Chapter 10: The Great Unmoving Library
Time: 1459 Hour; 23rd of July, 2125
Location: Main corridor; SDM
Harrison looked at the Turk who was shot in the eye by the enemy agent. "No questioning that he's dead."
"Someone finally managed to kill an STI employee without being seen." David commented. "I'm starting to worry about these weird people's special abilities..."
LT came back and kicked the enemy's corpse. Like all the previous enemies, her body is dematerializing into small glowing wisps. "Never thought I'll be fighting a Youkai. Thought they were just stories..." LT told himself. "I certainly need to do some research on Asahian fairy-tales and Youkai once I get back home..."
David and Edge were the only ones puzzled by the term "Youkai".
"What are these 'things' you are talking about?" They both asked.
It was Takagi who replied. "Embodiments of supernatural creatures taking humanoid forms. I heard of them in fairy-tales. Although there's not much information, it appears that some can look completely human." He slowly added another sentence. "All Youkai are magic-users, so the STI scanners can pick them up as Magika-emitting sources."
"Sort of like whatever's behind that door." Harrison added, while scanning a door that is not too far away. "I'm detecting lots of Magika Radiation behind this... bulkhead. Some are small fries like those Fairies, others are on a much more demonic scale."
LT fiddled with something on his watch. Within a second, the watch is displaying a screen with the same display as Harrison's Googles, but as a hologram. "And there's one that, even from this far away, broke the readings scale despite the layer of bulkheads surrounding it." With another few fiddling, the hologram switched to displaying a different image, this time the layout of the entire SDM (minus the aforementioned basement) and a single blimp at one room.
"Sensors indicates that the ZPM is at the last room on the top floor, and that's where we're going. Besides, the basement bulkhead is too thick for my weapons to even scrape the paint off." LT analyzed, and then proceeded down the corridor, followed by everyone.
David took one last look at the basement door. "As thick as the bulkheads at your Family Mansion/ STI HQ, eh? Those things can stop anything, even Anti-Bulkhead Bombs." He then go back to following the group...
Had he stayed at the door for another second, he would've heard a soft "Kyuu~" coming from behind it. The sound is followed by what sounded like an explosion.
Omega E The Reader: If the outsiders are screwing over Remilia's army why hasn't she unleashed Flandre yet upon LT and his Allies yet?
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: Because this instance of Remilia is an idiot.
Lt Colonel Summers: Actually, from a canonical perspective, Remilia didn't sic Flandre on LT & Co because the little sister is too dangerous to be let free. Remi's reserving Flan for a Godzilla Threshold. So I'd have to shoot this sin down for not realizing the reason.
WildMath55: Agreed. And she's actually smarter than she looks. I just add this because the fans tend to over-exaggerate Flandre's playful tendencies, and I'm just glad the fact that she's included as one of Touhou Soccer Moushuuden players and one of Sengoku Gensokyo recruitables means this point of mine is vindicated, and canon reinforced it years later.
Sin Count: 120 (sin shot down)
...
Location: End of Corridor; SDM.
"End of the road, guys." Edge reminded everyone as they approached a large door.
The door is almost as wide as the corridor itself. Hung on the doors is a sign with some writings on it.
"It says 'Voile Library' in Asahian." LT read the writings on the sign. "It also says 'Closed, authorized personnel only'"
WildMath55: A trivia here, Patchouli's library actually doesn't have a name, and Voile actually came from EoSD Stage 4 music, "Voile, the Magic Library". Just imagine "Voila!", and you'll see what I mean. Just want to point that out.
Sin Count: 120 (unchanged)
"Good thing you can read and speak every language on Earth." David commented. He attempts to push the door open, but it won't budge. "Sealed shut on the other side, I guess."
"Should we blow it up?" Harrison asked.
LT pulled out his Boomer pistol from his pocket. "One bullet won't be enough if it's strong enough to impede David Fomes' super-strength. That's another whole magazine used..." LT spoke as he ejected the magazine from the gun, and stuck the magazine on the handlebars.
Everybody stood back as LT prepared to press the detonation button on the gun.
The whole magazine produced a large explosion, with enough shockwave to knock the group off their feet, and push open the damaged door at the same time.
"Next time we should use less boom." Alice Lou reminded. When she took a look at the damaged part of the door, "15 Boomer bullets and just a mouse hole?!"
