Well, it's been quite a long time since my last update. I wonder if anyone was waiting for it, but it's here nonetheless. And now...back to playing Maxiboost ON.
Chapter 39 – A Period of Peace?
Demon plopped down on his bed, a little disgruntled as Hellvorof examined their newfound home a little distance away from the Human Village. A couple of days had passed after his initial assignment, and dusk now draped over the heavens, the stars beginning to shine overhead.
He'd been given a brief explanation from the two former Constellations of how Gensokyo worked. No hurting those who live in the village. They were "cattle", in the sense that they provided fear and faith for youkai and deities. Those who come from the outside, however, were fair game. Humans who accidently stumble inside the border are the rare treat for youkai who still long for human flesh, and their delicious aura of fear they produce moments before they meet their doom. Should they be lucky enough to reach safety within the Human Village, or other locations friendly to humans, before running into any malicious youkai, they are either given the chance to either live their lives out within Gensokyo, which in the case they'll be seen as a member of the village, or they'll be wiped of the memories and sent back to their world if they wished so. In any case, those who reached the sanctuary of certain locations were few in number; most ended up in the stomachs of hungry youkai. It was a necessary evil to keep some youkai who still long for human flesh, despite the decreasing number of said youkai.
Demon grumbled as he rolled over. Nekohana was allowed to stay in the café, provided she helped out in their duties and didn't plant any weird stuff in the backyard. Demon, on the other hand, had to find another place, and in the end he had to settle with a small, abandoned house. Not that he liked to mingle with humans anyway.
The presence of other powerful youkai meant he couldn't expand his presence and territory easily either. Great Tengu, ancient gods, fate controlling vampires, hermits and magician Buddhists…they perked his interest. It would be wise to scout the situation before doing anything rash. From what he heard, those who stir up trouble, or get too cocky, usually get punished one way or another, either by the Hakurei shrine maiden or other factions who have their interests threatened. He didn't like it, but he might have to ask the two humans for a tour after this.
"Master, what do we do now?"
Hellvorof's voice snapped Demon back from his thoughts, as he turned his attention towards the plushie.
"We're now stuck in this…weird place, and with no way back." The creature's ears drooped. Even with the situation explained to him, he had a hard time accepting the fact that they were practically stranded with no way home.
"Tsk… We can only wait for a chance. Plus, Yukari promised to find me a world once I pay off my debts to her." Demon clicked his tongue. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Yukari's unfathomable aura has left him wary of her abilities, and it was evident she could easily overpower him if she wanted. It would be wise to serve under her….for now.
"That Yukari…she's frightening." Hellvorof shuddered, remembering the day after they returned from their mission, Yukari paid them a surprise visit. A few minutes of small talk was able to instill true fear even in Hellvorof, who usually loved it. "At least with master, you can feel the terror breathing all over you most of the time. But Yukari….she's all smiles and good talk…but its like she sees everything within you. A crushing pressure...and you might just end up caught in a gap for all eternity."
The plushie shuddered as he whipped open a drawer, causing age old dust to see light again.
"…" Demon agreed with his servant. With the Satori, they could read your thoughts directly. Not anymore comfortable with everything inside oneself exposed, but at least you could attribute it to their special powers. Yukari, on the other hand, could read him like a book with her experience and sheer knowledge. That made the both of them uneasy, and while he didn't show it, he felt that Yukari knew that as well. Her smile, or maybe a smirk, she gave them before she left was imprinted in their minds. He had complete power over his original world, but here, rules were different. The game has changed, and he had a lot more to think about now that he wasn't apex predator, or prince of a great kingdom.
Bounding up from the dusty bed, he grumbled again as he started to decorated the simple house to his own liking.
Nekohana's presence in the café garnered more attention than usual, with a number of customers coming in to see the new staff member. She has hidden her identity quite splendidly; none of the village humans have seen through her guise. Youkai, or non-humans, walking within the village wasn't an unusual sight, and many of them were friendly, though most tend to keep a lower profile. Like them, Nekohana apparently didn't want to be treated differently, and thus has not revealed her true nature while on her job. Jonathan was pleased with his decision, as he made a cup of hot milk tea. Nekohana's cleanliness also made their job easier, and she left no spec of dust on her first day on the job.
Smiling brightly, Nekohana brought the freshly made cup of drink to a customer, as her ears perk up to the ringing bells on the door.
"Welcome!" She turned her attention to the entrance, and her smile froze.
Demon, licking his fingers, entered the café, turning a few eyes as he found an empty seat and plopped down.
