Sweebation, as editor, is free to do whatever he feels to make this story better. Straight from the writer mouth.
"...and we landed in Gensokyo. That's pretty much how we got here and how I got this device." Dutch finished.
Patchouli smiled with pleasure. She was satisfied with Dutch's explanation. It was complete, and to the point. "A great tale. One for the books if I say so myself. But I have to ask. How exactly do you utilize this crystal?" The librarian asked while raising an eyebrow.
Dutch took a deep breath in. "Well, it has one primary purpose. The main function is that it can take objects or processes out of reality and permanently store them in another universe inside the crystal itself. After that, the options presented to me increases dramatically. I can combine the object with anything else in storage. I can also recreate anything stored in it as well. For example, I could classify or absorb a book and then recreate copies of the book again and again." He explained as the inhabitants of the mansion sat and listened with interest to his every word.
After a brief pause, Dutch continued as Remilia placed her elbow against the arm-rest of the chair she was sitting in, and rested her hand against her palm. "It also applies to magical processes as well, it seems. After the fight with Flandre, I seemed to have obtained a new attack spell. it's origins appear to be from her power and according to the vault, I got the ability when she tried to use her power on me."
Remilia sat up from where she had been leaning forward. "But that doesn't explain how you managed to survive her ability."
"That would be the Vault's doing." Yukari said while she rested her arms on a gap; in a similar way that Remilia was doing with her chair.
Our human trio simply turned to the youkai of boundaries without changing their expressions at all. They had been surprised too many times to even care anymore.
An akward silence graced the room after Yukari made her presence known, but this silence was interrupted by Remilia; who was seeking an explination. "Explain." The vampire mistress spoke, completely ignoring the fact that Yukari intruded into her abode without her permission. Many others already did so, and this wasn't the first time Yukari dropped by for an un-expected visit, so pursuing it would be useless.
Yukari chuckled. The gap hag simply dismissed her purple eyeball-filled rift, and slowly walked toward Remilia's large velvet arm-chair. "The Vault is as special as any magical artifact can be. Its origins lie on a celestial body that certain inhabitants of this mansion have actually went." Yukari described while gazing at a certain pouting vampire. Remilia narrowed her eyes and shot a dirty glare at Yukari. The defeat by the lunar princess was still fresh in her mind.
"It links itself to the most basic and yet most important component of a being, it's soul." Yukari began pacing around the pouting Scarlet Devil.
The head of the Yakumo household continued speaking. "That already makes it of special mention but there is more. When the Vault links itself with the owner's soul, a contract is created. The details of this contract is private to the owner, and certain individuals, me included, but there is one component that you can know. Any deadly magical attack on the owner can be absorbed by the Vault and be redirected back at the attacker. It however does not make him invincible since to absorb the attack, a portion of energy must be released by the vault."
Yukari continued around the large chair until she came around behind Remilia, and leaned against the throne's back-rest. "Higher amounts of energy in the attack will increase the portion of energy released and might kill the owner. An example was the fight with Flandre. When the Vault absorbed her power, it had to release some energy. That was the explosion you saw." Yukari explained as Remilia silently inter-twined her fingers, and waited to see if Yukari had anything more to say.
Remilia was about to reply, when all of a sudden, Yukari took a deep breath in, and continued. "However, basic magical attacks like lethal danmaku and physical attacks will not get absorbed by the Vault. And to actually absorb a lethal spell requires some good timing. Get it wrong and you will die. But the pay-off is good. The Vault will have that spell stored if you are sucessful in classifying the spell." Yukari continued. Patchouli was intrigued by what the gap hag had explained, and made a note to look into it further.
"Wow. No wonder Marisa wanted to keep him." Maribel said, the long explanation still running through her brain. Patchouli smiled. Like any other magician, the opportunity to study a new magic artifact is music to her ears. She could understand Marisa's crazy idea to keep him. It would have given her a valuable head start in the research.
Speaking of which, she turned around to check on the witch. Marisa lay on the couch, resting from Dutch's shot and the subsequent fall. For security, her Mini-Hakkero was separated from her and she was kept inside a bubble.
Patchouli turned her gaze back to Dutch, and spoke in a calm voice. "I can see why she would want to examine your glove. It's not something to be trifled with." Patchouli stated with her vast amount of wisdom dripping from her voice.