LT calmly climbs back up and commented on the damage. "It resisted 15 drops of Di-Lithium Phosphorous-A exploding at once. Looks like Magic can do more than we think..."
Behind the door is a very large library with lots of bookshelves that probably stood 3 Stories tall. The library has 2 floors, and a chandelier can be seen hung on the middle of the ceiling.
"Pure awesomeness!" Everyone with a sense of humor exclaimed, excluding LT. Alice Lou commented on LT's response. "There goes another personality changing..."
Omega E The Reader: Oookay? Why can't LT and his band have one set personality instead of changing their personalities on the fly? First they are serious? Then humorous. Back to serious, and now humorous. Just pick one! Being serious or funny!
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: It was a sin back in Behind the Scenes, so it's a sin here, too.
Lt Colonel Summers: Again, I sucked at personalities back then.
WildMath55: At least Kokoro can be excused for this during Hopeless Masquerade...
Sin Count: 121
...
Patchouli was on the second floor, observing the Outsiders from a corner.
"Prepare for termination..." Patchouli spoke silently.
Patchouli remained silent, while keeping the Outsiders in sight without being seen. The Outsiders kept walking until they are next to a bookshelf, where the group leader crouched and slid his hands over the books. He then retracts his hands and flick his fingers as though dusting them. He turned to the others and gestured them to proceed. Looks like nothing on the bookshelves will indicate a recent visitor, or rather, just that bookshelf indicates it. When he does the same thing on another bookshelf, that one is completely void of dust, and as he removes a book from the bookshelf.
The leader signaled who appears to be his right hand man to take a look at the book. The leader pointed a few fingers at the cover, and then passed it to his right hand man.
Patchouli was pretty sure that the Outsiders will just dismiss the lack of dust on that particular bookshelf and Grimoire as coincidence, she saw this happening all the time in the movies. But instead of what she expects, she gets the opposite.
"This book was open just minutes ago!" The leader exclaimed loudly as he pulled out a futuristic-looking gun. "Someone was here not too long ago, and she too probably want us dead."
Patchouli was shocked to see the leader coming up with a correct (not "accurate", but "correct") analysis with just one look...
...And so she decided to cast a spellcard.
"Water Sign: Princess Undine."
...
"Hold it." LT signaled everyone to stop.
"Do you guys hear anything?" He asked everyone.
With complete silence in the Library, one could indeed hear something that sounded like a flood of water. And it seems to be getting louder.
"That ain't no hallucination when everyone is hearing it." LT reminded. "Get on the shelves!"
Everyone quickly scrambled to their feet and climbed up the closest bookshelf they could find. LT was right to have told everyone to do that, as a mass of water is indeed approaching from all directions.
"So much for the books on the bottom layers..." Alice Lou handwaved.
For a minute, the water seems to be rising slowly. Then the surface stopped abruptly just before the second layer of the bookshelves.
"Climb higher, in case the attacker decides to throw a Jumper Cable in." LT told everyone.
He was right again, the surface of the water is suddenly charged with electricity from an unknown source.
"Sir..." Harrison messaged LT via the earpieces, with thoughts. "I'm picking up a massive amount of Magika Radiation from a nearby source, and it's moving around the library."
Omega E The Reader: Wait can Patchouli's actual spell card be able to do all of that anyways?
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: I don't think this is even an actual Spell Card.
Omega E The Reader: So what even this anyways?
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: Dunno. Does it even have a name?
Omega E The Reader: I doubt it at all. Is this one of those made up spell cards?
WildMath55: More like multiple attacks executed in succession, if you ask me. At least that's acceptable in MUGEN System, but I do think this is not eligible in Spell Card rules unless ir has been named.
Sin Count: 122
LT climbed up another layer of bookshelves before turning around to face the library, with his back against the bookshelf.
"Who are you?" LT asked the attacker if there was any. "Why do you want us dead?"
Out of creepiness, he got a reply. It was a woman's voice.
"Because my mistress was ordered to..."
Omega E The Reader: Patchouli is NOT a servant of Remilia. She is actually best friends with the vampire!
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: She even outranks Sakuya.
Omega E The Reader: I know! It's even directly stated that both Patchouli and Remilia are best friends together!
Lt Colonel Summers: I didn't do enough research on Touhou when I wrote this series back then. So this sin really is deserved for getting a fact wrong.
WildMath55: Yep, and I'm just glad I made Patchouli a member of Magus Trio to reinforce the idea of her independence. She's still affiliated with SDM for reasons Omega E said.