"…What are you doing here?" Nekohana's nose could pick up the faint scent of blood, mixed with fresh fear.
"I haven't attacked any humans from the village. Only fair game." Demon lowered his voice, as he received a glare from both Michael and Jonathan. Clearing his throat, he demanded a cup of latte, with Nekohana taking his order with a tongue click.
"Well, what's the reason?" The lioness youkai's tone didn't soften as she returned with the drink.
"…" Taking a sip of the drink, Demon cocked his head to look at the 2 humans behind the bar. "I figured I needed a proper tour of this place. They could be of help."
"Can't you do that yourself?"
"I'd rather not run into any trouble. I'm sure you've noticed the amount of powerful spiritual energy and faith amassed within this Gensokyo." Demon's nails clinked on the brink of the cup. "It's vastly different from the Twilight Kingdom. Not only there are youkai, but also deities and even humans with power. I can't risk getting into the wrong place before I set myself up properly here."
"…Hmph." Turning, Nekohana walked back to Michael and Jonathan, telling them of Demon's reason for visiting.
"I'd rather he get vanquished for doing something stupid…but I guess he still got his brains." Michael muttered.
Jonathan shook his head. "We'll need to keep and eye on him, and since now he's our colleague…Yukari would want us to make sure he's got the least amount protection we can give."
The other duelist sighed as he poured a cup of hot tea. "Tell him to return at dawn. We'll be closing down then."
The sky, now dyed a deep orange over the land of Genoskyo by the setting sun, signaled the end of work. Cleaning up the interior, the 3 café staff locked the door behind them. Reimu and Marisa had come by earlier, and left to deal a few instances of youkai gone too malicious.
"Took you long enough."
Demon's voice turned their heads as he walked towards them, hands in his pockets.
"Not a very nice way of talking when you're asking for help." Nekohana furrowed her brows at him, which Demon shrugged off.
"I know you're well known enough in Gensokyo, so having the two of you around will at least decrease me chances of being attacked right away." Demon continued. "I'll just need you to fly with me to the more important locations in this place. Better to know where I can actually set up my territory, after all."
Michael rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. You better make this worth our time. We've got more matters to attend to than babysitting your ass."
"Hmph. Like playing café shopkeeper?"
"Yeah, because earning our living is more important than being cat babysitter without pay."
"Alright, let's cut the chitchat." Jonathan interrupted. "Do you have an idea where to go first?"
"I've got a few places I want to scout out. First, the Scarlet Devil Mansion."
The four of them landed in front of the grand, crimson mansion as the sun just sunk under the horizon, passing on the work of providing light to the moon and stars in the sky.
"This is the Scarlet Devil Mansion huh?" Folding his arms, Demon sized the building. "Looks a less smaller than my palace."
"Quite bold of you to just waltz in front of my residence, youkai." A voice resonated in the night sky, as a colony of bats flooded down from it. They soon merged into the form of the owner of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and Remilia Scarlet stung the newcomers with her crimson eyes.
"Lady Remilia." Michael bowed lightly. "Forgive our sudden intrusion."
"Heh…" Remilia waved the apology off. "Don't worry. I foresaw this destiny coming, after all."
"…Destiny." Demon furrowed his brows. He heard from sources stating the vampire in front of him had the ability control fate. How it works, however, is unknown to anyone beside its user. He blinked, and the next instance a maid with silver hair was standing beside Remilia. "I've come to make a greeting, vampire. As a new member of Genoskyo, I suppose I would need to make myself known to the more important factions within it."
"Oh…?" Remilia smiled, her fangs slightly bared, although it was apparent to everyone present her eyes didn't show the same friendship. "And you are?"
"I expected you to know with that ability of yours…but very well. I will introduce myself, as proof of my sincerity. I am Shishima, prince of the Twilight Kingdom."
"Hm. I shall show you the same them. Remilia Scarlet. Owner of the Scarlet Devil Mansion." Remilia brushed through her hair, as Sakuya stared at Demon with caution, hands ready to reach for her knives at any second. "…And? I don't suppose you're just here to say hello."
"Keh… I'm not going back empty handed." Demon whipped out his deck. "I'll at least rate your strength an see if you're worthy of my time. I don't bow to anyone weaker than me."
"Very well." A genuine smile, lusting for a duel, crept onto Remilia's face once again, and she stopped Sakuya from saying anything with a wave. "I'll teach you that we vampires are no pushovers, unlike your ordinary eastern youkai. And the rudeness on your part will make you pay, prince."
