Man oh man, it has been a while hasn't it? I'm sorry that things took so long. But there's been a LOT of stuff going on IRL since the last chapter. One of which was me proposing to my girlfriend(now fiance!) as well as my job which has me working nights, so I have a lot of times where I'm simply too tired to write. Along with some new video game releases, several bouts of laziness and some other writing projects I work on, this got pushed back. That being said though, even if I move a bit slow, the chapters will come. With that being said, let me move on to some of the comments I feel the need to reply to.
Hatman2000: Hey now, just because I disappear for a while doesn't mean my stories are dead! They only are if I say they are.
Guest #1: I wish you had a name, but don't worry, John will bust out some more of his magic classes down the line. Don't you worry.
Guest #2: Sorry if you dislike the idea of John being able to switch classes/jobs. But the fact of the matter is that being able to do something like that is a key feature of Final Fantasy XIV. I feel it'd be an insult if I didn't include something like that.
It'd been some time since John had returned to the office. What was once a little shack was now an actual three-story home, with the first floor acting as an office space, while the other two floors would be used for housing the residences of Favor Trade. Originally, it was going to be so big, but once the office renovations had been completed originally, Kaguya saw it and proclaimed that it 'was too small' for someone like John. So, digging into her coffers (and using her royal charms) Kaguya was able to convince the workers of the village to add on another floor as well as a few choice additions of her own. Namely, she had them dig out some bit of ground in the back that could be used for bathing. It took a bit of doing, but the workers managed to make it so the water would flow out naturally and head to the river.
"I gotta say, this is great." John said looking over the new office space "The village carpenters did a great job."
"I agree. This will make a wonderful place to raise our children." Yuuka said with a playful smile
"Get your hands off him!" Kogasa growled getting in-between the two of them "John's not having any kids!"
"Really? Not even by you?" Yuuka teased
This caused the umbrella to clam up a bit as Kaguya stepped forward "Come now ladies, we can talk about such things once we're inside."
Ever since Aya had released that paper with the information stating that John was going to marry all the females that worked with him (This included Flan, which Remilia was actually okay with) Kaguya had gone alone with it, citing that many men in ages past has numerous wives or mistresses. Yuuka had latched onto the idea and immediately began making jokes and innuendos, while Kogasa seemed staunchly against the idea...or at least she acted that way. Medicine, just rolled her eyes and continued with minding her business, and Flandre had decided that it'd be a good idea as it'd only serve to strengthen the Scarlet family name. When John had asked her how Remilia would take such a thing (as an attempt to try and ruin her plan) the small vampire flew off to the mansion and returned the next day claiming that her sister had agreed.
"Look, let's forget about that for now and just get accustomed to the place okay? John said with an exasperated sigh
"Very well. I'll go make us some food." Yuuka giggled heading towards the kitchen area
It was already noon, so a good lunch would be great as everyone got settled. John had decided that at least for today, he could have Favor Trade be closed. There really shouldn't be anything that immediately needed their attention. The only real problem he could think of is that the people who hung out at the tavern would most likely be upset that Kaguya wasn't going to be there tonight. As the group settled down in their chairs and eagerly awaited their food, there was a sudden knock at the door. Well 'knock' was being generous, it was more along the lines of someone banging on the door as if they were the police.
"Open up!" said a voice from behind the door, looking confused, John got out of his chair and headed towards the door opening it
"Look, I'm not sure if you're aware, but we're closed for today and-"
"Quiet, I've got questions for you!" the girl said
Looking at her she was wearing a red and white shrine maiden outfit. While the main part of her outfit was red, the sleeves and socks she were white. The ribbon used to tie her hair was a pretty red as well and the only thing that really stood out were the brown shoes she wore. She was actually kinda cute even with the frown on her face.
"I'm sorry but who are you?"
"Reimu Hakurei, now let me inside."
"Me too ze!" Marisa said appearing from behind her
"Hell no." John replied instantly
"Don't worry, she's with me." Reimu said
"Will you promise me she won't steal anything?"
At this Reimu sighed, she was all too familiar with Marisa's other 'activity' so to speak and she could sympathize with John's plight in that regard.
