Chapter 7: The Forest of Magic
A very gloomy day has come to Gensokyo. The sky is covered with dark clouds as it continues to rain. Nijiko looks up from her book as she is studying Magic as usual. Due to the rainy weather, today Kourindou do not get any customers, which gives her a lot of spare time. She has already finished her usual clean-up around the shop, so there is not much to do. Even Rinnosuke took the opportunity to have a nap: the half-Yokai shopkeeper is currently asleep on his chair behind the counter.
"It seems it is going to be an uneventful day." Nijiko thinks as she looks back down into her book. The girls is currently reading about the ingredients of Magic, such as those mushrooms growing in the Forest of Magic.
Suddenly, the door opens, causing the door bell to jingle as a familiar voice calls out:
"Yo! Kourin! Nijiko-chan!"
A wide smile creeps to the face of the heterochromatic girl as she recognizes the voice: Its Marisa! She inmediately runs out of her room as Rinnosuke wakes up as well. Marisa shakes the water off of her umbrella and squeezes her wet witch hat, throwing both aside afterwards.
"Mari-san!" Nijiko runs to her friend.
"What brings you here in such a terrible weather?" Rinnosuke asks.
"Cant I check on my favourite pupil?" Marisa asks with a wide grin and winks at Nijiko. "I am here to check her progress, ze. Even the foul weather wont stop me if I wanna do that!"
"Oh, I see. I thought you are gonna take something, like usual." the half-Yokai shopkeeper sighs.
"So, can I ask, how are you doing with your studies?" the witch turns to Nijiko.
"Well, actually quite well. I have manage to turn that flash into a technique called Dazzling Aurora. I is quite useful, if I have to flee from a powerful adversary. But as for my light sphere..." Nijiko puts her hands together and forms her familiar rainbow-colored light sphere. She then hurls it upwards, which then pops into a few colorful sparks. "I am still working on trying to turn it into that so-called Danmaku..."
"Hmmm, its definately a progress, but you still have a long way to go." Marisa remarks. "And which book are you studying currently?"
"This one." the heterochromatic girl shows the book. "About what Magicians need in order to perform their Magic. I didnt know that one actually have to replenish the Magic with these mushrooms and stuff."
"Well, this decides what are we going to do tomorrow. A field trip, ze!"
"A field trip?"
"Yes, we are going to visit the Forest of Magic and collect ingredients. It is a very important part of being a Magician, ze." Marisa says.
"But Marisa, dont you think it is a bit too early for Akimitsu-san to go into the forest? She might not be able to handle the toxic environment..." Rinnosuke responds.
Hearing this, Nijiko gulps. She remembers what Reimu told her about those mushrooms and their poisonous spores, a reason why she should avoid the forest.
"No problem, I have thought about everything, ze." the witch tells him. "I have made a potion personally for Nijiko-chan to grant her temporary immunity to the spores."
"Is that going to work, Mari-san?" Nijiko asks, being unsure about it.
"Just who do you think I am? Marisa Kirisame, the Ordinary Magician, ze!" Marisa declares, pointing towards the sky. She then winks at Nijiko while doing a V-sign with her right hand. "You can leave everything to me, ze."
"Just dont come to me crying if she gets lost in the forest. Remember, she is your responsibility." Rinnosuke says with sarcasm.
"Hey, I know that, ze!" the witch snaps at the shopkeeper. She then turns to Nijiko again: "Alright, lets meet up tomorrow morning in front of the shop. Luckily, it is going to be a sunny weather again, ze."
"R...Right." the black-haired girl nods, but still uncertain.
"Then it is set." Marisa picks up her hat and her umbrella. "See ya tomorrow, ze!"
The witch then opens the door and soars away on her broom. Nijiko glances after her friend, as she is beginning to have some doubts about this. She knows that the Forest of Magic is dangerous, especially with all of those threats like the poisonous mushrooms, carnivorous plants and feral Yokai. On the other hand, Marisa would protect her. With that immunity-granting potion, as well as guarding her from certain Yokai attacks. After all, this upcoming trip would contribute to her development as a Magician. What does not kill you makes you stronger, right?
