So.. no convenient time-skip after the chapter change? Dang it!
After winning my case in court and potentially destroying Keine's reputation for the foreseeable future, me, Sanae and Suwako are currently walking towards the center of the village.
It seems to still be in reparations, as there are some people carrying wood and other stuff, apparently working to fix benches, parts of some houses and other things that were destroyed that horrible night.
So, I guess I have some questions "So.. how would we go about buying sweets? I have no idea about anything in this village!" Turns out, village layout and stuff isn't specified in Touhou, like, anywhere!
Sanae answers, since she seems to be the one leading the way "Oh, I know this one sweets shop that's a bit further away from the center, it sells good stuff!" We're going to her usual apparently..
Hmmm.. now that I think about it, buying requires money.. and I realize I don't have any at the moment. That makes me wonder…
System, can I change my IP for yen? That would be convenient.
[Yes you can, Player]
[You can change 1 IP for 10 yen]
Ok… that seems kinda good, actually. As long as I get into more stupid situations and complete quests, I get to not work? That goes alright with me!
You know.. "Hey girls, can we stop for a second? I wanna try something" Let's do it right now, because why not.
Both the goddess and shrine maiden stop to look at me, so I explain "Remember how I could spawn clothes and stuff out of nowhere? I think I can do that with money as well.." I better not show this to Reimu ever…
Both of them seem intrigued, especially Sanae "Wait, really? You can?!" Well, of course!
So, system! Get me.. 2.000 yen I think will be enough! I can technically get more than 100.000 yen, but I still wanna save some of my IP right now.
[Exchange 200 IP for 2.000 yen?]
Sure, do that stuff.
Now my palm starts glowing! I open it to show it better and then..
A ton of yen just appears there! It's all coins.. which immediately fall of my hand because I'm a clumsy fuck.
We kinda just stare at the money as it falls to the ground. They seem to be in awe!
Suwako seems to take advantage of her stature to start collecting the coins "Wow! You can just spawn stuff out of nowhere? Why is this the first time I'm hearing about this?!" Oh yeah, she wasn't there when I first did this, was she?
Sanae seems surprised and confused at the same time "Woah, that's awesome! Would that be your special ability or something? Spawning stuff out of thin air?" Well, not exactly…?
"Maybe..? I don't really know, but it's cool I guess" I'm just the guy that has creative mode and can spawn every single item in the game apparently.
She seems to realize something I haven't thought about before for some reason "Wait.. if you can spawn stuff, couldn't you just.. manifest all the sweets?" Hey that's true, isn't it?
"Oh, yeah you're right! I can't believe I didn't think of that sooner. Let me try.." System, how much for sweets?
[Please be more specific with your requests]
Oh.
"Hey Sanae, I think I need something more specific. Just ""sweets"" doesn't cut it" Now that I think about it, I don't know anything about Japanese sweets and stuff..
She thinks for a moment "Hmm… Lady Suwako, what would you want?" I wonder what the tastes of a goddess are, now that I think about it..
Suwako is very quick to respond "The bean daifuku, obviously!" Aha..
So, system, how much for a bag of bean daifuku? Whatever that is..
[Bag of bean daifuku: 700 IP]
Ok, it seems that food may be a little more expensive than expected, but I have the funds at the moment. So.. yeah, buy that stuff.
Now my palm starts glowing again, and a kinda big paper bag appears on it! It doesn't have a label or anything, but looking inside, it does have what I think is the daifuku inside of it.
I just hand it to Sanae "Here, it actually worked!" I guess I'm the supplier of sweets now.
Sanae just analyzes the bag before saying "Wow.. this is so cool! You can just get free food like that?!" Well, it's not exactly free per say..
Yeah, I think I'll have to mention that "Eh.. not exactly. I can spawn stuff, but it takes like, some sort of energy that recharges with time. So I can't spawn stuff infinitely before waiting some time first" This is probably the best way I can explain this right now! This is also a bit of a half-truth really, so I imagine I'll be fine.
Suwako looks a bit disappointed "Oh.. well, it seems we won't get unlimited sweets from this.." That's all you want? Really?!
However, our shrine maiden here mentions something "So.. it's kinda like if you bought stuff from a shop in a gacha game or something?" Well, yeah!
"Yes, Sanae. My Isekai adventure to Gensokyo came with microtransactions. Tragic, I know" I can't believe I was transported to Gensokyo by EA..
Sanae just seems to have been catched off guard by the comment "Pffffff… hehehehe.." Honestly, the more time we spend not discussing the system and its quirks, the better!
Suwako asks something all of a sudden "You know, when did you realize you could do this, actually?" Uhh..
"Well, when I encountered Kasen in the mountains, she told me to go north-east to find the shrine. And since I didn't have a clue where north-east was, I managed to spawn a compass to guide myself" I say while I show my compass that has just been sitting in a pocket all this time… and probably won't need any time soon.
Suwako just looks completely and utterly dumbfounded "Uh.. what! I think I need some context here!" Oh, yeah right.. she wasn't there when I explained all this stuff, was she? But I thought she already knew from Kanako or something..
In any case.. "Yeah, turns out, my adventure in Gensokyo has been kinda crazy" You could even say it's a.. Misadventure. Heh.
…
Yeah, even I cringed at that too.
So, now that the sweets have been acquired, we just start moving towards the gate that leads outside the village. Using my compass, I notice this is the north gate apparently.
Also, I'm feeling like I'm forgetting something… wait.
"Hey Suwako, didn't you pick up all the money I spawned?"
I see her quickly putting something in her hat..! "Huh? Don't know what you're talking about!" And now she starts walking faster..!
"Hey, isn't your shrine very rich already?!" I say as I pick up the pace!
"Again, don't know what you're talking about!" Now she's straight up running!
I start to slide to catch up since she runs very fast! "Get your dirty frog hands away from my money!" That yen came from honest work!
I just realized that the couple of people that are here in the village are looking at me super weirdly… it's not my fault a goddess stole my money!
We are starting to reach the gate now! "Hey guys, wait up!" I hear Sanae say behind me. Nope, I will catch this frog even if it's the last thing I do!
We continue moving, and we're already outside the village, into the little path in the Forest of Magic!
I hear Suwako laugh ahead of me! "Wahahaha!" Dammit, she's actually outrunning me!
However, I notice that the distance between us isn't that big, so I already know what to do!
*ZOOM* I dash jump forwards, which closes the gap almost instantly! I notice Suwako turning her head around with a shocked expression. You weren't expecting that now weren't ya?
I'm just about to catch her and… holy shit this may be a little too much speed-
*BONK*
(GENSOKYO FROG CHASING MISADVENTURES)
So after I bumped Suwako and tumbled like 10 meters on the ground, Sanae managed to catch up and convinced the damn frog to give me my 2.000 yen back.
We are currently retracing our steps on the path, since we actually went quite far!
Suwako seems defeated "Damn, boy! You sure move fast!" Well, yeah!