Yukari shifted her position, and walked back toward where she entered the room. "Which brings me to the reason for being here. I'll have to cut short Dutch's stay here. It seems that word of his arrival has spread to certain ears and some people want to meet him." Yukari said, her mouth covered by her trademark fan.
Remilia sat up from her slumping position, and frowned. "I see. Well, there isn't really much anything we can do to stop you, now can we? What about the others?" she asked.
Yukari kept her fan in front of her face, but did not seem to change her expression at all. "They will be staying for one more night as we agreed, after that, they will be meeting Dutch."
Remilia was silent. She didn't make a sound while pondering her options. She finally decided it was best not to argue with the gap youkai, and conceded. "Very well." She answered in a bored tone.
Patchouli kept a straight face at the proceedings, but mentally she was cursing at the opportunity to study a new form of magic disappearing right after she discovered it.
Yukari snapped her finger and a gap appeared under Dutch's feet. He didn't even look surprised as he dropped through a gap before even a word could be spoken. The gap troll waved good bye and jumped through the gap she had opened for Dutch. The gap in reality closed, but not before Yukari left a passing shot.
The atmosphere darkened as an ominous voice was heard. "Remilia, don't EVER toy with Dutch life ever again."
Remilia disappeared through another gap that opened in the seat of her throne. When the gap opened again, Remilia found herself impaled on the top of the SDM's clock tower, the full force of the sun glaring in her face. "YAAAGH!"
Dutch watched the scene and the subsequent screams through one of Yukari's troll hole- I mean, gaps. "Was that really necessary?" He asked as he floated in the in-between.
Yukari, with a cheesy grin plastered all over her face looked over at Dutch, and spoke while surpressing a giggle. "Absolutely." The smile was a true troll-face.
Her face then changed back to her normal kind, and then made a transition to a more serious expression. "Now with that aside, the time of which the lunar emissaries will arrive for you has been set: A month from now. Before that, you are free to do whatever you want,"
Dutch raised an eyebrow. And spoke in a deadpan voice. "I must question the time given. That seems too long given the ruckus that I apparently stirred up, don't you think?"
Yukari laughed as her face turned to a strange mixture of glee, and seriousness. "Fu-fu-fu-fu~! You're right. However, you have to take in account the fact that you are essentially talking about long-lived beings. Their sense of time is far different from ours. In their terms, a month would be like a day to them."
Dutch nodded in acknowledgement. "No wonder they never managed to recover the Vault. With such timing issues, sudden changes would easily wreck their plans and humans are prone to sudden changes." He said while crossing his arms.
Yukari nodded in agreement. "Which come to our second piece of news. It appears that your training has caught the attention of Gensokyo's press or what passes for it. The Tengu village has requested your presence. Exactly what for I have no idea." She spoke.
Dutch took a deep breath, then sighed. "I feel more like a diplomat every day. Before anything else, may I ask a question. Just now, you mentioned a contract. I was not notified of such a thing." He stated in a questioning tone.
The gap youkai smiled. "Ah~ Although you are the owner, the contract is something that can only be revealed to you when you are deemed ready. Back to the Tengu village. You will have Ran as support for you. She will be doing the diplomatic footwork. You just need to look pretty." Yukari said to the somewhat messy looking Dutch.
Dutch lowered his eyebrow, and his expression seemed to brighten up. "Anything I need to know about the Tengu?" Dutch asked plainly.
"The Tengu live on and below a mountain. There are 5 types of Tengu with a Tengu boss over them all. The first is the Dai Tengu, which are the management class. They are in theory the mountain managers, controlling and ensuring that civilian life goes on smoothly. The second is the Hanataka Tengu, the office worker type. They form the majority of the Tengu population and are generally hardworking youkai with a tendency to party. The next after that is the Yamabushi Tengu, the Scholar class. They are trusted with the literary works of the mountain and are also printers. The next is the Crow Tengu. They act as the mountain intelligence force and are scouts as well. The last is the White Wolf Tengu. They are the mountain defense force and guard the entrances and well as form the high guard." Yukari explained as Dutch listened carefully.
