlimited knowledge..." The woman's lips curled back into a grin again. "We can summon a pantheon of creatures beyond your imagination."
"How is she summoning so many creatures at once...!? Does she have a limitless mana pool!?" Jonathan ducked another attack.
"Jonathan, this won't be doing any good if we prolong it." Katsuking MAX sliced a Hunting Horror in half with his sword. "If it's a summoning magic, then you know what to do." His master nodded and turned to Michael.
"Michael! We'll hold off the Dark Young and other creatures!" Jonathan told his friend. "Burn them with fire!"
"Nekohana! Find an opening! Get that woman, and stop her summoning!"
"Easy for you to say!" Nekohana bit at another Leng Spider, tossing its mangled body out of the way as she lunged at the woman.
"Hmph." Raising her hand, the woman sent a surge of lightning at Nekohana, stunning the lioness and throwing her back a couple of meters.
"Fool!" Shishima rushed to her aide, fending off the attackers that swarmed towards them. "Get up now!"
"Shut up...!" Shaking her head, Nekohana stood on her feet again, and tried to find another chance again.
Baki clutched a Dark Young in his arms, and a torrent of flame burst from his chest, burning the monstrosity to a crisp, while Shachihoko Kaiser plowed through more creatures along with Alphadios and Danganoh.
"Raargh!" Once again Nekohana leapt towards the woman, who just raised her hand again.
"You never learn don't you?"
"Not this time!" The lioness flung a card at the woman, and it quickly transformed into Doguraeater, blocking the bolt of lightning aimed at Nekohana.
"What...!?"
"It's over!" Pounding up from her creature's back, the lioness caught the woman in her jaws, who screeched in agony and fear.
"Yosh!" Michael turned to see the scene.
"Get those creatures out of here if you value your life!" Nekohana's throat rumbled as she tightened her teeth around the woman.
"I'll do it! I'll do it!" Struggling frantically, the woman chanted a few long verses of magic, and the attacks stopped eventaully.
"Ha... Ha..." Examining the cuts and bruises on his body, Jonathan stood up and cast a spell to quicken the healing.
"Kuh... ha... ha..." As the strengthening spells faded, Michael sat on the ground, gasping for air as his weak body succumbed to the stressful exercise.
"Are you alright, Master?" Premium Kiriko floated to his side.
"Yeah..."
The mythological monsters disappeared one by one into magic circles that appeared under their feet, and soon the ruined factory was empty except for the group of four and the woman in Nekohana's jaws.
"Repent and I will let you live, human." Nekohana growled.
"I do! I do! I'm sorry!" Tears rolled down the woman's cheeks as fear of death gripped her heart.
"..." Nekohana set her down as Shishima, now reverted to Demon Subaru and covered in a number of wounds, and Michael and Jonathan came to surround her.
"Please..." The woman sobbed, her oppresive attitude from earlier vanishing without a trace.
"...Give me your phone. You have one don't you?" Michael ordered. "And your password."
With trembling hands, the woman reached into her pocket and handed Michael a relatively new smartphone, and told him the password between her tears.
"..." Michael nodded at Jonathan after confirming the password worked.
"Tell us everything you know too. Where your main hideout is, and everything important."
"...That's enough." Michael finished typing on the smartphone, recording everything the paling woman said. "Leave the grimoire. And scram. The next time we see you, you won't be so lucky."
Nekohana reverted to her human form, panting, but still glaring at the woman in case she tried anything funny.
"I promise...I'm sorry... please..."
"Get out."
At once, the woman leapt for the open entrance, tripping along the way.
"...Alphadios."
"Understood." The Lord of Spirits pointed one of his swords at the escaping woman, and at once she disappeared in a pillar of light, without a chance to even scream.
All that's left was just a smoldering spot where she last stood, and this all played out in front of Nekohana's eyes. She stood there, staring at the scene, shocked as she felt her throat dry up, and anger welled up inside her.
"You...how could you do that!?" Nekohana protested in suppressed rage, twirling towards Michael. "She was...she already apologized!? What reason was there to kill her!?"
"..." Not giving a response, Michael clicked his fingers, and immediately Baki swung his sword at Nekohana, missing her hair by centimeters.
"What the fu..." She started in shock and disbelief and anger, but a skittering sound behind her caught her attention. She turned backwards to see a giant spider, as large as a human's body, its eight legs writhing in the air as a purple blood seeped from its ripped abdomen, lying on its back a meter or so away from her. After its futile struggles to get up failed, it eventually lay motionless, save for the occasional twitch of its legs.
"That's one of the reasons for doing so." Michael replied as the manifestations of his soul dissolved into particles of light. "She had kept one of the Leng Spiders when she apparently dispelled her underlings...so she had never intended to actually apologize."