"Of course I can, I would have died quite a while ago if I couldn't!" Thank god for these stupid abilities that saved my ass!
If you're wondering why we're going back, it's to go to the Moriya Ropeway! Since as you can probably guess, one of us right here can't fly.
The Moriya Ropeway appears to be outside the village walls, so you just have to exit through the north gate and keep going left to find it, apparently.
And we sure do, as I see this little wooden platform with a massive aerial tram here that goes very up and very far away into the mountain!
There are a couple of cabins going up and coming down. These little cabins are actually made of wood, which seems really unrealistic, actually. Something something, structural integrity maybe..?
Sanae proceeds to introduce this place "This is the Moriya Ropeway! This would have been the… preferred way for you to arrive at the shrine.." Yeah, unfortunately, I had to break the physics engine and trek the damn mountain to get there..
I notice one of the cabins coming down "So.. we just get on one?" I think I have been at one of these, like, once. And I had to pay a lot!
As one of the wooden cabins comes down, Suwako just steps on it "Sure, get in!" Ok then..
"Well, I at least don't have to pay a small fortune to get on one like on the outside.." I comment as I step in as well.
Suwako gains a devilish smile "Hey, who said it was free? The toll is exactly 2.000 yen!" Oh come on! Not again..
Sanae steps in with an awkward smile "Lady Suwako… you know we made this completely free of charge so that the shrine could get more visitors!" Why is this goddess a scammer?!
The goddess just playfully scoffs "Oh, come on! That's bad business practice!" What do you know about business practices?! Isn't Kanako the one going around doing deals and all that?
Our shrine maiden here just sighs and the conversation proceeds to just die down a bit.
We actually have a great view here of all the places below Youkai Mountain. But what's more interesting to me is how we actually get to see the tengu village from above.
There are a lot, and I mean a lot, of houses over here. It's weird seeing so many of these rustic looking buildings on what's basically just a cliff side.
There are also a lot of tengu here. Some just walk and chat around, while others are flying super quickly from place to place. No matter where I look, I'm always seeing tengu flying at mach 10!
I wonder if their little society has problems like a housing crisis or something, or maybe that's just a human defect youkai wouldn't have..
You know, something about that makes me think..
I turn around to look at the goddess and shrine maiden, who are apparently just taking in the view "So.. how long are you girls planning to let me stay at the shrine?" I imagine they do not want me just staying there forever!
They just both look at me, then look at each other, like if they don't know what to say.
Suwako eventually answers "Well.. we weren't really planning on kicking you out any time soon!" Aha..
Sanae just scratches her cheek "To be honest, I didn't really think about it.." Really?
I mean, I remember Kanako saying something like ""letting me stay for some time until I got a place for myself"" so I imagine I'll eventually have to leave, right?
The tiny goddess comes closer "Hey, you know? You seem to be cool! And with how you've been helping around the shrine, there shouldn't be a problem with you staying there!" Wait, really?
I speak towards Sanae for her opinion "Like.. actually? I just.. appeared one day and I really don't wanna be bothering y'all.." I mean, I just showed up one day causing trouble and they just allowed me in!
She responds quickly "W-what? Of course you're not a bother! There really shouldn't be a problem with you staying here!" Really now?
This is… so weird! "Man, you people are way too kind. I just do stuff and you will let me stay there? Also, what stuff would you be wanting me to do exactly..?" I can't believe they are actually letting me just stay here, but I don't wanna almost die due to sidequests!
Suwako just laughs a little "Hey, don't sweat it! Kanako probably doesn't have a lot of oddly specific, extremely dangerous tasks for you anymore! You could just.. do the laundry or something!" Yeah, PLEASE don't give me fetch quests or anything like that..
Well, I at least know I can stay here for some time. I imagine I won't stay at the shrine forever, but It seems I have some long term housing at the moment. That's a relief!
…
Well, after some time, we actually arrived! The tram ends in a little path to one of the sides of the big stairs that actually lead into the shrine.
So we are just walking here, Suwako very eagerly eyeing the bag Sanae has in her hand. Now that I think about it, maybe I should go up the stairs like a normal person this time..
…But something interrupts our collective thoughts, as we start hearing a lot of rustling in the trees!
We kinda just stop. Uh.. "Hey Sanae… any idea what that is?" There seems to be something just.. moving very quickly through the trees, and that isn't giving me a lot of confidence!
Sanae seems to be on guard "I really don't know but-" "Woooohoo!" She's interrupted by a voice coming from the trees..
Her expression turns calm as she turns to look at me "Ah, don't worry! I know exactly who that is.." You do?
Suddenly, I catch a figure weaving between the top of the trees, jumping super high up in the air, above us!
I take a few steps back because I still have no fucking idea who that is..
The figure lands right in front of Sanae! She's a girl with brown hair with a lime, green and blue dress. She's also carrying a pole behind her..?
Wait, oh fuck, that's the one and only Son Biten! What is she doing here?!
She just casually approaches Sanae while waving "Heya girl! Long time no see!" So.. are they actually friends or something...?
Sanae happily waves back "Hi Biten! I haven't seen you in ages! What have you been getting up to?" What did she even do again? Manipulate monkeys or something?
Biten just laughs "Ahh, I've been exploring some of these lands! Gensokyo is way more interesting than the damn animal realm, with stronger opponents too!" Aha?
Sanae laughs a bit at that, and Biten was apparently going to say something… before she catches eye of me. Uh…
She looks at Sanae with a face full of surprise "Woah, Sanae! Don't tell me you actually got a bo-" "Nononono! He's the, ummmm.. new outsider we're housing!" Sanae quickly interrupts her. Great..
Biten looks at me while clearly intrigued "An outsider? Didn't those people stop coming or something?" Well, up until me apparently.
I guess it's time to speak up "I kinda just happened to show up here one day. So.. are you two friends or something?" I vaguely recall something about Sanae and Biten knowing each other, but they appear to be kinda close!
Sanae decides to answer "I met her in this one incident. She actually came and beat me up!" Ah.. so it was Biten's scenario or something? I have to admit, Touhou 17 is one of the few Touhou games I haven't played..
Biten just puts an arm around Sanae "Yeah, she was really strong! We had a good fight!" Wow, they seem to be good friends just talking about beating each other up like it's nothing!
She lets go of Sanae and… wait a second, why is she taking a couple of steps towards me? "Hey, mister outsider guy, can you fight?!" What!
"Huh? What gives you the impression I can fight?!" What is it with this question all of a sudden?!
She brandishes her test-tube polearm thing..! "Come on! Don't tell me you're a total wimp!" I am, in fact, a total wimp!
I look over at my shrine maiden friend "Sanae, can you do something before I have to throw myself off the cliffside to escape?" You know, something I have experience doing..
She quickly grabs Biten by one of her arms "Hey, stop! He's just a regular human! You're gonna kill him even with spellcard rules!" She says as she lightly hits her shoulder.
Biten scoffs as she puts her polearm thing behind her "Tsk.. weren't the humans here strong as hell? You know, like that other shrine maiden?" That's not the rule!
