(in which we make a bar brothel) (HEY HAVE YOU GUYS HEARD OF MATT CHAPTERS)
It has been all of about ten minutes. We have not screwed off like the guard told us to… nor have we stayed in the square.
Knock knock. I have brought my loli horde to Sekibanki's door.
…
Knock-
The door swings open. A woman who looks suspiciously like Sekibanki stares out, her hair long and unnaturally blond, and her coat the exact same except with villager rag coloration.
"Hello." I greet her simply. "...Would this happen to be the home of a miss Sekibanki?"
...After a moment, she shakes her head. "No. This is Bekisanki."
She attempts to close the door on me, except I put my foot in the doorframe. "It's nice to meet you, Bekisanki. May we spend the night?"
...She looks up at me, and smiles. "If you take your foot out of the door, sure."
…
I slide my foot out of the door-
Click. It closes. "I lied." I hear her voice from inside. "Go away."
Good.
...I glance back at my loli squad, before running my eyes over the door again-
"He~y…" Speaking up, Rumia points down the road. "I think they were serious about the 'shoot us with arrows' thing…"
Oh. As I follow her fingers, I see them, too. There is indeed a wall of guards congregating on the other end of the road.
We may not have time to interfere with Bekisanki, unfortunately.
"...Let's go." I gesture for the loli patrol to follow me. The alleys should get us somewhere safer…
"But…" Vanilla raises an inquiry. "Why are they looking for us…?"
Didn't that guard essentially tell us to get out or die? Not that it really matters…
"We'll be fine." I assure the loli friend. "I know a place." ...I don't know a place.
Moving into the alley behind her house, I hear the three stout ones pace quickly to keep up with me. The day is just beginning, but it's not getting much brighter due to the immense fog.
After a few turns and some droll back alley sight-seeing, we come to a dirt clearing amongst the plywood buildings...
Back here seems to be some trash cans, like the many other sections of alleyway. Interesting.
...I start to progress towards the straightaway out. I have an idea where to go, now-
"Women_and_children_off-guard." I hear a robot. I don't necessarily see a robot.
...Oh. Looking to my left, I see the robot come from a different deviating alley.
She's reminiscent of a fairy, except with abnormally long, multi-jointed legs. Her clothes and hair are hot pink, and in her arms she holds a big, metal instrument with a vice-like tip.
"It's a fairy!" Rumia observes, arms eternally spread. "...She's kinda funny-looking, though."
"...Big for a fairy." Vanilla shies away from it. "Way too big for a fairy."
...Shikome only notices it after everyone else has noticed it.
Its head seems to rigidly make eye contact with each of us, before speaking again. "Women_and_children_off-guard."
...Slowly, it starts to approach us, raising its vice-like device in the air-
Vrrr~. The vice slowly opens, various needle-like implements visible on the edges of the metal.
Shikome doesn't seem interested in it, but meanders towards it…
"Stop_where_you_are." Sighting Shikome, it makes a demand. "Human_child:_female."
...After blinking a few times, Shikome throws an arm out. Two tendrils whirl towards the robot-
Fw-vzzt! A sloppy, boxy energy shield lights up around the robot, as it gets thrown into the wall behind it-
Bam! In this instant, the energy shield progresses from a vibrant orange to yellow, to green, then to blue, before flickering out.
"We're_under_attack!" Slowly, the robot turns to the side, and begins trying to menacingly hobble away from us.
...After bringing the two tendrils back, Shikome sends them forward again-
Crack! They pierce the robot's form, crushing it into the wall. "Fzt-vzzt!"
Bringing her tendrils back-
Cla-cla-clack. Retracting her tendrils caused the robot to fall apart, wires revealed to run between each individual limb.
Thu-thunk. Shikome's tendrils escaped its torso by the time she retracted them fully, allowing the crumpled, ruined fairy-bot to lie at her feet. Good robot.
...Crouching down, she picked up the remains and stepped over towards the nearest trash can, which was behind us. Sliding off the lid, she dumped the parts in, and put it back on.
"That… was weird." Vanilla wasn't sure what to make of that. "What was that?"
"I dunno!" Rumia was indifferent. "It sounded like it was made outta bone."
...I guess you could say that.
/ / / / what doth LIFE (life, life) / / / /
We have reached the place I had in mind. Approximately.
I planned on going back to that house next to the Golden Grin that I had ransacked, only to find it still partially burnt and abandoned. Nothing to even loot, not that there was much to begin with.
...Stepping up to the house right next to it, I knock on the door. If I'm going to commandeer a house, it may as well be a complete house.
…
Since there's no response, I step aside, giving Shikome an expectant stare.
...She glances over at me, then at the door, before walking up to it and jiggling the handle. When it doesn't comply, she-
Bam! -hits the handle with her arm, causing the door to swing open-
Chink- chink! She thrusts her tendrils into the hinges, taking the door off entirely. Before it falls inward, she grabs it with both arms, steps inside, and neatly leans it against the wall next to the open doorframe.
"...Why?" Vanilla is perplexed by the systematic door slaughter.
...I turn to her. "Why not?"
"I have the same opinion…" Rumia reveals with a smile. "Doors only hurt me."
...What does that even mean?
Shikome looks over at Rumia, then at the door she placed against the wall. Then, she reels her arm back-
"Aah- nnaah…" It sounds like we have company in here.
Crack! Shikome split the door in half with her fist.
"Ah!" The voice sounded startled at the noise.
"There's someone here…" Vanilla pointed out, bringing her arms up. "I don't think it's okay to just wander into someone's home like this."
Speaking of this place, it seems to be a one-room bar ordeal. There's the front door, there's the back door, and there's a bar counter. Very lonely-looking shelves hang off the wall to the right, populated only by a few dusty bottles and some buckets.
Stepping up to the counter, I run my eyes over the plain wood bar stools, then glance back at the tables… which also have plain bar stools instead of chairs.
"I smell foo~d…" Rumia sniffs the air, floating further into the bar.
Once I rest my arms on the counter, a… man rises from behind it, standing promptly. "Hello, citizen. What brings you to my bar…" he takes a look out the door behind himself, "this evening?"
...He has straight blonde hair that goes down to his neck, seems to be covered in some sort of brown hair, and has an eagle beak for a nose. One eye seems to be cyan, while the other is brown.
"It's not evening." I inform the probable eagle youkai.
"Oh, yeah?" He leans back, as if unimpressed. "What time is it, then?"
Rumia drifts up to the counter, next to me. "Time to eat…"
The man nods. "It's time to eat, indeed. But only for me. This is a bar; we drink, we don't eat."
Pouting, Rumia leans onto the counter. "But I smell foo~d…!"
...Stepping up to and around the counter, Shikome stares at something on the ground behind it.
"You may smell food." He looks over at Shikome. "But, I only see- the visions. The visions which foretell patrons who do not suspect that there is a body behind this counter."
"Relinquish it, and we will tolerate your departure." Shikome threatens the man, able to see the body from her position.
"Alright, you got me." He takes a step back towards the rear door. "But l will say this: they say when you die, you shit your pants, but not me. I'm gonna shit my heart."
...Shikome just blinks at him.
"And I say to you, little amigo…" He turns to Rumia. "Auf wiedersehen, hello, and goodb-"
...Before does anything else, he looks past Rumia to glance at the vampire loli. "Oh." Turning to Shikome, he makes a request. "If I gave you the deed to the bar, could I stay?"
"No. You cannot." Shikome's eyes flare as she reinforces her argument.
"Joke's on you." The man smiles smugly. "Because I have no deed. The only deed I have... is the deed to my soul."
Shikome takes a few steps towards him. "...And it shall be mine."
The man takes a few steps back, raising his arms- one arm is a snake head. "Very well. You may have it. Hold out your arms."
...Curious as to where he was going with this, Shikome held out a hand.
He took a moment to crouch beneath the counter-
Ri~p! He tore something off of the body under there.
...Standing up, he holds out a partially eaten heart, a splash of blood now caking the fur on his face. "Here it is. It pains me to part with it, but I knew it well." ...A long tongue extended from his mouth, idly lapping at the blood along his cheek.
...Shikome accepts the heart with her hand, examining it briefly. "This is not your soul..."
"Shows what you know, the heart is the tubeway to the soul." He nods, taking generous backward steps towards the door. "So long as you have the makings, then through this simple act of taking, its wielder you shall one day be. And you will find me, friend; no ocean will contain you then."
Thunk! Shikome thrusts a tendril into the adjacent countertop.
"...It looks like it's time for me to ramble on." Moving leisurely, he finally properly makes for the back door, strutting with his… backwards attached legs, apparently. "It is clear when I am welcome, and when I am pulled by the cosmic strings of fate."
...Bam! Abruptly, he slams the back door open, darts outside, then walks away at a more relaxed pace.
...Click. The door slowly swung shut on its own.
…
Rumia starts climbing over the counter to reach the body back there. "Foo~d…!"
"Is- is there really a dead guy back there…?" Vanilla isn't brave enough to round the counter herself.
"Uh huh." Rumia supplies her the answer. "Really fresh, too…!"
Shikome gave the half-eaten heart a sideways stare.
Squelch! She squeezed it into oblivion with her hand, a small fountain of blood pouring from it, for only a moment.
...I find it weird that this place has no living facilities. It was taller on the outside.
Oh, right. I haven't been saying it, but those two guards are still following us around. No one's said anything or interacted with them, so they've just been here.
…
"Hey." I address one.
"I am taking Mistress to jail." He smiles and nods knowingly.
Yeah, me too.
...I am tired as shit. Staying up all night and watching things die was not good for the overall energy levels.
Meandering around the counter- and ignoring the lolis as they tore apart the man behind it- I wander outside.
Out here, there was a really dodgy-looking wood staircase that led up to a quaint door on the second floor. It seemed to have been made of a single wooden protrusion that only met up with the structure at the very top. The stairs are slightly bent, too.
