-
The Library of MotK ~ Stories from a World of Books
Here we go, my first try at an interpretation of the Ijiyatsu life of our Librarian Squad.
NOTE: Due to some recent events, I have decided to not call this an Ijiyatsu-work anymore.
Rather, it is supposed to be a, well, Touhou-fication of this forum and its members, especially those known as the Librarian Squad.
Some people may say that this doesn't make any different, but I have my reasons ;)
The works in here will still borrow from the Ijiyatsu-personifications of some forum members, as long as those represent the forum-persona of the member.
This short story is an introduction to my own character, the others will follow later.
I hope I didn't make it too boring and self-centered, I still have to learn a lot about the other Ijiyatsu-characters and the world itself.
Edit: From now on, this thread also contains contributions from other people. All works in this thread will be listed below.
Index:
A Librarian's Night (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php?topic=5020.msg249062#msg249062)
A Librarian's Day - Part I (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php?topic=5020.msg250290#msg250290)
A Librarian's Day - Part II (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php?topic=5020.msg267946#msg267946)
Magical☆Librarian Squad - Intro (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg415248.html#msg415248)
Episode 1: Gather, Magical★Librarian Squad! (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg416698.html#msg416698)
Episode 2: Move out, Magical★Librarian Squad (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg495056.html#msg495056)
Episode 2 Another: Darkside (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg504627.html#msg504627)
Episode 3: Fight, Magical★Librarian Squad - Part I (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg526735.html#msg526735)
Episode 3: Fight, Magical★Librarian Squad - Part II (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg529330.html#msg529330)
Episode 3: Fight, Magical★Librarian Squad - Part III (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg706601.html#msg706601)
Episode 4: Charge, Magical★Librarian Squad (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg744263.html#msg744263)
Episode 4 Another: Cool Ace (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg751046.html#msg751046)
Episode 5: To the Final Battle, Magical★Librarian Squad - Part I (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg879890.html#msg879890)
Sakura Wedding - Bloody Cherry Blossoms Intro (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg675014.html#msg675014)
(by Sakana)
Know Your Librarians (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php?topic=5020.msg249488#msg249488)
(by Chaore)
The Librarian Appointment Ceremony (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php?topic=5020.msg252954#msg252954)
Purgatorio (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg551322.html#msg551322)
(by Ruro)
Submerged Library - The obligatory bikini episode~ (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg417756.html#msg417756)
(by Roukan)
What makes a Librarian? (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg522848.html#msg522848)
Part 2 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg523608.html#msg523608) | Part 3 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg526332.html#msg526332) | Part 4 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg528865.html#msg528865) | Part 5 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg546228.html#msg546228) | Part 6 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg556933.html#msg556933) | Part 7 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg572328.html#msg572328) | Part 8 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg608413.html#msg608413) | Part 9 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg679603.html#msg679603) | Part 10 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg679831.html#msg679831) | Part 11 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg687349.html#msg687349) | Part 12 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg702985.html#msg702985) | Part 13 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg707114.html#msg707114) | Part 14 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg710495.html#msg710495) | Part 15 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg715845.html#msg715845) | Part 16 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg722466.html#msg722466) | Part 17 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg722945.html#msg722945) | Part 18 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg728417.html#msg728417) | Part 19 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg730773.html#msg730773) | Part 20 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg746033.html#msg746033) | Part 21 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg750523.html#msg750523)
(by Esifex)
A Normal Day (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg537601.html#msg537601)
Part 2 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg539981.html#msg539981) | Part 3 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg540820.html#msg540820) | Part 4 (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg545288.html#msg545288)
(by IcedFairy)
The Outsider Who Looked In (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg551792.html#msg551792)
(by Jana)
A Librarian's Night
Three more steps. Okay, concentrate, ready....JUMP!
I jumped over the gap between the two roofs...
Alright, that looks good, prepare...
...landed safely and continued to run.
I don't have any idea what I am doing here.
Isn't a librarian's job to sort books and sit around all day?
Then, why do I have to run along those roofs like a ninja in the middle of the night?
Thinking back, I should have been less curious.
If I hadn't asked, I might sleep peacefully in my bed right now, like every other normal person.
If I had known how it would turn out, would I still have talked to her?
"We've got ourselves into quite some trouble, eh?"
There was no answer. Well, of course there wasn't. What my words were directed to, wasn't a human, nor any other kind of being capable of speech.
It was a big tuna, floating in the air beside me. Really, I can't explain how that happened either.
You've probably heard of half-ghosts, right? Well, I'm similar. Only that my ghost-half... is a fish-half.
It's not like having an animal with you is something unusual in this world.
I had already seen girls walking around with giant ferrets and snakes, but still... a tuna, and one that's part of yourself at that?
I wanted to curse the gods for my fate, but held back my words.
Cursing the gods is generally a bad idea in a world where many of them were running around everywhere and might just be able to hear you.
Also, the girl in front of me might have taken it badly.
She was a person of power, similar to a god, and my superior.
She was also the reason why I was running along those roofs.
And she was flying, but that was probably the least noteworthy thing about her, considering how this world worked.
I had first seen her those few days ago, while walking through the town.
She had been in an argument with a homeless man living in a trash can.
Out of curiosity, I had listened in on their talk.
"What, you want to make that 'reading' stuff popular in a world ruled by idiocy? What a naive girl."
"You can't understand the feelings of those poor authors that write works that noone will ever read, can you? They are stories that their creators, people unaffected by the idiocy-" she paused to think for a moment "well, mostly unaffected by the idiocy, have poured their hearts and souls into"
"You're trying to mess with me kid? I ain't never seen any of those stories you're talking about."
"What? But they are everywhere. Why don't people notice them? Is it the idiocy's fault?"
"You know what, girl? If you're so passionate about this stuff, why don't you try and convince me? Come on, gather all those stories, if there's really that much of them, and show them to me. Then I'll believe you. Hey, they might at least make for a good blanket on cold nights, gahahaha-"
"Yes.....yes, I might just do that"
"-hahah....huh?"
The girl's eyes started to burn with determination on her next words.
"Yes, I will do it. I will gather the works of all the authors MotK in one place. I will establish this world's first library!"
And then, I made a mistake.
I found the girl's spirit commendable, so I wanted to cheer her on.
"Wow, that sounds like a lot of work you'll have there. You'd better get some help, or you'll never get that done. Well, good luck, I'm looking forward to visiting you lib-eh?"
I noticed that the girl, hearing me speak, had turned towards me, her eyes still determined, a smile on her face.
"Yes, I will need help. And you look like you don't have anything to do."
"Eeh?"
"Okay, it's decided."
"Eeeh?"
"You're hereby the first member of my Librarian Squad!"
"Eeeeeh-urgh!"
Before I could even comprehend what had happened just now, the girl had grabbed me by the collar and risen into the air.
On the ground, the homeless man turned back to the kids sitting around him. Their game had been disrupted by the argument with the girl, so they were looking at the man expectingly.
"Alright, where were we...oh yeah...*ahem*.... You are Reisen Udongein Inaba...."
---------------------------------
What happened afterwards can be summarized easily.
The girl introduced herself as Sakura Rurouni, one of the so-called 'Mods', powerful beings that controlled MotK.
Hearing that, I realized that refusing her orders might be a very bad idea, so I gave in to my fate.
After talking to her for a bit, her plan didn't sound that bad, actually it promised to be pretty entertaining.
The Librarian Squad had quickly grown to eight members, amongst them even a deity, that all shared one passion: reading stories.
And so, my days as a librarian began...
--------------------------------
Which brings me back to the present, to the night, to this roof and to this next gap I would have to ju-
"Wooaaaaahhhh-oof"
That was a bit close.
I had almost missed the next jump because my thoughts had drifted off, which led to me messing up my landing, tripping and hitting the floor.
"Ouch, Damn..."
I struggled to get to my feet again.
Having heard the sound of my falling, Ruro stopped and turned around.
"What are you doing back there? Come on, we're almost at our destination!"
"Hey, maybe you forgot, but I can't fly like you, Ruro. Actually, why don't you carry me like back then? That would be much faster."
The girl floating a few metres away from me looked displeased.
"I don't wanna~. You're heavy and your fish is scary~"
"Wha...why you. By the way, could you tell me why we are playing ninja here? I still don't get it!"
"Aww, come one, I already explained it, didn't I? We are on our way to get a new work for the library. It was written just a few hours ago. And the person who wrote it is supposedly hiding even more stories she has written, so we'll get those as well~"
"And why don't we just ask her to hand us a copy of her works? Or even better send her a letter asking her to bring her stories to the library?"
"Because I said so! We're going to save her all the trouble and take the stories without her noticing it at all, just like usual~"
"So, we're breaking into her house and stealing stuff, you mean."
Without answering, but with a mischievous smile, Ruro turned around and continued flying towards our goal.
I started running again as well, jumping over two more gaps.
I was nowhere near athletic, so doing this was bringing me to the limit of my physical capabilities, but I just had to concentrate on running and jumping for a little bit more.
Run...
Run...
Run...
Mind the gap.....
Get ready....
"Nyaahh~"
Apologize to the cat I almost ran ov-"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
And then I fell down the roof.
The hard landing knocked the air out of me, but fortunately the fall wasn't too deep.
It didn't seem like I had more than some scratches when Ruro came flying over.
"Oh, what are you doing? You can't just fall from the roof like that! Oh well, forget about that, we've arrived."
She pointed to the house in front of us.
"This is where she lives. Are you ready?", she asked me.
I stood up slowly, groaning because of the pain from the fall. Then I looked at the house in question.
"Wait, Ruro. The lights are on. Doesn't that mean she's awake?"
"Oh, now that you mention it, it looks that way. Hmm...."
Ruro looked like she was thinking about something intensely.
"So, we can't just barge in, right? We can nicely ask her to give us her works, right?"
I started to get my hopes up...
"Of course we are going to barge in!"
...only to get them smashed immediately.
"Well then, it's your turn, Sakana", Ruro said, turning to me with an expecting look.
