'Where do we go, now?'
Hikari, Marigold, Reimu, and Osamu all sat around the kotatsu.
"...You're paying for that soda." Reimu told Osamu.
Osamu looked to Hikari hopefully…
"...No, I'm not accepting the allowance I gave my daughter. I want you to pay for the soda." Reimu asserted. "I don't care how long it takes, either."
Osamu grinned sheepishly. "Eheheh…"
Hikari shrugged. 'Knowing Mom, she'll probably forget even-'
Then, she gasped.
'W-what was that?'
...Reimu stood up. "...You three stay here. I have to check on something."
Reimu got up, and left the shrine.
…
Hikari stood up. "We're following."
Osamu jerked his head back. "What? Why?"
'I have a feeling…'
Hikari moved to go after her mother.
Osamu and Marigold exchanged a glance, and tagged along behind Hikari. Moving quickly, the three went outside. Hikari saw her mother moving down the Hakurei hillside, and she followed.
Her mother reached the crawlspace to the underside of the shrine. Grumbling to herself about the inconvenience of the tiny crawlway, Reimu went inside it.
Only a moment later Hikari and her friends reached there.
Hikari put her hand up a moment, and spoke to her friends in a hushed tone. "Hold on. We'll wait a moment, then follow her. Don't wanna awkwardly run into her."
Marigold saw her logic. "Mmm."
Osamu didn't. "I guess."
After a few anxious moments, Hikari crawled into the stone pathway…
...Osamu turned to Marigold. "You know why we're doin' this?"
Marigold shrugs. "Seems important, I think. Reimu'll be around anyway, so I don't think we'll meet any resistance…"
Marigold proceeded to crawl after Hikari.
Osamu snorted. "Alright, alright…"
The three crawled into the main room of the underground shrine-esque establishment, where the crystal sat. The entire room was filled with a pale red glow.
Reimu was on the other side of the room, her ofuda drawn and gohei ready. The talismans along the walls were shaking, multiple of them simply peeling off and other visibly losing their magic, the green and red glows conflicting before the talismans fizzle out and float away from their spots on the walls.
The crystal in the center was a vibrant red glow, as red gas ominously swirled around it.
'So this is what I felt…' Hikari felt the destruction of seals inherently made her skin crawl. 'It might be a shrine maiden thing.'
Marigold readied her NF Burst Gun on the off chance anything fishy happened…
Osamu finally made it through the crawlspace, and looked up. "...Hoh, shit! The thing's going nuclear!"
The crystal vibrated as the gas swirled around it, then-
Kra~ck!
…
Like flowing ink, the red gas flowed freely throughout the room…
'...!' Hikari shuddered.
All the talismans and associated chains and holy relics along the walls fell, and then the room went dark.
…
Marigold fired wildly at the ceiling to illuminate the room, the pops of the gun completely unfitting for the mood.
PoPoPoPoPop!
'Flashing rainbow lights are not a lot better than complete darkness.' Hikari laments.
"W-what the hell…?" Reimu jumps at the sudden popping. "Who's there!?"
'Well, crap.' "I-It's just us, Mom."
"H-Hikari?..." Reimu paused.
…
A magic light was generated in the middle of the room. A blue-clad, green-haired ghost sat in the middle, looking around cautiously. The dim light barely illuminated past the middle of the room.
"Stupid…" She flailed her hand a bit, and a few more magic particles were shot around the room, illuminating the walls, revealing Reimu, Hikari, and the party members.
Her eyes widened. "Oh, crap… Already? I-Is this a bad dream, or what? This is probably just a bad dream…"
The ghost floated towards Reimu, who took a defensive stance. "Hey there, Reimu, buddy! Awful nice of you to lock me in a power crystal fo~r, what was it… ah, who cares how long it was? I mean, on the upside, this dream's better than the one I was just having. Lotsa red… lo~tsa red. Some freak was there, too, I think. Maybe I'm finally going insane after all these years…"
Reimu just glares at her.
"...Oh, now I know this is a dream. You're not even saying anything back!" The ghost puts her arm around Reimu's shoulder, and takes a deep breath… "...I'm bored of this dream, now."
From the halls that deviate from the crystal room, red gas swirled in. Even though the halls were dark and the room was a very dim yet pale blue, the red of the gas was absolute.
"...Get your arm off of me." Reimu wiggles her way out of the ghost's arm.
"Oh geez- she talks!" The ghost jumped back, flailing her arms. Pointing her arm at Reimu, she conjured some magic…
A small blue orb shot out, and fizzled out.
...The ghost giggled sheepishly. "...Mana pool's kinda runnin' on empty, right now. Being locked in a crystal for who-the-hell-knows how long can do that to you."
The red gas neared her, and Reimu looked at it tensely.
'...S-should I do anything?' Hikari considered her options…
Suddenly, the red gas swirled around the ghostly figure.
"H-hey, what- ackh…" She grasped her neck, despite ghosts not having a need for breathing. "A-ah…!"
Subtle jittering accompanied by the erratic flailing of her ghostly tail lasted for all of a couple seconds, and then the red gas faded.
The magi-lights flickered out, and the room was dark again.
Osamu groaned.
…
"That's enough playing around, Mima." Reimu announces in the darkness. "I'm reapplying the seal, and that's all there is to it."
The ghost, named Mima, doesn't reply.
"...Once I get a match, about one hundred fifty talismans, and another power crystal, that is." Reimu added less enthusiastically. "...Actually, I might only need to beat you up. I learned some new sealing techniques since last time, you know."
No response.
"...A-are you still there?" Reimu asks. To illuminate the room, she makes her ofuda glow. A faint, holy yellow fills the room.
"I~'m back!" The ghost exclaims, popping from the floor in front of Reimu.
"Hwaa~h!" Reimu leaps back, and throws her ofuda at the ghost.
Mima catches them with one hand. They light up red for only a second, then she lets them fall to the floor. "...I've got some new tricks, too, Reimu!"
Reimu draws more ofuda, and tosses them at the walls, giving the room consistent yellow lights. "Really, now?"
Mima grins. "Really! And I-"
...Her sentence stops abruptly, and she gazes into the distance for a moment.
...Reimu awkwardly stands in a combat-ready position as Mima spaces out.
The ghostly mage shakes her head. "...R-right, so…"
Mima tried PK Freeze Ω!
…
But it failed!
Reimu shivered from the momentary cold air, but it quickly dissipated.
"...Are you trying to give me the chills, or something?" Reimu comments. "Nice trick."
Mima scowled. "Hmph… Well, try this on for size, then…!"
Mima tried PK Freeze ß!
KaKa-KaKaKling!
Rapid freezing and thawing of ice crystals occurs at Reimu's torso, forcing her to jitter in place.
Kra~ck!
The resulting blast of frozen air blows Reimu back a bit. Shivering, she glares up at Mima.
"I-Is that all?" Reimu grins. "Last week's snowstorm was colder!"
Reimu dashes towards Mima, who generates a magic barrier.
"Physical attacks won't work on me, Hakurei!" Mima haughtily declares. She blinks, and Reimu was no longer in front of the barrier.
Mima's eyes widen.
Thwack!
Reimu's gohei struck Mima on the top of her head.
"Gwaah!" Mima flew forward in surprise, crashing through her own barrier. "...Teleportation? My, how you've grown!"
Reimu tossed more ofuda towards her, but Mima caught them again. Upon neutralizing them with mysterious means, Mima spaced out again, her gaze wandering from Reimu to Hikari.
Hikari shuddered. 'Red. I saw something red…'
Ofuda struck the absent ghost.
"Ah!" Mima twirled around in the air, the sudden pain from the holy magic bringing her back. "...I-I can't afford to fight you just yet. I-I've got to go…"
Her face became mischievous again. "Catch me if you can, Hakurei! Hohohoh!"
Mima floated through the wall, leaving the room.
Reimu ran up to the wall, even though she couldn't do anything past that. "...Damn, she's probably leaving the hill entirely…"
Reimu went for the exit, and encountered the party standing there.
'...Hello.' Hikari could tell things might be awkward.
"...Look," Reimu began, "You should stay at the shrine with your friends, Hikari. Mima may be a joke, but I don't think any of you three really know how to fight yet."
