Author's Comments: Welcome folks, one and all to Touhou Chronicles!
Real life issues prevented me from writing more than I wish I did here. I apologize for that. But, for now... Let us update this chapter with a bang! Or should I say, with an interlude?
I hope you all enjoy the read, and I'll see you next time! Huzzah!
[Interlude – Location: Eientei]
...Nothing.
No sound. No whispers. No fire, brimstone and wind at all.
The great forge had stopped for a whole day... How long has it been since I've seen her dead like this? Its dark atmosphere engulfs me completely like a melancholic mother, its very eyes are closed as if she did not want to acknowledge herself. It's... Not a pleasing sight, I'd rather see her lit.
But I can't manage it.
There's something wrong with the forge, and I don't know what it is.
...Can I wake her up?
Garrote "...Gh... Cough!"
Ugh...! Nothing.
The forge isn't responding... There's definitely something wrong... But what is it...?
My hands are shaking. ...Please wake up. I don't want you to stay shut.
I want you to open your eyes.
Look at me.
...Look at me.
Eirin "Look at me. Garrote."
Garrote "...Hm...?"
The man in bone armor shook.
His eyes slowly opened as his mouth dripped from a liquid he could not guess what it was. His head wobbled tiredly as he tried to move his limbs only to realize he couldn't. His arms and legs were numb, and possibly tied down - he could not tell.
He rose his eyes to the woman clad in red and blue before him, whom he recognized as Yagokoro Eirin, the Brain of the Moon and the creator of the Hourai Elixir. She looked at him with a disdain that did not fit her at all, and Garrote blinked at her as his senses started to return.
The room was dark and damp, almost completely devoid of illumination. A faint silver light was the only thing allowing him to see that what was before him. The Brain of the Moon was sat on a chair with her legs crossed... Almost as if expecting something to happen. Garrote laughed lightly to the situation he was in.
Garrote "I have nothing to say."
Eirin "I don't need you to. Since Komeiji Satori can read your mind and your heart – we already know what we wanted to know. All I wonder now is how the patient is doing."
He rose his head as the strange liquid poured from his teeth some more and slid down his chin. His hazy eyes focused on the Lunarian and she gazed at him back with strength. He knew she wasn't lying.
Eirin "Actually, she might have seen way too much. You got a pretty weak conviction on yourself, Garrote. One should not give away everything he's got just like that."
Garrote "It's impossible to hide your intentions from a satori..."
Eirin "And yet, your intentions came to us on their own. You cannot fool yourself as much as you wish you did. ...Or should I say you don't hide your intentions, but force yourself to do what you don't want to all the same?"
Garrote "...I do not force myself! ...I serve my master as a warrior should!"
Eirin "Then take pride in your master, Whitesmith. For he has abandoned you to his enemies like disposable thrash. Just like you knew he would."
A harrowing moment of dark silence took place before Garrote opened a smile to himself, and once again rose his tired head to face the Lunarian, who was still gazing at him, unfazed.
Garrote "His objective is more important than me. If I got captured, it only means my blunder makes me a burden..."
Eirin "Don't lie to yourself or I'll rip your tongue off, mister."
Garrote coughed more of the liquid as the sense of smell and taste began to return to him at a steady pace. Eirin put her hand on his chin and raised his head, forcing him to face her. She analyzed him slightly and released his chin.
Eirin "Hm. Seems like I managed to remove it successfully. You can thank me later."
Garrote "Remove...?"
Eirin "Your leash, so to speak. Your... 'reward' for obeying Morrigan blindly and without question. For allowing him to search for his so called 'utopia'. His 'destiny'. What a bad joke, that is."
A slight pause took place before Eirin sighed heavily upon the armored man's silence. She knew she wasn't going to get much out of him at this point.
Eirin "Where do your loyalties lie, Garrote? On your master? On yourself?"
Garrote "Kh...! What the hell you want from me?"
Eirin "I want you to look at this world and see it for what it is. The rest... is up to you to decide. Followed by all of the consequences of your actions and decisions."
She stood up defiantly, walked towards him and released the binds from his hands and feet as she walked towards the entrance of the badly lit room, turning her head to face him once more.
Eirin "Go to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Whitesmith. You will see what I mean with this. Stay at the Eientei for long enough, and I will finish you without a second thought."
And she walked out the room, closing the doors behind her with a single pull from the knob.
Thump
[Interlude – Location: Kappa Village]
"...T-They are back! Nitori-san, they are back!"
At the very foot of Youkai Mountain, the small village of the Kappa lied like it was part of the scenery from the very start. The village risen in a waterlogged field, it was the perfect place for creatures such as the Kappa to live and prosper - to invent and to create. And they did for as long as they can remember. Perhaps it was thanks to their inventive nature, the village was oddly distributed and shaped with metal canisters, houses on top of other houses and a few holes they ended up opening up with non-intentional dynamite testing. For as non-intentional as that can be.
Though the Kappa of Gensokyo are lively and easily excited by nature, now it was only a shadow of its former self. Its energy stripped from its carcass like a leech on a nasty open wound. Their once bustling with activity building grounds were now filled with orbs that emanated power to their Golem shards, and the only Kappa that was there... Was Kawashiro Nitori herself.
The calls of the Kappa from the waterlogged village echoed through the now silent building grounds as the runner from the main part of the village came forth, bustling with panic as she called to the blue-haired inventor.
She rose her eyes, caught completely by surprise. She had received instructions that Bijou would not return to the village for a small while, the news of her sudden return made the inventor punch the small prototype she was working on into bits as soon as she heard the footsteps of the incoming party. Her eyes gazed angrily at the entrance of the village and she saw the woman with lion feet striding towards her, her face now immersed in complete satisfaction.
Bijou "Good morning, Nitori-san. Working well on the maintenance of the Golem Central I take it?"
Nitori "This thing you call a 'central' is medieval, Bijou. You can't expect me to upgrade this crap with the few scraps of equipment you've given me!"
Bijou "Well, If it is so medieval, you can find manners of fixing it with the tools at your disposal! We know how to make wheels already, don't we? ...But no matter. I think I found a way to solve the energy shortages due to the Golem Shard factory. You girls! Move it!"
