Next chapter done!

Enjoy!

Chapter 24: Harsh Death, Harsher Region

[BGM: Reminiscence – Dragon Quest VIII]

Immediately after we laid down Marisa on a bed at the inn and hung her hat on the bedhead, we decided to gather around and look after her, with me, Reimu, Alice and Trode sitting by her side on wooden stools.

Eventually, Reisen showed up at the doorway after she had left to get something. "Is she awake yet?" she asked, and we all solemnly shook our heads 'no' in response. "I see…" she frowned and went inside to join us while holding a small bag. "I brought some medicine, just in case."

"Marisa… Please, wake up…" Reimu whispered.

"Give it some time, Reimu." I said, gently patting her shoulder. "I'm sure she'll wake up soon."

"Uh… Ugh…" just then, we heard Marisa groaning as we looked down to see her starting to stir awake.

"Ah! She's finally coming too…" Trode awed.

"Marisa! You're awake!" Reimu beamed, leaning in closer to her.

"R-Reimu…?" Marisa partially opened her eyes, which were back to being yellow, to look up at her and looked at the rest of us. "King Trode… Alice… Eight… everyone… What…? What happened? I feel like I've just woken up from a really long dream…"

"Don't you remember?" Youmu asked. "You disappeared the day after we defeated Dhoulmagus."

Hearing this, Marisa quickly sat up while opening her eyes fully. "…Yes! I do remember… But wasn't that all a dream? I was being controlled by a hideous magical force… Just like Dhoulmagus was." our eyes widened at that information, but we let her go on. "It was this huge, terrible, evil, magical…being… The Lord of Darkness…Rhapthorne!"

[BGM End]

…

…

…Did she just say…Rhapthorne!? The same name I heard from her back when she was supposedly being controlled by said being!? So that might explain why there was a second voice speaking with her… Wait a second. Does this mean that…Dhoulmagus was also being controlled by Rhapthorne all along too?

As the gears kept on turning in my head, Marisa was speaking frantically, "But I've also found some things out! Listen, I've got so much to tell you all…"

"There's no need to rush, Marisa." Alice said. "Just take your time, and start at the beginning." Marisa nodded in response, and we all stood quiet to listen to her attentively.

[BGM: HADES – Touhou LostWord]

"Rhapthorne was ordering me to do things. He told me to seek out and destroy the heirs of the seven sages so his seal would be broken. Rhapthorne once terrorized this world, and it was the seven sages who managed to seal away his soul. They didn't have the power to destroy him completely, but they shut his soul away in the scepter and sealed it with their mystical blood. Rhapthorne's curse seeks to destroy those sages' heirs…"

"So then Master Rylus, my brother Alistair, Abbot Francisco and Mr. Golding…" Jessica cited, with eyes wide in realization as the rest of us also had the same reaction.

Marisa nodded. "Everyone who's been killed by Dhoulmagus, who was Rhapthorne's previous vessel, has been an heir of one of the seven sages."

"No way…"

"Hm… The plot thickens!" Trode remarked. "Do you mean to say that the reason Medea and I haven't been turned back to normal is also to do with this Rhapthorne fellow?"

"I don't know…" Marisa shook her head. "But there are only three heirs left. David, and two others. If the heirs of all seven sages are wiped out, Rhapthorne's seal will be broken and he'll escape from the scept-…"

[BGM End]

Marisa suddenly cut herself off as her eyes widened. "That's it! The scepter!" she looked around at us. "Where is it? Where's the scepter!?"

At this very moment, almost the entire room went tense as we all sans Trode exchanged troubled glances. We had been so worried with Marisa, combined with how tired we were after her battle, that we completely forgot about the scepter. Ah, shoot… we might have screwed up really badly, I realized…

"You mean the royal treasure?" Trode asked. "Come to think of it, I don't know. I lost sight of it in all of the hullabaloo."

[BGM: HORAKHTY – Touhou LostWord]

Now it was Marisa's turn to look tense and troubled. "Oh… Oh no… This is bad!" she panicked. "David's in danger! Whoever picks up the scepter will fall under Rhapthorne's control!"

"Then… If anyone in town manages to get their hands on the scepter, David is surely going to be killed by them!" I realized as I stood up from my seat, and Reimu, Alice and Trode followed suit. "Come on, everyone! We have to find the scepter and save David before it's too late!"

"Right!" everyone nodded and we dashed out of the inn, running as fast as we could over to Dominico's mansion. As we ran, I was hoping in the bottom of my heart that we'll be able to actually stop a murder this time, after failing to do so two times before.