...I take a cautious step onto one, only for the side I stepped onto to start bending, tilting to the side my weight was applied to. What a crappy staircase. There's not even any rails.
...Carefully climbing my way up the precarious staircase, placing my hand along the wall for integrity, I eventually reach the top, and swing the door open.
I am greeted by darkness. Windows on the upper level are present, but still few and far between. The lower level has no windows, so I suppose it's an improvement.
Closing the door behind me, I step into the dark room.
...After wading through the darkness, I open a door, and find dim light being cast by a foggy window. There's a small sleeping bag in the corner, with an empty wooden bowl next to it. It appears to have been previously used.
Using the dim, barely daytime light from the windows, I survey the surrounding rooms, finding little of interest except for boxes, tables, and chairs.
Since there are no claimants to this realm-
Thud. I fall onto the sleeping bag…
/ / / / I SWEAR TO CHEKHOV I'LL COCK YOUR CLOCK OFF / / / /
…
Aa~h. The sleeping bag… has only slightly alleviated the back pain associated with sprawling out on a hardwood floor.
Sitting up, I immediately notice all of the doors have been neatly placed next to their respective doorframes.
...I should probably give these rooms a once-over again. I didn't really see much but black when I was tired.
Moving into the rightmost room-...
There is now a hole ripped open in the corner of this room, amber light pouring in from the candlelit bar room. The hole was uneven.
...I see.
Ignoring that, I move back into the sleeping room, and go to the long room in the front of the building.
There's a small window, here. To the right, I see a really bad-looking brown couch. To my left…
A huge, bronze and brown decorated treasure chest rests there. It doesn't visibly have a lock, and it's about half as big as I am.
...Stepping up to it receptively, I cautiously reach down, and begin to push it open. Light pours out from within, illuminating the room spectacularly.
Crea~k! I flip the chest open, and gaze inside…
...There's a musty piece of parchment lying in the midst of a very cushy, well maintained brown interior.
I take it out.
...It's a map, of the bar. There are only two floors, totaling five rooms. This did not deserve an entire awesome-looking treasure chest dedicated to holding it.
The light that the chest emitted began to fade moments after I took the map from it. That was the worst treasure ever.
...Walking back into the main room, I give the sleeping bag a final glance, before doubling back when I saw a book near it. Crouching down, I examine it…
...Japanese title. Japanese words. Japanese. Inside, there are some pentagrams and complex expressions, however. That's nice.
Moving outside… I very carefully, cautiously proceed down the worst staircase ever designed by man that didn't fall apart immediately.
I swung- nevermind, Shikome removed the backdoor. Right. Proceeding inside-
"Hyaa~h!" Vanilla squeals.
"Woa~h!" Rumia is amazed by something.
...Taking a deep breath, I continue to proceed inside.
...From behind the counter, I can see Vanilla lying on the leftmost table. The table was dotted with irregularly shaped, dry circles of blood.
"Right foot… red?" Rumia had no spinner, she was just randomly picking body parts and… well, there was only one color to choose from. It wasn't really red, either- more like a blackish color.
Shikome easily articulated her leg over Vanilla, positioning the young vampire's face just between her two legs. I couldn't see much due to her kimono, but it looked like a very precarious situation.
"Wh- whaha~h…!?" Vanilla sounds like she's having fun though.
"Left foot, left foot!" I'm not sure if Rumia's even really trying, or if they're even really playing twister. "Put your left foot in, 'n' put your right foot out… and shake it all about!"
I could probably make money off of this.
...Shikome's legs slowly slide out to farther circles on the table, her body lowering further.
"Ah- ah…!" Vanilla starts looking around. She wasn't quite lying down as I'd thought; her legs and arms are precariously spread and propping her up, stretching to the far corners of the table and rendering her exposed.
"A~nd that's what it's all about!" Rumia throws her arms into the air. "...One more time!"
I see Shikome's legs start to slide out further, shaking a little as if she'd just begun to stop herself.
...Turning around, my eyes rest on that hole in the ceiling that Shikome must have ripped open. Theoretically, I could turn the upper area of the bar into a-
"Ohn!" ...It sounds like Shikome slipped somewhere behind me.
"Nmmh- nnh…!" Muffled sounds are coming from Vanilla.
"Wohoa~h!" Rumia leaps back, floating into the air just barely in my vision. "...You both lost!"
"A-ah…" Shikome makes delicate noises. "Nnn…"
Thump, thump. "Mmgh- hnh…" Vanilla uselessly exercises her limbs, or so it sounds.
...I feel like I know what I want to spend the rest of today doing. It's not watching those two goof off, either.
I'll need a bootleg staircase constructed for the hole in the ceiling, so we can have interior, more reliable stairs. We're also going to need fine wines and meats, and… some volunteers.
Cracking my knuckles- as well as I can crack them- I begin towards the door that Shikome tore open in the front. I wonder if I can get a saloon-type door installed.
We also need that crappy staircase outside destroyed, and the now eternally open doorframe up there to be boarded up… which we could do with our numerous spare doors, now.
"Mmn…" Shikome sounds comfortable.
"Mmh- mghk…" Vanilla also sounds comfortable. "Hn~h…"
...Spotting some curious individuals amongst the villagers on the late-day streets, I march out the door, leaving the lolis to their loli things for the time being.
/ / / / DRIVEN DOWN 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO / / / /
...Following behind the four robed individuals, I near them with a hastening stride until I get behind them, before slowing…
"Wo~w…! I can't believe the guards are so busy today!" The leftmost one speaks in hush.
There are four of them- three tall, and the fourth quite, quite short.
"Maybe we won't need better disguises…" The rightmost one spoke. "Cutie, take off the robes…!"
"Hold o~n. There's still a few…" The leader holds out her arms, and starts looking around.
Innocently, I look away from them and stare into the void. It's… still incredibly foggy, although it's slightly mitigated in the village.
The rightmost one nears a thin alley nearby. "C'mon. We'll gear up here, then we'll start our walk…"
"...Yeah." The leader nods at her, before crouching next to 'Cutie'. "Today's your big day…!"
...The robed shortie turns away.
Slap! The leader robed individual spanks the shortest one on the ass, enticing it to dart into the alley. "Hehehe~!"
...With that, the two remaining individuals moved into the alley. Discreetly, I trot along behind them, making sure to stay just out of the alley. I give myself enough leeway to peer in…
Inside, the three tall women immediately cast off their cloaks. The realization that they're fairy maids sets in once they've spread their wings.
"Al~right, Cutie-chan…!" The one with pastel red hair kneels down, and disrobes the short one with a swift movement.
...Oh, right. Him. The one who assaulted the manor and lived to tell the tale, technically. Well, he's currently still experiencing the tale, so I'm not certain if he'd be in any condition to tell it.
...I only recognize him as a him because of my foreknowledge, though. Right now he looks like a loli.
His blonde hair is in two short pigtails- which is rather mysterious, because it used to be really thinly cut before. Did they give him more hair? Is it a wig?
...Turning away, he pouts. "You- you know… you're taking a big risk, bringing me back here. I'm… sure my men will recognize me, and-"
Abruptly, the red-haired fairy snaked forward and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Hnn~..."
"Mghk…!" His eyes widening, he fruitlessly pushes against her, for only a second.
"Mwah…" She brings her head back. "Hehehe~. Your men wouldn't even recognize you as a man, sweetie. Mistress wouldn't let you leave so simply, eithe~r…"
The one with pastel blue hair loomed over him, before crouching down and getting close to his right ear. "We told you. You're ours."
The pastel green-haired one approached him similarly, this time from his left. "Doesn't it feel great? Walking around the streets you used to own… now that we own you? Hehehe~..."
"De- demons…" Blushing, the stout not-loli allowed himself to be pressed up against the back wall of the alley. "Licentious…"
The blue one leans closer to his ear. "You're so cute when you think you can resist…"
"Mmm~..." The red one lunged for his lips again, pressing his head up against the back wall.
"Aa~h…" The green-haired one wrapped her arms around him, her mouth connecting with his left ear.
"Hehehe~!" Smirking, the blue-haired one hastily, almost clumsily got down low, and lifted his shirt to expose his stomach. "Mi~ne…" Promptly, she begins licking his midriff.
"Nn- nnh…" It seems like he melts into their greedy arms, submitting promptly.
...Well. This is fucking disgusting… but it does give me an idea.
Slipping out my Shadow Hell scissors, I continue spectating for an opportunity…
"Mmh!" The red one aggressively twists her head around as she kisses him.
"Hehe~..." The green one gives a discreet giggle into his ear.
Wrapping her arms around the short man, the blue fairy begins to try and pull him to the ground. "C'mo~n…"
...While they're distracted, I begin to step into the alley, twirling my-
Fwoom. The mere act of bringing up my scissors too harshly causes them to leave a trail of flames in the air. Scratch that 'twirl them around' idea…
Thud. He plops onto his rear on the dirt floor, the fairies manhandling him with their arms. "Hehehehe~!"
"Ao-cha~n…" Looking up at her friend, the red fairy grinned. "What're we going to do?"
The green-haired one kept him held down. "Are we gonna kiss him all over again…?"
"No~..." Smiling widely, 'Ao-chan', the blue-haired one, begins to stand. "We're gonna sit on him."
"Oo~h…!" The red-haired fairy's eyes lit up. "We haven't done that yet!"
"Yea~h!" Cheering her on, the green fairy began chanting. "Sit on him!"
Standing over the short man, the blue-haired fairy held a hand to her mouth as she began to lower herself. "Ahuhuhu~!"
"Sit on him! Sit on him!" The other fairies energetically chanted, as they held the barely resisting man down.
"Dark Fire!" ...I don't think I had to yell, but I think I've seen enough.
