Hikari, Osamu, and some rabbits who happened to have been passing by, sat in the lounge room, eating from multiple bags of chips.
"So then I was like…" Osamu paused to chew another chip. "...I was like, 'you are mighty indeed! But now, feel my unbridled wrath!' and I did an awesome uppercut, and I pulled out some blades and did my signature blade rush- that vampire didn't know what hit 'er!" He got progressively more excited as he told the story.
"Awesome…!" A pink-haired rabbit girl beamed.
"Mmnh." A blue-haired one simply hummed, disinterested.
'Totally how it went.' Hikari withheld the truth. 'You totally weren't nearly useless for the latter portion of that fight with Remilia.'
"...There." Marigold spoke. "...I-I think that's it."
Osamu looked over. "That's what you said the last ten times!"
Marigold had been hard at work at fixing London, eagerly running multiple tests once she finally got it into semi-working condition. This time, however, she was nearly certain of its performance.
The London mech stood tall, nearly reaching the ceiling of the meager break room. "It took some serious scavenging, problem solving, and hard work, but the systems my mother installed were basically all intact and in place- the big problem was simply the hardware."
Hikari nodded. 'Also the same thing you've been saying for the past day or so, now.'
"I think I've got the grip of it, though. Even if I had to use… less than quality materials." Marigold adds the last part somewhat sullenly.
The arms and legs of the mechanization were very crudely emulated with wood and metal parts, along with various run-on joints and bindings.
The arms and legs could only be described as 'messes of geometry'.
Hikari stares at it. 'I'm fairly confident she has no idea what she's doing, at this point, at least when it comes to this thing.'
The pink-haired rabbit gushed. "Oo~h! What is that?"
...Marigold blinked. "...Who, uh, is that?"
Osamu smiled. "This is Azumi, and that's Aoyomi."
The pink-haired rabbit and the blue-haired rabbit waved, respectively.
"Oh." Marigold shrugged. "Anyway, we should be all set to go."
Hikari spoke up. "That's what you said the first three times… when it tipped over and we had a hard time getting out."
Marigold stared at her dryly. "Well, tough cookies, Hikari. It's substantially more ready now than it was then."
'That still doesn't assure me.'
She went around, and stepped up a small stepladder, popping open a latch in London's back.
"Come here, guys. If this works well, we should be out of here." Marigold announced. "If it doesn't… well, then, yeah."
'You're not instilling confidence…'
Osamu groaned. "Al~right. See ya, girls."
The pink-haired one waved. "Bye bye, Osamu!"
The blue-haired one stared at him. "That was a waste of an hour."
"No one asked you." Osamu deadpanned back.
"I asked me." She countered.
He hesitated. "Well… damn." Osamu lost yet another verbal exchange.
Hikari and Osamu moved around the side of the large doll construct, and began stepping up the step ladder…
"Waa~it!"
Hana, the cyan-haired fairy maid, bounded into the room.
Hikari paused, but continued climbing into the mech.
On the inside, it was as cramped as she remembered. Marigold hollowed out some small sections of walling for her and Osamu to pretend to sit in, but they were practically leaning on Marigold the entire time.
"Ah… Oh, that's right! Ha-chan…" Marigold realized she had forgotten her at the house the other day. "Oh, well. She can catch up, I'm sure. I wasn't gonna wait for her to get up earlier, and I'm not waiting for her to find a way to fit in here, now."
'Thank heavens for that.' Hikari awkwardly grinned as she examined the meager piloting space. 'Speaking of heaven…'
"How far do we need to fly?" Hikari posed the question.
Marigold glanced in her direction, and shrugged. "Mmm… I'll just fly up, and take it from there."
'I'm not confident this thing can move, period.'
Marigold slammed the back latch shut. Then, she cracked her knuckles…
"Now, I should know what to press this time." Marigold assured the party.
"Should." Osamu stressed.
'On attempt six, she pressed the eject button and we ended up lodged in the ceiling.'
Marigold presses the large button, labeled 'START'.
Lines of magic ran up the walls of the machine's interior, meeting at large, flickering magical screens. The images were a little fuzzy, and flickered a bit from uneven magical connections, but the scrying magic still worked.
"Alright… Those still work." This Marigold knew. The hard part would be getting it to move…
She pressed the up arrow key.
Creaks were heard as the machine lumbered forward, propelled by being activated. The two rabbit girls stepped out of the way cautiously, while Hana threw herself at the legs. The machine eventually moved forward and clipped the lower portion of wall.
"Holy shit, it's actually movin'...!" Osamu gaped, watching the magical screen.
Pi~chun!
Hana was crushed.
"A-ah, It's moving!" Marigold cheered. "Now I just need to steer it out…"
She looked at the arrow keys.
"...Oh, dear…"
'I fully expect us to crash at some point.'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: MARIGOLD'S VIEW ====
Marigold pushed the button labeled 'E' next to the up arrow.
'Th-that wasn't the eject, right? That's labeled 'E', too…'
The London mech began raising, slowly ascending through the incline of gaps in the walls of the clinic.
Thu-thunk-thunk-thu-thu-nk-thunk!
The machine clipped many aspects of walling.
'Good... Haven't hit anything big yet, so~...'
One of the walls they were coming up on, the last wall between the interior and exterior, had scaffolding in place over it, unmanned.
'Uhhhh…'
Bam!
The mech blew through the scaffolding, trashing it.
"I'm sure they're gonna happy about that." Hikari comments.
"Eheh…" Marigold grins sheepishly. "They can live. Aliens did it."
"Pfft…" Osamu grins.
Now outside, the mech floated through the air.
'...Hmm.'
Marigold mashed the E button. The mech quickly began ascending.
"If this thing breaks in mid air…" Osamu chuckles. "We're gonna fucking die."
Marigold smiled nervously. "A-ahah…"
'Don't say things like that!'
As they ascended, multiple things could be seen on the screen. The first was a view of a bulk of Gensokyo's lower landscape.
From the somewhat subpar quality screen, the party could see the human village, the Hakurei shrine, the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the Misty Lake, and the Forest of Magic, among other sights they were unfamiliar with, such as the field of sunflowers off to one corner of the screen…
"Already!?" Osamu yelled. "How high are we!?"
Hikari disdainfully glanced at him.
'This thing does move fast...' Marigold notes.
Various saucers passed across the camera, some near and some far. Cloud fairies floated in front of the camera, and flew to catch up with London, but were too slow.
"Are… how high are we going?" Hikari warily asks, the Earth's surface getting farther and farther.
"I-I don't know." Marigold admits.
The party quietly watched the screen, awed.
…
"Is there a limit?" Hikari questions.
"Hmm?" Marigold wasn't sure what she meant.
"To how high up we can go?"
Marigold pondered this question… "Sort of. My mother- the purple one- taught me about the atmosphere. Air gets thinner the higher you go, so eventually you have to stop."
"Ah." Hikari nods.
"What, really?" Osamu raises a brow. "How'd she even know?"
"I'd like to remind you that essentially everyone except us can fly." Marigold adds dryly.
"...Ah, shit. Right, right." Osamu sighs. "How the hell's that even work?"
"I dunno..." Hikari was curious, too. "I was told it was like swimming and walking, sort of. Or falling, except with style."
"I can fall with style." Osamu grinned.
'You don't have style to begin with.'
The downward view didn't show them what they were flying up into, however.
Bam!
'...!?'
A horrible scraping noise was heard around the entire party, the camera suddenly going out and the magical lines flickering, power becoming scarcer.
"Oh, fu~ck!" Osamu wails.
Hikari grabs Marigold's seat tensely.
'Are-are we falling…!?'
…
'No, we're not falling.' At least, it didn't feel like they were falling, and the scraping was still persisting.
...Osamu covers his ears. "Let me know when we're dead!"
After a moment, the scraping halted, and the party members were all thrown to the roof of the machine.
"Aaaa~h!" Marigold screamed.
Bam. Everyone fell forward onto the bits where the screen would be, parts audibly rattling and gravity shifting once more.
"...Ouch." Hikari was curled up in a ball. She tried moving… "I-I'm stuck…"
Marigold was on top of her, eyes widening. 'M-my back…'
Osamu was splayed across one of the curves of the machine's interior. "Damn... That was a hoot…"
…
"H-help." Hikari requests.
Marigold speaks. "...I-I can't move anything. My back…"
Hikari tried Healing ß!
Marigold quickly rolled off of Hikari, falling onto Osamu.
"Oof!" He tried pushing her off, but eventually gave up. "...Blueberries."
"Sh-shut up." Marigold elbowed him.
"H-hey! That's not fair!" Osamu glared back.
Hikari emerged from her ball position, and attacked the latch.
Patter, patter, patter!
Marigold sighed. "It doesn't work like that. It's reinforced, to make sure the wind force doesn't rip us out and tear us apart."