"She won't touch a thing. I promise."
With that John let the girls inside as his friends all looked over to see who it was that had entered the office.
"Oh my, the Hakurei shrine maiden. What brings you here?" Kaguya asked with a small giggle
"I'm here because of this guy." Reimu said jerking her thumb towards John "I'd have come sooner, but I get the feeling I was none too welcome at Eientei."
At this John turned to Kaguya who looked away as if she had no idea what Reimu meant "Kaguya...what did you do?" John asked
"Oh nothing...I just...waylaid the shrine maiden for a bit while we waited for your office to be completed."
"Why…?"
"Johh, I've dealt with the shrine maiden before...to say that she takes a rather 'caviler' attitude to acquiring information is to put it lightly."
"What do you mean by caviler?" John asked with a raised eyebrow
"She'll beat you up." Kogasa sighed
"She'll beat you up badly." Medicine said in agreement
"But it's really fun to play with her!" Flandre said smiling brightly "And the same for Marisa too! Oh, let's play right now!"
"E-Er, not right now Flan, I gotta help Reimu collect info!" Marisa said nervously
"Right, and if you're all done, I want to know what you're planning." Reimu cut in
"Uh...planning?" John asked
"You're fixing to cause an incident aren't you? Just come clean now so I can go home and sleep peacefully."
"The only incident John is planning is the happy little incident of five or so kids running around our home." Yuuka said walking into the room and placing some food and drinks on the table.
"I find that quite hard to believe with you of all people." Marisa said tugging at her hat "Just come clean already, what are you after?"
"Nothing. Just running a good business." John said heading to the table "You guys want anything?"
"No thanks." Reimu said waving her hand
"I'm good too." Marisa said
"So you're telling me I'm supposed to believe that you're running a business with an umbrella youkai, a doll that has tried to poison humans on more than several occasions, the young vampire of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the princess of Eientei, and Yuuka Kizami, a very infamous youkai in her own right?" Reimu said, sarcasm oozing out of her voice
"Yeah that's the gist of it." John replied casually "I haven't done anything wrong. I help the villagers, they give me something, simple as that."
"And are you really planning to marry all the girls here? Even Flan?"
"Whoa, hold up, he's not marrying me." Medicine said throwing her hands up
John could only silently thank Medicine.
"He's marrying all of them." She said motioning to the other women in the room
John could only silently curse Medicine.
"I-I'm not marrying anyone! At least not yet!"
"So you're marrying them at some point in your life then?" Marisa teased with a smirk
"The's the general plan." Kaguya said casually "It will take some proper planning and no small amount of money, but when the time is right a wedding would be ideal."
"Kaguya please stop planning this out!" John protested
"Nonsense, as a future wife it is my duty to handle such matters."
John could only sigh at this, when it came to this particular topic, he was pretty much beaten, only Kogasa would (weakly) protest alongside him. A part of him was close to simply going along with the ride.
"That's all well and good, but just how did you get all of these figures in your home, coexisting and not trying to kill each other?" Reimu asked
"He tamed us." Yuuka said calmly "What can I say, my future husband is...quite the man when he needs to be."
At this the entire room went silent...except for Medicine who was laughing her ass off
"I get it." Reimu sighed "You're no threat. You're just a philanderer."
"I am not!" John cried
"Look, I don't care who or how many women you sleep with, just don't cause any trouble. I got my eye on you. Come on Marisa, let's head back to the shrine."
"You sure? Anything else you wanna ask?"
"Nope. I don't care about some guy who has a thing for youkai women."
"I'll have you know I'm still human." Kaguya retorted
"Yeah whatever, later I guess...but you said you take requests from the villagers right?"
"That's right. We're closed today though." John said
"I see...so if I had something that needed to be done?"
"Come tomorrow."
With a small nod, Reimu and Marisa left, leaving John perplexed as to what had just happened.
"I wonder what that was all about?" He muttered
"Now that I think on it. My sister did mention that Reimu and Marisa had stopped by a couple days ago." Flandre said downing some food "It was weird, she said they asked all sorts of questions, like if you were secretly a youkai or something."