Fwam! The purple-tinted fireball struck the red fairy.
Pi~chun!
"Aah- oo~h…!" 'Ao-chan' dropped down onto the kid's face out of surprise, the interaction veiled by her maid skirt. "Ahn…! Uhm..." Blushing, she looked down at him sheepishly...
"Whah…!?" The green fairy floated up, looking down at me. "Who the hell're-"
I swing my scissors, nothing created from it. So I do have to yell the spell, then.
"Dark Fire!" I swing it again, the slow moving dark fireball flaring to life and gradually tracking the fairy…
"Yo- you…!" Ao-chan awkwardly shivers on the guy's face. "I- I'm gonna… I'm gonna sit on you!"
Walking up to her, I dart into her and thrust my scissors towards where her throat should be-
Pi~chun! After flames ran up her neck for a brief moment, she shattered into mana. The fire was left to extinguish, lingering embers scattered in the foggy gloom.
...I saw the green fairy begin to rapidly approach me, so I turned around-
Fwish! ...My pre-emptive swing of my scissors did little, because she stopped before she reached me.
Bringing her arms up, the fairy abruptly slammed them down on the air before me-
Fwam! A thick spreadshot of emerald danmaku roared out, making me feel a wall of pain.
"I hate you!" With that, the fairy retreated, floating into the foggy sky-
Fwam! Pi~chun! ...and into the slow moving fireball that was tracking her as she hung back earlier.
...I am not quite crackling with danmaku energy, but I will not lie when I say that my heart jumped after just getting sniped by a huge wall of bright green magic. Ow.
…
Turning around, I step about, looking down at the ex-commissar I just saved from certain molestation.
"Aa- aah…" Red as a tomato, he blinks his uneven eyes at me, face slightly moist and makeup runny. "Are- are you here for me…? Did they send you…?"
"...You could say that." I loom over him. "You seek answers. I can give you purpose."
"Whah…?" His tired eyes scan my mask.
/ / / / RIDING THAT RATING MAN RIDING THAT RATING YEEHAW / / / /
Ironically, I don't believe he'll find answers or purpose here. Well, purpose for me, but not for he.
Walking into the bar, dragging the disheveled 'fairy maid' by 'her' wrist, I pan my gaze around.
...Vanilla was lying on the same table from before, twitching. Shikome seemed to be examining the buckets with Rumia.
Walking up to the two lolis, I gaze at them expectantly.
...Shikome looks at me, then at the commissar. "Food?"
I shake my head. "Don't eat him. His existence will lead to many more meals, if allowed." I have big plans for this young man.
...With that, Shikome goes back to looking inside of a bucket-
"sniff sniff" A fluffle pokes its head out, then looks up at Shikome. "...sniff sniff!"
...Gingerly, she brings her hand up and presses it into the inside of the bucket-
Fwoof. The fluffle was nothing more than dust. Flipping the bucket over, she emptied the dust onto the floor.
"These buckets're so dusty…" Rumia furrowed her brows, looking inside of a bucket she'd picked up-
"honh honh honh" Three fluffles emerged and latched onto her face, hugging on for dear life.
...Shikome turned to her, and she turned to Shikome.
"Achoo~!" Rumia sneezed, the fluffles launched towards the death loli-
Shi-shi-shink! Shikome's tendrils pierced the fluffles mid-flight, shattering each one.
"Hehe~..." Rubbing her nose, Rumia blinked the dust away. "Really dusty!"
This place will need renovations before opening day. Such as, a better staircase, dismantlement of that shitty staircase… and a nice new door.
Also, supplies, but that can happen when it happens. The meats will come easy, drinks… hmm.
...We've also got those two guards loyal to Vanilla stationed at the door still, something that happened while they were playing 'Loli Twister: Blood of a Dead Drunk Edition'.
"Shikome." I begin to make my request… "We must hunt for plywood and fresh meats."
...She looks over at me, before speaking her mind. "I'm not hungry."
...Hah. Hmm. Hrrm. I counter that point, "It is for the ensurement of future meals. We only need a couple bodies, for now." Or ten. Something like that. Does this village have meat preservation methods? I suppose heavily salting things should work well enough. Would we simply raid a deli then? Hmm.
Either way, some dead people to start things off would be a strong start.
...At that, Shikome sets her bucket aside. "Okay."
Rumia sets her bucket on the floor. "Can I come too!? I've never had food for the winter before!"
...I don't particularly see why not. We may as well all go if there's this many of us heading out.
Holding up the crappy cloaks the fairies left behind, I look them over…
One for the commissar, three for the lolis… hmm. I can only bring so many party members out it seems.
"We will need people to hold the fort here, as it stands." I decide. "...Some of us wish to desert the operation."
...Oh, I'm not holding onto his wrist, either. Whoops.
As I say this, the commissar walks up to one of the guards under Vanilla's control…
"Yo- you!" He greets the guard. "Wa- watchman Yusuke… these youkai- they're bad company. I- I need you to escort me out. Now."
"I am taking Mistress to jail." The guard nods confidently, positively stoked.
"Excellent…!" Standing aside, the commissar casts his dainty arm outward. "At- attack!"
"I am taking Mistress to jail." The guard nods again.
…
"You're…" Looking depleted, the stout commander looks at his watchman. "They've got you too, don't they…?"
"I am taking Mistress to jail." He receives no intelligent response from the guard.
...Shikome looks over at Rumia. "Stay here. This'll be over soon."
...Rumia blinks at her, before nodding. "Oka~y!"
I point at the 'kid' commander. "Don't let go of him, by the way. He must stay here."
...Rumia just furrows her brows at me. "That looks like a her…"
"Gh…" The commissar scrunches his face. "I-... you- you won't catch-" Turning around, he makes for the door-
-only for Rumia to clutch him by the back of his maid outfit. "Is that so~? C'mo~n. I wanna play more twister…"
"Un- unhand me…!" He futilely scratches his short nails against the darkness youkai's arm. "Demon! Demon!"
"Hehehe~!" Rumia doesn't seem to care about being called names.
…
"Don't eat him either." I add as an afterthought.
"He~r." Rumia corrects me. "You need glasses…"
...Looking down at the robes, I pass one to Shikome.
/ / / / XCOM HEADQUARTERS / / / /
…
Clack! Shikome plops down our fifth or sixth substantial stack of abandoned village plywood, I feel like that should be enough. Unlike all the other stacks, we've placed this one at the end of an alley just off the main road.
We've found a handful of hobos, but the actual body harvesting begins now. These robes should keep our identities concealed well enough.
The village street is vaguely busy with the bustle of villagers, but it doesn't seem many wish to be out on a foggy day like today.
...As we pass a guard on the side of the road, Shikome walks up to him-
Shink! With a quick movement of her arm, a tendril slid out and down the man's neck exposure in his armor. "Hguh…!"
Ri~p! As it retracts, it rips something. "Hkh- haau~ u-u…" Letting out a retching noise, the man falls over, unevenly stumbling onto his side and pressing a hand to his crimson, exposed neck.
...Villagers quickly disperse from our area, and it seems the two or three nearby guards who witnessed this began to fall back.
…
You know, I expected a bigger reaction. At the moment we're just standing in the middle of an empty road.
...Shikome lifts the guard up, before-
Woosh! -tossing him over to the nearby alley with all the plywood.
Cla-clack! ...She knocked over the plywood with him.
…
Really? No reaction? No guards? What is this? Considering their response earlier-
Wham! Shikome darts into me, sending me rolling down the road-
Thu-thu-thu-thu-thunk! Fifteen or so arrows from different directions strike the area where I stood.
...From here I can see that archers have mounted the surrounding rooftops, and small teams of guards are currently blockading both sides of the main street.
...Stumbling back onto my legs, I look around. I guess I'll take out my sliding scissors and just evade like a maniac.
Within a moment, it seems as though two walls of guards with large shields had assembled, and began moving to pincer us from both sections of the roadway.
"This is the Human Village Guard!" A guardsman's voice was projected from somewhere. "Stay put for further negotiation!"
...I suppose. It'd be a rather poor idea to simply charge through these shields as is.
...Shikome starts to move-
I put a hand on her shoulder. "Let's watch."
…
It's like we've entered some kind of standoff. Archers aimed at us, shieldsmen closing in on either side, and guards likely moving to flood the alleys as well. Not that they could stop us if we did desert; I'm sure a few dinky swordsmen couldn't stop us.
…
Clop, clop! Clop clop! Clop clop!
A man on a horse- that similar guard commander from earlier- came riding up. "We~ll. Color me surprised."
"...Hello." I greeted him as he galloped up to us, stopping a respectably safe distance away.
"So, you here to just fuck with us, or what?" The man frowned at us in the fog. "You probably could, if you're this ballsy."
...Well. Yeah.
...Looking over at Shikome, he grins. "What's your name, little girl? Sally stabs-a-lot?"
Shikome begins to speak. "You-"
"Mary Sue." I nod confidently.
...The guard lightly furrows his brows. "Weird name." ...Looking away briefly, he glances over at us again. "Guess it'd figure. You guys're powerful freaks, right?"
"You could say that." I offer him.
His horse turns around, and he raises his arm up to shout at the wall of shields. "...Men!"
...The idle shuffling of the shields intensifies in the silence of the village road.
...With his arm raised, the man extends it out fully. "Execute plan Kazami!"
Clop clop! Clop clop! Clop clop! With that, the captain rides off, getting the hell away from us immediately.
Dash scissors ready, I scan the foggy surroundings-
Fwash! Fwa- fwash! Pillars of flashlight-esque energy bloom around us, removing the fog of war. Every roof adjacent to this road seems to have at least five archers upon it, among other people doing something in the background.
The walls of shields begin parting to allow low-armored shield-and-swordsmen in. I have my doubts those could stop anything…
...Through the holes created by the shieldsmen in their ranks, I'm able to see priestly people backing up the walls.
