>"Cure insanity, or blow ourselves up. Sounds like a 'blast'."
>Have a laugh. "Wonder if she's meaning the little sister...She was pretty out there after all, so I can see why she sent for me, given how I overcame my own problems."
>How's Cirno been these days? Still 'Strength 10 Brains 0' as usual? And for that matter, how's the rest of the old gang been? Mystia ever open up a proper restaurant in the village like she was thinking about?
>Ah well, we didn't have much on the agenda for today, so let's make for the mansion via the shadows. Let's be sure to stop at the gate though, gotta be polite after all.
(Also, might I suggest 'The Further Adventures'?)
>Nod. "Been keepin' up with the work eh?"
>Did we ever make good on those promises for more lighthearted rematches? And for that matter, who won?
>Look back to the others. "Now then, the letter said they wanted just me. So you guys keep safe, a'ight? I'm lookin' forward to a Deluxe Eel Bowl down at the Restaurant after all this is done and wrapped up."
>How long has it been since we snuck onto the moon to bust up that scheme up there? We still get in touch with Shinki on occasion, and reminisce about the beating we dished out up there?
>And for that matter, what've we heard about how things are up there anyhow? Any civil wars or anything?
>Come to think of it, how's the human-youkai relations in the village going? We're on good terms with them aren't we?
>Well, we'll probably run into Yukari some time. She always was the sort to show up at random after all.
>Grin. "Both?"
>Man, we sure have come a long way since those days of being a derp, eh?
>Chuckle a little. "Well, let's get the show goin', eh? Here's hoping the kid can overcome her insanity."
>Let's head in.
>Yeah, but we can't afford any derpery right now, got people to help.
>Nod to everyone once in turn. "A'ight, so what's the plan guys?"
>Nod. "So, just dim the lights."
>Chuckle. "What am I, mood lighting? But enough jokes, let's do this."
>Chuckle. "I think I can manage if it comes to a fight, though I'm with you on wanting this to go off without a hitch. Nobody should be a slave to their own insanity..."
>Nod, with a determined expression. "Alright, let's get ready and do this."
>When she gives the signal, dim it down to the same near-night levels we dimmed it to for them back in the moon invasion incident.
>Let's keep it dark like it is now, and keep a watch on things. Hopefully things won't go south...
>Let's keep it dark, but move just a bit closer so we can react to things better.
>Let's keep the darkness the same, and shadow-warp into Remilia's shadow.
>Whisper to her; "Let's hope this worked, hm? I'll hide out in your shadow for the time being, to improve reaction time."
>Chuckle quietly., and keep the whisper going. "Alright, alright. I was simply being practical anyhow, she'd probably jump to you first-off, so being there was a practical way to make sure you were safe."
>Whisper. "Just in case it didn't go off right."
>Let's keep on guard, just in case things didn't go off right.
>Poke the upper part of our head out of the shadow, but make sure we've got a friendly, cheerful, and inquisitive look in our eyes.
>"So, she's back to normal I guess? Well, about as normal as can be in Gensokyo, huh?"
>Get on out of the shadow fully, and smile at the two. "Now you're free of the prison called insanity...We'll leave you two to reconnect and stuff."
>Let's help Satori and Koishi to get out.
>"Phew...I'm glad it worked out. I didn't wanna have to fight her y'know."
>Smile a bit. "I'll have to remember to visit more often now though. Someone's gotta help her come to terms with the past after all, and I'm the poster girl for that sorta thing ain't I?"
>Grin. "Besides, kid like that, stuck down there for as long as she was, she's gonna need friends."
>Nod with a smile. "Yeah, but don't think I won't visit to keep in touch with you guys. For all we know, she might need to relearn how spellcards and such work. If that's a thing, then don't hesitate to send another letter my way, I'll be glad to help! She's gonna need someone to serve as an opponent in practice matches if that's the case, and I'm used to teaching people by now."
>Man, that could've gone real badly. "Oh yeah, if something goes wrong, like she freaks out again and relapses, send for me. I'm usually always in the area, so I can react pretty well to any problems."
>Let's laugh a bit. "That's true! Here's hoping she doesn't take a header back into insanity, eh? She's a good kid, I'd hate to see her snap again."
>Come to think of it, since we're at full power, with all our old memories back, did we ever figure out just how old we are?
>Come to think of it, is there anything we can't do with our powers? Maybe we should learn a little more magic to balance things out, seein' as we tend to solve things with the overwhelming power method.
>Alright then, we should work on improving our physical power. And we know plenty of folks for the job.
>"Well, how's about we all make for Mysty's? I've got a Deluxe Eel Bowl I'm lookin' forward to~!"
>Do they? We probably know, right?
>Do we actually have an income now these days? Or do we just bum free meals off Mysty because we're friends?
>So how much do we have now then? If it's enough to treat everyone, then we can.
>It's Marisa, she's allowed some shenanigans apparently.
>"Yeah, I got more than enough. All I ever use it on is food from Mysty's anyhow, so it's all good."
>Grin. "So what're we waitin' for you guys? Let's go!"
>Fistpalm. "I'll have to remember to see about getting take-out for next time I visit though, the stuff's way better when eaten with friends after all."
>Let's roll for Mystia's!
>"Hi, Kogasa."
>Grin in our typically roguish way. "Been a while huh? Glad to see you're doin' well!"
>Chuckle a bit. "Just got done helpin' out down at the Mansion. I'll talk more once we're up at the usual table."
>Let's take everyone to the usual table and have a seat.
>Grin. "True enough."
>Fistpalm. "Hey, they've got take-out here, right?"
>Hmm...Bet they'd make a killing if they had a way that made them not have to worry about getting the bowls back. S'probably Mysty anyhow, she always was good at this thing.
>"So guys, what'll you be having? I've got a Deluxe Eel Bowl that's callin' my name. Maybe I'll get a little more in the way of drink than I usually do, a successful problem resolution means enjoying a little booze with your food after all."
(Side Note: After listening to this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1RfgQjC9uA), and rereading the part of RQ4 where we went up against the old us, I concluded that while the Old us was the Hyde to our Jekyll, we too were in turn the Hyde to it. Strange, isn't it? I also feel compelled to make a slideshow Rumia vid set to this.)
>Yeah, that was fun to watch. Good times. We'll have to remember to figure out how to use a drunken Cirno to resolve incidents. At the very least, it'd be out of left field for even Gensokyo.
>"There's bound to be something, so maybe Rika, Eirin, or Yukari would know. I'll have to remember to ask Rika next time we have a fight."
>Chuckle a bit. "Eh, I never was much of a thinker, better to leave that sort of stuff to folks like Dai. Though that little scheme I came up with back in the Lunarian Incident was a stroke of genius if I do say so myself."
>Fistpalm. "Hey, Dai. Since you got smarter, maybe you can figure something out!"
>"I meant that maybe you could think of something."
>Grin. "Well, it'd take some thinkin', but you should be able to come up with something. After all, you were always the brains behind the old group."
>Looks like Gensokyo's heading for a Magitek Future, huh? We don't need anything like that though, we got our strength, and our Darkness Powers, we can just mimic the cool stuff.
>"Man, peace sure is something to treasure, huh? Wonder what the next big-time incident will be? Rika already tried stealing the reactor way back when, those moonfolk should be busy with all the red tape of running a world, Shinki's doing alright, and then there's everyone else."
>Laugh a little. "What's next, me kicking one off to keep everyone on their toes?"
>Beat.
>"Nah, think someone else already did that."
>Fistpalm. "Yukari should be able to do something then! We should get a Think Tank of gensokyo's smartest together to figure this out."
>Grin at Reimu in our usual playful way. "Hey, even if I kicked something like that off, I'd keep it simple, nothing world-breaking like some of the bigger ones."
>Then flash a slightly more devious grin for a brief moment. "I think I got an idea too, nothing too big. Just a Battle Tournament."
>"But if someone else kicks something off before that, I'll have to put it on hold I guess."
>CHuckle a bit, and dig in!
>"Well, I was considerin' visiting her later today anyhow. So I guess I can run that idea past her. Been meaning to work on my Physical ability anyhow for safety reasons, you guys know the bulk of my power comes from my Darkness Control after all. That one moonbroad was a real terror to go up against with just physical ability. I had to hold out until Shinki saved my bacon after all."
>Mmmm...Bacon...Fistpalm! "Eel Bacon! I'm sure that hasn't been tried yet!"
>Nod. "Yeah, which is why if I'm gonna be keeping Gensokyo safe from the likes of her, I gotta get just as strong, if not stronger. Since the Spellcard Rules were made to give folks a fighting chance though, even at that point, I'd still be able to lose."
>Grin. "Which I don't mind one bit, makes things more fun that way. Can't enjoy a fight you know you're gonna win after all."
>"But yeah, I'll be sure to take stock of things down there for her. Might be a few days before I get back up topside though, if Yuugi ends up dragging me into a drinkin' contest."
>Laugh a bit. "I'm no Oni after all, it'd take even a Youkai like me a day or two to recover from something like that."
>Chuckle a bit. We'll have to drag Cirno along and see what a Drunken Cirno can do against an Oni. !!SCIENCE!! (Drunk Science?)
>"I was actually plannin' on taking lessons from her and stuff. Oni are the most powerful Physically, so it stands to reason that trainin' with an Oni's gonna make me better at physical combat."
>Grin. "But hey, if you wanna come along then Cirno, I got no problems with that. Been wantin' to test somethin' out anyways."
>Chuckle a bit. "Well, at the very least, it'll make me stronger physically, which is the big issue. Once I can surpass an Oni, then I know I can match that moonbroad."
>Grin at Cirno. "I think you'll like it."
>"Won't know until I try, y'know? 'sides, It's been a while since I went down there, so I may as well visit my friends down there too!"
>Sigh. "It's a shame bein' in Makai might make the old me try takin' over again, it'd be nice to visit back there for once."
>"Also the entire population would wet themselves."
>Chuckle. "Well that's what I meant. I only got to stay there for a short time in the three days between me vanishing at the moon, and my return back at the little party. Yumeko's time-space stuff is pretty useful, we got to chat for a bit in a room separate from the normal flow of time, so I wouldn't go berserk while I was there."
>Seems that pretty soon, Gensokyo-Makai relations will be as good as Human-Youkai relations. Well, soon by Youkai Standards. The fact that one of Gensokyo's Prominent Heroes, us, was born in Makai probably helps too.
>Well, that's true. But hey, we were born of Makai, and folks are relatively okay with us.
>"It does, doesn't it? And Yumeko throws swords too!"
>Fistpalm. "Hey, maybe Yumeko was modeled after Sakuya's family! I know that's something I'd do if I were Shinki, I'd take a look all over the other worlds for potential...Uhh...Stuff, and then use that as a starting template for other, uh, stuff. Y'know?"
>"Maybe we should get those two to meet each other sometime."
>Beat.
>"I should probably add thrown sword type shots to my list sometime. As a little nod to Yumeko."
>Grin. "In case you haven't noticed, I can just make them out of Dark Energy. Nifty little trick really. Bet I could make Dark Energy versions of stuff just about everyone does. I can definitely pull off a Darkness Spark, that's for sure."
>Fistpalm. "Maybe I should add that as a spellcard sometime down the line. After all, they're shadows of the original."
>Grin at her. "Hey, I'm just taking a classic, and putting my own little spin on it. You did it with Yuuka's Spark, so it's only to be expected~"
>Let's have a good laugh!
>Smile nostalgically. "Yeah...I remember when she first showed it off too. That was fun."
>Grin. "Hey Marisa, I just had a great idea."
>Grin. "After we're done here, let's see who can fire a Spark furthest! Your Master Spark, against my Darkness Spark."
>Grin. "We could always try to fire from one end of the barrier to the other. Maybe Aya or Yukari can help measure how far they go."
>"Hmm...Well, there's always the other option, but that'd be rough on both of us. And the collateral damage probably wouldn't be anything to sneeze at either."
>"So, whoever busts it up the most wins, eh?"
>Grin at Marisa. "Well, whoever wins, no hard feelin's, eh?"
>"Let's do it on three, yeah?"
>Start charging up!
SCIENCE NOTE: Titanium isn't actually super-strong. It's about as strong as steel. Its advantage is that it's light, about 45% the weight of steel. It is the metal with the highest strength-to-weight ratio (it also has high heat tolerance and corosion resistance), but that comes from low weight, not any particularly high strength. Also, it's actually a low-density metal (which kind of comes with the whole low weight thing).
>Keep gathering the energy in the orb, then fire the energy as a beam.
>Alright, let's put it between both hands, and have them out in front of us. With one hand on top, and the other below the orb.
>Then, start to compress the orb a bit, and focus on how we did that blast before, during the Shinki Incident.
>Then, raise the orb overhead, but keep it between our hands. "Yukari, you might want to keep on guard, this could be pretty destructive y'know. Because I'm goin' all out!"
>Focus, then bring our arms down and fire the Spark!
(Could just be a Super Titanium, the kind that's lightweight, but also immensely durable. Gensokyo and all that.)
>Let's get a closer look at it. "Yeah, looks like we're about dead even."
>Fistpalm. "Hey, we should get Yuuka and Tenshi in on this! We'll see who's got the strongest beam!"
>"What about Tenshi then? I heard she does a beam too. I wonder if she's any good."
>Nod. "But either way, I just have to practice more, huh? Even an old dog can learn new tricks I guess."
>Grin. "You know I'll be keepin' up with you though. If I got that far with almost no training or practice at all, think of how much further I'll get WITH it!"
>We should make a note to make that a spellcard once we've gotten enough practice with sparking.
>Grin. "Hey Yukari, I got an idea. Get Reimu here would you?"
>Laugh a bit. "Marisa, you know how hard I worked to get back to this level of power."
>Then grin in a catlike way. "Heeeey Reimu~!"
>"Even so, back in the day I didn't know I even had that sort of power locked away. So I've always seen it less as power to reclaim, and more as former potential to unlock. I basically started all over again from zero. So it's kinda the same thing in a way. Remember when I vanished for a while and came back looking completely different? Almost all that time away was spent training hard."
>Chuckle a bit, and help Reimu up. "Silly little Reimu, you know that bein' too rude isn't very nice~"
>Man, we sure have taken to messing with people a lot ever since we got back to full power, huh? Then again, that seems to be the norm for Youkai of our power rating.
>Grin in a catlike way. "Figured out how to fire a Spark in my own way. It's almost as destructive as Marisa's~"
>We can make seven orbs of Dark Energy that are about the same size as those Yin-Yang Orbs Reimu uses in that one big card of hers, yeah?
>Grin. "Take a look. Doesn't this particular formation seem familiar?"
>Set them to slowly orbit us horizontally at about waist height. Ah, but not until moving so they won't hit anyone.
>We should at least be able to shadow-warp away, yeah?
>"I just wanted to show you an idea I had. After pulling off that Spark, I got the idea to try to figure out how to make 'Shadow' versions of everyone's big-time cards. As a nod of respect to everyone who's helped me out along the way. You falling on your face in the process wasn't something I intended."
>We still have the orbs up and going, right?
>Sigh in a demotivated-sounding way. "I'm not really intending anything wrong by it though, because as they say 'Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery'. I'm meanin' nothing but respect when I try it."