'If only she saw the literal days of adventure we were on.' Hikari lamented. "...W-we know more than you think, Mom."
Reimu blinked. "...Well, maybe, but-"
"We're going with you." Hikari declared.
"No." Reimu declined.
"We'll follow you anyway." Hikari shot back.
"I'll just fly, then." Reimu countered.
"We'll run under you." Hikari counter-countered.
Reimu double-took. "Wha- how? Surely all your friends couldn't run as fast as you…"
'...She's right, but I think we could find a way to make it work.' Hikari readied herself to bluff…
"...Trust me when I say that the three of us can hold our own, miss Hakurei." Marigold decides to chip in. "We've actually had our fair share of experiences so far."
Reimu was about to counter, but Osamu just goes off on his own. "Dude, I don't think I'm the first person to say that we kick some serious ass!"
…
"...W-well, maybe I am, but… we do!" He stands by his self-praise.
Reimu sighs. "You guys…"
'...How is she going to react?' It wasn't often Hikari pushed her mother to this point in any sort of discussion.
"...If you guys think you're so tough, then so be it. Just try to keep up, because I'm not slowing down, alright?" Reimu lays down the compromise.
Hikari grins. "...Alright, Mom."
"Very well." Marigold adds.
"You're on!" Osamu gives a thumbs up.
…
Mima sticks her head in from an upper corner of the room. "Hee~y… You bozos gonna chase me, or what?"
Reimu tosses an ofuda at the corner, but Mima had already fled.
"Tch…" Reimu grimaced. "Let's go."
Reimu dived into the crawlspace, and began moving. Osamu eagerly crawled under next, and Marigold waited for Hikari to go…
'Actually…' "I've got an idea." Hikari states. "...Marigold, do you think you could lend me your gun thing for a second?"
Marigold reluctantly hands her the NF Burst Gun.
"Crawl in, and shield your head with your arms."
...Marigold curiously does as she's told.
Hikari gets on the floor, props the rifle up against Marigold's boots, and waits for Marigold to crawl forward a bit so that she herself could get into the tiny space.
'Now…'
Hikari boosted herself with wind, using her arms to push the gun until she was pressed against Marigold's shoes.
'More!'
Hikari continued powering up the wind conjuring that she was performing at her own heels. Soon, Marigold was pushed into Osamu's shoes.
"W-woah!" Osamu fidgets, unknowing of what's going on. Soon, he's pushed into Reimu's sandals.
Fwoosh!
The four shot out of the crawlspace like darts from a blowpipe, sliding down the remaining hillside.
'...Well, we got out quickly.' Hikari reflected.
"The hell was that…?" Osamu was mystified by what just happened.
Reimu rose from the grass, brushing herself off. "...Let's go."
Slightly taken aback by her mother's seriousness, Hikari watches her march along the hillside.
'She's not playing around, huh?'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Hikari found herself trudging the Hakurei Woods once more, this time with a small following which was in turn following her mother.
'I don't think there's really anything here to be afraid of…' If Hikari recalled correctly, it was just a bunch of weird ant fellows. There was the occasional feral youkai, but they were few and far between, and her party saw plenty in the bamboo forest.
A bright flash lit up the afternoon sky, causing everyone to pause.
'Oh, no.' Hikari recognized the situation.
"...Anyone else see that?" Osamu questioned.
"Yeah." Marigold confirmed. "Bright flash."
Whirring was heard from above. Two flying disc machines darted overhead.
'They're bigger than last time.'
With unrealistic speed, they darted around in the airspace over the party.
Reimu glanced up at them, annoyed. She tried intimidating them with a loud shout. "Hey, you!"
It was indeed loud, but the machines weren't very capable of being intimidated.
Hikari tensed up. 'This situation feels-'
Vrrrrr~!
A thin laser was projected from the craft, which Hikari just barely moved out of the way of by means of a purely reflexive dodge.
'-Familiar!' Hikari nearly trips as she regains her balance from the sudden dodge.
Reimu sends a furious torrent of ofuda at the medium flying saucer, but most of them just bounce off harmlessly. "Seriously…?"
Marigold fired into the sky haphazardly. "One of these has to hi~t!"
Ping! Ping!
She wasn't wrong.
The other saucer flew near a tree, and a pale blue beam was projected, washing over Marigold. She tensed up, but relaxed when she noticed nothing had happened to her.
'Wait for it…'
...Suddenly, Marigold's nose began dripping, and her mouth salivating. "W-whua- Achoo!"
'Not fun.' Hikari remembered.
Hikari tried Healing α!
Marigold got over her cold!
"...Pftuh, ugh…" Wiping her eyes, Marigold spat out the rest of the discharge.
The saucer Reimu attacked orbited around her for a moment, before deciding to fire at Osamu for whatever reason.
Vrrrr~!
The laser clipped his arm.
"Oh, fuck- that burns!" He glanced at his arm, noticing an entire chunk of flesh gone. "Holy fuck!"
Marigold resumed firing into the air.
Ping! Ping!
One of the crafts wobbled slightly, the danmaku's energy rippling throughout it.
Hikari tried Lifeup α!
Osamu's wound healed!
He patted his arm through the new hole in his robe. "...I hate burning." He decided.
Reimu suddenly vanished, then reappeared above one of the crafts.
"Divine Arts! Sky Conquering Wind God Kick!"
SMAAAA~SH!
Reimu delivered a mighty flying kick to one of the crafts midair.
Blam!
The area she struck exploded, the saucer spiraling to the Earth below. The remaining saucer focused on her, recognizing the greater threat.
Ping! Ping!
Danmaku from Marigold struck it, forcing it to wobble unevenly and cease moving for a moment.
It fired at Reimu.
Vrrrr~!
Reimu effortlessly grazed the beam and spiraled towards it. It darted out of the way when she neared it.
"Annoying metal… thing." Reimu voiced her frustration. "I'll turn it into silverware when I'm done with it."
Osamu tried PK Freeze ß!
KaKa-KaKaKling!
Freezing and thawing took place on the craft's exterior, doing nothing productive.
Kra~ck!
The machine's exterior wobbled from the force, but ignored the temperature of the air that struck it.
More danmaku from Marigold struck, and the craft's rotations began slowing to the point it could no longer support itself.
...Hikari stared up at it. '...I can't really fight these things, can I? I don't have any ranged attacks…'
Reimu sent out a spread of eight danmaku Yin-Yang orbs, which all homed in on the disc and struck at once.
Kaboo~m!
There was nothing left of it except for some scrap metal after the fact.
'...Mom's actually pretty powerful.' Hikari noted. 'Like, really powerful. I knew she was before, but… seeing her in action always reminds me of that.'
...Reimu touched down with the floor again. "So much for the silverware idea…"
As if remembering something important, she whirls around to the party. "A-are you guys okay? I swear one of you got hit…"
Osamu waved it off. "Aah, no sweat. Guys like me, we can take anything…"
"...As long as someone heals it for you immediately." Marigold elaborates.
Osamu scratches the back of his head. "...Yeah, what she said."
Reimu tilts her head. "Healing?"
'How should I tell her…?' "...Yeah, I can heal people." Hikari calmly informs her mother.
"...How did you even learn that?" Reimu questioned. "You're not a mage… and healing magic's pretty hard. I know you read a lot of books, but-"
"It's complicated." Hikari summarizes her quest.
"...I guess so." Reimu figures it's best not to press too hard at the moment.
In the time they spend talking, another saucer darts in overhead, its whirring making its presence known.
"Aah, shut up already!" Osamu snaps at it.
Osamu tried PK Thunder ß!
Thwaa~sh!
A tree was struck, a small part lighting on fire, but quickly going out.
Thwaa~sh!
A second bolt struck the flying object, sparks raining down from the metal.
Blam!
The fried saucer drops to the ground, thunking loudly against the forest leaves and light snow.
Reimu blinked. "...That works."
'Yes, it does.'
The combat over, Marigold curiously approaches the wreckage of the one Reimu kicked out of the sky. Parts littered the snow near it, and after a few moments of looking around, Marigold picked up something that interested her.