...Fwa-fwa-fwam, fwam, fwam! The sounds of initializing magic start to echo across the entire roadside, the line of shielded guards and the bows of the archers on the roofs beginning to glow a mixed myriad of colors.
...Well. This is pretty.
The archers all draw their arrows back, their bows glowing brighter for a moment. Shikome starts to extend her tendrils out defensively…
Then, they all raise their bows to the skies, and fire up.
Woo-woo-woo-woosh-woosh-woosh…! A rain of arrows pours up into the sky, creating a rainbow of colorful lines as they ascend.
The swordsmen seem to hang back towards the shields, their weapons and equipment lighting up with different colors one by one.
...Glancing up at the rain of arrows, Shikome starts power walking towards the nearest alley, prompting me to urgently follow her.
Reaching the alley with the plywood- what the fuck.
At the end of the alley, a large, iron thing is hobbling towards us. "You- youkai sighted…!" A man's voice echoes from somewhere within the beast of steel and iron, barely audible.
The suit is almost as tall as the houses surrounding it, almost too wide to fit in this alley at all. One blocky leg at a time, it progresses forward until it stops in the midst of the alley's exit.
Instead of arms, the armor has two big, pyramid-shaped stubs. The middle of the suit looks like a complex, decorative solid steel piece, while the notably vacant helmet bears an opposing shape.
"Alley main three seven!" I hear the archers on the roofs overhead begin shouting as we size up this metal abomination that approached us...
The arrows touch down in the clearing behind us-
Fwam- Boom- Fwish- Fwoom- Bam- Boom! The entire clearing is filled with varying shades of magic, shockwaves of earth, flame, and frosty energy blooming outward, marring building fronts and rendering the road inhospitable. Other non-elemental shades of magic also seem present…
...We still need at least six more bodies. I expected attention, but not quite like this.
To our left and right, six archers lean over the rooftops and aim their bows down at us-
Shi-shink! Shikiome thrusts two tendrils upward, grabbing two guards from both sides. As she reels them back down- likely murdering them in the process- I slide to the side-
Thu-thu-thu-thunk! Four arrows are fired only in the vague direction of Shikome, and only one hitting her.
Fwa- Bam- fwam- boom! Not that their inaccuracy mattered, the alleyway coated in flames. This prompts me to dig into my backpack for the water scissors before- ouch, fuck. Burning sucks.
"I'll stop them…!" The over-armored guard says this, but doesn't budge an inch.
...Within a moment, priests and what looked like average villagers ran up to the back of the oversized suit of armor-
Fwoom! After pointing their collective arms and instruments towards him, the suit lit ablaze, only the exterior of the armor burning. "Yea~h!"
Shi-shink! Shikome latched onto two more archers on the short houses nearby, hastily thrusting them towards their friends to at the very least bowl them over-
Fwa-Fwaa~sh! The priests brought their staves into the air and thrust them into the floor, creating small shockwaves of holy energy which expanded outward into far larger shockwaves of sheer, presumably holy push force.
...All it did was cause us to stumble, but we weren't very close to begin with. The smouldering remains of the two archers Shikome'd actually brought down to our level were visible on the floor beneath her.
After some dashing and splashing, I've managed to extinguish myself. I can't say the same for the nearby buildings-
Shi-shink shink shink! Shikome whirls around and impales an incoming swordsman with a rush of six tendrils-
Fwa-fwa-fwam! More arrows come from somewhere even though the local archers have been dealt with. White magic flares outward, throwing me against the wall and sending Shikome sliding back…
"O~n the way!" Some guard shouts from above the rooftops.
"The fire's not working…!" This is true. Shikome's burning, but doesn't seem much more than angry about it.
"Freeze! Try it next- freeze!" We may want to get out of here before that happens. "What the hell kind of element is cold…?"
Shikome moves towards the tubby, burning armor-
Cla-cla-clang! She thrusts three tendrils into it, causing it to slide back. "Hua- aaah! Help! Help!"
Fwa- fwam! The priests bring down their staves, this time launching Shikome, only for her to dig her tendrils into the floor and fling herself back at it-
Cla-Crack! The armor's torn open by a rush of numerous tendrils, the loli working to rip open the armor-
Fwam! A fire arrow hits her from somewhere, igniting the whole intersection the encounter was taking place on.
...Hearing movement near myself, I turn-
"Hrra~gh!" I slide back from a swipe of a blue sword-
Fwa~sh! On impact with the wall behind me, it created a layer of ice. "Damn it…!" The young man was rather upset that he missed me.
I think it's time to go.
Sliding past the armor, capitalizing on the path made after Shikome brutalized its layered form, I call out to her. "Shikome! Let's go!"
...Looking over at me, she darts from the armor-
Fwii~sh…! A flickering orb of light passes over our heads, blinding us. Oh, good.
Fwash- fwash- fwash! Chunks of ice spawn somewhere behind us, shockwaves of cool energy bombarding the armor we just darted away from.
...As we run down the alley, three minimally equipped archers dash into our way, and aim their arrows at the ground-
Fwam fwam fwam! Pools of holy energy wash across the alley. Shikome digs her tendrils into the adjacent walls to push herself over and somewhat through the holy energy-
Bam! Upon reaching the guards, she kicks the middle one aside and slides her tendrils into the flanks of the other two, seemingly primarily to push them rather than outright kill them-
Kri-kri-kria~ck. The temperature in the alleys rapidly drops, the blood of the archers she shoved immediately crystallizing as we move down the road. My skin's beginning to have pins and needles, too.
...Noticing a nearby door, I point to it. "In here!"
...Looking back at me, Shikome springs up-
Bam! -and blows the door open with her body, before sprinting inside. I follow her…
...Inside, there seems to be no one-
"Hahaha~!" A middle-aged man stands up from under a dining table, raising a large shoulder-mounted device. "Got you!"
Fwoom! Shikome throws herself against the front wall to evade a fishing net that was launched from the grey tube.
Cra-Boom! Shikome immediately thrusts herself against the wall she hit again, leading us further into the alleys.
/ / / / WOAH HOAH HOAH / / / /
...Well then.
I sit panting inside of the bar we commandeered. It took a few hours, but after enough running around on the opposite side of town, I think we lost them. No guards seem to have moseyed on into here or approached this building for evacuation, so all's well ends well.
"Pa~tty cake, patty cake…" Rumia seems to be playing pattycake with our new trap.
"...Patty cake." Unenthusiastically, he complies, patting a hand against hers.
"Baker's mad!" Rumia forcibly pats her hand against his.
"...Baker's man." The child-man mumbles out the lyric.
Rumia takes a moment. "...Put 'em in the ove~n…"
"...That's not how it goes." The stout one frowns at her.
"Yea~h!" Rumia raises her arms as if they completed the rhyme. "I love that song!"
"...Precisely why you cannot remember the lyrics." Folding his arms, the- I really need his name at some point- looks away. "Can I go home now?"
"You are home." Rumia informs him bluntly. "Silly billy!"
...Standing up, she steps over to him as he also begins to stand-
Wrapping an arm around his neck as he turns to escape, she pulls him closer and uses a hand to ruffle his dainty blonde hair. "Aww~. You're here forever, cuddles."
...I don't think I'll call him 'cuddles'. I suppose kid commissar is fine, even if the ratings demand he not be a kid, and circumstance would have it he's no longer a commissar.
...He seems to deflate from her head-ruffles, looking sedate.
Vanilla's seated at the left table, examining her still-hypnotized guards. She probably reapplied her hypnosis a second time, considering the guards are now slightly displaced from where they were before we left.
...Thu-thu-thud. Shikome allows the bodies of the numerous hobos we collected to flop on the floor behind the counter. We couldn't salvage the guards from the survival event, obviously. We were too busy running for our lives.
Well, we've probably got enough food, as the day is late anyway. Drink? Hmm. Maybe some tinges of blood paired with water will work, and we'll just call it a finely distilled wine.
The plywood we got earlier is already stacked into a horrible-looking makeshift staircase up to the hole Shikome made. That one crappy staircase is gone now, and the door it led to was boarded up.
Hmm. If we want to get this place operational, we will need… a sign, some advertisement, and preferably lights of some kind. It's pretty foggy, and once it gets dark, visibility will drop into the negatives, allowing us to see inside our own skulls.
...We don't have any bottles, actually. Well, we have about five. No cups, however… just wooden pails. Not like the 'wine' will be the main attraction anyway.
While I contemplate our next plan of action, Shikome steps up to Vanilla…
"Ah- ah…" Locking up, Vanilla looks to the side, blushing.
...Shikome leans in and gives her cheek a polite lick.
Blinking, Vanilla isn't sure what to make of it. "Awah…?"
Loli things. "...Let's make a sign with the spare plywood." I state our next activity.
/ / / / IT'S A SIGN DUDE / / / /
...We have no paint. Therefore, we must write with blood.
The lot of us stand outside, our presence shielded by the hypnotized guardsmen. The fog is curiously starting to lift, to my surprise, but it's still dark out.
With a tendril dipped in the blood of a partially obscured hobo, Shikome prepares to write on the plywood board…
"Um…" The young-looking commissar stares down at the board. "...Do you… honestly expect me to cooperate? With- with something so vile?"
...We stare at him as if he's stupid for even asking that question.
"We expect you to cooperate or die." I state plainly. "...And, if you're thinking that death is preferable, I would advise you to think again." I gesture to Shikome.
Shikome just blinks at him neutrally.
...Frowning, the commissar complies. "Very well. A pity none of you know how to write, isn't it?"
"I can rea~d!" Rumia waves an arm in the air. "I always knew how to read!"
When it comes to Japanese, I cannot say the same about the rest of us.
Come to think of it, what should I name it? Bar? Hooker joint? The Tasteful? Hmm.