And following her orders, the three Kappa behind her advanced, carrying an unconscious man with them on their arms. Nitori blinked as she looked at the troupe, and looked left and right in worry.
Nitori "...Only three? You advanced with four, didn't you? Where is Nijou-san?"
Bijou "Hm? Ah, yes! Such a glorious display of ultraviolence that was! But thanks to such, we managed to capture and subdue this wondrous source of magical power! He is leaking it, see? We even had to sedate him a few times on the way back. This man is incredibly resilient."
Nitori's eyes opened in horror as she launched a quick look at the three Kappa who looked extremely solemn. She quickly put two and two together as she gritted her teeth and bared them to the woman with lion feet, the feeling of anger filling her completely.
Nitori "Bijou! What the hell is wrong with you? We are not your toys! You're going way too far with what you are doing!"
Bijou "You are right, Kappa. You are not my toys..."
Her voice darkened up heavily as she glared fiercely at the girl. Her guts started to hurt almost as if it was turning into stone as she grasped her chest and fell to her knees, her face distorted in pain.
Bijou "You are my slaves. And it is the job of a slave to obey its master's orders to the letter... Be it sacrificing themselves completely... Be it killing your own kin. This chimaera is disappointed with you, Kawashiro Nitori! I figured your species was smarter than that."
Nitori "...Go... Blow it out your ass...!"
Her retort made Bijou's eyes flash with amusement as she launched a last grin at Nitori before kicking her violently down to the ground and turning her back to the group, walking back towards the makeshift factory they rose in the middle of the building grounds.
Bijou "Encase this clod in a Shard and suck his magic supply dry! We'll use him to power our Golems and take over Youkai Mountain for Morrigan!"
Nitori "Cough! ...What a disgusting bitch! ...Girls, are you OK?"
Kappa "We are fine, but Nijou-chan..."
Kappa2 "...We couldn't do anything. Nitori-chan, what do we do? We don't want to obey that woman anymore!"
Nitori "Y-Yeah. Don't worry girls... If the Tengu are smart enough, we'll find a way to set ourselves free really soon. ...But while that doesn't happen..."
Her eyes landed on the unconscious Shinki. She recognized the colors of the clothes he was using - the staple and mark of Yagokoro Eirin, the Brain of the Moon - and her mind raged with the enthusiasm she did not have for quite some time. She opened a smile and grabbed him by the arms and raised him from the ground... Her grin making the other Kappa smile with her...
Kappa "N-Nitori-chan?"
Nitori "Guess what? It's time for a little payback."
[Interlude – Over]
[Narration – In]
[Location: Kappa Village]
…
...Hm.
...What...
Oh. ...Wait, what was I thinking again...? Was I even thinking at all?
Nitori "Please, can you grab that one for me? ...Thanks!"
...Oh yeah! The Kappa!
They... Are helping me.
Despite me blowing the head of that one off... The Kappa are really helping me. I don't know what the hell they are doing, but they really are helping me. I don't feel that much pain anymore...
I feel like I finally understand what is going on with me. I wonder... It really feels like I've been nuts for a really long time...
Cough
Nitori "Oh, so you're awake? Don't force yourself so much, you might break this stuff off."
I can't move very well. What the heck is she doing?
Shinki "Grunt... It feels like you're inserting a barbed wire on my veins..."
Nitori "Really? Well, I guess I'm being way too nice, then!"
Shinki "You wouldn't know what being nice is even if it slapped you across the face."
...Wait, that didn't come out right.
Shinki "What are you doing to me?"
Nitori "Hmm, it seems you're still experiencing a few backlashes from the Power Core you have inside your system. I dunno who you got this from, but it is totally pushing you full speed at the wrong direction. Does that make any sense to you?"
A bit, yeah. But that's not what I want to know.
Shinki "Is it too hard to just answer the fucking question?"
Nitori "That's exactly what I was talking about, see? This is an extremely violent Power Core... Whoever had this inside of them previously was batshit NUTS. I'll say. Can you tell me how the heck you got this absorbed?"
Shinki "No."
Nitori "That's too bad. Here comes the sting, so watch out for it."
ZAP
BBBRRRROOOOAAAAHHH!
Shinki "DIGGILY MIGGILY AAGAGAGAGAGA!"
HOLY SHIT! What the hell did she just do to me?
Shinki "Gah! Fuck! ...What the... ...Hey! I'm feeling better."
Nitori "...Hm! Of course you are! I am an expert after all!"
I don't get it!
Damn! I'm feeling good again!
That angry on my head just vanished like it never existed! Are you serious, how is that even possible?
…
Hey, you know what? I don't care. Why should I care? I'm back into the game!
Huzzah!
Shinki "Damn, I don't know what you just did, but allow me to say you are awesome, lady!"
Nitori "The name's Nitori. ...But let's cut introductions short. Now that you are back into sane realm, let me brief you into a few basics regarding your condition, yeah? First things first, you're not losing your mind anytime soon. You're still leaking with power and it's still growing steadily, but at the very least that thing's not going straight into your head anymore. I fixed that for you."
Once again, HOW ON EARTH IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE? What are the bad news, water-head lady?
Nitori "This still doesn't fix your power constantly growing and this field of irritating you got going on around you. Aya-chan wasn't kidding when she said you were an Anti-Mage... All the Golem Shards were rendered useless and had to be transported because of your presence. Not that this is a bad thing."
Shinki "Lady, if you don't mind me asking... How exactly did you fix my head? You didn't put anything in it, did you?"
Nitori "Not really. All I did was overcharge it with electricity instead of magic. The shock overrode the magic and your brain went back to normal. Your previous 'sane but angry' mode was before I zapped it, so you should be fine now."
…
I'm...
I'm not even going to ask how this works. I think it's better like this.
So, let's assess the situation at hand. How fucked up am I?
Well, my legs and arms are fine but they are bound to this really weird lamp-shaped machine. They are sucking my magic pool at a rather slow rate, and it's being pumped someplace I can't tell. Glorious.
These binds are pathetic and they look really wimpy. I can break out anytime I want...
Shinki "Uh, I don't mean to sound like a dick, but this machine isn't really keeping me from escaping."
Nitori "I know, and that's the whole point. You are overcharged, and that's the whole reason regarding this baby here. ...Say. You wear the colors of Yagokoro Eirin... If it's not much to ask of you, can you please listen to what I have to say?"