Reimu stared at her curiously. "...Should she really be touching-"
"She knows what she's doing." Hikari covers for her. "Just let it happen."
'...No she doesn't, but she's smart enough to figure it out anyway, I think.'
Marigold picked up a grey box with some sort of orange line being projected on a dim monitor. Cords hung off it, and twisted metal plates where bolts used to be hinted at the device's history.
Marigold toyed with the knobs on the front of the device…
Phhsshhh-zz',;.';,';.';zz-phhsshhh…
Hikari's skin crawls. "S-stop fooling with that thing…"
Osamu covers his ears. "O-ouch… The hell…?"
Marigold shrugs, and slides the box into her backpack.
Marigold obtained Counter-PSI Device!
Reimu shook her head. "Irritating thing. Speaking of… we've probably lost way too much ground as it is. If you're all okay, let's get going." Reimu mobilizes, flying lowly into the field ahead.
Hikari still has to dash to keep up with her, using wind to boost herself. Osamu jogs behind her, quickly falling behind, while Marigold attempts awkwardly to run but her backpack along with her lack of stamina causes her to slow to an exhausted power walk quickly.
"S-slow down, will ya!?" Osamu yelled from behind.
...Reimu eventually stopped in the air over the field, floating back down to meet the party. "Mima's nearby."
Soon, a youkai made itself known.
"Well, well, well…"
Osamu finishes his introduction for him. "What have we here?"
Hikari grins, continuing it herself. "Some tasty humans, huh?"
The wolfman glared at them. "W-what the fuck!?"
Reimu locked eyes with it.
The wolfman locked eyes with her.
…
"...Y-you don't scare me, Hakurei! From what I know, you're just a measly human like the rest of them!" The wolfman stepped back slowly…
"...You're new at this, aren't you?" Reimu shook her head.
"Well, yeah…" The youkai scratched the back of his head. "This is my third hunt, I'll have you know! You'll be the third meal I ever caught myself!"
Reimu nodded. "I see…"
...Reimu looked to the three. "You guys got this?"
Hikari nods.
"...Are you su~re?" Reimu confirms.
Hikari stares at her.
'...Alright, but I'll be right over here." Reimu floats away, which in turn angers the youkai wolfman.
"Hey! Cowardly miko! Get your ass back here so I can smack it!" He ran after Reimu, but she floated out of reach.
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
Energy rippled around the wolfman…
"H-hey, w-what…" His speech slurred as he looked around, confused.
Marigold opened fire, unloading all five shots into his back. Audible thwacks were heard as each shot connected.
"A-augh!"
Osamu tried PK Hydro α!
A bubble of water floated towards the wolfman…
"F-fucking useless humans…" The wolfman went for the bubble, and punched it.
Splash!
The resulting blast of water sent him flying back. Hikari ran up to the fallen wolfman. As the wolfman tried to rotate himself onto his torso…
SMAAAA~SH!
Hikari's magical gohei met his head, knocking him clean out.
'It's a lot easier with three people.' Hikari reflected. 'It's pretty easy to just wittle enemies down with our weak attacks.'
Reimu walked up to them. "...I'm not sure what happened there. You seemed to get lucky when that youkai got light-headed, though…"
"T-that was actually me…" Hikari claimed, half on impulse. '...I shouldn't have said that.'
Reimu looked at her skeptically. "Really? Do it on me, then."
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
Energy rippled around Reimu…
Reimu blinked rapidly, her balance faltering slightly, but quickly regaining itself.
"...Huh." Reimu bobbed her head back and forth. "That was pretty subtle. I don't even know how you're doing that…"
'Me either.' Hikari was past questioning it at this point.
Reimu floated into the air again. "Mima's in that field up ahead."
Empty, open field was ahead of them.
'...Are you sure?' Hikari was sure her mother sensed something she didn't, but…
"...Really? Looks like a lotta air to me." Osamu stepped on the metaphorical landmine.
Reimu turned to him dryly. "How long have you hunted youkai?"
Osamu stared at her awkwardly.
"...That's what I thought." Reimu sighed. "...I didn't think you guys would actually make it this far. I mean, the walking. The fact you three can fight, even if messily, was kinda surprising… even so, Mima's kinda a whole different story. I don't think you guys would be able to do much at all to her with, uh… which of you was casting spells?" Reimu's gaze shifts to Marigold…
"Hey." Osamu raises his hand.
"No, you weren't." Reimu disagrees. "If anyone, it's- it's…" She looked to Marigold. "...Marigold, was it? You're a magician, aren't you?"
Marigold stared levelly at Reimu. "...You're half right. I'm a magician… but I'm not a 'magician'."
Reimu blinked. "...Well, what does that mean?"
"I can't cast magic." Marigold summarized.
…
"Oh." Reimu wasn't sure what to make of that. "...They, uh, never told me that…" Her shock turned to rage. "...I can't believe none of them told me that!"
"Would it be any of your business in the first place?" Marigold questions.
"W-well, I thought Marisa…" Reimu trailed off.
"If you expected anything from her, I'm not surprised you heard nothing." Marigold folded her arms.
…
'I think we got off topic, here.' Hikari glanced between her party members and her mother, unimpressed.
Mima rose from the floor between them, her own arms folded. "...Look, I'm not one to judge, but you guys are rea~lly slow. I was sitting in a tree trunk for like, an hour, and you four are getting all sappy on me in the middle of some random field."
Shaking her head, she cracks her ghostly knuckles. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to beat the shit out of you whether you like it or not, because I can, now."
Reimu floated up to meet Mima. "You three, get back! I'll handle this!"
"No!" Hikari loudly rejected. "We're handling this, too!"
Reimu grunted in frustration, her glare directed at Mima.
Marigold aimed her NF Burst Gun at Mima, and fired.
PoPoPoPoPop!
Mima grinned at the cartoonish sounds of the gun, avoiding both the danmaku bullets and a stream of Hakurei Needles shot by Reimu.
She grinned at the popping noise. "W-what kind of a weapon is that…?"
Osamu tried PK Freeze ß!
KaKa-KaKaKling!
Mima managed to phase through all the attempts of the flashing and freezing crystals' attempts at snaring her.
"The other ghosts didn't do that shit!" Osamu protested. "This sucks!"
Kra~ck!
Mima was unaffected by the cold air in any way.
"What did you think using magic on practitioner like me would do?" Mima grinned. "If that's the best you've got, you're a pretty crappy mage. Honestly."
Osamu seethed. "I'll show you a crappy mage!"
Osamu tried PK Thunder ß!
Thwaa~sh!
The thunderbolt grazed Reimu, striking a tree below her.
Bam!
"H-hey!" Reimu yelped. "What was that!?"
Thwaa~sh!
The second bolt struck Mima.
Zazazap…!
The electricity ran through her ghostly form, but nothing much happened.
She grinned. "You can hardly even aim that one! Pffft… hahahaha~!"
Due to her laughter, Reimu's needles struck her in the stomach. The Hakurei needles, which may have resembled pins of a sort more likely due to the throwing end having a yin-yang orb styled disc attached, blinked as they stuck.
Mima froze, looking down. "...Aawh, shi-"
BlaBamBaBam, Boom!
Five Hakurei Needles detonated, creating an explosion of holy energy.
Reimu grinned. "Stupid spirit."
...The smoke faded to reveal Mima still there, her outfit scuffed up.
'She's still not down?' Hikari thought that was pretty potent.
"...That was cheap." Mima pouted.
Reimu grinned back. "Not as cheap as catching my ofuda."
"Or breaking my seal." A second Reimu caused Mima to turn towards her.
"Or trying to run away." A third Reimu appeared behind Mima again, also grinning.
Mima pauses in momentary mystification, but shakes it off. "...I see how it is."
"...Or as cheap as ignoring my shit!" Osamu adds from the floor.
Marigold keeps firing, but Mima just effortlessly avoids the shots.
"G-geez…" Marigold tiredly stares up at the ghost.
Mima raises her hand into the air. "Thunder Surge!"
Thwaa~sh!
One of the Reimus is struck by a large lightning bolt, exploding into a mess of ofuda which began fluttering to the floor.
Ofuda flew towards Mima in a spread, and she avoided or caught the majority of them.