...
On the next day, Gensokyo wakes up to a beautiful sunny morning. The clouds are no longer obscuring the sky and the sun is shining brightly, illuminating its celestial realm. Nijiko is already seen preparing for the trip, filling a backpack with important items, such as food for lunch, flashlight for navigating in the dark forest, as well as the book she is studying currently.
"Alright, I think thats all." she says.
"Did you pack everything?" Rinnosuke asks.
"Yes, I made a list yesterday about the items I would need and I double-checked: I have everything I need."
"Okay. And there is one more advice: never wander away from Marisa, stay close to her. She is knowing the forest more than anybody else, since she lives there."
"Thanks I am going to keep that in mind."
Then, Marisa shows up, soaring across the sky riding her broom. She spots the two and descends:
"Yo! Just in time, ze! Hop on, Nijiko-chan!" the witch motions her pupil at her broom.
"Oh, alright..."
Nijiko was still uneasy about riding the broom, remembering for the first time she was doing so, with Marisa flying with neckbreaking speed. Despite this, she climbs on behind the witch.
"Do you have everything you need?" the Ordinary Magician asks.
"Yes." Nijiko nods.
"Then drink this, before we go." Marisa takes out a vial containing a purple liquid and handing it to the heterochromatic girls. "It is the potion I made to make you immune to those toxic spores. Be sure to drink it all, ze."
"Is it safe?"
"Trust me, its 100% safe, ze!"
Encouraged by Marisa, Nijiko takes a deep breath and drinks the potion. It tastes horrible, almost causing her to gag, but the heterochromatic girl pulls through to endure it and manages to drink the whole.
"Blergh, this is horrible!" she almost throws up.
"Not all Magic potion are sweet like honey, a Magician has to endure things like this." Marisa says. "Alright, next destionation is my house, ze!"
"Huh? We are going to your home first?" Nijiko asks.
"Yes, since that is where we are going to begin our field trip. Lets get this show, on the road, ze!" the witch ascends into the sky on her broom.
"Make sure to keep Akimitsu-san safe and return by sunset." Rinnosuke tells Marisa, to which she nods and grins:
"Dont worry about that, Kourin! We are now departing, ze!"
"Wow, I am gonna see where Mari-san is living. I cant wait." the heterochromatic girl smiles at herself then waves back as they depart from Rinnosuke. The half-Yokai shopkeeper glances after them as the duo leaves:
"Be careful Akimitsu-san."
...
It takes only a short time for Marisa and Nijiko to arrive at the formers home. It is a small Western-style house with yellowish-brown walls and dark roof tiles. It is located on a clearing, surronded by a lot of trees and mushrooms.
"Alright, we are here, ze. Be careful since the ground is a bit muddy after the rain yesterday." Marisa says as they slowly land.
"Oh right." Nijiko slowly hops down, making a slight splashing sound as she lands in the mud.
"We are going to need some rubber boots. Follow me." the witch instructs her pupil as she opens her door.
Nijiko gasps, seeing all of those items scattered everywhere.
"Hakurei-san and Margatroid-san were right, her house is indeed a mess..." she thinks.
"Now, where did I put those boots?" Marisa opens a closet and begins to throw several kinds of shoes out. As she is doing so, Nijiko takes her time to look around. The house was like trash heap, even moreso than Kourindou before her arrival. Books, Magic Items and vials were laying on the floor, on the shelves and even on Marisas bed.
"Shall I help you?" she asks the witch.
"No thanks, I manage." Marisa replies and exits the closet, holding two pairs of rubber boots: one black and one purple-colored. "You see? Here they are, ze!"
She then gives the purple one to Nijiko, while she herself puts on the black one.
"Wow, it fits me like a glove!" the heterochromatic girl remarks after she put them on.
"Well, they are also Magic Items, they fit on anyones feet, regardless the size." Marisa explains, then picks up a basket. "Alright now, we are going to collect some Magic Mushrooms. Particularly the ones look like Fly Agaric, but have white star-like patterns on their red cap, as opposed to the normal spots, ze."