Little did I know… that I would be eating those words soon enough. Because as we were approaching the stairs leading up to the mansion…

"Aaaaah!" a woman's scream came, and we looked up to see the middle-aged woman coming down the stairs in distress. "Someone help! Come quickly! I-It's David!"

And nigh immediately, dread overcame all of us. Were we too late!? Again!?

"What happened?" I asked as we ran over to the woman.

"J-Just head upstairs and see it for yourselves!"

We did it so, and we met up with the blonde woman looking over at the courtyard in shock and horror. She noticed us and pointed over to it, while whimpering, "It's L-Leopold! H-He's got David with the scepter!"

[BGM End]

"URRRGH!" and then there was a scream of agony…belonging to David. We all looked to our left, and…

[BGM: Stalked by Fear – Dragon Quest VIII]

We reacted with just as much shock and horror as the blonde woman did at the sight ahead. There was David, lying motionless on the ground, with Leopold at his side looking down at him…while he had the scepter in his mouth.

"Look! There's the scepter!" Aya pointed as the scepter began to glow purple.

"And Dominico's dog has gotten it!?" Reimu questioned. "Is Rhapthorne even able to control a dog!?"

"It seems that the vessel Rhapthorne can occupy doesn't have to be human, as long as it is a living one." Alice stated.

Leopold, now possessed by Rhapthorne, looked up at us with a menacing stare. "Now there are only two left…" that same second voice, now knowing that it belonged to Rhapthorne, echoed from Leopold. Brrr… just hearing that voice was enough to send a chill down my spine. "You will interfere no more…" and with that, he jumped around from building to building with incredible agility until we lost sight of him.

[BGM End]

But now we didn't have time to worry about that; we have to check on David!

"David!" Reisen exclaimed as we all knelt down around him.

[BGM: With Sadness in Heart – Dragon Quest XI S]

"P-Please…" David groaned weakly, drawing his last breaths. "Go after…S-Sir Leopold… H-He's… He's the only one who makes…Master Dominico…happy… Without…Sir Leo…pold, Master…Dominico would…" he struggled to lift his arm up. "…would…be so…u-unhappy… Ma…ster…" that was his final breath, and he literally dropped dead on us.

"No…" was all I could muster over the deep sorrow I and the others felt. For the third time, we were too late to stop another murder. Only now that we all knew the real reason behind it, this one left a much bigger impact on us this time.

"W-What's happened?" suddenly, Dominico's voice came from behind us as we looked back to see him walking over and looking down at David. "David? Esteemed heir to the great sage Kupas?" in a rare occasion, his face showed grief and anguish. "…Why has it taken me so long to realize? I… I couldn't protect you… All the magic that has been in my family for generations… My ancestors brought me and Kupas's heir together for a reason, but I…I… No! Just thinking about it is too painful! It's unbearable!" he then collapses to the ground on his knees and starts to sob.

Later, we all met up with Dominico in his room. "I must apologize if I worried you." he spoke, still looking saddened while also showing hints of regret. "It hit me the moment I saw poor David's body. Now everything is clear. It appears I was put on this world as part of a grander design, to fulfill my family's destiny. That is, protecting the heir of one of the great sages. Protecting David. This has always been my duty."

"But then as generations passed, your family has ended up forgetting it, right?" Remilia guessed. "I did once hear from Pache about how important information recorded by humans can end up being forgotten through time, and that this information can end up being distorted and become something that's either partially the truth or completely false from the original. If I'm not mistaken, that's how most legends and myths are formed."

"That is correct. Somewhere along the way my ancestors let the power go to their heads. We lost sight of our true purpose." Dominico sighed. "…If only I'd realized all this sooner, I could have prevented this tragedy."

"I don't think it would've made any difference whatsoever." Alice spoke while shaking her head.

"Alice! Don't be rude!" Youmu exclaimed.

"…Actually, she's right." I said as everyone sans Alice looked at me in surprise. "While Marisa was being controlled by Rhapthorne, I recall her…or rather, him, saying that he could tell from the start that David was the heir despite Dominico possessing the sage's magic."

"Oh yeah, I remember now!" Yangus perked up. "He even said somefin' about the scepter bein' all-knowin' or wotever…"

"Hmm, I think I understand now…" Angelo mused. "Kupas probably thought he could fool Rhapthorne by conferring his powers over to one of Dominico's ancestors, which might be why he entrusted them to protect him and later on his descendants."

"But unfortunately, as we all saw, Rhapthorne wasn't fooled by it." I finished, then I looked at Dominico. "So even if you knew your purpose, Dominico, Kupas's plan would've failed either way."

"Exactly." Alice nodded. "That means David was already doomed to die the moment Rhapthorne returned to this world… Sadly."