Osamu gapes. "Oh, fuck! Don't open it, then!"
"...We're not moving, genius." Marigold adds.
"But, the wind…!" Osamu argued. "You just said…"
"You don't understand how wind force even works." Marigold facepalms. "Look…"
She opens the hatch, and Osamu shields himself. "I'm too young to di~hi~hie!"
…
Marigold climbs out of the mech, and throws her arms back, making her clothes rustle slightly.
Outside the mech, it was revealed that London had shot up out of the floor of some sort of platform, and collapsed on the top, most of its limbs outright gone. A town of some sort surrounded them…
...Various people had gathered to witness the commotion.
'...I think we're here.'
Leaping from London, Marigold lands on the cobblestone floor.
Hikari climbs out next, and does the same. "Huh."
Once Hikari exposes herself, the people begin dispersing, waving the event off.
Osamu followed. "...Wind force my ass."
Marigold gave him a disdainful glance herself, before looking around the town. "...Small place." Only a row of buildings surrounded them, but from here they could also see adjacent islands with more buildings.
Many more adjacent islands.
"...Big place." Hikari corrects.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI'S VIEW ====
After only a few moments of curious glancing, a woman with short blue hair approached them.
"Greetings. I am Tamiko, mayor of sector forty-eight." Tamiko introduced herself. "I take it you are the newest Hakurei miko?"
Hikari blinked. "...Y-yeah, actually."
"On what occasion do you spare us this visit?" Tamiko spoke softly.
"...Just passing through." Hikari hazarded. 'I didn't know this place existed until yesterday.'
Tamiko smiled. "Come, now. Surely, you don't expect me to believe you went out of your way to fly here to simply 'pass through'."
Hikari folded her arms. "It's the truth, and I'm sticking to it."
"Hehehe…" Tamiko giggled. "Very well. However, we will be having a festivity, shortly. It would be quite an honor if you could att-"
"Will there be food!?" Osamu blurted upon the announcement.
Tamiko scowled at him. "I was speaking to the Hakurei Miko, mortal. Hold your tongue, and know your place."
Osamu jerked his head back. "...Sheesh. Coulda just told me to shut up…"
Tamiko smiled. "Come with me, Hakurei."
She begins walking towards a large church-like structure. Hikari begins walking, and gestures for her friends to come along.
Osamu folds his arms. "She's just gonna get angry at me. I know it."
"I'll get angry with her, then." Hikari decides.
They enter the church, and catch up to the celestial woman.
Tamiko turns around, and her serene expression falters. "I thought I made it clear… Hakurei miko. Not random mortals."
"Where they go, I go." Hikari declares.
Tamiko frowns. "My sincerest apologies, then, but you will not be eligible for any form of festivities."
Hikari shrugged. "I guess so. I wouldn't really wanna go to a party hosted by someone like you, anyway."
Tamiko froze. "...What do you mean, by that?"
"You don't seem like a good person." Hikari informs her. "So I'll just leave."
"You won't tell anyone of this conversation, right?" Tamiko narrows her eyes. "It would reflect badly upon…"
She pauses.
'...?'
"Go on." Marigold spoke up.
"It…" Tamiko cleared her throat. "Ahem. If you spread this conversation… it will have dire consequences on your role as a Hakurei Miko."
'Pffft.'
"You let us in the party, and we won't spread it." Hikari argues.
"Fine. Whatever." Tamiko pouts. "If those mortals are really so important to you. Go on, then."
Hikari smiled. "Thank you."
'She completely set herself up for that.'
Osamu chuckled. "Wow. What a bitch."
Tamiko twitched.
'...You said that with her literally right there.' Hikari turned to Osamu, exasperated.
"...This would normally be a situation for me to contact the eldest daughter, for, but she has been curiously absent, as of late. A pity." Tamiko frowns.
…
'I don't know what that means, but okay.'
Hikari moves back to the town square, and her party members follow.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
"I didn't wanna say anything," Marigold began, "but that lady was pretty terrible."
"I know, right?" Osamu agreed. "She just stunk of political bullshit. All kissy kissy with Hikari until she said somethin' she didn't like."
Hikari shrugged. "She didn't seem very persuasive, at least."
The three sat on a bench in heaven, slightly off put by the sheer amount of sunlight.
"...Seriously, I hope I don't get sunburnt." Marigold shields her eyes with her arms.
'It is pretty bright.'
…
After a moment, Hikari stood. "Should we get going?"
"I dunno. I kinda wanna go to that party, even if that lady was a bitch." Osamu shrugged. "I mean… food."
'Good point.' Hikari brought a hand to her chin.
A man with brown hair walked up to them. "Hello. You're the new Hakurei Miko, correct?"
Hikari sighed. "Who wants to know?"
"Oh, I just wanted to help out." He smiled casually. "Hey, did you know you can press the A button to jump?"
…
'What?' Hikari furrowed her brows.
"If you hold the right trigger, Hikari will charge herself with wind energy, and do a quick dash!" The man exclaims, running in place as if demonstrating.
"H-how do you know my name…?" Hikari backed away from the strange man.
Marigold stared at him dryly. "Who are you…?"
He turned to Marigold. "Hold the left trigger to aim down the sights as Marigold."
...Marigold takes out her Air Gun, and aims down the sights, at the man's head. "I'm not sure if I should trust you…"
"If you do a triple-kick backflip through the wall in Remilia's Throne Room in the Scarlet Devil Mansion, you can clip through the wall to find-"
Hikari tried Hypnosis α!
"...A-a 'Power of Mistress'... and a neutron b-bomb…"
Thud. The man collapsed on the cobblestone near the bench.
"...What the fuck." Osamu questioned.
Hikari stared down at the man. "Heaven is weird."
Tamiko walked back out, smiling. "The festivity is ready!"
…
'Its been ten minutes.' Hikari stared at her blankly. 'Not even.'
The party moves to re-enter the church, and on the inside, they see a few lazily placed balloons, a cake, a bowl of water, and a few party goers.
"Hey." A guy with red hair waves his hand. "I'm Narfilzon."
…
'Okay.'
"Have fun and all that." Tamiko waved them off. "I'll just be… overseeing. Yeah."
With that, Tamiko quickly moved to a back door, and left.
Osamu grinned. "Pffft."
The three teenagers moved to the table, and examined the present foods.
Peaches, peaches, cake, and peaches.
"Wow." Osamu nods. "...Fruit. Don't get me wrong, I like fruit, but uh…"
Narfilzon takes a bite out of a peach. "Who wants to share?"
…
The three promptly ignore him.
Hikari picks up a peach. "How do you eat these things, again…?"
'Do you peel them? I forget…'
Narfilzon stands up, setting his down. "Don't worry, I'll show you…"
Hikari turns to him. "Go away. You're annoying."
'Mom told me not to talk to strangers. At least, not the creepy ones.'
He grins. "Oh, come on. Don't be that-"
Osamu tried PK Thunder ß!
Thwaa~sh!
The water bowl was struck, and exploded into a splash of deadly electric water, prompting Hikari and Marigold to crouch. All the celestials present shielded themselves; the few that were there, anyway.
Thwaa~sh!
Narfilzon was struck.
Bam!
"...Ouch." Narfilzon stroked his now charred hair. "Well, okay, then. I'll take that as a no."
Osamu double-took, surprised that he was largely unaffected.
Narfilzon moved to his seat, and sat down again, still smiling smugly. "If anyone wants to share, just let me know."
"No one wants to eat from your spittle covered peaches." Osamu tells him.
Narfilzon folds his arms. "And how do you know? I'll have you know that I'm widely respected among women up here."
"Too bad." Osamu rolls his eyes. "You're not respected by these women."
A green-haired woman pressed her fingers together. "Uhm… My name is Azalgone."
Narfilzon smiles warmly at her, as she introduces herself. "Hello, my dear Azalgone. Settle this debate for me… which of us is more handsome?"
…
"U-uhm…" Azalgone looks away. "I-I wouldn't know about that… but you're kind of a creep. I-I'm sorry!"
Azalgone went quiet, staring into the mostly empty bowl of electric water.
Narfilzon's jaw dropped, and he froze. "Wh-wha…!?"
…
Hikari claims a seat. 'Might as well.'
Marigold rubbed her hands together. "I think it's time for some cake."
She takes the small knife near the cake, and begins cutting a slice.
Azalgone took a pitcher, gathered some of the electric water, and put it into a cup. She then began drinking it…
Zazazap!
"O-ooh... " Azalgone's eyes widened. "It-it tingles…"
Osamu shook his head. "I don't even know anymore…"
"Heaven people are weird." Hikari states aloud.
"Celestials, you mean?" Narfilzon corrects.
"If that's what they're called." Hikari shrugs.
Hikari looks at the cake herself.
"Would you like me to cut you a slice?" Marigold offers.
"Sure." Hikari shrugs.