Sanae thinks the same "That's the exception, not the rule! Don't tell me you've been picking fights with regular humans all this time!"
Now, Biten's expression suddenly freezes up "Uhh.. oh yeah, haha, imagine that… you know, I just remembered I have some, uh.. monkeys to command! See you later Sanae!"
Huh? "Wait, did you really-"
*FWOOSH* …And she just jumps like 200 meters into the air before I can finish.
…
So that just happened.
The shrine maiden just sighs "Sorry about that! My friend is a bit… energetic" Yeah, I can notice.
"Well, I didn't have to throw myself off a cliffside to escape danger again!" I'm glad I didn't have to repeat that! If I actually did, I imagine the tengu would have kicked my ass for invading their territory..
Sanae perks up at that "Wait, again?!" Oh.
Yeah, she doesn't know, does she? "Quite some stuff happened when I was underground, I'll tell you later.." Running away from jealous short girls is not a good pass time, I assure you!
With that, we just continue walking towards the stairs, and again, I'm feeling like I'm forgetting something… or someone.
"Hey, where's Suwako?" I just noticed how she isn't here anymore.
Sanae looks behind her, only to find that there are no frog goddesses following right now "Lady Suwako..? Where did she go?" Damn, she just disappeared into thin air!
…Wait a second. I notice there's something very clearly missing here.
"Sanae… where are the sweets?" She doesn't seem to be carrying them right now!
She quickly checks all her pockets, before finding nothing and gaining a face full of realization "Oh no.."
…
Shit.
(GENSOKYO FROG HATING MISADVENTURES)
We just arrived at the door to the shrine only to see… what was expected, honestly.
Suwako lying in the kotatsu, with the big paper bag right beside her, completely empty.
She just stands up while stretching a bit "Heya there! You spent quite some time with your monkey friend, so I just left midway through!" Yeah, but..
"Suwako, didn't you tell me gods don't need to eat?" It seems very gluttonous of you to just eat that entire bag of sweets! It was big!
She seems completely carefree "Well… it ain't my fault y'all were so slow!" She says as she just leaves. Yeah, you can say the same about the people you just ran over in your car and it would be a better argument there..
Sanae, who's right beside me, just sighs "Lady Suwako…" Now she looks at me "If you can.. could you spawn more? I don't think we have anything else to eat right now.." Yeah, I kinda can, can't I?
"I mean.. sure, but make it the last one, please.." I don't wanna be spending all my IP on sweets just to feed an unreasonably hungry goddess!
So, system, buy the bag again, yeah it costs 700 IP and everything, I know. Just purchase the damn thing.
Now my palm starts glowing again, and in comes the same paper bag from before. Better hope this one lasts more than maybe 15 minutes without it being devoured completely..
I hand it to Sanae, who seems relieved "Thanks, Aki. Sorry if I'm asking too much.." Huh?
"You're the guys housing me, I don't think there's such a thing as asking too much of me!" Well, except maybe making me go on stupid and deadly side quests, which I hope doesn't happen again!
Her expression changes to a little smile…! "Well, thanks Aki! I'll go make some tea, alright? Be back in a second!" And she runs off to the kitchen. So, it's waiting time I guess.
I just sit on the kotatsu. Suwako left, so I'm all alone this time. You know, alone with my thoughts. Very therapeutic, I know.
I'm still thinking about what Biten said earlier..
Hmmm.. you know, I've been wondering a bit about magic and stuff. I may be a total wimp, but I don't wanna be a total wimp forever!
I probably won't get the super-duper magical attacks or something, but I would like something to fend off the wild youkai that come at me at least. But now the question comes, how the fuck does magic even work?
Again, everything about magic is super vague, so I have no idea how it works really. And how could I go about learning it in the first place? The girls here at the Moriya Shrine aren't magicians, but they must at least know something about magic, right?
Maybe I could ask Sanae later, or… now that I think about it, Kanako is mysteriously absent again. Huh.
In any case, I just wanna get my damn tea. Is it weird we're having tea and sweets for what I think is lunch already? Probably. But here in Gensokyo, I can't let myself be held back by common sense! Or something like that.
…
After a bit of waiting, Sanae comes in with the classic tray with a tea set and the daifuku things, very neatly organized and everything.
She lays down the tea in the kotatsu, and we just proceed to eat like regular people and not extremely hungry goddesses. I wanna try this daifuku thing..
I'm still wondering about magic. Magic, magic… how do I do magic… it's something everyone would wanna learn in this situation, right? After all, all the serious discussions I've looked in the internet about ""What to do if you were transported to Gensokyo"" always arrive at the same conclusion that being a magician is the best option.
Yet, there are a lot of variables for that, aren't there? How much study time would that require? How would you even get your hands on anything relating to magic? The only answer to that would be to buy stuff from Marisa's garage sale in the forest or something.
As I grab one of the daifuku, Sanae asks me something all of a sudden "Everything ok?" Ah? "You seem to be really silent all of a sudden.." Oh.
"Ah.. I was just thinking about stuff" You know, thinking of different ways to not die. That's the current objective.
Sanae doesn't seem too convinced "But like, do you need to talk about something? Your face.. to be honest, has always been in a permanent frown" What?
"Wait, really?" I really haven't noticed it, but.. "Well, these past few days have been kinda stressful... this is the first break I'm having in a while!" I think anyone would have the same reaction after everything I've been through!
She takes a sip of her tea before responding "Even more of a reason to cheer up now! There really isn't anything to worry about at the moment, right?" Well..
"You know what? You're right, I really shouldn't be worrying my head off too much now!" Even if I have the sensation that anything could pop up to kill me at any second, I should enjoy my time here right now, shouldn't I?
Also, I take a bite out of these things and… wow. Holy shit this is so GOOD. I really wasn't expecting this to be that great, but it completely went above expectations!
Sanae notices my apparent enjoyment "Aha! So it took good food to cheer you up!" Well, yeah.
"Ok, I admit, this stuff is really good. A lot of western food doesn't compare!" If only I had some of my traditional drinks right here, like a terere…
She laughs a bit before sipping her tea again. Well, it's official, Japanese cuisine is actually kinda good.
…
Well, we just finished our… I guess brunch, and since we seem to just be sitting around not doing much, I wanna start asking the big questions,
"Hey Sanae, I've been wondering.. how does one actually use magic? All the stuff I can do isn't exactly the magic everyone here uses, I think. And I would like to learn it!" Even if she isn't a magician, she still uses magic for things like danmaku, right?
Sanae looks at me slightly intrigued "You want to use magic? I mean, I'm more about using miracles and holy stuff…" Oh.
Well, even then.. "Isn't there at least like, a basic theory or something? I really want to start using some magic to at least defend myself!" Remember, I've been escaping every single threat so far!
She seems to think for a moment before saying "Well… Lady Kanako explained it to me a while ago as ""manipulating Gensokyo's ambient magic"" or… something like that" What.