I sighed and stepped near the door. Then I grabbed my floating tuna by the tail and readied it for a strike. I took a deep breath..... and charged.
The door lasted only one blow.
The power of an accelerated tuna is nothing to be underestimated, and the simple wooden door had just learnt this the hard way.
As soon as the door I had just knocked out of its hinges had fallen down, I rushed in and pointed the tuna at the surprised girl inside.
This had to be the writer of the works we were after.
"Sorry for the intrusion. We heard you are a creator of literary works, so..."
I took a deep breath again and straightened my posture.
"In the name of the Maidens of the Kaleidoscope Librarian Squad, I, Sakana, as-" "Moe Moe"
"Huh?"
Ruro was standing behind me and seemed to be pouting.
"You forgot the 'Moe Moe' part", she said.
"But that was invented by you. Why do I have to-"
"I like it."
"Wha-"
"Say it."
"I don't wan-"
"SAY IT!"
Ruro's hands began to shine with her power.
"Alright, alright, don't shoot any danmaku in here, you'll blow up the house! I'll say it!..."
I once again faced the still shocked girl, readying my tuna.
"In the name of the Maidens of the Kaleidoscope Librarian Squad, I, Moe Moe Sakana, ask you to hand over all the stories you have written! This includes the one you have just finished. Sorry, you won't be able to keep a copy."
"Wha- Wha-"
The girl started stammering.
"What the hell are you two doing in my house at this time of the night threatening me with a fish! Get out at once, Ruro, Sakana!"
"Eh? How do you know our- wait- aahhhh! Rou!", I shouted in surprise.
The girl in front of me was Roukanken, a deity of this world, a member of the Librarians and a passionate writer herself.
Right now, she was in her nightgown, obviously angry at our intrusion and readying her pencils, quills and various other writing tools for combat.
Suprised and confused I turned to Ruro, but she wasn't there anymore.
"All right, you have ten seconds to leave my house, or you'll regret coming here. Ten, nine.."
"Hey, Rou, wait! Can't we just...uh...talk this over somehow?"
"Five, four..."
"I'm sure that was just a misunderstanding, so...."
"Two, one..."
"Oh dam-"
"ZERO!"
The next thing I remember is landing hard on the street outside of Rou's house.
Several pencils and quills were stuck in my tuna, which I had raised as a shield in the last moment.
All over my body were papercuts and spilled ink, and standing in the doorway before me was Rou, still looking at me angrily and readying more projectiles.
With the bit of energy I had left, I stood up again, turned.... and ran.
That was the only sensible action right now.
Running through the night air once again, I heard some more angry shouts from Rou, but at least she didn't seem to want to pursue me.
When I felt I was far enough away, I stopped to catch my breath.
Just then, Ruro appeared once again, landing gracefully in front of me.
"Hey.... so there you are.... what were you thinking, leaving me all alo-", I started to complain to her.
That moment, my eyes spotted the huge stack of paper that Ruro was carrying in her arms.
I let my gaze wander to her face, which showed a mischievous and triumphant grin.
In the distance, once again a scream of anger could be heard.
"You.... crazy girl."
Even though my body hurt, I couldn't supress a smile.
Ruro smiled as well, and then said:
"I told you before, right? I will gather every story in this world. Nobody can escape from the Librarian Squad!"
That's it for now.
If any other member of the Librarian Squad wants to write a short story, you can put it in this thread as well if you want.
Also, any tips on formatting the text are welcome, I feel I'm not doing it right yet.
-
I like it! Although I think you should write in more paragraphs, it's kind of distracting when every sentence is its own line. Also, is there a reason why you put quotes as ?wordswordswords" instead of "wordswordswords?"
-
I should have a look at how other authors do the paragraphs then, thanks.
And for the marking of quotes, that's the way Open Office is configured for me. Is is better the other way?
Edit: Aaaand, done. Yep, definitely looks better now, thanks for the tips :D
-
The tuna-half made me giggle. Well done.
-
And for the marking of quotes, that's the way Open Office is configured for me. Is is better the other way?
Well, I don't know about Open Office since I write in MSWord, but "words" is how dialogue is always indicated in English-language literature. I've never seen that lower-quotation mark thing before. ???
-
English-language literature
This probably clears it up. The down-up version is how it's done here in germany by standard.
-
No one expects the Librarian Squad! \o/
Oh, this is a fun start. Can't wait to read the rest. My favourite part was probably the "Moe-Moe" snippet.
EDIT:
"I said it before, right? I will gather every story in this world. Nobody can escape form the Librarian Squad!"
I didn't know that we were such legalists that you have to fill out a form for everything from us :<
-
I didn't know that we were such legalists that you have to fill out a form for everything from us :<
Gaaaah~~~~~~ *Fixed*
-
You could have just asked me rather than breaking into my house ;_;
-
Cuteness! I like! Thing is, you would narrate better with better separation between sentences and such, it feels jumbled at the moment but I am sure you would make it better the next turn!@
<3 that Tuna.
-
Who knew fish were such powerful weapons!? :O
-
Cuteness! I like! Thing is, you would narrate better with better separation between sentences and such, it feels jumbled at the moment but I am sure you would make it better the next turn!@
Could you give me some concrete examples how I could do it better? That'd help me a lot.
Also, yeah, it could have been fleshed put more, for this one I just threw together all the ideas I had to make an introduction that contains all important info for the readers.
-
To begin with, what I find lacking is comprehension, this probably depends on how involved the reader is with the story, sometimes I dunno who is talking to who because you sort of forget to reinforce whos was in the talking position.
>>Run...
Run...
Run...
Mind the gap.....
Get ready....
"Nyaahh~"
another example, I think some italics and such to help your readers understand at which part is a monologue or something... cause I seem to have to reread the previous sentence to get say something like the suggested example. I think my critique is limited, but what I see is something like this.
it helps if you give it more obvious-ness, so to speak, that people will get it the first time around. Hope that helps.
(mentioning as well, I am not a good writer myself, so even I do this sometimes)
-
Okay, I think I get it, thanks. I'll try to work on those points.
This one was also my first try with a first-person-perspective, so I'll blame the comprehension problems on that ;D
-
okay
Giant-Tuna-Half-Person wins so hard.
Also, I don't think Rou's character has ever been so awesomely depicted as to launch flurries of writing tools and paper. I am the bone of my quill, etc.
-
No one expects the Librarian Squad! \o/
In that case, Muffin's going to have to manipulate you at some point. Y'know, since her power is "manipulation of the unexpected" ...
-
In that case, Muffin's going to have to manipulate you at some point. Y'know, since her power is "manipulation of the unexpected" ...
I expect you to do something with the airspeed velocity of an unladen tuna, then. =D
-
Wow. First person is my weak point, so this was really nice to read. Your slapstick hits the spot, too.
-
I expect you to do something with the airspeed velocity of an unladen tuna, then. =D
Then I won't~
-
I enjoy this!
-
Sakana wanted some info on the 'specifics' of some librarians. He used Stories as a viable form of answering for him.
I went for a dialogue. Worst thing that happens is I get a court order to never write anything ever. Tldr version; Don't actually care what Iji-Chaore is characterized as. In fact, make as many different versions as you want. I'll choose one eventually. :V
Warning: Below is a bunch of boring talking heads and a few in-jokes that will never be explained. Reading may cause aneurysms.
------------------------------
"Writers are under siege. These days, so much as write a poem to your loved one, and you won't see it again. Priceless works of literature are being stolen by a band of ruthless... librarians? Yes, they call themselves the 'Librarian Squad', and they're here to steal your literature. Crappy or a masterpiece, no one is safe. The only thing you can arm yourself with is knowledge, and we're here to help. So, welcome to
KNOW YOUR LIBRARIANS
I'm your host, Jane Doe. You know, every now and then you hear those librarians refered to by a number. We've come to identify them as such ourselves, but you'll never hear anyone say they were robbed by member number five. In fact, a lot of people say there is no fifth member, and they just skipped the number! The fifth librarian has become somewhat of a legend, nearing a myth really. So, what do we have to say? IS there a fifth librarian?
Well. We're still not sure, but there is reason to believe so. The stories are inconsistent, but they've all got a few key elements. One, you will never see the fifth librarian robbing you. It just doesn't happen, some say they're just too fast for you to see, some say they're too skilled, some even say they turn invisible! The most popular explanation however, is that the fifth member DOESN'T steal. A good number of claimed sightings come straight from the library, and the only artistic rendition of the fifth member was done by an art student at the academy.
Second, popularly the fifth member appears to have bunny ears. Its open in the air if these are real, but a lot of people report these, and the only artistic rendition has them as well. A few people have claimed to see the librarian without them, but when I say few, I mean -few-. This is part of the legend itself, so really they're either the few who see otherwise, or crazy people who think vampires can sparkle.
Finally, they're almost never noticed. Even the librarians don't seem to notice her. It isn't uncommon to hear of a slapstick scene where five and another librarian are in the room, and the other turns to look at five and says 'Wait, when did you get here?'. Sometimes, the other librarian even forgets who five is."
"Normally, we'd bring in a bunch of eyewitnesses to the scene, but this time we don't know who to trust. We even tried asking the librarians themselves, and half of them didn't recall which one five is! We were at our wits, but then we managed to find a specialist at the last moment. Please welcome the esteemed... Uh..." "Dr. Ninja Clan, if you would." "Wait what? How the hell is your-" "My middle name is 'Of the'." "How the hell are those viable names?" "I'm from the Ninja Clan, you see." "What the hell? When did you get here, anyway?" "I've a PHD in Ninjatronics, Do the math." "Hold the hell on, isn't a PHD a doctorate in philosophy?" "Yes, I've one of those as well." "I'm just going to stop trying to make sense of this." "That would be wise."
