Chapter 2: Those Who Seek Power
When Richard finally woke up, he was in proper bedding, although he could smell the tell-tale sign of medicine faintly wafting over his nose, allowing him to tell where he was, even though his eyes weren't open yet.
"This is a clinic, right?" Richard asked. "...Whoever picked me up, I wish to express my gratitude for saving my life."
"You are welcome." A mature female voice remarked, as Richard identified it as Eirin Yagakoro, Brain of the Moon, and medical savant of Eientei.
Richard then slowly opened his eyes, before he then sat up, noticing that the entire room was fairly neat, despite everything, as Eirin was sitting beside him on a small foldable chair, and he could see a pile of bloodied bandages behind her.
"How long have I been out for?" Richard asked. "I remember almost getting killed by Rumia, before your disciple, Reisen Inaba, defeated her and called for help to get me to this place."
"A day or two." Eirin admitted. "Your injuries were not quite permanent. We still had to stitch a part of your stomach together, so I recommend that you stick to this diet, and come back often to get your bandages replaced."
"Ah right…" Richard remarked, before he then sat up, before he noticed a dull throb on his stomach. "...And I assume that you dulled the pain with the use of a lot of painkillers?"
"That's right." Eirin nodded back. "Your upper clothing was ruined from being impaled through a laser, so I had to give you the standard attire for guests in Eientei."
Richard then brushed the blanket off, revealing that he was dressed in blue shorts, and a white sleeved shirt.
"Hm, not bad." Richard answered back. "But I would prefer if I kept what is intact of my original clothing."
"You've been shot through by Rumia, and almost died, yet your first concern is your clothes?" Eirin remarked with a chuckle. "You must be one of Yukari's kids, aren't you?"
"Pardon?" Richard asked, with a raised eyebrow. "What makes you think that?"
"Well, disregarding the fact that your looks fit very much into Gensokyo itself." Eirin remarked. "You seem to have a lack of concern about the precarious situation that you put yourself into. I emphasize again, you almost died."
"That's not wrong… But I had to do what I could to survive." Richard answered back. "...Was I supposed to let Rumia just eat me? It was a stroke of luck that I was able to find help. Since I stabbed her eye out… I didn't think that I would have long to get help before Rumia would render unto me a messy fate."
"Ah yes, Reisen did deduce that you managed to gouge one of her eyes out by some means." Eirin answered back. "...I'm surprised that you managed to do so. Youkai are resistant to physical attacks. You would have to be as strong as them to even make them feel a thing."
"Well… that's the general body itself. Some soft vulnerabilities don't share that trait, as I learned when I managed to stab her eye out…" Richard answered back. "But I digress from that gory detail. Is there anything else you would like to ask me?"
"Well, I know that you're not from around here, and you certainly are an outsider. Were you looking for your powers, or were you trying to run for the Hakurei Border?" Eirin asked Richard.
"Funny you mention powers…" Richard answered back, rubbing the back of his head. "At first, I was actually trying to head for Eientei, since you were the closest residence that I glanced upon in the guides, and also friendly enough to take me as a guest. Might have steered me into Rumia's warpath. But hey, all's well that ends well. And about the powers… Well, Yukari told me that my powers are in a forest. And since the Bamboo Forest is a no-go, since I would be able to sense the powers if they were there, it would have to be in the Magic Forest, right?"
"I wouldn't recommend that." Eirin remarked, as the warmth in her voice cooled greatly. "Yukari lured you here with the promise of power, but she's only doing it for her own personal gains. Trust me when I tell you that anything involving Yukari is bad news."
"Huh, guess we're on the same page." Richard nodded. "To be fair, when I read the guides, I actually didn't want to entrust myself to her care, because her articles do not paint her in a good light. That's the reason why I wound up going there, because like I said, I would like to start off finding someone that I can trust. And I see the point in your statement. But…"
"But?" Eirin asked.
"So what if this is really Yukari's plan? What makes you think trying to stop seeking my powers would change a thing about it?" Richard asked back. "You emphasized it yourself. As I am right now, I am but a puny human who can only be saved by the whims of those greater than me and those who hunt me. Yukari was honest on that point. I only survived Rumia because I was resourceful enough to take advantage of her arrogance to poke her eye out with a bamboo shard, by quick thinking. What if I meet another youkai like Rumia, or Rumia again? What if that same trick won't work again? I'll be dead, Eirin Yagakoro. The powers are a necessity in order to survive this harsh land of creatures."
"You could simply remain here. We would provide you the protection you seek from us." Eirin answered back, genuinely offering Richard an opportunity.
"...I thank you for your hospitality…" Richard answered back. "But as much as I'm grateful for your actions, and trust me far more than I do with Yukari… however…"
Richard paused for a moment, before Richard sighed. "...May I be honest with you? And trust that you won't spread this around like gossip?" He stated. "I promise you that it's nothing too bad, just a personal nag of mine."
"Go on." Eirin answered back.
"I… I have problems trusting people that far with my life." Richard admitted, averting his eyes for a moment. "And even if you are being a good person right now… how can I say that you don't have plans of your own? Yukari is far more direct with it, but you're the Brain of the Moon, your wit is second to her. For all I know… you could slowly indoctrinate me to your ideas. And while it's possible that they're better than most others out there… I… I'm the kind of person who makes his own luck. And I know that you're worried that these powers will turn me into someone that you won't like very much… but I ask that you have faith. I cannot promise you anything… but I can assure you that I'll try my best to be formal and polite with all I meet, and treat them as I would treat myself. With respect."
"...You're different from what I expected. In a good way." Eirin remarked, as there was a faint hint of a pleased smile on her face. "Alright, if that's the case, I'll send an escort team to get you out of the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, and guide you to the Human Village, where you should find a residence that you can rest yourself in, as well as people you can relate to, and socialize with for your time here."
"Very well." Richard answered back, before he then slipped back into the futon that he was resting inside. "In the meantime, I'll just take a short nap. If you could prepare some take-away medications, I would be glad, and I'll make sure that the next time I come around here, I'll make the required payments."
Eirin then left, as Richard then rested his head against the pillow, before he then decided to rest for a while longer, in order to help him restore some of his lost strength.
Eventually, he woke up to the sound of the door being knocked, as he rose up wide awake, as he grabbed the guest slippers that were laid beside him, before he then walked over to the door, and opened it, as Eirin was on the other side, with Richard's pants over one arm, and a bag of medications in her other hand, with several moon-rabbit soldiers escorting her.
"Time to go?" Richard asked, before Eirin nodded, while Richard took the items off her hands. "One moment, please."
Richard then dressed himself back up, although leaving the white shirt that Eirin gave him on him, before he then headed out, as they left Eientei, heading towards Kaguya and Mokou, who were fighting each other, or just finished doing so, evident from the blood underneath Kaguya's feet.
"One more round, and this time, I'm bringing the heavy weapons!" Kaguya exclaimed, as she brought out the Five Impossible Treasures.
"Bring it, princess!" Mokou exclaimed, as Richard felt a twinge of nostalgia, seeing that this version of Kaguya and Mokou were still fighting each other.
"Mokou, Princess Kaguya, take a break." Eirin stated, as both combatants turned around to see Richard and the group escorting him. "We need one of you to bring this outsider to the Human Village."
"I'm up for it. I'm not winded in the least!" Kaguya and Mokou declared with confidence, before noticing that they both spoke the same words. "No, I'm escorting him. No, me! Me! Stop repeating what I'm saying! No, you stop!"
Richard then held back the urge to laugh at this comedic scene, using a fist to cover his mouth, as he wheezed gently through it, before calming down.
"So you must be Princess Kaguya, the protagonist of the tale 'Flight of the Bamboo Cutter'." Richard remarked. "It's easy to tell considering that you hold the very five treasures that you have asked the suitors that come after you to retrieve, as impossible requests."
"Why yes, you are right." Kaguya declared with a majestic pose. "I'm the same princess, give or take a few facts."
"And I'm the daughter of one of those suitors who got humiliated and killed thanks to her." Mokou declared with a glare.
"Ah yes, Fujiwara no Mokou." Richard nodded back. "The guide told me how you came to be, and why you have such a bone to pick with Kaguya Houraisan. So, Eirin. I assume this is the point where I pick who to go with?"
"Yes." Eirin nodded back.
"Hey, are you one of Yukari's kids, or did you wander in on your own?" Mokou asked, as Kaguya's expression twitched slightly into disdain upon hearing that.
"Well, that's a complicated-" Richard tried to start.
"If it's one of Yukari's kids, I say we execute him right here and now!" Kaguya growled.