"Ah- me too." Osamu approach the cake.
Narfilzon smirks. "Me three~."
"Get it yourself." Marigold instructs him.
Marigold cuts everyone an even slice, and puts it onto a little paper party plate they had grabbed from nearby, except for Narfilzon, who had to get his own slice.
Osamu and Marigold begin eating their cake…
Hikari stares at the sides of it, examining the color. '...I know it's probably because this is heaven cake or something, but blue spots are kinda a weird color for a cake's interior…'
She takes a bite of hers, and chews on some of the blue pieces inside. 'Oh, they're candy, then…'
…
Osamu looks up from his cake. "...Something's… wrong."
Marigold blinks. "L-like… what?"
…
"U-uh…" Osamu puts his cake down, and stumbles about. "Du~de… everything's like… green 'n' red…"
Hikari looks up from her cake, and notices colors deviating from every object in her vision.
'A-ah… Wh-what…?'
"Dude…" Osamu shakes his head in an attempt to better himself. "...I don't th… think that was cake… we just ate."
Marigold sits down. "Whaa~h…"
Hikari's vision waned. "U-uhh…"
Lurching forward, she slinked off her chair, and curled up on the floor.
'W-wow…'
…
Narfilzon's eyebrow rose. "What happened to them?"
Azalgone shrugged. "I guess… th-they got tired?"
Shrugging, Narfilzon went to take a slice from the cake. "Well, more for us, then, I guess. I wonder when Tamiko's coming back…"
Azalgone quietly went to grab a slice herself.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: ?'S VIEW ====
…
'A calling…'
Hiyori Hashimoto opened her eyes.
"Hmm?"
From across the temple yard, Byakuren tilted her head. "You were interrupted. Is something the matter?"
Hiyori was still. "I sensed something."
…
"Do whatever it is you need to do." Byakuren spoke. "...But, do not forget your teachings."
"I would never." Hiyori stood, raising from her cross-legged position in the temple yard. "Thank you, for your time."
Her hair was long, black, and naturally side-parted. She was clad in a gi, which was fairly plain, except with additional magical runes along the red trim of it.
'Enchanted for durability. It's proven itself necessary.'
Byakuren smiled. "I should be thanking you."
Hiyori moved towards the temple's entrance. Pushing open the door, she briskly marched through the temple until she reached the kitchen.
"...You're back in early, today." Murasa commented, leaning against the counter on the far side of the kitchen. "I've not even a chance to start dinner, yet."
Hiyori moved to one of the shelves along the wall, and opened it. Reaching in…
Hiyori obtained Canteen of Water!
'This should do.'
Murasa's brow rose. "Another trip? You've been here only a week, lass!"
Hiyori turned to her. "Something came up."
"...If you say so." Murasa shrugged. "Dinner'll be ready in a couple hours, yeah? If yer still around, anyway."
Moving back into the hallway, Hiyori passed Nue…
"He~y." Nue called to her. "...You look ready for war! Did someone, like, make fun of your horns?"
'...I suppose I look a little intense.'
Hiyori sighed. "No, I just have to do something important."
Nue rose a finger. "Ooh, ooh, I know… You have to go really badly, don't you?"
…
Hiyori began walking. "I have to finish my training."
Nue rolled her eyes. "Aaah… Whatever that means."
'Byakuren has her work cut out for her, with that one.'
Navigating out of the temple, Hiyori passed Byakuren in the shrine yard.
"...Good luck." Byakuren added, as Hiyori was exiting the gate.
'...Thank you.'
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
In the woods outside the temple, Hiyori wandered, looking for something distinct.
'My people have never had a good reputation with magic.'
She paused, thinking she heard something rustle in the bushes, but continued.
'Though our species as a whole is powerful… we spend too much time indulging ourselves to truly appreciate the extended life we live.'
Nearing a series of familiar ridges in the floor of the woods, Hiyori leaps and bounds over them.
'Us oni are typically thought incapable of being magic practitioners of any sort, even if we have the stamina and magical capabilities to do so.'
Eventually, she came to an old, wooden podium, with a stone plaque in the middle of it. It itself was rooted in stone, resting before a clearing.
'Other practitioners of my belief told me the most efficient method to doing so, was simply to practice, and exercise my abilities. So I did. However… exploration of my surroundings yielded this.'
She read the stone plaque once more, which held text inscribed in Japanese.
"Fantasy endangered, a sleeping land shifts…" Hiyori read aloud. "Only by true discipline, a way revealed."
She sat down in front of the plaque, positioning herself, as she recited the rest from memory. "A boundary lies in turmoil, as ruin follows greed."
…
'I still don't know what that means, exactly.'
Akin to the many other times she'd visited the mystifying stone plaque, she focused on it, and channeled mana into it.
'It seems to have a function, of some sort.' Hiyori noticed many times ago. 'I've yet to figure out how to activate it… but focusing mana on it makes great mana pool exercise.'
She pauses.
'...This feels different, somehow.'
She channels her mana along the corners of the plaque itself. '...The oddity is here.'
Then, her focus is broken, as the plaque lights up, and hexagonal pillars of earth shoot up in the clearing in front of her.
'What!?' Hiyori stands, and backs up somewhat, as the ground trembles from the rising stone.
After a few moments, the apex of stone ceases rising, the jagged architecture raising above the trees.
…
Hiyori moves towards it.
'This must have rose for a reason.'
She begins leaping up the various surfaces and platforms of stone, occasionally having to leap off the side of one to reach the other, closer platforms. Leaps normally unimaginable by a standard human proved trivial for Hiyori, as she scaled the large pinnacle of stone pillars.
Before long, she reached the top.
'There we are…'
From atop the stone pillar, she could see the nearby temple, along with a glance of the human village and the tops of trees of the nearby forestry.
...Hiyori takes a seat, crossing her legs once more. 'This should be a great spot to meditate. I don't think the design and secrecy of this pillar is to be ignored, either.'
She closed her eyes, and began focusing…
…
It was at this moment Mamizou floated up, and touched down on a nearby pillar. "Hiyori! Hiyori~!"
'Mamizou…?' Hiyori was curious. 'For what reason?'
"C-come quickly…!" Mamizou breathed out, her voice ragged. "The temple… it's-it's under attack!"
'...Again?' Alarm began to raise in Hiyori's mind.
"Th-...they're here…!" Mamizou breathed out, exhausted.
…
'It's not like Mamizou to be like this.' Hiyori reflects, still not opening her eyes. '...I also doubt she'd leave the temple and seek me out, of all people.'
"...Hi~yori~!" Mamizou shouted louder. "Please!"
'...If she had the energy to fly up here, surely she couldn't have been in that much trouble. She would also know the proper method of communicating to someone in deep meditation is not shouting; it would be with deep meditation of her own.'
"...P-please, Hiyori…" Mamizou fell to her knees.
'...Who is 'they', anyway?' Hiyori's mind calmed. 'This is completely unlike Mamizou.'
Hiyori did not act, and let herself resume meditation.
…
Eventually, Mamizou shifted, and revealed herself as Nue. She floated away, looking frustrated. "Damn. That usually gets her…"
…
'I'm not sure what she means by that.' Hiyori was curious, but dismissed the thought.
…
Just as Hiyori was about to sink into deep meditation, she felt a life force creeping up the pillar she sat on.
'Hmm?'
…
"Boo!"
Kogasa leaped up from behind Hiyori and yelled. "Ooga booga booga!"
…
'Oh. It's just Kogasa. Probably drawn to the pillar.' Hiyori ignored her.
…
Kogasa frowned. "Awwh…"
With that, Kogasa drifted away, lowering into the woods below. Hiyori felt her depart.
'Finally…'
Hiyori allowed herself to drift into deep meditation.
…
…
…
Slowly, she felt the presence of stars around herself realizing itself.
'This feeling…' Hiyori felt taken aback by the level of clarity that washed over her.
Gradually, the feeling of a life form slowly moved towards her, in a straight line from her altitude.
…
"Hiyori, huh…?" A voice spoke, that of a man. "Anyway, I'm the spirit of your ancestry!... I'm here 'cause you wanna learn magic, and you finally figured out how to undo that elementary magical seal. Good job, I guess. Also, I'm gonna have to break your legs. You'll lose the use of them. Is that what you really want?"
…
'Yes.'
Hiyori immediately feels a presence running along her legs, and then, in the next moment, intense pain. She resists the urge to excessively writhe, gritting her teeth, along with finding that she indeed cannot feel her legs.
"So, Hiyori…" The oni spirit spoke, "You will never be able to walk again, with your legs gone. Next, I'm gonna tear off your arms, and feed 'em to the crows. So, taking your arms, are you cool with that?"
…
'Yes.'
Hiyori anticipated the pain, as she felt a tingling sensation run up her arms. The next moment, immense pain. Unable to writhe anything but her torso, the pain bounced around in her mind, the seemingly unending hell gradually fading.