"Anyway, Doctor, whats your professional opinion in this matter?" "I'm glad you ask. You see, Chaore, or 'Five' as she has been taken to being called, appears to be a manifestation of the basis behind one of the old ninja tricks. The vanishing. See, while most of us tend to screw the actual fine arts of changing or matter into smoke and appearing elsewhere in lieu of throwing eggs filled with glass at people, some of us actually attempt this task. Mostly, we do this by no longer existing." "So she just stops existing at points?" "No, more accurately she doesn't exist." "So she ISN'T real, then." "No, she very much is." "But you just said she doesn't exist!"
"Because she doesn't. Simply put, the being known as 'Chaore' doesn't currently exist, but the idea of 'Chaore' is very much alive. Most denizens of Ijiyatsu skip this stage and go straight into being. However, for some reason 'Chaore' seems to be a free floater who has appeared. I'm not sure why this has happened, it could be due to someone messing around, or because the concept itself seems to think it exists, but they're whats known as a tangible concept. They're no doubtedly here, and grounded to certain things, like the librarian squad, but they're at the whims of perception. Whatever reality 'wants' to perceive them as, they become. It means they essentially can be anything, based on what reality wants them to be." "Uh, Wow. That sounds pretty heavy. Dangerous, really. Anything we can do to tell what they are currently?"
"Not at all, until they 'finalize' themselves and take on permenant attributes, you might want to expect anything." "Wait, Finalize themselves? When will that happen?" "Whenever we start getting definite facts." "Okay. Now you're just full of crap." "One of us has a doctorate, the other one is a show host for morons. Take a guess what I'm not." "Well, folks! Thats all we've got for today's episode. Tune in next time for when we explain the mysterious flying tuna!" "Thought so." "Shut up, you."
-
Writers are under siege. This day, so much as write a poem to your loved one, and you won't see it again. Priceless works of literature are being stolen by a band of ruthless... librarians?
"These days". Also, I am liking this interpretation of the Librarians as being a bunch of literary pirates >:3
-
"These days". Also, I am liking this interpretation of the Librarians as being a bunch of literary pirates >:3
FFFFFFFFFfffff-
I grammar badly. >:
-
interpretation of the Librarians as being a bunch of literary pirates
Lead by a... uhh, Sword Nut (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php?topic=4046.msg216323#msg216323)?
-
Lead by a... uhh, Sword Nut (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php?topic=4046.msg216323#msg216323)?
Ruro obviously specialises in stealing books on weaponry and botany~
Also I remembered that Iji-me apparently sells books. Must remember to ramp up the security at some point.
-
Hey, nice one Chaore. I see a lot of potential for your character already, especially with the 'non-existant' concept :D
(Wait, 'non-existant' character? Damn, we'll have to hide you from Moerin!)
Also, wow. I'm honestly surprised how much positive responses this thread got. Thank you so much, everyone ;_;
I am liking this interpretation of the Librarians as being a bunch of literary pirates >:3
Well, normal librarian work woudn't make for a good story, and we kinda do take every new work without asking for Let's Tour MotK, right? ;)
Also I remembered that Iji-me apparently sells books. Must remember to ramp up the security at some point.
If you sell them, it must be copies, so they're safe. But if you got something unique....fufufufu :3
Oh, and I will add a list of the works in this thread to the first post, to make navigation easier once things pile up.
-
what if I wright a story, right here, right now? will you steal it?
-
what if I wright a story, right here, right now? will you steal it?
I object to you wrighting a story here [/stupid pun]
Since this thread is already part of the library, if you write a story in here, it will be considered stolen from the start, fufufu~
Also, look forward to the next story, there'll be a bit of Kuma in there~
-
I object to you wrighting a story here [/stupid pun]
Since this thread is already part of the library, if you write a story in here, it will be considered stolen from the start, fufufu~
Also, look forward to the next story, there'll be a bit of Kuma in there~
Whoa, that's some Pen of the North Library stuff right there!
also, yaaaaa~y <3
-
And her we go with the first part of my next story, this time focussing more on the library itself and including more characters.
(Sorry Kuma, you'll only be in the next part)
Part II will not come today, and maybe not even tomorrow, so regard this part as independent for now.
Well then, enjoy~
EDIT: I think I'll add the current number of stories this thread has to the thread title, so that people who want to can keep track of new works popping up.
A Librarian's Day ? Part I
Only a few more pages to go, then I'll be done with this one as well. Yay.
I was sitting at the front desk of the library, reading in a thick book we had...'borrowed'...yesterday, my trusty fish-half floating behind my back. It was part of the Librarians' job to read all works we had gathered and write summaries for them, and even though it was a tedious work, I had fun with it.
The library that had recently become the base of our Librarian Squad was located in the CPMC Academy, an educational institution known throughout all of MotK.
Much to my suprise I had learned that the one who had brought our team to life, Ruro, was one of the Academy's educators.
Using, or probably abusing, her position, she had made some arrangements that had allowed us to take over the Academy's neglected library and use it as we want.
Aaa~nd done! Now for the summary, let's see...
I prepared an empty sheet of paper, a bottle of ink, and then reached behind me for my writing tool: my tuna.
It was a habit of mine that many could not understand, but I had grown accustomed to using my always available fish-half for pretty much every task. A tuna was a far more versatile tool than most people would believe, once you found out the proper tricks.
Let's take writing as an example. Whenever I tell someone that I use my tuna as a pen, they assume that I write with its front end, which is of course stupid.
Trying to dip a tuna's mouth into an ink bottle will only lead to a mess. It's the fins! You have to use the fins as the tip of the pen! They're nice and pointy, so it's perfect. Why doesn't anyone ever understand that?
Sighing at the ignorance of the people around me, I finished the summary and put it onto the pile of finished summaries that had already accumulated. Then I grabbed and turned around to put it back onto its shelf that was just behind me.
?Wha...wha...?
Or rather, that should have been behind me.
?What is this??
The one I shouted the question at was Ruro, who was standing in the middle of a giant hall that had definitely not been here before. She looked suprised by my shouting.
?What are you talking about? It's our library, silly. Look at all those bookshelves, doesn't it look beautiful??
?That's not wha- I mean, yeah, it kinda... it looks nice, but...?
Okay, calm down. Maybe I'm dreaming. I was reading a dull book after all, so it would not be weird if I had fallen asleep. Let's eliminate this possibility first.
I slowly reached for my tuna once again, raised it before me, and...
?Oww!?
Okay, that hurt, I'm obviously not dreaming. Wait, maybe I fell asleep and was taken somewhere else.
I turned around to the desk again. Beyond it I could see the half-opened entrance to the Library that was definitely the same one that I had come in through some hours ago.
Well, so much for that theory. Then there's probably only one chance left. Let's ask her directly.
I turned to Ruro again, who was looking at me worriedly.
Understandable, since I just hit myself with a giant fish that is a part of me...
?Ruro, have you been fooling around again?? I asked her flat-out.
?Eh? That's so mean! You could have phrased that more nicely, you know? It's not fooling around, it's called redecorating. We couldn't keep small, dirty storage room as our library after all.?
?Well, that's true, but...how? I mean, it was so small, and now there is this large...?
Wait, there's another possibility. This could be an illusion and that vast space over there doesn't really exist. I should try walking over there to test this.
This was one of my great flaws: logic. I always tried to explain things with logic, no matter what it was. But relying on logic in this world could get you killed, in a metaphorical sense. Well, actually it could in a literal sense as well, because your brain would explode if you tried to understand how, for example, a danmaku fight works.
Anyway, I pulled off my last attempt at solving this mystery with logic...and failed miserably.
After having taken a few steps towards Ruro, I was now standing on solid ground in a place where an equally solid wall had been just some hours ago.
Okay, I give up.
Finally accepting the truth of my situation, I decided I might as well have a more thorough look at the changes.
What was before me certainly deserved the term 'Library' more than its predecessor. I was standing in a large entry-hall with a wooden floor and a seemingly infinitely high ceiling. I couldn't spot any light-sources, but there was still some pleasant illumination just right for reading a book. On one side of the hall stood the front desk, which seemed a bit dull in contrast to the rest, on the other side there were some coffee tables and comfortable-looking armchairs.
And directly in front of me was the real core of the library, the endless rows of bookshelves that disappeared into the dark both in length and height.
There was still lots of space on the shelves, but that would change soon. However, the amount of works that our library contained was already pretty impressive.
All in all, the library looked like it came straight out of a fantasy tale right now, elegant and vast.
?Okay, I admit I like it. It looks wonderful. But still, Ruro, how? And when??
?Hehe, it's a much better place to work at than before, isn't it?? she said with a grin. ?As for the how, I had some of my friends form the Academy help out. And the when. Well, it was obviously while you were reading that book. You didn't notice anything around you.?
?Well, next time you decide to break the rules of time and space for redecoration, please inform me beforehand and don't do it literally behind my back.?
?Aww, you're no fu- Oh, a visitor!?
I turned around to see who it was. Walking through the door, letting her gaze wander through the entrance hall, was a woman with pink hair and a large red ribbon on her head.
?Ah, Moerin-sensei. What brings you here??
Ruro greeted the woman, who continued to look around curiously, as if she was searching for something.
?Sakana, take care of the front desk if more visitors come. I'll see what Moerin-sensei wants.?
?Huh, wait. Why should there be more visitors? We're not officially open yet, are we?? I answered in suprise.
?Of course we are! Do you think I made the library look like this just so we could let it stay closed? We're open since a few hours ago. And now get to work.? Ruro responded before she walked over to the pink-haired teacher.
?Eh? But, we haven't finished the summaries. And the others are not here. And I have no idea where which books are anyway. And...and...you're not listening, are you??
Silence.
?Thought so.? I sighed and sat down at the front desk, then I watched Ruro as she walked over to Moerin-sensei.
?Well, you look like you are searching for something. Can I help you?? Ruro asked the woman.
?Not something, someone~. There's someone here I want to meet~.?
?Oh, is there? And who would that be??
?I don't know her name, but I heard there was a girl in this library that doesn't exist~.?
?Oh my, really. A girl that doesn't exist sound interesting indeed. But I'm afraid I know of none such person, which might be because, uh, she doesn't exist?? Ruro said, a bright smile on her face.