"Overlooking all of this is Lord Tenma, the Tengu Boss. But the Tengu class lines are not set. In times of crisis, the Hanataka Tengu can be called upon the back up the White Wolf Tengu. You can have a wolf as a Hanataka Tengu but you can't have a Hanataka as a White Wolf Tengu. Several White Wolf Tengu can fly but that is the domain of the Crow Tengu." Yukari continued explaining.
"I see." Dutch answered while nodding.
"Ran will handle the Tengu. You will just have to do whatever is thrown at you. And I'll be there... Just in case." Yukari finished. As Dutch closed his eyes, and nodded one final time
He opened his eyes back up, and un-crossed his arms. letting them hang limp at his sides. "Okay then. When do we start?" Dutch asked.
"Right now." Yukari answered as she opened a gap for Dutch.
Dutch dropped through the gap and landed on the ground, feet first. He wasn't sueprised by the sudden gap-opening as usual, and looked back up at Yukari. Who was waving from inside the gap as she closed it. The un-surprised outsider turned his gaze to Ran, who was standing beside him, and smiling.
"I trust you been filled in?" The Kitsune asked with a friendly expresion and tone of voice.
Dutch got up from the ground, and smirked as he brushed the dirt off his tattered clothes. "Yea. Let's get this over with." Dutch answered.
In front, a mountain towered over them. It seem to rise forever, reaching into the clouds. Judging from the looks, Dutch and Ran were at the Base. In front of them was a village that took up at least half the mountain. The walls of the village were wooden logs and watchtowers rose from them every 100 meters. Guards stood at the front gates, standing at attention.
As the duo walked closer, one of the guards called out to them. "State your intentions!" she practically yelled in a booming voice.
She wore a white long sleeved shirt with what appeared to white fluff balls in the front. Her skirt was black-red and she wore platform sandals that seemed impossible to stand in. Her hands held a large simitar and a small shield, both of which has a sign of a maple leaf on them. A pair of wolf ears jutted out of her white hair and in-between them was a red Tokin. Her red eyes watched the strangers approaching her with suspicion. Dutch could see that she was holding the simitar in a way that would be easy to attack with on short notice.
Ran held her hand to her chest while talking in a much more serious tone of voice. The past warmness in her voice was completely absent. "I am Ran Yakumo. With me is the human that Tengu Lord Tenma has requested to meet." Ran announced.
The simitar wielding tengu gestured to the now-opening gate, but didn't let her guard down. "Lord Tenma has been expecting you. I am to lead an escort for you to the palace." The Tengu answered.
The guards moved aside as the gate finished opening. As Dutch and Ran entered the village, the Tengu that spoke to them walked in front of the pair, and two of the gate guards followed behind them.
The gate closed with a bang as the five walked down the path. The Tengu village stood before them. Rows of Japanese style two story houses lined the road, its surface providing passage to Tengu traffic. Tengu moved in all directions, some disappearing into to side streets and others appearing from them. Down the street, what appeared to be bridge supports rose from the ground, their presence interrupting a black line in the ground that stretched from one end of the village to the next.
Dutch and Ran walked, their guard sticking close to them. Passing Tengu gave the group glances but they seem to be more interested in the Kitsune that the human. The crowd parted in front of the group and reformed behind them like water.
Nice place. A lot better that some cities I've been. Dutch thought as they approached the bridge.
Getting closer, the black line is shown to be a wide chasm, a calm river at it's bottom. Rocks jut out of the walls of the chasm at random and at the other end lay another wall. Unlike the earlier one, this wall was a proper defense barrier, made of a puzzle-like configuration of stone and wood. At the base, spiked logs stick out of the ground, preventing any one from getting close to the wall. From the base to the top, the walls were smooth, no discernible handhold for intruders to climb. Watchtowers rise above the walls every 50 meters.
The group crossed the bridge under the watchful eyes of the wall guards. At the gate, the guards stand aside and the gate opens for the five. Going under the wall, Dutch walked through the shade into the sunlight.
Now the full glory of the Tengu was presented.
Past the wall, the main Tengu village rose before them. Buildings of varying heights cover the mountainside, some of them having insignias displayed high on their walls. Towers rise out of the village where crow tengus take off on their duties and land to rest. And situated right into the mountainside was a large palace with a small tower on top.
Dutch and Ran entered the small city. The road they were on reached all the way to the castle. Judging from the amount of people on it, it was a highway of sorts. Multiple roads branched from the main one, heading off to other parts of the city.