A gust was left in her wake as Remilia took to the sky, stretching her wings. The vampire's silhouette was painted black as her back faced the moon, her duel orb flashed in the darkness, and 5 shields materialized in an instant.
"Tsk…." Demon expanded his own shield as well as he gazed into the red eyes that bore into him. "A 500 year old baby like you won't know better anyway.
"…Isn't she a bit of a show off?" Nekohana turned to the humans, who gave no comment.
"Now… Entertain me." Remilia's grin widened.
"Duel!"
BGM: Mad-Nug (Gundam Unicorn OST)
"I cast Faerie Miracle." Remilia cast the mana boosting spell, sending the top of her deck, Nicol Bolas, into her mana. "Now I have 5 civilizations in my mana, so I boost again. Turn end."
"5 color…Tsk." Demon drew a card, sending it into his mana after a peek. "I cast Bone Dance Charger. I mill the top 2 cards of my deck… Hellvorof and Ninjariban. Then Bone Dance Charger goes into my mana. Turn end."
"Quite the good luck you got there. My turn, draw." Remilia drew as she mused. The next turn he might be reviving Hellvorof already… In that case… "I charge a mana, then I cast Purifying Shuttup. I boost a mana and shuffle your grave back into your deck."
"Gr…" Demon drew a card. "I charge Demon Summoning Jutsu, and summon Tigernitro! Turn End, and Mana Arms 5!" The tiger Funky Nightmare threw a bomb at Remilia's hand, forcing her discard all but one of her hand.
Unfazed, Remilia activated her discarded hands' effect. "Miracle Star's effect. I return spells with different costs to my hand when he's discarded by one of your creatures or spells. I return Purifying Shuttup, and Eyed Wise Shutter to my hand."
"Damn Twinpacts…"
"Heheh…My turn. Mana charge, and I summon Stegoro Kaiser. With his Mach Fighter, I attack Tigernitro. Stegoro boosts 1 mana…and I return Nicol Bolas to my hand from there. Destroy Tigernitro!"
The spikes flung from Stegoro Kaiser's back, impaling themselves into Tigernitro as he disappeared in an explosion, illuminating the otherwise dark area.
"Don't disappoint me now. Turn End."
"You won't be having time to yap soon, vampire." Demon snarled. "Draw! I charge a mana and summon Ninjariban. Ninjariban brings out Greene to boost 1 mana!" The green Dragheart materialized, and Demon clicked his tongue as he sensed not a single shred of power of All Over The World, although that was expected. "Turn End."
"My turn, draw. I charge Puchohenza and summon Nicol Bolas!" The Planeswalker Dragon blasted Demon with a fiery blaze, forcing him to discard his whole hand in retaliation for his previous discard on his opponent.
"Chi…!"
"Kuku… Turn End."
"At the end of your turn, since I have no hands, I attach Ritual of Hand to Zerom! With its effect I GR Summon once." Demon activated the effect, as Sogeki Hei Ishiki entered the battle zone, discarding Hyde from Remilia's hand with Mana Drive 4.
"My turn, draw! …Heh." A smile appeared on Demon's face. "I cast Montescale Sign! I revive Hellvorof! Come, my loyal servant!"
"At your service, master!" Hellvorof bounded out from a hole in the ground, as he took notice of Remilia in the night sky. "Oh…that's your opponent today, master?"
"Shut up for now. I activate Hellvorof's effect and mill 2 cards to my grave. Then with his other effect I bring out Go To Hell!"
Remilia looked on unimpressed, as the Darkness Dragheart weapon sprung forward from the Hyperspatial zone, caught in Hellvorof's hands.
"Go To Hell's effect! I bring out Duenyan Emperor, evolved on top of Hellvorof!" A flash of white light enveloped the wolf plushie as he evolved into the form of a fat cat. "Then since I revived a creature from my graveyard, I attach Ritual of Resurrection to Zerom and mill two more cards from my deck! Battle! Duenyan Emperor attacks, and I revive Tigernitro with Go To Hell! Go! Double Break!"
Duenyan Emperor swung the giant scythe, smashing through 2 of Remilia's shields as it returned to its owner after spinning in a huge arc.
"No trigger."
"Heh… Duenyan Emperor's effect. I put Hattoritori from my grave under him. Then end phase! Tigernitro discards all but one of your hand! Then Dragon Solution! Go To Hell flips into Deathshiraz!" Duenyan Emperor let go of the weapon, as the creature inside it was unsealed, unleashing the Demon Command Dragon from it. "Deathshiraz destroys 4 of my creatures…which means all of them. Then Deathshiraz's effect destroys Nicol Bolas!