>Sigh. "Just put her back so she can finish eating then.."
>Sigh. "She really needs to be more mellow.."
>We can move now, right?
>"Wonder why she's always so high-strung? Maybe she needs a vacation or something. I mean, You and me are keeping an eye on things now, so she doesn't even need to lift a finger anymore."
>Raise an eyebrow. "Guess I'm one of the few folks who doesn't really care then."
>Beat.
>Smirk. "I just realized something."
>Grin a bit. "Take a look at the common hair color here. I think you two will get the idea when it hits you."
>Eyeroll with that amused sort of expression that just screams 'Oh you...'
>"Think about it Marisa. Blonde, exceptionally powerful, getting any ideas now?"
>"We probably shouldn't mess around with Flan yet."
>Nod. "Yeah, we should definitely leave Flan to pull herself together and stuff. She's still recovering and catching up on things after all. Give her a while."
>Grin. "What I'm saying, is that there should be a club for all the powerful blonde folks. You, me, and Yukari certainly do fit the bill. And Yuugi's an Oni, so she's in by default. Flan'll be a recruit later, when she's got everything settled. And we both know how strong Alice is. After all, I'm from Makai too y'know."
>"....Good point."
>Did we ever associate with Medicine any?
>Oh yeah, there was that one time that Mysty told us about too. Either way, she's working past her old self just like we did.
>"Maybe I should talk with Medicine more. How's she doing by the way?"
>Nod. "If I decide to visit her, I'm pretty sure my Shade Regeneration ability should keep me mostly safe from any side effects brought about as a hazard from being around her."
>Nod. "So I'll be relatively fine if I decide to visit her then."
>Nod. "That's the point. 'what's good for the goose isn't always good for the gander', as they say."
>"Anyhow, what should we do now?"
>Did we ever finish the eel bowl and the drink?
>Fistpalm. "Oh yeah! Almost forgot about that one. We'll head back to the group then, and finish our food before doing that."
>Do we know anything about a purple-haired Reimu?
>If we do, smile knowingly.
>Otherwise, closely (well, as closely as is safe) examine Reimu's hair.
>Grin. "I think this color suits you better."
>Let's finish eating and enjoying the drinks!
>"So, what's the total come to?"
>We already said we'd pay, so get ours out and do whatever we need to do with it.
>Raise an eyebrow. "Wow, if it wasn't so risky, I'd mess with you more often Reimu. It's pretty profitable, seeing as it pretty much paid for everyone's meals, yours included."
>Shrug. "That probably paid too. I had 8000 coming in, and after paying I have 8500. To me, that implies that messing with you, and the stuff me and Marisa did with Yukari paid for all this, with a little extra."
>Muse thoughtfully. "I wonder how much a lighthearted incident would net me? Nothing too serious like earthquakes though, I don't go for the whole death and destruction angle after all. It'd probably be something like making it dusk for longer than normal, something stupid and silly like that."
>Grin. "And on the upside, it'd give you guys something to do to earn some cash too. So just about everyone wins."
>Even with the advent of the Yukarin, Reimu's still dirt poor, huh? She needs to be more active!
>"Well, maybe if Reimu picked up a hobby like woodcarving or something?"
>Chuckle a bit. "Eh, at least it's something to do. Whether or not you get some cash for it on your Yukarin is the next thing."
>Grin. "Maybe you should take up something like...I dunno, Performing. Or maybe making things. Something that makes others happy beyond just solving incidents to keep the peace."
>"Well, then it's really your own fault you don't have any money."
>"But she does do stuff though, she messes with people. When you consider how much cash I got for just a one-off thing, messing with you, think about how much she must have. I wouldn't be surprised if she was like, the second-richest!"
>Nod with a thoughtful expression. "Well, there's only one thing for it then..."
>Then slide it over to a devious grin. "...You need to be the Culprit for a change."
>Beat.
>Shrug. "...Nah, that wouldn't work out well, nobody'd be able to resolve it because nobody can actually beat you in Danmaku."
>"Yeah, but nobody's actually managed it that I know of. Except maybe Marisa. Then again, Yuuka's pretty strong, and Marisa copied her big move."
>"I guess, but you've always pulled out a win in the end. It's kind of weird really."
>"...honestly, that sounds like you most of the time."
>"How would I know? It's not like I fight you all the time."
>"See? Even without it, you still flatten just about everything in the way."
>Sigh. "Oh well, you're the one who came up with all of it, so I guess you can be afforded the leeway.."
>Shrug. "I guess that's a thing. Hell, I'm pretty dang durable, and I heal quicker than most too. Nevermind the massive boost I got from fully unlocking all my power on my own terms."
>Come to think of it, did we ever develop any new spellcards after the Lunar Incident?
>And for that matter, did we ever settle down anywhere? Aside from our place in Senkai with the others that is.
>We should probably get a little hut of sorts set up in there, at least so we don't get rained on. Plus, cushy chairs like Alice's are something worth having a base set up for~
>"That's true. So what do we do now?"
>Look to Dai and Wriggle. "Well, you guys got plans? Or you wanna come down to the Underground with me'n Cirno?"
>Nod. "Good luck with that Dai, smack 'em around if you have to though. Sometimes they don't listen, so you gotta knock a few heads together. You've picked up magic since Ascending, so that's an advantage you have over 'em."
>Grin. "So, wanna come with me and Cirno then, Wriggle?"
>"Nothing a wide-area attack won't fix though. They're invisible, not intangible. Just send out a few good spreads of danmaku, and most of them should panic."
>Sunny, Luna, and Star never ascended, did they?
>Then sigh amusedly. "Remember Cirno? We were gonna pay a visit to some of our friends down in the Underground."
>Grin. "You two wanna come down to the Underground with us then?"
>Glance over to Dai. "Well, the whole trick is to make the spread sparse enough to go everywhere, but be weak enough to not do much more than a light sting. Personally, I'd funnel the power from damage, to weaken the individual shots so they don't hurt a whole lot, and then put that to making an area spread attack centered from a single point, me. Or in your case, you. I remember you used to be pretty good at that sort of thing back in the day."
>Nod. "Basically, each shot is weakened to the point that even a normal human could take quite a few without having to pull back, and the saved energy is put towards the spread itself. If you gotta, just do a cone-type spread, even more cost-effective. The point isn't to hit, but scare them out of hiding, so the bullet concentration can take a hit in energy use too."
>...Wow, we really DID get smarter!
>Nod. "Rain works, since you'll be at the lake. It should screw up their cloaking ability."
>Did Dai ever develop any spellcards after Ascending?
>And for that matter, what elements has she gotten a handle on so far?
>"..Hey Dai, did you ever think of picking up Wind instead of Metal? I bet you'd be able to use it a lot better than you can Metal."
>Grin. "And if you ever want to add Darkness to the list too, don't hesitate to ask, I can help you out with that. I've trained Seiga after all!" Let's have a good and hearty laugh!
>We can hear through Shadows, correct?
(She actually does have it in the fighters though, as a subset of wood I believe.)
>Nod. "Well, you can always add it in later, once you've got the hang of Sun, Moon, and Elemental Combos."
>"Oh, if you hold off until night, I can use the night itself to keep tab on things so those three goofballs don't cause you too much trouble."
>Chuckle a bit. "They'd have to be on a whole other level of stupid to mess with you though, knowin' that you're one o' my friends."
>Chuckle. "Well, if it's night by the time you run into them, and they've got you pushed past your limit, just gimme a shout. I'll play the hero like always."
>"Well guys, you ready to get going?"
>Let's roll!
>And the spider from before? She still nuttier than a fruitcake?
>"Okay guys, last time I visited the Underground, there was this crazy Spider Youkai, Tried to make a meal of me y'know, so be careful. I bet she's still got a grudge."
>Keep a-rollin'.
>Clap Wriggle on the back a bit with a big ol' grin."Don't worry, if she shows up looking for trouble, I'll hold her off so you guys can get down there! I want you guys to make sure to find Yuugi if you do, chill with her for a bit. I can use the Shadows to my advantage this time around by applying what I learned from the Lunar Incident."
>Let's get to the Underground Tunnel already!
>Chuckle a bit. "That sure didn't stop you back when we went up against Shinki though."
>Let's do a quick review of our spellcards before we go in.
>Grin. "Don't worry, now we can go and enjoy the sights and sounds without having to worry about a big brawl."
>"...Well, except for the occasional Oni that might want to have a go, but that's how they are. Now, let's go!"
>Let's roll on in, and hope we don't run into the crazy spider lady while we're making for the Ancient City.
>Look over to Kogasa, "Go easy on her now, she's pretty shy. Even just showing her some of what I could do last time I ran into her had her kinda scared. So don't go overboard."
>Wave to the bucket! "Yo, been a while, huh?"
>Shrug. "Dunno. First time, it was the fuss with Shinki. Second, I ended up getting poisoned by that spider lady. What's gonna happen this time I wonder? Well, I'm a lot stronger than I was last time too. I'm at full power now~!"
>Do we usually leave the wings unmanifested until we want to look impressive? Or are they always on, like Remilia's wings?
>Tap our head. "No ribbon. Don't need a seal anymore because I overcame my inner evil~!"
>We can create an illusion of the night sky if we so choose, yes?
>Grin. "I don't think there'll be any incidents this time around, 'scept maybe a light brawl to get the blood goin'."
>Fistpalm. "Say, how's the spider lady been doin' since the last time I showed up? Tojiko kinda gave her one doozy of a zap in order to save me."
>"Well, so long as she doesn't try anything on the way out, things should be okay."
>Grin. "Well, you wanna come with? Or you got other stuff you wanna do on your own?"
>"I could always carry you and the bucket then, I don't mind."
>Is there any sign of a string or rope or anything attached to the bucket? If not: "I don't see any string."
>Grin. "What can I say, I'm a nice guy."
>Facepalm. "Figure of speech."
>"Anyhow, let's give it a go eh? Buckets were made to be carried after all."
>Let's see about carrying the bucket with us.
>"Funny good, or funny bad? Or funny weird?"
>"Well, let's see if this works eh?"
>Let's roll for the city!
>"How you holdin' up? Nice to see new places, isn't it? The way I see it, Well Buckets can be taken off the rope to be carried around. That didn't really hit me until you mentioned a rope was holding you back. And since we're friends and all, I figured that I may as well help ya."
>Grin. "I consider just about everyone in Gensokyo a friend after all. Though Rika's more of a Rival than anything else."
>Oni haven't changed one bit. Them and drinkin' will always be a constant, won't it?
>"Rika's this Android I fought back before the Lunar Incident. She was involved with it, but she was the culprit of an incident before that one. She used to be human, then due to the incident she kicked off, she ended up a Youkai. She didn't like that one jot, so she used her power over machinery to turn herself into a machine."
>Grin. "She's a good opponent, nice and strong."
>"Heheh, that's what the rumors say about you guys at least. How's stuff been down here?"
>Nod. "That's pretty much what she is. Her body's a real durable one, I'd say it's on par with my own, or an Oni's. And I can really muster a good hit y'know."
>Grin. "Well, at least there weren't any incidents, eh? Aside from Okuu passin' out. Maybe I should make sure she ain't comin' down with something."
>Laugh it up with the Oni! "And stuff bein' boring's no fun either, how else are folks like us gonna spend the centuries, eh?"
>Talk about a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Ah well, she did get dumber when she ascended. Not that she wasn't very bright to begin with.
>Well, we can always try a little something later.
>"Boring stuff's no way to go through life! Gotta keep it fresh and exciting!"
>What sort of shenanigans do we usually get up to when we aren't teaching Seiga, or resolving Incidents?
>Grin. "Nice way to live. S'how I live too. Gotta keep things spicy between solving incidents after all!"
>True enough, Cirno's a crazy one.
>Nod with a reckless grin. "Got that right! Well, we're gonna get down to the city now, seeya on the way out or somethin'!"
>Let's roll!
>"Yknow guys, I never did figure out who did more damage to the place. Was it Shinki? Or Yuugi?"
>Grin. "Ah well, we're lookin' to meet up with Yuugi anyhow."
>Laugh it up! "Now there's something that didn't hit me! That was a pretty wild one, wasn't it?"
>Grin nostalgically. "Man, it feels almost like that party was hundreds of years ago."
>Then grin roguishly. "But y'know, that party after the Lunar Incident really gave it a run for it's money."
>"As for findin' her, let's just fly around looking. And if someone looks for a brawl, then I'll take 'em on!"
>Let's just roam around until we find her, or someone who might be able to point the way. Who knows, maybe we'll find Orin. :3
(Well, the logic there was that we'd potentially end up catching her roaming about, as per usual for her.)
>"Whoa...That's a pretty neat sound...Maybe I oughta learn an instrument or two..."
>Let's fly over and listen for a while.
>"Yo. That's a pretty neat instrument there, It's got a nice sound."
>Grin in a slightly sheepish way. "Kinda wishing I knew how to play an instrument myself. It's definitely a skill to envy."
>"Don't worry Kisume, she's a good person on the inside. She just doesn't really do crowds that well."
>Sit back with a slight smile. "Kinda funny, isn't it? You spent all that time being envious of other folks, and here you've got a talent that others can be envious of."
>Grin. "I bet it was Yuugi. She cares for everyone down here like a big sister does y'know."
>Sigh contently. "But yeah, I almost got consumed by my old self too. But I overcame that just like how you broke free from your own prison. And thanks to that, I absorbed my old power and got stronger."
>Fistpalm. "That could be it! She definitely seems the sort."
>Nod. "She is a pretty nice person after all."
>Frown a bit. "But I don't think even she could've helped the me before I was sealed. Being made of pure chaos tends to make one irreversibly crazy."
>Then smile a bit. "I lucked out and got sealed into just being a Darkness Youkai. Which ended up bein' the key to not bein' crazy."
>Stare up at the cavern ceiling with a faint, yet warm smile. "Hehe, yeah. I really do owe her one for that. Without it, I wouldn't have made so many friends."
>Then look back at her with a grin. "Then again, like a wise person once said, 'The world is filled with light'. And sometimes, it don't always look like it is light. Just look at me."
>Grin playfully. "What, I can't come down to visit folks?"
>Fistpalm. "Oh yeah, that reminds me, you seen Yuugi around? I was wantin' to visit her too. Maybe have a few drinks for old time's sake."
>Grin. "I figured we'd all come down, visit, reminisce about old times, that stuff."
>Nod. "So she's usually around the Main Street, huh?"
>Grin. "Well, it was nice hangin' out with ya. Come on up to the Dusk Forest sometime, will ya? It's a pretty nice place up topside that I chill at."
>"Well, was nice hanging with you for a bit, see you around Parsee!"
>Let's roll with everyone else for the Main Street! Maybe we'll find a neat little shop down here that has stuff you can't get topside.
>Well, maybe we can just get some stuff from up topside to trade down here sometime.
>Let's meander on closer to the Palace.
>Grin. "Yo. Remember when I fought Shinki? I'm there for keeps now."
>Let's fly on up and take a seat near her. "Been a while, hasn't it? Figured I'd come by for a visit with the rest. And maybe show Kisume here around. Turns out, she just can't get down here on her own, so someone's gotta carry her."