'Actually…'
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
Energy rippled around Mima…
...but nothing happened!
'...Figures.' Hikari noticed her more powerful opponents were hardly bothered by her status inducing moves.
Thwaa~sh!
A thunderbolt struck a tree as the Reimus drifted slowly in an attempt to avoid them.
Osamu folded his arms. "What can I do? This stupid ghost's like, immune to magic!"
Hikari turned to him. "Defensive spells?"
"...I'm a fucking idiot." Osamu realized.
Osamu tried PSI Shield α!
One of the Reimus was protected by the psychic shield!
Mima put a hand to her chin…
Thwaa~sh!
Another tree was stripped of its life by a renegade thunderbolt. That one wasn't even near anybody.
"...If my guess is correct, that kid protected the wrong Reimu… but Reimu's lucky enough to get the right protection… so if I attack the protected Reimu… It'd probably be the unprotected Reimu anyway, which means I'll attack the one I think is the wrong one just incase!"
Mima formed a spike of rock. "Take this!"
It shot towards the shielded Reimu, who drifted out of the way of it.
"...There was no way that was going to hit after you took that long." The Reimu stated.
Thwaa~sh!
The protected Reimu was struck by the thunderbolt, and despite the majority of it being absorbed by the shield, the remaining damage caused the clone to explode into a tiny cloud of ofuda.
Mima sighed. "I was still wrong…"
Thwack!
Reimu whacked Mima across the back of the head.
"You over thought it." Reimu told her simply.
Mima whirled around, and Reimu teleported behind her. Reimu went for another whack, but Mima flew downward to avoid any potential damage.
"Tch… I suppose I have no choice but to get serious, then. I had hoped you'd be useless enough without that pupil of mine that I wouldn't even need to bother, but I suppose I underestimated you…"
Thwaa~sh!
Reimu was struck by the random thunderbolt.
"A-aah!" She yelped, electricity running through her body.
Hikari's eyes widened. "Mom!"
Mima blinked. "...Oh, yeah. I still had that going."
Reimu continued floating, gritting her teeth. "T-that sucked…"
'S-she's alright!?'
Reimu took a swing at Mima, but the ghost floated away from the swipe.
"Not this time!" Mima grins sadistically. "Magic Sign! Liberté Arc!"
From the corners of the plains, strings of stars flowed in. Reimu escaped the epicenter, which created a large, technicolor flower of bullets in the sky.
"W-woah…" Marigold's eyes widened, and she began running for the nearby trees.
"Oh, fuck that! Fuck me! No, no, no!" Osamu wailed as large golden orbs spread from Mima and came for the party.
Osamu tried PSI Shield α!
Osamu was protected by the pale blue psychic shield!
He shielded himself further with his arms. A golden orb flew into him.
"Oooagh!"
He was sent flying from the blast, the psychic shield shattered in one hit.
Hikari braced herself, and began tensely dodging golden orbs with the aid of her wind manipulation.
'T-this is intense…!'
Her mother's Hakurei Needles could be seen lighting up the sky as well. They clattered against Mima's magical circle barrier provided by the spell card, each strike slowly whittling down the spell card.
'I think I have to go all out, here!' It was a good time as any, Hikari supposed.
Hikari tried PK Fantasy ß!
Her own technicolor assault began.
Fizzle!
Despite the sky being daytime, the plethora of colors began drowning the blue out somewhat. Particles of technicolor psychic energy rained down on Mima, far too great in numbers and density for Mima to be able to dodge.
Fizzle!
Her spell card barrier began cracking under the pressure of the second assault, and moments after its impact, it broke.
"Hwaa~h!" Mima yelled, flailing her arms.
FwOwOw!
The resulting polygon of technicolor energy the Hikari launches from her left sleeve grazes Mima, who spun out of its way.
FwOwOw!
The second one, from Hikari's right sleeve, struck her, pushing her with minimal effect. "Guh…"
Hikari focused on Mima…
Bwaa~sh!
A point-blank blast of psychic energy made Mima writhe.
"Augh!"
…
Reimu kept gazing at Hikari, unsure of what to say.
Mima dusted herself off, readjusting her hat.
Hikari slouched, mentally strained from the exertion…
"...That was rude." Mima complained, turning to Reimu. "With how showy that last card was, I thought that'd give you the hint not to go all-out just yet…"
Osamu finally stood himself up again in the background, while Marigold was fiddling with the Counter-PSI Device she found earlier, sitting behind a tree for cover as she did so…
"...That... wasn't me." Reimu was still staring at Hikari, in shock.
'I think she's surprised, all things considered.' Whether or not that'd be a good thing or a bad thing, Hikari had yet to find out.
Mima blinked. "...Well, who was it, then? I didn't recognize the danmaku…"
Marigold used the Counter-PSI Device!
Phhsshhh-zz',;.';,';.';',;.';,.,'.;...
A grating static noise filled Hikari's ears, interrupting her train of thought.
'W-what- owhh… M-my head…' Hikari clutched her head, unable to concentrate.
Osamu fared similarly, kneeling down and bringing a hand to his forehead. "G-geez… W-wow…"
Mima furrowed her brows. "W-what is that racket? I-its…"
Reimu clutched her head.
Hikari tried Healing α!
…
But it failed!
'W-what…'
Marigold herself only heard a low ring emitting from the machine. She put it up to her ear, curious, but didn't notice any difference. She looked back to the chaos on the field with interest.
Reimu hung in the air, but then started dropping by fragments. After a few moments of her flight stalling, she begins falling.
'M-mom!'
Hikari runs towards her, attempting to apply wind to herself, only to find it only somewhat works. With an awkward and varied running pace, Hikari tries to mobilize herself to catch her mother.
'I-I'm not going to make it…'
Marigold feverishly fiddles with the knobs on the Counter-PSI Device to try and turn it off, but only subtly alters the frequency.
In a final act of desperation, Hikari readies to toss her gohei, using what wind she can muster to aid it. She flings it through the air-
Fwoosh!
It sails forward, and strikes her frazzled mother in the thigh, offsetting her fall somewhat by exerting most of the force onto her hip.
SMAAAA~SH!
Hikari winced, as did Marigold.
Thud.
"Aa-aaa~h!" Reimu screamed.
Hikari glanced to Mima, who was absently fidgeting her head around, as if realizing the situation anew multiple times.
Marigold finally managed to mute the Counter-PSI Device…
';,.';,.';.';zz-phhsshhh…
Hikari blinks, the splitting headache suddenly gone. '...Mom, no!'
Hikari tried Lifeup ß!
…
After a few moments, Reimu sat up.
"...Ouch." She rubbed her hip. "W-what happened…?"
Mima shook her head. "W-woah! What just happened!?"
Osamu stood again. "Goddamn, that stung…"
...Marigold sheepishly slipped the Counter-PSI Device into her backpack, then slinked back out to join everyone, holding her rifle as if she had been firing it all this time.
...To add to the effect, she decided to fire at Mima.
PoPoPoPoPop!
Despite being unaware, Mima just moved smoothly out of the way of the danmaku bolts, her attention turning to Marigold.
"Hey, hey, hey…" Mima put her arms up. "You shoot, and I'll move."
'Pretty much.'
...Reimu stumbled to her feet. "I need to end this right now, before things get any weirder… That last oddity hurt like hell."
Reimu ran towards Mima…
"Reflect!" Mima surrounded herself in a mirror barrier. "Hah!"
Reimu teleported behind her, and waited.
The mirror barrier slowly faded as Mima whirled around to face Reimu again.
"Not this time, Hakurei! Reflect!" The mirror barrier strengthened.
Osamu tried PK Thunder ß!
Thwaa~sh!
The bolt struck the mirror shield, the glass-like exterior cracking as the electricity whirled around inside. Reimu tensed up, and began to announce her spell card.
"Dream Sign…!"
Thwaa~sh!
The second lightningbolt made the reflective barrier explode into deadly, electric shrapnel.
"Evil Sealing Circle!"
Reimu was protected from the oncoming electric fragments by a torrent of ofuda that expanded outward from her position.
Mima would've paled, if a ghost could. "Hey, no! None of that crap! Get that out of here!" She began drifting backwards-
SMAAAA~SH!