So like.. huh? "Manipulating Gensokyo's ambient magic? What does that even mean?" I don't even know where to start asking questions about this!
She awkwardly laughs a bit before explaining in more detail "Hehe.. sorry! So, there's like, magic energy all around Gensokyo, so you just kinda take that magic and… make it do stuff!" Uh…
To be honest, that wasn't all that insightful "And how do you exactly make it do stuff?" That's very vague, Sanae!
She seems to be trying really hard to remember "Well.. you kinda just.. mold it into whatever you want it to do. Like, when you do danmaku, you condense it and… then shoot it!" Ok, that answers some stuff…
But the question remains "And how do you do this exactly?" Ok, so I manipulate the magic in Gensokyo, molding it into attacks or whatever. Now, how exactly do I do this?
She just kinda shrugs! "I don't really know.. I just kinda think to do it and it happens!" Great.
I sigh a little bit. It seems that, as expected, magic is going to be a little hard to pull off.
Sanae suddenly says something interesting "But something I still remember is that to do this you need some sort of ""magic affinity"", and by trying to do magic, you would get it eventually!" Aha?
"So.. by trying to do magic I would just develop some sort of magical affinity?" I really don't know what ""trying"" here even means..
She nods "Yeah. That's how I developed magic when I first entered Gensokyo! I just tried a lot of random magic until I got a better magic affinity! Of course, I had some assistance from Lady Kanako and Suwako to speed up the process.." Great. Her parents paid the 300 robux to get early access to magic apparently.. "Sorry if I'm not being all that helpful! I just don't know a lot about the stuff technically.." Nah, that was enough, don't worry.
But wait, I think I know a way of paying the battlepass for early access too..
System, how much for this magical affinity?
[Magical affinity: Lets the user perform basic to lesser intermediate magic. 15.000 AP]
Aha.. 15.000? That seems like a lot, but I'm not far from it as I'm at 10.000 AP at the moment… yeah, I think I know what to do.
I stand up "Well.. thanks for the information Sanae! I'll figure this out eventually, I think" I'm gonna need to farm AP if I wanna get anywhere… and I think I know how.
Sanae stands up as well "Alright! What would you be doing exactly?" Well…
"I think I'm gonna go explore a bit. I wanna get more acquainted with the geography here and everything" I wanna do that, plus, I think I'll get to farm AP that way.
"Well.. be careful, please! I'm going to stay here at the shrine, and do… chores" Aha.
…Yeah, I don't buy that. "You're gonna be spending the entire afternoon playing video games, won't you?" I mean, I used to do the same!
Sanae looks surprised "How… how can you guess that accurately?! I'm trying to at least pretend I'm doing something here!" You don't have the hardcore gamer skills, Sanae!
"Hey, I'm not blaming ya! I used to do the same!" Like, really!
She sighs in defeat, and starts picking up the tea set "Well, I'll take care of this. Just tell me when you're going to leave, alright?" Uh..
"Sure.." And now that I think about it… "I think I'll take a shower and rest a bit beforehand, though" Because I REALLY need both of those things right now.
So we kinda just proceed to do our things. Sanae moves to the kitchen to wash the dishes apparently, and I move towards the bathroom to actually shower, like many of you probably don't do!
Now, arriving here… you know, I think it would be really wasteful to use a scene break for me just to shower, so.. what about you go look at someone else's perspective in the meantime? I'm sure there's someone doing something more interesting right now!
GENSOKYO MISADVENTURES: MARISA KIRISAME'S PERSPECTIVE
Alright! Everything is set up!
After I borrowed some of Makai's healing potions that were apparently from the goddess that lives over there, it's time to do some experiments with them!
"Marisa, are you completely sure you know what you're doing?" Oh, and Alice is here in my house as well.
I turn around from my study table to face her "Of course-ze!" I just need to get some of these…
As I start looking through my bag of both Makai and some regular potions I've made, Alice asks me "What are you even trying to do in the first place?" Isn't it obvious?
I take out a regular potion and a Makai one "Mix these together to… see what happens-ze!" Of course!
Alice moves a bit closer to my left side "I don't think this is how you perform research, Marisa.. don't you even have a hypothesis for what's going to happen?" Hypothesis?
Uh.. "Well... nope!" This is how I always do things!
Alice just sighs "Are you even taking into account this could be dangerous? I understand that potions from Makai are made with some really volatile and potentially dangerous chemicals and magic that only demons can withstand.." Ok, and?
You aren't getting it! "Pffff.. come on! Magic research isn't about why, it's about why not! Why is so much of my research dangerous? Why don't you marry safe research if you love it so much!" I say as I pour a couple of drops of the Makai potion into the regular one!
Now, time to see the results!
The potion is turning from its regular red color to a more orange, lava-esque color! It's also starting to smell weird..
Alice looks worried "Do… you know what you have even made?" Well…!
"I don't know! But it's interesting!" I say as I put a couple more drops into the potion!
The potion is starting to look more orange now, and… it's starting to shake a bit!
I quickly put the cork on the potion to prevent a possible overflow "Wohoho! This is starting to get more interesting-ze!" It really is!
Alice is starting to take a few steps back "Marisa! Are you even detecting the energy coming from that?!" Energy?
I take a closer look at it and.. wow, it's shaking violently now! "This is certainly a success!" I just gotta see what happens if you drink it..
I stand up to go to my other study table with the other research stuff. I think I'm gonna take some other vial to take a sample and..
"Marisa, watch out!" Alice interrupts my thoughts! What's the problem?!
I look at the table and.. I see the potion shaking near the edge of the table!
I quickly move to grab it before it falls..! "Oh nononono!" Dammit, I'm a bit too far away!
Just when I was going to snatch it out of the air.. I completely miss it and it just continues to fall to the ground…
Uh oh.
*KABOOM*
GENSOKYO MISADVENTURES: AKI'S PERSPECTIVE
Alright! I'm squeaky clean now! I have no idea if the way I put on the yukata is the correct one or not, but I don't really care all that much!
I took the time after that to actually rest for a bit. You could say I actually took a little nap! The first one I've taken in a while! Don't know exactly what time it is, but it should be somewhere in the afternoon, meaning the sun probably won't go down for some time.
That gives me enough time to act out the plan: Since the system apparently rewards me for visiting different places, I think I'm gonna go explore and visit a few safe locations of interest to gain AP.
My current idea is visiting the Hakurei shrine, Kourindou and maybe even the Kirisame magic shop. I also could explore the village a little more, just to know the layout better. Since I'll probably be going there a couple of times!
Well, I have nothing else to do at the moment so it's time to move, I guess.
I get out of the guest room, moving into the little hall to go to the main room and..
…What?
I swear I heard something like an explosion in the distance, it sounded like a big one! Don't tell me the kappa have already invented nuclear missiles or some shit!
I see Sanae coming out of what I think is her room "Hey, what was that?!" Uh..
I just shrug "Don't know! I also heard it! It was like an explosion or something?" Really don't know what else it could have been!