?Come on, I know you are hiding her somewhere in here, Sakura-sensei~.?
?Even if that was the case, what would you want with her??
?Isn't it obvious? I want to make her one of my imouto~. She would make a nice sister for my beloved Rin, ehehehe~?
?Oh really, you and your obsession with non-existent girls.? Ruro shook her head ?Anyway, there's no such girl here, so is there anything else you want??
Moerin looked around and spotted me.
?Well then, if the girl I'm looking for isn't here, can I take the one over there~? Because with her name, if she became my imouto, I could name my fighting style 'Moe Moe Moerin~'?
?My name is not Moe Moe!? I responded.
?Of course it is~. It says so on the nameplate~.?
Huh? Wait...what?
I looked to the nameplate in front of me, then to Ruro.
She wouldn't have...
I looked back to the nameplate, stretched out my hand to grab it, and turned it around so I could finally see the name on it... and sighed.
Of course she would. What did I even expect?
?I won't change it, just so you know!? Ruro said looking at me.
Can she read my thoughts now?
Then she turned back to Moerin.
?And no, you can't have her. I need her in the library. That goes for the rest of the librarians as well, before you even ask. Well then, if you could leave us now, we have some work to do.?
Moerin looked disappointed, but then flashed a bright smile.
?Aww~. Well, I'll be on my way then~. I still have to work on the defense system for my collection of books~. It seems that some thieving people calling themselves 'Librarian Squad' are stealing books from all around MotK~?
Urgh.
?And there's some re~ally rare ones in my collection. But of course, you wouldn't know anything about something like this, would you, Sakura-sensei~??
Well, it's not really like it's a secret, but still, this isn't good.
?Oh, that sounds like some awfully troublesome people.? Ruro answered with an equally bright smile, ?Maybe we should have a defense system in the library as well. Well then, take good care of your books, Moerin-sensei, we wouldn't want something to happen to them, right??
The two teachers were standing there, smiling at each other and laughing.
There's sparks. There's definitely sparks between them!
?Ohohohohohohoho.?
?Ohohohohohohoho~.?
Ahh, it's getting worse! They're burning! There's a burning aura around them! Someone, hel- oh, nice work with the floor, seems it's completely fireproof. That's some quality wood and good carpentering. Let's hope they don't get too close to the books though.
Just when it seems that the tension between Ruro and Moerin might explode, a voice rang out from the door.
?Uhm...hello??
Both teachers snapped out of their laughing-contest at once and Moerin turned towards the exit and started walking.
Saved.
?Oh, another visitor! Come in, come in, don't be shy. Go to Sakana at the front desk over there and tell her what you want.? Ruro greeted the new girl energetically.
The girl walked through the door and headed for the desk I was sitting at. She had pink hair, just like Moerin, wore a yellow blouse and a small hat. The moment Moerin passed the girl on her way out, the teacher jumped towards her and hugged her for a moment, then jumped back and continued walking as if nothing had happened. The girl didn't seem to be suprised at all and just continued on her way.
What was that?
I looked to Ruro in confusion.
?Don't mind that, it's the way she greets everyone. If she hadn't been so agitated whe she came here, she would have done the same to me. Now let's see what Gpop wants here.? Ruro said casually, motioning to the girl that was now standing in front of my desk.
?Hi, welcome to the CPMC Academy's Library. How can I help you?? I greeted her.
?Uhm, I'd like a book.?
?Of course, what kind of book??
?One about Koishi, of course!? the girl answered cheerfully.
?I'm sorry, what??
?Koishi. A book about Koishi-chan!? She repeated again.
I turned to Ruro with a troubled look. I had no idea what this girl wanted, and even less where I would find it. Ruro smiled and walked over to us.
?Koishi is a character from a world similar to ours that Gpop here likes very much.? she explained to me, before turning to the girl. ?We have some books about her here, but it might take a few minutes to get them, so could you wait over there?? she pointed to the armchairs.
?Yay!? the girl cheered while doing as she was told and making herself comfortable.
?So, where am I going to find that book she wants?? I asked Ruro.
?Oh, it's not that difficult. I have a pretty good idea where it should be. Come over here.? Ruro walked towards the bookshelves and I quickly followed her.
We passed one row after another, until Ruro finally stopped. I looked behind her.
Oh please no. Tell me she's joking again. I don't want to-
?It's in there. Somewhere on the left side, pretty far in if I remember correctly.?
I hate my life.
?Uhm, Ruro, sorry for asking, but what 'is' that??
What Ruro was pointing at, was a giant metal fence. Looking left and right, I could see it going on until it disappeared into the darkness of the library. Behind the fence were bookshelves just the same as on this side, but somehow it gave off an unsettling atmosphere. Next to Ruro, there was a single, massive gate in the fence, which carried a sign saying [NSFW].
?This is the, well, 'special' area of our library. You know, all the stuff you don't want people to stumble across unprepared. Anyway, I'm sure you won't have any problems getting that book, right??
Of course I will. I don't want to enter there. It looks dangerous!
?Uh, well, I'm not so sure, maybe... if you could come with me...? was all I could say.
?Can't do that, someone has to take care of the front desk. But you can take Chaore with you, she doesn't have anything to do anyway.?
?Huh, Chaore??
?You know?, Ruro lowered her voice ?Librarian number Five.?
?Ah?
My eyes widened in suprise.
Number Five...Chaore...the girl that doesn't exist.
-
URGH I dig this so much! I was a little confuse at what was going on near the start though, Ruro was changeing the Library or something?
-
Ruro appears to have basically made the library bigger than it was before.
This called for some furniture moving.
It was all done behind Sakana's back.
Also, the lesson on how to make a tuna pen was the best part.
-
URGH I dig this so much! I was a little confuse at what was going on near the start though, Ruro was changeing the Library or something?
It was supposed to be confusing at first, but... does it become clear later? Because if it doesn't, I should work it over again.
Chaos: Exactly. She made a small storage room into a giant library.
-
I got it, but I wasn't sure if I got what I was supossed to get, but I did indeed get what whas ment to be gotten, so it's cool.
-
Ruro can be a bookworm and make the inside of a given space larger than the outside? Whoa. Ruro is the best parts of Patchurry and Sakuya rolled into one! That's awesome!
Also, I'm interested in books about Koishi myself :D~ Can't wait to see how Chao and the other librarians play into this, too.
-
Ruro can be a bookworm and make the inside of a given space larger than the outside? Whoa. Ruro is the best parts of Patchurry and Sakuya rolled into one! That's awesome!
I don't want to crush your dreams, but Ruro said she did it 'with help from friends'. I dunno if she herself has those space-manipulating abilities. But I didn't find anything on Ruro's powers anywhere, so she might be capable of it. ;)
-
I don't want to crush your dreams, but Ruro said she did it 'with help from friends'. I dunno if she herself has those space-manipulating abilities. But I didn't find anything on Ruro's powers anywhere, so she might be capable of it. ;)
I would assume I would be one of the "friends" mentioned, since my power is to control interior spaces.
-
I would assume I would be one of the "friends" mentioned, since my power is to control interior spaces.
I didn't know who had such powers when I wrote it. But when I read that it's your power, then I decided you'd have been one of the people to help her, yes.
-
So...if librarians are also thieves, does this make Marisa a librarian too? After all, she's just "borrowing" too. :P
-
In the light of some recent events, I have changed the concept of this thread a bit. A note concerning this has been added to the OP.
In short, the world my stories about the Librarians take place in is no longer specifically that of Ijiyatsu, it is the world of this forum, Maidens of the Kaleidoscope.
It won't mean any drastic changes or restrictions to my (and possibly other people's) stories.
Quite the contrary, I feel this new direction gives me even more to work with.
Want an example? All I can say is, look forward to a confrontation of the Librarians and the people of Rumia's Party Games someday soon :D
-
I wanted to post telling you that your work has now improved, the first time was a bit daunting to read, but this time around it is much clearer and better to read and smoother too.
as for reading afterthoughts:
lets just say, I want more.
-
Thanks, glad to see I could properly use yout tips.
lets just say, I want more.
That, you shall get :D
-
As a challenge to myself, I am writing this all out right here, not on a notepad document or OpenOffice. In Quick Reply, even. Whee!
-----
Herr enter yorr clare dand
Hymmne hymme ween lof
Herr enter yorr lof
Herr meso yor sacra won dor
Was ki ga fountania harr ween shellan
Herr vit dhezeall has
Was ki ga rant harr tes grave
Was wol ga re heighte herr has
Wee ki wa wis herr ruinen oz has
Ruro headbobbed to the tune of Smooth Criminal. She had it in her headphones late at night so she wouldn't disturb her fellow librarians as she pored over her written works. She kept multiple copies of everything, of course. She wasn't an exception to her own rule, but if she wanted to update the works that the Librarians stole, she'd need a separate copy herself. She tapped her foot along with the aid of EXEC_SMOOTHCRIMINAL.txt, as transcripted to Hymnos by bofh earlier.
Hmm... this is thoroughly inconvenient.
She had moved on to the main listing. Sakana had been put in charge of the listing online, but to do that, she had had to make the post herself. She had wanted to keep the listing in the first post, but Sakana didn't have post editing powers, and neither did the other Librarians.
Her own self gave off a faint blue light. Indicative of the mods, though the mods weren't the only ones that glowed. It was only visible in the dark, in any case. It was late at night in the library, and as the head Librarian, she got the place all to herself while the other Librarians slept in separate rooms and bunks.
Eight Librarians, and only two of them with the relevant post editing powers... hm.
Ruro was fond of streamlining processes; she wasn't an industrial engineer, but she was in favor of making things easier to manage. It was a real hassle to maintain the lists when six other summarizers sent in their reports every day, especially since Ruro was forced to sleep effectively half the day. Sakana wasn't always around either, and Sukima had been busy lately. As such, work had been delayed when it could have been sped up. This was not an optimal solution. It had to be fixed.