"Do I look like one?" John asked with a deadpan stare
"You certainly don't smell like one." Flandre said "But I guess with the powers you have, some would certainly think you aren't human."
"Come on, it's not as crazy as anything you all could do."
"John, you can transform into a knight, a mage, and whatever that was you used at Yuuka's garden, and who knows what else. I'm not surprised someone jumped to you being a youkai." Kogasa said in a matter-of-fact tone "To be quite honest, I thought you were a youkai for a little while."
"Well, what gave it away that I wasn't?"
"The way you act? Not a lot of youkai act the way you do. You're...way too...uh...well..."
"Nice." Medicine said bluntly "You're a lot nicer than even some of the humans here."
"I don't get it." John said perplexed
"John...when we first met, what did I try to do?"
"Uh...kill me?"
"Yes, exactly. I tried to kill you. I wasn't holding back, I was going to go through with it John and what exactly are we doing now?"
"Er...eating breakfast?"
"Yes. Exactly. That's just it: under normal circumstances, this wouldn't happen. That Hakurei has been known to allow youkai at drinking parties, and to visit the shrine even, but actually living with them? Treating them like a family? Planning to start a family with some of them down the line? John, you're a weirdo, plain and simple."
"I'm...sorry?"
"Don't be...it's actually kinda...nice." Medicine said with a small blush "Most people aren't willing to go that far. So in that respect, you're better than many humans I've met."
John couldn't do much, but bashfully rub his head and give thanks. The day went by with relative ease and without much interruption. The night was about the same as usual with all the girls (sans Medicine and Flandre) trying to get into John's bed. Medicine very much was happy to have her own bed and so didn't join on the dogpile in John's room and Flan had to be back at the mansion. Soon enough, the group all drifted off to sleep, their dreams being quite pleasant.
The Forest of Magic...
Marisa had been busy minding her business in the forest of magic. Though it was night, she was gathering up some mushrooms that she could use for later in some magic experiments.
"This one should be good..." She muttered to herself picking up a pink colored mushroom "And so should this one..."
As the witch continued her harvesting, she felt something weird about the forest. Well, weirder than usual. There was a kind of mist that began to settle within the area. It wasn't something she'd seen before. Sure, there had been misty mornings and evenings in the forest before, but this particular mist had a very distinct tinge of weirdness to it that she couldn't place.
"What the hell is going on..." Marisa muttered looking around "The forest ain't never been like this."
Then as if answering her question, Marisa saw something she'd never seen before. A...man...no it wasn't a man, she could feel something off about this person. This person...no, this thing that she was seeing was clad in pure black armor. He rode atop a large black horse and the only source of light came from the two white eyes that felt as if it were piercing into Marisa's soul.
"W-who are you?!" Marisa exclaimed getting into a combat stance
The person said nothing instead lunging at her and taking a swipe with his blade, from the lack of danmaku, Marisa could tell this guy was seriously out for her life.
"Okay then, you don't wanna talk? Then I'm going full power right outta the gate!" Marisa said whipping out her Mini-Hakkero
"Final Spark!" Marisa shouted blasting the mysterious figure with a full powered master spark. A full minute passed by as Marisa poured all of her power into the attack, dust and debris being kicked up from it.
When she thought he'd had enough, Marisa finally stopped pouring power into the attack. However, what she saw made her mouth gape. The armored figure had held up his shield managing to block most of her attack, smoke billowing off it as he glared at her.
"Oh crap..." Marisa said before dodging another lunge from the enemy
"What the hell are you?!" Marisa exclaimed dodging still, yet her words were met with no answers, only more attacks.
"Dammit, I gotta get outta here. I gotta get Reimu." Marisa muttered getting on her broom "This ain't over whoever you are!" With that she flew off towards the shrine, the mystery man simply watching as she retreated.
"Okay...let me get this straight, you're saying you saw some weirdo in black armor in the dead of night?" Reimu asked in an annoyed tone, she'd been sleeping soundly until Marisa came loudly knocking on her door
"Yeah! I don't know who he is! But he managed to block my final spark without a problem."
"You sure it isn't just some youkai?"