"Well, Hiyori…" Once again, she heard the oni spirit. "Without legs and arms, all you can do is lie there. Next, I'll take away your hearing, by cutting off your ears. S'no big deal, right?"
…
'Yes.'
She braced herself for the torture that awaited her ears. A light brushing sensation passed them, and then she once again reeled from the overwhelming waves of pain coming from both sides of her head. Her torso jittered violently, but she contained herself.
She heard the oni spirit, but not with her ears. 'So, Hiyori… With no legs, arms, or hearing… I can still think to you, or something. Next, I'm gonna steal your sight. You'll live in darkness. No regrets?'
…
'Yes.'
Feeling the urge to scream, but holding it in, she felt her eyes pulsate. She was relieved to find that there was no lasting pain, but she was in no hurry to open her eyes any time soon to find out what happened.
The mental image of stars went out abruptly.
'...Now that you have literally nothing else,' The oni spirit began, 'We can only talk through your mind, so… I'll take your mind. Kinda sucks, doesn't it? I don't think you really want that… but you can't really talk back, so I guess I'll just do that.'
Hiyori felt everything drift away…
…
...
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Hiyori opened her mouth, and gasped for air. "Huaa~h!"
She was lying on the hexagonal stone pillar, on her back. She sat up abruptly, looking around. She grasped her legs, her arms, and felt around her entire body.
Then, she felt something more come to her…
Hiyori learned PK Freeze α, ß!
Hiyori learned PK Fire α, ß!
Hiyori learned Lifeup α, ß!
Hiyori learned Healing α, ß!
Hiyori learned Shield α, ß, Σ!
Hiyori learned Teleport α, ß!
"A-aah…" Hiyori froze, jittering from the amount of mana she suddenly felt course through her.
'I-I… feel ali~ve…!'
…
The stone pillars slowly began to retract back down to the forest floor. Hiyori rested upon the tallest one, as it eventually came down to rest like all the others.
She stood, stretching grandly, and taking a deep breath. "...Haa~h…"
...She looked at a nearby tree.
'I should practice these new skills…!'
She focused on the tree, and then reflected on her mana pool…
'It flows so smoothly…'
Hiyori tried PK Freeze ß!
KaKa-KaKaKling!
A pattern of ice crystals began assaulting the tree trunk, freezing and thawing rapidly.
Kra~ck!
The tree's bark was frozen.
'Frost…'
Hiyori looked at the center of the dirt clearing.
Hiyori tried PK Fire α!
Fwoo~m…!
Fire expanded outward from the point of focus, forming a small field of flames.
'Fire…'
Hiyori tried Shield ß!
Hiyori was protected by the power shield of light!
'...Light? Protection?' Hiyori stared curiously. 'I don't think I need something like that…'
Feeling confidence well up inside herself, she walked back to the temple…
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Hiyori entered the temple yard, smiling.
Byakuren notices her. "...I feel as if the magic training worked well, for you."
Hiyori nods. "Very much so. I can feel all my mana so clearly…"
"Just remember to practice with it." Byakuren advises her. "You don't know the limits of your natural talents yet, so it would only be best to exercise caution."
"...Thank you." Hiyori nods.
"Now…" Byakuren smiles. "How about we resume that meditation session?"
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Calmed and sated of her excitement, Hiyori found herself drifting in meditation once more…
…
She found herself visualizing a place with clouds, and buildings.
'...What a curious place.'
Panning the mind's camera around, she observed the network of islands, before it focused again on the one it started on.
'Hmm…'
She examined the island closer. It had a church, a wreckage of some description, and a fountain in the center…
Hiyori's mana flowed freely, her mind neglecting to keep tabs on it.
'I wonder what it would be like, if such a place existed?'
Hiyori tried Teleport ß!
She suddenly found herself moving, physically.
"H-hmm…?" Her eyes blinked open, and she found herself being dragged in a circle pattern by her own mana. "A-ah…!"
Byakuren opened her eyes. "Hi-Hiyori…?"
Hiyori gradually sped up, the circle expanding slightly. "Wh-whoaa~h!"
Byakuren moved to grab her in an attempt to stabilize her-
KraKoo~m!
Hiyori disappeared, a circle of tame flames left in her wake.
...
Byakuren scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "...Oh, dear. I hope she's alright…"
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
KraKoo~m!
Hiyori slid across the cobblestone, before bumping into a bench and tipping it over.
…
She stood up from her cross-legged position. Various people emerged from their homes to observe the sudden blast of noise.
'...This is… that place I visualized!' Hiyori realized, looking around with wide eyes.
Various bystanders stared at her horns, a few eying them curiously.
…
The nearby church's doors opened.
A blue-haired woman walked out, and laid her eyes upon the oni.
She double-took. "...Se-Seriously?"
Hiyori walked up to her. "...I wish to inquire about this strange new land."
…
"Nope. I'm done." The woman walked back towards the church. "First the Hakurei, then this? Ahahahah… No. If anyone asks, I wasn't here, today."
She walks back into the open doors. "Cake on the table if you want any. Just don't break anything, or anyone."
…
'This is a rather cynical land, I take it.' Hiyori rose a brow. 'Rather curious for a nation in the sky, but I suppose life is full of mysteries.'
She progresses inside the church, and looks around…
There's a few overturned chairs, a guy with red hair, and a girl with green hair.
"Hey." The red-haired man raised a cup. "Name's Narfilzon."
…
Hiyori approaches the table, and examines the food choices.
Peaches, peaches, cake, and peaches.
'They like peaches up here, apparently.'
...She takes a peach, and takes a big bite out of it.
Crunch!
Narfilzon hastily grabs one. "H-hey, wanna sh… ah, whatever." He waves her off. "...I was gonna ask you if you wanted to share, but…"
...Hiyori idly stared at him, then focused on her peach again.
Crunch!
It was all gone.
"...Yeah, nevermind." Narfilzon shook his head, and dropped his peach on the floor.
'How wasteful.'
Her attention turned to the cake. She took the knife and cleanly cut a slice…
'Where do I put this?'
"H-here…" The green-haired girl got up. "Plates…"
She raised a paper plate from the stack.
'Those are plates?' Hiyori blinked.
Hiyori sat the cake on the paper plate.
'...So they are. This land is full of strange magic.'
The girl handed Hiyori the paper plate, and she held it daintily, feeling as though any sudden movements might demolish it.
'Whoever made this design was being very economic.'
Hiyori's face neared the cake, and she paused.
'...This smell… it's very…'
She took a moment to search for a fork, and she plucked it from the table. Then, she dissected her cake, picking out blue, translucent bits from it, and examining them.
'...Artificial. It's laced with some form of chemical.'
...She sat her plate down on the table.
Narfilzon grinned. "What? You don't like cake?"
Hiyori stared at him. "Did you know this cake was poisoned?"
Narfilzon rose a brow. "Poisoned? Well, not like I'd know. Y'see, us celestials don't really need to worry about that sort of thing. Some kids came in here earlier and passed out, though. Me and Azalgone here figured they were just all tuckered out. Humans and youkai get like that, sometimes."
Hiyori nodded. "...I see."
'Strange people, too.'
...She looks around. "Do you know where I might find these people?"
'I have no idea if they're alright, or not.'
Narfilzon nodded. "Over there. Take the left door an' go up the stairs. There'll be a bedroom, somewhere. One of the left doors."
"Thank you." Hiyori nods, as she begins navigating through the church…
==== GENSOKYOBOUND: HIKARI'S VIEW ====
'Ughh…'
Hikari drowsily sat up in her bed. 'Still so tired…'
She looked around, and saw her friends in beds near her. The whole room was a rather short room that had a ton of beds crammed into it, leaving a small aisle in the middle for transit.
…
The door swung open, and a tall woman with even taller horns marched in, with long black hair, and a gi with red, runic trim.
'Tho~se are big horns!' Hikari's eyes slowly widened.
"...It must be you three." The woman spoke with volume. Her eyes focused on Hikari. "Are you feeling well?"
'Those horns are half as tall as a person.' Hikari stared. "...U-uhm…"
The horned woman frowned. "...I wonder if my magic is capable of aiding others…"
She tried Healing α!
Hikari's drowsiness was dispelled!
...Hikari looked around. 'Wow. I feel great. I felt really fuzzy just a moment ago, for lack of a better word…'
The horned woman looked around. "Your friends. Are they well?"
"Nothing a little healing magic can't fix up, I'm sure." Hikari decided.
"Healing magic…?" The horned woman rose a brow. "You know it, too?"
Hikari nodded. "Yeah…"
'I'm more surprised you're claiming to know it, actually. It's not exactly a common thing…'
…
Eventually, the other two began to stir.
"Hnngh…" Marigold stretched. "A-ah…"
Osamu sat up, and wobbled a bit. "...Woaa~h."