"Ho…"
"I'm not done yet, girl!" Demon licked his fangs. "Since there's a 3rd creature destroyed this turn, I attach Ritual of Destruction to Zeron and return Russo Montes to my hand! Then Duenyan Emperor's effect! I revive all cards under him when he was destroyed. Come back, Hellvorof, Hattoritori!"
The two creatures crawled out of the graveyard hole, once again joining their master.
"Hattoritori forces you to destroy one of your creatures."
"I destroy Stegoro Kaiser."
"Kuku…Hellvorof's effect! I mill 2 more cards from my deck again and bring out Welcome Hell! Welcome Hell's effect! I revive Ninjariban to bring out Blacko and rid you of your last hand!"
Remilia was left empty handed and empty fielded as Demon finally passed his turn on.
"Kekeh…Not so full of yourself now, vampire?"
"We'll see. Fate is within my hands, after all." Remilia retorted. "Draw. I expand Cyber Dice Vegas. Turn End, and I draw a card."
"Heheh… I'll enjoy taking victory away from you." Licking his fangs again, Demon started his turn.
"Let's kick her ass, master!" Hellvorof punched the air in confidence.
"I summon Tsuruhashi Douji. I mill 3 cards…and return Duenyan Emperor to my hand. And now since an 8th card has been added to my grave…I attach Ritual of Graveyard to Zerom. Now…awaken! Zeron!"
The mass of evil, hollow clouds amassed together, slowly taking the form of a giant dragon as it exhaled a breath of decay.
"Prepare to meet your doom, girl." Demon snarled as he entered the battle phase. "Ninjariban, attack! Welcome Hell's effect! I revive Tigernitro and invade him into Duenyan Emperor! Double Break!"
Another attack from the Funky Knightmare splintered 2 more of Remilia's shields, as one of them glowed with the bright radiance of a shield trigger.
"Shield Trigger – Assault! Onifuda Kingdom!"
"That is…"
"Onifuda Kingdom allows me to either revive a creature with cost 8 or less, or destroy one your creatures with the same requirement… but thanks to you, Oni Time has been fulfilled since the combined shields we both have is 6!" Remilia brandished the spell in her hand.
"Tsh…"
"I destroy Tigernitro, and revive Hyde!" The snake-like Metallica materialized as the tiger plushie was crushed into smithereens. "Hyde's effect. I return all my shields to my hand and add 5 card from my deck as new shields!"
Hyde emitted a beam of light at Remilia's deck, replenishing her lost shields back to near fresh state.
"You….!" Demon clutched the cards in his hand. "I add Tigernitro from my grave to Duenyan. Zeron! World Break!"
Cyber Dice rotated 180 degrees on Remilia's duel pad.
"Dangerous Switch. Cyber Dice casts Destruction Go from my hand!"
"This is quite the close duel." Michael quipped, as he thanked Sakuya for bringing them cups of tea, giving the maid a bottle of good wine they brought for Remilia in return.
"Indeed…" Nekohana watched the duel as she sipped her drink, focused on each move.
"I return all cards that cost 5 or less on your field to your hand."
"Damn you…!" Hattoritori, Tsuruhashi Douji and Tigernitro under Duenyan were all bounced back to Demon's hand, and all of the draghearts returned to their original place within the Hyperspatial zone.
"Hehe… Then Zeron's World Break, was it?" The nebula creature slashed at Remilia, her shields protecting her from direct impact as they all splintered into shards.
"Shield Trigger – Intense Showering Now, and Blue Dragon Earth." Remilia's triggers glowed as they resolved their effects in order. "Showering Now boosts 2 mana from my deck, and I return Bolbalzak Ex to my hand from my mana to bounce Hellvorof. Then, Blue Dragon Earth. I pull Romanesk from my mana!"
The now unrestricted Armored Dragon, Earth Dragon and Apollonia Dragon hybrid roared, boosting a staggering 4 cards into Remilia's mana.
"I suggest you to turn end, now that you've got nothing to play."
"Chi…Turn End…"
"My turn. Draw. I charge Moonlight Castle of Betrayal. Then I summon Zenith of Terror Beethoven!"
The King Command Dragon, pinnacle of dragons during the lore of Episode 2, materialized on the battle field, equipped with his white lance and golden shield.
"Milady." His low voice rumbled from within his armor.
So she possess a talking creature as well… Demon frowned.
Remilia nodded as she activated her trump's ability. "I salvage Stegoro Kaiser, Miracle Star and Medicalar Cobalt Kaiser from my grave, and I boost 3 from my deck!"