"Reimu, if it were a youkai, then it wouldn't have survived that attack, or at least, it'd have been badly hurt." Marisa said with a sigh "I don't know if regular danmaku attacks will work on it."
"So what do you want me to do?"
"What do you mean?! We're gonna go kick that thing's ass!"
Reimu sighed again, she really wasn't in the mood for this kind of thing. It was probably some youkai that was stronger than usual and Marisa bit off more than she could chew. It was then that she had an idea.
"Nah we're not gonna do that." Reimu said smiling
"What do you mean we aren't?! We gotta get rid of that thing before it targets someone else!"
"Look, it's probably a youkai and frankly, I don't feel like going out there to handle something that would probably take two minutes to deal with."
"So what are you going to do then? Marisa asked
The Next Day…
"Hey philanderer, you in!" Reimu called out as she opened the door to John's office. She was met by Yuuka wearing a frilly pink apron and small smile on her face.
"Oh my Reimu and Marisa, back again already? How can I help you?" Yuuka asked calmly
"Look, I don't need you, I need the philanderer." Reimu stated bluntly
"How rude, but very well. My darling John is out back, wait here while I go get him."
Walking off with a skip in her step, Reimu couldn't help but notice just how...well how happy Yuuka looked. Her smile didn't have that usual sense of foreboding that one would normally associate with her, and Reimu didn't feel any of the...oddness that Yuuka would normally give off that she normally did from the few times Reimu spoke with her.
"Huh...I thought she was kidding, but it looks like she really is taking the housewife thing seriously." Reimu muttered
"I'm still not sure if that's a good thing or not." Marisa said "Anyway, why ask John for help? We can handle this thing."
"Look, this is an actually decent service when you think about it. I could give this guy a sack of potatoes and he takes care of a minor youkai or two? Sounds like a win-win to me."
"Reimu, you don't even have a sack of potatoes...I don't think you can even afford that."
"Shut up." Reimu growled
As the two bickered, John finally walked into the room. His hair and skin looked a little glossy, making it clear that he'd just gotten done bathing.
"Can't say I expected to see you two." John said "What brings you here?"
"I got a proposition for you is what Mr. Philanderer!" Reimu said with a smile
"Will you please not call me that?"
"I call it as I see it, that's not important anyway. What is important is that I got a job for you!"
"A job?" Kogasa said walking into the room "What could you possibly have for us to do?"
"Oh it's you. Run along, I'm talking to the boss."
"She's my secretary. If anything, she needs to be here." John said "Now what's this job."
"Right, there's this youkai hanging out in the forest of magic, and I need you and your band of misfits to go and take care of it."
"Is that your job?" Kogasa said in a deadpan voice
"I'm busy, so I can't handle it."
"Busy with what exactly?" John asked with a raised eyebrow
"Um...well..."
"Look, if you think you can just shirk your duties off on me, then sorry, I'm not running that kind of business."
"C-come on hear me out! I mean, at least hear what the thing is like. Marisa saw it last night."
Looking at Kogasa, John motioned for Marisa to explain what she had saw the previous night. As the magician explained herself, John's eyes slowly grew wider.
"You're serious…?" John asked, his voice no longer casual like before
"Yeah, that's what I saw. My master spark didn't even faze the thing."
Hearing that John began to pace around the room, a panicked look on his face.
"John, what's wrong? Do you know what that thing is?" Kogasa asked
"Yeah, if it's who I think it is...then that's Odin." John said grimly
"Odin…?" Marisa said
"Yeah...he's...well Kogasa, remember how I said I fought some god-like beings before?"
"Yeah, why? Wait...you're saying that this is one of them?"
"Definitely one of them if that description is to be believed." John said as he continued his pacing "To make matters worse, this is an elder primal..."
"Elder...primal?" Kogasa uttered slowly
"Basically, he's a really old god. Really strong too."
"Okay, so what the hell is he doing running around the forest?" Marisa said with an annoyed tone "Is he just looking for a fight?"
"Yes actually. I'm not surprised he's in that forest. It was the same with Gridania..."
"Is that where you're from?" Reimu asked
"No, and it doesn't matter right now. Kogasa, go get everyone, we're gonna need all hands for this one."