…
Listen to the girl that just saved your mental health, overall sanity and quite possibly your trousers as well?
Yes
No
Shinki "...Punch it."
And now she looks at me like she's been sucker-punched. I'm not going to understand the why of this anytime soon.
Nitori "Ah! T... Wow. I'm surprised! I was thinking about w-what you would do if you refused, but... You accepted it right off the bat! I don't even know what to say!"
Shinki "Well, for starters? You fixed me. This means you're on my good side. This means I'm gonna help you. Can't promise I'll achieve your expectations, but... Say it. I'll do what I can."
Dear blimey, her smile is radiant and filled with renewed hope!
Does this have something to do with that Bijou bitch? I can bury my hand on her face anytime she wants. Come on, woman! Say what you want me to do! Say it!
SAYEEETT!
Nitori "Right! So... What I want, is to ask of you to smash this Kappa village into bits."
…
OK. That's not the target I was expecting.
Shinki "Reason?"
Nitori "Slavery."
Shinki "This doesn't make much sense, does it?"
Nitori "More than you'd think, actually."
Shinki "You do realize that beating Bijou's brains out is a more effective way of liberating the Kappas, right?"
Nitori "You do realize Bijou is a chimaera, right?"
...Oh.
Well, that changes everything!
Nitori "Physical contact with her IS possible, but I'd recommend against it. I..."
Shinki "Yeah, yeah. I had my share of chimaeras on the past. I can deal with them, but I'd rather not. I hate playing hopscotch."
Seriously, I hate that game.
Nitori "...How does that game and chimaeras intertwine at all?"
Shinki "Ah, it's sorta complicated, see? Their blood interferes with the game rather spectacularly. It's a rather intricate thing - you must make sure the chimaera is surrounded by her own blood at the same time you must not touch it at any costs for obvious, napalmy reasons. As you use her own blood to trap her around, you must lit it on fire and then you must kick her off the trap while avoiding getting burned yourself, and-"
Nitori "Please stop. I'm sorry I asked."
Shinki "Yes you are."
...I hate deadly chimaera hopscotch.
But, with this part of truth established the way it was...
Shinki "So, care to elaborate on the 'why' I'll smash this village into bits?"
Nitori "...Well, the actual target I'll ask of you to destroy is the Golem Factory. You know what they are, right?"
Shinki "Yeah. Your friend had one under her control back then. Those are pretty interesting Golems."
Don't make that face at me. I know what you are thinking.
...I spent way too much time looking into Satori's face, didn't I?
Nitori "...You... Remember? The Golem? The Kappa you killed?"
Shinki "I wasn't being mind-controlled as you very well know. I was just really nuts and angry - and really hungry. So yeah, I know what kind of Golem you guys have here, I know what they do and I know how to destroy them. ...I'm sorry about your friend, though that doesn't excuse me any."
Nitori "...Yeah. You sound awfully okay with that, though."
Shinki "I've done worse already. So, what do I have to do? Bash the Golem Shard factories, or what? I don't think this involves the whole village."
...That seemed to have put her back into mission briefing mode. And that is for the best.
Nitori "R-Right. The reason behind it, yeah? ...We are basically slaves to Bijou at this point. She used some sort of drug to keep us wrapped around her fingers, and she is using our manpower to build this Golem army and overthrow the Tengu; taking over Youkai Mountain for ourselves."
Shinki "Oh, really. That sounds like a stupid idea."
Nitori "I know! The Tengu are strong, and if not for the fact they KNOW something's wrong down here, we might as well have been crushed at this point!"
So they know? If that was the case, why they don't help?
...Maybe the Tengu are just waiting for something to happen...?
Nitori "So I want you to lessen the damage this situation will do to the Kappa and Tengu alike. By destroying the village, Bijou will have no reason to keep us under her control – allowing us to join forces with the Tengu and do something about the stupid Youkai that think all of this is really funny!"
Shinki "Oooh! A guerrilla operation at it's finest! So, when do I act?"
Nitori "...Not now."
…
Well, that was fucking insightful!
Shinki "...Well? And when will I act?"
Nitori "If you escape now, Bijou will have her time to do something about it, and she might as well punish us for 'keeping you under such a lame containment'. We can't risk that, can we?"
Shinki "So, what? You'll want me to sit on my ass and play with myself until something happens so I can pretend the facility I was in got destroyed, and then I'll rampage through the village? Is that it?"
Nitori "...That's the idea."
Marvelous bollocks. I am now thrilled. Filled with thrill I am.
…
Shinki "Please do something then. I want to make up for wasted time."
Nitori "Y-Yes! T-Thank you for helping us!"
Oh, really. Please, allow me to spoil your mood now.
Shinki "Thank me after I've done something. Until then, remember I killed that kappa by punching her repeatedly on the face. That'll keep you focused on your stuff."
Looking cross now, are we? That's called Grim Resolve. It's been a while since I've done that.
Nitori "...Soon enough, hopefully."
And she leaves while giving me one last annoyed look. She must be pretty conflicted about asking me to do all of that knowing what I did.
Maybe she wouldn't be that conflicted if I didn't constantly hit on that wound. I better stop doing that...
…
Wind Blows
…Hm.
Well, I'm bored.
Can something happen already, please...?
[Interlude – Location: Moriya Shrine]
Sanae "Hmm~! Delicious! I might say I surpassed myself with this one! What do you think, Suwako-sama?"
The Wind Priestess faced the empty space of the table and asked no-one with a dazed look on her eyes, proudly stating the cooking she prepared for four people as if it was a masterpiece.
...Youmu blinked in dread as she felt the very air oppressing her shoulders, the atmosphere of the temple was stressing her greatly. She couldn't stop looking behind her at every given moment, fearing something would jump at her from behind.
Youmu "Sanae-san, we should leave this place. There is clearly something not right...!"
Sanae "Eeeh? What do you mean with that? ...You're talking strangely today, Youmu-san. Are you paranoid about something?"
Youmu "...More like I cannot fathom what is actually going on..."
She rolled her eyes across the room and saw that despite it being well-illuminated, it still felt so damp and devoid of light, Youmu couldn't help but cringe on her own seat.