"It shall be called…" I've decided. "Small Packages. With a heart next to the words."
...The commissar looked over at me, expression hard. "Disgrace."
"I know." I wave a hand at him. "Tell her what she needs to write."
...Still clung by Rumia's hand, he looked around idly. "...What? Am I… supposed to tell her how to draw-"
Shikome'd already written the word 'small', it'd seemed.
"-it?" He blinked. "...Hmm. Smarter than she looks, then."
...Shikome turns to him.
…
"I don't know the next word." She admits.
"Oh." Blinking, the commissar registered this. "I thought- oh. So… I just… tell you how to draw it, then?"
"Yes." Shikome nods aptly. "By line."
...Taking a moment, and a breath, he speaks. "Well… hmm. On the next letter… place a line going down. Slightly curve it, though. Then…"
/ / / / THANK ME LATER / / / /
"Night time's my favorite time." Rumia stares at the starry sky, the fog all but dissipated as the evening just begins to set in. "What's your favorite time?"
Idly, Vanilla surveyed the largely empty road. "Um…"
The words finished, Shikome puts the finishing touch on the sign: the heart.
...After a moment of watching her begin to draw an oblong shape, I correct her. "Not that kind of heart. Here…"
Using my gloved hands, I step over to the exposed chest cavity of the hobo, and dip two fingers into the liquefied mash of ribs and organs.
When I come back to the board, Shikome's wiped the more realistic-looking heart away, leaving just a reddish brown smudge. Crouching down, I draw a legitimate symbol heart.
...I stand. "There."
...In the background, Vanilla's stomach growls.
"Hehehe~!" Rumia turns to her, then to the hobo with the liquefied organs. "...His tummy's kinda mushy, but his leg're probably good still!"
Holding her stomach, the little vampire makes an enduring expression. "No- no thanks…"
...Standing up from the sign, Shikome walks exactly along the outside of it until she reaches the hobo, and dips her fingers down into the bloody mess.
Then, she steps up to Vanilla, holding up the bloodied fingers.
Receptive, Vanilla looks at her, then down at the fingers. "Uh... uhm- mm!" Shikome thrusts her bloody fingers into the vampire's mouth.
"You need to drink." Shikome instructs her.
...The fingers slip from Vanilla's mouth, now dry. Quietly, she looks down at the floor. "...I- I… don't want to drink from dead people."
Looking over at me, Shikome grabs onto my wrist and gives me a powerful tug forward. "Here." She holds up my arm.
Frowning, Vanilla looks up at me. "No- I-... is he- are you okay with this?" She asks me for confirmation.
...If I said no, Shikome would probably make me pay it back, in blood. Actually, I'm already paying in blood.
"Sure." I consent to being a blood donor. "Don't take too much, now." I need to not die, or even pass out, preferably.
...Looking to her sides, Vanilla takes a few steps towards me, before accepting my arm from Shikome and looking it over. Almost idly, she runs her arms along the sleeve as if looking for a vulnerability, before trying to roll it up. "Hnnh…"
After barely getting my sleeve up- as this suit was rather stuffy and stiff- she settles for my wrist. Adjusting my arm and herself, she gets into position and-
...Hmm. I expect this to become painful in a few moments. Her teeth are currently in my wrists, and I feel a rather awkward motion, as if something were being lightly, gently tugged from me. I say awkward, because the feeling's inconsistent, stopping and starting randomly.
"Fwa~h…" She extracts her tiny fangs from my wrists, leaving rather messy, openly bleeding teeth marks. "Mmnh…" Politely, she wipes her face a little. You know, that hurt less than I anticipated. Perhaps because she's young.
...Stepping back from me, she nods. "I'm done. Are you okay?"
"No." I shake my head. "I'm dead now."
...Vanilla just gives me a dry stare. "You're okay."
Sign: check. Hobo stew: check. Wines? Hmm. Maybe I'll just dip a bottle in the blood, fill it with the water scissors, mix it up.
Now we just need to attract customers. Those guards might be able to act as pretend bouncers if we stripped them of their armor…
/ / / / ONE ETERNITY LATER / / / /
Rounding the alley just outside the bar, I approach it from the entryway…
The two hypnotized guards were stationed at the front with their armor off and pikes propped against the wall behind them, their arms folded as they stood before the door.
Stepping past them, I glance around inside…
Vanilla and the commissar are in here at the moment, looking around sheepishly. Shikome's upstairs, ready to gank those who I see fit. The few wine bottles we had were filled with very distilled blood, and on some ghetto plywood boards we had sliced and diced human. The good part about using people is that you don't need to charge to compensate for supply costs…
...Stepping back outside, I looked up and saw Rumia on the roof. Since we have the flashy as fuck Golden Grin literally two spots down from us, we needed something flashy to attract people to our literal hole in the wall.
Fwa-fwam! ...Rumia spread her arms out, firing two thin blue lasers into the night sky.
...Tilting herself from side to side, she began to make the beams sway back and forth.
We seem to be all ready. The night shall now begin.
Stepping back into the bar, I immediately spot Shikome downstairs again, somehow.
"...You should be upstairs." I remind her of the agreed tactical positions.
Shaking her head, she approaches Vanilla, almost restlessly. "She will not be defiled."
I don't think I even told her about the plan. "Worry not. The only one about to be defiled is him." I point at the commissar.
Sneering, he counters with contempt. "You defile this village with your mere presence, youkai."
It sounds like he needs a spanking. He'll get one soon enough, I'm sure.
...Shikome gives me a lingering stare, before slowly trodding towards the stairs again. "Then see to it."
"Why- why are we talking about defiling…?" Appearing scarce, Vanilla stares at me with apprehension.
"Nonspecific reasons." I comfort her. I wonder when we'll get our first customer…
…
Commissar turns to her, speaking quickly. "They plan to sell us, I know they do. Look- listen, there's a way out of this, and-... there's a way out of this. Simply listen to me, and-"
"Umm…" Vanilla interrupts him. "...You're with those guard people, right?"
"Yes!" He nods enthusiastically. "We protect the town from vile youkai, and-"
"I don't trust you." Putting it simply, Vanilla looks away from him.
"Wh-... what!?" Bewildered, the commissar raises his voice. "What do you mean, you don't trust me!? Are you saying you trust them!?"
"Wh- what's a youkai?" The young vampire questions him, glancing back at him.
"An inhuman beast, of course. Like those you see now." He gazes at her with a focused stare.
"...I- I'm not a human." Vanilla informs him. "I'm a vampire."
…
The commissar just blinked in disbelief. "...You-... they- they would not do this to their own kind, no. That is simply what you've been informed-"
"I'm pretty sure I'm a vampire." Vanilla speaks back with actual bite. "Actually- I know I'm a vampire. Didn't you see me suck his blood before…?" She gestures to me.
"...So," glaring at her, he bares his teeth, "fine. If you aid me, this village shall be indebted to you. It shouldn't matter what you are, as long as-"
"It- it'd be better for us both if you just kept quiet…" Vanilla shushes him. "As… weird as these people are, they're the only safety I have in this place. I don't wanna go off on my own, either…"
"...Then that is it then." He speaks in a quick, upset tone. "Simply because you do not trust me, we will be sold and bartered on the street-"
"Be quiet." Vanilla outright tells him to shut up.
"Idiot." Spitting out his last remark, he narrows his eyes and glares off into the bar's empty space.
…
"You know, I'm standing right here." I remind them both.
"If she'd actually cooperated, that'd be a non-issue." The commissar bit back at me. "But no. She does not trust me. Clearly a life of servitude is superior to listening to logic and reason."
"I wouldn't trust you in that drag either." I jab at his appearance.
...Frowning, he turns away again. "Disgusting."
…
After a moment, I start to speak. "I should probably-"
"He~y, what's this…?" Oh. Someone's showed up at the front door. "Some kinda knockoff G.G?"
A what.
"Go on in." The two guards at the door speak their pre-recorded lines that we had Vanilla inscribe into their skulls.
Snorting, the guy sizes up one. "...Bro. You just get off work? Look like ya just dropped your steel and limped over here."
"Go on in." He speaks solidly, arms folded and leaning against the storefront like he was dead.
...The man gives him a wave, before moving to walk inside. "Alright, whatever."
As he steps in, I finish rounding the counter and grab a bucket off the racks, and begin… cleaning it. With my bare hands.
"honh" Something's hiding inside it, which I can in fact clean with my bare hands.
...Looking around, the short-haired man nodded as he sized up the place.
Within a moment, Vanilla began to move towards the counter, before scrambling and staying put. "Ri- right. Wait for them to sit…"
Once he's lumbered around and taken in the bland sights, the man starts to meander towards the counter. "See why you're called small packages." Smiling, he nods at the commissar as he sits at the front counter. Turning away from me, he faces the stout one fully. "What's up, little cutie?"
"You're being deceived." The commissar instantly speaks out at him. "This is not an establishment, this is a disaster!"
Chuckling, the guy tilts his head back. "Wo~w. Big vocabulary for someone so short."
The remark takes the commissar aback. "Wh… what's wrong with being short?"
"Aa~h, nothin'." Nodding, the guy looks over at me. "So, what you serve here, got anything good?"
...I am unfamiliar with this locale's wines. Probably because I've never drank a drop in my life. "Scarlet tinge. Iron bars. Lead pipes."
The guy snorts, before looking around. "...Yeah, whatever, the drinks're formality."
Clack. He brings his arm down on the counter, leaving a yen coin. "Cheapest spirits, please. Oh, and…" Taking a moment, he awkwardly draws a second coin from his jacket. "Make it two."
"Sure." Turning around, I grab a bottle of blood water-but-mostly-water. I don't have any cups, so…
"I have no cups," and I must scream, I inform him.
...Looking at me, he gives me a funny stare before reaching out and taking the bottle from my hands. "Fuck it." Reeling his head back, he starts guzzling it.