Sanae seems to think the same thing I did "Maybe it's the Kappa testing something explosive.. or something else of theirs exploded. It wouldn't be the first time.." Please don't tell me there was a nuclear reactor meltdown or something..
Well, in any case "Also, I'm gonna get going now! I'll be back in.. dunno, maybe an hour or 2" I don't think my little journey will take that long!
She looks at me now "Alright, please be careful!" I know, I know..
"Don't worry, if I just happen to meet a little darkness manipulating and human eating girl, I'll be sure to run away at lightning speed!" You know, I realize how a slam storage is kind of a get-out-of-jail free card for a lot of random encounters with youkai, since I imagine most of them wouldn't bother to follow me! It would just be inconvenient to go down again..
She awkwardly smiles a bit "Alright! I really hope you don't encounter that one specifically… well, good luck on your travels!" And she proceeds to enter her room again.
Well, everything's set. It's time to move!
(GENSOKYO MISADVENTURES: AKI THE EXPLORER EDITION)
Alright, skipping over all the boring stuff, I took the Moriya Ropeway again, so I'm currently at the north gate of the village right now.
So, where to go now… since it's the closest right now, I think I'll start by going to the places in The Forest of Magic first.
When exiting the village through here, I notice there's 2 paths. One that seems to be the main one that goes straight, and a side path that goes to the right.
Looking at the main one.. I see this just leads directly to the Misty Lake and the SDM that I can see in the distance..
…Yeah, I think I'll take the side path, thank you very much!
Well, I just start to walk, and since I'm not doing anything else, I guess I can describe this place. The Forest of Magic is really.. dense. The trees are massive, and looking deeper, they almost seem to block out the sunlight inside the forest. Although, it still manages to illuminate itself with these little magic orbs that come out of the trees for some reason
Don't see any youkai right now, and I'd rather not, really! Don't wanna have my classic self-insert meets Rumia encounter! Although there are animals here, like insects and birds. Nothing all that out of the regular.
Walking some more, I see… oh. It didn't take that long for me to find something!
There's this building here, sitting at the side of the path. Looking at the front.. it just has a big sign saying ""Kourindou"". Yep, this is the place.
I guess I'll just enter and stuff.
I open the little wooden door, a little bell sounds that I imagine is meant to announce a customer's arrival.
Well, this place looks like a store alright. There are a lot of store shelves, all of them with very random objects and antiquated pieces of technology. And looking forwards, I see the desk with the man himself, Rinnosuke!
He turns his gaze upwards from a book he was reading there "Oh? Welcome, customer. What brings you here?" Exp grinding, obviously.
Well, for an actual answer.. "Heya. I'm the new outsider! I wanted to take a look here since you sell some outsider thingies, right?" I actually wanna see what exactly Rinnosuke sells..
He seems a bit surprised "Wait, you are an Outsider? There haven't been any in quite some time…" You didn't know? I thought the bunbunmaru already spread the news of my arrival… maybe he just doesn't read it. And honestly, I can't blame him for not doing so.
"Well, yeah! Up until now, apparently. I think I'm gonna browse for a bit" I turn to look at the shelves with all the stuff. Time to see what's in stock..
He returns his gaze towards the book "Alright. I'll be here if you need anything" I realize how I probably don't have a lot of money, but looking at this stuff is probably going to be interesting anyways!
Ok, first of all, I spot some cassettes and fucking floppy disks. Yeah, nobody will be using these any time soon..
To the right, there is some more electronic looking stuff. I see there's a Nokia cellphone here! You know, the brick, super indestructible one. I see some ipods with some earphones here and even some typewriters as well.
I notice that separated from the rest of the stuff here is a complete Apple computer! You know, like one of the really old ones! I wonder if Rinnosuke can actually get it to work..
There are some other trinkets and knick knacks here. Little marble figurines, some other figures that look more like very old children's toys and… wait, the fuck? Is that a fucking bullet magazine over there? Like, it's a big one! Like the sort you see in assault rifles! Where the hell does he get all this stuff..?
After that observation, start noticing something… this place has a ton of weapons! I see in the corner a couple of different katanas and swords, and even.. what I think is like a really old bayonet rifle, WW2 style! Jeez, if Reimu wants to keep the crime rate low here, she better not show any regular human what this guy here can offer!
I turn back towards the owner of the shop, and notice him actually examining something. I get closer and notice… that's a voltage tester screwdriver he's analyzing. Huh.
He looks at me now "Excuse me, if you are an Outsider, would you happen to know what this… tool is used for? I've identified it as a ""voltage-tester screwdriver"" but I haven't figured out what exactly it is used for" Oh, really? Well, he doesn't look like he has plugs or other things to test voltage exactly…
"Well, you use that to see if there's voltage or electricity in something. Usually like a plug, or a wire. If the tip detects voltage, it lights up!" This is some of the most basic tools for any work relating to electricity. I would know!
Rinnosuke looks at me while slightly surprised "Oh.. thanks, Outsider! Most Outsiders that show up tend to not know a lot about complicated tools or materials, even if they come from where these objects are used.." Oh, right..
Yeah, I remember this part of the Touhou lore! Apparently, most outsiders that come here seem to be kinda dumb and don't know things like complicated engineering or stuff like that. Don't know why exactly!
"Well, glad I could be of assistance! To be honest, I haven't got any money right now to buy anything. But I'll maybe come back in the future, alright?" To be honest, I don't know if anything here is really useful, since I can buy all the stuff I need from the system, really.
He seems grateful "Alright. My gratitudes to you, Outsider. Have a good afternoon" I mean.. sure.
"Uh.. yeah, you too!" Man, I just had a polite and regular conversation with someone? Why does it feel like I haven't done that in a while?!
Wait a second… "Hey, before I leave, would you happen to have heard a big explosion like maybe half an hour ago?" I'm still wondering what that was about!
He thinks for a moment before saying "Hmm? I.. honestly don't know. I think it came from somewhere deeper into the Forest of Magic. Big explosions shouldn't be too uncommon considering who lives there…" Ah, yeah. The residents there..
"Ok.. thanks for the information! See ya!" I say as I just exit the store and.. where is it? Any second now…
[Quest completed: Visit Kourindou and help its owner]
[Reward: 2.000 AP IP]
Alright! Not a lot, but enough. I still have places to go!
So, where to go now.. I guess I'll just continue this path really. Considering what Rinnosuke said, I'll probably find the magic shop somewhere in this path as well.
I start to slide to speed up the process, because I don't want my exp grinding to take very long!
I look upwards a bit, and see what I think are a couple of fairies just flying above. In fact, its a group of 3 fairies... oh fuck, I really hope they aren't the ones I think they are!
I don't know if I should be standing still or something? After all, one of them can detect moving objects, can't they?
Well, in any case, they just seem to be moseying about, spinning in the air a bit before just going away outside my view. Great! I don't wanna deal with stupid fairy pranks right now, or ever!
I'll just keep going then.
…
So uh… after sliding through the path some more, I found something… interesting.