The Wind Priestess still wobbled on her own space as if she was heavily drugged, and that worried Youmu the most. Whatever was it that made Sanae like this was beyond the gardener's comprehension. She was obviously thinking that everything was normal and up as it was supposed to be... Though to the gardener herself, everything felt so old and crumbled it was almost like the land was cursed...
...Cursed...
Youmu "Could it be...? Moriya-dono's work...? She is a curse goddess, isn't she?"
Sanae "Hmm? What was that?"
Youmu "Nothing! ...I mean..."
She threw another look outside as her heart raced due to the mere thought of the situation. Whatever was going on at the shrine, the goddesses were not there and the land was filled with a dampness not entirely common, possibly cursed. She had no idea what was the matter with this place, and she knew not how to fix that. However, she knew what she had to do.
And she nodded to herself in confirmation as she rose her eyes once again to meet the Priestess'.
Sanae "Youmu-san?"
Youmu "Sanae-san. The truth is that I need your help."
Sanae "My help?"
Youmu "...Y-Yes. I do not know how knowledgeable you are regarding possessions, but you are the only one I can consult about this. ...Ah... I am possessed."
She felt her own innards boiling down her gut as she lied through her teeth, Sanae rising her eyebrows in confusion.
Sanae "Possessed? You?"
Youmu "Y-Yes. I don't know what it is, but it's making me see things. T-This shrine, for example. It looks so barren and crushed through my eyes it barely resembles what it is supposed to. I cannot see the goddesses, and I feel like I am being watched by something on my back that will attack me as soon as I stop paying attention to it."
Youmu's claim made her feel slightly better. She wasn't lying now, she was just manipulating the truth to some extent for the overall good.
Her master said that this kind of lie was OK.
Sanae "Well, I don't see anything wrong with you..."
Youmu "...R-Really."
Now, what?
I'm not good at lying... Maybe I shouldn't have said anything after all...! I'll feel terrible if she realizes I've lied... What do I do?
Sanae "What do you think, Kanako-sama?"
Youmu "..."
The weight over Youmu's shoulders got even heavier as she lowered her gaze slightly and started to sweat as she saw Sanae talking to the air with her full attention. Her hands clenched on her skirt tightly as Sanae nodded and repeatedly said "Yes, I agree." over and over again as if in a trance.
And she launched a quick response look at Youmu, who jerked her head back in reflex.
Sanae "Youmu-san, let's go see if we can do something about your problem!"
Youmu "Eh? R-Really? ...Um, I mean... Yes?"
Sanae "You are being possessed, right? Maybe Reimu-san knows something! Maybe she can help!"
Youmu "..."
And she nodded uncomfortably at Sanae while displaying a very tired smile at the Priestess as she grabbed Youmu by the wrist and tried to drag her outside, making Youmu accompany her if only for the sake of preventing the Priestess from trying to walk anymore.
Youmu "Sigh. I'm no good at this... I wonder how everyone else is doing..."
[Interlude – Location: Kappa Village Outskirts]
The Seven-Colored Puppeteer sighed heavily as her eyes fell sharply over the village of the inventors like those of an eagle.
She massaged her hands and fingers as she looked at the entrance to the place with her strong blue eyes, analyzing it as heavily as she could. The Kappa were agitated and afraid... Not the usual behavior of people that advanced the red light towards war. As far as she could see, they looked distinctively unhappy – downright insulted, even.
Her eyebrows twitched. "So there's definitely something here", she thought. "There's no way the Kappa would behave like this otherwise. Maybe I did find the Grand Prize after all...?"
Tenshi "Hey, Puppet Jerk! What are we waiting for? Let's just go in already!"
And she let go a cynical look at the Eldest Daughter of the Hinanawi, tagging behind her like a particularly annoying barnacle, constantly breaking her concentration with her claims and demands.
Tenshi "We know that what we are looking for are in there, so let's stop wasting time!"
Alice "Hinanawi-san, if you keep barking I will run a sword through your eye."
Tenshi "You're the one that agreed for me to tag along. Don't go complaining now!"
Alice "...If memory serves me right, it was you that came to me with no idea what to do. So unless you want to risk every opportunity we can get, I suggest you stay silent. Even I have a patience that eventually grows thin."
She felt the sudden urge to launch a threat, but there was no need for that. The truth is that Tenshi was going the same way she was after all. A cooperation between the two was an optimal choice.
Alice "So Katsura-san is somewhere in there..."
Tenshi "Yeah, he is. I don't know what was that other light I saw, but he's definitely in there. There's also a lot of stuff that I never saw before... A few buildings made of metal and wires? I think it's what the humans call a 'Factory', I'm not really certain."
For as amazed as she was, this was not the time to admire the Kappa's work, if it even was their work. They needed answers... And just standing there would not give them what they wanted. Alice stood up, decided.
Alice "Very well. Let's go in."
Tenshi "Oh? That's nice, I thought you were just gonna massage your fingers a little longer. Whom do I break?"
Alice "...No one."
She made a small gesture with her hands and summoned a warrior doll, grabbing its sword before dismissing it again. The Celestial made a bothered face in response.
Tenshi "Then what's the point in going in? Aren't we going to attack the Kappa and bust Shinki out?"
Alice "First things first, we do not know where he is. Second, the Kappa are not at fault. Third, one of them is probably the mind behind this mess. I want to capture the boss alive... And for that I need to set an ambush. Don't mess this up, Hinanawi-san. This is for Gensokyo as much as it is for Katsura-san."
The Eldest Daughter then scratched her head with her free hand as she brought the Sword of Hisou to her shoulders, letting go a heavy and annoyed sigh as she looked at the kappa with her tongue in between her teeth
Tenshi "Then hurry up with your stuff. It's really hard to step on ants without crushing them."
And with that, they rushed to the entrance of the village.
The few Kappa at the entrance had no chance to react. As soon as they saw the two approaching as quickly as they did, they had already been bashed on the head by a rock, and hit by the blunt edge of the sword. The girls rushed inside the village while passing through a few of the Kappa, hitting them with their weapons as they ventured into the village...
Alice "I have a message from Kotohime to the Kappa Village! ...You are all under arrest!"
Tenshi "If you don't die first, that is!"