…After a moment, he ceases. "Fwa~h. Shit. I was about to feel bad for givin' you two coins for a bottle, but this…" Furrowing his brows, he swishes it around. "Wha' proof is this, even?"
"Very light." As in, none.
He snorts. "Damn right it's very light, shit…" ...After a moment, he smiles and shrugs. "As long as this shit only cost a coin a bottle, right? Right?"
Considering it's water and blood, two resources we got for free, sure. "Sure."
"Hahaha~!" Reeling his head back, the guy laughs. "Good on ya! That's what I like ta hear! Got a good head, barkeep!"
"Go on in." I hear the bouncers outside allow in another customer. Oh, boy.
...The grey jacket-clad man passes his drink to the commissar. "C'mon. C'mo~n."
...Resilient, the stout probably-man frowns. "I- I do not drink, slob."
"Not even if I make you la~ugh?" Grinning, the guy turns to 'her' fully…
It seems that the customer who came in was a rather unassuming-looking adult…
"Go on in." We're getting more attention than anticipated. I suppose setting up on Main Street would have something to do with it…
/ / / / PUTTING SAND IN THE ROCKS, PUTTING ROCKS IN THE SAND / / / /
"Aa~h…" Vanilla hustled down to the rightmost table, holding two plywood squares with meat on them. We only had a few cracked plates, so it seems the spare plywood is coming in handy.
"Drink, drink, drink…" The grey jacketed, slick-haired man from before was now having the commissar chug a bottle of totally-not-water. Probably in an attempt to get him drunk, but since there's no alcohol…
"Ma~n…" I feel like the guy to the left of him is the guard captain, but considering his tired face and black hair are like many others, I really can't tell without his armor on. "Fuck. I really miss when we had more bars like this."
The table to the left has some rather stuffy people seated at it, and the table to the right just seems to be regular guys.
"I kno~w, man." The slick-haired guy grinned at the captain. "G.G's pretty good though, y'know?"
"Fuck Golden Grin." The guard captain sneered at the slick-haired guy.
The slick-haired guy jerked his head back. "What, you gay?"
"If it means not walking into a big fucking trap, sure." The black-haired man argued. "It's covered in sparkles for a reason. How much you wanna bet they serve human meat?"
Wow. I'm not even sure what to think about that.
Jerking his head back, slick man looks neutral about that. "...Aa~h. This place don't look like a real quality establishment either, man."
"So?" The captain leans onto the counter. "If there's a youkai or two here," he gestures to me, "so what? They look so fuckin' understaffed, we could probably beat 'em to death with the food. When I show up at the Grin, I gotta-... I feel like I'll just get fucking kidnapped, you know?"
"Yeah, I get what you're sayin'..." The slick man nods. "I was thinkin', they probably offer services here, y'know what I'm sayin'?"
The captain-esque guy snorts. "No shit. If anything, that's probably a trap."
Grinning, the slick man shakes his head. "Ma~n- you just said you'd rather drink it down at this dump than G.G! Make up your mind, man…"
…
At that, the slick guy looks over at me while the commissar slowly chugs the bottle. Then, he leans across the counter. "Hey- boy."
...I tilt my mask towards him exaggeratedly.
"She- she got a price?" He keeps his voice hush.
"Twenty thousand per hour." I utter. That sounds about right. About two hundred in American. "Twelve thousand per half hour."
"You do half hours?" The man nods in appreciation. "Fuck. Okay," he turns to the maybe-a-guard-captain. "If I'm not back in thirty minutes, beat this guy to death with the food."
The captain-esque man just shakes his head. "Stupid. Have fun."
As the slick, jacketed man gets up, I look over at him. "Room's up the stairs and to the right." The leftmost room has Shikome in it.
"Oh, even a room…" Standing up, the jacketed guy places a hand on the stout man's shoulders. "You drunk enough yet? C'mon, I'll take ya to bed."
...As the commissar sets his bottle down, he glares at me.
I step towards his position and lean in to speak with him. "You will go with him. You have no choice in the matter. Shikome's close by, and I gave her very specific orders. Think wisely- for everyone's sake." ...I didn't really tell her anything related to him. Other than that he would be defiled, that is.
...Wordlessly, the commissar stood from his stool. Once the man began to drag him along, he broke his vow of silence. "Un- unhand me."
"Hahaha~..." The man ushers him along. "No can do, sweetie. Don't worry, I'll make you feel right at home. I know how it can be."
...Once they got out of earshot, near the staircase, I look back at the captain-esque guy.
"Nice stairs." He quips at the stacked plywood stairs. "You have this place built in a day?" Yeah- funny story...
"It was a rush job." I admit. "Money has been limited."
"...Bet you're in debt." He guesses.
Good guess. "...You could say that. My parents frequented the Golden Grin, before they went into… heavy debt, and now I'm here by myself." The debt was so high it manifested into a youkai and killed them.
"Knew it." At that, he nodded. "So you started to compete with 'em, huh? Like that kinda spirit."
…
"Speakin' a spirits," the guy swishes his bottle around, "this stuff is some fucking garbage."
"Go on in." Oh, another person. I find it interesting those people at the side tables don't do much. The guys on the right seem like they're just hanging out really, which is probably fine.
...The stuffy people have finished their meats, and seem to be pouring the drink into shot glasses they carried on them.
...A busty woman with long, auburn hair and a long plain dress wanders in, carrying a furled parasol under her arms.
Scanning the storefront, she slowly steps up to the counter, and takes the seat next to the guardly guy.
"Interesting place." She speaks softly. Looking over at me, she smirks. "Nice sign, by the wa~y."
That's nice.
"Go on in." Another?
...Promptly, a man with a very spiffy, white and grey checkered shirt power walked inside. Instantly, he comes right up to the counter and takes an unoccupied seat. "Coffee, right now! I'm on the case!"
Coffee. What do you think we are, an upstanding establishment? You're getting our 'water-with-a-few-tablespoons-of-blood' special.
...As I pour the water from my scissors into one of the spare bottles, already filled with the applicable blood, I hear another person. "Go on in." Really, now…
...I look up, to see it's just some blond guy, meandering inside. I recognize him, for some reason, but I can't put my finger on it.
The auburn-haired wench gives the spiffy man a frown, before looking at me again. "...You're dressed awfully nice, aren't you? I like it."
"You're a bunch of class acts." The guard-esque man jeered at pretty much all of us. "When the hell'd all the sticks in the mud walk into the first bar they laid their eyes on?"
...I give the hyper spiffy man his bottle. "Here."
"...Um, sir." He looks up at me, bringing a hand to his chin. "This appears to not be coffee, but rather… booze."
"Only one type of bottle." I justify. "It'll wake you up alright."
...Shaking his head, he brings up the bottle. "Bottoms up!" He begins to chug it...
Idly, the blonde guy sits down, and places some yen bills on the counter. "Bottle 'a your strongest."
Now, we only have so many bottles here…
The fashion disaster guy turns to him, ceasing his chugging. "Oh, hey Albus!"
"Fuck off." Albus all but deflates into the counter.
Grinning, he tilts his head. "Looking for a new frequent?"
"Mmh." Albus is dead inside.
"Oh, hey." Guard guy looks over at him. "Albus. What's good?"
"Oh…" Albus looks up from the counter. "Hagane. What the fuck."
Hagane grins. "Came to see what the atmosphere was like. Apparently everyone else did too."
...After playing diner dash for a good few moments, Vanilla finally returns to me. "He- hey…"
I turn to her. "Hi. Everyone served?"
"Yeah…" She takes a breath. "Should be good."
Hagane looks at her with mild confusion. "...She even old enough to work?"
I have no idea.
The busty lady turned to him. "Hagane-ku~n. She probably has to work this job for family or something…"
...Hagane turns to her. "Do I know you?"
"You should." Smiling, she leans forward-
"No, no, fuck off." He pushes her back with his arm. "I've got a sword."
She snorts. "A sword? I'd like to see it."
Snorting himself, he shakes his head. "Seriously. Don't do anything you'll regret."
She tilts her head. "Or wha~t? You'd hit a pretty woman like me?"
"I'd stab you in the fucking gut, yeah." He allows a hand to lower for emphasis. "We can take this outside. I've got permits, too."
…
She looks away from him, pretending that exchange never happened.
Albus looks over at me. "Where's my dri~nk!?" Do you have to yell?
"You scared it off." ...Looking over at Vanilla, I see she's replaced some empty bottles, so I just take one and begin filling it with water beneath the counter. "Hold on."
...Albus allows his head to hang.
…
The busty woman leans over the counter, speaking to me directly. "How long you've been running this place? I've never seen it before…"
It has been in the family ever since man has been put on this planet. Before there was a human village, there was this bar.
"You're so cute." She informs the man whose face she literally cannot see. As in, me.
I give her a blank stare in return. "You want something?"
"Oh…" She sits down on her chair properly, looking to the side. "You don't need to be so bold." What even.
...Quickly, I slip out the back door, pivot around to the nearby wall, and dip the bottle into the open body hung up there. It was put there literally not too long ago, so everything's still fresh. Even just a little blood should convince people it's more than just water.
With that done, I walk back inside and hand it to Albus. "Here."
"Thanks." He accepts the bottle, pops it open, and chugs it. I take the money he laid out on the counter in exchange…
...The busty girl speaks again. "Do you need any help? I could lend a hand, or two…"
I turn to her. "Do you want to make innuendos all day, or do you want to fuck something?"
The spiffy guy snorts. "Aa~h…"
"You." She blurts, before bringing her hands to her cheeks. "Oh my, I said it. Whatever shall I do…?"
Hagane just gives her a jaded expression. Well, that's pretty much his default expression, but in this case especially so.