>Shrug. "Eh, I guess it's just how she is."
>"So, you guys came up with anything new down here?"
>Grin. "I got an idea, a little experiment you could say."
>Let's take Kisume and Yuugi off to a side quietly. "So, I had the idea to see just what'll happen if we give Cirno one of the strongest boozes around. And I remembered that the strongest booze around, is right down here in the Underground."
>Grin. "Besides, it's something fun to do."
>Grin. "Hey, it's got booze, it's sure to be good for a few laughs, and it's something to keep busy with at least. Besides, beats getting blown up by Okuu, or sparked by Marisa."
>Let's look to Kisume. "So, up for a little shenanigans?"
>"Well, I can help minimize the collateral, what with it all bein' my idea."
>Grin. "'sides, we're both pretty strong, so things oughta be okay between the two of us."
>Grin. "Well, strong compared to just about everyone else."
>Fistpalm. "I actually had a little competition with Marisa earlier. About who has the strongest spark-like beam even. She sorta won, but I was literally a hair behind, and that was without much training in it on my part."
(Fun fact about Oni. It's rumored that Shuten-Douji could do the whole mini-to-giant thing Suika can pull. Then again, considering she's supposed to BE Shuten-Douji, it makes a lot of sense.)
>Grin. "That's true, but she can give folks like us a good run for our money on a good day when it comes to a Spellcard Duel."
>Fistpalm. "Oh yeah, I was wantin' to know this, but is there anything special you did to get as strong as you are? Physically speaking I mean, besides just being a Top-Ranked Oni."
>Grin. "Heh, I can agree with that! Leave all the heavy thinkin' to Yukari, and just live it up."
>"Anyhow, there's one thing that I'm not all that good at. Physical stuff. All I've got goin' for me there is my Shade Regeneration power, and my natural durability. All that trainin' with Futo and the others only gets me so far. I figured that since we're both on the list of top-ranked Youkai in terms of power, you'd be able to help me get better at all that."
>Grin. "Wantin' to see how I've improved, eh? Well, alright!"
>Let's focus our energy into a punch as much as we can, like we learned from Futo and the others, and then let 'er rip!
>Grin. "And just think, if I improved my strength even more, any fight between us would be a fight to remember."
>Fistpalm. "I bet it'd be pretty awesome if there was a tournament between the Underground, and the Aboveground. The best of both lands, fightin' it out to see who's the strongest of 'em all!"
>Let's try not to squee at the thought of how fun it'd be. "Just thinkin' about it makes me all tingly n'stuff!"
>"Well, with improved strength, comes better resistance. Right? It's like eating really spicy food, or drinkin' a certain kind of booze, after a while you get used to it."
>Grin. "Well, it'd be something worth watchin', that's something we both agree on."
>Grin. "Maybe I oughta find some folks to fight with a lot more to improve my strength and resilience. I probably still can't fight on even footin' with you yet."
>Grin. "That's true. But in a fight to show off our skills to an audience, we'd probably be even. That is, if I can actually improve."
>"Still, you gotta give me credit for aiming high at least!" Let's have a laugh! A good'n'hearty one!
>What do we know about Suika?
>Smile. "Livin' it up like the usual. Still has that gourd of hers, and even has a holiday home up where the celestials live apparently!"
We ran into her once in passing back during the Lunar Incident, she was one of the folks who we joined up with to hammer out a plan.
>Raise an eyebrow. "Sorta. I ran into her a while ago once, back during that incident where I decided to go up to the moon and caused a real ruckus. Haven't seen her since then though. I think she just wanted to be left alone though from what I understand. She seems like she's got a lot of stuff to sort through that only she can do."
>Shrug. "Sometimes, the only person who can really sort something out about yourself in the end, is yourself. I know that pretty well, given how I had a fight inside my own existence against my other self in order to retain control, and reclaim my full power."
(Off-topic: Why does Raikaria always spell Suika as Sukia, Mystia as Mystcia and stuff like that?)
(I think it's 'Romanization'. But don't quote me on that.)
>Nod. "From what I understand, she went and became a Hermit. Can you believe it? An Oni, bein' a Hermit. From how you talk about her, she must be doin' somethin' right in that regard."
>Fistpalm. "Say, did she still have that bandage-y arm back then too?"
>Nod. "Explains why she uses skill instead of power. As they say up on the surface, 'When all you have is a hammer, everything starts looking like a bunch of nails'. In the case of an average Oni, that'd mean that the general solution to any problem can often be summed up as 'Ignore it, and go get sloshed, or Punch it in the face until it ain't a problem no more'."
>Grin. "Pretty simple way of dealing with things if you ask me. Straightforward and to the point, which I like."
>Laugh. "Hey, I may favor stealth and trickery for the most part, but I like a straightforward approach too y'know. After all, 'when all you have is a hammer'."
>Nod. "Ayup."
>"So, this Kanakuma person, that's the Fourth Deva, aye?"
>Nod. "So she just up and vanished one day? Wonder if I'll run into 'er someday."
>"Mountains huh? I might know a few places up topside to look around then. Maybe I'll see about finding Kasen and asking her what she knows about all this too. I bet you and Suika at least will want to reunite with ol' Kanakuma."
>"Wow...Hey, I think I heard once there there were even ones with four horns. Were they all of the above?"
>"...Wonder if she decided to become a hermit too? She probably has the brainpower and will for it. And from how you're talkin', both her and Kasen vanished around roughly the same time."
>Nod. "That makes sense. An oni with four full horns would have to be, like, Beyond Deva-level, yeah?"
>Shrug. "Who knows, maybe someday we'll find out? But for right now, my theory is that they're some kinda Super-Oni. Massively strong, crazy-powerful ability, and a really keen mind."
>"So, I guess one of my next goals after seeing just how drunk we can get Cirno, is me finding Kasen, then seeing if she'll teach me more. Then maybe finding Kanakuma. Or at least, finding out what might've happened to her. Worst-case scenario, she's no longer among the living. Best-case scenario, she's off on her own living it up somewhere else. Another possibility is that she went and got herself sealed somewhere."
>Fistpalm. "Come to think of it, Byakuren was crammed into Makai for her troubles, so maybe I should see about asking Shinki too."
>Cirno's still with the others, yeah? Or did she drift off?
>Grin. "She's still here, Wriggle, Mystia, and Kogasa are keepin' her busy."
>Let's get back up and pick up Kisume and her bucket again.
>Indicate her.
>"Over there."
>"That's 'cuz she's the next step higher, an Ascended Fairy. Apparently it takes the traits they already had, like Dai's brainpower for example, and turns 'em up to eleven."
>Nod. "See, Dai was pretty smart for a fairy, about on par with most humans even. When she ascended, she got real smart. Like, on par with some of gensokyo's geniuses. Like Eirin, Patchouli, Alice, those guys. When Cirno ascended, she just got a lot stronger, and a lot dimmer. Back during the last time you and I met up, she was about even with me."
>Grin. "Kinda makes you wanna laugh, seeing a fairy get strong enough to match with someone who's earned respect from one of the four devas."
>Shrug. "She's not a drooling vegetable at least. She's just a lot more reckless and fight-happy than she used to be. And with her improved power, that generally means most fights I've seen her get into, short of the strong folks like us, she wins. Though those three fairies still give her a real run for her money, despite not being ascended fairies themselves. it's all teamwork on their end of things."
>"They're basically a trio of stronger fairies which get their power from the sources of light: sun, moon and stars. They're also a bunch of insufferable pranksters, and eternally despised by Cirno for... busting up her house or something?"
>Unless we don't know those things.What things?
>Nod. "That'd be Sunny Milk's thing, she can bend light around things, which means invisibility. There's also Star Sapphire, the star fairy, she can sense things, and acts as their early warning system. Luna Child, the moon fairy, can remove sound in an area."
>Grin. "Thing is, they tend to forget that people notice that last one a lot."
>Laugh! "Pretty much! And for some reason, they like coffee too."
>Grin. "So, we gonna see what'll happen when Cirno gets really drunk?"
>Fistpalm. "Got anything stronger than the usual stuff up topside that the humans have?"
>Beat.
>"What am I saying, of course you do!"
>Grin. "You got it!"
>Let's fly over and grab Cirno. "C'mon, me'n'Yuugi got somethin' for ya."
>Let's drag her over to Yuugi, and motion for the others to tag along.
>Laugh it up! S'not like she's any smarter than the old days after all. She would've done this back then too.
>"Well folks, looks like this is gonna be one hell of a show!"
>Laugh more! "Hah! Almost makes me wanna knock back a few meself! Feast your eyes folks, because today is history in the making!"
>Fistpalm. "I'm gonna have to remember this story for later! Just how long are these two gonna go?!"
>Let's bring Kisume over with the rest of the group. And by that, I mean with Wriggle, Mystia and Kogasa.
>"Man, this is a crazy one, isn't it guys? Forty Dishes, and still going! Did Cirno get better at drinking when she ascended too?"
>"Man, I knew this'd be a great idea! Cirno's probably gonna come out of this a lot richer for her troubles. I mean, challenging a Deva to a drinkin' contest? That's crazy, even the old me wasn't that crazy. And she was made of crazy."
>Did we ever find out exactly what happened to the old us when we beat her?
>Well, at least she's the lesser side now. Have we seen her any in our dreams or anything?
>"Man, at this rate they'll drink the underground dry, huh?"
>They still going?
>"Well, there's always a first time for everything, eh? The way they're goin', they'll probably make it to three barrels by the time someone drops."
>Grin. "And odds are pretty good that tomorrow they'll both wake up with a killer headache. I'll have to visit Eientei for some hangover medicine for 'em then."
>Let's keep watchin'!
>"Well, I'll probably need some for Cirno at least then."
>Now float over and start poking her. "...Y'think that's a loss for her?"
>"Man, that was some show, huh folks? Betcha you never expected her to last this long, eh guys?"
>How's Cirno holding up?
>"Uh...How're we gonna get her up topside? It kinda looks like her power's doin' stuff by itself."
>What season is it anyhow?
>Would we be able to hold her safely with some Dark Tendrils?
>"Man...how are we gonna do this..."
>Fistpalm. "Kogasa, Mystia, keep an eye on her. I'll take Wriggle and Kisume with me, and make for Satori's place, she'll know what to do."
>Let's make for Satori's with Wriggle and Kisume!
>"Man, remember the last time we were here Wriggle? I kinda miss those two guys from Makai. They really should have been able to tell I'm way better than the old me."
>Well, let's knock!
>Nod. "Always on the ball, as usual!"
>Look to Rin and Okuu. "Alright, I'll lead the way!"
>Let's take the crew and head back to where we left Cirno and the others!
>....Well, there's only one way to sum this mess up. "Bollocks."
>"Well, Cirno ain't your average ice Fairy after all.."
>Let's see if she's in a position where we can bust her free so Okuu and Rin can tend to her.
>LEt's breal some ice, then. Contain the spread.
>"Tch...She's way too powerful for her own good..."
>Alright, let's bring out the wings, and start bombarding the ice around Cirno with lasers! Since lasers easily busted up her ice back in the Fairy Wars.
>Would that work though? Does she still revive, even after Ascending?
>If she does: "Yeah, let's do that." Then target Cirno with the same beam we used when competing with Marisa.
>"Tch..!"
>Evade the spikes, and then wrap ourself in a thick and crackling aura of Darkness and Dark Energy! "Keep the spikes busy while I charge up!"
>Then, concentrate the aura into an orb floating over our right hand!
>Alright, let's push the orb's power further, and then fling it towards Cirno! Once we've done that, we'll follow along at full speed, and try to get inside the orb without blowing it up!
>This way, we can guide the orb manually, and amp it up further along the way! We might take a pounding in the process, but nothing a short breather in the shade won't cure.
>"Tch...This much pain's nothing compared to that time on the moon..." Grab Cirno, and then fling her skywards at full power as soon as possible!
>Then, fly right after her with another heavy defense aura!
>"Kogasa, dispel the avatar and get outta there! I'll finish the job!"
>Let's launch a wave of Dark Energy at Cirno, but change it to a trapping container as soon as it makes contact with Cirno!
>Then, focus another Dark Spark, and fire! Besides, she should respawn without the booze too.
>Because giant doom lasers are fun.
>Where is she likely to respawn?
>"Well, that was interesting."
>Is Cirno normalls able to do the sort of thing we just saw, or is that normally beyond her power even after ascending?
>How long does it normally take for Cirno to respawn?
>"Okay, that wasn't normal. Cirno's never been able to do that even since ascending."
>"We should probably go find Cirno."
>"I kinda wonder if there isn't a stage beyond Ascended Fairy...We need to find Dai and tell her about this."
>Look to Kisume. "You ever wanted to see the Surface in person?"
>Nod. "Alright, looks like we'll be parting for a bit once we get back to your usual area then."
>Look to the others. "Arrite, let's go back up topside and find Cirno, eh?"
>Let's roll for the surface, and drop Kisume off where we found her on the way.
>"Well, bet you're glad to be back on the surface, eh Mysty?"
>Is it still morning?
>"Y'know though, I think there's birds out there that live in caves, kinda like bats. But hopefully things won't be as crazy as they were earlier."
>Oh yeah, let's check our Yukarin. We probably got some cash for pushing Yuugi back a bit, and getting her and Cirno to have a drinkin' contest. Plus getting Cirno out of the ice stuff she was making while passed out.
>"I said kinda like bats. Bats were just the closest thing I could compare with, since they fly and live in caves. I think Keine might know more about birds that do live in caves. Anyhow, let's check the lake, I planned to head there after all this anyhow."
>Well, let's put the yukarin away for now, and make for the lake with the usual crew.
>Grin. "I got just the idea you guys. Dai's looking pretty busy, so I think it's time I help her out. You're gonna love this one Koga."
>Let's look for the closest shadow, and then merge with it, and then use that to mess with the fairies by making our voice come out of all the shadows in the surrounding area.
>"You kids really think you oughta be doing that~? You might get frozen~"
> Let's make our voice come from the shadow of one of the fairies. "Over here!"
>Then switch to a different one. "No, over here!"
>And another one! "Nope, all wrong, over here~"
>And back to the everywhere! "Wrong again little fairies, I'm everywhere~!"
>Let's make some Dark Tendrils reach out of their shadows and wave around idly in front of them, like those plants in the lake.
>"Hiiii~"
(S'okay, gotta prioritize after all.)
>Well, let's poke some chains out now, and have them wave all the same.
>Then, when sunny 'vanishes' those, pop out of their shadows with our typical grin. "Yo~!"
>"....Well, this is a surprise. I hop out to greet you, and you make me go invisible. Don't you guys remember little ol' Rumia?"
>...Well. We'll just merge back into a shadow, and then use the shadows to flick danmaku at them idly, and at enough of a speed that Star can't intervene in time.
>Naturally, we'll lump most of it on Sunny.
>"Hee-hee~" Let's spread the fun then! We'll shoot a few sparse shots at all three of those goofball fairies!
>Facepalm. "You guys really forgot little ol' Rumia? I'm so hurt."
>Twirl a bit. "I'm at full power, and a lot cooler-looking. You guys jealous?"
>Grin. "Wanna test it then? That power you guys are so proud of."