[Interlude – Location: Kappa Village]
The Kappa Village suddenly became a battlefield as the two girls advanced through the lines of the Kappa, beating them and crushing them as they passed through the unprepared ones like a hot knife through butter.
The few ones that initially managed to summon Golems proved to be a greater challenge to the Seven-Colored Puppeteer than the rest. She'd swing her steel towards the mud beast but it wasn't enough to bring it down, forcing her to jump back and aim for the Kappa instead. The Golems would then be crushed by the Celestial with a single hit, crumbling down to her ability to control the earth.
As they advanced, the confusion on the village only got greater and greater. The Celestial hopped high up in the air and tossed a keystone on the ground more than just once as she landed on top of another Kappa, keeping with progress without stopping even once. As she did so, her eyes landed on the Puppeteer who'd swing her sword on yet another Kappa, knocking her out cold as she stood up and breathed deeply in, sweat starting to appear on her forehead, her hands visibly shaking due to the exercise.
Tenshi "Hey, you OK? If you're not used to using a sword, then leave it to those who are!"
Alice "I am fine! You keep going up, I'll clean this place up!"
As they nodded to one another, Tenshi ran up the village while crashing down on a group of Kappa with her rocks as of custom, while Alice brought her hands up and grasped the sword with both hands as she kept wailing down on the straggling group of Kappa that were attempting to summon more Golems. As she knocked one with a single sweep of the blade, she brought her hand forward and grabbed a Kappa by the neck - threatening to stab her in the heart with the weapon. She hissed threateningly to the shivering girl who was just about to cry, her eyes narrowed with malice.
Alice "Where is the one that made all this mess?"
Bijou "Ooh, such a great display of threatening skill! Though you don't have to look for your target any further. I'm here, I'm here."
Alice "..."
A side look from Alice confirmed the presence of the woman with lion feet to her right. She released the Kappa, who then proceeded to run away as quickly as she could to hiding. Alice threw an analyzing gaze to the woman and she rose an eyebrow in wonder. She was not close to being anything she heard before, and certainly not what she was expecting to be.
Alice "...You certainly don't look like a mastermind to me."
Bijou "How perceptive of you to see what I am not. All I am doing is following orders, though I'll admit I had my share of ideas for this place myself. I'm impressed, however! I was expecting an attack, but I forgot that the Champions of Gensokyo were muscle-headed barbarians... I didn't think this through as well as I wish I did."
Alice "You didn't. And now it is time for me to ask you a few questions."
Bijou "And I apologize for not feeling inclined to answering them at all."
And with that, Alice advanced fiercely while swinging her sword in a wide arc straight towards Bijou's torso - who just jumped backwards – making the attack whiff completely. She blinked in concentration as she jumped while bringing the sword down yet again, which got deflected by Bijou's left shoulder... And Alice opened her eyes in surprise.
The Chimaera smiled and opened her mouth in the range of a single breath - letting go a spit of flames that reached to the puppeteer and nearly incinerated her completely as she jumped back in pure reflex, avoiding the attack well enough so she wouldn't get scorched by it. Bijou couched in surprise as she tapped the wound on her shoulder, which was superficial. She was unhurt.
Alice "Chimaera...!"
Bijou "Bingo! You get things quickly, don't you?"
She stepped forward while more liquid fire dripped from her teeth as she smiled yet again to Alice, who readied her weapon for another charge in response.
Bijou "Undercooked...? Or maybe fried? Baked, perhaps? I wonder what taste would suit you better?"
Alice didn't answer, as she advanced yet again with sword in hand, wailing down on Bijou as she stepped back and avoided the attacks as well as she could... Which was very well. Alice's attacks were clumsy - and even if they were strong - they lacked any sort of precision to them. The Chimaera laughed as she parried the blade with her knuckle as it gashed through her skin the same moment she spit even more fire at the puppeteer who jumped backwards to avoid it once again by a small thread.
And now, the blade she was using was splintered. Alice's eyes fell upon the hilt of the sword and she sighed to herself. There was no way progress would be made like this.
Bijou "You are a terrible swordsman, my dear. You are tired already, though I can see it's because you have no idea how to use a blade at all... What a waste of a competent person... You can take that compliment for all that is worth."
The Puppeteer rose an eyebrow to her statement as she smiled lightly to Bijou. The Chimaera opened her mouth once again, her eyes falling over Alice with loftiness...
Bijou "I will give you the benefit of a last word, if only to spare your own dignity."
Alice "...Thank you. I'll make sure my words are as well-received as they can be, then..."
And with a small pulling gesture she made with her left hand... Bijou was hacked on the back by three dolls that sprung from the ground like landmines with blades.
GASH GASH GASH
Bijou "GAH!"
Alice "I am not a sword user."
The hit took Bijou completely by surprise. She was pulled from the ground easily by the impact, which gave Alice more than enough time to release the sword and to summon a lance-wielding doll right up front, hurling her towards Bijou like a charger, hitting her right on the stomach and dragging her all the way to one of Tenshi's keystones... Which then cracked on impact with the charger doll and Bijou's back.
THRROOOOOOOM
The shattering of the keystone released an earthquake that quite literally exploded upon release. The dust and debris that rose from the attack was dense and thick due to the water and mud, and it subdued quite quickly for the same reasons. Alice took flight and landed close to the area, looking down on the impact as she frowned heavily upon seeing the Chimaera genuflecting before her, trying to stand up, covered in mud.
Alice "I am Alice Margatroid, the Seven-Colored Puppeteer. And you are going to answer a few of my questions."
Bijou "Hack! Cough! ...Y-You little...!"
Alice "[War Sign – Little Legion]!"
Alice did not give her time to say anything else. She summoned more dolls and immediately gave them the command, and they pierced Bijou's arms and legs, raising her up in the air once again and hurling her without mercy towards a metal building, making a loud metallic bang as she was pressed against the surface, keeping her suspended in the air as she tried to pull herself back to the ground to no avail.
Alice "First things first, where is he?"
Bijou "...Ah? ...Ah! Ahahahaha! S-So, you are a friend of that clod? I see, that answers a few questions. ...I should have known he was not just a random trophy...!"
Alice "It seems I did not make my question clear enough..."