But what to do, what to do?
She remembered, then, her time in the past, when she had been a mere Idiot Maiden-- how far she had come. Idiot Maidens had then had the ability to edit posts, rename topics and the like-- fairly formidable powers that could not be trusted to just anybody. Their current equivalent, Pesco's Godmothers, had similar abilities.
I wonder... is there a way to do that here?
The library had gotten much busier lately, and was sure to get even more trafficked. Moreover, the listing needed to be maintained, to be current at all times. And Ruro could not be around all the time; she had other duties.
But if there were Idiot Maidens or Godmothers here... that would be made much simpler.
Ruro glanced over the stacks of written works that had yet to be summarized. There was a lot of work to be done, and it could not be done by her. If there was anything she had learned from her days as staff, it was that work needed to be relegated to the people who were most capable and willing to do it. And amongst the Librarians, there were quite a few who were capable and willing. She'd probably have to choose three out of them-- what she was planning would necessitate a small group, and as much as she wanted to reward everybody involved in the project, it was simply unrealistic. But she could try that...
Quiet as a ghost, the young moderator threw on her coat and left the Library, heading straight to the Administration office. She didn't have a colour in mind, but she was sure that could be taken care of in a bit...
-----
The foyer of the Scarlet Library was opened up, and chairs were distributed, conference-style; seven chairs in the front, facing an audience of chairs, with a podium in front. Sakana was the first one to arrive to the front. She had received the invitation at the same time as the others, so she expected they'd be here shortly. She adjusted her tuna, letting it sit on her lap. She petted it as the others filed in, wondering what was going on. Meanwhile, the crowd milled, also having been invited without much idea of what was going on but curious enough to show up anyway.
A while later, Ruro arrived. She was looking a bit rushed, but the Librarians and their visitors tended to be patient people, so they sat as she composed herself.
"I'm sorry for the sudden notice," Ruro apologized, adjusting her half-cape as she approached the podium. "But I have something to announce to you all-- and something to say to my Librarian staff."
She turned and smiled at them. "First off, you're all wonderful people for having joined up with this team. I did not expect as big a turnout of help when I first posted the thread asking for Librarians. Thank you very much-- especially Sakana, who helped me draft the OP in the first place."
Sakana flushed a bit. Ruro noticed, and grinned.
"Second, I would like to thank you all for the exceptional work you've done. We've only been at this for a comparatively short while, but already we've started to generate an interest in fanworks, which was one of the reasons I started this project to begin with." She cleared her throat. "But I've noticed, as I'm sure you have, that while we've done all this work, it's been difficult to coordinate. You've had to send summaries to me and Sakana instead of being able to do it yourself, like a wiki project would be able to."
The librarians nodded. Sakana pet her tuna, wondering just what Ruro was getting at.
"Aw, heck. I'm through with suspense, let me get to the point." She laughed. "This is a recognition ceremony." She turned back to all the crowd. "That's what you guys are here for. You see, from past experiences, I know what it feels like to care about the well-being of a community to the point of action and not get recognized for it. Given that, I've made it a personal goal to do my best to push for anyone I feel deserves the recognition, because of both their attitude and their actions. Though in this case, there are a few whose actions are above and beyond of what I've expected. We'll get to them in a bit, but for now... NAMUSAN!"
Ruro snapped her fingers and a bright blue electric light filled the auditorium. When it had cleared...
"SenSageUn, Copyright, Esifex, Tyltalis-- welcome to Idiot Princesshood." Ruro walked off the stage for a moment while the crowd roared for the acknowledgment that had been bestowed upon the quiet librarians. They were glowing bright with their newly acquired rank, and flushing red at all the applause.
"I wish I could have done more, I really do." Ruro came back on stage as the librarians took their seats again. "However, TSO asked me to keep a strict limit on the amount of positions I could award."
She turned to Sakana and winked. "I'm sure you know what that means, don't you?"
Sakana looked at her in surprise. "Wha--" she began to stammer, but Ruro beat her to anything she might have said, cutting her off with another "NAMUSAN!" and a snap of her fingers.
Panic entered the tuna girl's mind as she was surrounded by the strangest of all lights. Lime green? She'd never even SEEN this colour, not in all her time on the forums! What did it mean?!
The light cleared, and three librarians glowed with a light never before seen on MotK before today.
"Chaore, for your exceptional willingness to take on more work than you needed to. Rou, for your dedication and excellent summary work. And of course to Sakana, my partner in this great endeavor, and the only reason we've come as far as we have..."
Ruro pulled the podium off stage for this one, letting the crowd get a full view. "People of Scarlet Library, MotK, and indeed the entire fanbase-- please meet your official Librarians!"
The applause lasted for a whole minute. Sakana noticed that the other Librarians were also turning red, but they were happy. She looked to her other side, and saw her fish glowing lime green as well.
"Please give a hand to the whole group!" Ruro called out. "They ALL deserve it, for all they've done! And happy Valentine's Day to you all!"
The moderator made her escape then-- she didn't want to distract. But Sakana managed to get away from the adoring crowd and chase after her.
"What was that for?" Sakana asked, tapping the moderator on the shoulder. "You did this just for us?"
Ruro nodded. "You needed it, and you deserved it as well. Congratulations."
She held her hand out for a handshake, but Sakana cut her off by giving her a hug. "Thank you, Ruronee-sama!"
"Ru-- what?" The moderator blushed.
"You've done all this for us, haven't you? Thanks, Sakura."
"Don't sweat it," the other girl replied, ruffling Sakana's hair. "It's my job. So I expect you to do yours. Capisce?"
Sakana nodded and backed out of the hug to salute her. "Will do, Ruronee."
"Ruronee... I like the sound of that." The moderator smiled. "Now go back and get that crowd out of here."
"What? Why?"
"Well, they've already congratulated you. Shouldn't let it go to your head..." Ruro grinned. "We've got work to do."
"Ah, more manuscripts to register?" Sakana raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell?"
"One's about to be posted, by Letty himself. I'll take care of this one as a freebie." She winked. "But I expect you back at work as soon as you can! There's lots to do, and so little time~"
"Sure thing." Sakana nodded. "And... thank you."
The moderator returned the nod. "You're welcome."
And they went their separate ways, with one of them returning to the Librarians, ready to continue doing her job, for the sake of the readers and the writers. Their task was to get publicity for the writers-- and it would be harder from here on out. There was still much to do, and there was updating that needed to be taken care of--
Sakana clenched her fist, seeing the lime green glow around it spark and glow brighter.
"Right then, work to be done. We will gather every story in this world. Nobody can escape from the Librarian Squad!"
This is bad because I am sleepy. Oh well. Happy V-Day, folks, and a special thank-you to the Librarian Squad. I couldn't give you all the shiny status, but please take this as acknowledgment of all your hard work. You all rock my socks off, and it's been a pleasure working with you.
-
/me hugs Ruro
Thank you so much~ <3
And congrats to all the others. You're doing a great job. :)
-
Oh wow.
Oh wow.
/me joins in the hug~
Also RuroKana is now a canon relationship and no-one will convince me otherwise
-
Wait what
What is this I don't even
I've never actually been a moderator of any kind anywhere, I'm gonna need a hand with understanding my newfound powers :O
Also yaaaaaay I'm more of an official library-ish type~
-
Ahahahahaha well done, Rawro. Well done.
Have a chocolate something delicious and fitting.
-
I've never actually been a moderator of any kind anywhere, I'm gonna need a hand with understanding my newfound powers :O
Also yaaaaaay I'm more of an official library-ish type~
Unfortunately, IP don't get any powers but we do get fancy blue names!
...Unless you're a librarian too. I don't know what powers they get. :S
Also, I still don't get what that thing bofh posted was supposed to be...
-
We've essentially got powers limited to this forum.
Like IM and GMs, Essentially.
Just green.
-
Ahahahahaha, oh wow, thanks~
Wow, this is really nice of you to do for us. c:
-
Okay, so I just have a fancy name then? Still the same ol' Esifex?
Cuz, power corrupts, you know. If I have to much I may be inclined to cause an unprecedented serious affair in the Kaleidoscope.
It'll probably just be editing certain peoples posts into overly flambouyant dramatic hammy nonsense.
If I had power.
-
Nah, you're just blue. And you can challenge Idiot Maidens for their position.
-
Don't worry Esifex, you'll always be a Librarian at heart. Your IP-tag is proof of that. Same goes for the Tyltalis, Copyright and SenSageUn :)
You should rather be glad that you can continue to read through all the stuff here at your own pace and don't have to worry about keeping the list updated and all. :V
-
Hmm, yeah, I suppose working 50 hour work weeks could put a bit of a dent in my forum activity.
Man, and such an incident would be so hilarious, too~
-
In before Sakana finally posts a new chapter.
Eventually.
I'm evil. :ohdear:
<Sakana> If I wasn't out of ideas right now I'd try to change this post in a funny way, but I guess this'll have to suffice ;P
-
And here we go, the second and final part of Librarian's Day. Introducing more characters.
I'm somehow not completely satisfied with this chapter, but I couldn't say why either, so... meh >_<
Also, a new formatting is used to signal Esifex's 'speech'.
And before anyone asks, I will not translate the non-English parts >:3
Anyway, enjoy~
A Librarian's Day ? Part II
Number Five...Chaore...the girl that doesn't exist.
?Well then, you know what to do, right? Now go get that book for Gpop.?, Ruro said and left for the front desk.
I didn't answer her.
So, I'm going to work with Chaore today?
While I had only seen Chaore on one or two occasions, and only from afar, everyone in the Librarian Squad knew about her. Chaore's ability was simple, but very special: she didn't exist.
You know that story about that Schr?dinger guy and his cat? You know, that uncertain kitten?
Number Five was similar. She only gained physical form when someone was concentrating on her, watching her. Without an observer, no one could say whether she was there or not.
Well then, I guess that's a good chance to finally get more friendly with my fellow Librarians. Now, where is she?