Hikari blindsided her with her enchanted gohei, before leaping away to avoid her mother's ofuda.
'...Not like they'd do a lot to me, but I don't want to find out anyway.'
Mima floated forward into the expanding circle of ofuda, which engulfed her.
"Aaaaa~h!"
From the edges of the circle shot many spreads of talismans and golden danmaku pellets, not that they'd hit anything useful since Mima was trapped in the circle of pain, anyway.
Hikari picked up the pace to flee from the bullet hell of ofuda.
"Holy crap! Friendly fire! Friendly fi~re!" Osamu wailed, strings of ofuda colliding with his back, pushing him as he runs away from the storm.
Marigold found it easy to get out of the way, already being near her previous hiding spot.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
After numerous minutes of holy rain, Reimu's spell card ended.
'...I think it's over.'
Hikari and Osamu had found Marigold's tree, and joined her behind it.
At ground zero, a magic circle formed on the grass. In the air hung a magical crystal, which would've been glowing if it wasn't the middle of day. The crystal was significantly smaller than the last.
...Reimu sighed, and started scuffing up the magical circle with her sandals. "This thing's going to suck to try and fit into the basement again. I think this time I'll just stuff it under the floorboards, or something. Depends on how strong that seal really is… which I still have to gauge."
Hikari leisurely strutted up to the scene with her party members…
Reimu turned to her. "...I have many questions, but for now, they can wait. We kinda need to get this crystal out of here, 'cause that circle down there-" Reimu gestures to the magical circle she's trying to erase, "-is both to power the seal and a huge beacon to other youkai that something really powerful's been sealed here. The last thing we need is a 'free something powerful' raiding party in the middle of the night."
'That makes sense.' Hikari nods.
"...How the hell does that work? How do they even tell from a freakin' circle in the dirt?" Osamu bluntly questions.
Marigold stares at him dryly.
Reimu looked at him equally dryly. "Very carefully."
…
"Well, don't just stand there, you three. We're gonna be carrying the crystal back." Reimu told the party.
Reimu held up her gohei, judging what angle to strike the crystal at. She chooses a lower side…
Thunk.
The crystal smoothly falls and embeds itself in the dirt.
...Reimu lifts it with both arms, holding it over her head. "...Lighter than I thought. Okay, I carry the crystal home and you guys make sure I don't get jumped by flying frisbees of doom, or something. That would probably be inconvenient."
Hikari snorted. 'Flying frisbees of doom…'
The four moved forward a bit, before Reimu stopped…
"Ugh, I still need to erase that circle…"
Osamu tried PK Hydro α!
A bubbled flew over the magical circle…
Marigold opened fire on it, and it splashed, the water washing over the newly settled magic markings. They weren't completely erased, but they were smudged a bit.
...Osamu ran up to it, and started kicking at the remaining bits. It only took a few moments for it all to get mudded up and reduced to an unrecognizable splotch of purple magical dust.
"...Good enough. Let's get going…" Reimu begins floating, and the three teenagers follow.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: MARIGOLD'S VIEW ====
They were halfway to the Hakurei Shrine…
'This return trip has been pretty relaxing.' Marigold reflected. With no more rush, and the mysterious absence of the 'flying frisbees of doom', the four leisurely progressed towards the shrine…
'...That strange device gave us quite a scare earlier.' Marigold thought back to the Counter-PSI Device. 'I'm going to have to be careful if I want to use that in combat again.'
This leisure was to be reprimanded, however.
A streak of light shot from behind Reimu, separating the party from her.
'W-what!?' Marigold raised her NF Burst Gun, looking around tensely.
Giggling was heard from the woods around them, but Reimu kept flying forward, unnoticing.
Hikari looked to her, confused.
Marigold was, too. 'Where's she going?'
Osamu grinned. "...So, who wants a piece of the magical warlords over here?"
From nowhere at all, three fairies uncloaked infront of them.
'Huh?'
"We bamboozled 'em, Star-chan! We did it!" The orange fairy pumped her fists into the air.
'Star-chan' paled. "W-why did you uncloak us, you twat!? They can see us!"
"We can take 'em! For Reimu!" The orange haired fairy punched the air. "They're so screwed, now!"
A blonde-haired fairy floated up to join them. "Reimu's too far to hear, no~w…"
"...Bloody hell, Sunny…" The blue-clad fairy shook her head. "Guess we have no choice but to fight. This can't end well, you know."
"Shut up, she's just a kid!" Sunny rebuked. "We can prank 'em, easy peasy!"
...Marigold decided to fire at the blonde one.
"A-ah!" She drifted back at a delayed pace, only after all five danmaku pellets struck her. "O~uch…"
"Luna-chan!" Sunny turned to her, then back to the party. "...You stupid humans're gonna pay!"
Sunny tried PK Flash α!
A bright flash filled the forest, blinding everyone present.
"A-ah…" Luna and Star blinked, their vision slowly returning.
Hikari was completely unaffected, and Osamu simply rubbed his eyes. "Why do so many things fuckin' blind you? Damn…"
Marigold began crying uncontrollably. 'W-what is… M-my eyes...'
Tears flowing from her eyes like a waterfall, she took aim and fired randomly ahead at the three fairies.
PoPoPoPoPop!
"Shitstains!" Sunny exclaimed, getting stricken a few times. "Hit the poop deck!"
"You bloody twat!" Star shot small star-shaped spreads at Marigold, who was strafing randomly and without rhyme or reason in an attempt to dodge anything coming her way.
'...I hate these things that force me to cry. It's embarrassing.' Marigold reflects, firing wildly at the blurry shapes ahead of her, having difficulty seeing through the water in her eyes.
Soon, Marigold couldn't hear anything either.
'...Well, this sucks. Talk about sensory deprivation. I wonder if this is how they felt, when I used that device...'
All she could do was pull the trigger and point her gun in the vague direction of her enemies.
SMAAAA~SH!
Marigold did hear that, however.
'Hopefully Hikari and Osamu keep me from getting hurt like this. All I can do is-'
She felt a danmaku pellet strike her in the arm.
'...keep moving.' She winced at the stinging sensation.
The was how the next few minutes went for Marigold; deafness of everything around her, except for the cartoonish pops of her gun, the occasional loud thwack from Hikari or a danmaku pellet's curious energy as it whirled past her, or into her. The danmaku ahead of her was blinding when magnified through her tears.
Hikari tried Healing α!
Marigold stopped crying!
Taking a moment to sloppily wipe her eyes and readjust her glasses, Marigold was grateful. 'Yes! Thank you, Hikari!'
Now able to see clearly, Marigold sighted the fallen form of Sunny, the light fairy, on the floor.
'She must've been the one Hikari hit…'
Speaking of, Hikari was dashing around with her wind, trying to hunt down the blue fairy who was still shooting spreads at Marigold.
Now able to properly see, Marigold weaved through the sloppy waves, using her bullets to deny Star her escape route.
"N-no...!" Star stopped, and turned to Hikari with a face of terror…
SMAAAA~SH!
Pi~chun!
"S-Star...chan…" Sunny stuck an arm up from the floor. "Tell Reimu… I loved her."
Marigold marched up to her with a stone cold expression.
"G-get…" Sunny tried weakly to crawl away.
"Will do." Marigold told her.
PoPoPoPoPop!
Pi~chun!
Luna pouted. "Strange humans…"
Osamu tried PK Thunder ß!
Thwaa~sh!
Luna evaded a thunderbolt. "No! I'll avenge my friends!"
Thwaa~sh!
Pi~chun!
Marigold's hearing returned in full. '...Moon elemental fairy? I didn't know if those actually existed, but I guess I do, now.'
She tiredly walked up to Hikari… "...When we get back to the shrine, I say we spend the rest of the day relaxing."
Hikari shrugged.
'Of course she wouldn't be tired…'
Osamu agreed, though. "Yeah! That soda's the shit!"
'Not what I had in mind when I made the request, either.'
They continued to the shrine.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Reimu slid the shrine's door open with her sandal, precariously holding the crystal overhead with two arms as she did so.
"Honestly… Where did those three run off?" Reimu noticed them mysteriously vanish without a noise earlier, making her believe they got distracted and found something else along the way of interest and just didn't tell her.