She pulled the strings and the dolls followed the movement, fiercely pulling Bijou off of the metal surface and rammed her back against the ground, making a solid thud and keeping her pressed against the mud with only her face off of the water. Alice approached the Chimaera enough to be able to stare daggers at her eyes.
Alice "Katsura-san. Where is he?"
Bijou "Cough! ...You are something rather fierce, aren't you...? It really did take me by surprise... What a blunder from my part...!"
And with that, the Seven-Colored Puppeteer summoned another doll, and threw her nonchalantly towards the Chimaera, who didn't waste a single moment to spit fire at the doll...
Who then exploded violently as soon as it made contact with the flames.
BOOOOOOMMB
Bijou "GAAAHAH!"
The exploding doll hurled Bijou across the mud, water and cinder and crashed her against a rock, making a cracking noise that echoed loudly and unpleasantly through the village grounds. Her mind dazed as she felt sharp pains jolt over every bit of her body as she mustered enough strength to look up to Alice, who stood up before her once again, looking dangerously unimpressed towards the Chimaera... Sighing heavily before dismissing the previous dolls.
The Seven-Colored Puppeteer channeled magic. Her whole frame shone gold for a brief second as she put her arms down to her sides, her puppeteer strings now visible, reflected on the light as they wavered due to the magic power Alice released in such a colossal quantity it made the hair on Bijou's neck stand...
Alice "[Testing – Goliath Doll]."
Flash
A giant doll.
An enormous doll about five times the size of Alice herself was summoned behind her with a pair of swords the size of trees on each hand. The golden flare that emanated from the summoning made the Chimaera close her eyes for a second as she gazed upon the Goliath before her with a face of pure astonishment.
The Puppet Master advanced while putting her hands forward, the strings on her fingers were all leading to the great doll, making her move and prepare her blades for the command of her master. Alice frowned one more time to Bijou, as her voice came out once again with the tone of command.
Alice "Tell me where he is or I will impale you. I will not repeat myself a third time."
Bijou "N... N-Nice toy."
SHUNK
The Goliath shoved the blade down Bijou's left arm without mercy.
Bijou "AARGH!"
The blood of the Chimaera tainted the sword, but it was the sword of a doll. No matter how poisonous or deadly it was for living beings, a doll is not alive. Alice slowly pulled the sword towards Bijou's torso as she let go a grunt of pain, the weight of that monster pressing against her was more than she expected... And the Puppet Master's eyes flared threateningly once again, spotting the golden light that was emanating from the doll behind her.
Alice "So? Will you open your mouth already?"
…
BA-KOOOOOOOOM
Shinki "I'LL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!"
Alice "Well. ...I do believe I got that answer."
Bijou "...Fantastic."
[Interlude - Over]
[Location: Kappa Village]
Well, then! I don't know if that was convincing nor if it was necessary, but whatever! I'm free, and I want to do shit!
I have no idea what the hell's going on at the village, but I don't give a damn. I have to break these Factories first, right? Mr. Nuke on right hand, say hello to property damage! HURL-HO!
BOOOOOOOMB
...Aaah. The glorious sound of destruction reaches my ears with the tempo of a maestro. So let's do this again, on that other building! ...Right after I stomp this Kappa on the face.
Baff
Kappa "Ngha!"
Hey! I gotta play convincing here. There's no point in not doing this right, after all.
OK, now I can resume destroying buildings. More nukes! I can throw them! Full Power Total Destruction!
BOOOOOMB BA-KOOOOOM
BOOOOOOOOM
One by one, the buildings start to collapse due to the shower of power I release without giving it a break.
And I'm not going to! Did anyone see just what I did to that big Factory there? I'm steaming power through my nipples over here; I am a monster truck that walks like a man!
Not really, but you get the freaking idea!
Shinki "Though this is going rather easily. ...Where the hell is security...?"
I mean, If they even thought that far. They might as well have put shiny buttons with the "self-destruct" label all over this damn place. I mean, really now?
Whoever built this shit, they certainly were in a hurry! Oh, wait. Bijou. They WERE in a hurry.
Never mind! My point has become invalid.
…
Wait. What the hell is this shadow...? Up abo-
HOLY SHIT A GIANT ROCK! It's...
It's... A giant rock that's gonna miss me completely.
THROOOOOOOM
…
Nice.
If that was supposed to be a meteor, it lost instant 40 points for not being on fire. Though that's gotta be a pretty smelly rock...
That smell is kinda familiar. Actually...
...Oh. Wait a second. T-This is...
Tenshi "Shinki!"
Le Gasp, it is! No wonder why that thing had such a bad aim, now everything makes sense!
Damn.
That was harsh of me. Even... Considering what I did. It doesn't make me feel any better.
I don't know what I should do, now. I did kinda try to eat her face, didn't I? I wasn't being controlled at all, so it makes me feel kinda guilty about it...
Tenshi "Shinki, are you OK? Look at me!"
And she jumps out of the rock while looking at me as if I just escaped a containment cell. What the heck?
Oh. Never mind. I was supposed to be insane, right?
Maybe it was my yell? I guess it was more effective than I thought...
So she's the one that is attacking this place? Is she on her own? I don't think so, because I can hear stuff happening all over this village...
...All over...
Shinki "..."
What do I do?
I can hear combat everywhere. I can hear the buildings rattling and the ground trembling slightly. I can hear... Is that Alice's voice?
...I...
I do believe this was over before it even started, ladies and gentlemen. Who would have thought?
Tenshi "S-Shinki? ...Do you recognize me?"
And now I am left with this dilemma, in case I should follow Nitori's instructions to the letter.
Oh dear. How do I answer to this...?
...
Well. Actually...
You know what?
Shinki "Well. There goes my plan to escape while wrecking everything, pretending to be still insane. I'll have to re-write my contract with the Kappa, later..."
Oh! Oh! Look at your smile! It really feels like it's been a long while since I've seen that!
...Heh.
Shinki "Sorry for worrying you like I probably did... Ah."
Hey. She didn't even say anything before hugging me.
...More than just fair enough. I don't care if you allowed me or not, I'm hugging you back.
It's comforting, isn't it...?
Shinki "Oh, how the mighty have fallen~"
Tenshi "Shut up. I was worried!"