I looked around, but there was no one to be seen.
?Hello? Chaore? Are you there??
Silence...
?Uhm.... hello??
No answer...
Well, if she's not going to answer...??Then I can't do my work as well. Guess I'll have to ask Ruro to get that book herself. Don't you think that's incredibly rude to Chaore???
I jumped at the sudden voice in my head and ??The girl turned to the tuna floating behind her, looking at it with suspicion in her eyes. No, your tuna doesn't talk, it is me over here.??
I turned around a bit more and saw a girl standing a few metres behind me.
?Oh, it's you. You're here too, Esifex??
The one standing behind me was Esifex, another member of the Librarian Squad. It was said that she had read most of the works in our library before we even started organizing it. She was a diligent reader, and very quiet when it came to talking about herself.
The only thing I knew about her was her ability: Telepathy, the ability to read other people's thoughts, and project her own thoughts onto them.
Well, her ability is kind of useful, since she doesn't speak English like the rest of us, but....??It also has a nasty side effect. She always goes around narrating everything that happens, especially people's thoughts. Now you're being rude to me as well. You should work on your manners.??
?Geh... I'm sorry. But could you please stop reading my mind? It's making me uncomfortable.?
??Not as long as you're having entertaining thoughts.?? Esifex chuckled, ??Oh, and by the way, your tuna thinks you look quite attractive in that uniform.??
?What?? I screamed out, and immediately slapped my tuna as hard as I could.
??Just kidding. It doesn't have thoughts.?? Esifex walked past me, looking at the gate to the NSFW-section of the library. ??Anyway, Chaore is wondering what kind of stupid things you're doing over there when you have a job to do.??
?Huh??
I was confused.
?But Chaore isn't here, is she? I've been calling for her and she...?
??Have you been concentrating on her? Imagining her in your mind???
?Uh...? I was at a loss of words.
??Come on now, let's do it right this time.?? Esifex told me in my mind, before she spoke some words in her native language. ?Meine G?te. Ich frage mich wie du jemals Bibliothekar werden konntest? Nun mach endlich, wir haben nicht den ganzen Tag Zeit!?
I had no idea what she had just said, but still, she was right. I had completely neglected the most basic rule regarding interaction with Chaore, and I had to fix that right now.
I closed my eyes and began imagining her from the things I had heard about her looks.
A girl with long blonde twin-tails.
She was probably wearing the same lime green Librarian uniform as I and Esifex.
And she had bunny ears.
Large and fluffy bunny ears, ehehehe~
?Na bitte, geht doch.?
When I opened my eyes again, Chaore was before me, just as I had imagined her. She was looking at the form I had just given her, examining her uniform first.
?Hm, not bad. Though the skirt could be a bit longer. Ruro's order?? she asked me.
?Yes, she doesn't allow them any longer. The legs, you know...?
Then she became distracted by something dangling in front of her face. She followed it as it swung left and right for a few moments, then suddenly lashed out, grabbed the object with both hands and pulled it down. The force of the sudden pull on her head almost made her lose balance and she barely managed to stay standing.
?What?? she screamed in suprise. ?Are those...my ears? Since when are they so... big??
?Oh, they are not only big, they are also fluffy. I made them that way. Aren't they cute? Come on, let me touch them, ehehehe!? I stepped forward, reaching for her ears.
??They are too big and fluffy! Do you know how much those things weigh? You could have made them a bit smaller, you know? I'm not a dress-up doll! Is what she's thinking. You overdid it, Sakana.?? Esifex was laughing at the scene before her. ?Aber ich muss schon sagen, niedlich sieht sie aus.?
?Uh...I'm sorry. Should I fix it?? I asked, angry at myself for doing something that stupid.
?Nah, it's okay. They're not that bad, but I prefer them smaller usually. I'll get used to it. Anyway, hello to you two, Esifex, Sakana.? the bunny-girl greeted us.
?Eh? Ah, oh right. Good afternoon, Chaore.?
?Guten Tag, Fr?ulein Chaore.?
?Okay, now that we're ready, let's go. Ruro's waiting for you to bring back a book, right?? Chaore asked me and then turned to the gate.
It's not like I really want to go in there, but...
?Yeah, it's time. We've got a job to do.? I stepped in front of the gate.
?I take it you're going to come with us?? Chaore turned to Esifex, who was following close behind us.
??I have nothing else to do anyway, so I guess I shall accompany you.?? Esifex's voice sounded in my mind. ?Und ausserdem glaube ich nicht, dass ihr alleine weit kommt.? she added.
What did she just say?
??Nothing, now if you would please open that gate.??
Alright, let's do it.
I stretched my hand to the gate and stopped shortly before I touched it.
??It's not going to happen, you know???
?Eh??
??You were just thinking how this would be the time for some dramatic music to start playing while you open the gate. It's not going to happen.??
?Ah...uh...I wasn't...? I stuttered and started to blush, quickly turning back to the gate.
When I touched the gate, my hand and the gate's lock shone with a lime green light for a moment, then the gate swung open. The way into the NSFW-Section of MotK's library was free.
-----------------------------------
I was once more amazed at the way Ruro had redesigned the library.
We had been walking for almost fifteen minutes already, and there were still no signs that we were getting close to our target. I glanced once more at the small scrap of paper that I had pinned to my tuna before. It held the name of the book Ruro told me to get for Gpop, a book about a certain 'Komeiji Koishi'.
The shelves are sorted by names. Let's see, over there is 'Hakurei Reimu', there's 'Patchouli Knowledge'. So I guess... we've got to turn left next?
If there was any kind of system to the way those shelves were arranged, Ruro was probably the only one capable of understanding it.
And knowing her, she will never tell it to us. How about we try a right turn next?
Once again, endless rows of books stretched out before us.
??We're going in the right direction. Don't worry. And yes, I know this because I know almost everything in this library, as you are assuming correctly. And I do not approve of the term 'book freak', thank you very much.??
?Sorry, I really appreciate you helping u-? something caught my attention ?Wait, you want to tell me you even know this section here? But it's...?
Without answering me, Esifex just passed by, a light smile on her face.
?Es gibt Dinge, die du vielleicht gar nicht so genau wissen willst.?
As we neared the next intersection, suddenly something changed.
Before, the air around us had been undisturbed, the only sounds to be heard had been those of our footsteps.
But now it was different. There was a sense of activity and disturbance in the air, sounds of rustling pages and creaking wood. It seemed to come from everywhere around us.
But there shouldn't be anyone here besides us. Wait...don't tell me...??The books? Yes, it seems you are correct. Those sounds are most definitely the books around us.??
?Oh my, and I had hoped we could avoid that. I wonder what got them so agitated?? Chaore stated calmly.
I looked around. Some of the books on the shelves were definitely moving. They were trying to get out of the place they had been stuffed into.
But why?
??Hey bunny, could you explain to our fish-girl here what's happening at the moment? She doesn't seem to know.??
?Oh, you haven't heard about it?? Chaore looked at me with suprise ?Didn't Ruro expl- oh wait, if it's Ruro she might not have done it for the fun. Okay, let me explain: Words hold a lot of power, that much you should know, right??
I nodded.
?For that reason, books with their high density of words hold even more power. Books that were written with a certain feeling hold additional power on top of that. And if all that power is condensed enough, a book can develop a kind of 'life'.?
?You mean those books are...alive??
?More or less, yeah. Because most of them uh...'focus' on only one special character per book, all the power from the words and feelings in them has a clear center. And that makes it easy for the book to become 'alive'. All of that wouldn't be a problem, but the books have a bad habit of trying to act on their content, you know...?
What?
??She doesn't understand, Chaore. How about we show her??? Esifex spoke to our minds, walked over to one of the shelves and pulled out a book. She then handed it to me with a grin.
What is all that abou- I opened the book on a random page
xxxxxxxXXXXXXXXxxxXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxXXXXxxxxxxxXXxXxXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXxxxxxxxxx
?Wha? Wha? Wha? What is that?? I turned to Esifex and Chaore, who were obviously trying hard to keep from laughing out loud. I looked back at the book and turned a page.
XXXXxxxXXXXXxxxXXxxxxXXXXxxxxxxxXXxXXXXxxxxxXXxxxxxxXXXxxXXxxXXXX
?Hiiiiiiiiiii!? With my face turning beet-red I slammed the book shut, ran over to the shelf and pushed it back to where it belonged.
??Ahahahahahahahahaha!??
?Ahahahahahahahahaha!?
?Hihihihihihihihihi!?
The other two girls had broken out laughing and were holding their stomachs. Esifex used her telepathy to let her laughter not only sound in my ears, but also in my mind.
Damn it. Don't abuse your powers for stuff like that!
??Oh, come on...hihihi... you should see your face.??
?A...Anyway...what Chaore was saying before. Those books will try to do that kind of stuff?? I tried to hide my embarassment as I asked the bunny-girl.
?Well, kind of. It's not like they really can pull it off, since they're only books, but if you're not careful they might touch you in some weird places. We're in that section after all.?
Phew, don't get me worried like that! So it's not that much of a problem after all.
?So, how about we check out the source of all the ruckus? Something must have woken the books, and whatever it is, I don't think we want it to run free in our library.? Chaore stated with determination and started walking again.
I followed close behind her. After a few steps, I turned around and glanced at the shelf we were standing at the last few minutes. The sign read 'Reisen Udongein Inaba'.
??Gotten interested? You can just get one of the books later when you've finished your job.??
?Eh? Ah, no, it's not like that. I just....uh...? I turned red again.
??Hey Chaore, watch out. It seems our tuna-girl here has a thing for bunnies.??
?Stop saying stuff like that! It's not true!?
??Oh? Shall I perhaps cite your thoughts directly? You had some really interesting ones regarding big fluffy ears, fufufu.??
?St-?
?Stop! Be quiet for a moment, you two!? Chaore interrupted me and signaled us to halt our steps.
We were now near the next intersection and Chaore was standing close to the corner, eyes closed, concentrating.