>Let's pull out the wings, but not the aura.
>Heh, brave. "Takes guts to accept a challenge from me!"
>Let's focus on gaps, and slip through as they come.
>Well, let's start to return fire with the first sort of danmaku that comes to mind!
>"Heh, and sticking together like that takes guts. Most fairies short of Dai, Cirno, and yourselves, would've split and left one of 'em in the lurch."
>Now let's mix in lasers too! "Yeah, it had a great concept, but you forgot that most fairies tend to be prone to petty squabbles. You guys are a pretty rare kinda fairy y'know, you guys know the true value of teamwork."
>"Yeah, but you guys forgot about the ones underground, the ones at the Youkai Mountain, the ones in the Bamboo Forest, and a bunch of other places. Nevermind the ones at the Mansion. Still, it's pretty impressive that you guys managed to get so many with ya."
>Let's tone back the lasers just a tad, and not fire off so many. We'll keep the earlier barrage of yellow shots from before though.
>Divide and Conquer, eh? There's something you don't see outta normal fairies. "That's a pretty smart move, something I wouldn't expect a fairy short of Dai to pull."
>Grin, and add just a little more pressure. swap the yellow shots for bubble bullets. "You guys Ascended yet?"
>Grin. "You guys know how Lily, Dai, and Cirno are abnormally powerful for fairies? And in Dai's case, abnormally intelligent. Well, That's 'cuz they're Ascended Fairies, I guess you could say they're the missing link between Fairy and Youkai. Lily used to just be a fairy who really loved Spring, and now look at her! Now she's Spring's Emissary! And Cirno's practically the embodiment of ice and cold now. Nevermind that Dai's practically brainpower incarnate now."
>Let's swap the bubbles for arrowheads now! Nothing too big, just something they can stream with a little effort.
>Certainly a great deal more refreshing than the banter during incidents.
>"Luna hit the nail on the head! They got a LOT better at what they like, and got a major boost to go with it. I don't really know what prompts it though, other than the desire to get stronger. We'll ask Dai about that after all this."
>Laugh a bit. "Oh, word of advice, don't let Cirno get into any drinking contests, not unless you want Gensokyo to have a giant glacier added to the terrain!"
>...That actually sounds like a pretty neat idea really. Gensokyo doesn't really have any 'ice' areas beyond the lake, does it?
>Let's change gears, and swap the lasers for the dark energy orb shots like we picked up from Seiga.
>Up the swarm of the orbs while grinning. "That's up to you three, do some soul-searching, and think about what you guys want to focus on the most."
>What spellcards do we have on hand from the old days?
>Cancel the shots, and get to a higher vantage point. "But is that really what you guys desire deep in your hearts? Let's put your resolve to the test! Moonlight Ray!"
>Grin. "I can see it."
>Let's focus on bombarding Sunny with Lasers as we slip through gaps in the danmaku.
>Alright, next is Star! Second verse, same as the first!
>"Nifty card that, Gives me a few ideas for a nonspell or two."
>Grin. "I didn't say I'd use the card itself as one, just that it gives me a few ideas that may, or may not work."
>And now to focus on the last one, but mind the lasers!
>Grin. "Well, my turn now. Hope you don't mind me skipping to a card with a little more Oomph. Demarcation -Lunatic-!"
>"Oh-ho? This sounds like it could be a fun one."
>Let's keep watch, and be ready to dodge at the drop of a nifty hat.
>..Come to think of it, why's everyone else got all that cool headgear? I mean sure, Kaguya doesn't, but that outfit's fancy enough for it. And Byakuren's hair is two-tone, so that counts too.
>Maybe that's what Parsee's so jealous of?
>Maybe we should pick up a ribbon like the old days, but just a normal, non-seal one.
>Oh yeah, spellcard. Let's see about bombarding them with arrowheads and the yellow shots, and when they get too close for comfort, push 'em back with Dark Energy Shots.
>Of course, we gotta dodge 'em as we do all this.
>Headtilt amusedly, with a bit of a chuckle. "You guys really need to work on this card, y'know that? I mean, what good is it against someone like me if you get dizzy in the doing?"
>Maybe a ribbon that looks kinda like Reimu's will do the job, it's gotta be at least a little fancy. Maybe with black instead of white though.
>Ah well, we gotta be polite and let them pull together a bit, we aren't really fighting seriously anyways. Though if they push us hard enough, we may have to.
>...Eh, we'll show off our Big Card when it comes back to our turn, since they're pretty worn out. May as well round it off with a bang after all!
>Raise an eyebrow. "Attacking from three sides, eh? Takes guts. I like that."
>Let's keep on guard, but not pull out the wings just yet. We'll save that for when we amp it up a notch.
>Create a sphere of dark energy around ourselves as a barrier.
>"That really the best you guys can do? You'd better hope it's good enough to take me down right here and now then, because I'm gonna pull out the big stuff from here on."
>Grin. "So, you guys done with your card yet?"
>Set the sphere to clouds instead, and pop out a pair of Dark Energy Tendrils from the clouds next to us. But make sure we're mostly visible as well.
>Smirk in that typical way someone behind an Incident usually does. "Well? What are you three waiting for then? The night is still young, and the game's only just begun!"
>Hell, let's ham it up and let off a sufficiently evil-sounding laugh while we're at it!
>Let those tendrils sneak slowly towards them.
>Malicious grin. "Problem, girls? You're so quiet all of a sudden..."
>"Seems like your pals aren't agreeing." Motion to Luna and Star.
>Have the tendrils rear up slightly, like snakes.
>Well, that was certainly fun. And quite cathartic too. Let's go back to our usual now, but keep the wings up because they look cool.
>And let's head back to the others to see how they're doing. "Yo. Sorry if all that scared you guys, I kinda lost my cool there and went hammy." Grin sheepishly.
>Look towards the new voice.
>"Who are you, and what is Rika up to? And what do you mean, 'go back to your time and place'? Did she kidnap you or something?"
>Facepalm. "Me and her go way back y'see, I guess you could say we're rivals of a sort. She once tried blowing this whole place sky-high. I stopped her though."
>Sigh. "As for the hole, was there anything off about it?"
>Sigh. "That's probably Marisa's doing, last time she tried anything funny, she had the Flower Tank MK-II, which got totally wiped out by Master Spark."
>"I take it the base you're talking about was in the badlands way up north, past the Youkai mountain?"
>Sigh. "That's because that was Rika's hideout back when she tried to destroy the place. She's got a new hideout nowadays."
>Then headtilt slightly, but keep the wings going. "So...what's this about harvesting magical energy?"
>Give the sailor-girl a stare (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMQKGMS_Df4). "Dangerous? Oh, I don't think you get it."
>Use the nearby shadows to warp to her shadow so we can then pop out with an arm around her shoulders and a friendly, yet faintly ominous smile. "Kid, I'm one of Gensokyo's Incident Resolvers. And I dunno about you, but this is starting to smell like one~"
>Do we know where Rika's current hideout is these days?
>Smile. "Threatening you? You misunderstand, this is how I always am~! It comes with being a high-profile Youkai y'know, can't help but be a little ominous~"
>Then use another shadow-port to move away a bit. "As for Rika's new hideout, I'm afraid I dunno where it is these days. Sometimes I track her down and bust it up when she starts gettin' antsy and is about ready to cause a fuss~ Nothin' like a little pre-emptive Incident Resolution, as I always say. Keeps the peace y'know, she hates Youkai, wants to wipe all of us out. Would you believe she tried using one of those nuclear reactor things Okuu can make in a bid to blow up Gensokyo? She totally forgets that she'd get pasted in the doing. That was the same time her old hideout got trashed."
>Sigh. "And then there was that time she tried to get her revenge by letting those crazy Lunarians into Gensokyo. That was a real travesty right there, but I should probably thank her for setting the stage for me to regain my full power. And I got a nifty set of new spellcards outta the deal too."
>Smirk. "And it isn't just short-range y'know." Let's make a whole forest of Shadow Tentacles, Tendrils, and Chains pour out of almost every shadow save for the ones close to her, and our friends. "This is just the tip of the iceberg kiddo, I can do a lot more."
>"Anyway, you can see why I'd have to be a little suspicious."
>Sigh. "We'd better tell Reimu."
>"Well then, this definitely means we gotta get Reimu involved."
>Sigh. "I'll probably have to bribe her with more food too."
>"Whoa, hey, chill out there Shanghai. Got a message for me do you?"
>Let's see what the note says! Alice doesn't usually use such red ink, so it's gotta be from Shinki!
>Groan. "Oh this is a real downer. Even Makai's gettin' drained by those guys."
>"Shanghai, you got something to write with?"
'Don't worry about a thing Alice, tell Shinki and the others that I'm already working on that problem. Just before I got this note, I ran into someone who mentioned that her and her boss have been siphoning energy from all sorts of different worlds.
Gensokyo, the Moon, probably even Makai too. I'll see about getting Marisa and Reimu to lend a hand in tracking the culprits down.'
-Rumia
>"Wriggle, track that woman, either yourself or by sending some bugs after her. We'll want to know where she's going."
>Grin, and pat her head. "Great job there. I could really use having a little helper like you around."
>Let's take the spear-pen and write down on the other side of the note, this message.
>Hand the spear-pen back to Shanghai so she can re-cap it, then pass her back the note. "Now, deliver this to Alice, 'kay?"
>Include in the note that Rika may be involved.
>"Alright, you guys stick around here, keep tabs on Cirno, gather info in the area, that stuff. I'll go get Reimu, she'll not be happy that there's another possible incident, but that's Gensokyo for ya."
>We'll use our shadowtransfer ability to reduce the travel time to the Hakurei Shrine.
>Well, let's head on up to the shrine itself, stopping at the steps up to the donation box, and look around for Reimu.
>Fly over with a sigh. "I hate to interrupt, but we've got a bigger problem than debating spellcards. You guys know anyone named Yumemi Okazaki, or Chiyuri Kitashirakawa? I think I may have run into one of 'em a little while ago. She was looking for Rika, but was really late to the party and went to Rika's old hideout by mistake, the one we trashed back about a year ago."
>Sigh. "Anyhow, what they're up to this time around seems to be a pretty big problem. They're siphoning magic energy from everywhere. Here, the Moon, Makai, and who knows where all else. Makai's getting hit the hardest as far as I know, being made entirely of magic. Gensokyo probably won't be far behind feelin' the crunch either. She seemed to emphasize that it was 'nothing dangerous', but the hasty way she said so says otherwise, y'know?"
>"I've already got Wriggle tracking the one I ran into with her bugs, so it's just a matter of hooking back up with the rest of the gang. We should probably get Marisa as well."
>Grin slightly. "Lemme guess, Stuff blowing up?"
>"How big we talkin'? Final Spark big, Dark Bomb big? Or nuclear reactor going critical big?"
>Shrug. "Ah well, let's link back up with the rest of the crew, and see what they've found out so far."
>Let's roll!
>"Reimu didn't feel like coming, so she sent Mima along as a substitute."
>Nod. "But, Sprites huh? I guess that makes you a Knowledge Sprite then, given that you're the smartest of the bunch? Which means Cirno's a Frost Sprite I guess, right?"
>"So, what'd Wriggle and the others find out?"
>Shrug. "Dunno, maybe they all sealed themselves or something? Or maybe they returned to whatever they represent? We'll have to look into that a lot, I'd hate to lose you guys. Then again, doesn't that book predate Gensokyo or something?"
>Then facepalm. "Stuck in the Bamboo Forest. She really is a greenhorn when it comes to getting around in here, eh?"
>Good thing we can just use our shadowtravel ability to get in and out, eh? "I think I'll find her and hide out in her shadow for a while, gauge how freaked out she's getting from everything. Mima, since you're a spirit, you can go invisible or something, right?"
>Nod. "Arrite, we'll find her, you'll go invisible, I'll hide in her shadow, and we'll watch her for a little while. It'll be pretty fun, and helpful in ferreting out info, wouldn't you say?"
>"Well, maybe that book's from a time where Fairies weren't so immortal or something? That's the best I can come up with."
>"That could be it, they might've just gone into hiding or something, or got blasted back into being normal fairies?"
>Sigh. "It's not bossing you around, Mima, I'm just laying out the game plan."
>"'Game plan' is just a phrase, Mima. It doesn't mean I'm thinking of this as a game."
>"Call it a 'plan of action', then, or whatever you'd prefer."
>"Arrite, let's get this show on the road!"
>Let's fly to the Bamboo Forest, then use the shadows there to travel along until we find the girl from before.
>Poke out of a shadow at a moderately safe distance. "Yo. Looks like you just got into a pretty fun brawl lately, eh? Was it with some girl in a sailor outfit?"
>"She's involved with draining magic from Gensokyo and other places."
>"Do you know which way she went?"
>Nod to Mokou. "Thanks, been tracking her to resolve an incident before it gets too bad, even Makai's feelin' the pinch. So it won't be too long before Gensokyo does too. I'll see about capturing her to make sure things stay how they are."
>Let's slide back into the shadow, and make for Eientei.
>Poke out of a nearby shadow. "Don't worry, she's with me. We've been tracking a girl in a sailor outfit like Murasa's, she's involved in some sorta project that's draining the magical energy from Gensokyo, makai, and a bunch of other places. Even the moon's gettin' leeched. Mokou said she was heading this direction, so we came here to capture her."
>Nod. "Arrite, I'll wait to ambush her then. If we capture her, we can make her lead us to her boss, and then lay out a little 'Gensokyo Justice' to get things fixed. Where d'you think she'll be most likely to exit, the front door?"
>"Okay, I'll hide in a shadow near the front door, and then ambush her that way. You two should stay out of sight until I've grabbed her, or if I fail to grab her. That device she's got might tip her off to my presence, so we'll need to figure out how to separate her from it."
>Let's go hide in the shadows near the front door.
>Alright, let's send out a forest of shadow tendrils from all the nearby shadows to grab the girl! If we pull it off, we'll wrap her up so much that only her head's free to move.
>Chuckle ominously. "Well, turns out that this whole business about draining excess energy from all those worlds is causing quite a fuss from the leaders of some of them. Especially Makai, since it's made entirely from said magical energy. Now, since I happen to have been born there, and I happen to get along relatively well with Shinki, the creator of Makai, you can imagine why I've gotten involved."
>Let's pull out the wings! "I've decided to help her out by...Ah, 'cleaning up a little mess'. If ya catch my meaning."
>"Well for starters, Shinki provides the energy for it herself. She made it from the ground up. Now, on worlds that naturally create energy, like Gensokyo or the Moon, those devices would probably work normally. But in a world like Makai that's pretty much sustained entirely by the one who created it, that's gonna cause a lot of trouble. She's actually had to go into a sort of hibernation in order to keep her energy up so she can keep the erosion at bay."
>Play around with a blob of Dark Energy idly. "I might have to...'discipline' your boss a bit. If she doesn't cut it out until she's got it all completely hammered. If not completely cut out, and an alternative found."
>"Hmm...I think we should bring her to the big-time folks, like Yukari. This sort of revelation merits a big meeting of the minds, wouldn't you say?"
>Let's check the Yukarin, since it's a good way to see if Yukari's awake or not.