The trees here are just… charred. Everything seems like it burned down, or was hit by a big explosion. Damn, what the hell happened here?!
I look deeper into the forest where all the burned down trees are, and notice the line of charred trees just continues deeper. You know, I'm feeling curious today, so let's investigate! I can probably run away if anything tries to jump me out of nowhere!
So, going away from the path, I start going deeper, where the charred trees seem to be originating from. And walking just a little bit… I find something interesting.
There's currently a big wreckage here, like if a building just collapsed. And looking to the sides of it, I spot 2 girls inspecting the… oh, one of them is Marisa, ain't her? That witch outfit is really recognizable!
To her side I see a short haired, blonde girl with a light blue dress. That must be Alice Margatroid, right?
I move a bit closer to see what the hell happened, and I manage to catch an apparent conversation… or, in reality, it sounds more like a scolding.
"Marisa, you really can't be serious right now. Look at what your recklessness has done!"
"Well.. I couldn't have predicted that would happen-ze! Don't blame me!"
"Yes I blame you. You should at least have some basic precautions when doing volatile experiments. Did Patchouli not tell you enough about that?"
"Ah.. it's always you and Patchy rambling to me about the same thing! Precautions this, precautions that…"
"If you had even the slightest bit of precaution, this wouldn't have happened, you thick skull!"
Wow, I get that Marisa caused the explosion somehow? What the hell… how do you even do something like that? Also.. is this her house that's completely destroyed?!
Alice was apparently going to continue.. before she catches me eavesdropping to their right. Uh…
She approaches me slightly "Oh? And who you might be?" Well, I guess I have no reason to lie or anything right now…
Marisa turns to look at me as well "Huh? Who's… oh wait, it's you!" Oh fuck, she recognizes me, doesn't she?
"Well yes, it is in fact, me!" It is I, the random outsider that called you out on lying in trial!
She approaches a bit menacingly "And what would you want going here?!" Woah, you don't have to be so angry at me!
"I was kinda hoping to buy stuff from the magic shop but, uh…" Yeah, I don't think she can sell anything right now..
Alice approaches Marisa "Well done, Marisa. You lost your one opportunity to sell something in quite some time because of your own ineptitude, great job. Also, you two know each other..?" Well, kinda?
Marisa STILL looks slightly angry "I wouldn't have sold anything to him! When I got called to do this trial thing, this guy was all about me lying and stuff! I hated it!" Oh, shut the fuck up! You were not telling the truth!
I look at Alice for a second "Well, it's not my fault she was lying in court! I had to call her out!" It was that, or get executed!
Alice has a slightly tired expression "Oh, you were the Outsider in that one trial earlier, weren't you? That was certainly something. Based on what I heard, at least.." She now turns to look at Marisa..
*WAP* and she slightly hits her head with her grimoire! "Marisa, you already have a long enough criminal record. Lying in court is only going to make it worse!" Damn, she definitely is kinda angry at her.
Marisa rubs her head a bit "What! Why do you believe this guy?! I told you I didn't lie there!" Yeah, sure…
Alice clearly doesn't buy it "I don't buy it" She, in fact, doesn't buy it!
Marisa just grunts in annoyance without saying anything.
Well, this place seems to be completely destroyed, so.. there's kinda nothing else to do here.
[Quest completed: Visit the remains of the Kirisame Magic shop]
[Reward: 1.500 AP IP]
Yep, definitely nothing else to do here "Well, it seems that this place is an archeological site right now.. so I guess I'll just leave"
Alice responds drily "Goodbye" And Marisa doesn't even bother to say anything, great.
I turn around to start retracing my steps. It seems I ain't getting any magic thingies from the magic shop, even if her dumbass owner wouldn't have sold me anything..
…
Well, I've retraced my steps all the way to the gate to the village right now, since I really didn't have any more business in the forest. Now, what to do…
I know that in Touhou, the Hakurei Shrine is always to the east. Luckily, I have a compass! This is actually becoming more useful than I thought it would be!
To go there though, I need to pass through the village. I was already planning to do so, meaning I can kill 2 birds with one stone! So, it's time to walk again.
The village looks.. regular. A good amount of people walk around the dirt road, going through their daily lives, I imagine. The houses look very much like what you would expect out of old, rural Japan.
As I keep walking, I quickly reach the village center. It obviously is still in repair, but there aren't any people working on it at the moment. So it's just unfinished.
Now, from here, I just take the main road that goes east. It should be a direct path towards the shrine, right?
As I keep walking, I notice here in the center there appears to be a lot more shops and little markets that I haven't really seen yet. Lots of people are selling vegetables, clothes and other regular stuff. I really am pointing these things out as if they are out of the ordinary, but in reality I'm just the weirdo that's not really used to this setting!
As I keep walking towards the gate that's slightly far away in the distance… I hear someone behind me "Mister, may i has't a moment?" Huh?
I turn around and see.. well, those clothes are really identifying. That's Mononobe no Futo! I was expecting her to be shorter, but she's almost as tall as me!
Ok, that aside… "Umm… hello?" Why would Futo of all people want to speak with me in the first place..?
She moves a bit closer "By aught chance, wouldst thee befall to be the outsider Aki?" Uh.. what.
I think she's asking if that's my name? "Yes…? That would be me!" I really hope I'm answering this right!
She bows "Valorous noon. Mine own nameth is Mononobe no Futo. I has't cometh to in behalf of the taoism group to expresseth our gratitude, f'r thee has't greatly aided our endeavors" Holy shit, this is actually kinda difficult.
I guess I aided them somehow..? "Umm.. how exactly have I aided your group?" I mean, what?
Futo seems to have an almost victorious looking smile "By unmasking the village's protector's true, dastardly Youkai identity, of course! Thee has't been a most wondrous aid towards our endeavors to rid this town of the youkai that plague t, and we can't be m're than thankfull f'r thy aid" Sure..?
"You're welcome, I guess" I apparently helped the taoist loons do their thing, and... I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Also, I don't know if she knows I'm currently affiliated with the Moriya Shrine right now, since that would maybe go against her beliefs? I better not bring it up…
She puts her two hands together, doing her apparent signature pose or something "We extendeth an ope invitation to thee to learneth the most wondrous means of taoism in Senkai, if thee ev'r befall to meeteth me again 'r aught oth'r taoist practitioner" Ok, that one was just straight incomprehensible.
Emm, onto something else, maybe? "You know, what will exactly happen to Keine?" I'm curious about this, because… umm…
She looks down a bit, seemingly disappointed "Unfortunately, the destiny of this foul Youkai is not f'r us to decideth. Whatev'r happeneth to this Youkai hath been relegated to the Hakurei shrine maiden" Now she looks even more disappointed "T wouldst has't been a valorous opp'rtunity f'r the prince to acquire m're heeding.." Aha..
Well, I guess I know the big question to ask here "If it were up to you or your prince… what would you have done?"