Sin Count: 123
...
"This is my DOOMSTICK!" LT fired a shot at the sound with the Doomstick.
The shot obliterates a small portion of the second floor, but other than that, there's no sign of whoever just spoke to him.
At least in front...
The voice appeared behind him.
"Fire Sign: Vulcan Blaze."
LT quickly jumped onto another bookshelf, narrowly avoiding several fireballs - uncountable amounts - that hit the previous bookshelf and set it on fire.
With quick reflexes, LT climbed up the bookshelf he jumped onto, and reached the top within matter of seconds...
...To find the attacker waiting right there. There was also no sign of the others.
"Oh, crap..." LT cursed before a brick materialized from thin air and went straight toward his face.
Just as the brick is inches in front of LT, it shattered into hundred of bits from being hit by bullets that came from behind him.
"Nobody hurts our boss!" Harrison shouted at the attacker, aiming his WL-2 at her, while standing on top of another bookshelf. The Guards and Turks are also on top of other bookshelves, also aiming their guns at her.
"Hmp! Looks like I'll have to pull out the big books." The attacker cursed as she heads toward the center of the library, directly under the chandelier. "Elemental Sign: Philosopher's Stone."
LT, Harrison and Co looked at the spell casting. Within seconds, LT quickly came to his senses. "Why am I looking at her doing nothing?! Everyone, interrupt her spell-casting!"
The Turks unsheathed their Zantetsu-Maru and stuck the twin blades together like before, only this time they also threw it at the attacker like a boomerang. The spinning blades headed toward her at high speed, only to be deflected as she just finished casting her spell. 6 differently colored crystals materialized around her.
The crystals began firing energy projectiles at everyone save the attacker. LT finds trouble blocking all of them with his Zantankuto Sword.
And one of the stray shots managed to hit a Guard in the chest, which sends him tumbling into the electrified waters below.
Watching another one of his men killed, LT became very angry and started strafing around the shots by jumping from bookshelf to bookshelf. He pressed a button on his watch, and some sort of energy shield appeared in front as he put the Watched hand in front of him, blocking all incoming shots.
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: That watch is a walking asspull. Wouldn't be surprised if it was a prototype Green Lantern Ring, including that BS Composite Time Travel ability.
Omega E The Reader: I wonder if this watch was foreshadowed?
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: I don't think so. And it's still BS, either way.
Lt Colonel Summers: This was meant to have been foreshadowed, but I forgot about it and didn't bother to go back and rewrite the previous chapters to fix this issue. Plus one sin from me for my laziness.
WildMath55: And one sin from OverLord for bringing this up.
Sin Count: 125
...
"W, w, w, what?!" Patchouli was surprised by the Outsider's group leader conjuring some sort of barrier and blocking every shot aimed at him.
"You leave me no choice!" Patchouli cursed at the man as she made all 6 crystals fire upon him. Still no effect.
The man yelled back. "You're the one leaving me no choice, for killing one of my men!" He pulls out the gun which he calls a Doomstick, and aims at something above her, while pulling the trigger. "THIS IS MY DOOMSTICK!" He shouted as he fires the gun at...
...The base of the chandelier, which breaks off from it's base and crashed right on top of Patchouli, at the same time causing the 6 crystal to shatter into shards.
"Mukyuu!" Patchouli yelped as she, along with the damaged chandelier fell straight into the waters below...
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: I'm pretty sure the chandelier could easily be magically moved away with metal magic.
Omega E The Reader: Or it can just float above there using floats magic.
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: I mean really, Patchouli should have the time to see where he was aiming. That Doomstick is big enough that it should be obvious if he's firing above her.
Lt Colonel Summers: I could neither criticize nor defend this, because I have no idea what to say of it.
WildMath55: No argument there.
Sin Count: 126
...
The water began to recede as the magician is defeated. And soon the library floor is dry again, as though it has always been.
Within the mess that is once the Library chandelier, lies the magician that manages the library, struggling to climb up.
LT slowly walks toward the magician, with the Boomer pistol pointed at her head. "Nice try, bitch..."
The magician replied with a croaked voice. "Nice try, bastard..." She echoed as she prepares another attack. "Sun Sign: Royal..."
The attack was never executed. A bookshelf behind her suddenly toppled, and landed right on top of her.