"My my, does that include me?" Yuuka asked in a singsong voice
"Actually...yeah. You're strong Yuuka, I'd feel a bit safer if you were there to help out."
Surprised at his words, Yuuka could only blush and give an uncharacteristically meek nod "Of course...I'd help you out no matter what John."
"Alright, there's just one final issue." John said with a sigh
"And that is…?" Reimu asked
"When Odin is defeated, all that will remain is his sword."
"Really? That thing looked kinda cool, maybe I can sell it for some cash!" Marisa said grinning
"Don't bother, you wouldn't get that far." John laughed
"What do you mean by that? It's just a sword!"
"No...the sword is Odin's true form. If you touch it, then you'll become possessed, a new body for Odin to inhabit and at that point it's too late for you."
"Well, why not just seal it then?" Reimu said with a shrug
"I don't have that ability unfortunately."
Reimu let out a sigh, she was really hoping that she wouldn't have to lift a finger at all "Alright fine, I guess I can help out. Leave sealing the thing to me, you and your group just wear it down, what time do we act?"
"As soon as possible, the sooner we can get rid of Odin the better."
With this, the group split apart to get ready for their mission. Reimu and Marisa were going back to the shrine to gather the proper sealing tools, while Kogasa had ran off to gather up the other members of Favor Trade. As soon as everyone had gathered together, they all went towards the forest of magic, meeting up with Reimu and Marisa halfway there. As they all hovered over the mess of trees, They couldn't help but notice that the sky had suddenly turned dark and a strange mist permeated the area.
"What is this…?" Medicine asked "This mist is strange...it was clear skies just a moment ago."
"It kind of reminds me of something my sister did once." Flandre muttered
"It's Odin's calling card...whenever you see this mist, it means he's around. Now then, you all know the plan right?" John said looking at everyone
"We hit him hard and fast…mostly hard though." Yuuka said with a giggle
"Marisa and I will be waiting to seal the sword once he's defeated. We'll keep out of your way until then." Reimu said
"Much appreciated, but if you feel the need to fire off that master spark of yours, don't hesitate...just don't hit us please." Kaguya said holding a sleeve up to her mouth "I'm trusting in your aim."
"Heh, don't worry, no games this time, this seems pretty serious, so I'm super focused, now get in there!" Marisa said pointing to the area of the forest where she'd seen him last.
"Alright everyone let's go! We're gonna fill him with hot-"
In an attempt to be dramatic, John had turned the bracelet on his wrist so that it would invoke his Machinst abilities
"LEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!" He screamed as he plummeted to the ground, thankfully Flandre was fast enough to catch up with him
"You okay…?" Flan asked
"Y-yeah...I forgot that I can only fly while on Scholar...well, anyway, let's go! He said heading into the forest followed by the others.
Having watched the entire ordeal, Marisa couldn't help but turn to Reimu "You really think they'll be okay?"
"Honestly? I give them a 50-50 chance if this thing is as strong as they say."
"Wanna make a bet out of it?"
"You're on."
As the two made their little bet, the members of Favor Trade made their way through the dense, dark forest until they came to a clearing where Odin could be seen pacing around on his steed Sleipnir, He didn't seem to be doing much else, just looking around every now and then.
"Okay everyone, remember: This isn't like a usual danmaku fight. Don't hold back, throw everything you've got at him." John whispered
"Everything?" Yuuka said with a dangerous smile
"Yeah, now I'll go out first and-"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, I'LL KILL YOU!" Flandre giggled madly as she flew out of their hiding spot, whipping out Lævateinn at attempting to deliver a killing blow to Odin who just barely blocked her attack, forcing her back with his shield.
"Well that's one way to start things off...everyone attack!" John shouted taking out his gun. Reaching to his threw out a small orb which quickly changed into a small floating cylindrical machine that began opening fire on Odin.
"What's that thing?!" Kogasa exclaimed as she dodged a sword swipe and tossed some Danmaku back at Odin
"Just an autoturret! Don't worry, it won't hit you!" John yelled back as he began shooting at Odin as well.