Futo creates a little puff of flame in her hand "If t w're up to me…" She now clenches it, extinguishing the fire "All of these Youkai wouldst has't been verily exterminated by anon. Such a shame this isn't the case.." Oh.
Umm.. "I see… well, this is all? I have some.. uh, business to attend to at the moment" Got to make the excuses to get out of this.
She slightly bows again "Ay, that is all. Thanketh thee f'r thy tempus. Prithee, rememb'r our invitation f'r the morrow. I'm certes the prince shall beest m're than joyous to meeteth thee" And now she turns around and goes away..
To be honest, I don't think these are the people I wanna be with.
I've read about the taoists and they may not be the best. I know Miko quite literally uses her ""disciples"" as just servants, not teaching them a whole lot. Which basically gives me the vibe they are just opportunistic fucks.
Also, this is Ignoring all the unwarranted and quite irrational hatred towards youkai they have for some reason. I really don't know or remember why, but it seems kinda dumb!
But… am I in a position to say all of this?
I mean, I've been hating all these youkai that have almost gotten me killed quite some times. And killing them because they almost killed me seems like payback, right? Keine almost got me executed, after all..
You could also say I'm maybe working for an opportunistic fuck too, now that I think about it...
I…
I don't really know. I better keep moving.
(GENSOKYO MISADVENTURES…)
Ok, so..! I've walked the stupidly long path to the Hakurei Shrine that's outside the east gate of the village! I'm currently at the bottom of the classic, super big stairs this place has for some reason.
I'm actually going to go up the damn stairs like a normal person this time, even if it takes a while to get to the top. I just wanna go a chapter without eating dirt…
So I just start walking up the stairs! One of my favorite activities ever!
…
Yeah, it took an ellipse for me to make it all the way up. My feet actually hurt!
So, here it is, the Hakurei Shrine! It's.. a lot smaller than the Moriya Shrine, apparently!
Ok, first of all, in front of the stairs there's the… Torii gate! Almost forgot the name. After it, there's a little carved stone path that leads into the shrine proper. It seems this place also has the ""big open space next to the shrine"" that I saw earlier in the Moriya one, probably for events and stuff.
The shrine, as I said earlier, is a lot smaller. This is probably how an actual shrine looks like, now that I think about it…
I get closer, going up to the donation box. There really doesn't seem to be anyone present at the moment..
"Oh? A visitor!?" And just when I thought of that, I see… a girl with green hair and a horn in her forehead. That must be Aunn, isn't she? She's currently looking at me from around the corner of the shrine!
She quickly comes up to me on all fours "Hello hello hello hello hello!" Damn, you speak way too loudly! "What brings you here?! You better donate! That's what Reimu tells me to say so it must be for a good reason!" Calm down a little..!
"Yeah, yeah, I was going to donate and everything, chill.." I better put some of this yen to… probably not good use, but still.
I take out a.. uh… I just realized I have no fucking clue how Japanese currency works. So, yeah, this is just a coin and that's it.
I just toss it into the donation box and… "YAY! A DONATION!" And Aunn just runs to the back of the shrine while saying that! Geez, why do you have to announce it like that?!
*SLAM* "WOAH!" Fuck, the door slides open so violently it actually scared me! And… "A DONATION?!" …Yeah, that's Reimu alright. It seems super poor Reimu is canon, apparently.
Her extremely happy expression fades a bit once she sees me.. "Ah, it's… you? What the heck are you of all people doing here?" Uh…
"Well, I was kinda just exploring the place a bit, you know? Maybe donating something as a thank you for not executing me and stuff?" I at least don't wanna be on bad terms with Reimu of all people!
She quickly kneels down and takes out the little cover of the donation box. She takes a look inside and grabs the coin I threw in and inspects it "100 YEN?!" I can literally see her eyes sparkle with joy at that one…
She now looks at me with a sweet smile "Thanks! At least I didn't waste my time on that whole trial thing for nothing.." Wasn't that a 100 yen coin? Is she really THAT happy for such a small donation?!
"You're welcome, I guess.." Now, based on what Futo told me... "Hey Reimu, what exactly will you do with Keine? I was told you were apparently going to do something about her" I kinda want to see what happens, really. Out of… curiosity, maybe?
Reimu quickly pockets the coin as she stands up "Keine? Was kinda surprised she was a Youkai, but eh... It's no big deal, really. She hasn't caused an incident or anything, so she should just continue her job as usual" …That's it? She seems to have gotten it easy..
Yeah, I think a few people aren't too happy with that one "Aren't the taoists people going to be like, super mad or something?"
She seems confident "Nah, I'll take care of them if I need to. After all, nobody can do Keine's job better than herself. I've already been talking with that stupid ""prince"" about the entire thing and they're just kinda tiring to discuss with" I imagine a lot of things are tiring for you, aren't they?
Well, in any case.."Well… it seems my trial at least ended way better than the previous one!" You could say I got the, uh… considerably happier ending? I at least am not a serial killer!
Reimu just stretches a bit "Ugh.. do not make me remember that… at least you're actually kind of a decent person, unlike some other Outsiders that have shown up" Huh?
Wait, really? "I mean, how bad were the previous outsiders?" They couldn't have been all bad, right?
She starts putting the cover of the donation box back in its place "Well, one of the outsiders that showed up here claimed he was part of the Hakurei bloodline or something, and even asked to be my apprentice and everything. Turns out, he was just a big, lying pervert. I already… disposed of him a while ago" Oh.
Yeah, I think I'm not going to inquire further… "Alright then.." Quick, topic change! "Hey, you know that Marisa's house just exploded today?" Yep, really regular things happening here.
She just looks super surprised "What?" Well, I guess I have to explain..
"So.. I was in The Forest of Magic looking for the Kirisame magic shop, but… it turns out Marisa failed at some experiment or something and her house is quite literally in ruins right now. She was apparently responsible for that big explosion everyone heard earlier" I imagine Reimu must have heard it, considering I heard it all the way from Youkai Mountain!
She just facepalms "Really? It's always like her to get into more comically stupid situations… and this also means I'll probably be her hotel for a while…" To be honest, she didn't sound annoyed there, almost as if she would enjoy Marisa staying with her… yeah, I know you girls hold hands when nobody's looking!
Sesbian Lex aside.. "Well, that's all, really. I'll just be going back to the Moriya shrine" My purpose here has been fulfilled!
She looks a bit confused, before apparently remembering something "Ah, I keep forgetting you're staying with those people. Since you donated and everything, here's the Hakurei's blessing in the form of advice: The goddess over there sucks and is annoying!" Emm… ok? That sounded more like the Hakurei's biased opinion more than anything else!
Well… is she wrong? Probably not.. "Uh.. thanks for the advice I guess.. goodbye" Yeah, I want to get going already.
She quickly waves goodbye as well "Bye! You're always welcome if you donate!" Of course, that's the only thing you care about..
I turn around to exit this place, and just as I start approaching the Torii gate…
[Quest completed: Visit the Hakurei Shrine and have a peaceful talk with the shrine maiden]
[Reward: 1.000 AP IP]
Yes! Mission accomplished!