...I turn to Vanilla. "Watch the customers." Then, I turn to the totally legit whore woman. "Follow me."
"Fu- ah, ehehe…" She brings a hand up to her mouth. "You're a dear." You're a deer.
I progress towards the plywood stairs, and start climbing them. The woman follows closely behind me, before moving to hold my hand, something I evade by promptly sticking my hands in my pockets. "Hehehe~."
...Once we get upstairs, I proceed into the leftmost room.
Going through the empty doorframe into the almost empty room, I see Shikome in the corner out of eyeshot, petting Rumia. Judging by the hole in the roof, it seems Rumia came in for the evening.
...The certainly legitimate woman follows me inside. "...A back room? I like it like that…"
Reaching the midst of the room, I turn around, facing her.
The woman begins to smile, only her lips shifting. "I like it like that a lot, actually."
Bam! The door slams behind her.
"You see…" Stepping forward, she begins to reveal her pearly white teeth-
Fwoof! Relatively small, grey succubus wings spread out from her back. "I work best one on one."
"That's nice." I nod in appreciation, before looking over at Shikome. "Dinner is here."
Shikome stands up, propping Rumia on her legs before walking over towards us.
...The succubus turns around, noticing them. "Oh? Aaw, and who are-"
Shink! Within seconds, Shikome slid the first tendril into her chest cavity. "Th-... them?"
Shi-shi-shink! Three more tendrils entered the succubus, two into her throat and one into her abdomen.
Bam! Bringing the body up, Shikome pressed it against the wall, seemingly tugging the tendrils in different directions-
Kri-krik-krik. She's not torn apart, but her bones sound like they've been turned into a demolition derby.
Weakly, she brings her arms up to grab onto the tendrils invading her throat, her nails extending, but she doesn't accomplish much doing this.
"Chthonic whore." Shikome states bluntly.
"Hhh~..." The succubus' throat makes airy noises-
Krik! Shikome brought a tendril back and up the succubus' throat, both to the point it came out her mouth, and to the point her neck snapped.
…
Shikome retracts all her tendrils.
Thud. The succubus' vaguely frayed, limp body fell onto its side.
Overall, there was only a small pool of blood where Shikome first engaged the succubus, and where she pressed her against the wall, where the neck was. It will likely fade quickly.
...Stepping up to the corpse, I kneel down and check the pockets.
As it turns out, she ha~s… around eleven thousand yen on her. Perfumes, empty glass vials...
I'll just take the money. Perhaps we can make special love meat out of the body or something.
"I need you girls to make this body last, somehow." I instruct the lolis. "...If it's possible."
"Ooo~!" Rumia stands up, and begins moving towards it. "I don't like succubus, but I can cook it!"
That works, probably. Cooked succubus.
...Nodding at the sight of Rumia-
Fwam! -firing danmaku into the succubus' corpse, I proceed towards the door out.
As I exit the doorless room, the door to the rightmost room opens. After a moment, the slick-haired man lumbers out, before suddenly noticing my presence. "Oh- hey."
...I stare at him as he somewhat sluggishly makes his way out of the room, holding open the door behind himself. "Waitin' for my money, huh? Here." Digging into his pockets, he took out the applicable yen and handed them over to me. "...She's real cute." Smiling and nodding at me, he gives me a wink.
I should probably make the next customer pay upfront, although such situations are nothing Shikome couldn't solve.
"Oh, and hope ya don't mind, we used those rags you left in there to clean up." He began moving towards the staircase.
...Oh, right. We stripped some of the dead hobos of their clothing and left them in a pile in there. I suppose they'd make paper towel substitutes.
"See ya~!" The man called out as he progressed down the stairs.
…
A moment later, the stout commissar stepped out of the room, clad in his maid uniform again, albeit more sloppily attached. His shoes were also still off, so he was walking around with stocking-clad legs.
I glance at his ruffled blonde hair, and positively livid expression. It looks like he cried, too.
I give him a nod, before moving back downstairs, briefly gesturing for him to follow.
/ / / / MOOGLES AND MOGULS / / / /
Back down here, Vanilla seems to be holding her own at the counter well enough.
I'm in time to see the slick-haired, jacket-clad man leave the bar, giving the bouncers a final pat on the shoulder and parting greet.
"Go on in." The guard informs him.
"Ahah, maybe next time!" Boisterously, he bounds away from them.
"Go on in." As he leaves, the guard's voice was ignored.
"A-ah…" No one's walked into the bar yet, so Vanilla hasn't had to fulfill any new orders since I've been gone.
"What's working here like?" Hagane interrogates her for workplace safety standards, presumably.
"...Al- alright." Vanilla supplies. "I don't hate it."
I start to approach the bar counter, stepping up to Vanilla and gazing at the customers.
The guy with the grey checkerboard sweater looks at me. "He~y- you know, this stuff's no coffee, but it wakes me up alright! I… think?"
Yeah. It tends to do that.
Albus lays his empty bottle on its side, and starts to stand. "Worthless. I'll come back when you serve alcohol."
You do that.
…
Hagane yawns. "Mn~h. Well, it i~s about that time. I'm not even buzzed." Standing up, he begins to move after Albus. "See ya around, barkeep."
...That just leaves the grey-haired fashion disaster at the counter.
Kri-krik. His neck idly cracks as he articulates his head. "Haa~h. Whelp, off to work on that case! Nice place!" With that, he begins power walking away.
Sighing in relief, Vanilla's posture relaxes. "So many people…"
If you say so.
…
With the counter clear of customers, I look over at the table of stuffy people in the left corner. Some of them seem to be standing, and it seems the regular guys on the right are getting up, too. Does everyone just have a sixth sense for their bedtimes?
...A man with long grey hair and a fancy navy coat steps up to me. "...I must say, your meats are crap, and your wine is distilled. We were going to issue seizures of this unlawful use of property, but..." Looking at the mostly barren wine rack behind me, he shakes his head. "There is no need, is there?"
Probably people who work for the village. "Probably not."
He snorts. "See to it you do not advertise by the common venues. I'll send someone tomorrow to further negotiate this deal."
Corrupt people who work for the village. "Sure." Unless the village just does things that shadily.
...With that, the man begins to stomp off, the less imposing looking poofy guys waiting at the entrance for him.
…
Things are quite quiet, now. I suppose I live here, too. Among the lolis and the degenerates.
Looking down at my bottles and at the counter, I nod. This does indeed seem like a viable way to earn money…
"I'm…" Vanilla starts to move for the stairs. "I'm going to bed, if… that's alright."
Aren't vampires nocturnal creatures? "...Don't use the couch." I advise her.
"...Why?" She asks the innocent question.
...I look at the commissar, who silently stands in the back of the room, glaring a hole in me.
"Just don't." I decide.
"...Okay." Neutrally accepting this, she starts to walk up the somewhat rotated, uneven plywood staircase.
...This place needs a carpenter, doesn't it? I suppose I'll work on that in the coming days.
Oh, right. Looking over at the commissar, I give him instructions. "You're sleeping on the couch."
"I-... you- you're not getting away, with this." He's still glaring at me. "Mon- monster."
"Human." I inform him. "Flattery won't get you a paycheck."
...Narrowing his eyes- reminding me of his runny makeup- he moves for the stairs. "You- you'll see…"
Indeed.
…
I suppose I should be heading up, too.
Click. Click. In the next moment, I hear a pair of heels progressing into the bar.
"My~..." Looking up, my eyes meet Yukari's. "I see you've chosen to get your feet wet in our lovely economy, here."
Apparently. "I'm here to make money and sell traps."
She snorts. "Aren't we all? Although our definitions of 'trap' may vary…" Unfurling a fan, she holds it before her face, scanning my bar… "That was quite a stunt, earlier. Not quite an elegant showing, but it was certainly a pep of energy for everyone involved, no?"
I think she means the village guard brawl. "...I suppose."
"Fufufu~..." Taking a seat at the counter before me, she makes a request. "Food and drink, if you would please."
Okay. Moving, I go to get the hobo parts I require-
"Raw." She requests. "Don't dilute the blood, either."
Sure.
...After some moments of beating up a body nailed to the wall for blood, and using a tattered rag to extract a red, fleshy innard, I bring both the bottle and meat to the waiting youkai.
"Thank you~..." As I set down the food and drink, she lets her fan float into the air beside her, as she reaches to consume the food.
Picking up the unidentified meaty chunk with her gloved hand, she brings it to her mouth-
Squish. The particularly gooey bit makes a wet noise as she bites down on it, simply pulling and rotating her head to rend the meat from the bite. "Hmm…" Furrowing her brows, she tilts her head.
After she swallows, she smiles. "A reminder of my youth, I suppose. Though, I could never so simply go to a bar and order it, I'm sure. Fufufu~!"
Looking up at me, she comments further. "If only you'd had better meat available. Still, what you've gotten ahold of is notable, for a being such as yourself."
It was a dead hobo.
She tilts her head to the other side. "Considering this is a bar, it's apt, isn't it? Devouring deceased alcoholics, that is. You can taste it, although this sample is particularly… vague."
...Setting down the meat with her red stained gloves, she tilted her head back and swung an arm for the bottle. Bringing it to her lips, she chugged it.
Gulp- gulp- gulp- gulp- gulp…
...In a second, she politely puts it back down, the bottle now empty. "He's been dead for some hours, hasn't he? I suppose refrigeration has made me spoiled..."
"I could use a fridge." I make a request she will surely fulfill.
"Oh?" Looking up at me, she winks. "Anything, for you."
Clack.
...A tiny, Fisher Price play-fridge was placed on the counter, next to her meal.
Leaning over to it, she folded it open, revealing plastic food inside. "It has all the kitchen necessities. Isn't it cute?"
...I stare at Yukari blankly.
"All business, aren't you…?" She pouts at me. "O~h well."
