False Advents (Chapter 19)
"And here we are, at the Untrodden Valley!"
After flying at subsonic speeds for the good part of five minutes, their destination was finally in sight: a valley positioned next to a massive ravine near the base of the nearby mountain; an area where there was nothing but greenery as far as the eye could see.
Tynan, in response, was naturally baffled.
"Why'd you bring me here?" he asked, perplexity evident in his expression, "I thought we were going to see a weapons specialist."
"Don't worry, you'll see real soon, I tell ya." Marisa assured.
As they drew near the valley, Tynan began to notice some of its more conspicuous features—chiefly the strange, mirage-like shimmers that covered the area. After a certain point, the shimmering abruptly ceased, revealing the true nature of the location, and one far more populated than its namesake.
Obscured by the lush canopy of deciduous leaves, dozens of sizable structures littered the outskirts of the valley; some built out of wood and others from a mix of stones and alloys. At the valley's base, pipes ran throughout the bank as blue-haired figures with green caps and blue outfits hustled about. Some were carrying crates of material, others rushed from one location to another, returning soon after with an armful of blueprints. Regardless of what they were doing or where they were heading, every last one of them wore a heavily oversized aquamarine backpack that would almost certainly break a normal person's spine into five separate pieces. Assuming his memories served, all the girls down there were kappas.
"See?" Marisa gestured to the hundreds of people down below. "What'd I tell ya."
"Yeah, I suppose." Tynan continued to gaze at the pedestrians. Despite the vast geographical difference, seeing so many figures crowded in one location made him slightly nostalgic. "So, are we landing here?"
"Nah, we're going a little further." she pointed to the ravine in the distance. "See that waterfall there? That's our destination."
Tynan surmised as to what she might have meant by that, but after a tad bit of straining his eyes, he could just barely make out the unnatural glow of artificial light emanating from behind the rapids.
The pair made their landing on one of the rock formations and immediately beelined for the waterfall. Upon approaching, Marisa signaled for Tynan to stop.
"Hug the wall and do exactly as I do." she told him. "Ya don't wanna end up drenched."
They approached from the side and, surely enough, between the cascading water and eroded wall was a sizable gap, just barely enough for an single person to pass through at a time. Taking cautious steps as to not lose their footing, the pair shuffled along the walls and eventually came into contact with the sharp edge of a metal wall.
Sat flush against the ravine face was a large concavity that led to a sizable hole about five meters in diameter. Separating the interior from the exterior was a thick, nonuniform bunker door consisting of various metal pieces, all hammered and welded into one giant sheet. For what was supposed to be a door, there was a surprising lack of just about anything a door should have; an interface, keypad, keyhole, or even a handle or some sort.
"Are you sure this is the entrance?" Tynan questioned. "It looks more like a wall to me."
"That's what she wants you to think." Marisa responded. "Just stand back and lemme do my thing."
She walked over to the door and reached vaguely towards the top right. From there, she pried one by one at the metal pieces in that region until eventually one slid open, revealing a compartment containing a small metal cube about the size of one's palm. She took the cube and began a process of shifting the individual pieces little by little, and after a minute of fiddling around with its mechanism, the cube slid open, revealing a small red button that Marisa promptly pressed.
With a sudden clang followed by the turning of cogs, the halves of the door slowly slid open, hydraulics hissing as it strained under the weight of the doors. The puzzle, in response, began to reset itself, pieces shifting as it returned to its original cubic form.
"Wow, clever way to design a locking mechanism." Tynan remarked.
"It feels more like a hassle to me." she said. "Now, let's move before it shuts again."
They stepped through as the doors began to close behind them and entered the cavern-like vastness hidden behind the waterfall. Blinding work lights littered the room, illuminating every square inch down to the very corners. Lining the right side of the room were dozens of workbenches and racks that held countless crates of materials and tools. To the right were machines with similar likeness to equipment that could be found at a mechanic's shop, such as the lathe, grinder, and rotary table, all of which were powered by esoteric generators that ran on large multicolored marbles that gave Tynan a major sense of unease. Lining the back of the room were even more crates labeled with their respective content.