Hikari tried Healing α!
Hiyori tried Healing α!
Marigold rubbed her eyes. "...Remind me not to eat cake again. Ever."
"Seconded." Hikari adds.
Osamu suddenly looked around, frantic. "That fuckin' cake! When I get my hands… on…" He trails off, staring at the horned woman. "...You have huge… uhm- horns!"
Hikari sighs, shaking her head.
Marigold glanced at them. "Huh. She must be an oni."
The woman nodded. "That is correct."
Osamu jerked his head back. "She is!? How'd you know?"
"...Well, for one thing, horns." Marigold explains. "If that's not a dead giveaway…"
"Lots of things have horns!" Osamu argues.
"...Like?" Marigold waits for an answer.
…
Osamu glares at her.
"Mmm." Marigold grins. "Second… One of my mothers sort of had a thing against onis. I don't know why, either."
'Huh.'
The oni looked back at Hikari. "...Would you mind telling me about this place?"
Hikari tilted her head.
"...I seem to have teleported here by mistake," She explained. "I know nothing of this land's strange customs."
...Hikari smiled. "Let's start with names. I'm Hikari. Hikari Hakurei."
"Hiyori Hashimoto." Hiyori introduced herself. "Pleased to meet you."
"Osamu Katsumi!" Osamu announced. "Hell yeah!"
"Marigold Knowledge." Marigold stated her name.
"So…" Hikari climbed out of the bed, awkwardly sliding off it because of the cramped space. "...Let's go outside, first. It's kinda cramped in here…"
"Yeah, we should… we should do that." Marigold agrees.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
Outside the church, Osamu sat on the repositioned bench as the other three stood around.
"This place is heaven." Hikari begins. "...Literally, not figuratively."
"Actually kinda sucks up here." Osamu shrugs. "S'like false advertising."
…
"Heaven." Hiyori seeked confirmation.
"Mmm. Heaven." Hikari gave it.
…
"I'm not sure if I want to believe that." Hiyori argued.
Hikari shrugged.
"Well, you don't have to, then." Marigold folded her arms. "It's probably just called heaven because it's high up."
"Oh." Hiyori looks around. "...How high, exactly?"
"It's a long way down." Hikari answered her question.
Hiyori nodded, looking around and taking in the sight of the clouds and the wide, blue, sky.
After she finished collecting her thoughts, she looked at the three before her. "...My question, then, is why the three of you are here. You all don't look to be from up here, either…"
Hikari looked at her party members, and collected her thoughts. "...It's a long story."
Hiyori shrugged. "I have time."
Hikari moves to sit down at the bench as well. "Alright…"
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
In short order, Hikari had explained the gist of her adventure so far, and that Gensokyo as a whole was potentially endangered by the mysterious and malicious activities of Giygas. She explained the sanctuaries she needed to find, as well.
"...That's really everything worth mentioning, I think." Hikari finished her short recounting of events.
"There's also big monsters and shit." Osamu clarifies. "And vampires. And evil wizards."
Marigold furrowed her brows at him. "...That last one had better not be my mom."
He simply grinned and shrugged.
Hiyori, who had her arms folded, nodded. "...I see."
…
"The land is in peril, then?" Hiyori clarified.
Hikari nodded. "Pretty much."
"And the only one capable of saving it, is you?"
"...Yeah." Hikari nodded again.
Hiyori takes a deep breath. "Then, I shall go with you. I cannot abide such malice, not in this land."
Osamu pumped an arm into the air. "Yeah!"
'I think he's a little too excited.'
Marigold spared him a disdainful glance. Then, there was contemplative silence.
…
"Well, I think we should get moving." Marigold spoke. "So far, there's no signs of enemies up here, if we discount the strange people."
Osamu was confused. "Wait, why the hell're we up here, again?"
Hikari knew the answer. "We're taking a detour to the mountain. That's kinda why we're up here in the first place."
Marigold snorted. "Surely, you haven't forgotten already?"
"Hey, hey, I blame the drug cake." Osamu raises his arms defensively. "Some crazy shit, dude."
Hikari got up, and began walking across the square of the island they were on. She eventually walked up to a brown-haired man…
"...Would you happen to know of any magical places?" Hikari asked.
'I've yet to find a way to make that question not sound stupid.'
The man turned to her, and smiled. "Press L and R at the same time to bring up the Motion Action Menu!"
'Oh. It's him.'
She begins walking away, and her party catches up to her, moving past the man.
He waves at them. "Potions restore one hundred HP!"
Leaving the town, they quickly came to the edge of the sky island.
"...I don't believe that man made any sense, unless I am mistaken." Hiyori declared.
"It's not just you." Osamu responded, "The guy's freakin' nuts."
Hikari watched the slowly revolving circle of smaller sky islands form a mini obstacle course towards the next one.
'At least these jumps look easy. Hard ones would be completely mortifying, all things considered…' As Hikari stated earlier, it's a long way down.
A large, mobile sky island brushed past their current one, enough for the party to reach by running onto it.
'This feels weird…' Hikari could feel the motion of the island, and the feeling of wind blowing past her from a gradually shifting angle.
"Ho~ly shit." Osamu looks back at the main one that housed 'sector forty-eight'. "Never thought I'd be hopping around rocks in the fucking aether."
Out from a nearby cloud came some figures.
"Hey! He~y!"
A grey-clad fairy, with an aura of mist around herself, floated towards the platform. "Wh-what're you doing!?"
…
"Moving." Hikari responded.
Two other similarly dressed fairies floated up to meet their friend.
"Those stupid humans are trying to steal our nice new island!"
The middle one turned to her. "Humans? How can you tell?"
She rolled her eyes. "Well, considering they're walkin', like… yeah."
The third one looked confused. "Then… how'd they get-"
The second fairy snapped at her. "Shut up! Look, just… they're stealing our island!"
Still confused, the other fairies began moving to engage the party, following the aggressive one.
Marigold raised her Microwave Gun. "Now this is a fairy destruction ray…"
Hiyori furrowed her brows. "Hold. We needn't resort to violence instantly. They're only fairies."
...Marigold sighs. "You sure about that?"
Hiyori walks forward, and the fairies begin pelting her with a couple bursts of danmaku, which she largely ignores.
"We have no intention of stealing your home." Hiyori announced. "We come in peace."
The aggressive fairy furrows her brows. "Home? We don't live here! It's just cool to own an island!"
One of the more passive ones annotated. "Uhm… we-we never even go here any-"
"No one asked you!"
...Hiyori nodded. "May we not pass through undisturbed, then?"
The fairy girl nodded. "Uu~hm… no. No, y'see, it doesn't… it doesn't work like that."
Hiyori was curious. "Why might that be, exactly?"
The fairy paused.
…
"'Cause screw you, that's why! Ha~...hahaha!" She landed on the island, holding her stomach as she began laughing.
…
"Well, then." Hiyori shakes her head, and turns to Marigold. "...There's no other way, then, it seems."
Marigold grins, raising her Microwave Gun. "Shoulda just let me do this in the first place…"
"Th-those stupid humans!" The fairy continued laughing. "They… they think they can just walk away? After settin' foot on our-"
An orange beam connected with her.
"Aaa~h!"
Pi~chun!
She became a cloud of steam.
'...That was pretty prompt.'
The other fairies lost their courage. "J-Josei-chaa~n! Noo~!"
"W-waah! Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"
They quickly darted off into the clouds again.
Hiyori frowned. "...I'm not normally one to bully the weak, but if they ask for it…"
"They're just fairies. Geesh." Osamu brought his arms behind his head.
...Hikari saw the mobile island they stood on near another town-bearing one.
"Get ready to move, guys." Hikari announced, moving to the edge. Everyone broke from their relaxed stances and jogged to catch up with her, before they made the awkward run from the platform to the stable, still island.
"I'd normally be excited by such things," Marigold began, a half-smirk on her face, "but the fear of falling kinda outweighs that."
'Yea~h…'
They briskly paced into the town that sat on the island…
A man with lime green hair paused, turning to them. "...Now just how the hell did four of you get here?"
Osamu grinned. "Why's your hair, like, neon green?"
He folds his arms. "My question is more important."
Marigold shook her head. "No, no, genuinely, we wish to know."
"It's a stylistic decision, dammit!" The man barked. "Can mortals stop pestering me about my hair, already!?"
Hikari took this moment to attempt averting complete negative reception. "Uhm… Does this town have a mayor?"
His face fell further.
'...Whoops.'
"...You're lookin' at him."
…
"No one ever thinks I'm the mayor. Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a mayor…" The man unexpectedly slouches, walking away.
…
"I do think you three were just a bit uncalled for." Hiyori criticised.
"Hey. Not my fault the dude's got an ego problem, or something." Osamu shrugged.
'I had no real way of knowing he was the mayor. I'll be honest, he doesn't look like one...'