"I see…" Dominico lamented. "I ordered my servants to bury David as the heir to a great sage should be buried, but…" he went silent for a bit, a look of guilt clearly shown on his face. "…Nothing can put right the wrong I have done! I am not fit to show my face in public… Will you do me one more favor?"

I still could not get over the fact that Dominico went from being a boastful and arrogant magician with perhaps one of the biggest egos imaginable to a guilt-ridden man with a low self-esteem. It was just so jarring, and I think my party was also feeling the same. But the way he had asked us with perhaps the most genuine pleading look… Despite how much he was dismissive of us previously, I just couldn't turn him down this time; that would be the equivalent of adding more salt to his recent open wound.

"We will." I answered.

Dominico just gave a small nod in response before saying, "I know it was my Leopold who ended David's life. It pains me to have to ask you, but… Will you destroy him for me? Will you avenge the spilt blood of the sages?"

That request caught us by surprise, since it was something that Dominico would never say. After all, David himself even said that Leopold is the only one that makes Dominico happy. "Are you sure you're okay with that?" Reisen asked. "You're pretty much asking us to end your only source of happiness…"

Dominico nodded, albeit solemnly. "That creature isn't my Leopold any more. He's being controlled by this Rhapthorne now."

"But… there's no need to do that!" Reimu exclaimed. "All we have to do is get the scepter out of his hold and he'll be back to normal, just like what happened with Marisa! Killing him would be pointless!"

But Dominico shook his head. "No, I implore you to do it. Because if I do see his normal self again, it would only remind me of how much of a failure I was in my duty. I know this won't make amends for my unforgivable ignorance, but it's all I can do now…"

"Dominico…" I whispered.

"And I owe you something too. For all the trouble I have caused you…" he looks at each of us, until his eyes fell upon Jessica. "Ah, yes… I see that this girl has yet to unlock her true potential. Allow me to awaken the dormant powers within you!"

Dominico rose his arms up into the air, and a magical light shone down on Jessica as we all looked at it in awe. The light then faded as quick as it had appeared, and Jess looked down at her hands.

"Whoa…" she breathed. "I feel like…I can now wield swords just like Alexandra!"

"That's great, Jessica!" I smiled, then I turned serious as I looked back at Dominico. "Dominico, do you know where Leopold might have headed off to?"

"People say they saw Leopold heading north out of town." Dominico replied. "That's where you should start looking."

"North of here… Got it!"

Dominico sighed again. "I'm sorry to have to ask this of you. I wish you the best of luck!"

[BGM: In Profile, On Belfry – Ys IX: Monstrum Nox]

"Wot a mess!" Yangus exclaimed as we all exited the mansion. "But at least Marisa's back to 'er old self."

"Yeah." Youmu smiled and looked at Marisa. "We're so glad to have you back with us, Marisa!"

"Please don't ever leave us again like that!" Cirno exclaimed.

"Heh heh…" Marisa chuckled sheepishly. "I sure missed you guys!" but then she looked down crestfallen and saddened.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Well… I guess I'm still a bit overwhelmed by all the information I acquired while Rhapthorne was controlling me…" she took a deep breath before continuing, "The Lord of Darkness used us. All of us. Dhoulmagus, me, even Leopold. We were pawns in his twisted game."

"So it was true…" Jess mused. "Dhoulmagus was just being used as a pawn for Rhapthorne all along… which means I haven't even avenged my brother's death properly." she murmured to herself at the last sentence.

"We think we're making progress, but maybe we ain't making any impact on him at all…"

"Hey, come on. Cheer up." Angelo patted her shoulder. "It's behind us now. No sense dwelling on the negative."

"Angelo's right." I chimed in, smiling encouragingly. "Think of it like this: it might be slow progress, but bit by bit, we're forcing Rhapthorne into a corner. We'll win in the end."

"Yeah…" Marisa trailed off. "But I feel terrible about what happened to David. I just don't know what to say. I can't help feeling that this is my fault, that I could have done something to save his life…" she sighed. "I feel awful. David's dead because of me."

"Wow, Marisa… I've never seen you look so down and guilt-ridden like that." Alice said with genuine surprise.

"Yeah, that's a first for me too!" Reimu threw in.

"She must've been traumatized by all of that." Reisen stated pitifully. "I can't really blame her for behaving like this…"

Marisa then rose her head back up, regaining a bit of her old determined self. "I have to defeat Rhapthorne! Otherwise, I'll never be able to forgive myself! I don't know who or what he is, but I can't afford to relax while the scepter is still missing. And I don't intend to stop searching until we've found it and sealed him away again."