The place would have looked no different from that of an establishment owned by an average mechanic, had it not been for the center of the room.
Taking up the center of the room were various devices that ranged from modern to pop culture to sci-fi. Large tables cluttered the region, displaying gadgets of both magic and machine. Some took the form of holograms, with diaphanous screens on which words and images danced. Others looked more culturally familiar, such as what seemed to be lightsabers and a power level scouter. There was also an assortment of items that didn't belong in either categories; test tube holders containing vials of pure energy, a thick prohibition sign mounted onto a large piston, a water gun powered by the same unsettling marbles from earlier, and nearby rack containing thick, sea green books along with several aquamarine blueprints.
Sat at one of the tables was girl dressed no different than the civilians he had spotted earlier, wearing an identical green cap with a white tadpole silhouette printed at the front and a blue dress fitted with at least a dozen pockets. Her massive backpack stood next to her, opened and filled to the brim with an assortment of tools and gadgets. The girl in question was working diligently on a pair of large, mechanical arms, tinkering at multiple portions whilst simultaneously pulling out tools in an act of unreal ambidexterity. She was so immersed in her work, she hadn't even heard the opening and closing of the bunker door, or Marisa's footsteps as she slowly approached her from the back with a mischievous grin on her face.
"Yo!" Marisa said, giving her a pat on the shoulder. "How that comin' along?"
Expectantly, the mechanic didn't take the surprise too well. She flinched and, with a loud yelp that echoed throughout the room, dropped the various implements that she had held; screwdrivers clattering onto the stone floor as a handful of nuts and bolts bounced about. After a short, three second recovery, she turned around and glared at Marisa.
"There are better ways to get someone's attention!" she exclaimed, "You're going scare me to death one of these days!"
Despite her evident anger, the girl spoke in a controlled manner, which was surprising to Tynan. He couldn't even recount the amount of times he'd accidentally smacked someone who snuck up behind him.
"Right, sorry." Marisa apologized, handing her the cubic remote, "I'm here to ask for a favor."
"Yeah I figured." the girl accepted it with a sigh. "Did you come for equipment modifications?"
"That'd be nice, but not this time around." she pointed her thumb at Tynan, "He's the one that needs some assistance."
As she tucked away her tools, Marisa made a subtle gesture, which Tynan took as his cue to introduce himself.
"Tynan Reckless." he said, offering his hand after stepping forward. "I guess I'm what you'd call a Gappy."
With a disapproving frown, the kappa folded her arms and surveyed him closely. Her deep blue eyes dilated repeatedly like the lens of a camera as though she were perceiving something beyond the physical realm. After a good minute of observation, she wiped her hands roughly with a rag and accepted his handshake.
"Kawashiro, Nitori... uh, I'll omit my title." she responded, "That's quite the strange surname you have."
Setting aside the strong smell of motor grease, she could effortlessly pass as a normal human girl. Her hands felt surprisingly delicate, and despite the astounding mechanical mastery she displayed earlier, there wasn't even the slightest hint of callouses on her palms, likely thanks to her youkai constitution. Thankfully, she wasn't giving off those unsettling vibes that the other youkai seemed to exude on a regular basis, so it was likely safe on his part to assume that she was friendly.
"So, judging by the obvious, you're here for equipment, right?" she asked.
"Mhm." Tynan nodded. "Marisa mentioned that you could help with that."
"Real nice friend I've got, huh." she sat back down and sighed. "Any idea what you want?"
"Uh, I actually don't." he replied.
Hearing his statement, Nitori's expression suddenly grew smug.
"Well, if that's the case, may I suggest a sword?" she asked with astounding sarcasm, gesturing to the pile of lightsabers lying on one of the tables. "It's a hot choice among the previous Gappies."
Tynan replied immediately, "Yeah, how about no."
With the amount of sarcasm she instilled within her words, Tynan, or anyone for that matter, would have to be an utter idiot to not catch onto that implicit warning, especially given how ordinary melee weapons are famously known for being unable to fire out projectiles.
That, and how he'd probably end up cutting himself before cutting his opponent down, didn't quite appeal to him.