Resting her arms on the counter, she tilts her head forward. "You may kill no more than three individuals daily. Attacking guards are exempt, in quantities under ten, and only when not enticed to do so."
"Yes, Mom." I progress through her lecture.
...At that, she smiles. "Just wanted you to know where we stand. Today, you killed around fifteen, twenty people. If you kept that up, this village would soon be empty!"
I see. "...What if I did keep it up?"
"You'd be removed, to put it simply." Yukari nodded, still smiling. "Don't make me do tha~t. At this rate, I wouldn't even need to do it myself."
I shrug. "It's not me who's doing it."
"I refer also to your little friend." Yukari's fan drifts before her face, although the smile drops from her eyes. "She can be removed just as easily as you. And, if you ever lose tabs on her... be aware that my request applies to both of you."
Okay.
With that, she smiles again. "Fufufu~. I'm glad we could reach an agreement. Oh, that reminds me…" She points upstairs. "You may sell services to your clients as much as you desire, but limit those consumed to two per day. Again- hmm…"
She looks into the air for a moment, before shaking her head. "On second thought, three kills daily, yes. Not enough people to allow for five kills a day, no."
...Actually. "If they're youkai, do they count?"
Yukari's fan folds up, and she smiles. "Goo~d question! No, they do not. Kill as many youkai as you desire, but do not feed their parts, fluids, or clothing to the humans."
Huh.
"Oh. One more thing…" Smiling warmly, Yukari leans back… "Nnn~... if you kill anyone noteworthy, you and your friend will be killed without notice. You know who I'm talking about."
If I kill Reimu, I will be banished to the shadow realm, so on and so forth.
"...Good. I think that's everything…" Standing up, Yukari yawns. "Oo~h… I need sleep. Good night." With that, she begins to walk out of the bar…
"Hey." I speak up, before she leaves. "...You want an hour with him?"
...Yukari shakes her head without turning around. "I'll have to decli~ne. It's not one of those days… and probably won't be for quite some time."
Looking back at me, she winks. "Then again, I'm only seventeen, you know? Fufufu~!"
Once she reaches the door, a gap opens before her and consumes her.
...The room is now totally silent. I can hear the girls upstairs thumping about.
/ / / / FLUFFLE THWASHES / / / /
Arriving upstairs, I see the lolis in their natural habitat.
"Ya~y!" Rumia pushes Vanilla into the idle Shikome, before glomping both of them.
...The weight slowly causes Shikome to tip over, before-
Thud. -landing on her back, otherwise unaffected.
...Nodding at this, I sit on my crappy sleeping bag. I need a bed. Maybe I can sleep in that treasure chest and become a mimic.
It's also dark as fuck. We need lights. I can only make out the girls' positions because Shikome and Rumia's eyes glow in the dark.
...Flopping over on my glorified blanket, I take in the cold, musty atmosphere of the upper level.
/ / / / FREAKIN HAKUGYOKUROU / / / /
END OF CHAPTER 70.5
PROTAGONIST: Matthew, the Debatably Sane Outsider, Lord of Edges, Scissor-Slinging Slasher, Insurance Fraud Expert, Used Goods Reseller, Evil Spirit Cultivator, Shrine Maiden Evader, Professional Youkai Developer, Legitimate Business Man
PRIMARY WEAPON: Dash Scissors - Succubus training tool. Allows horizontal quick-dashes, for dodging and agility purposes. Doubles as scissors for kinky, cloth-cutting occasions. Or stabbing. Sleek, black design.
OFFHAND ITEMS: [A Single Rubber Glove] - For those moments one needs to touch a live power wire with one hand and fap with the other.
INVENTORY:
[Bag of Holding] - Takes up no inventory space, because it is the inventory space. Has nine slots, and is easily accessible.
Steel Scissors - Sharp, shiny, and to the point!
Quick Scissorang - Non-elemental scissors that are enchanted to return to the owner with ferocity. Not that powerful of a weapon, but combined with strong string it can be used like a powerful grappling hook. Looks like it belongs in a Barbie catalog.
Shadow Hell Scissors - Fire elemental scissors. Ignites with every swing. Boosts power of fire spells. Forty percent fire resistance. Increases comfort when near fire. Allows user to cast Fire, Hellfire, Dark Fire, and Dark Fira.
Blessed Steel Scissors - Stained lightly with dried blood from a young human female. Sharp, shiny-ish, and to the point! Also blessed...
Steel-alloy String - An experimental item provided by Alice as part of her testing. She uses these herself to manage her dolls, or so I'm told.
A Tuft of Cloth Strings - Pink, regular cotton string. It's soft, and clean.
Danger Scissors Plus - Let's get dangerous. Randomly spawns anything from anywhere at any time at all, dependent on the power of the party or people around it while it is equipped.
(one more space remaining)
[Backpack] - Allows extended inventory, of twenty slots. Can hold larger items, but it takes longer to pull them out. Items inside are safer. It's also baby barf green.
Hedge Cutters - Rusty lawn pruning tool used by farmers to keep the vile hedges at bay. They're also sharp, so they've probably been used more than once in self-defense.
Teal Stone - Cool and refreshing to hold, exuding power of the wind. It's sort of shiny, too. Perhaps usable as a reagent.
Hackjob Rifle - A pseudo-railgun, made from an AK-47 barrel and a mangled toy gun. Laced with duct tape and wires to function, powered by electrical scissors, and uses small iron pellets as ammunition. Explodes violently if fed anything non-iron as ammo. Outside is coated with vegetable oil and must be wetted regularly to avoid violence upon powering up. Quite powerful.
Water Scissors - Scissors that continuously produce water. How troublesome.
Goldfish Snack Crackers - They're smiling. They might make a good snack...
Modern-ish Surge Protector - Protects against surges. Not very useful without unified electrical practices in housing. Can still be used as a paperweight and a brick, though.
[Rubber Pouch] - Stores electrical objects safely. Too small to add extra inventory, but doesn't take up any space when it's filled. Currently holding electric scissors.
Electrical Scissors - Must be held by gloves at all times, lest they cause electrical fires. Can cause severe shocking and electricity-induced stunning in individuals susceptible, including myself if I'm stupid. Unable to be turned off.
Holy Pot - A torso-sized holy pot used as a vehicle by flufflekind. Has holy properties and resistances for obvious reasons.
(twelve more spaces remaining)
==o==
PARTY:
Shikome, the Black Scion of the Saigyou
WEAPON: Dark Tendrils - Able to create tendrils from any part of her body, she can use them for powerful dark/physical attacks.
INVENTORY:
[Defiled Kimono] - Coated in the coagulated blood of numerous unlucky people. Grants pockets.
(two inventory spaces remaining)
==o==
Rumia, Youkai of the Dusk
WEAPON: Unarmed.
INVENTORY:
[Rumia's Outfit] - Some kind of outfit. I'm not sure how Rumia maintains it. Properties unknown. Grants pockets.
Red Ribbon - It's a ribbon in her hair. It's small, too. Takes up no inventory space. Properties unknown.
(two inventory spaces remaining)
==o==
Vanilla, the Loli Vampire
WEAPON: Unarmed.
INVENTORY:
[Cloak] - A dull black cloak. No inventory space, but takes up none when worn.
(no inventory space)
==o==
Kid Commissar, the Ex-Commander, Trap Prostitute
WEAPON: Unarmed.
INVENTORY:
[Maid Outfit] - A Scarlet Devil Mansion standard issue outfit, for short fairies. Grants pockets.
(six inventory spaces remaining)
==o==
ACTUAL AUTHOR'S NOTE:
the big nugget chapter
WE PROBABLY CROSSED SOME LINES but y'know yo no graphic imagery of sex so s'all good in the hood man; i'm sure anyone who's read this far ain't quite so squeamish
this was an idea my proofreaders wanted done for awhile and as they got hype about it i was like "you know this actually sounds like a fun step up"
in more practical literature hitting some insane note like this without plans for insaner notes later is pretty much totally shitty planning but this ain't practical literature yo
for some reason this chapter seemed to flow pretty well for the most part; whenever i have to take a break the dividing period feels choppy to me so that whole fluidity perception is probably invalid until i like reread it with an open mind and shieut
it's weird how different one's emotion in scenes can feel from the actual scene when it deals with more complex elements… not thematically, just like, "there's a fuckton of characters and this is a chore to keep track of mid-writing but the end-product's not bad". XD issa curious dissonance and it's a skill i feel like more aspiring writers ought to develop because i feel like there's just gonna be times you don't feel invested period, but if you want it done you really need to want it done
i've been immersed in this idea awhile and typically shocking elements don't hit me as hard and my intuitive feels have been a tad scrambled by college stuff so i'm interested as to how people feel about this chapter XD
as always, see you all next time!
==o==
CO-AUTHOR'S NOTE:
we've crossed so many lines that there aren't any lines any longer. it's not like we needed them anyway, right? (could be worse, much worse)
but in all seriousness, i doubt it really matters since if you've gotten this far in the story, you know what to expect at this point. this chapter even literally said "bar brothel" in the heading. either you read on because you were interested in what that would entail, or you didn't.
as for the chapter itself… yeah it's nice
i'm not sure if shikome's antics were overdone or not. some people may like them, while others may not. there's really no way of knowing, so we're just gonna go with the flow and see what happens... there really is a high rate of lesbianism in this story, isn't there. and lolis, many lolis. almost like it was made by sexual deviants
if anyone asks, this was a joint effort between me and another proofreading guy. writefag himself didn't have much of a say in the matter, huhuhuh
it seems like such a shame that these chapters have to strictly be after three brad chapters, but it's whatever. not everyone's gonna like them and continuing the trend is purely for the sake of consistency (and probably sanity)
even if you don't read these chapters, you're gonna get to know the place better later on with brad, so look forward to it!
yeah bye
p.s. writefag overreacts about whether the writing is good or not