Inside the shrine, Marisa sat at the kotatsu. "Heya, Reimu!"
Reimu blinked. "...When did you get here?"
She shrugged. "I dunno. Considering the place is empty, I assume the kids are gone?"
Reimu wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, considering they could be coming back, or not.
"...Also, I was kinda outside the whole time, lying in the dirt. Thanks, ze."
Reimu tensed up. "...S-sorry about that. I kinda forgot-"
"Nah, it's alright. I deserved it, anyhow."
…
Reimu brought the crystal over and sat it down on the floor as carefully as she was able…
Crack!
It fell through the floor, landing in the small space under the floorboards.
"Figures." Reimu shook her head, proceeding to the kotatsu.
"What's that crystal for? I feel like I remember it…" Marisa furrowed her brows, thinking.
"It's another seal crystal for Mima."
Marisa's eyes widened. "What!? W-wait… you managed to reseal teach without me?"
Reimu nodded. "Well, with the help of those three kids. You'd be surprised what they can do, now, it seems. Some strange things happened, though…"
Marisa wasn't sure what to expect, from a description like that. "Strange?"
"Yeah," Reimu stretched… "Mima was acting really weird, and definitely didn't use her abilities anywhere near the level she normally does. It was like… it was almost like she was just experimenting- like, she was rediscovering her abilities. That doesn't make any sense, though…"
Marisa wasn't sure what to think of that, staring at Reimu with curiosity.
"There was some red mist in the seal room, too, when it broke. Mima didn't do anything to get out… it was all whatever that was. I don't even know what it was… but it was scary."
"...What did she act like?" Marisa decided to prod things along.
"Like her usual self, but sometimes she just seemed to… space out." Reimu curled her lips in distaste of her own description. "She'd just stare into the distance. During the fight, it also seemed like all of us spaced out at once. I actually fell, I think, but I was only a little sore on landing. All things considering, I probably should have died from falling so far, or at least lost my legs."
Marisa didn't react to the last sentence, not visibly.
"...Enough about me." Reimu shook her head. "...You never told me Marigold couldn't cast magic."
Marisa froze.
"I-I mean… I know it's none of my business, but…"
"...Just drop it, Reimu." Marisa tells her, frowning. "I don't mean to be a jerk… but I don't wanna talk about it."
"Fair enough." Reimu nods. "Sorry."
…
The shrine door slides open again, Hikari walking in. After a few moments of absent pacing, Hikari managed to step into the hole in the floor and fall in.
"Ah!"
She landed on the crystal, the lower half of her body beneath the floor, now.
Marisa snickered.
Marigold and Osamu meander in next.
"Got anymore of that soda?" Osamu is tempted to ask right away.
"Not for you." Reimu deadpans. "...How do you even get by? It's like, all you drank was soda…"
Osamu shrugged. "Dude, that stuff is my lifeblood. It is the force that keeps me moving."
...Reimu nodded skeptically.
'I think I tried soda once,' Marigold reflected. 'That stuff is toxic.'
…
'Speaking of toxic…' Marigold glanced at Marisa for a moment, but looked away when she saw Marisa wasn't looking at her.
Hikari climbed from the hole in the floor, precariously finding an efficient way to do so. After she got out, she dusted herself off and stared at her mother questioningly.
Reimu waved it off. "Yeah, that thing has a mind of its own. I think we'll just make some liftable floorboards over it, or something. That reminds me, where did you three even go earlier? You didn't even say anything to me, you know..."
"We were jumped by some fairies." Hikari explained. "They're dead now, though."
"I didn't hear anything, though." Reimu tilted her head.
Marigold chipped in. "I think one of them could mute sound, she was a moon-elemental fairy."
Reimu nodded… then after a moment of consideration, she facepalmed. "Don't tell me… was she a blonde fairy?"
Marigold nodded.
"So that's how I didn't hear… Stupid fairies." Reimu shook her head. "I assume you three didn't have many problems, though."
Hikari sat down at the kotatsu.
Marigold remembered something. "Oh, yeah. The one called Sunny gave me her dying words."
Reimu snorted. "Do tell."
"She told me she loved you." Marigold grinned, approaching the kotatsu.
"Of course she did..."
...Osamu looked at the now full kotatsu. He nodded at the sight, then slowly began pacing his way around the table…
Reimu was on the ball this time, though. She turned to him. "No."
He put his arms up. "But I wasn't-"
"No."
He folded his arms. Reimu turned back around…
"...But the kotatsu is-"
"No. Sit down."
A single ofuda flew to his chest, knocking him on his bum. He proceeded to sulk, while Reimu grinned victoriously.
...Marisa tried to break the ice. "Yeah, them fairies sure are, uh, somethin', huh?"
Reimu snorted.
Marigold simply stared at her.
"...Anyway," Reimu cut in to prevent Marisa's dignity from being shattered further, "I don't know what to think of that strange red mist. It does remind me of the ones the vampires and that celestial did, though…"
Marisa nods. "Come to think of it, we do have a lot of mist related incidents, don't we? I think the troublemakers are runnin' outta ideas, ze..."
"Makes it easier to track them down, at least." Reimu reflects. "It just kinda came outta nowhere this time, though."
…
"Oh, shoot, that's right." Reimu realized. "I forgot to go to the human village today."
"You had somethin' to grab?" Marisa guessed.
"Actually, the village seems to have gotten rather weird as of late." Reimu explained. "I was going to go check it out, but Mima breaking free was kinda more important."
...Hikari stared at her mother.
Reimu noticed. "...No, you're not. The village can be a dangerous place when strange things happen in it."
Hikari facepalmed. "...Look, I handled something in the village earlier."
Her mother was skeptical.
"I'm pretty sure we'll be fine."
'I've never really been to the village before.'
"...Alright. I guess." Reimu reluctantly consents. "...I have half a mind to send Marisa to keep watch on you three."
Marigold blinked. "Pffft."
'Like she'd watch us for more than thirty seconds…'
Hikari shrugged, causing Marigold to stare at her dryly. 'Use words, you.'
Marisa frowned. "You know what? That's what I'm gonna do."
'Hikari, this is your fault.' Marigold sighed. 'I suppose I'll have to deal with it, though.'
"...Are you sure?" Skeptically, Reimu cautioned her friend. "I mean… things seem a little tense, I guess."
Marisa waved it off. "Ah, I'm sure it'll be fine, ze! It'll be fine…"
...Hikari nodded at the situation, amused in her own way.
…
Hikari gets up. "I think we'll be going, now."
Reimu blinked. "Really? It's kinda late in the day, you know…"
"We'll be fine." Hikari assures her. "Besides, we have Marisa with us."
'We're not going to be fine. Also, a break would be nice… Maybe I should use words, too, actually.'
"I'd like a break, actually…" Marigold begins.
Hikari tried Lifeup α!
Marigold's fatigue from the danmaku pellets faded a bit.
"...Better. Betterish." Marigold bobbed her head back and forth.
"We'll buy snacks in the village." Hikari baited.
"...A lot better, actually." Marigold smiled.
Osamu got up and joined them as they all made for the door. Marisa then got up, as well, moving to keep up with them.
"D-don't forget about me, ze…!"
The shrine door slides shut.
…
Reimu sighs. "Man, that got awkward fast… Don't screw it up, Marisa."
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI'S VIEW ====
The four progressed towards the village. Marisa flew overhead the party on her broom…
"Can any of you three fly? Like, at all?" Marisa questioned.
"No." Hikari replied. "I never learned how."
"I can't." Marigold bluntly stated.
"Yeah, I wish!" Osamu chuckled.
…
"I'm suddenly anxious, ze…" Marisa stared at the three with slight worry.
"You would be." Marigold jabs.
"Is that so~?"
The three pause, and turn around.
Behind them is an orb of darkness hanging in the air. Marisa shakes her head, turning to face the orb as well…
"It's Rumia!" Osamu's eyes widened. "Holy shit! We're fucked!"
'Oh. It's just Rumia.' Hikari relaxed.
Marigold blinked. "Who?"
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
Energy rippled around the orb of darkness…
Thud.