"I think I know which one are you talking about, I have red about it just yesterday." Nijiko thinks back. "And what about the other ones, like the Reishi or Shiitake?"
"We would need the Reishi as well. It is a mushroom with powerful healing proterties, ze."
"OK, I got it."
The two girls then leave the house and head out into the forest. Nijiko shivers a bit as she looks around the dark woods. The trees are so tall, that they obscure nearly all sunlight, plunging the forest floor into darkness. Due to this, the undergrowth is sparce, only moss, lichen, some ferns and a lot of giant mushrooms are present. The heterochromatic girl even feels the heavy spore-filled air on her skin.
"Oh my, it is like straight out of a horror movie..." she remarks.
"Nijiko-chan, please remain close to me. It is easy to get lost within the forest." Marisa responds. "And more importantly... get eaten by a feral Yokai, ze!"
"WHAH!" Nijiko gets startled. "Please Mari-san, dont scare me like that. Its more than enough for me that Cassida is doing so in daily basis."
"Just dont sweat about it, if we get attacked, I would just blast the offender into the next dimension, ze!" the witch grins confidently and shows up the Mini-Hakkero, a rectangular object with a ying-yang symbol on the middle.
"If you say so..." the black haired girl sweatdrops. She lights up her flashlight, while Marisa uses her Mini-Hakkero to illuminate their dark surrondings.
"Hey, what kind of item is that?" the witch asked, pointing at the flashlight Nijiko holds.
"It is called a flashlight. In the Outside World, many of us uses these to light our way in the dark. It uses electrical energy stored in batteries and converts it into light." the heterochromatic girl explains.
"Wow, now you sounded like Sanae. Cuz, I dont really get it, ze."
"Sorry if I bother you with the explanation... Wait, who is Sanae?"
"Sanae Kochiya, she is the other shrine maiden here besides Reimu. She resides in the Moriya Shrine atop the Yokai Mountain. Believe or not, just like you, she is also from the Outside World, ze. I bet you two would make great friends, ze."
"Wow, an another person from the Outside World?" Nijiko is surprise to her that. "I would like to meet her."
"The Yokai Mountain is very dangerous, not to mention that outside of Sanae herself, no humans are allowed to go there, ze." Marisa replies.
"Oh..."
"However, Sanae often comes to visit Reimu in the Hakurei Shrine and occasionally even Kourindou. I am sure that you are definately going to her meet her sooner or later, ze."
"OK, I cannot wait." Nijiko smiles as her mood is now lightened. An another girl from the Outside World...
...
Nijiko and Marisa then proceeds continue their trip in the forest. The black-haired girl is awe at seeing the mushrooms that are even taller than her. Some are even glowing in the dark. She and the witch quickly find those mushroom that was talked about: the ones with the red caps and star-like patterns on them. Nijiko has read about them: they were slightly posionous for a normal human like her, but for Magicians, they were essential to regain the Magic they used up. Luckily, the toxins could be removed when boiling. However, she was shocked to see Marisa eating them raw.
"Are you okay, Mari-san?" she asks.
"I am prefectly fine, ze." Marisa responds and offers one: "Want some?"
"No thanks for now... according to my knowledge, mushrooms are not recommended to be eaten raw."
"One you become adept in Magic enough, you are going to see them in an another light, ze." the witch says.
"Because she is not as resistant to poisons as you are, Marisa Kirisame..." a distorted voice can be heard echoing through the woods.
"Ah... who is... that?" Nijiko cringes.
"Remain with me, ze." Marisa pulls her appritence closer to herself.
"GRAAAAAAAH!" suddenly a figure pops up in front of them backlit by one of the glowing mushrooms.
"KYAAAAAAAAH!" both Marisa and Nijiko screams as the latter jumps back in terror.