"Princess, he's just a young man who is innocent in all of this. Please leave our feud with Yukari out of this." Eirin scolded Kaguya.'
"Ouch, I assume that she doesn't have a good impression of outsiders, does she?" Richard asked Eirin.
"Unfortunately, yes." Eirin sighed.
"In that case… I will have to concede that I would be safer with Mokou than with Kaguya." Richard responded back. "But I hope that we can clear this misunderstanding, Princess."
"Follow me and stay close." Mokou smirked, as Kaguya fumed behind her.
"Damnit Mokou! You tricked me!" Kaguya roared with anger, as Richard and Mokou headed out.
As soon as the two of them made their way to the exit of the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, they both saw that there was a purple parasol behind one of the signs indicating the location's name, before Kogasa popped right out with a silly expression.
"Abloogy-Woogy-Wooo!" Kogasa warbled, as Richard looked at Kogasa for a moment, before he then smiled at her, confusing her for a moment, before Mokou threw a hard fireball right at her, which knocked her down, as it burned her entire body. "Gah! It burns!"
As Kogasa disappeared in a burst of white light, Richard turned to Mokou. "...You did know that was quite uncalled for, right?" He said calmly. "That little kara-kasa just wanted to give me a spook. Too bad I'm used to surprises."
"Well, I don't exactly like her causing trouble for you." Mokou answered back, before she then noticed that there was a sparrow sitting atop a large rock, with a winged hat. "Excuse me for a sec."
She then fired a fireball at the sparrow which turned into Mystia in a mess of feathers, as she quickly flew away, scared at what Mokou could do to her.
"Okay, that was more reasonable." Richard answered back. "That's Mystia Lorelei, right? She's the kind of youkai who could end up making a meal of an unsuspecting traveler with her blinding powers."
"Ah yes, powers… I bet you came here wanting cool powers like these, huh?" Mokou bragged.
"Well… to answer that compositely, I wasn't exactly 'invited' here, per se. It's more that I was dropped here without my knowledge. I met Yukari, she ran me down the basics of what this place is." Richard answered back. "Oh, and I do have powers already. It's just that by some means… they ended up being sealed in the Magic Forest for some damn reason. Which is why I'm more or less human in the basic definition. Anyways, I noticed your relation with Kaguya."
"What about it?" Mokou asked, before Richard smiled.
"I just find it familiar. I had a pair of friends who had fairly severe squabbles like you two. One was a bit hot-headed like you, Mokou, and the other was fairly regal, like Kaguya. They often fought about the smallest of things, because they couldn't stand each other."
"And what happened to them?" Mokou asked, curious about where Richard was going about it.
"They got along." Richard declared, confusing Mokou. "Turns out I became such good friends with them individually, that I managed to understand how that conflict started. And because of that, I was able to mediate between them to find a less… painful compromise. At first, it was teeth-clenched cooperation. But over time, they mellowed out, and decided to look at each other's positives, and eventually became good friends. In fact, I'm the girlfriend of the regal one."
Mokou then considered what Richard said, as she put herself and Kaguya into the hypothetical scenario made from Richard's account, although she perished the thought at the very first thought of having anything to do with Kaguya.
"So, what are we going to do now?" Richard asked. "To the Human Village?'
"Actually, I think that I have a better idea. While I could take you to the Human Village, that would be boring, and doing otherwise would anger Eirin, and what angers Eirin angers Kaguya. So that's a nice bonus for just guiding you to wherever you need to go. In fact, I could take you to someone who knows magic tracking, and can do that for you, so that you can find it with little problems. What do you say?"
Richard thought for a moment, before he then nodded. "Alright, I'm game." He answered back.
Mokou then guided Richard to the Forest of Magic, as she drove away any youkai that crossed their path with the application of a lot of fire, before they reached a small magician's hut, which Richard recognised as Marisa's house, as there was a rock tune blasting out of it that Richard noticed.
Richard then walked to the door, as Marisa came out, holding a pair of goggles that were covered in soot in his hand, and a welcoming smile on her face.
"Welcome to the Kirisame Magic Shop. I am Marisa Kirisame: Magic Specialist and second-best youkai hunter in Gensokyo. How may I help you?" Marisa asked Richard.
"I'm looking for some magic sealed away in this forest." Richard answered back. "Oh, and by the way, nice track you got there. I like it."
"Heh, thanks." Marisa stated. "Sealed magic, huh? That's a wide topic. Ya lookin' for avatars, modular magic, buried spell cards, or what?"
"I can't say for sure." Richard answered back, as Marisa looked at Richard with a smug look on her face. "Now, before you get any ideas, these are-"
"Let me guess~ Yukari gapped you into Gensokyo, and you're here to gain some sort of special power." Marisa stated with a drawn-out tone.
"Well, to correct that, I ended up here by some means that I don't know. Maybe it's Yukari, maybe it's not." Richard answered back. "And 'gain' is not exactly the right word. I think I call it 'returning' my powers to me."
"Huh, that's new." Marisa remarked. "But still, same old reason, same old dance. You Gappy Stus are a dime-a-dozen. I'm used to your kind now."
"Gappy Stus? That's a slur around these parts?" Richard asked, confused about the term.
"It's a nickname we give kids or people like you who get gapped in, even though you might not exactly be gapped in yourself. We call the girls Gappy Sues." Mokou explained. "And don't worry. It's no slur, it's just a perky nickname we use for light ribbing."
"Right…" Richard trailed off.
"Seriously, Mokou, have any of these guys read the guide before-" Marisa remarked, rolling her eyes.
"I have." Richard answered back. "It's pretty much the reason why I was able to designate where I was supposed to go. It's not that big, and I'm a fast learner. Still, although the guide gives me the basics, I doubt that's far more than enough to get a proper grasp of your characters. Biased views, you know?"
"Hm. Alright. Since you don't know the nature of your powers, we'll need to 'borrow' some supplies." Marisa stated.
"Well, go ahead." Richard answered back. "Take your time doing your stuff. I'm in no rush with Mokou beside me."
Marisa then entered back into her house, as Richard clicked his tongue.
"So, Mokou. What are the chances that Marisa might kick up a fuss with the Scarlet Devil Mansion?" Richard asked the phoenix-girl. "Because as much as I want to get my answer… I rather not end up in a Spell Card Duel out of the blue, while trying to ride with her."
"Well, I'm sure that she can handle it fine. And besides, she faced harder foes than the Scarlet Devil Mansion crew. You should be fine with her." Mokou assured Richard.
"If that's how you see it." Richard nodded back, before Marisa came out, holding her broomstick, and a book in her hand.
"All ready. So kid, what's your name and can you fly?" Marisa asked Richard with an eager tone.
"Just call me Richard." Richard answered back. "And no, I can't fly, so I'm afraid that I'll have to take a ride with you. So, Mokou. I suppose that this is the moment we part ways?"
"Yeah." Mokou nodded back.
"Well, you've been a good escort for me, and I would be happy to know you a bit more if I have the chance to see you again." Richard told Mokou with a happy tone. "I wouldn't want to get in your way of dishing revenge on Kaguya, would I? See you again."
"See ya." Mokou stated, before she then flew away, as Marisa set the broom on the ground, before making it hover, as Richard nuzzled himself behind Marisa, before it then took off hard, as Richard adjusted quickly to keep himself balanced, as the two of them took off into the air.
As they flew through the air, Richard noticed a certain pair of fairies below, as they seemed to be having fun with each other.
"...I must say, riding a broom like this is a sensation that I have never felt before." Richard commented, enjoying the scenery around him.
"Well, you better enjoy it, because it's a one-time trip for you." Marisa remarked. "So, hold on tight and keep your poking to a minimum."
"Poking?" Richard questioned, before Richard noticed that Marisa was leaning back slightly. "...Oh, I didn't think that you were this into me at first glance. Am I really that teasable?"
"What!?" Marisa exclaimed, as she was actually flustered by Richard's words, before she recovered. "I mean, it's okay if you think I'm cute, but let me concentrate on flying, okay?"
"Then let's just skip the teasing, please." Richard answered back. "I REALLY don't want my first impressions with whoever happens upon this scene to be a molester."
"Hahaha! You're a riot!" Marisa howled in laughter. "Alright, alright. I know that you're a bit prudish. But I suppose that you can be forgiven for that, since you want me to focus on flying."
Eventually, they reached the Scarlet Devil Mansion, as Meiling was lecturing a group of fairy maids, before she then noticed the both of them, as she flew into the air.
"Alright, witch! I've been training for weeks for this, and there's no way you're getting past me!" Meiling declared.