As they walked, Dutch saw a varying number of people. There was a two horned Oni with red and blue ribbons on her horns, wearing a tattered singlet that had some unknown stain on it and purple skirt, drinking from a gourd while stumbling around.
Another was a blue-haired girl with pigtails. She wore a green skirt that had many stuff sticking out of it and a aquamarine backpack that also had stuff sticking out of it. She had a key hanging by the front of the backpack straps and was arguing with a black-haired Tengu. The girl wore a white blouse and a black short skirt. On her shoulder was a crow. It flapped it's wings to its perch's agitated movements, cawing in protest. Ran glanced at the Tengu and looked away, her face full of dislike.
They quickly approached the palace. Outside the building, another guard contingent stood at attention.
"State your purpose!" The leader called.
"I am Momiji Inubashiri, captain of the outer patrol guard. I bring with me the human that Lord Tenma has sent for and the representative of the Yakumo clan." The leader of the escort returned.
The guard stood aside, and the five entered the palace. Inside, the guard behind them stopped as Dutch, Ran and Momiji continued inside.
The palace interior was large, Wolf Motifs on the columns that reached up into the ceiling. A closer look showed cleverly painted walkways in the ceiling, using a combination of drab wood and bright colors to disappear against the ceiling.
The trio went deeper into the palace complex. White wolf guards eyed the Non-Tengu, as their bodies tensed up in reaction to the streams of power leaking from Ran's clothes. They paid no attention to the human following behind the nine-tailed fox.
Dutch smiled. Ignorance suited him.
After pasting an entire palace worth of guards and defenses, the trio finally came to a door. Elaborately made, with a hodgepodge of insignias such as Maple leafs, stood the door to Lord Tenma's Chamber. The door was huge. In fact, Dutch was sure it was at least 7 times his height.
The two guards nodded and opened the doors. With a groan, the doors spread wide open and the trio entered. The footsteps of their shoes echoed throughout the whole chamber.
The huge room had a sword rack, laden with blades, and at the other end of the room, a pair of maple-leaf shields- much like the one Momiji had- hung on the wall next to a well-used looking chair. Water flowed down a rock stream from one of the wall to the left of the group,and green moss bordered its edge. It curved across the wooden floor and disappeared into another wall. The room was extremely tall, and Dutch could only just barely see the ceiling.
Sitting on the chair, sat who Dutch could only assume was Lord Tenma. His face was composed, the result of eons of experience dealing with underlings. His own shirt was green and gold, giving him a more regal look. His eyes shone with the look of one that has done so much and knows there is so much more to do, and much more to learn.
"Lord Tenma! I brought the Human you requested." Momiji announced as she went on her knees. Dutch and Ran looked at each other, and followed her actions.
"Wonderful. I have been waiting to meet him. Step forward, Dutch-san." Tenma spoke as her voice echoed throughout the chamber, much like their footsteps had before.
Dutch uneasily rose up and stepped forward.
Tenma smiled, and stood up from her worn throne. "Seems she was right. He really looks unremarkable."
Ran smiled, and looked at the Tengu boss in the eyes she was about to speak, but a distorted sound echoed through the chamber, and Yukari jumped out of it. She answered for Ran. "That's part of his charm. He's more likely to slip past patrols since they don't pay attention." Yukari spoke, while sitting on a chair the popped out of the gap along with her. and sipping a cup of tea.
Yukari's gap remained open, and The lord of all the Tengu spoke with a smirk. "Very well Yukari. We will put him to the test." Tenma returned.
Dutch frowned. He crossed his arms once gain, and spoke. His response could've been directed at either the Tengu lord, or the trolling gap youkai, bu it was probably both. "I apologize for speaking out of turn but please explain this test."
Yukari smiled, and her expression changed back to that smile she wore before. "Simple; you will attack the Tengu." She said, while Dutch's face hardened.
Muahahahahaha. Dutch will never get a rest.
Thats right folks. Dutch will be fighting again right after his encounter with Flandre. And in the next chapter, Yukari will come to a hard decision regarding Dutch and her beloved Gensokyo. A internet if you can guess it.
Super thanks to Sweebation for editing and making it wayyy better than what i did. During a busy time for him as well. You sir, You AWESOME!