He walked over to the tables and began inspecting the various gadgets strewn about its surface, starting with a heavy, umbrella-like device.
"Hey, if you break those, you're paying for it." Nitori warned.
"We'll deal with that once it happens." Tynan shook off the warning and continued looking over the items. Despite the assortment of items rivaling that of horseshoes to hand grenades, he had yet to find a single item that appealed to him; they were either too flashy, too unwieldy, or simply downright comical.
"What the hell..." Tynan raised a brow as he picked up what could only be described as a IED welded onto megaphone hooked up to a tank of gas.
After further inspection, all to no avail, Tynan's eyes caught a faint glimmer of light emanating from a crate of tools. He rummaged through the crate, shoving aside wrenches, hammers, and power drills, and eventually resurfaced with the item: a peculiar octahedral device that was certainly not native to this land.
Merely five to six centimeters in length, width, and height, the object was both lightweight and fit snugly into Tynan's hand. The shell, or what Tynan presumed was the shell, of the device consisted of a sleek, almost vantablack alloy unknown to him, contrasted by the white Penrose triangles etched onto its surface which repeatedly gave off a subtle yet overwhelming glow. When held in his hand, the device felt perpetually cool to the touch, yet was constantly humming with energy.
"Nitori, was it?" he held up the device and pointed at it. "What's this thing supposed to be?"
"Oh, that..." she took a glance at it and sighed. "I don't mind you taking that, but I won't recommend it."
Tynan cocked his head. "Is there an issue?"
"Well, not really, but you see..." Nitori readjusted her cap, "I've had that item in my possession for a pretty long while now. It seems to hold an extraordinary amount of power, but neither I nor anyone else could get it to function, Gappy or not."
"So you're telling me it's been basically useless." Tynan reiterated.
"Yes, and that will probably continue being the case. You can try your luck though, just make sure to bring it back if you get it operating. I'd love to see its capabilities."
"Alright." Tynan pocketed the device and walked over to the rack of blueprints, then picked one off the rack and unfurled it.
"Hey, is there anything you can't make at the moment?" he asked. The items on the table weren't sitting well with him, but the contents of the blueprint proved to be more than adequate.
"...Depends on what you're requesting." she said, "Let me take a look."
"Here." He handed her the blueprint, which she briefly skimmed over whilst shooting periodic glances at Marisa, who seemed to be creeping closer and closer to the nearest table. Her pockets also seemed to be slightly more puffed out compared to when she arrived.
"I forgot I had this. This is doable, but it'll take a while and it's going to cost you."
"If it's time, then I can wait, but payment..."
Tynan felt his front pocket and approximated that he had about two dozen or so coins in his possession. He didn't know how much it all amounted up to, given it is foreign currency, but he was somewhat certain he could make it work somehow.
That was, before Nitori stopped him short.
"Sorry pal, but cash isn't going to cut it, not when I'm sensing something more valuable on you." she then held up three fingers. "It's gears, greens, or gadgets. Choose one of the three."
With the standard go-to option now rendered unavailable, Tynan quickly looked for a compromise. Gears was invalid option; hell, that's what he's here for. Greens? He had no clue what she was referring to, and he definitely didn't have any of that. This left him with one last option: gadgets.
He patted his other pockets and found four items: a set of keys, a flash drive, wireless earbuds, his school ID, and his phone.
His phone...
Tynan pulled out the rectangular device and presented it to Nitori. It was a hand-me-down iPhone 6 he had received years ago, with a plethora of issues to boot; the battery life was tanking, the home button was mostly unresponsive, and the phone itself had seen better days. Ever since he entered Gensokyo, the geriatric device had been no short of useless, and having long since dispensed with his sentimentalities, he wasn't the slight bit hesitant to part with it. He still had mild concerns in the case where his phone wasn't enough, but he still had his wireless earbuds in that case. If anything, those earbuds were probably valued higher than the entire phone and his data plan combined.
Fortunately for him, it didn't come down to that point.
There was a momentary glimmer in Nitori's eyes as she took the phone.
"Oh, that's one of those mobile phones, isn't it?" she asked with a hint of interest. "I've never seen this model before..."