"Woah now, let's not get hostile here!" Richard tried to placate the situation. "Kirisame was just taking me here. I assume that this is a most unwelcome visit, is it?"
"Oh, not again…" Meiling hissed, dragging her face with a hand. "Sometimes, I think you bring these kids with you so you can break in and steal more of our books."
"Actually, I've come to make a return." Marisa declared proudly.
"So, you've got a kid, one of our books and you want to get into our mansion." Meiling declared, before she then took a stance. "Whatever it is you want, I'm not letting you in! You and the kid have ten seconds to fly away!"
"...Well, guess we tried." Richard shrugged. "I assume this is the part where you scorch the overworked gatekeeper?"
"Mhm, hold this." Marisa stated, before handing Richard the book in her hands, before pulling out the Hakkero, and then slotting a familiar spell card inside, as Meiling was building up a cyclone of rainbow danmaku.
"Taste the rainbow, motherfu-" Meiling started.
"MASTER SPAAARRRKKK!" Marisa cried, as her signature spell was fired, with a large beam of prismatic energy that hit Meiling, and disintegrated her on the spot, with nothing left.
"Huh, I thought that someone like her had more etiquette, to not blurt out such a thing." Richard remarked, genuinely surprised at Meiling's cry.
"Eh, what can you do? Let's go to the library." Marisa declared, before she then charged her Hakkero.
"Uh, do you really want to cause property damage in addition to-" Richard tried to persuade Marisa.
"Too late!" Marisa declared, before she then fired a beam right into the building wall, creating a large enough gap for them to fly into, entering the Voile library, as Richard saw that Patchouli and Flandre were sitting down, holding books in their hands, as the former, being the librarian of said library, noticed the intrusion, with great annoyance.
"And to think we just fixed that wall!" Patchouli growled, before she then flew up to the same level as Marisa. "Marisa!"
"Hey Patchy." Marisa answered back with a casual tone.
"Don't 'Hey Patchy' me! First you steal my only copy of the 'Codex Puteus', and then you break into -" Patchouli ranted.
"You mean, this 'Codex Puteus?" Marisa offered, holding out the book she was holding, as Patchouli's anger dissipated mostly from seeing the book, and taking it back into her own hands.
"Hmmm… you actually returned something for once." Patchouli answered back, her tone being one of approval. "Does this have anything to do with this boy here?"
Flandre then floated up to the other side of the broom, as she looked fairly excited.
"Hooray! Marisa brought me a new playmate!" Flandre exclaimed.
"Noononono! Little Flandre, he's not a new playmate!" Marisa pleaded, as Richard looked at Flandre for a moment, as his expression didn't budge.
"Hooray! Marisa brought me a snack!" Flandre exclaimed, her joy not fading at all, as Marisa bit her lip, as she slowly waddled towards Richard, sniffing him.
"Patchy, get Sakuya here, now!" Marisa exclaimed to Patchouli, as Richard merely let Flandre press herself to him.
"Sakuya, we have an emergency with Flandre in the library. Get her back to her room!" Patchouli said into a magical purple ball.
Flandre then grabbed Richard's shoulders, keeping him still, before she then opened her mouth, revealing the fangs in them.
"Bon appetit-" Flandre stated, before Richard placed a hand on her head, and patted it gently. "...Huh?"
"Aw, you're even cuter up close." Richard smiled. "Oh, darling, I'm not a snack. I can be your playmate, although I wouldn't want to play something… that might hurt me, no. But we can learn things together."
Flandre was stunned, as Richard was head-patting her gently, the sensation surprising her, as Marisa's jaw dropped, and Patchouli was left stunned as well.
Suddenly, there was a woosh of air, as Flandre disappeared, and Richard's hand touched thin air.
"Ah, well, I suppose that's that then." Richard remarked casually, before turning back to see both Marisa's and Patchouli's reactions. "What? You were expecting me to cower in fear?"
"You… You literally head-patted her…!" Marisa exclaimed. "...Wow, that's just daring, and I can't even call it suicidal, considering how you worded it. I think that we all need some tea for this."
"Only if you tell me who this boy is." Patchouli stated.
"Well, let's just say he's the 'smarter' Gappy Stu, who actually read the guides, understands most of it. And he's also looking for powers that he lost around here." Marisa summarized. "I'll need your grimoire for aura checks."
"And I guess he'll be paying the 'standard fee', then?" Patchouli asked.
"Yeah. Of course." Richard nodded.
"Uh, do you even know what she's going to ask-" Marisa asked Richard.
"It's blood. Always blood for her mistress." Richard answered back. "And I know for sure that you wouldn't ask me to pay a fee that would involve half of the blood in me for a simple aura check."
"...I think I see what you mean, Marisa." Patchouli stated, before Sakuya appeared before them.
"Flandre has been safely sent back with minimal structural damage." Sakuya reported to Patchouli.
"Thank you again, Sakuya." Patchouli thanked Sakuya.
"Hey Sakuya, mind fetching us some tea while we analyze Gappy here?" Marisa asked Sakuya.
"Yes. What would you like?" Sakuya asked.
"Earl Grey. Extra Caffeine, hotter than Hell." Marisa stated.
"The usual, with a cookie." Patchouli answered back.
"Hm, if I may make an order…" Richard asked. "...Is it possible that you have any jasmine tea extract? I heard that it's a good kind of tea that can help relax someone."
"Of course." Sakuya answered back, before she then disappeared.
"...Ah, time manipulation… It's a wondrous power, don't you think?" Richard asked Marisa and Patchouli.
"Of course. With it, she can do a lot of things in a short span of time, compared to those who would take far longer without said powers." Patchouli answered back. "You'll rarely see her as a result."
"Mm. After everything that I have seen… everyone's got a unique power to their own name." Richard stated. "And I think that my magic can help even the score a little… in case things get bad for me."
"Ah yes, we'll find the nature of your powers… or magic, as you call it," Patchouli stated. "If you would follow me."
The three of them went down to the ground, as Richard was instructed to lie down, as their orders were given to them by Sakuya, who didn't even appear this time, as Marisa and Patchouli began to perform the process.
"Then it's 57 millimeters of anylitium. If your reactor grows hot, it means it's working." Patchouli declared, reading through her grimoire.
As Marisa began to pour reagents into her Hakkero, as a makeshift cauldron and mixer, Richard listened to Patchouli drone on with the steps to the process, as Richard found it amusing.
"She's smoking!" Marisa exclaimed, as the Hakkero was emitting a gentle white vapor from its core.
"Hurry and fire it at him, before it cools down!" Patchouli ordered.
"Now, hold perfectly still, or this won't work." Marisa stated. "It's going to hurt like hell for a minute, but that means it's working. I hope your body is ready."
"Did you really have to make that innuendo-" Richard was about to argue, before Marisa fired a purple blast into Richard, as it created a massive shock in his body, as he grit his teeth and held his body still, despite its attempts to convulse.
Eventually, a blue orb floated out of Richard's chest, as Patchouli noticed it.
"You can move now." Patchouli stated, as Richard let out a sigh, sat up, and then took the still warm cup of jasmine tea and gulped it down in a single breath. As soon as the jasmine kicked in to help soothe his body and mind, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Alright, now let's have a looksie here…" Marisa stated, before she then examined Richard's lost powers through the orb, as her expression shifted a few times between intrigue, shock, amazement, and concern. "Oh… Oh my. Patchy, you might want to see this."
Patchouli then looked into the orb, as she found that there was a magical array of eight elements, the standard Wu Xing Elements: Fire, Earth, Wood, Metal, and Water, the Sun and Moon Elements, and the Star Element, all represented in red, brown, green, gold, blue, bright yellow, purple, silver. The sight of it shocked her deeply, considering that all elements, save for the Star Element, were part of her repertoire, and what she felt additionally, as a feeling that she couldn't directly describe, but could word it figuratively, also made her concerned.
"...This can't be possible…" Patchouli remarked, before turning to Richard. "You can't be someone gapped here by accident, or even on purpose. No-one should have powers like yours."
"What did you see?" Richard asked.
"You possess Week Magic. Not only that, but you have an additional element that I didn't expect." Patchouli answered back. "Much like Marisa Kirisame, you possess Star-Element Magic, which means that you truly cover all elemental aspects of this realm. But why? I learned this magic through more than a century of magic studies. How are you able to wield such power!?"
Richard digested the question, as he knew that it was his own Patchouli that taught him this magic, and his time outside Gensokyo tempered it with the skill of a proper savant. He then took a deep breath.