"Four of a Kind~!" Flan exclaimed splitting into four different versions of herself as Odin took another swipe at her.
"He's...a lot faster than I thought-eep!" Kogasa shouted dodging an attack. However, this was followed up by Yuuka delivering a gut busting punch to Sleipnir which caused the horse to stumble back a bit.
"Keep focused, this isn't a danmaku game." Yuuka chided
"Yuuka Move!" Kaguya called out pushing the flower youkai out of the way only to receive a deep gash in her side for the trouble.
"H-how it'd rebound so quick?!" Yuuka exclaimed getting to her feet.
"Kaguya are you okay?!" John yelled running over to her, while opening fire on Odin in attempt to keep him at bay.
"Uuugh..." Kaguya groaned "That...really hurts...a lot." She murmured staggering to her feet.
"This isn't good, he's just as tough as I thought." John muttered "We've got to end this quick...can you still fight Kaguya?"
"Y-yes I can. Something like this will heal quickly."
"Great. Everyone, keep pouring on the attacks! Keep him distracted!"
"You got it~!" Flan giggled flying towards Odin with her clones and ramming into him. The force was enough to send the primal skidding back, while Yuuka followed up with more punches,
"Okay perfect. Let's hope I can get this combo working in real life..." John said as he quietly activated all the buffs needed for Machinist's Wildfire technique. Blood For Blood, Hawk's Eye, Raging Strikes, Internal Release, Rapid fire, and lastly Rook Overdrive to help up his damage even more. With all the abilities active, John got close and tossed a small clock-like device onto Odin's body.
"Only fifteen seconds to make this work...alright get ready for this Odin!" John shouted as he began opening heavy fire on Odin with his turret firing alongside him. The others saw the hailing bullets whizzing past them and backed off as just continued firing before loading in one special bullet that would do some extra damage when he was finished, a small explosion rocked Odin's body sending him toppling over.
"John, what was that?" Kogasa asked
"A whole bunch of bullets and an explosion." John said flatly
"Oooooh, that's one of those human weapons! A...gun I think?" Flandre said marveling at John's weapon "Patchy said they're pretty powerful and kill humans in one hit...they can even kill some youkai!"
"That's right, now don't get distracted!"
"What it's not like that thing is getting back up is it?" Medicine said
It was then that Odin got back to his feet, raising his blade to the sky as several smaller blades struck the ground covering it in a purplish-red glow.
"W-what the hell is this?!" I feel like my power is being sapped away!" Yuuka growled
"The swords! We have to destroy the swords!" John called out
"No problem!" Flan said as she and her clones got to work "Keep him busy, I'll take care of them!"
This wasn't how the fight would go in game, you'd usually need at least two people dealing with those blades, but Flandre had more than enough power to make up for that.
"Okay everyone, you heard the vampire!"
Numerous sounds of agreement rang out from John's allies as they all charged Odin. Kaguya drawing his attention with her attacks while Medicine covered him in poison to slow his movements and weaken him in general. John kept firing at him with gun, while Kogasa backed him up with danmaku of her own. Even with all this, Odin was giving them a run for their money, having used an attack that caused everyone to move slower than usual.
"Flan, how is destroying those swords coming along?" John shouted
"A-almost, they're a lot more sturdy than I thought and I'm moving slower too!" Flan called back as she'd finally destroyed half of them "And I can't just explode these ones for some reason!"
"It's just the slow effect Flan. Keep hammering away, it'll wear off in time!" John called back to her
The fight raged one with each side tossing attacks at one another. Odin was pulling out all the stops, from blasts of dark energy, to deadly sword slashes, it was taking all that the members of Favor Trade had to keep the elder primal at bay. Even after Flan destroyed the swords and joined in on the attack with her clones it was still barely enough. The fight seemed hopeless...until John saw a telltale sign that the fight was nearing its end: Odin had gone to the middle of the clearing and was just standing there to the befuddlement of everyone else.
"Uh...what's he doing?" Kogasa asked turning to John
"Shit...SHIT! EVERYONE, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO! KILL HIM, HIT HIM WITH EVERY LAST ATTACK YOU HAVE! DON'T STOP!" John bellowed as he began using his Wildfire combo
The ladies followed his lead, using their strongest attacks, yet Odin still remained unperturbed
"Everyone get back. I'll handle this!" Yuuka called out as she pulled her parasol from...somewhere.