"Huh, really?" With the amount of esoteric nonsense laid about the kappa's workshop, Tynan was certain she'd seen at least a few dozen of these by now.
"So does that cover the cost?" he asked as Nitori slipped the phone into one of her dozen pockets.
"Oh, definitely." she said. "You've saved what could potentially have been months of me looking for processed materials."
She pointed to Marisa, who sat at a nearby table piled with blueprints. From what Tynan could tell, she was currently attempting to copy the contents onto small sheets of scrap paper.
"Keep an eye on her, will you?" Nitori asked. "I'll be busy for two hours or so. In the meantime, make sure she doesn't ruin or steal anything."
With that said, she picked out a bar of purple alloy and headed off to her lathe, leaving the two visitors to their own accord.
Forty-five minutes later, Hakurei Shrine
As another volley of blades exploded on impact, Reimu pulled out a fourth talisman and declared her spell card. "Migrating Spirit "Fantasy Seal -Marred-"!"
Reimu's yin-yang orb emitted a faint glow as it multiplied eightfold, with each new orb encircling her as though to form a protective ring. Curtains of white, circular bullets pulsed outward from the now eight yin-yang orbs as curved blasts of talismans followed, each periodically redirecting themselves at erratic intervals in their best attempt to encase him.
With careful movements, Reol attempted to maneuver around the rapidly approaching talismans, but to no avail. There were no visible gaps large enough for him to pass through unscathed. Normally, this situation called for a bomb, but that was not possible at the moment; he was out of bombs, and down to his final life.
With no second option, he resorted to his sword and delivered a wide slash to the thinnest wall of bullets, hoping to cleave himself a path. Instead, the talismans only multiplied upon impact, filling his vicinity with even more projectiles.
Now, there was absolutely no way of getting through.
Reol sheathed his sword and held up both hands. "I yield."
Instantly, a shock wave rippled outwards from Reol's hitbox, clearing the area of all projectiles and declaring the end of the duel. He and Reimu met back at the shrine's porch, where a trio of visitors now sat.
"Not too awful. I'll give you around 3/10, maybe a bit higher for effort." Reimu assessed.
Reol sighed, repositioning his headset. "...Yeah, I thought so."
Eight duels, five losses; this was his track record against Reimu thus far, and it wasn't instilling much optimism within him.
Almost all of their duels were supremely one-sided, consisting of Reol having to deathbomb at least three times every spell card, and despite possessing a hitbox even smaller than that of Reimu's, he still found himself struggling to get past her third spell card.
His victories didn't feel like much either—generally ending with only one life and perhap a single bomb—and it only became more difficult from that point onward, with even speedier projectiles that split into multiples when slashed.
Despite Reimu's pseudo-compliment, Reol could still sense her disapproval towards his choice. He didn't know what the average standards for barrage fire combat was, but the bar that Reimu considered competent was one that would take him ages to reach, assuming he had potential for this.
He rubbed his eyes wearily in an attempt to clear away the still-lingering patterns. Fortunately, his efforts didn't seem to be for naught, as his stamina was increasing noticably with each subsequent duel, though that didn't really help much during said duels, where stamina is quite rendered redundant due to the system of lives.
"That isn't to say you aren't capable though." Reimu continued. "You still did significantly better compared to most Gappies and those three." She gestured at their three winged visitors.
At some point during the second spell card of the fourth duel, the three fairies he had seen earlier returned. Their presence wasn't made clear initially, but they eventually made themselves at home on the porch, yelling pointers and warnings. Thanks to their efforts, he managed to earn himself a few extra wins.
Reol turned and looked at the three fairies. In terms of appearance, they were about the height of a young human child—not too different from himself—and wore a distinct outfit that complemented their hair and eye colors; red to red, blonde to white, and brunette to blue. Their neutral expression could only be described as perpetual smiles as a light, carefree aura emanated from the trio.
Assuming their entries in Perfect Memento In Strict Sense were correct, they would be Sunny Milk, Luna Child, and Star Sapphire respectively.