"...I had a good teacher who taught me the basics." Richard answered back. "...She taught me this kind of magic for me, and she too, like you, was a master of Week Magic. As for the Star Element? It's a natural affinity, and something that I had to do a lot of self study for, because my mentor didn't know as much about that area of magic as she did with the others. I'm not a master of magic like you, Patchouli Knowledge. I still have much to learn about the ways of Week Magic. I am merely what you call a magician barely reaching the adept rank."
"I… I see." Patchouli answered back. "But that's not the only thing I felt from you. You most certainly possess a human heart, tainted by sin, forged by virtue. But what worries me is the fact that you hold an immense amount of guilt bound to your very soul, and your remorse is so choking that you are the opposite of the typical Gappy Stu: They almost lack remorse, while you excessively show remorse. I… I don't know what to make of this."
"Well, someone like him would make a brilliant incident resolver, with that kind of bleeding heart." Marisa commented. "Hell, you make Celestials seem like total utter jerks, which they should be."
"And what do we do now?" Richard asked.
"Pay us." Marisa and Patchouli stated.
"Alright, I know how I'm going to pay you, Patchouli… but what about Marisa?" Richard asked again.
"I'll take this reflection of your inner being. I could learn a few things from it." Marisa stated.
"Sakuya, take this man to Miss Scarlet for 'payment'." Patchouli told Sakuya through the communication orb.
"Actually, you should call me by name. And it's Richard-" Richard said, before he suddenly teleported right to the balcony of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, as he caught sight of Mamizou flying away, and Remilia looking fairly displeased. "...Oh, I guess I didn't finish it fast enough."
"She heard it in time." Sakuya stated. "...Odd, you should be feeling the side effects of light-speed travel right now."
"I'm used to it." Richard answered back, as Sakuya raised an eyebrow out of intrigue.
"Well well, it's another outsider. You're not Japanese, and you're not used to magic, so you must know the gap lady." Remilia greeted Richard.
"Got me there, not quite, and met her recently." Richard answered back quickly. "Anyways, I think that you should take your payment from me. I promise that I won't flinch."
"We can get to that later." Remilia stated, hopping off her chair. "Please, follow me. Sakuya, get the umbrella."
"Right away." Sakuya stated, before she disappeared, and reappeared with Remilia's personal pink parasol, as the three of them walked out to the top of the mansion.
"So, my boy. What do you plan on doing once you get those powers of yours unsealed?" Remilia asked Richard.
"Well, just settle in, I guess." Richard stated. "I'll just find a job in the Human Village, meet some of the residents around here, and hope that a way back home opens soon enough."
"Now that's just boring." Remilia scoffed. "Don't you have a spirit for adventure?"
"...Well, as long as it doesn't result in a domino effect of bad consequences… I suppose that's alright." Richard answered back.
"Speaking of which, after you find your powers, how would you like to become a butler at my mansion?" Remilia offered. "Free meals and lodging are included, and you will have Miss Sakuya to keep you company. You know, she's from the Outside World, too, and I could really use more human servants, if you catch my drift."
"Sorry, but I must politely decline." Richard answered back, noticing Sakuya's blush when Remilia talked about them procreating in an indirect way. "I believe that would be a permanent arrangement, and considering that my stay is anything but permanent, even though it might be long term for the foreseeable future… I wouldn't want to tie myself down, otherwise it would be truly horrible for you, Miss Scarlet. If I could, we could still be in contact. I hope that I can visit here someday, I could help keep your sister company if she needs it."
"Kind of you, but no need for that." Remilia answered back. "Look, we don't normally allow anyone into our library except when that witch brings outsiders like you. In the event you or the witch attempt to run without paying me, I'll be forced to-"
"I'm not a wimp, Mistress." Richard stated, before he bared his neck towards Remilia. "Didn't I make it clear when I said that you can take it from me now?"
"Good boy." Remilia remarked, as Sakuya grew concerned, before Remilia bit into Richard's neck, as he endured the pain with a tranquil expression, before it was done, as Remlia wiped the blood off her mouth. "Huh, I gotta say, you're a rare one. You're tasty as a feast to me. My offer still stands. I'll even give you discounts on your blood payments if you do so."
"Huh, I thought you would be screaming and yelling at this point." Marisa remarked, as she landed on the rooftop herself. "All paid up, Richard?"
"You're next, witch! And I'm going for seconds!" Remilia remarked, as she walked over to Marisa in order to suck blood from her as well.
"Well, I had my blood taken out before. A vampire's bite is not much different." Richard stated, before rubbing his neck, on the bite marks. "But I'll be sore on the neck for a while, that's for sure."
"Ain't that a fact." Marisa chuckled, before Remilia dug into her neck. "Fine weather around here, eh Sakuya?"
"Quite right." Sakuya stated, before patching Richard's neck with a small bandage, and then doing the same for Marisa as soon as Remilia finished sucking her blood out.
As soon as the two were done, Marisa and Richard rode back towards the Magic Forest, as the two of them were fairly pleased with the results.
'Alrighty, all that's left to do is head back to the forest and look for a blue seal thingy." Marisa stated, before showing a hologram of the seal itself from the orb she extracted from Richard. "It should look like this, and the larger the seal, the more potent the powers."
"Hm, but I doubt that such a seal would be left unguarded. After all, everyone can see it plain as day." Richard answered back. "...Are you sure that you'll be enough to handle whatever comes? There's no telling if there are any notable residents who have an interest in this seal."
"Eh, I'm sure that we can handle it." Marisa answered back. "I didn't earn my title for nothing, Richard. I understand that right now, you're a human, at the bottom of the food chain in Gensokyo… but once you get your powers back… I'm sure that you'll be a top dog like me."
"And I won't have to hitch a ride on you again." Richard answered back. "But seriously, wouldn't it be safer to get some reliable help. You could get Reimu Hakurei to help-"
"You are not getting her help!" Marisa growled, her tone turning hostile. "Trust me. I know her more than the guide talks about her, and she absolutely hates Gappys like you. If she had to, she'd probably kill you if it meant resolving an incident. And since I know that you didn't leave on Yukari's accord… let me put it this way: Reimu is the only human, let alone the only being in this universe, to have actually survived a fight with Yukari."
"Barring you and Sakuya?" Richard asked.
"What do you mean?" Marisa asked, tilting her head.
"...Nevermind. Must be making strange conclusions…" Richard stated. "Anyways, if that's the case. I'll take your word for it. But we still need help."
"Alright, fine, I know a friend who can help with anyone who might threaten us." Marisa declared. "But let's see all about this seal first, shall we?"
They soon flew over the forest, before they could see that the seal itself on the ground, as it spanned the entire clearing that it was under, as they decided to land nearby, to hide behind a tree, as they could see the countless fairies, which were all dressed in a black and red attire, with discipline that is unnatural for fairies, and Komazhi Onozuka, who was lazing away on the ground nearby.
"Hey, wake me if you guys see anything." Komachi told one of the fairies.
"Yes, Lady Komachi." The fairy answered back.
"Thank you." Komachi said, before she then closed her eyes.
"...If I may speak freely, I feel like guarding this seal is a waste of time, ma'am." The fairy stated. "The Ministry has the utmost confidence that the only soul who can break this seal is-"
"The Ministry seems to have forgotten a certain border demon who can warp in anyone from anywhere." Komachi casually answered back. "Just keep your watch and-"
Before Komachi could continue, Nazrin walked into the scene, as the mouse youkai was intrigued by the seal itself.
"Ooh! That's quite the seal there. I wonder what's in-" Nazrin stated, before Komachi's eyes snapped open, and she lifted herself up onto her feet, and brandished her scythe.
"Step one nanometer closer to that seal and I'll rip out your skull and feed it to you!" Komachi threatened with a murderous tone.
"EEEEEEKKKK!" Nazrin screamed in terror, as she ran the way she came, before Komachi then returned to her spot and lied down, as if nothing happened.
"Like I said, wake me up if you see anything." Komachi stated, before dozing off.
"Okay, that's a very huge seal, and that shows you really had some power. No wonder the Ministry's guarding such a honkin' huge thing." Marisa remarked with awe at the sight.
"And it's the leading Shinigami herself protecting the seal. And she's not going to budge about it." Richard answered back, referring to Komachi. "So then, Marisa, still think my concern is unproven? I know what the Ministry of Right and Wrong do. It's literally detailed well in the guides. My sealed powers are a threat strong enough to shake the very foundation of Gensokyo, or more specifically to their area of duties, really throw a wrench into the reincarnation cycle's balance, and that's bad overall. But I'm going to take a page from the guide itself, and say that you have no intention of backing away. After all, firepower's your hobby, ain't it?"