"I'm with you, Marisa." Reimu nodded, mirroring Marisa's determined expression. "I also don't intend to stop until all of this is resolved, just like how I never stop during incidents."

"It appears that this journey is far from over, then." Remilia said. "I'm not complaining, though; more fun for me!"

"And for me too!" Aya chimed in. "We're gonna see more of this world, which means taking new pictures for a killer article!"

"Well… I guess that means we'll be spending a lot more time together, Eight." Reimu smiled as she looked up at me, but paused and became nervous. "Er…sorry, did that come out a bit strange?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Not at all, Reimu. I understood what you meant."

Reimu's smile came back. "Really? Thanks, Eight. You're quite sweet, you know that?"

She thinks I'm sweet? That definitely caught me off guard as I blushed. "Aw, shucks…" I replied bashfully.

"Heh, for once, you're not being brutally honest to someone, Reimu!" Marisa grinned.

"Hm? What's that supposed to mean?" Reimu questioned while looking back at Marisa with a raised eyebrow.

Marisa quickly rose her hands up in defense. "Nothing!"

"Seems like Marisa is quickly returning to her old self." Alice lightly giggled amusedly. "Anyways, let's not dwell on here any longer. We've got to go after Leopold, and get the scepter from him."

"Right." I nodded. "Dominico said that Leopold left Arcadia and headed north, so…" I took out the map. "We just have to warp back to Rydon's Tower, and then continue up along the road." as I said that, I was running my finger over the road that continued on onwards past Rydon's Tower, where it would lead to an entirely white landscape… which was obviously a snowy area. Good thing past me wasn't afraid of the cold back then…

"Awright!" Yangus fist-pumped. "Come on! Time to break fresh ground!"

[BGM End]

After Zooming…

[BGM: Strange World – Dragon Quest VIII]

"So, it was the scepter of Trodain – the scepter used to seal away Rhapthorne – that was controlling Dhoulmagus…" Trode mused after we told him everything, as we were all making our way up north via following the road. "I must confess, I had no idea what a frightfully dangerous stick we royals of Trodain have been the custodians of. Oh, what ghastly shame to bring upon the King!"

"You can say that again, Grandad! You didn't even know wot yer own castle's treasure was!" Yangus threw in. "And now cos o' that, we're all up the creek in a right old mess."

"True." Angelo nodded. "If we'd known that about the scepter, we could've dealt with it when we defeated Dhoulmagus. I suppose you could say it was King Trode's carelessness that led to Marisa being possessed by the Lord of Darkness."

"Have you no compassion at all for a man in the depths of despair!?" Trode retorted. "You're a cold-hearted lot! Fine! But don't ever expect any sympathy from me!"

"I don't think it's right to put the blame on Trode like that." Reisen said. "We all had no way of knowing about the truth of the scepter back then."

"I actually agree." Alice chimed in before shooting a glare at Marisa. "…Though I did warn you to be careful about handling the scepter, Marisa."

"Hey, as Reisen said before, I had no idea this would happen to me!" Marisa rolled her eyes. "Regardless, I was not expecting that I would succumb to Rhapthorne's commands that easily…"

"Hmm…" Alice pondered. "I suspect that your intense pride in your magic and overall inconsiderate attitude made it easier for Rhapthorne to take control of you, which could explain how your magic attacks had a massive increase in power and why you were so condescending towards anyone."

"Huh, I see it now…" Remilia mused. "Corruption and negativity must be his bread and butter. I think he uses them as conduits to possess anyone who touches the scepter. So I'm sure Dhoulmagus had some dark feelings deep inside. It wouldn't surprise me if that's how Rhapthorne first took hold of him."

"But what about Leopold?" Youmu wondered. "Can a dog like him even have any negative feelings?"

"I mean, he was barking at David back when Dominico accused him of poisoning Leopold's food." Aya recalled. "So that might suggest that just like his owner prior to his change of heart, he was also mean towards David."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense."

"Whoa, a tunnel!" Cirno suddenly exclaimed while pointing ahead, and sure enough, we found ourselves facing a large tunnel entrance at the end of the path.

"Do we have to go in there…?" Reisen asked.

"Well, if we couldn't find Leopold anywhere along the way, then we have to." Angelo said.

[BGM End]

And so we walked through it… but as we ventured deeper in, we felt that the temperature was getting colder and colder.

"Brrr…" Trode shivered. "It's positively f-freezing here! This won't do my old arthritis any g-good at all. Oh, why am I made to s-suffer like this!? Brrr!"

"You think you have it bad…" Youmu grimaced, also shivering. "As a half-phantom, my human body's temperature is lower compared to a normal human's!"