Shinki "...Hehe. Thank you. I mean it."
Well. That hug was short lived, wasn't it?
I do believe that is for the best. This is a 'battlefield' after all.
Shinki "So, tell me. What's going on up there?"
Tenshi "Aaahn... The Puppet Master is dealing with some stuff I don't care about, mostly. I came here to take you back, and so I did. We can go back, now."
Well. Talk about being methodical. I do have a better plan, though.
Shinki "Sure, let's do that. But how about we destroy these Factories first?"
Tenshi "Eh? Why?"
Shinki "It's on my contract. I'm to just blow this shit up! Can't be simpler than that, can it?"
And of course, I'm still not convinced about the safety of these people with just that if Morrigan was involved with what happened down here.
...I'm pretty sure I'm feeling the stench of the cursed...
Tenshi "Very well. If you accepted it, then it's only fair you finish your task. Do you want some help?"
Shinki "Nah, it's OK. You can just stand there and look pretty while I do all the-of course I want help you dimwit."
Heh! I see your sense of humor has gotten better! Are you starting to understand the old ways, now?
Tenshi "Fine. I'll keep doing what I was doing, then."
Shinki "Knock knock."
...Tilted her head again. Bah. I thought to soon.
Tenshi "...What?"
Shinki "You still fail at understanding the old ways, Hinanawi Tenshi!"
And I resume bashing on the buildings with my fists, making them crack down under the all-mighty overlord that is known as Property Damage.
The smelly ones go down, first.
[Interlude - The Hell of Blazing Fires]
...Hell.
The only place in Gensokyo that was called as such innapropriately, at least when Komeiji Satori was sitting on the throne of the Palace of the Earth Spirits.
Now, it was overrun by the undead. Creatures that lived through the touch of necromancy, the zombies and skeletons that patrolled the grounds of Old Hell were the most lively beings one would find amongst the otherwise empty halls and walls. Blindly following the commands of the one that stood inside the reactor of the Hell Raven, untouched by her scorch. Untouched by her rage. Untouched by the fire.
The same could not be said about the Princess of the Moon that was with him inside the reactor, however.
Kaguya "...This is hot."
Morrigan "You can bear it. You don't die, do you?"
His answer made the Princess of the Moon cough slightly as she tried to move, but could not. The shackles that held her were tightly keeping her from moving more than just her head, and even then it wasn't much. The Hell Raven blinked in confusion as she tried to move herself, but her legs wouldn't take her anywhere. The runes keeping her in place were still active, and there was nothing much she could do.
Utsuho "You bastard, what are you trying to do?"
Morrigan "I'm just entranced by that was is before me. I never thought that too much life was ever possible to obtain, but my theory has proven to be incorrect."
He walked towards Kaguya as she quickly gazed at him with a curious expression, the sweat starting to pop from her forehead as she tried to look at the raven though her positioning was terrible for that. She opened her mouth and breathed in deeply, the air on the reactor being scarce and dense. She was not used to that.
Morrigan "This is magical, isn't it? Your life does not extinguish no matter how hazadous a place is for you! What would happen if I were to rip your arm off...?"
SLASH
Kaguya "NGYAH!"
Utsuho "Wha- What's with you, you crazy bastard!"
With a slash from his hand, violet flames were launched by the movement and it tore Kaguya's right arm clean off like a blade. He picked the limb from the ground as blood spurted from it a few times... And it stopped.
The limb desintegrated slowly as it appeared back on Kaguya's torso like it was never cut off. His eyes were wide open in amaze as she was healed once again, seemingly unhurt. He let go a heavy laugh from the bottom of his heart.
Morrigan "Hahahaha! Would you l-look at that! It is real! I shouldn't have expected anything less, but it IS real! How does this work? How is it possible? You're frozen in time? Are you constantly regenerating? Do you get older? This is insane! No, this is genius!"
Utsuho "Lady, you OK?"
Kaguya "Y-Yes, I'm fine. ...Um... Morrigan-san, right? You're never going to get anything from me as a test subject. Won't you pretty please let me go?"
GASH
And he answered by using more flames around his arm and shoving his hand on her torso, opening a wound big enough to fit his fist right through her body and into her heart... Whom he crushed nigh instantly due to the impact of the hit.
The princess stopped moving completely as he pulled his bloody hand right from her body, spurts of blood flowing from the wound as Utsuho watched the scene with a face that displayed utter horror. She gritted her teeth and launched another wild look at the man, who wasn't paying any attention to her - his eyes fixed on the princess...
And her body jolted on its own, the wound closed so fast it really seemed like what happened just did happen again... But in reverse.
Kaguya "Gasp!"
Morrigan "...Unbelievable..."
Utsuho "L-Lady! ...You crazy bastard, why don't you go kill yourself? No! Don't do it! I'll be the one to kill you! I'll butcher you alive!"
Morrigan "...Be quiet, Hell Raven. A King's role in a story is to rule unopposed forever. The instant you are free from your cage... Is only when I decide you are not worthy of my time any longer. I'll probably end up feeding you to the dogs."
Kaguya "Cough! ...Ugh. What was that you said...? King...?"
His eyes narrowed as he opened a smile to the lunarian princess, his mind focusing back on her frame as he did his best to understand how her regeneration worked, to no avail.
Morrigan "Kingship is acquired as soon as one becomes eternal, Lunarian princess. It has been like this since ancient times."
He brought his hands up, showing the flames he created and making them disappear with a snap from his fingers. Kaguya's eyes were those of curiosity as he chuckled to himself, his hair fluttering to the denseness of the reactor.
Morrigan "...Such is the true beauty of life. Denied from me ever since I realized that what I saw."
Kaguya "Life...? You mean, immortality...?"
Morigan "Ah! Ahahahaha! You deny it? Or are you just amazed at hearing the truth? Haven't Yukari told you before that life is meaningless if one cannot experience death, yet still live all the same? How most youkai live, I'll say! Cursed forever!"
The girls looked at him as if he was speaking nonsense. He smiled sheepishly as his hands slid over his hair, his eyes flaring gold with the same intensity Yukari's eyes had...