?I can hear something? she whispered. ?It's coming closer. It sounds like several books...and... a person? I think I hear a scream...?
We held out breaths and listened. Certainly, there were sounds of someone running in our direction and the fluttering sounds of flying books, accompanied by a girl's scream.
?Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?
I slowly stepped closer to the corner, passing Chaore.
Preparing my mind for whatever might happen next I grabbed the tail of my tuna with both hands, readying it like a sword.
?Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?
The sounds had almost reached us.
I took a deep breath and raised my tuna.
?AaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhHHHHHH?
And then I swung my tuna with all my might, taking a step forward at the same time so I could reach around the corner.
?AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH-BUH!!!?
There was the sound of something soft being hit and crushed against the wooden shelves.
?Gotcha!?
I immediately swung the tuna back to my side and looked at the place I had just hit. Now we would know who was causing that ruc-
?Huh??
I was confused.
Nothing? But I definitely hit something. Where...?
That moment, a high-pitched voice started screaming beside me.
?That hurt! That really hurt! What are you doing? Did you want to kill me? Stupid fish-girl!?
Looking at the source of the voice, my mouth fell open in suprise. I looked around for Chaore and Esifex, who were both looking suprised as well, but had also trouble to keep themselves from laughing.
Because, hanging from my tuna... was a small girl.
She was about the height of a child, with long straight hair. What was most noticable about her were her hands. On them she wore giant retractable claws, shaped like those of a wild bear. Those were what held her suspended on my tuna at the moment.
She must have activated them the moment I hit her. Nice reflexes, I wish I was that fast. No, wait, that isn't the point here.
?So, mind telling us what you are doing here, Kuma-tan??
Chaore was the first one to regain her composure and spoke to the girl.
?Looking for books, obviously. This is a library after all. And then that brutal woman here hit me with her scary big fish all of a sudden!? the girl declared with a pouting look on her face.
Kuma-tan was well-known throughout CPMC Academy. There were rumors that she was one of the educators as well, but no one had ever seen her in a class to prove that. What she was most known for, however, was that she prided herself with the title of 'The Gayest' in the whole world of MotK.
?I think I know what you have been searching for, Kuma,? Chaore answered her ?and I think I already told you that you wouldn't find that kind of books here. Not even in this section. There are simply not enough men in Touhou for that kind of stories, you know that.?
?Muh...?
??She apparently thinks you were just hiding those works from her and went to search for them by herself. And it seems she did something rather unfortunate in the process, isn't that right, Kuma???
?Geh...?
The bear-clawed girl uttered a sound of surpise and tried to take a step back, forgetting that she was still hanging in the air. Her claws retracted from my tuna and she fell to the ground.
?Ouch!?
?Urgh, finally! She was starting to get heavy!? I sighed with relief.
?You could just have set her down yourself, you know? Anyway,? Chaore turned to Kuma again ?What happened? The books are all worked up about something. And don't try to lie or we'll have Esifex read your mind.?
??Well, she's doing that all the time anyways. You could have spoken that last sentence out aloud as well, Chaore, if you were already going to think it.?? Esifex stated calmly. ?Es ist ja immerhin die Wahrheit, hehehe.?
?There was that big book with all those locks back there. And I thought it might be what I was looking for, so...? Kuma blurted out.
?So you removed the locks, the books came alive and then chased you?? I asked her.
She nodded silently.
?Urgh, looks like we've got some trouble now.? Chaore put her hand to her face. ?Kuma, go back to the main section of the Library and get Roukanken, we'll need her.?
Upon hearing those words, Kuma immediately jumped up and started running back to the safer parts of the Library. Then Chaore turned to me.
?I suppose Ruro didn't tell you about that either??
?Oh, no, she did, in fact. The sealed books, right? I've never seen one myself.?
The Sealed Books. Those were books that were dangerous not because of their power, but because of their content. It was said that some of them could turn a strong, healthy man into a crying, twitching lump of flesh in a matter of seconds.
One was sealed here in the Library. A collection of NSFW-works, written hundreds of years ago by an anonymous fairy. They had been declared too dangerous for the public and the Mods had used their powers to cast a Lock on them, sealing them for all eternity.
And now that the seal has been broken, it's the task of us Librarians to fix it.
I turned to Chaore, and the sparkle in her eyes told me that she was thinking the same.
That book won't let itself be sealed without a little fight.
I wasn't especially keen on fighting, I avoided conflict whenever possible. But beating up some books didn't sound too bad.
Just have to be careful not to damage them, or Ruro will be mad.
??And it's a nice chance to finally test out the powers Ruro gave us at the ceremony. Oh my, you girls are quite brutal, aren't you? Well, go ahead, I shall watch your efforts from a safe distance. And I would appreciate it if you wouldn't interpret that as 'make sarcastic remarks from the sidelines', Chaore. Thank you very much.??
--------------------------------------
A few moments later, Chaore and I were standing in the corridor between the bookshelves from which Kuma had come before, grinning at what was to come.
Floating through the air of the corridor were a number of books, and in the darkness beyond them was that freed Sealed Book.
The plan was simple, we were going to beat our way through those books and then stall the big one long enough until Roukanken would arrive to help us with sealing it again.
?Chaore, you ready?? I asked the bunny-girl.
?Ready when you are. Let's kick some a-...uh...pages!?
But first, let's create some atmosphere.
There were no sounds apart from the fluttering books.
Somewhere in the air, music started to play (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKkc5EqV_BQ).
My hands glowed lime-green for a moment, while I concentrated on my surroundings.
This was one of the powers Chaore, Roukanken and I had gained from Ruro, the power of Editing. It allowed us to alter reality inside the Library, as long as that reality was definite, which means it usually excluded future events.
?Alright, that's a lot better. Now, on three. One...two...three!? I shouted and dashed forward at the same time.
After a few metres, I could see the first book turning to attack me.
Too slow!
I tightened the grip on my tuna and swung it sideways at the book, smashing it into the shelf to the side. The impact made some more books fall from the shelf which buried the aggressive one beneath them.
One down. Where's the next?
I ran further through the corridor, swinging my tuna left and right to knock books out of the air, occasionally kicking one that came flying low to get under my skirt.
Damn those perverted books!
Suddenly my advance was halted.
Floating in front of me were about ten books, more than I could handle in one strike. Two of them broke from the group and flew straight at me.
I immediately reversed the grip on my tuna and slammed it onto the ground in front of me, ducking behind it. The tuna-shield was effective, as I could hear the dull sound of books hitting on fish.
Just when I wanted to lift my tuna to counter their attack, the next two books flew at me.
So they want to nail me down here? Damn, isn't there anything I can do?
?Leave it to me!?
The next moment I saw something moving above me. It was Chaore, who was charging at the books.
Is she running along the shelves? Wow!
Chaore passed by the group of books and then jumped. In mid-air, she turned around and fired a number of white projectiles. The books were knocked out of the air and hit the shelves and the floor. With a sigh of relief I stood up and examined my tuna. Some of the white things Chaore had thrown had hit it and were sticking out of its skin now.
Don't tell me, that's paper? But the way it's folded...
?Origami shuriken?? I asked in suprise.
?Oh, you recognized it? Yeah, they're a pretty nice weapon and paper's available practically everywhere.?
?What are you? Some sort of ninja??
?Oh, I wouldn't call it that. Let's say that being non-existent has its positive sides. You've got a lot of time to perfect some techniques when no one is watching you.? She answered with a wink. ?Well then, let's go. The boss is just ahead.?
I nodded with determination as we walked further along the corridor. Soon we reached a more open area.
This must be it. The place where the Sealed Book is kept.
In the middle of the area stood a pedestal, chains and a lock lying next to it.
And above the pedestal, slowly flapping its pages, was a large book.
?That's the Sealed one?? I asked Chaore.
?Definitely looks like it. Be careful not to look at its pages too closely, it might cause some irreversible damage.?
Chaore's hands were already moving rapidly, folding new origami shuriken for the fight.
?Well then, I guess it's time for some flashy final battle.?
I readied my tuna again.
?Or we could just end things with a quick effective strike, you know??
?Eh?? I turned around at the sudden new voice.
Walking towards us from the dark was Roukanken, her quills and various writing utensils floating around her. Following behind her was Esifex.
?Aww, come on Rou, that's no fun at all. We need to have an epic battle with the final boss.? Chaore greeted her.
?This isn't about fun. Ruro's getting angry at how long you are taking here, so I suggest we end this quickly? Rou said calmly.
?Eeeh.... oh well, whatever. Let's get this over with. Sakana, get into position.? Chaore sighed.
We swiftly spread out and took positions around the Sealed Book, preparing for the final strike. The book was still floating in place, no different from the moment I had first seen it.
It just waited while we were talking and preparing. Seems it at least knows about the basics of stereotypical final boss behaviour.
Without wasting any time, we struck. All three of us jumped up and attacked.
Suddenly, the book showed some activity.
""Watch out! It's going to dodge downward and attack."" Esifex's voice rang in our minds.
What? No way!
""Use Edit! All of you!""
But there's no way it will work. We can't change something that hasn't happ-
"Tut es einfach, verdammt!"
That scream was the last signal. Without any regard to the consequences, Chaore, Rou and I activated the powers of a Librarian. A lime green light filled the room as time slowed down.
There was something we had forgotten. We may not be able to change something that has not happened yet, but what about a certain event? If something had yet to happen, but would definitely happen in a certain way, wasn't it similar to knowing it had already happened? Whatever the answer to this highly philosophical question is, it worked for us. Because Esifex had already told us what would happen, we could edit it.
Chaore threw her origami shuriken and missed
Chaore re-adjusted her aim to the place the book would dodge to and hit it with her shuriken.
Roukanken let her quills fly and missed
Roukanken commanded her quills to fly in a curve so that they would hit the book from all angles once it had dodged.
I swung my tuna sideways and missed.
I swung my tuna downwards, hitting the book directly with all my might.