"If Leopold really ran up ahead, we don't have any choice but to go after him." Jessica sighed, hugging herself to try to warm up, as Angelo and the Gensokyo girls minus Cirno were also doing the same. "Still, it's hard to motivate yourself to go into the freezing cold. I should have put on more layers!"

"I don't know what you're complaining about." Cirno rose an eyebrow. "It's not that cold!"

"Well, duh! You're an ice fairy!" Reimu rolled her eyes. "Of course you wouldn't be cold!"

"I hope you're happy that we'll soon be at your natural environment, Cirno…" Remilia grumbled.

"Honestly, I ain't never seen snow before." Yangus admitted. "I'm pretty excited, actually. Woo-hooooo!"

"Good for you…" Angelo muttered.

Eventually, we approached the other side of the tunnel, where a cold blizzard was blowing out as we shielded our faces with our arms.

"Brrr! It's almost t-t-too cold t-to b-bear." Trode stuttered, shivering even more. "But if we don't retrieve the scepter, M-Medea and I may never return to n-normal." he rubs his hands to warm them up a bit while exhaling, as his breath could be seen. "…Brrr. We'll just have to g-grin and b-b-bear it."

Even if I was trying my best not to show it, I was also feeling very cold as well. Obviously, it wasn't as bad as when I became cryophobic, but still. "Let's keep pushing on." I said. "At least moving might help us to warm up a little."

With that said, we stepped out of the tunnel… and into the cold snowy mountains, the Blizzard Peaks.

[BGM: Mysterious Disappearance – Dragon Quest XI S]

Due to the strong and dense blizzard, we were all having trouble trekking through the snowy ground and seeing what's ahead, so we're pretty much navigating this area blind. And despite what I had said before about walking to keep ourselves warm, the frigid temperature of the area was just too much for me and everyone else, since when I looked back, I saw that my entire party (again, minus Cirno) was shivering like crazy. Even those who were wearing long sleeves weren't faring any better.

"So this is snow country, eh? Brrrrr! I-It's bloomin' F-F-FREEZING! I can't take m-m-much more o' this!" Yangus cried, all of his excitement from earlier gone. "Ya can't see past yer 'ooter! An' walkin' through this snow? They're 'avin' a laugh, ain't they!? Wot'd that mutt wanna go an' come 'ere for, eh!?"

Marisa suddenly let out a gasp as she held her head. "Marisa, what's wrong!?" Reisen asked her concerningly.

"Uuugh… This cold is freezin' my brain…" Marisa winced, then she quickly shook it off. "But I'd better pull myself together. Because I intend to snap that stupid scepter with my own two hands!"

"W-Where did this blizzard spring from…?" Jessica wondered. "If we try to proceed into unknown territory in this, we'll very likely f-freeze to death!"

"Except for that ice fairy, obviously." Remilia stated as she shot a glance over at Cirno, who was just skipping around happily without a care in the world.

"If only there was somewhere we could stay to shelter from the snowstorm…" Alice sighed.

"I shouldn't have to p-put up with being in a f-freezing place like this! It's all D-Dhoulmagus's fault!" Trode whined. "Oh, but he's d-dead now. So I suppose it's that L-Leo-what's-his-name's fault. I don't know! A d-dog of all things! Brrrr… Brrrr…"

"Oh, stop yer whingin', grandad!" Yangus retorted. "It ain't as if we've got a sweat on, y'know! Just get on wiv it!"

Trode suddenly stops the carriage, forcing us to stop walking as well. "I beg your pardon!? How uncalled for! I don't see why I shouldn't be able to say whatever I p-please!" ugh, there he goes arguing with Yangus… again. "You've no right to talk to me like that! No right at all! I'm absolutely livid! Livid, I tell you! I'm going on ahead!" he hits the reins to get Medea to move, and we just stood still watching as the royals trotted on ahead of us.

[BGM End]

I sighed with a deadpan. "And just when I thought His Majesty has finally gotten over with this pointless arguing…"

"I know, right, guv?" Yangus addressed me. "I was just tryin' to get 'im ta stop complainin'!"

"Say… Do you all get the feeling we're not welcome here?" Youmu interfered cautiously. "Or should I say, not welcome here either?"

"What makes you say that?" Angelo rose an eyebrow.

But before Youmu could answer… the area around us suddenly started rumbling.

"Uh, wh-what's happening!?" Aya cried.

Just then, the sound of something really big and dense falling down reached our ears as we quickly looked at the direction it came from, which was up at the top of the mountain wall… and what we saw made us immediately pale up.