Faerie Life, Faerie Miracle and Cyber Dice dropped from Remilia's deck into her mana.
"Chi…" Demon gritted his teeth. He could not help but wonder if she was manipulating her boosts with her ability.
"Worry not. It's just that my deck has answered to my call." Remilia smirked as she tapped the remainder of her mana after Beethoven tapped himself. "I summon Bolbalzak Ex to untap all my mana. Then I summon Wald Bracchio! Now your creatures can't use effects when they enter the battle zone. Romanesk destroys one of my mana at my end phase. Cyber Dice lets me draw 1. Turn End."
"…" Demon growled as he drew. His hands were full of creatures that he had salvaged that relied on come into play effects. "I cast Howling Moonlight castle to destroy Wald Bracchio!"
"Beethoven gives Wald Bracchio Eternal Omega." Thrusting his lance into the air, Beethoven returned Wald Bracchio to Remilia's hand.
"Tsk…Zerom! Attack Beethoven!" Left with no choice, Demon was forced to attack the Zenith due to his effect, that he must be attacked if attack was commenced.
"Romanesk, block." The multicolor dragon bounced back into Remilia's hand as Zeron blasted it with a breath of darkness.
"Kuh…Turn End."
"My turn, draw. I charge a mana and summon Miracle Star. I return Faerie Miracle and Destruction Go to my hand. Then I summon Wald Bracchio again." Remilia's field was once again occupied by more dragons, glaring down at the once prince of Twilight Kingdom. "I draw 1 and Turn End."
"My turn. …I summon Tsuruhasi Douji. Zeron, direct attack!"
"Ninja Strike 7. Saizomist. I shuffle all cards in my grave to my deck and I add a shield from my deck."
"Chi…!"
The added shield was slashed apart, revealing no triggers.
"Turn End….."
"Well, now it's the grand finale." Remilia started her turn. "I summon Number Nine."
The yellow King Command Dragon silenced the spells lying within Demon's hand and shields as it struck its sword into the ground, rendering them useless.
"Battle. Hyde, Triple Break!"
Demon shielded himself from the impact as 3 of his shields shattered. "No trigger…" He grit his teeth at Death Gate added to his hand.
"Miracle Star, Double Break!"
"Shield Trigger, Tsuruhashi Douji!"
"Futile. Bolbalzak, Beethoven! Direct Attack!"
"Tsuruhashi Douji! Block!" The two blockers poised themselves in front of their summoner, destroyed as they took down the two attacking creatures with Slayer, only for them to be returned to Remilia's hand.
"This is the last! Wald Bracchio! Direct attack!"
Demon roared, Hattoritori and Falconer rendered useless by the attacking dragon as he was struck down, ending the duel at last.
"Heh…That was quite the entertaining duel." Remilia landed on the grass as their creatures and duel pads vanished. "I commend you for that."
"You…." Demon got up, bruised and slightly charred. Nekohana couldn't resist a small burst of laughter from escaping her lips. "I'll remember this."
"You're welcome to challenge me again anytime. That was a close duel, I can give you that." Remilia smirked again. "Oh…and thank you for your gift." She nodded towards the humans, who returned the gesture.
"Now, I suggest you know your place within Gensokyo. As much as I commend your strength, seeing even Yukari has forced you into a contract, I wouldn't be losing to a newcomer that easily, after all. Good night, prince."
With that, her form dispersed into bats again, their crimson eyes trailing through the air as they flew back towards the mansion. Sakuya was nowhere to be seen before anyone realized, along with the empty cups.
"Well, how'd that go, o great Shishima?"
"Mock me again, and I will rip your throat out so you'll never do it again." Demons snarled at Michael.
"Oh I'm scared, lion junior. Let this be a lesson if you're to expand your territory within Gensokyo. This is just the beginning of our tour if you're going to continue with that."
"Master…" Hellvorof looked up dejectedly at Demon.
"…This is enough for today. We'll continue at another time." Without another word, he took into the skies and flew back towards his residence.
"…" Silence occupied the area around Misty Lake and the mansion, as Meiling waved the remaining trio off before returning to her dozy state.
"Well, at least it means we need strong factions like Remilia to stop him from getting too cocky."
"Not like Reimu wouldn't be doing it anyway if he did. It's her duty to do stuff like these."
"…That is true."
Bidding farewell to each other, the three of them departed back to their respective homes to finally get much needed rest after a long day.
Decks:
Shishima: Black Red Draguner w/Zeron
Remilia: 5c Beethoven