"Leave us alone, ze!" the witch throws some star-shaped light bombs at the figure, which all pop in moderate explosions. The mysterious figure seems to be getting scared by the attack, as it flies away. Marisa catches her breath: "And dont even dare to come near us again, ze! Alright, its over. Lets continue our trip Nijiko-chan." She then looks behind her, only to find that Nijiko was not there anymore. "Nijiko-chan! Where are you?"
At the same time, the mysterious attacker is seen behind a nearby tree, revealed to be none other than Cassida!
"Sheehs! That witch always overreact things..." she sighs and being satisfied, goes to her own way.
...
Meanwhile, unaware that Cassida was the scarer, Nijiko runs for some minutes, then stops behind a tree, catching her breath:
"Man, that was scary. What on Earth even was that? Are you alright, Mari-san?" but there was no response. "Mari-san!"
Nijiko looks around: the trees are looming around her menacingly, looking the same from every directions. It just dawns in the unfortunate girls that she got lost.
"Mari-san, where are you?" she yells, but only its voice what echoing through the woods.
Having no other option, Nijiko decides to try to find the direction where she came from. However, it was easier to be said than done. The forest was all the same all around: trees, bushes, mushrooms... and even more mushrooms. Soon, Nijiko decides just sit down and wait, since walking around and around just would make her getting lost even more. She sits down onto a fallen log, which gives off a creaking sound from her weight.
"KYAH!" Nijiko jumps up in surprise.
"WAH!" suddenly an another person also springs up in startle. The heterochromatic girls points her flashlight to that direction, revealing the familiar Tortoise Beetle Yokai.
"Cassida?!" Nijiko is surprised to see her.
"Man, it seems that you are the one who startled me this time." Cassida said with an awkward grin.
"What are you doing here the Forest of Magic?!"
"Well, you see the Forest of Magic is actually my home. When I saw you and Marisa to enter, I thought it would be fun to scare you both, but I guess it went a bit too well..."
"I should have known..." Nijiko frowns and begins to tear up. "This is why I dont like Yokai like you. Just pranking people, without any remorse what could you cause with those pranks. Like me gettin freaking lost!" she falls down to all fours as she is crying. Cassida loses her smirk seeing the black-haired human girl getting so upset at her. Honestly, she was beginning to feel bad to her.
"You know, I cannot help it, it is our nature." the Tortoise Beetle Yokai explains. "Us, Yokai, need those negative emotions, such as fear, to feed on and sustain ourselves. Of course, I am doing it because I enjoy it, but... I am also doing it in order to survive."
"Huh? In order to survive?" Nijiko stops crying and looks up at Cassida. "I thought Yokai are eating people."
"Well, only some Yokai does. Others, like me, are only going for harmless pranks and jumpscares without harming our victim."
As Cassida has explained that, Nijiko widens her eyes. It seems she has misjudged the Yokai based on her first impressions and her bad experience with Rumia.
"I... I am sorry for yelling at you like that." she stands up. "It seems I have misjudged you, because of my hasty first impressions."
"No, its me who have to apologize for getting into a situation like this. You are right, sometimes I am not caring about the consequences of my jumpscares..." Cassida fidgets with her hands, while blushing. "Hey, as a form os apologize, can I... show you the way to where Marisa is?"
"Wait, really?" Nijiko asks, having caught off-guard by the request of the Tortoise Beetle Yokai.
"Yes. I wanna make up for this mistake. And of course, I dont want to lose my favourite target."
"Oh..." the heterochromatic girl briefly takes on a funny deadpan expression.
Suddenly, a growling sound can be heard from the bushes, causing both Nijiko and Cassida to perk up. Much to their terror, a large black wolf with glowing red eyes jumps out, pouncing at Nijiko.
"Nijiko-san!" Cassida yells and pushes her out of the way, getting pounced down instead.
"Cassida-san!" the heterochromatic girl also calls out. Luckily, the Tortoise Beetle Yokai landed on her belly, so her hard elytrae prevented her to take damage. Wasting not time, Nijiko formed a small sphere of rainbow-colored light in her hands and hurled it at the wolf. Although it was still launched at moderate speed, the sphere still managed to hurt the canine a bit after it popped on its muzzle, causing it to release the Beetle Yokai. She then grabbed Cassida by the arm and begins to run.