>To the girl: "Are you from the outside world? 'Cause if you are, then I don't think putting magic there will work. It faded away on its own; that's why Gensokyo had to be made to preserve it."
>"Hmm...I think we should definitely gather all the smart folks then."
>Let's look around for a few moments, then; "Hey, you awake Yukari? Could use some input from ya!"
>Sigh. "We'll have to gather everyone the hard way I guess, so we may as well start with her."
>Let's re-attach the tendrils we're using to bind the girl so we can carry her with 'em. "Up y'go. You won't have to lift a finger this way, I'll do the liftin'. Pretty sure you can understand that I'm pretty reluctant to let you go just yet, you did run off before I got to finish talkin' to ya earlier, and you're the ticket to finding your boss."
>Fistpalm. "Oh yeah, since you guys stuck some of those drain-y-thingies up on the moon too, maybe you could fill me in on how things are doing up there?"
>"Tch.."
>Well, she's forced our hand, so we'll have to let go.
>...But when she tries escaping, we'll plug 'er with a shot of Dark Energy to knock her outta the sky if we can muster the charge to do so.
>Grin. "Thanks for the save doc, looks like I owe you one again. Think we can get that belt away from her? That seems to be the thing that was draining me and Mima."
>Sigh amusedly, and shrug.. "Caught ya in a catch-22 there kiddo. If you didn't blow my shot up like you did, it would've hit you and knocked ya flat. But you opted for the less-painful choice, good call."
>"Name's Rumia, but I think I might've already introduced myself last time we met."
>Sigh. "Looks like there's gonna be quite the dustup incoming, eh Doc? And I was referring to you catching her before she got away."
>...If the lackey's got something this nasty, the head honcho must have something at least three times as bad.
>"Hmm...So since you've been futzing around with the basics of Magic, there's a good chance you've internalized some. Which would allow you to use some of it."
>"What do you think Doc? Think that's the case?"
>Grin. "Ever seen how much it can take before it overloads? Because that's something I'm kinda interested in."
>"Also, Gensokyo's been going Magitek over these recent years too. Been heading that way for a while now."
>Raise an eyebrow. "Can't overload by taking in too much over time huh? But there's gotta be a limit to how much energy it can take in all at once though. That's just how things are usually."
>Float over to Eirin and whisper; "Hey doc, I'm thinkin' we should force her to lead us to her boss or something. If we can knock some sense into her boss or somethin', this whole mess should get cleared right up like usual."
>"Good point. We'll just chill out for a while, have some tea or something, and wait for her boss to show up."
>Let's glance over at Chiyuri. "Hey, what kinda sweets you like?"
>Nod, and chuckle. "Gotten quieter, hasn't she?"
>Fiddle with one of our ears a bit in an absent-minded manner. "Guess she's learned that she doesn't need to be so loud?"
>Let's look to Chiyuri. "Hey, since we're having some tea, you want any?"
>Chuckle. "Aw c'mon Reisen, I figured either she got quieter, or you fiddled around to make her quieter."
>Let's have a closer look at the cage then.
>Are there any openings we can poke an arm through? Particularly if we can hand her anything from in there.
>Laugh a bit. "Ah well, tea's something nice to enjoy. I assume you know what tea is, right?"
>"Well, it's a drink. There's different kinds too. Lemon, Green, Mint, Herb, all that stuff. It's pretty nice stuff really."
>Grin. "There's nothing better after a long day than some home-brewed tea. Really warms ya up, y'know?"
>Grin. "Now there's something we're on the same page about. Meat."
>"Personally, there's something to be said for a good old Barbequed Eel Bowl. With plenty of rice too. I know a place down in the village that makes some pretty good eats. maybe when all this is resolved, I'll take you and your boss there. I happen to be good friends with the owner y'know, I've known her for ages."
>"Ah, this here's an Eientei specialty, Bamboo Tea. Pretty sweet, and also real healthy too."
>Let's grab a cup for her, and float over to the cage again. "Hey doc, open a hole for me to pass her the tea, would you?"
>Once the hole's open wide enough for us to stick an arm in, use that hole to pass Chiyuri her tea. Then float back to grab ours and enjoy.
>"Nevermind the other folks who are just straight-up hard to kill, like me~!"
>Let's enjoy our tea.
>Chuckle. "Right on time eh? Keep cool, and let me handle things a bit."
>Let's keep on guard, maybe pull out the wings again, and just wait calmly with our tea.
>Wave slightly. "Heya there Rika. Tea? The doc just made some."
>"I'm actually keeping her under lock and key for the time until her boss decides to show up, got some things I wanna talk to her about."
>Smile in a smug sorta way, like Yukari does when she's messing with someone. "And here I thought you rustproofed yourself~?"
>Chuckle a little. "So much for the much-vaunted genius, eh?"
>Ah, nothing like taunting Rika when we can.
>"It's bamboo tea, doc and the rabbits here make it. It's quite healthy y'know, made from bamboo extracts it is."
>Sigh. "Rika, Rika, Rika. You just don't get it, do ya? I need her to draw her boss out. So it looks like we'll be at an impasse for a while, savvy?"
>Chuckle a bit. "Just chill out, and relax. If she hadn't run into me and made me suspicious, you guys might've gotten away with all this."
>Shrug. "Then again, I probably would've gotten that letter from Shinki anyhow, which means that all this was inevitable."
>Sigh. "Besides, there might still be a shot at you getting it regardless. So just chill out, and we'll all wait until the big cheese shows up."
>Chuckle. "Shinki's the Creator Goddess of Makai, one of the worlds these folks have been draining magic from. I guess you could say she's kinda like a mom to folks like me."
>"Well, that was also those guys just plain being jerks, like they usually are. Doc here can tell you all about that. I don't think anyone could be near as bad as them."
>Shrug. "Eh, just callin' it like I see it. No point in dancin' around the bush after all."
>Nod. "That's true. Kinda like how, in a way, me and Alice are distantly related by way of both being born from Makai itself."
>Beat.
>"Which in turn was born from Shinki."
>Beat.
>"...Does that mean Shinki's kinda like my Grandma or something?"
>Kick back and relax. "Well, either way you go, I guess you could say I'm indirectly related to her? I dunno, 'cuz it's too much thinking for me~"
>Grin. "Because hey, I'm more the sort of person you just point at something you want resolved with liberal amounts of explosions, like Marisa."
>Fistpalm. "Hey Rika, wanna have a light sparring match to kill time? Just some spellcards, neither of us going all out."
>Shrug. "Lucky guess? If you'd stuck as a Youkai for a bit before going all machine on us, you probably would've had an easier time of making 'em."
>"Besides, it's been long enough that you'd have at least one or two. It's just common sense. So how many you got? That way we know how many cards to limit ourselves to."
>Raise an eyebrow. "Only the one huh?"
>Let's stand up and float a few feet above the ground after finishing up our tea and setting it aside. "How about we test it out then? After all, since you've applied your special sort of power to it, it's gonna need testing to make sure it works right."
>Raise an eyebrow, and weave through the shots as best we can. "Not bad, a simple barrage-type card. A stronger version would want to add in bigger shots too, like Bubbles or something."
>Grin. "Overall, it's about what I expected though. Could use some work, but it's a good concept. If you don't mind working with a Youkai a little, I can help you improve it. What do you say Rika? You want more power, don't you?"
>Let's charge up an Orb shot, but hold it back for a little while.
>And we may as well let the orb shot fizzle out. "You could make a smaller explosion that scatters into lots of smaller Danmaku. I'm pretty sure I have a card that does something close, and I know Okuu has a card like that too. You can learn a lot from the spell cards other people have y'know."
>"But here's one of the cards I first made, it's a lot like your card come to think of it. Night Sign - Night Bird -Hard-!"
>Sigh. "You want to get stronger, right? Consider this training! Even Cirno could beat this card at this level, and that was before she Ascended."
>Let's keep it up until it times out, or she manages to retaliate, or something else happens.
>Look to Eirin. "Well doc? What's your thoughts on this?"
>Let's lean back while hovering where we are in the air. "So, you're the brains behind this whole thing eh? We've been expecting you. Tea? It's quite healthy for you."
>Nod. "I'm Rumia, the doc here can introduce herself, since it'd be rude for me to take that chance away from her."
>"So, now that you've shown up, we can get down to brass tacks, eh? Fact of the matter is, one of those worlds you stuck those magic-draining devices in, Makai? Yeah, um, it's not doin' so hot thanks to that."
>Facepalm. "And what about the erosion that's still going on now, hm? Even a Goddess can only hold out for so long. She happens to have had to go into a sort of hibernation just to maintain things, you think that's good for Makai's Government?"
>"Plus, it just so happens she comes here to visit her dear little daughter who's chosen to remain here in Gensokyo."
>Shrug. "I used to be quite the terror back in the day, a real nightmare of a demon. Even Shinki had a helluva time dealing with me back then."
>Let's let a flash of the usual mad expression of the old us show for a moment, just to add emphasis.
>THen shrug in a more indifferent and bored kinda way. "But then I got sealed and pitched in here, and I ended up becoming a much different person. And if you ask everyone around me, they'll say it was for the better."
>Then grin a bit, while playing around with some various Dark Energy Weapons. "But now I'm not sealed, but still a nice person....Unless it just so happens there's an incident going."
>Shrug. "Well, I'd dial it back a bit. I'm pretty sure there's folks here who can figure out a way to make things less finicky. Hell, this place has been going magitek for a while, but you probably already knew that."
>"Near as I can tell, the energy situation is the big driver behind all this, isn't it? I think I might know some folks who can provide an alternative."
>The cast an aside glance towards Eirin. "More than those two up on the moon could pull off?"
>Raise an eyebrow. "She didn't try to take you on in hand-to-hand then?"
>Whistle in amazement. "If only I had something like that when I confronted the lunar princesses..."
>Grin slightly. "Depends on what kinda strength we're talkin' about. Magical? Or Physical?"
>Hmm...our definition of Strength...
>"Gah, I'm not too good with the philosophical stuff. But magically-speaking, I've got a pretty decent hit. Physically too, but not quite as much so."
>Grin a bit. "Yori was a fun one to fight, wouldn't mind having a friendly rematch with her someday."
>Hmm....how much stronger was she compared to how we were back then?
>And how much stronger are we now, compared to the us of that day?
>"To be honest, I'm not sure. it's hard to pin down how much of it was her own power, and how much was godly power she was borrowing."
>"You caught that just now doc? Looks like hers is the Master Unit, the best of 'em all."
>Grin. "I gotta admit, that's a neat trick there. I gotta remember that for later." A cross made of Dark Energy...We should figure out how to make that a spellcard.
>Slip a grin towards Mima. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"
>Could we tell how much power Mima put into that little show?
>"With lots of explosions? Hell yeah."
>Look to Reisen. "Hey, do us a favor and go grab Marisa, and see if you can grab Yuuka too. We're about to do a little science of our own!"
>Grin. "Well, looks like we'll just have to make do with what we've got on hand this time around, eh?"
>Let's make a super-concentrated version of the Dark Bomb we made up on the moon. We'll compress it as far as we can, instead of the giant version we had that time.
>"Hey, Reisen, go grab her too then. It'll take a while for me to hit full power with this."
>Let's push it to the very limit of it that we can control! "You guys miiiight wanna mind your head with this one."
>Grin. "Everyone's going full-tilt eh? Let's make this one hell of a light show!"
>Is our attack pushed to the very limit we can control?
>"Better mind your heads you guys! This is gonna be one hell of a blast!"
>Let's push it just a little further, and then fling it towards her!
>Chuckle a bit. "Well, this is quite the surprise. But I wonder, do you have enough crosses in stock?"
>"I got a plan, but it'll take pushing her out of position."
>Tch...This means we'd have to find the one in Makai...
>"Tch..."
>"You got who you came for, and I got the info I was after. So get going before I change my mind already."
>"Time-Space..."
>Grin. "Looks like we'll need Sakuya and Yumeko to join forces to lock her down. If we lock down her time-space alteration, she can't summon more of those crosses. And with just one cross at her disposal, she'll be easy pickings for a wide-angle blast!"
>"To make it simpler, they're both pretty much the same kind of person, just a little different. Kinda like how both you and Mokou are immortal, but complete opposites of the other."
>"Just using her as an example."
>Nod. "But anyhow, the first goal should be to get Sakuya and Yumeko. With them, we should be able to overwhelm her."
>Fistpalm. "We should also get Marisa, and possibly Yuuka. If we're gonna overwhelm that absorber, we're gonna need all the firepower we can get."
>Nod. "Usually she's at that garden, right? And I can just get in touch with Alice or Yukari to get Yumeko. I got prompted into all this because of a letter from Shinki to begin with after all. I would've looked the other way for the most part, but then that letter from Shinki goaded me into full action."
>"...We're gonna need to get Yukari, aren't we?"
>Nod. "So basically, find the garden, and we have a shot at finding Yuuka. Then, we get to Alice's to see if we can get Yumeko to help."
>Chuckle. "And doc, I was actually gonna go hunting for the fourth deva today. I already know a bit about the third one, she's around. She just wants to be alone. Though she did turn out for the lunar incident a little while back."
>Grin. "Does this mean I get extra meat when we resolve this? I love meat!"
>Ah, the simple joys. No matter how mature or powerful we get, we'll still have a soft spot for meat. Delicious, delicious meat.
>Then clear our throat a bit. "Well, um, I don't really plan it in any particular order. But I guess getting to Alice's would be a good first step."
>"Really now. Meat's a healthy part of a good diet too y'know~! I just eat it because it tastes good though."
>Nod. "So you know where alice's place is then, we'll go directly there right away. You're on the lead this time."
>Look to Eirin, Reisen, and Kaguya. "You guys coming along?"
>Raise an eyebrow. "Hey, she found Red interesting, so I figured she'd want to tag along to see everything resolved'n'stuff."
>Head over to Mima and whisper.
>"How did you manage to arrange that in front of all of us?"
>"Right."
>Sure she does.
>"Well, shall we go?"
>Grin. "Hey, no worries. If we're lucky, you'll get to resolve an incident for once. And trust me when I say incident-resolving can get pretty fun."
>Shrug. "Eh, I can't say if you'll find it fun or not, but you oughta give it a try at least. 'sides, you're pretty strong, and we need all the power we can muster to pull this off."
>Let's get going!
>Nod. "So basically, having you along will add to the lockdown strategy, eh?"
>"Besides, those items are wellsprings of magical power, ain't they? And when you and the doc join forces, there's very few things you can't surpass. And with my power added in, stuff's gonna blow up real good!"
>Let's get going for Alice's!
>"Since we're here, we may as well grab Marisa too. We'll need her power after all. So we'll make for Alice's, then swing back around for Marisa."
>Let's go!
>"There's a warp portal that connects the two, they figured out the trick to it. It's a pretty nifty trick really."
>Let's fly on ahead and go knock on the door.
>Foreheadpalm. "Doy!"
>"Yeah, doll says she's at Marisa's. So we're off to Marisa's!"
>Pat the little doll on the head, and let's roll!
>Don't leave yet.
>To the doll: "Can we use the portal to go there?" If so, use it. If not, leave and head for Marisa's.
