Hatate Quest Kaksi

[O4rfish]

What to do here ...
>How does this danmaku compare with what we can generate?
>How photogenic is the blonde fighter?
>"Which one lives here, and do you think she would know about the library?"

[Oldmansour]

>How does this danmaku compare with what we can generate?
>How photogenic is the blonde fighter?
>"Which one lives here, and do you think she would know about the library?"

>Though you're not proud to admit it, any one of the four combatents could probably beat you in a straight-up fight. You definately have the edge on them in terms of speed, with the possible exception of the wind youkai, but the skill the four of them are demonstrating with the diversity, the patterns and the sheer force behind their shots is simply out of your league. You might be able to hold your own against the black-haired woman, but the thunderous noise of her danmaku blasts adds a level of difficulty to dueling her. She could make someone's ears bleed after any length of time.

>Exceptionally photogenic. This is the sort of woman who could grace magazine covers and centerfolds, and be the envy of any who laid eyes on her. You're a tengu, your tastes are understandably skewed in the area of physical beauty. But even though that blonde is neither tengu nor sports wings, she may well be the most beautiful woman you've ever encountered.

>Honoka points to the black haired woman with the deafening bullets. "That is Leraije." she informs you, shouting a little to make herself heard more easily. "She is the Keep's cannoneer. She handles half of the defensive duties of the Keep." The cloaked youkai shifts her hand to indicate the woman standing in front of the gate. "And that is Yuzuriha, the gardener and gate guard. She would know for certain who handles the maintenance of the library. There should be no problem with gaining entrance or that information from her. The Keep welcomes guests, and I am known here."

[O4rfish]

>"Good, I think we're almost ready to head inside."
>When we're done collecting Ranka's poses, head over to Yuzuriha.

[Oldmansour]

>"Good, I think we're almost ready to head inside."
>When we're done collecting Ranka's poses, head over to Yuzuriha.

>"Very well."
>It is with some regret that you prepare to let the golden tressed youkai identified as Ranka out of your finder, but you assert your professionalism. Walking photo op she may be, you have a job to do. Besides, you think to yourself Honoka seems to know her, the helpful youkai might be able to arrange a more extended photo op between you and the lovely wind youkai at a more convenient date. You do take one last image before you put your camera away, of course, as the blonde youkai raises her slender arms above her head and spins in place, her golden hair whipping into a tornado-like barrier around her, exposing only her beautiful face. Waves of large yellow spheres spin out from her accompanied by scattershot small green balls of danmaku. You wonder idly how she and Leraije manage not to hit each other with their chaotic crossfire, as they don't have the coordination of the two Prismriver sisters.

>But, since she doesn't make quite as good a subject when she's engulfed in a cyclone of hair and wind, you turn from Ranka and the other two, and head down towards the ground, and the doorman of the Cobalt Keep. The woman Honoka called Yuzuriha is a younger woman with neatly trimmed green hair beneath a purple cap. She wears a long blue and white tabard over a black shirt with a green diamond pattern on her sleeves. The tabard depicts the same crest as is on the banners hanging from the walls. Her legs are bare, topped by a
blue skirt that matches her tabard. She also has a brown and red leather bracelet on her right wrist, which upon a closer look is actually a dog collar, complete with a metal chain that wraps around her waist, and her fingernails are painted gold. Her right hand is missing it's pinky finger. The large yellow-furred dog next to her doesn't seem to react to your presence as you and Honoka approach.
>"Good day!" Yuzuhira says loudly as you approach, bowing politely. "I'm sorry for the noise."

[Hello Purvis]

Goddamnit Barbaricca Valvalis, get outta here!

>Bow.
>"No problem, as long as it ain't me they're shooting at. I'm Hatate, it is a pleasure."

[Oldmansour]

>Bow.
>"No problem, as long as it ain't me they're shooting at. I'm Hatate, it is a pleasure."

>So you didn't want to see her Tower of Zot spellcard?

>"Yuzuhira Kawamura." the doorman introduces herself, then turns to Honoka. "Have you come to pick Ranka up again, Honoka-san?"
>The cloaked youkai shakes her head. "Hatate-san wished to visit the Keep, and I offered to escort her here."
>"Generous of you." Yuzuriha compliments the youkai before flinching at the sound of a tremendous shattering noise. Leraije's spellcard appears to have broken. She even does that loudly, it seems.

[Hello Purvis]

For my benefit:
Honoka: Guided us to the keep
Ranka: Valvalis
Leraije: Cannoneer
Yuzuhira: Gardener and gate guard


>Glance over. Do the Prismrivers seem to have rallied?
>Back to Yuzuhira: "I've been hearing a lot about this place."