"You got that right!" Marisa declared.
"Just so you know, I'm not going to willy-nilly use my powers to smite everything against me. Unlike you, I'm not quite a fan of collateral damage. But I will arrange a time where I can show you the extent of my powers, outside any place where I could cause a lot of undue damage." Richard warned Marisa. "Other than that, I'm fine with it. So then, who's on your list of help?"
"I only need one." Marisa stated. "Come with me."
Marisa then took them right before Alice Margatroid's house, as Richard merely waited, while looking at the several sword-wielding dolls that Alice had placed to guard the entrance of the house, while Marisa knocked the door, waiting for a response, which came in the form of Alice wearing a casual blue dress, and having a dead-pan expression on her face.
"Good morning, Alice!" Marisa cheerfully greeted Alice.
"It's almost evening, Marisa." Alice answered back dryly.
"Well, if you stayed up all night testing your new dolls, wouldn't you consider this time as morning?" Marisa snarked back.
"It is currently 5:43pm… the sun will set in less than an hour and seventeen minutes. It is NOT morning." Alice grumbled back.
"Well, I know what ought to wake you up: How'd you like some target practice on live targets?" Marisa offered, as Alice's expression turned curious.
"What kind of live targets?" Alice questioned.
"The Ministry's fairies and-" Marisa started, as Alice's expression became interested.
"Dolls! Assemble!" Alice cried, before a horde of dolls appeared from the surrounding area, as a few of them moved over with pieces of Alice's clothing, dressing her up over her casual dress, before one of them handed her personal grimoire to her.
"Huh, I didn't think that you would react that strongly to the Ministry." Richard remarked. "You could fight an incident with that many dolls, Alice Margatroid."
"Not really. And as for the Ministry. Let's just say that I merely wish to teach that shinigami a lesson about going around causing trouble for all of us." Alice stated. "So what's the Ministry guarding today?"
"A seal that has this Gappy's powers sealed inside it." Marisa stated. "I know where it is."
Marisa, Alice and Richard returned back to where they saw the seal, as Komachi was still relaxing, even smoking through a smoking pipe itself, as one of the fairies actually whiffed the smoke, as the sensation caused them to fall down in ecstasy from whatever substance Komachi was smoking.
"Wow, you weren't kidding. This man must be really important." Alice stated.
"Well, he's a really powerful magician. But I suppose that he's a harmless Gappy, without his powers. A nice guy, in fact." Marisa answered back.
"Harmless without his powers? I doubt that, since he could survive by himself without any powers, even for such a short time." Alice stated.
"What was I supposed to do? Become youkai chow?" Richard asked back, offended by Alice's words.
"Apologies if you took that the wrong way. But I'm merely saying that you aren't ordinary." Alice answered back.
"Apology accepted. Sorry for taking offense." Richard quickly responded back. "I just… Well, I'm no spring chicken when it comes to surviving without powers. It's pretty much a necessity where I come from."
"Is that so?" Alice asked, intrigued about Richard's life.
"You know, it's not too late to go back to Lady Yukari." Chen stated, as everyone turned to her, as she was in one of the trees nearby. "She could just simply get you those powers. No fuss, no mess."
"Why is she so interested in having me back?" Richard asked back. "I thought that her shtick was for me to live on my own terms. I mean, yeah, I had a close call with Rumia. But that's all fine, because I managed to get some help in having my powers returned. After that's said and done, I won't have to worry about my life anymore."
"That's right. Piss off, Chen! I didn't take time out of my day just for him or us to give up right now." Marisa told Chen.
"Suit yourself, but I'll warn you first-hand, Richard. Your power is going to come with a price. A price that you can't just simply poof away with your abilities." Chen stated, before she then disappeared into the tree.
"If you're worried about getting hurt in the fighting… We'll protect you, and with the seal right over there… you should be fine." Alice answered back. "Just sprint for the seal, and try not to get hit in the spinal area."
"Because that's where the hit-box is?" Richard asked. "I heard that taking a hit there is like being shanked in a vital spot. Any danmaku hits there causes severe nervous feedback that overloads one's body."
"You should be fine. A normal human can take four hits before it gets fatal." Marisa assured Richard. "And I know for sure that you are much stronger than that."
"Alright, let's-" Richard remarked, before he then noticed that Komachi was preparing an attack. "...Oh fuck.'
Komachi then swung her scythe down, creating a barrage of bronze, silver and gold mon coins that spread out, as they hit several dolls, while Richard's reflexes acted fast, as he slid between the gaps in the bullet pattern, as some of them grazed him, and one hit him on the shoulder, although it only caused a brief pain.
"Huh, he dodged that." Komachi remarked with surprise. "Guess he's not a normal human after all. Anyways, next time you two, don't exposit your plans where I can hear them. And now, step away from the boy, so that I can take him-"
Marisa responded by firing a charged star projectile on Komachi, which knocked her down, giving Alice her chance to order her dolls forward,
"Pour it on them!" One of the fairies cried, before they fired a spreaded stream of bullets, although it did little to stem the tide of dolls, as they were destroyed in an explosion of blue and red boxes that were attracted into Alice, absorbing them.
Richard took this chance to run, as Marisa and Komachi were fighting against each other, as the latter tried to impale Richard through the chest with her scythe, only for Richard to side-step it, and open herself for a broom bash from Marisa, which sent her back.
"Witch, do you know what you're dealing with?" Komachi growled, getting up to her feet.
"Let me guess, this is the part in the trailer for this movie where you tell me, 'You're tampering with forces you don't understand!'." Marisa mocked. "You Ministry goons always spout that cliche nonsense."
"Except you do understand, and once this Gappy gains his powers, nothing can stop him." Komachi told Marisa with a grim tone.
"So? He ain't some tyrant. He's far too good to be causing trouble for all of us, And besides, I want to see his power myself." Marisa smirked. "And besides, I don't think that any of you can stop him, now that he's gained traction, and Alice has your trusted fairies occupied."
"Wait! Don't do this!" Komachi tried to plead with Richard, before being hit by a narrow beam that downed her. "Alright, fine. If that's how you want to play it, I'm not going to hold back! Nautical Sign 'Flow of the River'!"
Komachi then summoned a wooden rowboat, before she then knocked Marisa away with a splash of waves, before sailing towards Richard, as Alice's dolls tried to run interception, while Alice tried to use her danmaku to stop the Spell Card in progress, only to be knocked down by the attack.
Richard broke into a sprint, as Komachi raised her scythe to cut down Richard, only for him to dive right onto the seal, as he disappeared in a flash of blue light, while Komachi's scythe hit thin air, as the boat and water disappeared.
"Everyone, hold the seal! Who knows what will come out!" Komachi cried out to any subordinates she had.
"In case you haven't noticed, you're all that's left." Marisa stated, as Komachi looked around, as she was surrounded by Alice's dolls, with no ally in sight.
"R-Right. Listen, I have to ferry some ghosts to the Ministry, so I'll just be running away now." Komachi stated, as she was fearful of the odds against her.
Marisa and Alice stood over the seal, as Alice wiped the sweat off her brow.
"I'd say that was a successful test, and we've gotten Mr. Richard into the seal safe and sound." Alice stated. "Now I just have to write down my observations and performance notes and then-"
"You two are in a looot of trouble." Chen remarked, with a smug cat-like grin on her face, peeking out of the nearby tree.
"If this is about attacking the Ministry, they have plenty of backup plans. This is no big deal." Alice answered back.
"Nope. You just led a young man who has a lot of reasons to hate this world, the power he needs, before he can see the good in it." Chen remarked, which shocked Marisa and Alice.
"What… What did you say?" Marisa exclaimed, before she then shook her head. "No, you're bluffing. He understands the norms of Gensokyo, and he is doing his best to be good with everyone. There's no way he would turn that power towards destruction."
"I must agree with Marisa. His words indicate that he spent a long time forging his own temperament." Alice stated. "And I can tell that from those words leaving his mouth. Just leave before I'm forced to test my dolls on you too."
"Okay, fine. Time for Plan B… Lady Ran, clear the area." Chen stated.
Suddenly, a massive burst of green and yellow ring bullets devastated the entire area, downing both Marisa and Alice, and destroying every single doll in the area, as Ran, the kitsune, made herself shown.
"Brute force, is there anything you can't solve?" Chen remarked with a smug tone.
Inside the seal itself, Richard landed right down on the ground, as he slowly got up, and looked around, as there was an empty white void around, as the seal was behind him, floating above the air, as if it was waiting for something.