>"Least it's better than getting called Red-White or something. Alice is weird like that sometimes, she tends to categorize folks based on how many colors they wear."
>And we're off!
>Raise an eyebrow. "Wonder what they're talking about?"
>Shrug, and head for the door to knock.
>Well, let's sneak into a shadow, and then make the whole place a veritable forest of wiggling tendrils. But, we won't put a lot of power into 'em, just enough to give 'em form and motion.
>"Heeeey guuuuys~! WoOooOoooOO~! Wiggly~!"
>Poke out, and facepalm. "Well, that was totally unintended."
>Let's see about using the tendrils to help dig 'em out.
>"I dunno. Maybe because something like this happened before?"
>Now let's pull Marisa off her ourselves, and set Marisa off to the side where something won't fall on her again. "Oi, think one of you guys out there can bring Marisa back around?"
>Then look back to Alice. "I got more info on the stuff that's been going on. Turns out some scientist from another world's gone and stuck magic absorbers in all sorts of different worlds in an effort to bring magic back to her world."
>Sigh. "Thing is, we both know that once magic's gone, it's gone for keeps. But anyhow, she's stuck one in Makai, and one somewhere in Gensokyo. But the thing is, we probably can't stop them until we knock her down, and she messes with Time-Space, so we need to get in touch with Yumeko so we can have her team up with Sakuya to lock that down."
>"Well, if things work how I've got it figured out, it'll help resolve the problem with Makai's absorber too. Since it'll help Yumeko pinpoint the one there by finding out what they look like."
>Sigh. "I just can't be in Makai for too long though, which is the main problem on my end. You'd probably have better odds at convincing her though."
>Grin. "Things managed to get her involved in this mess. And to be honest, we do need all the oomph we can get to overwhelm those portable absorbers."
>Raise an eyebrow. "But it looks like nothing's in there anymore."
>Spare a glance at Marisa to see if she's any different from her usual.
>"It's only a loan if the person it belongs to agreed to it. The rest is stealing, even if they can take it back once you're dead."
>"So...Uh...Any idea what it was supposed to do?"
>Fistpalm. "Oh yeah, that stuff was really useful up on the moon y'know. Really came in handy when I needed a pick-me-up."
>Fistpalm again. "Y'think bein' like how I am would mean I'd end up sneezing like that? I mean, I do come from Makai too after all. And that isn't really earth."
>Hmm...Well, we did like the powerup that came with it~!
>"Well, let's see about getting Shinki to loan us Yumeko for a bit, eh?"
>Follow her through.
>"Now what?"
>Stroke our chin thoughtfully. "Hmm...I think you'd have the best odds of success out of all of us. After all, you're Shinki's most prized daughter, so she's sure to let you borrow Yumeko."
>Chuckle. "Hell, the culprit behind all this, Yumemi Okazaki, referred to you as 'Makai's Princess'. Which I'm inclined to agree with."
>"I can go, too, if you want. I can be there without problems for a while, at least. But I think you should go either way."
>Sigh. "Looks like the only other shot we have is Mima then."
>Fistpalm. "Those other folks from the time we fought Shinki, they hang out in Makai too, don't they Mima? If they're strong enough, see about rounding them up too."
>Shrug. "Shame really, figured they'd be all for a good brawl. Because you know I am."
>"Well, either way you slice it, we may as well send someone to get Yumeko's help. And right now, Mima's lookin' like the best candidate."
>Pause for a moment. "Though I wonder if me showing up would show them just how serious this problem is."
>Sigh. "I dunno if I could though. Sure, I'm more used to myself now, but that doesn't remove the danger."
>...Fistpalm. "Doc, you got any way to ward off the effects that Makai might have on me?"
>Eirin's not here.
>"...Sorry, just a little nervous and frazzled is all."
>Sigh. "Man, I hate feelin' like this, y'know? I mean, I can't be in Makai for too long, or else I'll go postal again, so my hands are pretty damn close to bein' tied."
>"...Maybe I should go with her. Shinki and I are on decent terms, but I don't know about her and Mima."
>"Do you think I should come, then?"
>"May as well then I guess. But if I feel anything funny, I'll have to come back here to Gensokyo."
>"Alright then, let's get going. I'd better avoid using any of my abilities just to be safe."
>Let's get going then.
>Sigh. "And knowing how Mai was while I was still sealed, she's gonna be likely to flip out and attack, isn't she?"
>"Well, we may as well get this overwith. As much as I wanna catch up on what I missed from bein' crazy, we gotta make this quick."
>We should know some of the geography, right? If so, let's roll.
>Otherwise, Mima's on lead.
>"Geh, that could be a problem then."
>Sigh. "Well, nothing for it. Let's try to find it then.
>Let's get moving, and keep an eye out for the pit. Or Yuki and Mai. Especially keep an ear out for them.
>Wings..? And a shadow...Let's look where the shadow was coming from, and be on guard.
>"I came here because I found out that the same stuff that's causing trouble here is causing trouble back in gensokyo too. So I decided to come grab Yumeko for help, because I found out the culprit messes with Time-Space. There's already someone in Gensokyo who specializes in time, with a little space, So I figured we'd need her opposite number to lock things down to make the resolution easier."
>Shrug. "Nah, my guess is that she's still freaked out about me just being here."
>"Anyhow, like I was tryin' to explain, I came here to get Yumeko's help to fix things. Turns out, the person behind the energy of Makai getting leeched away is also doing it to a bunch of other places too, Gensokyo included. Problem is, like I mentioned, she uses Time-Space. So I need Yumeko's help to lock that little trick of hers away to make her a more manageable opponent. Specifically, there's another maid in Gensokyo who has a similar ability, but is kinda the opposite. See, as you know, Yumeko messes with Space, but can mess with time a little. Well, Sakuya, the maid I mentioned, can mess with Time mostly, and as a result, mess with Space a little. So I figure that if I can get those two to work together, I can lock down that wacko's time-space shenanigans, and knock her down a few pegs."
>Nod. "Thanks, Yuki. Too bad she'll probably still be scared outta her wits if we run into her on the way out. But then again, that was a nice hit there."
>"Anyhow, we'll get goin' now, thanks again. And try to get Mai to not be so scared of me if you guys ever come for a visit. Gensokyo's a nice place up on the surface. Later!"
>Let's take Mima and follow the trail!
>"Startin' to get a headache here. May be a first warning sign. Let's make this quick."
>Keep ourself together. We can handle this.
>Through the portal!
>"Felt like it was a few minutes really. But yeah, I'll try to keep my cool as long as I can. I should really see if Yukari can't rig something up that'll let me visit Makai like everyone else does."
>Well, since there's nothing else to do, let's just chill until we get to the end.
>"Hi."
>"I don't know how long I can stay here, so I'll get straight to business. I figured out who's been draining magic. She's hit Gensokyo, too. We tried to fight her, but she did this time/space manipulation thing and we couldn't touch her. I know of someone in Gensokyo who can shut down the time part, but the only person I can think of who can do the space part is Yumeko."
>"Then we've gotta get her back to Gensokyo so Alice can take a look at her."
>"I've got more than enough firepower assembled. Mima's not the only one I'm working with in this."
>"One more quick thing before I leave. The woman behind this is draining magic in an attempt to restore it to the world she's from. She seems to think this will work if she gets enough. ANd she also seems to think that her world may end if she is not succesful."
>"I don't quite understand how this world works, but its energy comes from you, right? If the drain on Makai was less, would that be something you would accept? She wouldn't get what she wants as quickly, but she could perhaps avoid harming any worlds that way, and such a compromise may be enough to avoid a fight."
>"So you wouldn't like the idea of just lessening it, then?"
>Chuckle. "Don't you worry about that, if the plan works out, she'll be in a world of hurt. She's only human as far as I can tell, so I'm pretty sure that a good dose of Dark Energy will leave one hell of a mark. I'll smack 'er around on your behalf."
>Grin. "I figured out her trick after all, she uses a Magic Absorber to nullify most incoming attacks. So by locking down her Time-Space meddling, she can't bring in more when they get overloaded. And once it's overloaded...Kaboom. She had to pull out a second Absorber just to avoid the backlash of the first when me and a few friends went all out. Remember how we knocked down those Lunarians? Yeah, I used that trick again."
>Nod. "Well, if this goes well, things will be back to normal for everyone. Here, and in all the other worlds Red's messed with."
>Let's head over to the bed, and pick Yumeko up gently. "Well, let's get going. It'd be too much of an expense for you to put a warp right to Gensokyo, but you know where Alice's portal in and out is, yeah? It shouldn't be too much for an in-world warp."
>"Well, I didn't have your help with that last one, so it was probably only half as strong as the original. But still, she's a pretty tough opponent! Shame she's one of the enemies though, she'd be great to have helping out with other high-end incidents like this."
>"...And thanks, it was nice seein' you again Shinki. After all this is wrapped up, I'll treat you and the others to Eel Bowls down at Mysty's, she's a good cook y'know."
>Let's head through with our little entourage! "Yo, Yumeko got pretty banged up, as you can see. She tried takin' on ol' Red, and got put in this state for her troubles. Shinki said you'd be able to get her back to rights though."
>Raise an eyebrow. "Maybe we can pool our energy into the shell to speed things along?"
>"Okay, so how long would it take with the shell?"
>Fistpalm. "Sakuya can help out with her time powers! We can cut the shell-based recovery time to about an hour if things work how I plan it."
>"What if it's you she affects, instead? Does that have the same problem?"
>Sigh. "Well, we can do the patch-job now, and then we can restore her after everything's resolved then. I'd kinda like to send her back home at 100% after all. Shinki's gonna need the help after all."
>"Yo, you're at Alice's pad here in scenic Gensokyo. She's the one that patched you up."
>Nod. "Fact of the matter is, Makai ain't the only place that red-haired whackjob's causing a fuss in. She's set those Magic Absorbers on the Moon, here in Gensokyo, and who knows where all else."
>Grin. "But, I figured out her weakpoint. And your power over Space is one half of it. The other half is Sakuya's power over Time. See, Red messes with Time and Space to pull out those pesky Absorbers she uses. By locking that down with your combined power, the rest of us can smack her down, and make her shut down at least the one in Makai."
>Grin. "Alice here's a pro dollmaker as far as Gensokyo's concerned after all, so it was probably child's play for her to fix you up."
>Gesture our head towards Kaguya. "As for who she is? I'll let her do the honors."
>Sigh a bit, and chuckle too. "That's Yumeko for you, she's probably the most serious person in Makai."
>"Anyhow, we can get you back up to 100% after everything's resolved. We'll have all the time we need when that's the case. So let's head out and get Sakuya."
>Let's head on back to where we left Reisen and Eirin, then make for the SDM once we've picked them up.
>Well, to the SDM, then.
>Head over to them.
>"Hey, guys."
>Nod. "The maid here's Yumeko, she works for Shinki, and is one of the key elements of wrapping up this little incident."
>Wait...That book about sprites predated the border didn't it? Then that means that all the sprites vanished when magic did, and the only fairies that could make it were the indigenous fairies who hadn't evolved yet!
>"...Oh crap. I just thought of something that I need to tell Dai. I'll let the rest of you guys handle the introductions while I go find her!"
>Let's beeline for the library, not stopping for Cirno and Hong. When we pass them; "Sorry guys, can't stop to play!"
>Let's make for the library, and track down Dai and patchy!
>"Guys, that book that mentioned sprites came before the border, didn't it?"
>"That seals it then. I figured out why there weren't any before Lily, Dai, and Cirno....They vanished when Magic did."
>Sigh. "It dawned on me when I was thinking about the ongoing incident. See, there's this girl from another world. She goes by the name Yumemi Okazaki, but I just call her Red because her hair's probably even redder than Hong's, and it's a lot easier than saying that mouthful of a name she's got. She's stuck these Magic Absorbers in a bunch of different worlds, Gensokyo included. Apparently she's doing it to bring magic back to her world. And when I got to thinking about how Fairies are connected to the magic of nature, It dawned on me. Sprites are even more connected to nature, because they're Evolved Fairies. So what if they were the first casualties in the slow loss of magic?"
>"...Now I know I need to stop her. She's causing harm to my friends for her misguided efforts...."
>Let's let the Dark Aura flare up some.
>"I'll knock her down! Where's Sakuya, I'll need her help to pull this off!"
>"I'll just knock her down, and let Yukari figure out what to do with her. Yukari's better at thinking than I am. She'll know a way to resolve things."
>Shrug. "Or show her that she's going about things all wrong, and maybe give her nightmares in the doing."
>Grin. "Did you forget? Darkness has been around since time immemorial. And I'm pretty sure that what the humans of the past feared in the depths of the night was the old me."
>Add a hint of sadistic-ness to the grin. "I think I can 'encourage' her to approach it a different way. I just need to get in touch with Yukari for what I've got planned."
>Chuckle a bit. "I know it's slipping into old ways, but I haven't gotten to chase someone around for a while~! And she certainly deserves it from where I'm standin'. I'm thinking we can have Yukari lock down her timespace ability for a while, then seal her in my forest with me for a bit while I 'encourage her'. After all, she's still just human, and if the folks from the village are anything to go by, the night's still something feared innately."
>Shrug. "I can always put it back into her if that's the case."
>Look to Sakuya. "Yo, you free? I kinda need to borrow you and your Time powers for a bit. I found the culprit of this newest Incident, and you're one of the two people needed to lock down her meddling with Timespace. I've already got Yumeko waiting in the wings, so we can utilize her Space powers."
>Nod. "Yeah, After seeing her power in action, and her explaining it to me, I realized we had everything we needed to lock her down, and knock some sense into her."
>"But anyhow, I'll just explain the situation to Remilia, and she should give you some time off to lend a hand."
>Nod. "Yeah, I'd kinda like to keep Gensokyo that way too. If Yumemi's left unchecked, Gensokyo's probably gonna be a lot worse off. And that's bad news for everyone."
>"So let's go pay a visit to Remilia so I can fill her in on things."
>Let's go!
>"Oh, she is?"
>Smile. "How you feeling?"
>Grin. "Cheer up, what's done is done. You've overcome what was holding you back, so you can enjoy all sorts of fun stuff now. Like getting better at art, or devising new games to play, or...Uh...I dunno, getting good at baking sweets? Sakuya'd be a good teacher for that after all."
>Nod. "Anyhow, I'll be borrowing Sakuya for a bit so she can help me with something."
>Hmm...if she's got a handle on her power now...She might be helpful too. Just in case Yumemi manages to slip past the timespace sealing.
>Grin. "You and her got plenty of time now, so don't think too hard about it. And you've got folks like me and Patchouli around to bounce fun ideas off of too. And then there's everyone else who knows you, like Marisa and Reimu. So when you think about it, things are startin' to look up for ya."
>Nod. "Well, I'll see you again sometime, so keep your spirits up, and just live for the future."
>"Sakuya? Let's get going to rejoin with the others so we can resolve this mess once and for all."
>Let's roll to meet up with the others!
>"You think fire magic's neat? You should see what I can do sometime! I'll show you some of it once everything's all wrapped up!"
>Nod. "Well, let's get going then! Seeya later Flan!"
>Let's head back to the Resolution Task Force! (Kaguya, Yumeko, and the others.)