"Wow, your Magic is definately improving little-by-little." Cassida compliments.
"Its not the right time for compliments!" Nijiko responds as she looks behind them, seeing the wolf running after them.
"Then we have to get away as fast as possible. This Wolf Yokai do prey on humans."
"Just why do I have to be always chased by some kind of canine Yokai!" the heterochromatic girl complains as she remembers the incident with Gina in the Human Village. "Mari-san, where are you?!"
Despite them running fast, the Wolf Yokai is faster and almost gets them when...
"Blazing Star!"Marisa suddenly comes seemingly out of the nowhere, slamming into the wolf using her broom powered by her Mini-Hakkero. The canine yelps in pain as it is knocked into a tree, but gets back up.
"Mari-san!" Nijiko exclaims, being extremely happy and relieved to see a witch.
"I told you to remain near me, ze! Now see what you have gotten into." Marisa scolds her.
"Hey, you were just as scared as I was!" the heterochromatic girl argues.
"I can confirm it, since I was the scarer." Cassida smirks.
"A... anyways, more about that later, ze." the witch gets a bit flustered, then turns towards the wolf. "And you wont snack on my pupil in anytime soon, I will make sure of it, ze!" she points the Mini-Hakkero at the canine, charging it up as it becomes cloaked in blinding light.
"Nijiko-san, GET DOWN!" Cassida tackles Nijiko to the ground.
"MASTER SPAAAARK!"Marisa shoots an enormous beam of light, which completely engulfs the wolf and destroys everything in its path, then causing a large explosion in the distance. The attack is so strong, that the recoil from it forces the witch to take some step backwards, as well as whipping up a shockwave, forcing Nijiko and Cassida more onto the black-haired girl looks on with opening one of her eyes and is completely baffled. Marisa is this strong?!
"Wow..." she sweats, seeing the trees fallen all over where the attack wroke havoc.
"Oops, it seems I overdid a bit, ze." Marisa smirks awkwardly.
"That is an understatement!" Cassida yells.
"Well, do you want some as well?" the witch now points the Mini-Hakkero at the Tortoise Beetle Yokai, causing her to gulp.
"Please, go easy on her." Nijiko said, standing between them with her arms stretched out. "Cassida-san saved my life earler."
"And here I thought she only exists to jumpscare people, ze."
"Actually, thats her whole thing. This is something I just learned." the heterochromatic girl smiles at Cassida.
"Alright, it seems thats it today, ze." Marisa puts her weapon away. "We are cancelling the trip for now, since we had too much of a thrill for a day."
"I agree..." Nijiko nods.
The two human girls then proceed to get on Marisas broom. Before they go, Nijiko looks at Cassida:
"Thanks for everything. For saving me and teaching a bit more about Yokai."
"Really no problem. And watch out, because I can guarrantee you are going to see me very soon." the Tortoise Beetle Yokai gave her a playful wink.
"Oh yeah..." the heterochromatic girl sweatdrops as she is reminded that the jumpscares are far from over.
"Alright, hold on tight because next destination is Kourindou, ze!" Marisa announces as they fly out of the forest, heading towards the antique shop.
"I hope we can be friends one day..." Cassida says to herself as she waves after the two human girls. She has to admit, she has grown to be fond of Nijiko. The Tortoise Beetle Yokai smiles to herself and heads back into the dark woods.
...
Then, still in the forest, we can see the mansion where Alice lives, only this time, some trees were fallen onto its courtyard, only barely missing the house itself. Its because the Master Spark Marisa shoot exploded just in its near vicinity.
"I am going to get you back for this, Marisa..." Alice fumes by herself as her dolls are doing their best to remove the trees.
To be continued...
Authors Note: Sorry if the chapters take so slow to update, but I had some writers block recently when I was trying to come up with something to this chapter. I am definately working on this, so dont worry.