"That's...still not fair." Nekohana bit her lip and she gripped her trousers. "What difference is there between you and youkai like this?"
"You seem to beautify humans too much." Michael replied as he knelt down and picked up the grimoire the woman had left behind. "In the end, they're all the same. Humans might shine more than youkai at times...but that's because they try to make the best out of the limited time they possess, which is much shorter than youkai's."
He tossed the black covered book to Jonathan, who ignited it with a fire spell and flung it away, watching as the flames slowly consume the pages.
"Humans, youkai, they all have their own goals. Sometimes you may talk about that youkai pride like Demon Subaru...but it's just an excuse to mask their reluctance to admit that deep down, youkais aren't so different from the humans they look down upon." Michael gazed at the clump of fire, crackling as the smoldering grimoire gradually turned into flying ash. "We all follow our own agendas...and the ends justify the means at times. Where there is light, there is shadow. If Reimu and the others are light, I...we will become the shadow to protect Gensokyo, whatever it takes."
Demon Subaru just grunted and turned his gaze towards the distance.
"..." Nekohana stared at the ground. "I will never recognize that ideology of yours."
"It's fine if you don't." Michael started walking away, limping a little from the fatigue. "We're not doing this for your recognition."
As Michael's footsteps faded away into the distance, Jonathan gave a light pat on Nekohana's shoulder. "Sorry for his words, don't let it get to you too much."
"Do you feel the same as him too?" Nekohana replied, not turning her attention to him.
"..." Removing his hand, Jonathan went to follow his friend. "...Yeah."
As silence enveloped the remaining two, Demon Subaru smirked. "Life's not fair, after all."
"..." The girl gave no comment in response.
"Like he said...you glamorize humans too much." The lion youkai told her, a tone of mocking, and perhaps a slight hint of pity, in his voice as he trudged off after the two humans. "But I told you so. Youkai can never become humans. It's better you give up that naive dream in the end. I thought you'd have learned that by now...but you're just a stray cat in the end."
Eventually, Nekohana was the only one left, standing in solitude as her fantasy of humans slowly fell apart.
Nekohana sat on a bench, gazing into her reflection in a cup of hot coffee in her hands. The body she now possessed was undeniably human, but under the skin, she was still a youkai.
She clutched the cup harder.
She didn't want to admit it. That deep down humans and youkai were the same.
The dream she had held on to for so long was crumbling to pieces, and stifled a sob as she drifted away into the past.
As she died in the Twilight Kingdom, her soul left her body, wandering around the human realm. She spotted a dying girl, the previous owner of this body; Sayo, and went into her body as Sayo's soul left. Taking Sayo's place as the child of her parents, she played the good girl for a few years. In the end, when the body was grown enough, she adapted the body to her needs, changing it into a youkai one in the process. But she continued to pretend that she was a human, and eventually she ran away from her foster parents. Come to think of it, her last glimpse of them was their devastated expression when they realized that their daughter was gone. She didn't look back after that.
Shishima was right. She was still the same youkai in the end, attending to her own needs that suited her. Whatever youkai pride he talked about, it was all nonsense too. Nothing like that existed in the first place. It was just some excuse to mask the similarity between their kind and humans, both positive and negative. His pride just prevented him from admitting too.
Nekohana looked up from her cup. In an alley, she caught sight of a robber, knocking his victim down with a punch and leaving with his wallet. Turning her gaze, she watched as an elderly gentleman help a young man with his tie and give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder to wish him good luck on his interview.
Humans...like youkai, there are benevolent and malevolent ones. Where there is light, there is shadow...
She pondered on Michael's words. Even though humans may be giving off rays of hope...they all work towards their own agendas in the end. They may benefit others...but may also harm them. Even if they aim to protect something, it may just be their ego that made them do so. They just lived freely, however they wanted.
She looked down again at her now lukewarm coffee.
Why... Why did she want to become a human again? Was it just because she had longed for the freedom she never possessed? Was it really because that humans had previously looked so bright to her?
She didn't know anymore.
"Weren't you a little harsh on her?" Catching up to his colleague, Jonathan asked.
"It's better to face reality sooner than later." Glancing at the former, Michael replied.
"Maa...That is true." Jonathan sighed. "Though you might've worded it better. You seemed to have been better at this in the past."
"Sorry for being straightforward right now." Michael huffed. "Blame all that's happened to us."
"...Ha." Shaking his head, Jonathan could do nothing but admit it. They too had changed a lot overtime, for better or worse, from they were in the past.
Demon Subaru trudged behind them, a sour look on his face as he remembered Michael's conversation with Nekohana.
Hmph... I won't admit it...that youkai and humans are the same. I won't...
He growled in frustration.
In silence, the trio headed towards the headquarters of the Silver Key cult.