Morrigan "Nay. Nothing lives forever, Houraisan Kaguya. Life is short, no matter how long it is. What is a hundred years to the planet? A thousand? Even if one achieves his moment of glory today, his existence will be gone before anyone takes notice... Because everything does not stop moving forward."
Kaguya "I don't understand. What are you trying to say? That eternity is a blessing?"
Morrigan "No. I am saying that eternity is life... Because it does not extinguish."
He walked towards the Hell Raven as she bent her knees at his approach, gritting her teeth furiously at him as he leered at her and the flames she generated.
Utsuho "Come closer and I'll fucking disintegrate you!"
Morrigan "Yukari was the same. Despite knowing that she was not complete, she refused to see it. She called me a monster. She cursed me with... This."
He then showed the skin of his hand. It started to decompose slowly before their very eyes as a yellow smoke started to leave his hand, and it eventually started to rot... Decay... And a skeletal hand was now everything that could be seen instead of his flesh and skin. He smiled as he launched purple flames towards the golden fume, and his hands absorbed the result, returning to its original state.
Morrigan "...I admired her. When I knew nothing, when I was foolish and young... She was everything I had. She was still a toddler at that time, believe it or not! About this size... Though I believed she was larger than life, back then. I remember she had a master, though he was a foolish man with no future to his life due to his old age. He died before I even knew how to bend magic to my will... And then she taught me in his stead."
He ignored the threatening leer of the Hell Raven and walked forth and back, his mind swaying in nostalgic memories as the Lunarian Princess opened her eyes in surprise.
Morrigan "One day, however... She grew wise. Intelligent. It was such a sudden change it baffled me. She was already greater than everything, but then she suddenly became so much more. Her eyes glowed gold as her demeanor towards life grew more imponent... And that's when I knew she had reached enlightenment in a way I knew I could achieve. She used her own powers on herself to acquire what she did! It's genius when you think about it, is it not? It had escaped my mind completely up to that point... Though when I realized it, I knew I could finally become closer to what she was... And then I did the same."
He chuckled. His eyes fell upon the Princess as she walked towards her and looked deep into her eyes, his flaring as intense as the miniature sun behind him.
Morrigan "It went horribly wrong. My body decayed instantly, as soon as I opened the gates of my mind. My eyes went rotten and died out, my skin became tainted and peeled off by the wind... But then I was back. Yakumo Yukari restored me to my former self, and with that, my mind expanded. Just like I expected it to... In a manner of speaking."
The Lunarian Princess blinked in confusion. His speech was not fully comprehensible, and yet...
Kaguya "S-So, you didn't reach the same goal? Is that it?"
Morrigan "The same goal, yes. But when you look at something from a different angle, you'd be surprised at how different a vision can be. Yukari saw the same thing I did, and yet... She refused to aknowledge that life was a blessing. Even though she always had it on the palm of her hand, she refused to take it. Ever since that day, I found myself dead... As you could see by yourself just now."
Utsuho "Dead? So what, you're a corpse? I'm not really surprised."
Morrigan "Perhaps the same could be said of all humans and youkai at the end... Don't you eventually die? Won't you eventually cease to be, for as prolonged as your life may be? A life that lives for so little time and that has so little impact on the planet... Such a life has no meaning. It's just a waste of time. I mentioned this to Yukari before. The result of her answer is that what you all see happening today."
Morrigan rose his flaring eyes as he spoke, the Lunarian Princess jerked her head backwards in surprise as he smiled towards her, his teeth showing as he resumed speaking.
Morrigan "She cursed me. Said I was a monster. That my vision of life was flawed, corrupted! That my life was gone and because of it I aspired to live forever, alongside eternity. Alongside my dream... wich I embraced before I disappeared... And the only thing keeping me from crumbling back into dust... And into nothingness."
Kaguya "Your dream... What is your dream, Morrigan-san?"
Morrigan "Isn't it obvious? I want to fix the problem of death in this world. I want to give it the life it deserves! A world that never ends; that is what I want."
Utsuho "You're an imbecile."
Kaguya "...Y-You're saying you want to give the whole world immortality? That's not...!"
Morrigan "If the king is eternal, then there should be no reason for his kingdom not to be, either. Isn't it obvious? ...Now. Your immortality, Houraisan Kaguya. Will it recover your head if I were to remove it as well...?"
SLASH
Utsuho "LADY!"
Static
Female Voice "You claim you are King even though you rule nothing, Morrigan. You should focus on that what is before you, first."
A voice echoed through the walls of the reactor as a small golden portal opened up, revealing the face of a blonde woman with irregularly cut hair. She curled one of the locks on her forehead as she launched a smirk at Morrigan, who dismissed her claim with a wave of the hand.
Morrigan "That will be fixed soon. A king that is not fit for the role will not rule anything. I am still not eternal."
Bijou "You would be considered eternal somewhat if you were to hide, but... Whatever. I'm here to report on my status, since it's been a while. Am I interrupting your fun?"
Morrigan "Not quite."
Bijou "Right. The Tengu are proving to be more annoying than I expected... No wonder these miserable failing clods were afraid of going up forcibly. Though the Golems are turning up quite nicely, I managed to find a huge source of power in the shape of a man, and we're draining his magic dry as we speak. This will probably speed up things a bit up here."
He blinked in response to her debriefing as he opened his mouth in curiosity.
Morrigan "A man... Bijou, is that-"
Bijou "...? Wait up, something's wrong."
A few noises could be heard across the portal as Bijou sighed and looked to her side in disapproval. She shook her head in disappointment as she dismissed the noises with her hand, looking back at Morrigan.
Bijou "Tsc. Really, now. These people don't know how to do anything on their own. Failures such as they are...! I'll go deal with it. Morrigan, you try to do whatever is it you want to do."
Morrigan "Wait, Bijou!"
And the portal closed before he could say anything else.
He clenched his fists in thought as they raged through his mind as he looked back at the regenerating immortal, her body jolting in place as her head returned back to her shoulders, her eyes falling on him again as she resumed breathing heavily.
Morrigan "...I wonder. I don't like this at all."
He stepped up and jumped out of the reactor. The claim from Bijou made him stride towards the Palace of Earth Spirits while leaving the Lunarian and the Hell Raven behind, his eyes focused on the army of undead before him.
Morrigan "It's just one problem after the other... This is starting to get on my nerves."