'Where the hell was she keeping that thing?' John thought
Yuuka took aim with her parasol as it began to glow, power building up in it before Yuuka let loose a devastating blast. One that completely engulfed Odin and lit up the forest with a bright blinding light.
This continued on for three full minutes before the light show finally died down and the dust settled. When the smoke finally cleared, the group could see Odin standing there as if he were unhurt. However, he began to slowly stagger before finally disappearing in a small glow of light until nothing was left within the clearing but his sword.
"We did it...that was too close for comfort." John said with sigh of relief
"What was so dangerous about that attack?" Kaguya asked
"That was Shin-Zantetsuken, had Odin built up enough power well...we wouldn't be standing here any longer. Well, except you Kaguya, for obvious reasons."
At this, everyone trades nervous looks, even Yuuka was perturbed by the words he'd just said.
"S-so you've fought things like...like that before?" Medicine asked
"Yeah...but I don't know what he's doing here though. Odin shouldn't be here at all. But that's not important right now. Reimu, Marisa! You're up!" John called out
The shrine maiden and witch both descended into the area with concerned looks on their faces. "You...you guys okay?" Marisa asked looking the group over "You've all got some serious wounds..."
Looking at his team, John had to concede that Marisa was right. All of the girls had numerous cuts, bruises and torn clothing, with John being no different. It was amazing that they weren't as bloody as one would expect having to deal with what they did.
"We'll be fine. Just do your part already." John said
"Right, let's get to work Marisa." Reimu said as she walked up to the sword with Marisa in tow. "Yeah...this thing is definitely evil. One touch and you'd be possessed for sure, just like you said." She muttered sizing it up.
"Alright, Marisa, get the salts and charms ready."
"Yeah yeah...I really wish I could get that sword myself..."
Reimu glowered at the woman as the two began to get to work properly sealing the sword. They covered it in dozens of charms, each one causing the blade to hiss a bit with each one. Marisa then tossed on some purifying salts to weaken it further, before Reimu began to chant in a low voice. The words made no sense to John, but the very air around Reimu seemed to become more and more pure the more she chanted. It became so pure that it was abnormal to say the least. It was a full ten minutes of chanting before Reimu finally finished and approached the sword.
"That ought to do it." Reimu said poking the sword "Whatever this thing is, it's power is sealed away now. With that being the case, I guess I'll take it to the shrine and keep it there."
"Actually...if it's okay with you Reimu, could I keep it?" John asked
"Huh? Why? Weren't you the one saying that this thing is super dangerous?"
"Well yes, I just want it to be kept somewhere where no one will find it."
"He's got ya there Reimu, you've got waaaay too many poking around your shrine. Imagine what would happen if Suika or that moon fairy grabbed it?"
"Ugh...good point. But what are you going to do with it John, just toss it in a closet or something?"
"I mean maybe? I just think we need to keep this thing from falling into the wrong hands."
"I agree. I'll grab some extra charms and seals and bring them to you tomorrow. Until then, keep that sword out of sight. We don't want anyone asking questions or knowing about the thing."
Numerous forms of agreement were heard all around as John took the sword, hurrying back to Favor Trade with his friends in tow. The entire time, the other girls stayed close to him, worried that he may fall to possession at any given time. Once they'd gotten to the village and back to the office, John stowed the blade away in a nearby closet. At first he thought that he should put a 'keep out' sign on it or something, but according to Kaguya, that would only draw more attention, people had a habit of breaking the rules after all.
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm taking a bath. That was awful, I never want to fight another one of those 'primal' things again." Medicine said with an exasperated sigh
"I agree, I think I'll join you.." Kaguya muttered
It was clear that everyone was tired beyond belief from the entire ordeal. Even Flan, who had originally entered the fight with so much vigor was showing signs of exhaustion.
"Alright, I think we've done enough work for the day. You all go rest in the bath, I'll wait my turn." John said with a wave of his hand.