Richard began to explore the realm of the seal for a while, before he then found his lost powers, in the form of a floating orb of energy that had wisps of magical color orbiting around it, as Richard literally could feel that they were indeed his powers. He then touched it, as a swelling feeling began to pulse across Richard's entire body, as the orb was absorbed visibly into Richard, in the form of pulses of energy washing over Richard.
As soon as the absorption was done, Richard flexed his hand, before creating a floating fire-ball above his hand, which he quickly dispelled, and casted several other elemental forms of projectiles, finding that his powers have returned to him as they were before he even lost them.
"Ah, never thought that getting my powers back would be so… liberating." Richard answered back, opening and closing his hands a few times to get the familiar feeling of his original strength back into gear for him, as if being out of power made him feel out-of-touch with his own powers. "But I suppose that's the big problem scratched off."
"Oh, if only, Richard. If only." Echo's voice remarked, before Richard then whirled around, and saw that Echo was floating in the air in a lounging position, and holding a cup of hot tea in one of his hands. "You really think that having your powers back is going to help things along? No, no, no. This isn't a problem that you can just swipe away with your wits and power this time."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Richard growled, walking up to Echo with an angered expression. "You're part of the reason that I ended up in this place, weren't you? I swear that if it wasn't for the fact that I don't know how you ended up in the seal in the first place… I would have not wasted a second in firing back at you. But I know that if you're here, you have something planned."
"You're right about me taking some responsibility for why you're here. But believe me, I have no intention to cause problems. No, I think that I can well enough trust this world to do its job in taking you down." Echo smirked. "After all, Milk and Soline ended up dying, because you tried to play the hero, and ended up making a few deaths that could have been easily-"
"Don't you go there. Their deaths are my fault, but I won't let you use it as a wedge into my heart to make me break down." Richard snarled back. "Whatever plan you have in mind, I won't let it happen. This place will be under my protection, from the likes of you and whatever you bring before me."
"Wow, jumping to conclusions much? Echo stated, rolling his eyes in a sarcastic manner. "I mean what I said when I'm going hands-off with this entire thing. In fact, at the same time, Cataclysm decided to do the same thing, but we work with different strokes. How different? That would be telling, wouldn't it?"
"You…!" Richard growled, before he then sucked in air through his teeth to calm down. "So the only point of you being here is to tell me that you got me tossed in this Gensokyo, and that you're saying that I'm going to have a real bad time here, isn't it? That's not happening, and I will make sure that doesn't happen. No-one will ruin the peace here, no matter who comes to Gensokyo."
"Comes to Gensokyo…" Echo remarked, before clicking his tongue, and wagging a finger. "Oh, Richard. Richard. You assume that the threat to Gensokyo is external. I really thought that you're smarter than that. Did you forget that every society has its bad apples? I'll give you this piece of advice, since I'm feeling generous, and I know that this will end up with you agonizing over it: You should be careful that your bleeding heart ends up drowning out your cynical yet smart mindset of yours. You never know whether you're helping a potential enemy with your acts of kindness."
"...I don't believe that for a second." Richard growled, before he then walked towards the seal. "The people that I have met are a little rough around the edges, but they are not truly malicious. No-one truly is. After all, they have shown no difference to the individuals I know. So I won't buy into your fear-mongering game. I will survive long enough here for me to make a return. And if there is really a problem here, I can solve it first, and then leave. I have the time and effort to do both sides."
"Suit yourself. Ain't my life on the line here." Echo shrugged, before Richard then went through the seal.
As Richard came out of it, he then noticed that there was a significant lacking of either Marisa or Alice in the area, as he began to look around.
"Marisa? Alice? Are you both alright? I've been-" Richard said, before he then came face to face with Ran and Chen, with Marisa and Alice bound in white wraps, which covered their entire bodies, their eyes and mouth "...Oh."
"Mr. Liu. As surprised as we are that you somehow survived as long as you did, you are to come back to-" Ran started, trying to be respectful, although all it did was make Richard narrow his eyes.
"...Why are Marisa and Alice bound?" Richard asked firmly.
"That doesn't matter now. Mistress Yukari wants you back." Ran stated, as her tone became less pleasant.
"Then if that doesn't matter, why are they bound then?" Richard answered back. "You're not giving me a good image here, Ran Yakumo. I'm starting to feel like you and Yukari are plotting something."
"They got in our way, and they were detained as a result." Ran bluntly declared, as her patience wore thin. "Now, will you stop this incessant questioning, and come back to see Mistress Yukari?"
"And if I refuse?" Richard asked firmly back.
"You don't have a choice." Ran responded back firmly, as her eyes narrowed, as she let her claws spring from her hands. "If you will not listen, I will drag you back there myself, bloodied or intact. I might even have to leave you on a thread of your life if you're feeling truly defiant. So make this easy and come along."
"That's words that I will not take lightly." Richard growled back. "You know, when it is written that your mistress is a master manipulator, I'm sorry if you find it offensive that I just want some time away from her. After all, if she really is that smart, she'll know that I'll come back to her eventually. Her trying to drag me back here this instant does not play well for me. It's as if you want to use me for something nefarious."
"My mistress only wishes for the best of Gensokyo, and that in technicality includes you." Ran simply answered back. "She knows that you are potentially going to cause havoc in Gensokyo with your powers.
"Right… and I'm Ryujin in the flesh." Richard scoffed. "I think it's the other way around. You WANT me to cause havoc, and if I stay under you all, that is what is going to happen. After all, I always had this feeling that I simply cannot trust Yukari at anything less than an arm's length. And besides, what havoc have I caused? Rumia came to me on her own volition, and I barely came through with severe injuries. After that, I merely sought my powers, and claimed them using Marisa and Alice as distractions. And good thing? No-one was truly hurt. And by the laws of this land: Fairies don't count, because they could care less and their lives are recycled by the land itself. And what's more, I was just going to do some sightseeing. Nothing more. I only secured this powers as a means to defend myself if I must, not to be abused like a conqueror. So if you would excuse me and release both Marisa and Alice, who don't deserve this treatment, and let me be on my way."
"Damn… Yukari really fished a clever one here." Chen winced. "We might not actually have as much agency with him as we once-"
"Be quiet, Chen." Ran scolded Chen, before looking at Richard with a steely gaze. "So, that's your final answer. You will not come along peacefully then?"
"If you want a fight, then I won't shy away from it." Richard growled, as he immediately charged his magic up within. "I've been through enough shit as it is before I even came here, and I don't need any of this scheming crap on my plate right now. So I don't care if you're one of the most powerful residents as a shikigami of the Gensokyo Sage, I'm not budging. I will be doing things on my own terms, whether you, your shikigami, or your mistress wants it or not."
"Very well." Ran spoke with a finality that caused Chen to be shocked. "Then allow me to show you the depth of your mistakes for such arrogance."
"I challenge you to a Spell-Card Duel, Ran Yaku-" Richard remarked, before Ran then rushed forward, trying to claw Richard, which the magician noticed, immediately dodging the attack. "What the hell!? You… You're not even going to go for a Spell-Card Duel!? Is that how desperate you're trying to get me!?"
"I told you. Even if you're a bloodied mess by the time I beat you, you will be sent to Mistress Yukari." Ran growled back, as Chen quickly backed away, sensing that things are able to get hot.
"Well then, I suppose that the rules don't apply to you then." Richard growled. "Fine, a no-holds barred duel then. Don't think that any of this gives you more than an advantage than you already have at the moment."
The two of them immediately leapt into the skies, as Ran began to fire circular bursts of purple and pink kunais, which began to spray all over the skies, as Richard was forced to dodge them, as he fired missiles of magic with his power, aiming to hit Ran with direct hits, although she too was dodging them, with both sides avoiding each other's attacks.
"...You are far more experienced than I expected." Ran noted, seeing how Richard was weaving through her attacks with minimal damage.
"You think that this was the only battle I had with a superior opponent?" Richard remarked. "I told you, you don't get to push me around when I'm already this far up with bullshit."
"Then I suppose that I should take this up a notch. Shikigami 'Senko Thoughtful Meditation'." Ran remarked, before firing giant purple orbs that exploded into massive spreads of yellow and green bullets, that forced Richard temporarily on the defense.
As Richard tried to weave the attacks, one of the bullets grazed his cheek, causing him to lose his concentration momentarily, leading to hit getting hit by several more.
"Son of a…!" Richard cursed, before he then pulled out a Spell Card of his own. "Well then, let me give you a Spell Card in return to your own! Declare Spell Card: Fire Sign 'Phoenix Trail'!"