"AVALANCHE!" Reisen yelled.

Cue all of us screaming at the fast-approaching avalanche cascading down the mountain before it completely engulfed us, and we all blacked out in an instant.

Consciousness began returning to me, and the first thing I immediately noticed was that I no longer felt cold. I also felt that I was lying on something soft, but since I already ruled out the feeling of cold, I knew that what I was lying on wasn't snow. The whooshing noise of the snowstorm appeared to be muffled, meaning that somehow, I ended up somewhere indoors. Just where in the world am I…?

Well, I would never know unless I open my eyes. So I slowly did it, and once they were fully open… I was greeted with a face full of Cirno. "Hello!" she greeted me cheerfully.

"Wha!?" I yelped as I sprung up in startle, causing me to bang my forehead into Cirno's, and I fell back as I held my forehead in pain. "Ow… Cirno, don't startle me like that…"

"Sorry…" Cirno apologized while rubbing her forehead.

When we both recovered, I looked around and noticed that I was in a room with a wooden table and stools, a few more beds on both sides of the one I and Cirno were on, and a big fireplace at the corner, which might explain the warm ambience. The window at the left wall showed nothing but the dark of the night on the outside… Wow, does this means I've been unconscious throughout the whole afternoon?

"Where are we?" I wondered as I got out of bed, with Cirno following suit.

"In the cottage of an old lady who rescued us from the avalanche!" Cirno replied.

My eyes widened in curiosity. "Oh, really?"

"Yep!" Cirno then grabbed my hand. "Come on! I'll take you to the others!" she proceeded to drag me towards the door as I nearly stumbled by her pull, and we left the room.

[BGM: Quiet Village – Dragon Quest VIII]

Cirno led me upstairs, taking me to a wide dining room. And sitting by the dining table itself was the rest of my party, Trode included, who all looked over at my and Cirno's direction upon hearing our footsteps.

"Look! It's Eight!" Aya beamed. "He's finally awake!"

"How yer feelin', guv?" Yangus smiled. "You awright?"

"I'm fine, thanks." I nodded, smiling as well.

"I was worried about ya, like. You was the only one who wouldn't wake up. So Cirno 'ere decided to go to check on ya."

"That's right!" Cirno exclaimed as she went to sit on the stool next to Yangus.

Yangus then directs over to the right, where an old lady (possibly the same one mentioned by Cirno) stood by a large pot on a stove. "This place belongs to that old granny over there. Lives 'ere on 'er own, y'know. We're not far from where that av'lanche 'appened. She said we can stay 'ere 'til the snow clears up a bit."

"When you all got caught in that avalanche, I hurried over to this hut for help." Trode recounted. "I was in quite a panic, I must admit. My heart sank when I found out there was just an old lady living here on her own. But as luck would have it, that dog over there is a dab hand when it comes to pulling people out of the snow. Or should I say a dab paw?"

"Dog? What dog?" I asked, and right on cue, a bark came next to me as I looked down to my left. Sure enough, there was a large dog (I think it was a Saint Bernard breed, if I remember correctly) lying down cozily on the floor next to a lit fireplace. "Oh."

"Anyway, he pulled you all out and we managed to get you back to the hut here. I suppose you could say he played a part in your rescue. But if I hadn't come here in the first place, you'd still be eating snow. I do hope you're grateful!"

"Said dog is called Boris. He's the one who dug us out from the snow." Angelo said. "What a dog! He's a lot more use than a certain king, don't you think? And he smells a bit better too!"

Obviously, Trode was offended by that as he slams his hands on the table. "I heard that, Angelo! More use than a certain king, you say!? How dare you! Honestly! Who do you think called for the dog's help in the first place!?" Angelo merely gave a shrug in response.

Next, I looked over to the right side of the table to see Jessica, Reimu, Alice, Remilia and Youmu drinking from their mugs, and I approached them in curiosity. "What are you girls drinking?" I asked.

"Oh, this?" Remilia held up her mug. "This tea's made from something called 'nook grass'. It warms you up and makes you more resistant to the cold weather. It's a bit strong at first, but I could get to like it!"

"True. I can already feel my body getting warmer, even my phantom one!" Youmu smiled. "Why don't you ask the old lady for some too, Eight?"

A tea made with a special herb that can apparently warm myself up and make me cold-resistant? How could I say no to that? I nodded in response and made my way towards the old lady, who turned to look up at me upon noticing my presence.