"Mukyuu!" She yelped again upon being crushed by the bookshelf. Behind where the bookshelf once stood straight are the RAIDERS whom were missing from the fight.
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: How did she forget there were others in the library? She's the brain of the SDM, for crying out loud!
Lt Colonel Summers: Yeah, I have to agree on this one... *head meets desk*
WildMath55: Here, H-Patchouli face-palms herself because of her Blitzkrieg counterpart's reckless abandon... And yes, she's Sengoku Gensokyo veteran. Plus one sin, then.
Sin Count: 127
"Looks like the Summers family still needs help sometimes..." David, who looked like he had pushed the bookshelf over, joked.
"About time you people showed up!" LT shouted at the RAIDERS while approaching them. "Where... Are... You...?" He asked angrily.
It was Edge who stood forward and replied. "We found a computer back there... *points at a computer in the second floor* ...and figured we might find some information. But we too were ambushed by that witch and she sealed us in layers of solid rock walls."
LT hurriedly brought some of his surviving men and went for the computer on the second floor. "I never thought about seeing magic and technology being used together..." He tried accessing some files.
"'Access denied', the usual..." Alice Lou lampshaded.
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: Blatant announcement of lampshading. You know what that means.
Sin Count: 128
LT held his watch in front again, pressing a button to activate a different holographic display. "Screw logging in! I say we hack it!"
Harrison who has just arrived looked at the pile of Video Games and Printed Comic Books alongside a coffee cup. "That boss fight was against a NEET?!"
"Try to remember that some HMF soldiers, as well as some of my other employees, are ex-NEETs. Ex-NEETs may put their knowledge to good use..." LT reminded. "Like our friend here: Miss Patchouli Knowledge."
The hacking is complete, and LT put away his watch. "Ok, people. Let's get the ZPM back."
LT and the group proceeds toward the door on the second floor of the Library. Before leaving through it, LT took a peek back at the library, which is messed by the battle earlier. "Looks like the Voile need some renovations, eh? Miss Knowledge..." He leaves and closes the door behind him…
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: Why didn't she just crush them all to death with these rock walls?
Omega E The Reader: I dunno man. But whatever the case might be it may be dumb.
Sin Count: 129
Lt Colonel Summers: Actually, belay that sin and give it to Lunatic and Omega for "pointing out" that a character is bloodthirsty when she canonically isn't.
WildMath55: I second that. Dang Gensokyo supremacists...
Sin Count: 128
L-O Sin Count: 1
Lt Colonel Summers: More will be added to the L-O Sin Counter in the future if Lunatic and Omega continues to "point out" a character being bloodthirsty when she isn't in canon. Goddamn you're making me make a "EWW CinemaSins" parody within a "Cinemasins" parody...
WildMath55: Unless there's no Spell Card rules, this can't be excused. It's as if we're back in the freaking PC-98 era... Again, dang Gensokyo supremacists... And yes, I mean you two, Omega E and OverLord. Expect Yasei-kun to be here when the count increased.
Yasei Sugaku: (laughs uncontrollably) Dang... This is so funny!
...
Patchouli mustered all her strength to get out of the debris the Outsiders dropped on her. As soon as she gets out, she collapsed on the floor with fatigue on her face.
From one corner of the Voile, a maid-in-blue with silver hair appears to greet Patchouli.
"You pushed yourself too hard, Pache-Sama..." She talked to the tired witch.
"Yes..." Patchouli replied tiredly. "...for underestimating modern Outsiders..." She face-planted on the floor and went unconscious.
"You should rest for now, Pache-Sama."
The maid then walked away from Patchouli. When she came near the killed Outsider's corpse, she threw a knife at the corpse at top speed. The speeding knife pierced the Outsider's bullet-proof vest and blood began to flow out slowly from the wound.
The maid pulls out a walkie-talkie and spoke through it. "Sakuya Izayoi reporting from Voile Library. The Outsiders have defeated Lady Patchouli and is currently headed toward Mistress Scarlet's room. They must be stopped..."
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: Why did she wait all this time to act? Couldn't she have pushed a bookshelf on LT while he was distracted or something?
Omega E The Reader: More importantly why hasn't she used any of her spells before they can react?
Lunatic-Over'9000'Lord: Now is NOT a good time to invoke "Mook Chivalry".
WildMath55: And from military standpoint, this is a blunder that will lead to catastrophe. Plus one from me.
Sin Count: 130
L-O Sin Count: 1 (unchanged)