Ok, with this, I should be able to buy the stupid magic affinity skill now. Don't know exactly how it works or anything, but still! It's magic time!
Oh fuck, I just realized I need to go down the stairs… actually, no I'm not. I'm going to slide through the little dirt ramp next to them like a lunatic because I don't wanna walk down these stairs for 15 minutes!
So, I start to slide, and with this speed, I should reach the path in no time!
And I do just that, being careful this time as to not eat dirt when reaching the ground for the 30th time in this stupid fanfic.
Well, I guess it's time to walk the stupidly long Hakurei road or something. Because really, the Hakurei shrine is an impractically long distance away from the village, so it takes time to actually walk all the way!
I could just slide and speed up the process… but since I have some off time right now, I guess I can try some stuff while I walk all the way there.
System, it's time! Buy the magical affinity skill!
[Magical affinity: Lets the user perform basic to lesser intermediate magic. 15.000 AP]
[Confirm purchase?]
Of course!
This is going to cost almost all my AP at the moment, but it's something that I think will actually be useful in the long run!
…
Uh.. you know, I was expecting something to happen, but I don't feel too different right now.
Well, maybe if I try to… ok, now strange things are happening!
If I sort of.. focus, you could say? By focusing, I notice there's… something. I can sort of feel something that is everywhere, and is constantly there, floating around. If I could describe it, it's almost like I can feel a lot of little.. particles around me, but in a sort of.. incorporeal way…? This is too weird!
I'm going to assume this weird thing I'm feeling is Gensokyo's ambient magic that Sanae mentioned earlier, right? So quite literally I'm feeling magic right now.
Then, how was I supposed to use this? Sanae said to ""condense it"" but, how do I do that?
Maybe I can try thinking.. and can move it that way?
So I start to try to imagine the magic I'm feeling to just.. start moving in front of me. And when I do that.. wait, I'm feeling the magic starting to move! Normally it's sort of stationary, just floating about like specks of dust in the air, but when I sort of… command it to move, it moves!
I still don't see anything spectacular, really, but I know I'm at least doing something!
Ok, let's try condensing it like Sanae said. So, I try to like, make a good amount of magic move into my palm to.. just see what happens, really. I keep condensing more and more of it until…
Oh! A little white orb just poofs into existence in my hand! It floats a bit above my palm, just existing there. With my left hand I move a finger to touch it and..
Ouch. It actually stung a little! I guess this is danmaku then, huh? Just compressed magic? Seems simple enough!
Also, what did Sanae say as well? That I had to shoot it? How do I do that now..
Well, let's try what seems obvious right now. I try to feel the little orb and.. make it move forwards? And.. it works!
It starts moving forwards at like… maybe less than half a meter a second. Yeah, this is moving at a comically slow pace. Can I make it move faster somehow…?
Just when I was thinking about that, the danmaku just.. dissipates into nothing. Huh.
Well, that was something. I'm noticing how I feel slightly… tired? I guess danmaku drains my energy slightly? Fuck, I have like a shit-ton of questions that I probably won't get an answer for right now…
You know what? I think I'm gonna leave the experimenting and stuff when I reach the shrine, because I wanna be somewhere that's safer!
Also, by now, I'm reaching the east gate of the village. I really think I have nothing else to do here, really. So, it's straight to the shrine again!
As I keep walking through the village, I start to think… man, I'm wondering what the hell I'm going to do with this magic. Keep in mind, I wasted almost all of my precious AP for this! I better make use of this properly!
Will someone teach me? Probably not. But hey, have you ever heard of this thing called trial and error? It's a nice learning method that has never killed somebody, I assure you! But again, I'm leaving that up to when I reach the shrine.
Well, everything seems to be ok! I'm entering the village right now, my little exploring session is over, and this chapter is already 12k words long. Seems like a nice place to end it for now, doesn't it? This is absolutely NOT because the writer is super tired writing this at 2AM, I assure you!
[LVL 8 Professional Adventurer, "Aki"]
Big progress this time around! No AP left, but I got something great!
[Abilities]
Ultrakill movement: Didn't turn out exactly like I wanted it to, but it ended up being slightly useful in the end. Let's me do a lot of crazy movement shit like very high jumps, sliding indefinitely, wall jumping up to 3 times, fast fall with a slam and dash in any direction with 3 dashes that have a slight cooldown each. Can combine these to do more insane movement tech that lets me go so fast is kinda uncontrollable, but could be useful situationally. Also, apparently fall damage immunity, but still not too sure if it exists yet.
Mental Fortitude: No one can mindfuck me without my consent! Immune to mental manipulation techniques and stuff. There are probably like, 3 people in Gensokyo with abilities like that, but it's still something!
Magic Affinity: It's official, I'm a wizard now! Lets me perform the magics! What does that let me do exactly? Uh.. I dunno, I need to experiment with this further to find out!
[Inventory]
Compass: A regular compass I bought of the system because I forgot to ask Kasen for directions that one time like a dumbass
I just now realized I left my satchel thing at the shrine again. Fuck, I'm a dumbass!
[100 AP] [20.000 IP]
Yeah, no AP right now, still got a good amount of IP though. Also, I actually have yen this time! 1.900 to be exact. Not a whole lot, but I can always sacrifice some IP to get more.
AUTHORS NOTE OR SOMETHING: Well, here it is! You can say I'm at the lowest point as a writer, that I wrote a basic exploring chapter. I swear I have better ideas for the future, I swear!
Speaking of the chapter itself, you could maybe say it's kinda filler… but on the other hand, you can take it as the ""chapter that establishes a couple of things for the future"" kind! It's that still filler though? I don't know.
Well, we got the basic exploring session, so you can already have an idea of how the map of Gensokyo looks here. That's the reason I'm using the cardinal points, to give a better idea of how the places are located and all.
Exaggerating Futo's speech quirk to be full on Shakespearean English was a really funny idea I've had in my head for a while, and I'm glad I could use it now! Have fun reading her dialogue. My guy doesn't even know what she's saying himself.
We got to see more characters, so more dialogue. It seems my guy is on good terms with almost everyone he has met thus far. But what about the people he hasn't met yet..?
My guy has unlocked the magics! I already have ideas on how the hell he's going to use it, and I think it's going to be great. However, he may have to trial and error his way into finding a useful way to use magic in the long run. Does that mean more deathly situations coming his way? Who could have thought!
Well, this chapter took a while. Not for any particular reason, really. You know, besides the fact this chapter is almost 12k words long DAMN.
Haven't got a whole lot more to say really, so cya.
UPDATE A FEW HOURS LATER AFTER POSTING BECAUSE I'M A DUMBASS: I completely forgot to mention that if you for some reason read the previous chapters, you may have noticed some small revisions I did, mostly to fix dialogue.
Also, when I published this initially, an entire paragraph got completely deleted. Thank GOD it wasn't a super important one! Gotta love ffnet for these things!