They progressed to the center of the village square…
"We should ask around, and find out if there's a sanctuary up here." Hikari decided. "I mean… if there'd be any place for a sanctuary, it'd be miles up in the air."
"Good point, good point…" Osamu nodded. "We just go around and yell at people?"
Hikari saw no problem with that plan. "Mmm."
Osamu promptly broke from the group and walked up to a rather normal looking, black-haired girl.
"He~y!" He exclaimed. "Magical places and crap! Have you seen them?"
The girl turned to him, alarmed, and jumped back. "Wings!"
Wings sprouted from her back, and she slowly floated away.
…
"S'that a no?" Osamu asked no one in particular.
Hiyori sighed. "I believe that I should be the one to handle the negotiations."
She walked up to a curious, unlabeled stand manned by what looked like an old man with two tufts of orange hair.
"Would you happen to know of any magical geology… I mean, magical landmarks, in the nearby area?"
The man smiled. "Oo~h, Samantha! What'll it be today, honey?"
Hiyori blinked. "...I'm not sure I follow."
He nodded. "Good! Good! But, before you go…"
Reaching under his desk, the man pulled out a silver, runed sword, from a stack of silver, runed swords.
"It's dangerous to go alone! Take this!"
He hands it to Hiyori, who stares at it.
"...I do not want this." Hiyori frowns at it. "The material is far too weak to be of use."
The man simply smiles at her.
"...I said-"
"Oo~h, Samantha! What'll it be today, honey?" The man repeated.
…
"Good! Good! But, before you go…"
He pulled out an identical sword.
"It's dangerous to go alone! Take this!"
He hands it to Hiyori.
...Hiyori sets them both down on the counter. "Have a nice day."
He smiles. "Oo~h, Samantha!..."
Before he can say more, Hiyori walks away as he continues.
…
Marigold turned to Hikari. "I'm not sure if there's actually anyone worth talking to, up here."
'Things don't look promising so far…'
Similarly to the last town, there was a large church as the focal point of the buildings. Hikari approached it, and knocked on the door.
…
No response. Hikari knocked again.
Osamu ran up, and began flailing his limbs at the door.
Marigold kicked it.
"You know…" Hiyori looked mystified. "That could technically be considered disturbing the peace."
"The peace is already disturbed." Osamu argues.
The door eventually swings open, and the lime-green mayor looks out at the party. "What do you bozos want!?"
Before Hikari or Osamu got to say anything, Hiyori spoke loudly over them. "We wish to locate a magical landmark… except in the sky."
The man rolls his eyes. "Yeah, and what good would a lime-green haired clown like me, do, huh? Go ask someone else."
Hiyori stopped the door before he closed it. "Please, sir! This is an urgent matter…" Then, she had an idea. "We would surely think it… rather cool of you."
The man paused. "...Cool? Me?"
"Yeah." Hiyori nods.
"Do ya mean it!?" A smile slowly began to form on his face.
"Yes." Hiyori nods, again.
He broke into a wide grin. "Al~right! Since I'm such a cool guy, I'll actually tell ya a little somethin' somethin' I came across just a few years ago!"
'Huh. That actually worked.'
He retreated into the church. "C'mon in, everyone!"
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
In the back kitchen of the church, the party sat around a table, and were served peaches.
'More peaches.' Hikari still didn't figure out how to eat them.
Hiyori picks one up, and takes a big bite from it.
Crunch!
'...I don't think you eat it like that, though.' Hikari tried to imagine herself taking a bite that big, but couldn't.
"So, there're a buncha other sky islands, yeah?" The lime-haired mayor begins, "They kinda drift around willy-nilly. The heaven network's tied to Youkai Mountain by the capital, but these loose ones are just kinda whatever. I dunno where they even come from…" He scratches his cheek.
"Anyways, most of the time we end up blowing them to kingdom come when they pass by, because, uh… kinda what we do. Anyway, a few years back, there was this pink one. It wasn't really an island… but it wasn't necessarily a cloud." He tilted his head back and forth. "Anyway, lots of us celestials set up sorta waypoints there a few years back. We do that with a lot of sky islands we wanna revisit, but we usually never go back to them… there's usually paperwork involved, too."
Hikari was eager. "Do you think you could take us there?"
He needed. "Yeah! I could guide ya over on a platform. Only problem is, it's one way, so unless you know of a good way to get back, you're gonna be forced to fly back."
'...Uh. Yeah.'
Hiyori, noticing Hikari's hesitation, spoke up. "We'll find a way."
'Wh-what?'
He nods. "Good, good! I'll get the platform setup."
Standing up, the man moves for the back door. "Say, what's the occasion? You guys goin' on vacation, or something?"
"Y-you… could say that." Hikari stumbles to reply.
"Cool!"
He walks out the back door.
…
"So." Osamu folded his arms. "How're we gonna get back from freakin' fluffy cloud land, then?"
"Hmm." Hiyori thought about it, for a moment. "...I was able to teleport myself here, even if inadvertently. I feel as though I could do it again."
Hikari was intrigued. 'She can teleport, too? Those fairies must really get around, then…'
The back door opens. "C'mon, guys!"
Casually navigating outside, the party finds themselves staring at a rather tiny platform, styled similarly to the materials of the current island they stood on.
'...Are we going to fit?'
The mayor scratches the back of his head. "Yeah… I think you can tell already, but it was made for one person. I think you'll all fit if you scrunch up, though."
Osamu climbs onto it, and stands on it. "...Feels pretty stable, at least. How fast'll this thing be going?"
The man paused. "...I forget how you quantify speed. Uhh… fast?"
'That helps.'
Hiyori wraps an arm around Hikari and Marigold's waists respectively, one arm for each, and leaps onto the platform, holding them.
'W-woah!'
"Wh-what- aah!" Marigold was surprised as well.
"We are ready to go." Hiyori declares.
"Say what?" Osamu looks at her, raising a brow.
The man with lime green hair smiled. "Alright! Remember, guys, sector thirty nine! Come visit me, sometime!"
The stationary platform lurched, and Osamu readied himself to grab onto Hiyori if he needed to…
'She… she's strong.' Hikari realized.
Then, the platform shot into the distance, mobilizing instantly.
"Woaaa~h!" Osamu held onto Hiyori's waist for dear life.
The man with the colorful hair watched them rocket off into the distance.
…
"Cool." He nods, smiling.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
The tiny platform rocketed away from the mass of islands at breakneck speed, setting off into the partly cloudy sky over Gensokyo.
"Aaaa~h!" Marigold saw nothing but sky in most directions she looked.
'W-wow…'
They passed various clusters of fairies who rested in nearby clouds, who only got a moment to watch them soar off. The few who bothered to pursue were quickly outdone by the speed of the platform, so they gave up.
Wind roared past the party as they were exposed to the sky's air.
Which was pretty cold, when you were going somewhere around sixty miles per hour.
Eventually, the platform neared a pink cloud, which wasn't at all visible until the party was nearly at it.
The platform stopped on a dime at the edge of it.
"Woaa~h!"
Osamu was flung from Hiyori, and he spun across the surface of the cloud, before resting on it.
...Hiyori stepped off, and sat the other two girls down on their legs again.
"...C-cold." Marigold shivered.
'Yeah, it was pretty chilly…'
There were two figures on the cloud, already, facing away from them.
Hikari looked at them.
"Holy shit…" Osamu dusted some pink fluff off himself. "Remind me not to take the sky platform express. My arms felt like they were gonna rip off!"
Hiyori pauses at that phrase, but dismisses her thoughts of it.
Marigold looked at the two, as well. "...We've got company."
"That we do." Hiyori comments. "I will communicate with them."
'...Good luck. They're probably the sanctuary guardians.'
She steps up to the two women. One had long, blue hair, and a colorful dress, her sun hat adorned with peaches. The other was decorated in frilly, scarlet cloth, with shorter purple hair.
The one with a sun hat turned around. "...Oh? Visitors!" She smirked. "Welcome to my cloud."
Hiyori smiled. "Hello. Do you know of the magical properties of this cloud?"
She smiles back. "Why, yes, actually! That's why I was here in the first place… I was bored, and Iku here wasn't of any help…"
The other woman, named Iku, turned around, floating a few inches off the ground. "Eldest daughter…"
"That's when this… mist… spoke to me." She scanned the other occupants of the cloud with her eyes. "...It gave me something fun to do. Watch this cloud, all day, everyday, until the Hakurei miko comes. And, if you're anything like Reimu..."
She steps forward and passes Hiyori, drawing a sword from the air, and stabbing it into the cloud, searing the spot she struck.
"You'll keep this interesting, for me, won't you?" She grinned widely.
Iku floated into the air over her. "...Her name is Tenshi Hinanawi. I am Iku Nagae… and we are the guardians of Pink Cloud."
...Hiyori casually backpedalled past them and returned to the party.