Richard then began fire several orbs of fire that began to shoot in various directions around Ran, as they left behind a mass of fiery red fireballs that began to shoot off in various directions, surprising Ran, as she got hit by several of them, as they singed her robes, and even managed to burn some of her own skin and fur.
The two spell-cards immediately ran their courses, as Richard's ended a little sooner than Ran's, with both sides fairly damaged from the attacks. They glared at each other for a moment, before they went for their next spell-cards.
"Shiki Brilliance 'Kitsune-Tanuki Youkai Laser'/Declare Spell Card: Sun-Fire Sign 'Corona Seekers'!" They both declared, as the entire sky was lit with red and blue lasers that fired off randomly, with sprays of red and blue circular danmaku from Ran's side, and curved rays of orange sun-like energy that arced around the battlefield like returning projectiles of some sort, as rings of fiery orange fireballs flew outwards.
As the two of them began to dodge their incoming attacks, Chen couldn't help but be captivated by what she was seeing, as Richard was holding his own against her master, as they were fighting on equal strength, even if Richard himself seemed to be of weaker physique.
"Damn… who did Mistress Yukari bring into here…?" Chen muttered.
Richard began to jerk around, trying to avoid the rays of light that were targetted him, and the following burst of danmaku that followed between each wave of lasers. He almost got hit by one of the lasers going for his head, which caused him to reflexively duck his head, limiting his vision for barely a second, long enough for Ran to take opportunity of.
"Now!" Ran thought, before she then fired a direct burst of danmaku right at Richard, who barely noticed the blast coming, although he couldn't react fast enough to dodge it, but instead aimed for an exchange, as a massive spread of sun rays shot around Ran's location at alarming speeds compared to the rest, as both attacks landed on each other, with a mighty explosion on Ran, and the blast of danmaku hit Richard fully, sending him hurtling through the air, as immense pain shot up his body, causing him to cry out.
As Richard tried to right himself, clutching his own shoulder, as it was the most wounded part of his body, taking most of the blast earlier, as the rest of his body wasn't spared, as there were scorch marks where the rest landed direct hits, as they were also hurting like as if they were bruised heavily.
At the same time, the light of the explosion on Ran faded away, revealing that the kitsune was fairly damaged, from her appearance, although Richard knew internally that such an attack only at most slightly injured Ran.
"Where did you get that kind of power from…?" Ran asked, pausing the battle for a moment. "...That kind of magic, you may not be truly a master of elemental magic as Patchouli Knowledge is… but you supplement it with raw force…"
"That's none of your damn business." Richard responded back coldly.
"If you stop this now, I will tell Yukari that the first priority is for you to be sent back where you came from." Ran stated. "...Your power, it is far stronger than I initially believed. Now I understand why the mistress was so intent on keeping an eye on you…"
"I'm not going back." Richard denied firmly. "Not on your terms or Yukari's terms. The fact that you actually are going through with your damn threat is proving to me that trusting a sly kitsune like you will do nothing good. You can stop this yourself, or we can keep fighting. After all, don't act like you're unfazed by all of this. It's not as damaging as I expected, but I can outlast you. That's a fact that I can tell."
"Then I suppose that niceties are over then." Ran answered back.
"Yes. Yes, they are. If you're willing to use the intent to kill to bloody me so badly, then don't blame me for answering back with the same thing." Richard growled. "I was trying to beat you off with my last two spell-cards, but if you want to keep driving me into this damn corner, then I suppose that I'll have to turn it up a notch as well."
"Shikigami 'Chen'." Ran declared, as Chen immediately recognised the call of her mistress, as she rose up, and immediately curled into a ball, as energy began to charge into her, while Ran began to charge up herself.
"Declare Spell Card: Metal-Earth Sign 'Knights of the Round Table'!" Richard declared, as a spiraling barrage of metal blades began to fly out, as Richard pushed her magic further, in order to speed up the attack speed of his own spell-card.
"Woah, woah, WOAH!" Chen exclaimed, as she was forced to zig-zag through the pattern of swords, as the blades were powerful enough to damage her through the enchantment of Ran's spell-card, as she fired bursts of butterfly-shaped danmaku in blue and red in her surrounding area. "Didn't your mother tell you not to throw knives like those around!?"
Richard' merely narrowed his eyes, as Chen immediately gulped, as she noticed that Richard raised his hand, as a massive barrage of blades was locked right onto her, causing her to sprint like mad to avoid the constant stream of blades.
"That's right, keep him busy, Chen!" Ran exclaimed, as she fired rings of diamond-shaped danmaku one after the other, as she side-stepped most of the blades, although some were able to nip her fur and skin. "WIth his main offense directed elsewhere… I can put an end to this farce once and for all."
"H-Hey! He looks like he's going to kill me, I mean, really KILL me for what I just said!" Chen exclaimed with horror, before she rolled back to avoid several blades going for her two tails. "Wah! Watch the tails, you bastard!"
As Richard began to throw more and more blades, Richard began to feel the limits of his own spell-card reach its ordained limit, as he ended it to avoid more energy consumption, but not before throwing the stream of blades right at Ran, which managed to stab her several times, although not deep enough to bleed her heavily, only leaving a few shallow cuts.
"Is that… Is that all you got!?" Richard remarked. "If this keeps up, I will run you dry! And then this fight will be over, whether you like it or not!"
"You're right. I'm letting myself get sentimental over nothing. My gratitude for that." Ran remarked, before her eyes flashed. "In that case, I will not waste any more effort than I can. I know for sure that this will not kill you, if the others could only harm you this much. And that is a burden off my back. Illusion God 'Descent of Izuna Gongen'."
"Wait, what!?" Richard exclaimed, realizing that Ran immediately went for her own personal Arcanum, as Ran began to fire a massive spread of various projectiles at Richard in a never-ending wave of bullets, causing Richard to forgo any form of offense to focus entirely on dodging it. "Shit, shit, shit!"
As the first few phases of the spell-cards passed by, with each phase adding more and more bullet types to the onslaught coming his way, Richard found himself less and less able to avoid them all, as more and more bullets grazed him by, some outright hitting him, to the point that he was taking hits from everywhere. Eventually, he was too damaged by the waves, although Ran was at the limits of her own spell-cards, as it faded away, with Ran panting heavily.
The two of them were silent, as Richard slowly rose a hand to try and shoot at Ran, while Ran did the same, only for Chen to rush up, and hit Richard with a powerful bowling tackle right to the chest, cracking several ribs from the force of it, and sending him crashing to the ground.
"There. That should end it right?" Chen remarked, as Richard groaned heavily, writhing in pain, clutching his wounded chest. "...Damn, I really went a bit too far there."
"It was necessary." Ran remarked, as she slowly lowered herself to the ground, and walked towards Richard. "...It was a fairly hard battle you have given me, Richard Liu. No-one who has outright beaten me could push me this far. You would have made for a powerful resident here… but you can't win against us. Your own defeat was pre-determined from the moment that you tried to resist your own capture."
Richard's only response was to glare right at Ran, although he used his right hand, hidden behind his back to make one last desperate move, as a certain spell-card formed in his hands.
"Come on, if it'll make you feel better, I can kiss your boo-boos better." Chen teased, before she then realized how it sounded. "...Ugh, I hate myself for even trying to say that to you."
As Ran was about to pick Richard up, she suddenly saw that Richard placed both of his hands on Ran's abdomen, an action that caused Ran to hesitate.
"What are you doing?" Ran asked, only for Richard to mumble too weakly for it to be heard clearly. "You lost. Stop trying to resist. You're already badly hurt as it is trying to fight me. For everything that Mistress Yukari has planned, she would much rather have you in one piece rather than multiple."
Richard didn't even deem to answer that, as he continued to mumble some words, as Chen came closer, and looked at Richard.
"...Did that fall knock a piece of his head off or what?" Chen answered back. "He's just… mumbling, and trying to push against your abdomen for some reason."
Ran found that suspicious, as she decided to press her ear close to Richard's mouth, in order to hear what he was mumbling.
"Declare… Spell… Card…" Richard weakly wheezed, as Ran's eyes went wide upon hearing that.
"Ran-sama, look what is in his hand!" Chen exclaimed, seeing that there was a spell-card wedged under his hand. "He's going to-"
"Magic… Sign 'Magna Breaker'!" Richard heaved, before a narrow beam of light went through Ran's abdomen, as she felt a tickling sensation that caused her to be unable to move, as Chen rushed over to pry Richard's hands off Ran.
"Get off her!" Chen exclaimed, as she tried to tug it off, although Richard's own hands were too tightly gripped to budge.