"You aren't going to join us?" Yuuka asked with a fake pout
"No, I'm not. Now go on already." John sighed
Yuuka looked at Kogasa...who looked to Kaguya...who then looked to Flan, who looked at Medicine.
"You guys aren't going to stop even if I protest, so just get on with it." Medicine groaned heading towards the bath.
What followed was John being manhandled by the girls as they tore his clothes off him and dragged him towards the bath. Though it was only a small walk to the area outside of the office where the bath was, John felt as if it were an eternity to walk there, not holding things is that the ladies were all pushing him towards it, and several times he could swear that there were some...hands going to places they really shouldn't have. After being (literally) tossed into the water, John sank his head down as one by one the girls all joined him. Of course, that didn't stop him from getting an eyeful. Mostly at Kaguya,Yuuka, and Kogasa. In fact, his eyes were glued to them for the entire time that all of the members of Favor Trade were cleaning themselves. Suffice to say, John probably saw some things that many men of the village could only dream of. And if he had to be honest, he wasn't all that upset about this at all.
This would be a fond memory of his for years to come.
Once they'd finished bathing, everyone proceeded to relax until night fell where everyone decided to go to bed early. Still, even as he drifted away to sleep, John couldn't help but question just how Odin had turned up in Gensokyo. He could only hope that he wasn't the cause of it…
Later that Night…
It was a little past midnight, and though the other members of Favor Trade had gone to bed, Yuuka remained awake. Truth be told, she was only slightly tired, much of her stamina having returned already, a perk of being a powerful youkai like herself. However, there was one thing that was keeping her up tonight...and sure enough there it was. A hole opening up in the middle of the Favor Trade office. The hole had a multitude of eyes, all of them looking directly at Yuuka, as a blonde woman clad in purple and a white mob cap popped her head through, a smile on her face.
"My my, up so late Yuuka-chan~?" She said in an innocent voice as she brought a fan up to her face
"What do you want Yukari?" Yuuka spat angrily
"Oh nothing much. The same I wanted as before when I stopped by Eientei. I want to speak to your fiance is all." Yukari said with that same tone
"He's sleeping, come back never." Yuuka growled
"Come now, why are you being so mean? I just want to talk"
"Because, if you're here, then it's for more than just talking. And knowing you, you'd attempt to put him in harms way or manipulate him in some way."
"Nonsense, I've never done anything of the sort!" Yukari said in mock offense
"And I've never razed a human settlement. Get out Yukari."
"Very well. As much as I'd like to force my way in, causing a ruckus in the human village isn't wise." Yukari said with a sigh, but just as quickly her voice began to drip with venom and became surprisingly cold "But know this: You cannot protect him forever. You stopped me at Eientei yes, but at some point I will find him by his lonesome and just like that, I'll figure out why he's here and what he's planning. On that I promise."
With those ominous words, Yukari left just as quickly as she came, leaving Yuuka to scowl at the spot where she'd been just moments before.
"Rotten Yakumo..." was all she muttered out before deciding to retire to her room. Surprisingly, whatever vigor she had was sapped away merely by Yukari appearing.
The Forest of Magic…
A lone figure stood over where John and the others had fought Odin earlier in the day. The figure was ecstatic, surprised even. It had brought Odin into this world to see how John and the others would fare against a genuine threat. No doubt that if they could best Odin, who had retained all its powers, then they'd be able to defend themselves from some of the more...violent residences of Gensokyo or rather, the ones more likely to act when they felt threatened.
"Truly, this is turning out to be most interesting." The figure muttered to no one while laughing "I really can't wait to see how things turn out. Perhaps this feeling is why she is always indulging in such machinations…"
And so we end another chapter. I feel I should make a bit of a mention here for Yukari and Yuuka's interaction. I don't think its ever been shown or expanded upon, but I like to imagine that Yuuka is so strong that she makes Yukari cautious. Where Yukari is a calculating manipulator, Yuuka is able to rely on her strength to outdo Yukari. And if the two got into an all-out brawl, there'd be an all out brawl all over Gensokyo. With that being said, enjoy the chapter, and hopefully I can get the next chapter out more quickly.