>Sigh, and chuckle slightly. "That's Cirno for you. She just doesn't stay down. Kinda like Kaguya almost, only more fight-happy."
>Let's give Cirno a light rap on the noggin. "Oi, Cirno, why don't you go find those three Light Fairies to mess around with? They were tryin' to bug you when you were wakin' up earlier."
>Sigh, and facepalm.
>"Man...And here I was hoping she wasn't that stupid..."
>Sigh again. "Well, now that we've got everyone, let's see about finding that Absorber, and taking it apart, eh? Let's get going before Cirno remembers we're here, I don't wanna get her involved."
>Let's try around the area we found Chiyuri the first time!
>Right. Let's look deeper in the Forest we live in then. if it's not there, it might be back in the Forest of Magic then.
>"Alright, first location we're searching, the Forest I usually hang out in. If the absorber's not there, we'll try the Forest of Magic. Anyone able to sense the flow of Magic?"
>Sigh. "I didn't wanna get her or Cirno too involved though, I don't wanna lose 'em y'know. There's no tellin' what'll happen if she gets too close to the absorber, and we don't know just what the danger range is."
>Sigh. "And who knows where she is right now."
>Pause.
>"Wait, you got wind magic, don't you? Maybe you can fiddle around with it to draw her here."
>Laugh. "Hatate! It's been ages! How've things been? We're looking for something that's sucking up the magic in Gensokyo, so we can bust it up, and capture the one who put it here, so we can make her take the ones she's stuck in other worlds, and turn 'em off."
>Shrug. "Technically, we're helping each other. You're helping us find that absorber, and we're helping you get one over on Aya. But hey, help's help."
>Nod. "And keep your cool Sakuya, the book was recovered ages ago, so it's all water under the bridge I say."
>"Anyhow, any ideas on where the absorber might be?"
>Nod. "Alright, those were mostly the same as my guesses too. Seems we're on the same page for the most part. Which one should we check first guys?"
>Nod. "So the last logical spot is around the Mountain."
>Laugh a bit. "S'funny, when there's no incident going, I'm a goofball. But when there is one going, I'm all 'whoosh', and competent for the most part. Strange, isn't it?"
>Nod. "Anyhow, I don't wanna risk Dai's safety, so she should stay behind and keep Cirno out of trouble. I know her magic-sensing ability will be a big help, but I don't wanna take any chances. I might go postal if her or Cirno end up fading away as a result of Yumemi's antics."
>Nod. "Alright, Chyuri did mention checking out Rika's old lab, so there's a good chance it's set up there."
>"Man, I hope those cloud guys are okay, they were pretty cool."
>Nod. "Alright, seeya when we get back, Dai. Stay safe now, y'hear? And keep that screwball from getting into too much trouble, okay?"
>Let's take the crew and make for Rika's old lab!
>Does anything look like it's been moved in the past 8 months?
>"Hey Mima, feelin' anything?"
>Nod. "We'll check that out then. Let's go. And let us know if you're feelin' funny, being a mage spirit probably means you're almost as susceptible to the absorber's effects as a Sprite. Just that low-end one Chiyuri had was enough to weaken us a decent chunk."
>Let's get going for that mountain!
>"Secret huh? Not a problem. I'm out here looking for a strange device that's been sucking up magic. Mima here said there was a large concentration of magic around here, so we figured that the Absorber was somewhere on this mountain."
>Nod. "Alright, odds are one of you guys knows, or knows someone who does."
>Look to the others. "You guys stick around here, I'll go on ahead like the guy said, and gather info in here."
>Raise an eyebrow. "Alrighty, here I come then."
>Let's head on in!
>"You must be the fourth Deva."
>Laugh a bit. "I wondered if I'd find you. I was actually thinkin' about lookin' for you after Yuugi mentioned ya. Funny how things worked out, eh?"
>"So, seen anything weird in the area? Someone stuck some weird device somewhere in Gensokyo about eight months back, it's been sucking up the magic in an effort for someone from another world to bring magic back to her world."
>Sigh. "Crazy broad doesn't get it does she? When magic's gone, it's gone for keeps. S'why gensokyo's a thing in the first place after all."
>Grin. "Yuugi's doin' great, she got a cushy job working as a bodyguard to the Satori that runs the show down in the Underground. And Suika's as lively as ever, she's crashing with the current Hakurei, Reimu. And even got a vacation house up where the Celestials live! And as for Kasen? Oh, she's around. Decided to become a Hermit she has! Yuugi said that she was always the most hermit-like of you guys."
>Sigh. "I figured it was something that crazy though, so it's up to folks like me to knock some sense into her."
>Shrug. "But I gotta ask though, why'd you drop off the map like that? Yuugi was pretty worried about you when you just up and vanished. And if Yuugi was worried, I'd be willin' to bet Suika was too."
>Work out the kinks in our neck, then nod. "Ah, I know someone with a problem like that too, Magician y'know. Real quiet and sharp sort, you'd probably get along pretty good with her."
>Didn't they find a means of reducing her problem too?
>"Anyhow, from what I understand from what little I got from Yuugi, she might have felt she was right, like a lot of folks with kind-yet-misguided goals do. I haven't gotten her side of the story yet though, just Yuugi's."
>Nod. "No sense in drawing conclusions without all the info, eh?"
>Chuckle a bit, and lean back against the wall while looking at the cave's entrance. "Heh, Rumia the Meddler...More and more these days, that little nickname's startin' to fit, y'know? Meddling in Lunarian business, meddling in Makaian business, meddling in Human business, and now here I am tryin' to get the Four Deva back together and on relatively decent terms like the old days...Talk about an impossible task, eh?"
>"Shame the cloud-guys don't want the secret out, otherwise I'd ask if you have any messages you want me to pass along."
Alright, I think I have one possible question.
>"Okay. I know you're big on secrecy and stuff, but would you want to meet with someone I know who can probably help lessen your little problem? She's a damn good doctor who used to work up on the moon. She's the one who's been helping another friend of mine with her problems, and when you mentioned your problem with breathing, that reminded me of her."
>Nod. "Well if anyone can pull it off, Doc Yagokoro can. She's pretty damn good, maybe even the best."
>Then shrug. "Well, it kinda started with a question though, but eh, details."
>Nod. "I can tell her about you if that's alright."
>Shrug. "Well, you kinda already answered something I'd been wonderin'. That is, you said Suika and Yuugi don't know about your condition."
>Fistpalm. "That got me to thinkin', if you problems were lessened at least, you might be able to meet up with 'em again. Yuugi was pretty worried after all, as i mentioned earlier."
>Nod. "Well, there's odds that there might be a need to bring in another person she knows, on the off chance that her own abilities aren't quite up to snuff."
>Pause.
>"Waaaaait....Abilities...."
>"This just hit me. But the whole problem is that the air's too thick. Now, who do we know that can change that? Our little buddy Suika can mess with density, so she might be able to do something like lowering the air density around you. And, if it needs her to keep focused on that, then there might be a way to make some kinda charm or item for that, maybe with Yuugi's power, and the Doc's mind."
>Sigh. "I know it'll probably mean them finding out, but if it works out, then you won't have to worry anymore. And knowing how easygoing those two are, it'll be like water under the bridge. Hell, I've kinda gained respect from Yuugi, says I'm one of the rare few she's met who can actually knock her back a bit."
>Grin slightly. "See, past few times I've ran into her, she's asked to see how strong I've gotten by letting me have a free shot, so I put as much as I can into it, which impresses her. And then there was earlier today where I brought a friend of mine to have a drinkin' contest with her. It was a pretty close one I tell ya, she was all wobbly and had a bit of trouble talkin'. Of course Yuugi won though, but what a show that was! Not too many can keep up with an Oni after all."
>Laugh it up! "Man, good times!"
>"Well, I was thinkin' that the doc could figure something out, She's probably the smartest person around short of Yukari or you."
>"Besides, I was thinkin' more along the lines of replicating it. See, there's gotta be a way to do somethin' like that, since another friend of mine copies spellcards and stuff."
>"Hmm....Well, I'm sure that with the doc workin' on it, she'll figure something out. Who knows, maybe these Magic Absorbers hold the key? I mean, they suck up magic, so maybe there's a way to use them to put a little of Suika's power into something you can then use to thin the air around you."
>Shrug. "Gensokyo's been mixing the two lately y'know. Of course I'm keepin' my eye on it though, Gensokyo's made to preserve magic after all. Can't get too advanced in that field."
>Nod. "But who knows? That might be the key to fixing a lot of problems folks have."
>"So, is there anything you want me to pass along?"
>Nod. "I'll be sure to do that. I figure that if I can't smooth things over for all four of ya, I can at least help Yuugi and Suika get back in touch with you. Hell, you'll probably figure something out between the three of ya."
>"So, mind keepin' those questions in reserve for when I want some advice? Since I can't really think of much to ask right now, but I'm sure something'll hit me later on. it always does."
>Pause. "Ah, come to mention it, something just did. You think there's a way to get Yumemi to rethink her plans? Because I was thinking I'd just lock down her time/space tinkering, and have Yukari seal her in my forest with me for a few days while I chase her around and just generally scare the crap outta her."
>Sigh. "Well, where there's a will, there's a way. I'm sure she'll rethink just how she's going about things. There's more than one way to cut a fish, as they say, so there's bound to be another way for her to get what she's after."
>"So which way's the thing I'm after anyhow?"
>Nod. "Thanks. And keep safe now, y'hear? I know it's crazy telling an Oni that, but no sense in not bein' polite, eh?"
>Let's head for the cave's exit, but stop just before leaving the little nook Kanakuma's in. "We'll have to meet up again sometime, I know this great place that's got some damn good food. Friends with the owner y'know. Seeya again!"
>And now let's head out to meet up with the others.
>Let's pull out the wings and aura then, and fly on over. "Yo. I got some pretty useful info in there. Either of you two know anything about something called 'The Point of Reflection'? Because that's apparently where the Absorber is. I was told I'd know it when I found it, and that it's somewhere in this region."
>"Well, let's start looking around. Odds are we'll find it the same way we found this place. Let's move!"
>Let's get going and start searching!
>"Whoa. Nifty place this. Which group's the real one, and which are the reflections? Ahahaha, it's pretty funny when you think about it."
>Let's investigate!
>"Heeey...S'like Makai, or the Forest of Magic almost. I think we're getting closer to the target!"
>Let's see if it's being drawn somewhere, then follow that if it is!
>Nod. "Alright guys, let's get going. I figure that we probably won't be able to use magic-based tricks on it, so we'll have to smash it with pure strength, or figure out how to turn it off normally."
>Let's go where Hatate indicated!
>Turn to face the voice. "Funny thing though, Youkai are naturally strong too, so some things you don't even need to use magic for."
>Let's keep an eye on Sakuya and Hatate then.
>"Do you know how to turn this thing off? 'Cause that'd be easier than breaking it."
>"And when this thing goes down, that'll draw Red out, and we can see about 're-educating her'. She might have good intent, but the execution's a little lacking. Even a dimbulb like me can see it."
>Chuckle. "I'll give you that, this sorta thing's right up your alley."
>"She'll probably use this stuff against us sooner or later, but she's the best one for the job right now, since we don't have Nitori or the other Kappa. Plus, they'd be just as bad off as Hatate and Sakuya are. Speaking of which, you two should pull back some, this stuff's not too healthy for folks who aren't immortal, a magician, or used to massive amounts of miasma like me and Yumeko. Rika's a special case since she's all mechanical and stuff."
>"S'why I mentioned Magician. They're used to this kinda stuff for the most part."
>Pause. "...So that means you were bouncing all over the place and completely hyper the first time you were there? Since you're Marisa's teacher, I can believe that."
>Shrug. "Ah well, do your thing Rika, and we'll handle Red when she shows up to take the bait."
>Chuckle. "Like I thought, Red. Messing with this would draw you out. Oi, Rika, how much did you weaken it?"
>"And that's exactly what I was betting on. So, which one of you's gonna try and stop me from putting a halt to your ambitions?"
>"Hatate, get Rika back to a safer distance. Looks like we'll have to go with plan b. Yumeko, you think you can force some space between the absorber and the folks around here safely?"
>Grin. "Looks like we'll be working together this time around. I'll leave the Absorber to you then!"
>Then crack our knuckles and adjust our neck so we pop the kinks out somewhat audibly. "I'll knock you down, and show you a real nightmare!"
>"We aren't so different then, are we? Because that's exactly what will happen here if I let you win. I'm not fighting for me, I'm fighting for my friends who will die for good if you keep this up. If you want to live in a world with magic that badly, then find one and live out the rest of your days there."
>Then stare not at her, but a point beyond her. "If I let you win here, the happy future I've worked for will vanish. I'll go all out, you won't be able to resist it, the crushing fear of the dark."
>"Well then, Rika, just bust it up without exploding it then. We'll try to keep the heat off ya."
>"Scatter, and remember the plan!"
>Let's split off and then fly right at Yumemi, being careful of the crosses.
>Then, while she thinks we're focusing on her, we'll break off at the last second to beeline straight for Chiyuri to try to grab her by the throat! But, we have to be careful of that gun of hers.
>Chuckle, and evade the beam by making it hit a shadow-image of us! "Not bad there. Too bad you need that technology to use tricks like that, you'd be pretty strong if it were natural. You got guts though, tryin' to outfly me. S'just a matter of time before you run out though. Mima, she's all yours! Give 'er a little close-up 'discipline'! Rika, let's take care of Red!"
>Let's make a beeline for Yumemi, and watch out for crosses!
>We'll have to train a bit with Mima to get the hang of it then, seein' as she's so good with Illusions. It'd be kinda neat to have a spellcard that does something like that.
>"Alright Red, let's finish this. Hatate, overwhelm her with your speed. Rika, you're with me. Follow my lead!"
>Let's charge straight at Yumemi at full speed, but use a Dark Energy Reaction every so often to propel us in a different, non-backwards direction randomly! This should help us evade the crosses she'll likely fling!
(It's kinda like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7zJgEn68oYE#t=21s), visually-speaking.)
>Could we theoretically affect any shadows within the barrier?
>"Not bad there, Red. You got skill, but it's all tied to that tech you've got. If it goes down, you do too."
>We'll just have to smash one of the orbs then. Somehow. "Rika, think you can take down one of the absorbers?"
>"Now!"
>Let's bombard her while the barrier's down, and the crosses are occupied with their attack!
>Laugh it up a bit. "Nicely done! Too bad that was a bum shot, eh?"
>Then rocket straight for her at full speed, using Dark Energy to accelerate us far past our normal speed! We'll snag her by the clothing she's wearing as she tries to slip past this one.
>Grin, then just as they fire, drop! And be prepared for any follow-ups from Yumemi.
>Slip out of the way, then boost for Chiyuri, being mindful of other attacks.
>If we get close enough and manage to grab her, and Yumemi's just about to attack, we'll use Chiyuri as a shield, and hope that she cares enough to not try to attack through her.
>"Don't like having to do this myself, but it was the only thing I could think of. When going against someone stronger, you gotta fight cleverly. If you drain this place, I'll make sure to drag her down with us. I can tell you care about her, so is going this far really worth risking her?"