Tenshi pulled her sword from the cloud, and began stepping towards the party. "When this fight's over, and I win… we'll fight again."
Marigold turned to Hiyori. "Some negotiations would be good, about now, I think."
Hiyori shook her head. "It's no use… I sense deep malicious intent inside them. They've surpassed the point of reason."
"Then, we'll fight again." Tenshi continued. "And again, and again, and again!"
She leapt into the air, and held her sword above her head. Iku retreated from the cloud entirely.
Hiyori's eyes widened.
Hiyori tried Shield Σ!
Hikari, Marigold, Osamu, and Hiyori were protected by translucent shields of light!
"Hyaa~h!"
The sword struck the center of the cloud, causing it to vibrate violently. Hikari, Marigold, and Osamu stumbled around, but weren't thrown by the force of the impact thanks to their shields.
Iku frowned. "Be still, Eldest daughter. Your opponents think themselves clever."
Static ran along Iku's hands, before she thrust her hands towards the party. The static traveled to each party member, forcing their shields to flicker out.
'Oh, boy. Electricity.' Hikari has seen first-hand the damage electric magic could do.
Tenshi grinned. "Shields? No shield is mightier than my blade, Iku, but I thank you for the thought!"
Iku sighed. "If you say so…"
Drifting back to the platform, Tenshi marched forward the moment she landed.
"Now, who are these weaklings?" Tenshi scoffed at the party members who weren't Hikari. "Such outsiders aren't worthy of being in our presence."
"Screw you, too." Osamu readies his hands. "Eat lightning bolts!"
Osamu tried PK Thunder ß!
Thwaa~sh!
Iku reached her arm out, and summoned the bolt to herself, neutralizing it.
Thwaa~sh!
She did the same for the second bolt.
"Novice thunder magic." Iku stared at her hand. "I hardly felt it."
Tenshi readied her sword. "I'll have them gone in a heartbeat!"
Hiyori dashed forward, and leaped into the air, passing over Tenshi, who eagerly sliced forward, missing her.
Osamu grinned. "Let's see ya break this!"
Osamu tried PSI Shield Σ!
Hikari, Osamu, Marigold, and Hiyori were protected by the pale blue psychic shield!
Iku scoffed. "Meaningless."
Iku tried PK Thunder γ!
Thwaa-Thwaa-Thwaa~sh!
Bam! Boom! Bam!
The bolts struck Hiyori, Osamu, and Hikari, dispelling their psychic shields.
Osamu stumbled around. "Hehehe~y…!"
Marigold aimed her Microwave Gun at Iku.
She shot outward, and Iku's eyes widened the moment it impacted with her, and she formed a ball of electricity around herself.
"E-Eldest daughter! I am under extensive fire!" Iku cried out. Her electricity dispersed the microwave beam and rendered it harmless, but the sensation and implications shocked her momentarily.
Tenshi's eyes turned to Marigold. "Oh? How annoying…"
Marigold switched the beam to Tenshi.
Tenshi let it hit her, and simply kept walking towards her. "...How pitiful. A heat ray? Us celestials are resistant to magical and physical attacks, I'll have you know."
While she was gloating, Hiyori moved up behind her and attempted landing a critical strike to her spine.
SMAAAA~SH!
Tenshi stumbled forward, surprised. She abruptly whirled around to face her, and elbowed her. "You fool!"
"Guh…" Hiyori slid back, keeping her footing.
Hikari tried Hypnosis Ω!
Ripples of psychic energy were thrown across the battlefield. Hiyori braced herself, unknowing if it was an enemy attack or not.
Tenshi was unaffected.
Iku wobbled in the air, but stabilized herself. "A-ah…"
Tenshi stepped towards Hiyori. "An oni, this high up? Fufufu… allow me to send you back to the underground!"
Tenshi charged forward, and Hiyori paused, detecting that with the speed and control the celestial currently displayed, she'd be undodgeable. Tenshi dispelled her sword, stretching her arms out.
Hiyori stepped back, and dropped off the ledge, grabbing it with her hands.
Tenshi roared over her head. As she looked up, she saw Tenshi's surprised expression as she looked down, whirling past her.
Hiyori pulled herself back onto the cloud with one swift motion.
Hikari tried Shield ß!
Hiyori was protected by the power shield of light!
Whipping around with enough force to throw wind, Tenshi glared at Hiyori. "You insolent…!"
Iku floated overhead. "Hold, Eldest-"
"I'm pissed, Iku! I'm not just gonna 'hold' anything!" Tenshi barked back up at her.
...Iku sighed, allowing her electric shield to drop, as she didn't need it anymore.
Marigold crouched, and pulled out a big bottle rocket from her backpack.
"As good of a time as any…" She breathed, as she began working the base. "Osamu, keep her still!"
"Which one?" Osamu glanced at her.
"Floaty McThunderbolts." Marigold supplied.
Osamu grinned. "Alright. Today's forecast is deep freeze!"
Osamu tried PK Freeze ß!
KaKa-KaKaKling!
A pattern of ice formed around Iku, freezing and thawing rapidly. She floated there with wide eyes, bewildered.
Kra~ck!
The sudden blast of frosty air chilled Iku. She glared down at Osamu, knowing he was the one who casted it. "Y-you…"
Marigold's bottle rocket shot out from in front of her, surprising her. "W-waa~h!"
Fwooo~sh!
Iku watched it near her, and began attempting to evade-
Boo~m!
A blast of thick, star-shaped bullets illuminated the sky with an array of technicolor lights.
"Tenshi~!" Iku wailed, spiraling through the air. She eventually stopped, and slowly drifted back towards the cloud.
Hiyori was backpedaling as Tenshi swiped at her repeatedly.
"Haa~h!" Tenshi spun around, attempting to slash at her by constantly whirling, but Hiyori ducked and jabbed at her stomach.
SMAAAA~SH!
"Hngh…!" Tenshi leaped back. "Foolish fool!"
Hikari blinked. 'Creative.'
Iku floated up behind her. "...E-eldest daughter…"
Tenshi glanced at her. "Iku, take care of this oni for me. I'm going to go take care of the main event."
With that, Tenshi leaped to the side, landing on an opposite corner of the cloud.
Hiyori glared up at the oarfish.
Iku grimaced downward. "I take it all your skills are in hand-to-hand, oni? Ah… this should be far easier than that troublesome mage, then."
A field of electricity formed to bar Hiyori from going to pursue Tenshi.
Hiyori sighed, finally focusing on Iku. "...I see you've kept yourself well decorated."
...Iku nods. "Mmm. I pride myself in my appearance, admittedly."
Hiyori nods. "I see. Those clothes…"
Hiyori tried PK Fire ß!
Fwoom!
Iku was engulfed in a ball of fire. Shortly after, she shot out of it, spinning through the air. "A-ah! How!? Ho~w!?"
Hiyori turned her attention to the fence of lightning. It only reached ten feet at the most, which Hiyori could easily clear.
Hikari stood in front of her party members, as Tenshi approached her.
"Fight me, Hakurei!" She smiled widely and drew her sword from the air. "Fight more! Fight harder!"
Hikari applied wind to herself, and began dancing about the cloud, avoiding Tenshi, who was throwing heavy swings around the entire time.
Hiyori interfered, punching her in the shoulder.
Bam!
Tenshi was pushed back, and she whirled around to face her. "You-!"
Hikari took this moment to quickly dart up and deliver a strike to the back of Tenshi's head with her gohei.
SMAAAA~SH!
Tenshi's head bobbed forward slightly. She looked around, startled.
Hiyori attempted to rip the sword from Tenshi's hands, and succeeded. Then, she was forced to drop the sword, its weight proving impossible. "What...?"
Tenshi smirked. "It is called the Sword of Hisou, and only I am fit to wield it." With that, she summoned it again from the air. "It is the weapon I'll use to cleave through you!"
...Marigold fired a single bolt from her Air Gun at Tenshi's head, doing nothing.
Iku finally came back, her clothes singed. "I-I… don't know how much more of this I can take…"
Osamu glared at her. "Oh, shut up, already!"
Osamu tried PK Freeze ß!
The pattern of ice formed around Iku, and she simply hugged herself with her arms to withstand it. "C-cold…"
Kra~ck!
The ice blast froze Iku solid. She hung in the air for a moment, encased in a block of ice, before spinning down towards the earth below.
"Good riddance." Osamu wiped his hands against each other.
The electric barrier that divided half of the platform vanished.
Tenshi gritted her teeth. "Hraa~h!"
She swung towards Hiyori with surprising velocity, forcing her to guard.
Bam!
Hiyori slid back, and a beam shot from the power shield of light, striking Tenshi.
"Hnngh…" She marched forward, and attempted to deliver the same slash again, but Hiyori avoided it, distancing herself.
"How the hell is she so tough…?" Osamu questioned. "Geez!"