The darkness dissipated, a child with blonde hair revealed. She lied on the floor, fast asleep.
Marigold was unimpressed. "...That's Rumia?"
Osamu was amazed, slowly turning to Hikari. "...Y-you did it. You knocked out Rumia! Holy crap!"
Hikari shook her head. "What's so amazing about that? She's not very intimidating in the slightest…"
Marisa nodded slowly… "Anyone mind explaining to me why she just kinda fell over?"
"I made her fall asleep." Hikari answered. "Don't ask how."
"How." Marisa asked. "...Wait, is that what happened earlier?"
'Uhh…' "...No?"
Marisa nodded… "...You suck at lying, ze."
'Oh, well. You win some, you lose some.'
"...It must be real late, considering Rumia was out and about." Marisa considered.
The land around them was covered by a melancholic blue glow, one that might be considered nostalgic were the temperature not dropping equally as rapidly as the land's light levels.
'...These pants are surprisingly warm.' Hikari smiled lightly at the convenience.
Osamu was wearing those robes. 'It's a wonder how he hasn't complained of being too warm, yet…'
Hikari was sure Marigold was fine in her outfit, too. 'It seems to be made for winter wear.'
Marisa's outfit wasn't quite as winter-ready, but she wasn't complaining. 'Probably used to the cold, all things considered. I don't imagine the sky to be a warm place, with all that wind.'
They continued towards the village gates…
A guard with what looked like a shield and a lance was standing authoritatively at the gate to the village, unmoving.
Marisa grinned. "Yo, look at that guy… Looks like he's goin' off to war, ze."
Osamu grinned, too. "I never saw a guard that suited up. The hell's he need all that crap for? Fighting dragons?"
Hikari grinned, sheepishly. 'Oh, boy. Getting in's going to be like pulling teeth, I can feel it already…'
They all approach the village gate.
"Halt."
The party does as instructed, staring at the guard. He was clad entirely in armor, and had he not said anything, the party might've just assumed it was a empty suit of armor.
"...I am Reigus Taft, Ninth Destroyer."
Osamu tilted his head. "What the hell kinda guard title is that?"
"A prestigious one. We are a class of siege lancers, employed by Porky Man to serve the village."
'What.' Hikari double-took.
"...Siege lancers?" Osamu chuckled. "When the hell did we make siege anything, let alone infantry? How does siege infantry even work?"
"...That information is confidential, youkai."
'Here we go…' "Hey." Hikari announced her presence.
The guard never turned its head since they got there, so Hikari just assumed he was listening. "I'm a Hakurei miko, you know."
"...Even better." The guard warmly declares. "Porky Man has indicated the Hakurei as outlaws."
'So it's who I thought it was…'
Marisa's jaw dropped. "Wha~t!? You can't be serious! What'd they even do!?"
"Commander Man has made it clear that the Hakurei's intentions are nothing but destruction and ruin. Such intentions… are what I intend to end, right here!"
The guard mobilizes… slowly. He lowers his lance outward, and begins marching towards the party…
Everyone backs away, and Marigold aims her NF Burst Gun at him. "Don't make me shoot this."
"Danmaku means nothing to me." He boldly claims.
PoPoPoPoPop!
Ti-ti-cling-ti-tink!
He wasn't wrong, apparently.
The party continued backing away as the guard slowly marched towards them, his heavy steps shaking the ground…
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
Energy rippled around the Destroyer…
...but nothing happened!
'Wow.' Hikari was awed. 'Is this guy even human himself?'
He marched forward, ignorant of the fact Hikari even tried to knock him out.
"...I got an idea." Osamu grinned.
Osamu tried PK Hydro α!
A bubble of water floated towards the Destroyer, who walked right into it.
Splash!
The Destroyer got all wet, but nothing happened otherwise.
Osamu tried PK Thunder ß!
Thwaa~sh!
Osamu fell over as the bolt struck next to him. "Oh, fuck!"
Thwaa~sh!
The guard was struck.
Zazaza~p!
Electricity ran up and down the suit of armor, producing bright yellow flashes of light, before it eventually stopped.
...The Destroyer slowly lurched backwards.
Thud.
Marisa whistled. "Holy crap, you killed a man, ze."
Osamu laughed incredulously. "Hohoho~ly shit! Dude just got owned!"
'I'm going to pretend we didn't just kill someone in cold blood. Guards are kinda jerks anyway…'
Marigold stared at the fried suit of armor. "...Was that, uh… really necessary?"
"No, but it was cool." Osamu argued. "I mean, c'mon…"
...Everyone navigated around the suit of armor, continuing back to the village gate.
The gate was still shut, though.
'How are we going to get in now…?'
Marisa looked down to her non-flying companions. "...Hold on guys, lemme make this easy fer ya…"
She floated up to the gate. Taking off her hat, she reached in…
"Here we go… Magical Research! Deep Ecological Bomb!"
She took a plastic flask from her hat, and tossed it onto the floor next to the gate, and flew back to the party on her broom.
'...What was the point of tha-'
Kaboom!
A raw mana explosion occurred, blowing the entire gate door away. Deadly wooden shrapnel flew inside, though no one was near the gate, fortunately.
"Yea~h!" Marisa pumped a fist into the air.
Osamu clapped. "Alright!"
Hikari shook her head. 'I'm willing to bet the entire village heard that… It's night, too.'
Marigold stared at the destruction dryly.
Moving inside, the party found there wasn't any guard attention… yet. Numerous villagers had vacated the scene, though.
'We're gonna have to book it.' Hikari realizes. "...Guys, this way."
The other three follow Hikari down a random series of back alleys, before Hikari pauses…
"...I think we're a good distance from the blast site." She decides. "We should probably find Keine."
"Yeah," Marisa began, "Keine oughta know just what's goin' on, here."
They move into the main street, Hikari and Marisa leading the way to Keine's house…
"Hey, you!"
They turn to see a guard with just a short sword jogging up to them. "You…" He gestures to Hikari. "Are you a Hakurei?"
She shakes her head. "No, I'm actually a... " She paused, trying to find a good substitute…
"A bouzouki player!" Osamu answers for her.
'A what.'
The guard furrows his brows. "...I'm sorry, a what?"
Marigold snorts. "Talk about obscure…"
Marisa is confused. "What?"
...Osamu shrugged. "Look, it was this thing I read one time- nevermind…"
...The guard nods. "Okay. You're not a Hakurei, then…"
Hikari smiled. "Have a nice-"
"You four must be youkai, then!"
'You're kidding.'
Marisa facepalmed. "Dude, no…"
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
The guard promptly fell over, and villagers began staring.
'Yeah, subtlety seems pretty impossible at this point. The village guard is totally aggressive today.'
"Let's just hurry." Hikari requests, jogging towards Keine's house.
"Sounds like a plan…" Marigold agreed, unsure of what to think about the village guard.
Once they saw Keine's house, Marisa felt something at the back of her mind…
"...Crap, I forgot something." She announced to the party.
"As you do." Marigold jabs.
"Hey, hey…" Marisa pouts.
Boom!
An explosion of some sort occurred elsewhere in the village…
"They're besieging themselves! It's every man for himself!" Osamu joked.
'Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised…'
...Marisa turned to the party. "Hey, uh, what do you guys say I go and check that out?"
Marigold shook her head. "You'll flee."
"...Have a little faith in me? Please?" Marisa pouted, again.
Boom!
The explosion was closer this time…
The stomps of guards of various suits and armaments were heard, rushing down the adjacent main village roads.
"...I think it's coming to check us out!" Marisa announced.
'If it wasn't official before, I think it is now: the village is a bad place to live.'
Boom!
They couldn't see it, but that explosion was very nearby…
…
Marisa snapped her fingers. "Hey, hey, I remember! It's a-"
Kaboom!
The small house ahead of them had an entire section of wall blown open, Keine- or what looked like Keine- charging through head first.
"Holy shit!" Osamu flails his arms wildly, moving backwards away from her.
Marigold readies her NF Burst Gun, alarmed.
"Raaa~gh!"
This Keine had light hair which was of a mint tint, with two large horns protruding from her head.
A Destroyer approached her slowly from behind, a series of guards huddled behind it.