>Tighten our grip on her just to emphasize the point.
Well, looks like Patchy was right after all...
>"Figure it out later, take care of that big absorber already! You got a small one, so just bust the big one."
>Boost right for Yumemi, using Chiyuri as a screen to obscure us, and then attempt to grab Yumemi by the throat.
>"Tch, then just smash it without making it blow up! You're smart, figure it out!"
>Well, since there's probably more shadows, we can use her own shadows inside that clothing of hers to restrain her. Yumemi of course. After all, with us holding Chiyuri hostage, she can't reactivate that barrier too easily.
>"Then just go with your gut, and let that power of yours tell you what to do!"
>While we're at it, let's divest Chiyuri of all her tech. Including the absorber. We'll have to put Yumemi into a hard spot. Choosing her friend, or her ambitions.
>"You do realize that before the lock fails, she'll die."
>"And what will that accomplish? You'll lose one of the people you care about in the process, with no hope of recovering the body, since it'll get dragged into the destruction as well. The best solution is to just cool your head, and we can get some of the smarter folks from here together for a better solution. I know a pair of folks who are major geniuses themselves, as well as Eirin, who Chiyuri here's probably told you about. With you, her, and Yukari'n'Ran, there's sure to be a solution to what you're after. You wanna restore magic to your world, right? Well, with your evident mental power, working with those three should be a fast-track to finding a resolution. And, as a bonus, neither of you will get hurt. What do you say?"
>Toss the absorber we stole from Chiyuri over to Rika. "Here, try using this as a bridge to understand the red one! It's weaker, so you oughta have a better time of it!"
>"It's a last stand for us too. Personally, I'm glad I didn't have to kill her. I'm just sorry that I probably can't say the same for you. If things were different, we could've been friends after all."
>Sigh. "Thing is though, Yukari here knows all about dimensional whatzits, and world-creation. And Shinki does too. Also, that hand can get restored no problem once Kaguya's back in action. She's got a Magic Item she uses that rewinds things to their original state. And yes, it can be used to restore damaged limbs. And plus, Yukari here's one of the folks who made Gensokyo a thing to begin with, so I'd think she knows how to set things right even for you guys, eh?"
>"There's also the minor fact that you were causing damage. I don't know what your 'calculations' said, but they were wrong. Even in Makai, Shinki can barely keep up, and may not be able to much longer. Here, you're already directly harming the fairies, and the rest of us aren't far behind! Even at the previous rate of drain, Gensokyo would have died! Your world obviously can exist without magic; the proof is that it does exist! Gensokyo can't! And I'm not talking about the sort of dying world you say yours is. Without magic, Gensokyo would be destroyed pretty much immediately. You-you, personally-would be guilty of killing every single person here! Not even the Lunarians were going to go that far. So yes, I'm absolutely going to do everything I can to stop you. Unlike you, I don't want to kill people, but if it's the only way to protect this world, then I'm more than willing to let my crazy side out a little, because if you're willing to kill an entire world, I don't think you deserve mercy."
>"Yukari, put those orb things somewhere she can't call them back to her from, if wou would, please."
>"Then stop this madness. 90% should be enough, right? I had an idea that might just work, but it's gonna take everyone's efforts to pull it off. And you seriously think that it was for the good of Makai? Here's the thing, she was not doing very good at all. You know how it is when one of you humans gets really damn sick? She looked that bad. Like death warmed over."
>"Yeah...I care about her because without her making Makai, I never would've been born. Well, the old me wouldn't have. But if the old me wasn't born, then I wouldn't be around either."
>Sigh. "So, why don't you turn that thing down, and we can resolve this matter over some bamboo tea? Or whatever tea you happen to prefer. We'll even let you pick the snack too."
>Then grin. "Or if you want, I know this great place down in the village. it's got the best Eel Bowl around! You can even grab Chiyuri from wherever she jumped to, and bring her with us!"
(I'm just working things out. Plus, I figured others would have input.)
>Chuckle slightly. "And whoever wins, we'll have some tea. Like things usually end."
>Let's review our cards.
(S'okay man.)
>Well, let's go with Concealing Shadows, Shadow Cast Within the Light, Fear of Darkness, and Battle That Scars the Moon.
>Shrug. "I think Yukari can handle that for you. All she's gotta do is mess with a boundary, and poof. Problem solved. I bet she could probably even find Chiyuri so you can both go back together. Given how she left so fast, she probably jumped randomly, so there's no tellin' where she ended up. Unless of course, you got a way to track her. But there's also a shot she ended up somewhere you don't have any influence, which would be bad for you if you went to get her."
>Grin. "So let's have a little fun with this while we can, eh? I'm pretty interested in seein' what cards you've come up with. A person like you's bound to have some fun ones!"
>Grin. "So she'll be fine then. Shame you two probably won't be able to get back without gettin' stuck or something, it's a nice place to live in. Hell, you two could probably retire here if you wanted to. I know some pretty good spots to put a house."
>Then raise an eyebrow at the suns. "Heh, I remember a card like this. Okuu uses something similar."
>Let's keep an eye on the suns for a couple seconds, and get ready to dodge if they do anything.
>Chuckle while dodging carefully. "Friend of mine from the underground. She uses Nuclear Fusion too. 'ccording to what I hear, she used to be your average Hell-Raven before she ate a dead god. That's how she got that power. Bit of a dimbulb in every other field, but a damn genius when it comes to anything Nuclear or Danmaku. I actually managed to stop a reactor that Rika'd stolen a while back. Took damn near everything I had to do it, but I pulled it off. That was before I'd gotten full control though. I'll have to introduce you and Chiyuri to everyone sometime, you'd have fun meetin' 'em all."
>Let's see about returning fire with our typical shots we use when going against a spellcard.
>Interesting. Either the hitbox is the cross, or we need to attack something else. Let's try hitting one of the suns with a single pulse of shots, then get ready for any retaliation on their part.
>"Near as I can tell, it used to be a Sun God. And yeah, Gensokyo's a crazy place for sure! Life here's sure not boring, and that's the facts."
>Shrug. "Eh, this place was pretty much created when folks stopped believing. So of course you're gonna see that sort of stuff around."
>Alright, we'll have to just focus on her then. Back to shooting at her! And dodging the shots from her of course.
>"Well, guess it's my time to use a card now. Concealing Shadows!"
>"Why do I get the feelin' this fight's gonna give you guys enough energy for what you were plannin'?"
>Keep it up!
>Grin. "And by the way, you got style, Red. Not everyone can pull that off. Shame it doesn't come naturally to ya though, otherwise you'd easily be on par with some of the stronger folks."
>Grin. "You'd be surprised what can happen then, because this is just the weakest of the four cards I picked. I gotta wonder how much is being put out right now though. Any way you can tell right now?"
>Well, we'll keep on firing and moving until either she manages to hit us enough to break the card, or it times out.
>Haven't we seen a card like that before too?
>Let's follow any open spots we can see, and slip through them while returning fire! "Whoa-ho! Now we're talkin'!"
>"Nice card by the way, it's got a concept that's like a card belonging to another person I know, A Tengu by the name of Aya. She's got a card that's got the 'Bullet Rain' concept as well. It's a pretty rough one too. Well, back when I wasn't at 100%. I'd probably still have a bit of trouble with it even now though."
>Well, we'll just have to keep this up until it breaks or times out then. Grazing's not as bad as a direct hit after all.
>"Well, the first card I thought of when I saw it was that one."
>Let's use one of our less-common non-spells!
(Eh, I like the rematches idea, but I'll be frank. I just don't like the rest of it. There's just something about it that's missing that spark your stuff usually has. So I'm gonna say no on that one. I just don't think it fits as a follow-up to the whole Magic-Draining Incident.)
(True, I'll pass on the Coliseum idea though. If anything, following up more on the Four Devas matter would be a better(and more satisfying) postgame. After all, we did tell Kanakuma we'd let Suika and Yuugi know about her. Besides, after a scare like this(Nearly losing Cirno, Dai, and Lily), I think Rumia's done with fighting for a while.)
>Now to mix things up, let's do our telegraphed lasers that aim for the opponent's last known position, but set 'em so they'll be more likely to coax Yumemi into hitting the other bullets instead!
>But, let's be mindful of her fire as well. If we take a few more hits, or after 20 seconds pass, we'll declare Shadow Cast Within the Light.
>"That's true. Shame you probably won't be able to come back if I win, Mysty's has a damn good Eel Bowl. You'd probably like it."
(Well, I'm just put off by the coliseum idea, to be frank. I like the idea of rematches, but the rest of it...Eeeeh...)
>"Holdin' up okay there? I like this card quite a bit y'know, but the really fun stuff comes after this one."
>Let's keep it going!
(I think the correct phrasing would be 'Pseudo-Magic', but eh, meaning gotten. Spellcheck goes a long way friend, for future reference.)
>Laugh. "Heh, this trick eh? You'll love my next card then."
>Let's keep on guard, and get ready to dodge anything at the drop of a hat!
(Weird.)
>"Whoa! Not bad!"
>Given how she's not visible, this must be a survival card like our own. Interesting!
>Let's try shooting down a cross as it spawns, but keep wary of the others as well.
>That pretty much clinches it. It's her survival. How amusing that our third card is also a survival. Looks like she's a good one. Shame really, Gensokyo could use someone with her talent.
>Let's speed it up and see if the crosses can keep up with us then!
>Interesting...Perhaps she's somehow gained a non-magic ability to use things that require magic. We'll have to ask her about this at the end.
>But red hmm? Perhaps they're faster or stronger. Let's move carefully, and keep an eye on them.
>Raise an eyebrow. Girl must like strawberries or something.
>Either way, let's pick our way through the shots, and mind the crosses.
>Chuckle a bit. "Lemme ask you something real quick before we get going to the next card of mine, eh? You like strawberries or something? Because the last bit to that card you just did made me think of 'em."
>"Just a bit of curiosity on my part, the last card caught my eye a bit, and I wanted to follow up on a hunch I had. Now, where were we? Oh yeah, this."
>"If you liked that last card of yours though, then you're gonna love this one. Hope you aren't afraid of the dark~! Primal - 'Fear of Darkness'!"
>"Neither can I though. That absorber's a danger to some of my best friends. When magic first fell, it was the Sprites that felt the pain first, fading away soon after their powers started going wild on them, or even losing their powers. One of my friends, Cirno, already had her powers go wild on her. So I'm not fighting for me, I'm fighting for them."
>Grin a bit. "Even demons like me have folks we care about y'know."
>Let's use our second-strongest non-spell!
>Let's hang back, and be ready for anything. We'll wait until the card's started properly to see how it flows.
>Well, this is a good card! It might just rival some of our best cards even.
>Let's move carefully, but always try to stay one step ahead of the cross!
>Let's weave through the pellets and stars, but keep away from where the lines were.
>Heh, we know that old trick.
>Let's do the same as we did before, and move carefully through the shots while keeping a step ahead of the cross. Getting hit by that will hurt like hell.
>But this time, if an opening presents itself, we'll try flinging some shots at the core of the cross. Just a single pulse though, to see what happens.
>Ohcrap! Let's try our best to get through them without getting hit too much!
>Let's fly over and help her out regardless of any protest on her part. "You okay? Looks like that last card was a bit too energy-intensive for ya or something. Either that, or something interfered."
>"Crap, any way we can help her? I can't let someone that determined die on us."
>How's she holding up? "Yukari, I had an idea involving the extractor. If she could use it to burn her own life to use those cards, then maybe we can take some of the energy the big one's got, and convert that back."
>"Then let's get her to Eirin."
>Through the gap!
>And remember to bring Yumemi.
>Nod. "Thanks."
>Turn to Eirin. "Doc, while I'm investigating that, I'll leave Red here in your care. She ended up burning away pretty much almost all of her own life energy to use spellcards. I can't let someone that determined die so easily."
>Grin a bit. "She's definitely earned my respect for being as gutsy as she was."
>"Oh, hey Seiga. Wasn't expecting you to be the one. I bet you were wantin' to test out something I taught you, eh?"
>Raise an eyebrow. "Oh? Maybe I should test you a bit, and see how far you've come. So what was it Yoshika said?"
>Chuckle a bit. "I see why Keine likes teaching. It's kinda fun, seeing how far your students get. I'll keep an eye on how that works out while you guys work on restoring Red."
>Fistpalm. "Wait, wouldn't that Shell work to rejuvenate her? Since you said it regenerates stuff, expended life energy would be restored too, wouldn't it? Well, either way, I gotta keep an eye on Seiga."
>Let's walk through the shadows to find her.
>Let's keep watching this then. Seems like this is gonna be a good show.
>Whoa, now that's a new trick. Seems she's learned well. Especially that Dark Energy Rocket Punch! We'll have to remember that one.
>Poke out of the shadows nearby. "Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you'd improved. Nice touch with the remote punch, gonna have to remember that one."
>Smirk just a bit. "Heh, you might just get to the point where there's nothing more I can teach you. Since that Aura trick you pulled was already something I'm not sure I can pull off."
>Let's try and at least replicate the Halberd as closely as we can though. "But I know I can do this much."
>Dispel the halberd, and laugh some. "Ahaha, that's true! You're better at that stuff than me. But I make up for it with being somewhat inventive, and just plain strong."
>Then grin a bit. "I actually learned a few new tricks today myself, though they wouldn't really mesh with how you and the others do things. I just class them as additional Dark Energy Weapons though, just because I've seen similar stuff in action."
(This was actually a pleasant surprise man. I was genuinely wondering how things were getting resolved up there.)
>Chuckle a bit. "Yeah, Red- Her name's actually Yumemi Okazaki, but I just call her that because of her hair and clothes bein' mostly red- ended up using up almost all her life energy just to use spellcards in an effort to win. Right now we're trying to use that Shell that Kaguya has in order to restore what she used up."
>Sigh slightly, with a faint smile. "I gotta say, she's a determined and stubborn one. Definitely earned my respect for bein' that gutsy."
>Then laugh it up! "So, Toyohime's gonna be the new queen. Here's hopin' it all works out for her then! I kinda figured she'd be the one better-suited to that job anyhow. You two already had most of the power behind the scenes anyhow from what I heard from Eirin back when you guys first came down here to get Kaguya back, so this just works out best for everyone."
>"That's because she wasn't using spellcards. As things went on while I fought her, she eventually decided to resolve things how we usually do in Gensokyo. And, well, she got hit with quite the cost."
>Then shrug. "But, things'll smooth over with enough time, that's how it always is. With political upheaval and incidents alike. So the only big thing is her lasting long enough for the smoothing-over to actually happen. Eventually it'll all be in the past."
>Then fistpalm. "Y'know, you guys should adopt the Spellcard Rules too, it'd make solving riots and the like that much easier. Both in terms of actually resolving it, and easier on the parties involved. Just go in treating it like the folks down here treat an incident, and you're good to go."
>Laugh. "Red said that too! Funny how things work out, eh? You, Me, Red, we all want what's best for our respective worlds."
>Then grin a bit. "But yeah, I got time. Let's use a good card eh? I got one in mind that I think you'll remember quite well. I was planning on using it against Red, but she used her fourth before I got a chance to."
>Nod. "Alright, so you get the first card then."
>Let's take to the skies!