[Oldmansour]

>Glance over. Do the Prismrivers seem to have rallied?
>Back to Yuzuhira: "I've been hearing a lot about this place."

>'Rallied' may be a bit optimistic. It's sometimes hard for an observer to gauge the power left in a spellcard, but going by the number of hits the Prismrivers have taken, their card won't last much longer either, especially with Ranka unloading on them. But they're holding their own.
>Yuzuriha winces. "I hope that other tengu didn't tell too bad a story about us."

[O4rfish]

>"I actually can't speak to that per se. But one of the things I  have heard is you have a sizeable library. Would you say it's comparable to the Scarlet Devil's library?"
>Examine dog.

[Oldmansour]

>"I actually can't speak to that per se. But one of the things I  have heard is you have a sizeable library. Would you say it's comparable to the Scarlet Devil's library?"

>"Oh, no, not even close." Yuzuriha says with a chucke. Her dog whuffs out something that sounds like a canine chuckle as well. "It's large enough for us, certainly, but Patchouli-san's library has it beaten in most ways you can imagine."
>The door guard starts to say something else about Patchouli, but her comment is largely drowned out by Leraije's bellowing, "Okay, girls, now we're talking! Assault!: Seige of Orleans!" A trio of familiars fly out from the purple-clad youkai, taking up positions around her and resolving themselves into images of cannons. Which immediately, and very loudly, unleash a barrage of wedge and circular danmaku, while the youkai in the middle adds slower moving bullet-shaped shots to the mix.
>"I suggest we step inside." Yuzuriha shouts. "It would be easier to hear ourselves think."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Let's."
>Step inside once the gate is opened.
>Once inside. "Now, you said something about another tengu?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Let's."
>Step inside once the gate is opened.
>Once inside. "Now, you said something about another tengu?"

>"If you will excuse me." Honoka says as Yuzuhira waves her hand, opening the burnished wood gate behind her, revealing the inner courtyard of the Keep. "It is unfair to allow Leraije and Ranka to dominate this battle." The cloaked youkai wastes no time in taking flight, heading towards the Prismrivers.
>"That's her way." Yuzuriha informs you as you walk into the well-groomed courtyard, down a faintly beaten path leading to the treated oak double doors of the Keep itself. "She is practically obsessed with the idea of a fair fight. She'll help the Prismrivers unless they tell her not to."
>At your question, the door guard nods. "A little less than a month ago, a reporter came to visit us. Aya Shameimaru, she was called. The first Tengu visitor who came in peace, which was a welcome sight." The golden dog, trailing behind you, growls and barks once. Yuzuriha winces once. "If you insist. I have to admit, the word 'welcome' wasn't true straight off. We haven't had the best experiences with Tengu, so... I confess, I tried to drive her off at first." She spares a glance back at her dog. "Happy now?" The dog woofs quietly.

[Hello Purvis]

>"And that would be Aya, right? Because no one blames you for wanting to get rid of her."
>Wink.
>"What happened then?"

[Oldmansour]

>"And that would be Aya, right? Because no one blames you for wanting to get rid of her."
>Wink.
>"What happened then?"

>Yuzuriha smiles a little. "Yes, I have been told she has a certain... reputation."
>The youkai pushes the wooden doors open for you. "She returned my attack with a fair bit more power than I was expecting. We never really had a chance against her, I have to admit. But the fight was enough to prove that she wasn't hostile, and I didn't get the impression she was any kind of military scout. She said she wanted to hear the story of the Night of Rage, so I let her in, and told her to talk the Countess." She frowns. "You weren't aware of this? She seemed rather anxious to break the story when she left."

[Hello Purvis]

>"We not seen her in a month. I've gotten word she's up to something, but whatever that involves, it's kept her from getting back up the mountain."
>"So, what can you tell me about this place?"
>Head through the door.

[Oldmansour]

>"We not seen her in a month. I've gotten word she's up to something, but whatever that involves, it's kept her from getting back up the mountain."
>"So, what can you tell me about this place?"
>Head through the door.

>"That's strange." Yuzu notes as you enter. You find yourself in a long stone corridor, extending to the east and west. The wall in front of you has a marble pedestal set into the wall, but no decoration sits atop it. The corridor is carpeted by a deep blue rug, but one that shows great signs of age and traces of dust. The windows along the corridor are bereft of curtains. There are three more marble pedestals down both sides of the corridor, all of which are empty. The air in here is subtly different than the outside air. Not only is it quieter once Yuzuriha pushes the doors closed behind you, but there is a faint sense of power within these walls, a power that colors the air itself. And.... something else? You thought you caught a hint of something, but it is gone.
>"This is the Cobalt Keep." Yuzuriha informs you. "Home of the Cobalt Countess, and those who serve her. We are a fairly diverse group. I myself am a canine youkai, though not in the traditional sense." She pauses to look at her dog. "Go and inform Celes that we have a guest." The big dog nods, and sprints down the western corridor. "Celes is the Countesses' right hand woman, the Steward of the keep." she adds. "She likes to see all new visitors to the Keep."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh, that'd be nice."
>Look around.
>"So what goes on those pedestals? And who else lives here? Seems like there is kind of a lot of people here."