"Come on, put on a smile." Sunny beamed, figuratively and literally. "You won against Miss Reimu!"
"Sure, but don't we get credit as well?" Star asked.
"I think we should." Luna turned to Reol. "Hey, how about joining us?"
Reol didn't answer—he couldn't answer— as the three fairies continued barraging him with questions, seemingly unable to notice that they were leaving him no opportunity to respond. After about ten seconds of listening to an incoherent mix of words, Reol raised his hand in a gesture for silence.
"How about we introduce ourselves first." he suggested. "Questions come later, once I can hear them properly."
The trio glanced at one another before nodding in unison. There was a hint of mischief in their bright smiles as Sunny introduced the group.
"I'm Luna Child, and—" Reol cut her off before she could finish.
"Okay, nice try." He said, calling her bluff. "I'd like your actual names now."
There was a visible hint of surprise in Sunny expression, but was quickly replaced with a slight pout.
"So uptight for a fairy, but whatever." she remarked with a sigh, but quickly returned to her usual chipper attitude. "I'm Sunny Milk, a sunlight fairy capable of refracting light. I'm the leader of those two." She demonstrated her abilities by making her arms seemingly disappear.
Luna spoke up next in a similar manner. "Luna Child. I can block out sounds around an area."
Star was the last to speak. "I'm Star Sapphire, with the ability to sense moving objects from afar. Together, the three of us make up the Three Fairies of Light."
"Interesting team composition there." Reol mused. In terms of abilities, theirs were probably the most specific, yet mundane and wonderfully applicable ones he had heard of thus far. Regardless, he had to fulfill his part of the suggestion.
"My name's Nea, Reol." he said. "I'm not exactly sure what my ability is, but I'm utilizing energy as of now."
"Huh, so you still haven't figured that out despite staying over at the mansion?" Reimu asked.
Reol shook his head. That prototype of a scrying orb hadn't been of much aid at all. "I'm working on it, though."
"Re...yoru?" Star struggled as she tried to enunciate his name. "It's kind of hard to say, so how about just Night(*)?"
"If we're considering nicknames, shouldn't it be Eclipse?" Luna argued. "He is black and white."
"...As in "food"(**)?" Sunny asked, seemingly oblivious to the context.
"No, you dimwit. As in an event when the moon overlaps with the sun, resulting in..."
Reimu pulled Reol aside as Luna continued with her explanation on the behavior of celestial bodies. The look in Reimu's eyes told him that she still had a little more to say, and the sullen look on her face suggested that it wasn't particularly good news.
"Is anything the matter?" Reol asked as they stepped out of earshot.
Reimu nodded. "I simply figured that I should be honest with you."
"Then go ahead." Reol prompted, "It's not like I'll mind."
"Well, I figured that I'd be sensible toward your efforts, but it seems like that wasn't necessary." she sighed, continuing, "Remember when I said that you didn't do too awful?"
"Yes, what about that statement?"
She paused briefly, as though searching for the right phrasing, before speaking again, "To put it bluntly, you're not cut out for this. You're capable, but your potential for this is... quite low. Learning how to perform adequately will take you at least a year, if not more." she gestured vaguely to the trio of still-debating fairies. "Even those three have higher potential, though they utilize it rather poorly."
"...Ah, I see." Reol had been wondering why Reimu looked slightly restrained earlier. He wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if she had gone easy on him. "Then what do you suppose I do?"
This time, she spoke immediately, like she already had a plan in mind. "While you're not suited for barrage fire combat, you seem to show promise in close quarters combat, or specifically, the border of duel. Since melee combat isn't exactly my niche subject, I'll refer you to an acquaintance of mine. She's an fine swordswoman who should be able to teach you a thing or two about wielding that... artifact of yours."
He looked down at his sword to which she was pointing at. On the surface, it looked just like any ordinary katana; slightly curved, with a sleek, black sheath that screamed "minimalist design". The only thing that was even remotely remarkable about it was the purple, fractal-like engravings on either end of the sheath.
At least that was how it seemed superficially.