"Who, the oni, or the celestial?" Marigold wondered.
"...Both!" Osamu decided.
Hikari folded her arms. "I don't know if we should relax, yet."
'She'll probably lash out at me again, I'm sure.'
...Hikari stepped forward. "Let's try to end this."
Osamu snorted. "Yeah, like we can do any of that. That celestial-whatever's like, made of rocks."
...Hikari glanced at Osamu. "You can still do that power thing, right?"
"...Oh, yeah!" Osamu facepalmed. "Holy shit."
Osamu tried Offense Up α!
Hiyori paused, feeling strength well up inside herself.
...Which allowed Tenshi to get a cheap strike.
Bam!
"Egh…" Hiyori stumbled back. "You're simply flailing wildly…!"
Tenshi glared at her. "It works!"
...Osamu scratched his head sheepishly. "Uhhh… whoops?"
...Marigold and Hikari stared at him judgmentally.
"Look, it's not my fucking fault that celestial's a bitch!"
Osamu tried Defense Down α!
Tenshi sighed. "W-what is this…?"
Hiyori returned the blow from before.
Boom!
Tenshi flew and landed on her back, doing a flip to land upright again. "D-dammit…! This was supposed to be between the Hakurei and I!"
Osamu tried Offense Up α!
"I'm a lean, mean, army-makin' machine!" Osamu cheered.
Hikari felt strength well up inside herself!
'...What, me? Seriously?'
...She swung her gohei at the air a few times, idly.
Osamu tried Offense Up α!
'W-woah…'
Osamu tried Offense Up α!
"Th-that's enough…"
Osamu tried Offense Up α!
"Stop!" Hikari yelled, her body jittering from all of the new energy. "A-ah, ah!"
She tries to move her arm, and ends up sliding her gohei-holding hand into Osamu's face, even though he was six feet away.
"Aaaa~h!"
Osamu cartwheeled across the cloud, and landed on his stomach.
'Th-this power…!'
Tenshi ran forward. "Hakure~i!"
Hikari, in a quick moment, bounded towards Tenshi with one step, and then clotheslined her with her gohei.
SMAAAA~SH!
"Gu~h…!" Tenshi spun around from the force of the strike. "Y-yes… This is it! Fight me!"
SMAAAA~SH!
"Augh!" Tenshi stepped back, swinging her sword blindly.
Hiyori intercepted from behind.
SMAAAA~SH!
"Ouch…!" Tenshi grinned. "F-fight me!"
Hikari delivered a blow to her forehead.
SMAAAA~SH!
"Gwuaaa~h!" Tenshi flew into the air, the Sword of Hisou dropping onto the cloud, before she dropped onto it herself.
…
'Well…' Hikari nodded. "...She sure took a beating."
"...Indeed." Hiyori sat down. "...However… I feel as though the malicious intent was purified from her body during that fight. We've also not harmed her significantly, in any way."
'Really?' Hikari wasn't sure what to make of that. '...People this powerful really exist, huh…'
…
Hikari went to take another practice swing, putting more force into it.
"Woah!"
She did a complete flip, ending up on her butt.
…
"Well, then." Marigold walked to the center of the cloud. "It seems that's that, then."
Osamu stumbled around. "H-holy crap, those... power booster things… they-they ain't cheap…"
He sat down near Hikari and Hiyori, and Marigold sat down nearby as well.
…
Hikari clumsily reached for her sound stone, and brought it out.
'Here we go…'
She tried to bring it to her forehead, and hit herself in the face with it instead.
'...'
"Pffft-hahahaha~!" Osamu burst out laughing.
With an ounce of caution this time, Hikari delicately brought the sound stone to her forehead…
...
She heard a melody play.
A gentle breeze rolled through Giant Step, caressing the indent in the hill…
It then rolled through the crevice leading to Subconscious Steps, before whirling around and escaping into the sky above...
Fluttering through the valley, it weaved through bamboo trees before circling around the Milky Well. It circled back around, and flowed right back out through the trees...
Smoothly floating over the crisp air of the Misty Lake, the wind swept past the walls of a western manor, before dipping into the trees just outside the walls to orbit Rainy Circle. It flowed out just as freely...
Becoming entrapped within the walls around Magnet Hill, the wind anxiously rebounded off the walls before escaping, flowing back over the Human Village...
Freely dancing in the clouds, air circulated around a soft, Pink Cloud. The air dispersed, washing over the land, and sweeping against Gensokyo's border.
…
...
A beat continued to play after the numerous notes, but no more actual music continued to be produced by the stone.
'I'm going to have an entire concert by the time I'm finished visiting these sanctuaries…'
Hikari looked around the sky, a sense of nostalgia and wonder setting it.
'...The sky really is a whole lot of nothing. Except when it isn't, but I still don't know much about that.'
She pouted, though she was eased by her strength returning to normal.
The wind that blew across the cloud was warm and welcoming, healing the party.
Osamu stood back up. "Hell yeah! Ready for round two, baby!"
Marigold smiled. "...Our next stop should be the mountain, right?"
Hikari nodded. "Mmm."
Hiyori looked around the cloud, standing gingerly. "...I feel restored. In a unique way."
"You'll get used to it." Hikari added nonchalantly.
==== GENSOKYOBOUND ====
END OF CHAPTER 15
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. Now with less sideboob!
Misc: Royal Red Ribbon - A ribbon made with rich materials, with a floral pattern.
-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, ß - Halves damage the target takes. Only works against physical attacks, and enough strikes, or powerful strikes, will dispel it. Higher tier turns it into a power-shield that protects even better and even reflects a fraction of protected damage.
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.
Teleport α - Allows instant transport to the general location of an area remembered by oneself or one's party members. Requires a long, fast run-up to execute, however.
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: Dated Village Magician Robes - An old robe from the days when the village respected the medium of magic. Now actually looks navy blue, instead of black!
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, Σ - Halves damage from magical and psychic attacks. Thunder spells fry it instantly, and harder blows dispel it. Second tier applies basic shield to entire party at higher mana expense.
PSI Magnet α - Costs no mana to use, and steals a very tiny amount of mana from the enemy. Enemy has to have mana in the first place for it to work, though.
Offense Up α - Get pissed! Boosts strength and confidence depending on caster's power and receiver's power.
Defense Down α - Throw the enemy off their game. Makes them slightly more vulnerable to physical attacks.
β-β-β-β
Inventor: Marigold Knowledge, the Tri-Magi Love Child
-Inventory-
Weapon: Microwave Gun - A Marigold Knowledge invention. Constructed with a controlled flame crystal and metal parts, it fires a beam of sustained microwave energy that cooks biological foes alive. Fire-elemental at its core, it's also very inefficient against machines.
Arms: Nothing
Body: Custom Adventure Dress - A custom dress made by Alice. Provides slight defense against magical and psychic attacks. Now allows freer movement with a shorter skirt, and a more flexible material.
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. Recently upgraded to draw mana from a simple wooden block filled with immense magic reserves, giving it virtually unlimited ammo.
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.
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-
Persuade Owls to Soundlessly Descend - Summons a single, downy soft owl.
Wings! - Summon wings, but promptly remember you don't know what to do with them and retract them.
X-X!V''Q - Enables Thief Mode, boosting luck to maximum and dropping all other stats harshly.
SENDAI - Starts a new game in Sendai Hakurei No Miko mode.
Olley Oxen Free - Habbada bredi bredi bredi habbada bredi bredi.
β-β-β-β
Fighter: Hiyori Hashimoto, the Buddhist Oni
-Inventory-
Weapon: Fisticuffs!
Arms: Nothing
Body: Runed Gi - Enchanted to not get blown away by battle damage.
Misc: Nothing
-Skills-
PK Fire α, ß - Creates an igniting blast of flames at the target's location. Most impact comes with 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.
Shield α, ß, Σ - Halves damage the target takes. Only works against physical attacks, and enough strikes, or powerful strikes, will dispel it. Higher tier turns it into a power-shield that protects even better and even reflects a fraction of protected damage. Highest tier applies a basic shield to the entire party.
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.
Teleport α, ß - Allows instant transport to the general location of an area remembered by oneself or one's party members. Requires a long, fast run-up to execute, however. Higher tier is largely automatic and requires little room to execute.
Martial Arts - Skilled in hand-to-hand combat.
β-β-β-β
Author's Note:
nuggets
and now we have PLAYER FOUR, the BURLY BRAWLER with SPELLS (albeit less mana than osamu, probably on par with hikari in terms of efficiency when casting)
she can punch stuff really well, cast some spells and things, and do healing! she doesn't have many overall downsides, but she also doesn't specialize past hitting things, whereas hikari is a status inducer, osamu is buffs/debuffs and kickass spells and marigold is INVENTIONATION
as such, enemies will scale in difficulty and number, because dazza lot of hurt the party members can put out as is
as always, see you all next time!