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh, that'd be nice."
>Look around.
>"So what goes on those pedestals? And who else lives here? Seems like there is kind of a lot of people here."

>"Statues and figures, mostly. Sometimes older artifacts or antiques. This Keep has been in noble's hands for centuries. The Countess is much less showy than the previous owner, but his signs still linger here and there. But over the years, a lot of those items have been stolen. The Keep was lying open for a long time. And most of the ones that weren't have been put away for safe keeping."
>"Not as many as there used to be." Yuzuriha says with a somber tone. "But the Countess has a way of gathering people to her. None of us would be here if not for her."
>"And we have had a new addition to our little pack since our return to Gensokyo, A young woman named Rei. She's.... I guess you would call her an assistant to the Countess, but Celes will probably find something more permanent for her once she gets settled in. There's Celes, but you'll meet her yourself pretty soon. You've met Leraije, of course. She's our cannoneer, handles half the Keep's defenses. Sabine handles the other half, the hand to hand combat. Sabine Tran, her full name is, and she's a rare breed of youkai."
>"Then there's Nyx, our healer. She and Leraije were....." she pauses, then lets out a breath. "I suppose I shouldn't try to sugarcoat it, since you're an acquaintance of Honoka. They were possessions, slaves, of the Keep's previous owner. Demons bound to this place by his magic. After his defeat, the Countess offered them their freedom, but they chose to stay with us."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"Is Miss Ranka just a visitor, then?"

[Oldmansour]

>Nod.
>"Is Miss Ranka just a visitor, then?"

>"Yes. She and Honoka have been visiting us ever since the Night of Rage. We've been out of touch for over a century, and they've been helping us adjust to the Gensokyo of now. Especially Honoka." she adds, glancing towards the door.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Heh. I dunno if randomly jumping into a duel is actually allowed. But since it's just for fun, I don't even think the Hakurei maiden would complain. So, Ranka and Honoka are friends, right?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Heh. I dunno if randomly jumping into a duel is actually allowed. But since it's just for fun, I don't even think the Hakurei maiden would complain. So, Ranka and Honoka are friends, right?"

>"She won't unless she's invited." Yuzu assures you. "She doesn't interfere on her own unless it's a really one-sided situation, say, if Rei was dueling Remilia Scarlet. She actually came to my defense once in that situation. She has a sense of honor that would shame some samurai."
>Yuzuriha smiles. "That's how Honoka would describe the relationship, yes."

[Hello Purvis]

>"And Ranka?"

[Oldmansour]

>"And Ranka?"

>"She would probably use terms more... intimate." Yuzuriha finishes with a twinkle in her eye.

[Hello Purvis]

>Chuckle.
>"So, this countess sounds like a really interesting person.  Can you warn me about what to expect, so I don't do anything rude?"

[Oldmansour]

>Chuckle.
>"So, this countess sounds like a really interesting person.  Can you warn me about what to expect, so I don't do anything rude?"

>Yuzuriha seems to brace herself before fielding that one. "Celes is a better woman than me to ask about that sort of thing. But there is one thing you should know, at the very least. The Countess is a vampire."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I assume she's more the refined kind than the swoop-out-and-bite-you kind. I assume that makes the Scarlets a sensitive topic?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I assume she's more the refined kind than the swoop-out-and-bite-you kind. I assume that makes the Scarlets a sensitive topic?"

>Looking somewhat relieved, Yuzuriha says, "You're right about that. The Countess is about as un-vampire like as you can imagine."
>"On the contrary, Remilia Scarlet and the Countess are friends. Remilia-san found the Keep on the Night of Rage, on a mission of her own. There was some... difficulty at first, but after the problem was settled, the Countess and Remilia-san became friends. They have a lot in common, and Remilia was just the sort of vampire we were hoping to get to know: one who prefers to live with other peoples, rather than preying on them."
>You can hear the dog's footfalls coming back towards you from the western corridor, and they appear to be accompanied by a humanoid, as Yuzuriha continues, "I just felt I had to mention what the Countess was up front. We're used to people being either afraid or hateful towards her kind, and those of us who serve her try to spare her that whenever we can. And her guests deserve to know."

[Hello Purvis]

>"That just means I won't be able to dip into my bottomless stack of blood puns when I try to charm her."

[O4rfish]

How do you make a vampire filk? Take a love song and replace the noun love with the noun blood.