Compared to the sheath, the blade itself was even more unremarkable—simply plain steel, if nothing else—yet the feeling he received when wielding the sword was everything but. In his hands, the sword gave off a strange sensation that bore resemblance to life. He could feel it responding to and, to an extent, attuning with him despite the lack of a soul or being dwelling within the tool. In a similar fashion, despite the sword had been burdened significantly from his latest spars, there were zero imperfections that could be spotted; no nicks, scratches, or dents anywhere—traits untypical to an ordinary weapon.
Besides, given that a shrine maiden identified the weapon as an artifact, it was probably safe to assume that it was.
Reol sighed as he thought back to his run-in with Rumia, contemplating how he'd be at the moment had he just cut her down with his questionably magical blade. Then again, he would be missing at least an arm on the off chance that it wasn't one, so he wasn't losing too much energy over it.
"Okay, moving on." Reimu digressed from the aforementioned subject. "Have you seen a kid named Tynan Reckless lately?"
"Yeah, the supposed Gappy." Reol recalled, continuing as though predicting Reimu's following request, "Not a bad individual, he's actually somewhat reasonable, albeit troubled about something."
"Wow, seems like you got all buddy-buddy with him." she said with slight sarcasm. "Anything regarding his abilities?"
"Yeah. It's some conceptual ability related to hatred." he elaborated, "Quite destructive, if you ask me."
"That's troublesome, to say the least." Reimu noted in a more serious manner. "Manifested abilities often reflect one's personality. If that is the case with Tynan... I'd like you to keep an eye on him."
Reol raised his eyebrows. "Does it have to be me?"
"Of course it'd have to be you." Reimu stated, as though it were obvious. "You're someone who he can relate to: an outsider. If push comes to shove, you'll likely be the one who he's willing to listen to, so drill as much logic into his head as possible before his powers get there first."
"That's fair enough, I suppose. Anything else?"
"No, that's all." Reimu concluded. "They might have something to say, though."
She gestured to the porch, where Sunny was beckoning for their attention. "Hey! We decided that we're settling this with a duel!" she called, her voice tinged with anticipation. "The winner gets to choose your nickname!"
"Well, go on then." Reimu urged. "Take it as an opportunity to polish your skills against opponents of a similar caliber."
"Sure, why not." Reol mused, approaching the trio. "Okay, Sunny Milk, was it? You're getting the honor of going first."
Reimu sat back and watched as the shrine grounds erupted into projectiles once more. Amusingly enough, she wasn't feeling irritated this time around, as she normally would for some rather obvious reasons.
"Hey, yer actually smilin' fer once."
Reimu turned and was mildly surprised to see that Suika was now awake.
"Hey, I smile plenty the way I see it." she argued.
"Well, the last-last time I seen that was durin' the flower viewin' 'bout four months back." Suika sat up and immediately uncorked her gourd for another round. "Wha's the occasion this time 'round, I wonder?"
"...I dunno." Reimu shrugged, traces of her smile still lingering on her face. "Maybe I'm just glad to see a new face who's normal for once."
She continued to watch on, spacing out periodically as she thought about the distant future that was to come. She didn't see a reason for any of this to end poorly; neither now, nor ever. It seemed as though her hopes of business going on as usual, and without the crazy incidents, were slowly beginning to fulfill themselves. Although, she did still have one thing on her mind.
"A shame." she thought, watching as a light show unfolded before her eyes. "He seemed like someone who'd listen to my issues too..."
Author's Note: I thought I'd continue rewriting this chapter until things seemed right, but much to my skepticism, I've decided on publishing this. Some parts of this chapter are still questionable at best, even for me, but I'm hoping the quality suffices, at the very least. I've found it rather troubling to interpret the three fairies' personalities without reducing them to the state that is "fanon Cirno", so I went with my best interpretation of a childish personality with less emphasis on being simpleminded.
Still, I'd like to apologize for the long overdue—time management has been a major issue of mine. I'm still fully intending on finishing this project of mine, though.
(*) - Yoru, or 夜, the last portion of Reol's name, pronounced the way I'd imagine a Japanese speaker would
(**) - Shoku, or 食, pronounced and used for "eclipse" and "food", depending on the suffixed character