"Ah, hello there, young man." she greeted, then leaned in closer as if inspecting me. "Hm… You have a nice color in your cheeks. It is a good sign." she leans back. "Dobro pozhalovat! Welcome to my home. I am Marta. I live out here in the mountains where I grow herbs. Please, sit by the fire and warm your bones. I will bring you some of my nook grass tea. This will be ready for you soon. Drinking it should warm you up nicely even in the bitter cold of this snowy land."

"Alright. Thanks, Marta." I thanked her with a bow, and walked back to sit at the table with the others.

After a little while, Marta came over to my side and placed down a mug full of nook grass tea on the table in front of me. I gave her another bow in gratitude and watched as she sat down across from me and on Trode's side, while holding her own mug of nook grass tea. I wasted no time and took a sip of my mug.

…Holy crap. As Remilia said, it does have a strong, slightly bitter taste…but man, that nook grass sure does its magic straight away! Already, I felt my body warm up from the inside at a comforting temperature. Because of this, I just know that venturing out in the snow this time won't be much of a problem for us now!

"How terribly kind of you." Trode addressed Marta as he finished drinking from his mug. "First you save us from the avalanche, then you put us up for the night, and now you warm our innards! Now that's what I call hospitality!"

"An' what's really amazin' is that you 'elped a weird old monster like 'im in the first place!" Yangus chimed in, directing to Trode.

Again, Trode became offended. "You loathsome lowlife!" he barked, slamming his hands on the table once again. "You of all people have no right to call me 'weird'!"

"It is true that his appearance is a little unusual. I would even say the same about some of these girls here." Marta remarked, referring to the non-human Gensokyo girls at the last sentence. "But when you get to my age, you learn not to judge a horse by its harness. And of course I would help anyone who was in trouble so far from civilization."

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but why do you live all the way out here on your own?" Jessica asked.

"Of course I do not mind, dear! There is an old ruin behind my house. My ancestors have looked after it generation after generation. It is a family duty." Marta then looks down at her mug, and I could see a hint of sadness in her eyes. "But that will all end with me. I have no one to follow in my footsteps when my life is finished." huh, could this be hinting at something important…?

"Really? Then it must be pretty tough living on your own like this, duty or no duty."

Marta let out a small chuckle, her kind smile returning. "It is comfortable enough. I have lived here since I was a child, so it is not a hardship. Besides, to live life is not to walk through a meadow. And from time to time people get lost here in the mountains like you, so I am not lonely. And I always have Boris to keep me company."

"Oh, so you're just like me, in a sense." Alice said. "I live on my own, but I have my dolls to keep me company and I also give shelter to anyone who gets lost in the Forest of Magic."

"Is that so? Glad to hear I am not the only one, then."

"Say, on the subject of dogs…" Reimu interfered. "We do have something to ask you, Marta. This will sound a bit strange, but we're pursuing a big black dog and we heard that he might have been headed in this direction."

"Ah, that's right!" Aya exclaimed. "There might be a good chance he may have come this way! Have you seen anything, Miss Marta?"

"Hm… No, I am sorry." Marta shook her head. "The only dog I know about is big old Boris over there."

Aya deflated. "Oh…"

"Sorry I cannot be of more help. You should ask where there is a lot of people. If you go down the mountain and go to the north, you will come to a town called Orkutsk. Maybe someone will know something there."

"Ah, that sounds like an excellent idea." Trode smiled. "Right then, chaps! There's no time to lose!"

"Oh-yo-yoy! If you are hasty, others will only be amused. That is an old saying here. One should not be so eager to go back out into the blizzard. The night is coming. Why don't you rest here? I am sure the blizzard will be gone by morning, so you can leave for Orkutsk then."

"Yes, yes, wise words, my good woman. Very well! We shall rest here for the night."

[BGM: Yesterday in Etania – Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana]

'It looks like I'll be meeting with Medea again.' I thought as soon as I started dreaming.

"Welcome to dreamland, sleepyhead!" and right on cue, Medea's voice came…from behind me.

"Ah!" I jumped in startle and turned around to look at her. "Don't sneak up on me like that, Medea!"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." Medea giggled. "I'm just so grateful for these chances to talk to you, Eight! And I'm so happy Marisa's back with us…" her face fell. "Even if father and I are still cursed. Sometimes I wonder if we'll have to spend the rest of our lives like this."

I shook my head as I held her shoulders firmly. "Medea, don't say that. We will find Rhapthorne and destroy him for good. Then the curse will finally break."

"Right. I'm sorry. It's just that I get so sad every time I think of Trodain covered in thorns." Medea sighed, then gave me a puzzling look. "But you know what's strange, though? That you weren't affected by the curse."

"Yeah." I nodded and rubbed the back of my head. "And I just can't stop wondering why do I have such an immunity…"

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Medea smiled. "I always knew there was something special about you."