Suddenly, a massive beam of rainbow energy erupted from Richard's hands, hitting both Chen and Ran from the size of it, sending them flying across the skies, disappearing into the layer of clouds, as the beam slowly died down, and Richard's arms flopped to the ground, as he wheezed painfully, before hacking up some blood.
"Damn it… Managed to barely… make that work…" Richard cursed, before he summoned a blade to use as a pole to slowly cause himself to stand back up. "...At least… this will keep them out of commission… for a moment…"
Richard then took several shuddering breaths to try and fight the pain, before he then slowly staggered over towards both Alice and Marisa, before cutting them free with two swings of his blade.
"Hurrrggghhh!" Marisa gasped, as she tore the bandages over her mouth and eyes. "Holy crap, Richard! Did you actually managed to defeat Ran and Chen together!?"
"I think that you should be more concerned about the state that he's in, Kirisame." Alice bluntly declared.
"But he just…! She's one of the most powerful beings in Gensokyo, barring the real powerhouses like Yukari, Yuuka and the Yama!" Marisa exclaimed. "And he just managed to beat them! Sure, it took a dirty trick to make it stick, but things were going 50-50 until Ran decided to outright smash his ass with her Arcanum!"
"Excuse me, magician bleeding out right here!" Richard exclaimed impatiently, which caused him to cough violently.
"Damn it… I don't know how much damage that 'Magna Breaker' did… but if it exterminated Yukari's shikigamis, you may want to-" Alice stated.
"NO." Richard spoke with vitriol strong enough to cause Marisa and Alice to be shocked. "I'm not going there until I'm both in tip-top shape, and I feel like that I can actually decide how I'm going to explain all of this to her. And if you force me to go to her, like Ran and Chen just did, I'd sooner die bleeding to death fighting, than letting her have the privilege of deciding how I get fixed!"
"Easy, easy! No-one is going to force you!" Marisa hastily stated, actually feeling threatened by Richard's anger.
"...Sorry, I just…" Richard said, as he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, before speaking again. "...I didn't mean to sound that abrasive. It's just… you try fighting to the point that you're about to keel over and likely die, trying to keep yourself in a situation that would make you wish you actually COULD die. Think about how I'm feeling at this damn moment."
"We do." Alice answered back, before offering Richard her shoulder. "...Rest yourself on my shoulder. I'll carry you back to my house, and get Marisa to whip up a restorative concoction to heal the worst of your wounds, and also let me find a way to tend to your wounds as well as I can. I may be a puppet-master, but I have some understanding of health treatment and first aid."
"...That'll be enough." Richard stated, as he leaned against Alice's shoulder, before growling in pain. "...Fuck, everything in my body hurts."
"There, there." Alice answered back. "We'll get you to safety."
"...About all of this…" Richard remarked, as they began to walk back to Alice's house. "I'm sorry that all of this escalated this far. If only I had any idea-"
"It ain't your fault." Marisa firmly stated. "Yukari had something planned with you. And I don't trust that gap any much more than I can with her current position. Just promise me that you won't stir up real trouble in Gensokyo, okay? Just… forget what I said about seeing you show your power to everyone. I would rather not let that kill you, considering that you're one of the most decent… outsiders I have met."
"I'm flattered. And thank you both for doing this for me. I owe you both for this and how you're going to treat me." Richard smiled back.
"You're welcome." Alice nodded.
They soon arrived at Alice's house, as Richard was laid upon a guest bed, as several dolls dressed in medical uniform began to apply medicine to help soothe Richard's pain, as well as offer him some foreign pain-killers to help with the pain, while Alice used her expertise to create a cotton chest-pad to help keep Richard's chest in comfort while his ribs were fractured, before applying it.
"...Do you feel much better now?" Alice asked, upon tying the last few straps to keep it secure.
"Much… it hurts less to breathe now." Richard answered back softly, trying not to breathe too heavily to aggravate his ribs. "I think that my lungs are bruised from Chen's blow. It's a good thing that nothing was ruptured, or I would be more than just hacking a glob of blood, and be short of breath."
"Damn it… why would they go this far to ignore the Spell Card Rules to bring you in?" Alice growled. "...They exist to prevent something like this from happening for civilized people like all of us, to differentiate us from the feral youkai."
"I guess rules only apply when people decide they matter." Richard bitterly chuckled.
"...Richard, could you tell me why you are so adamant on-" Alice tried to pry into the matter.
"No. Please, do not. I have open emotional scars that need healing." Richard swiftly answered back.
"Oh." Alice responded back with a disappointed expression. "...Just, I'll be there if you need anything from me."
"Thank you." Richard nodded back.
Richard gently rested, closing his eyes to sleep, in order to recuperate from his beating, as Alice had her dolls continue to tend to Richard's wounds, while she was able to tell from her treatment of Richard's chest that his ribs were fractured, but there were no loose pieces, only cracks from when she felt around Richard's chest, evident from his pained expression when she pressed certain areas of his chest while gently cushioning it.
"What could possibly be in that man's mind, to react so violently to being under someone's thumb…" Alice muttered, before she then heard the sound of her front door opening, as Marisa came back with a large potion bottle filled with green liquid. "Marisa."
"Yeah, here's the potion, Alice. It should help fix up most of his external wounds, and also patch up his organs if they were hurt badly." Marisa answered back. "...Mind if I stay here to speak with Richard?"
"...Okay." Alice stated, as there was some reluctance in her voice, before she then did so.
Alice walked towards Richard, who was still resting peacefully, before she then gently slapped Richard's cheek.
"Wake up. Marisa is here, with the potion that you need to take." Alice stated, as Richard squeezed his eyes tightly for a moment, before then waking up.
"Ungh… that was the most peaceful rest I had for a while." Richard complained slightly, before he then looked at Alice and Marisa. "Oh, hi Marisa."
"Hiya." Marisa nodded, before handing Richard the potion. "Here, take this. This will help with most of your injuries from your fight with Ran."
"Really?" Richard asked, before he then looked at it, before taking it down with a single gulp, and letting out a soft burp.
After a while, both Alice and Marisa watched as his external injuries slowly turned better, until the only signs left of his wound was minor bruising, as well as some notable scars where the bullets cut into his own skin, especially the one on his cheek.
Richard even felt the pain melt away, as he began to gingerly feel around his body to see if any of his major injuries lingered, although he noticed that his own ribs still feel painfully sore.
"Everything but the ribs are fixed up… You really brewed a panacea, didn't you, Marisa?" Richard remarked with respect.
"Thanks. I kept that kind of recipe handy whenever I had any humans that I needed to treat. Used this a few times. Worked like a charm each time." Marisa nodded.
"Am I the first-" Richard was about to ask.
"Yes, you're the first outsider I ever did this for." Marisa scoffed. "You're already becoming the record holder of several firsts for the outsiders category. But just to make this clear, although part of the reason you needed this is because I egged you on this, these ingredients don't come cheap. I'll ask a favor for you to help me find some ingredients for other stuff in the near future. You do that, and we're even, alright?"
"I doubt that I'll end up like this again for a long time." Richard remarked. "...But yes, you deserve that courtesy at least. If you want anything from me, just ask, and I'll do what I can."
"...Softie." Marisa chuckled.
"Although the potion healed a good part of your wounds, I still recommend getting a check-up at Eientei." Alice suggested to Richard. "Especially with those ribs of yours still not fully healed. The next hit you take there could possibly be more than just some cracks. In fact, you might have punctures from scattered bone fragments."
"I'm thankful for your concern… but I'm surprised that you are so concerned about me." Richard stated.
"Look, it's true. Gensokyo doesn't have a good history of outsiders, and we tend to give them a cold shoulder. But that's only because most of them are indecent… at the best. And some are just too naive. You're neither." Alice answered back. "Is it so wrong to treat someone decently these days?"
"My apologies, I didn't mean to question your generosity." Richard apologized quickly.
"It's fine… just, don't say such things in front of other people. The others might not be so patient to take those words in a polite manner." Alice answered back.
"Right, I feel like I'm mostly fine to go around. Not enough to go around picking fights… but that's not my intention in the slightest." Richard responded back, as he shuffled off the bed, taking a few steps to test if his body is in a state fit enough to be moving around. "...I hope we can see each other again in less unfortunate circumstances."
"I hope so. You're welcome to visit here on normal hours." Alice offered.
"And if you see me, just give a good hello or something." Marisa smiled.
Richard then took off, as he flew through the skies, looking for something to keep his mind off the recent occurrences, as he took a fairly high height in his flying, although he was limiting his own speed, in fear of aggravating his own body with reckless flying.