"Youkai." it began. "Your life ends here."
...Keine turned around. "Shut the fuck up!"
She charged towards the Destroyer, which stuck its spear out to meet her head.
Creeaa~k!
…The spear was scrunched.
The guards behind the Destroyer started backing away, giving it ample room…
"...You are an abomination." The Destroyer dared.
Keine reeled her head back, clutching it, then unexpectedly shot it forward again, crashing into the armor.
Bam!
The guard flew back, his entire chestplate removed from him and remaining stuck on the schoolteacher's horns.
Thud. The guard's chest was entirely exposed to the world.
Keine tore off the chestplate from her horns, and ran forward, punting the guard into the others, then charging into the fray ahead.
"Aaa~h!"
"We've got a man down!"
"Lemme at 'er! Lemme at- oof!"
The sounds of violence faded as Keine charged off elsewhere.
'...We should catch up with her…?' Hikari wasn't sure.
"...So uh, yeah. Full moon. That's what Keine is like on a uh… full moon." Marisa nods. "...We still gonna 'find' Keine, o~r…?"
Hikari nods. "Well… we needs answers, after all. We'll just have to find a way to calm her down."
Marisa snorted. "Yeah, sure. Good luck, ze."
'Although… I'm feeling kinda tired.' Hikari yawns. "...We should raid the snack stalls before we do anything else, though. Can't deal with genocidal town guards on an empty stomach."
Marigold nodded. "Me either."
"Me three." Osamu followed the two girls as they left for the village square…
"...I like their style." Marisa grins, following behind them.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
END OF CHAPTER 9
Protagonist: Hikari Hakurei, Disciple of Paradise
-Inventory-
Weapon: Magical Gohei - Ability to whack stuff really hard. Amplifies whacking power, too! Able to deal magical damage. Critical hits enabled.
Arms: Iconic Hakurei Arm Sleeves - Keeps arms warm. A Hakurei tradition. How they stay on is a Hakurei family secret.
Body: Combat Miko Outfit - A black leotard and hakama combination worn by the previous-previous Hakurei miko. Designed to be suitable for excessive physical activity and close combat, it slightly improves physical combat prowess.
Misc: Yukkuri Ribbon - Looks like a bad Christmas ornament. Lime green, with yukkuri decals!
-Skills-
Attack: Quickly! Swing your gohei at them for massive damage!
PK Fantasy α, β - Bombards the enemy with pain in the form of flashing colors. Deals magical damage. Heavy mental strain that increases with each tier.
PK Flash α - A bright flash that distributes very random status effects to enemies. Usually makes people cry.
Hypnosis α, Ω - Puts weak enemies to sleep for a short time. Works better on tired or exhausted foes. Can also be used in a far more costly form that works on multiple opponents.
Shield α - Halves damage the target takes. Only works against physical attacks, and enough strikes, or powerful strikes, will dispel it.
Lifeup α, ß - Heals target a little. Higher tiers heal more grievous wounds, like bone fractures.
Healing α, ß - Heals basic status ailments. Higher tiers can cure more dire effects, like burning alive.
Ofuda Toss - Throw a holy ofuda that does massive holy elemental damage to youkai and dark elemental foes. Effect lessens the more holy the thing you're attacking is, to the point of healing holy things. Only works if you actually have ofuda, though.
β-β-β-β
Mage: Osamu Katsumi, the Wannabe Mage
-Inventory-
Weapon: Fisticuffs!
Arms: Nothing
Body: Worn Magician Robes - An old robe from the days when the village respected the medium of magic. Well past its due date, but still comfy!
Misc: Yukkuri Beanie - Resembles a really tacky tablecloth, made in the Yukkuri theme. Lime green and has tons of fun yukkuri decals!
-Skills-
PK Thunder α, ß - Very random thunder attack that deals limited damage. Higher tiers increase number of bolts, and sometimes power.
PK Hydro α, β - Gets everyone wet. Usefulness with PK Thunder and PK Freeze depends on whether you hit yourself or not! Creates whirling water spirals at higher tiers.
PK Freeze α, β - Generates ice crystals at the target's location. Medium damage and effect; may freeze some targets, especially wet ones.
Fireball - Manipulate mana to make a shoddy fireball. Low damage and effect.
Static Hands - Not a real spell. Result of a very undercharged PK Thunder that can accidentally go off.
PSI Telepathy α - Speak to friends you haven't met yet! Unstable connection and only works if they have the skill or are asleep.
PSI Shield α - Halves damage from magical and psychic attacks. Thunder spells fry it instantly, and harder blows dispel it.
β-β-β-β
Inventor: Marigold Knowledge, the Tri-Magi Love Child
-Inventory-
Weapon: NF Burst Gun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Uses a Pop Gun as the base, but amplifies its power with an array of random batteries jammed into the base with the Pop Gun. The more batteries, the better, but the typical yield is about five bullets per trigger. Spamming the trigger doesn't make it go any faster, unfortunately. Has no foreseeable ammo limit, and the batteries are only there for mana circulation, meaning their power is really inconsequential.
Arms: Nothing
Body: Custom Dress - A custom dress made by Alice. Provided slight defense against magical and psychic attacks.
Misc: Swirly Glasses - Lets Marigold not be blind.
Backpack - Allows extended inventory. Aged relic from the Kourindou.
Unnamed Lock Opening Device - Opens locks very precariously. Made with steel, burnt cloth, packaging peanuts, thumbtacks, string, and wooden wheels. Don't even ask…
Ruler - Lets you measure the world around you!
Protractor - Lets you find the angles of anything ever. Totally overpowered.
Deck of Cards - Allows Marigold to play Strip Poker with the party. Just kidding… or am I?
Stun Gun - Electrical device used to subdue harassers. Has settings ranging from Tickle Torture to Arse Blaster. Able to stun and inflict paralysis on certain foes. Deals electrical damage, and on the highest setting can fry shields, at the cost of temporarily shorting itself out.
Air Gun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Uses air to propel moderately powered danmaku particles at high speeds. Bland, but efficient. Filled with foil chip bags to conduct the mana, and it is transmitted into a wind stone. Coagulated fairy fingers are currently the only viable mana-providing ammo for this weapon.
Holmes Brand Designer Hat - Village swag! A retro village hat that ceased production ten years ago. Sells for a pretty penny nowadays, but it's pretty useless otherwise.
Slime Generator - A bulky box that shoots a small splat of slime. Doesn't seem good for much.
Counter-PSI Device - A weird device Marigold found from a flying saucer. Works in strange ways, and seems to disrupt everyone's concentration. Marigold is immune to its effects.
-Skills-
Bouzouki Player - She's not sure what it is, though.
The Belmont Strut - Vampire Killer not included.
Nuclear Propulsion Officer - Saves 10% off college tuition.
Fish Palentologist - Good for studying evolution… but are there many fish in Gensokyo?
Microwave Warfare Specialist - Knows how to blow up a battleship with a microwave oven faster than you can say "can you make me a hotpocket". Also proficient at giving people cancer.
Meme Scientist - Even better at giving people cancer!
β-β-β-β
Author's Note:
the amount of times i think "i'd like to put that in the author's note / explain it there" then totally forget
you see, writing is a lot of not thinking and letting your mind go on autopilot, but still thinking enough not to drool on the keyboard and give up on your consciousness for the day
it can take practice and understanding, though, so such advice might only make sense if you've been writing for some time...
also ten thousand words is a long time to remember things over, esp. when you spend like a week chipping away at it
mima was a tricky battle to balance because normally she'd be a lot tougher, but giygas be giygas'n, yo.
reimu was also only fighting half seriously mostly because mima was acting really weirdly, but she was trying to end things quickly without using her strongest attacks (both because holy crap mana costs and also because she didn't know what mima would do)
mima's a VERY RANDOM SORT OF PERSON…
also kinda wanted to tie up the "desert segment" quickly because lets be legit not a lot happens there, and adding the mima subplot was the best way to make it an actually engaging segment and not just seem like developmental filler; kudos to the proofreader for that direction, by the way
also, fluffnuggets.
see you all next time!
Proofreader's Note:
In other news, I think I'm done thinking up what the fourth is going to be, I think you'll like her.