I blinked in surprise. "You do? How can you tell?"

"I don't know; I just could." Medea shrugged. "By the way… I have some good news! I've just turned eighteen! How about that!?"

Oh, that's right! I forgot that Medea's birthday was today! How embarrassing on my part… "Oh! Then happy birthday to you, Medea!"

"Thanks! …I had grass instead of birthday cake, though…"

"Oh… I'm so sorry about that." I frowned sadly.

"It's alright." she then closed her eyes, as if reminiscing about something in her mind. "I remember the first time you came to the castle. We were just eight years old. It's hard to believe we've known each other for ten years now!"

"True. Time sure does pass by quickly." I smiled. "It almost seemed like only yesterday you and I met for the first time while I was sick, and you took care of me."

"Yeah, I remember that! You were an orphan, so you lived in the castle. And in what seemed like no time, you worked your way up to palace guard!"

"Exactly! If I could, I'd like to work my way up to a higher ranked guard. Hopefully I'll get that promotion right after this journey is over. I mean, I definitely deserve it after all the hell I went through, am I right?" I winked at the last sentence.

"Oh, Eight…" Medea playfully rolled her eyes before we both laughed together. "Actually, I have a secret to share with you." she said once we stopped laughing.

I perked up, intrigued. "Hm? And what's that?"

"There's a reason why I recommended you for the position to my father. It was a way to bring you closer to me, so we could spend more time together."

I felt myself blushing as I awkwardly averted my gaze from Medea. "O-Oh, really? Well, that's very…kind of you…" I murmured.

Medea giggled again. "I don't know why, but seeing you this embarrassed always makes me giggle!" she then recomposes herself, as did I. "So, my brave palace guardsman. I'm counting on you to make sure I spend my next birthday as a human. I know you can do it!"

I nodded. "You have my word, my lovely princess."

[BGM End]

The next morning…

[BGM: Revolving Secret Garden – Touhou LostWord]

Marta's words from yesterday turned out to be true; the blizzard from outside has fully settled down, and so we all gathered outside of the cottage. Thanks to the nook grass we all consumed, we weren't feeling cold anymore.

"Here is a refresher for you all. Go north from the bottom of the mountain and you will come to Orkutsk." Marta instructed. "Please be careful on your journey."

"By George!" Trode suddenly gasped before we watched him running towards a small barn to our left. "Princess! Are you all right? Were you cold in the night!?" he asked worriedly as he went in. Oh, yeah; since there was obviously no room for Medea in the cottage, she had to stay in the barn. We sure are lucky that Marta has a barn in the first place…

"Forgive me, but I must ask you a favor." Marta said as I looked back at her, and saw her holding a small bag in her hand. "If you meet with a man called Marek in Orkutsk, please give this to him. He is probably working with medicinal herbs like I am. I would be grateful if you could give him that bag."

Nodding, I reached out my hand to accept the bag…

"Wait!" but then Reisen suddenly shouted as she ran over and stopped in front of me, catching me by surprise. "Let me hold on to it instead!" she said, reaching out her hand.

"Oh? Any reason for that, dear?" Marta asked.

"I work as a medicine peddler under the orders of my master. And as her servant and student, it is my job to deliver medicine until I can learn to make one myself!"

Marta giggled. "I see. Then please, take it." she hands the bag to Reisen, in which she took it.

"I'll do my best, Miss Marta!"

"Spasibo! Thank you."

Then, the sound of trotting came from behind us. We looked back, and saw Trode coming back from the barn with Medea and the carriage. "Right then!" he spoke. "Off to Orkutsk! Toodlee-bye!"

After we all gave one last farewell to Marta, we proceeded to hit the road.

To be continued…

Yeah, this chapter ended up being a little short. That's because as I began to write the Orkutsk part, the chapter started to get too long so I had to cut it out for the next one.

For the readers who are familiar with the game, you might or not have noticed two small changes I did when comparing my adaptation to the original. Were you able to spot them?

Eight: I know! One was when Dominico awoke Jess's true potential, and the other was the part when I woke up in Marta's cottage, right?

...Dang it, you just gave them a free answer, Eight! But yeah, those are the ones. For the first one: in the original, Dominico granted Jessica the ability to use her strongest fire and ice spells; Kasizzle and Kacrackle. But since I already made her use those spells, I changed it to her being able to wield swords instead since I wanted to incorporate said ability in this adaptation.

And for the second change: in the original, Eight was woken up by Boris before said dog would casually leave the room and kick the door shut. But for my adaptation...I decided to change it into something more sillier. :3

As said before, Orkutsk is next! Until then!