What happened next was unexpected by any of us. Because we had all changed reality at the same time, but in different ways, all the different possibilities overlapped. For that single moment, every possible variation of Rou, Chaore and me hitting or missing the book existed simultanously.
Eight different possiblities.
Twelve successful hits.
There was no way the Sealed Book could take the force of those hits. Smoking from the force of our blows, it crashed down on the pedestal.
""Now, seal it!""
The three of us ran to the book and each put one of our hands on it. Once again they emitted a lime-green glow.
~Thread Lock~
The chains and locks that had fallen to the ground rose up and tightened around the book once again. In a matter of seconds, the book had lost its newly gained freedom once again.
Yes! We did it!
"Oh wow, that was more than I expected." Chaore laughed.
"Not bad, that was quite an impressive final strike. Are you satisfied now, Chaore?" Rou asked while collecting her quills from the ground.
"Yeah, I guess that was good enough."
"But in the end it was only thaks to Esifex, right?" I intervened.
""Oh, no reason to thank me. I may not have your powers, but I am a Librarian after all.""
Saying that, Esifex came over to me and handed me a book.
""I believe this is what you were looking for.""
I looked at the book title, then to the note still stuck to my tuna, then at the book again.
"Eh? Ah, yeah, thanks... this is definitely the one. When did you...?"
""It was amongst all those books you two beat down back in the corridor. May I suggest you pay a closer look to your targets next time?""
"Uh, sorry...."
Chaore came over and slapped me on the back.
"Anyway, now that we got the book and things are solved here, let's head back. Ruro is waiting."
--------------------------------------------
Back in the Library's entrance hall, I handed the book to Ruro.
"Oh thanks, so you did find it." Ruro looked at the book, then put it onto a pile behind the front desk.
Wait a second. Isn't that the 'Returned Books' pile? Why did she...
"Now that you know where it belongs, could I ask you to put it back tomorrow?"
I was shocked at Ruro's words.
"Wait, what about Gpop? I thought she wanted that book. And she's still sitting over there," I pointed to the pink-haired girl relaxing on the other side of the hall, "so why don't we hand her the book now?"
"Oh, you know. It's just that she has decided to stay away from Koishi for a while. She likes Toyohime now, so if you could get a book on that character, that'd be wonderful. And memorize where that Koishi-book belongs, I'm sure Gpop will ask for it again once her week of abstinence is over." Ruro smiled at me brightly while she said that.
I would've cried, but my body decided that simply collapsing on the spot was an equally good idea.
Did I ever complain about the work we Librarian's had to do at night? Let me correct myself, a Librarian's day is far worse...
-
There goes my gut. Well done, Tuna, Well done.
-
I do believe this is the first time I've ever seen the sentence "I took a deep breath and raised my tuna" used in a work of fiction. This was really funny. And the skirt length requirement was entirely believable.
-
"Oh, you know. It's just that she has decided to stay away from Koishi for a while. She likes Toyohime now, so if you could get a book on that character, that'd be wonderful. And memorize where that Koishi-book belongs, I'm sure Gpop will ask for it again once her week of abstinence is over." Ruro smiled at me brightly while she said that.
For the record, the week of abstinence is over tomorrow >:D
Also, this was great reading. I especially like the use of lime-green meta powers, neat stuff. :3
-
hot damn, that was some good stuff!
-
The music started to play.
At 2:31 I hit Thread Lock.
It was epic. Also, thank you for the awesome song.
And so, after a fierce battle with reality itself, our heros - The Librarian Squad - successfully subdued the fearsome Sealed Book.
In the chaos of their adventurers, the heroine of the day found the very artifact she was in search of, thanks to the help of her fellow librarians.
However, all was for naught this day thanks to the whims of powers beyond her control - but no harm was done.
For now.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v429/kincaidvannekin/librarian.jpg)
"Tale abgeschlossen, denn nun."
I totally butchered that picture together and did an epic google translate
-
What happened next was unexpected by any of us.
Splendid~
-
You librarians look like you're having fun in there. Where do I send my application?
-
Oh wow, thank you very much everyone. Glad it is so well received :D
Also, thank you for the awesome song.
Credit for that one goes to Gappy. It was the song she linked at the song of the kitty revolution when CPMC's name was changed, and I liked it so much I used it here as well ^^
-
I just realized how incredibly broken that kind of a team would be; a psychic narrator with people who can Edit reality. Narrate the enemies plans, then edit them to suit your needs.
Ouch. Yes, I'm that slow at figuring things out, too.
-
I just realized how incredibly broken that kind of a team would be; a psychic narrator with people who can Edit reality. Narrate the enemies plans, then edit them to suit your needs.
But the editing powers only work inside the Library (unless I introduce some special conditions). Don't worry, I tried to avoid making them overpowered ;)
-
Glad you liked the song XD It's pretty good, I agree. I went and downloaded the full Legacy of Lost album too and the rest of the songs there are just as epic, if not more ^^
And yes, I can finish that birthday gift pic. I haven't tried but I think I can actually draw again now ^^ It will be epic! Now I just have to resist the temptation of adding my own character to it XD
-
And yes, I can finish that birthday gift pic. I haven't tried but I think I can actually draw again now ^^ It will be epic! Now I just have to resist the temptation of adding my own character to it XD
(http://i853.photobucket.com/albums/ab98/Twilight0402/NekoMikuReimu.jpg)
Thanks Gappy, glad to see you've solved your troubles. And about adding your character: Why not? I didn't get a chance to include her in the stories yet, but as the one overseeing the library, Gappy is related to the Librarian Squad. I'd love to see her on the pic as well ^^
-
Nice story, by the way...
And before anyone asks, I will not translate the non-English parts >:3
do you mind if I do?^^
-
I am never walking into a library ever again. D:
-
I am never walking into a library ever again. D:
Just make sure you have a Librarian Escort, suitably armed with 1) Claws 2) Psychic Powers 3)Non-existent hitbox or 4) TUNA SWORD OF JUSTICE
-
Nice story, by the way...do you mind if I do?^^
Sure, you can translate them if you want. ^^
Just make sure you have a Librarian Escort, suitably armed with 1) Claws 2) Psychic Powers 3)Non-existent hitbox or 4) TUNA SWORD OF JUSTICE
And stay out of the NSFW-section. It's only dangerous there. Though I won't make promises that some of those extremely long SFW-works will not try to hug and crush you. ;)
-
And stay out of the NSFW-section. It's only dangerous there.
I find it quite a fun place to be actually :V
-
Sure, you can translate them if you want. ^^
I've changed my mind, maybe it's better if I leave things as it are.
I find it quite a fun place to be actually :V
Indeed, this place offers some interesting ...options.^^
-
the NSFW-section.
Wait...
We have one here?
Where is it, I must know these things!
-
Wait...
We have one here?
Where is it, I must know these things!
You can reach it if you log in exactly at midnight on the day of a full moon. Before that, you will have to send your bank account data to one of the Librarians, preferably me, though...
Nah, kidding. We obviously have no such section, I just invented it for my story (couldn't have Gpop borrow a normal book now, could I ;)). There are, if I recall correctly, two NSFW works in the Library at the moment, and some with maybe borderline NSFW-scenes.
Additionally, considering it's Erebus, I think the kind of NSFW you have in mind may be different one than I was thinking of. :V
-
You can reach it if you log in exactly at midnight on the day of a full moon. Before that, you will have to send your bank account data to one of the Librarians, preferably me, though...
Nah, kidding. We obviously have no such section, I just invented it for my story (couldn't have Gpop borrow a normal book now, could I ;)). There are, if I recall correctly, two NSFW works in the Library at the moment, and some with maybe borderline NSFW-scenes.
Additionally, considering it's Erebus, I think the kind of NSFW you have in mind may be different one than I was thinking of. :V
Oh well, then nevermind then. Libido induced error.
Also, what I consider NSFW is rather warped.
Considering the fact that I even find cosmic horrors to be arousing.
-
I've changed my mind, maybe it's better if I leave things as it are.
Some things, of course, are better off left... unknown.
-
*Sakana blows off the dust from the topic
Hehehe, haven't written in here in a while, have I now? Time for a revival.
The following story was inspired by the name Ruro carried this morning on IRC.
First part is the introduction, as usual, I'll try to get to the real action soon~
Magical☆Librarian Squad - Intro
I slowly opened my eyes. My surroundings were dark, except for...
"Twenty ways to make your superior treat you better"
'Oh hey, that could be useful, should borrow it one day.'
"Career strategies that will definitely work"
'Hmm, Head Librarian doesn't sound too bad, to be honest....'
I moved my head a bit and spotted more book-titles all around me.
'Wait a.... '
I tried moving my body, but there was a lot of pressure on my back.
'Don't tell me...'
As my mind cleared up, I started to remember what had happened before I lost consciousness. Focusing my mind, I pushed my body up as hard as I could.
The pressure on my back disappeared as I emerged from the pile of books that had buried me.
"Gah! What the hell...!"
I climbed over the pile, almost falling down again thanks to the slipping books.
As soon as I was standing firmly on the ground again, something flew up to me from behind.
I didn't have to turn around to know that it was nothing else than my other half, the giant tuna that always followed me around.
Then I looked up at the bookshelf next to me.
It was empty.
'Obviously. After all, I just climbed out of the books that belong up there.'
I sighed. It would be a pain to clean that up later.
'Oh well, at least the shelf was stable enough to not let me end up as a tuna-sandwich', I thought as I recalled the moment I had been buried under the books.
I had just been making my usual rounds through the Library, putting returned books back on the shelves, when suddenly the library had been shaken by an explosion.
Now there were many things that were common in this library that would be considered crazy in other places.
Explosions, however, were not one of those.
'Well, at least explosions of that size', I thought as I started running deeper into the library, trying to find the source of the chaos.
From what I could see, nearly every single book had been thrown from its shelf and now they were lying piled up on the ground. Some had opened from the fall and now the breeze was flipping their pages.
'Wait a..... BREEZE?'
For a moment I wondered whether Ruro had finally given in and had an air conditioner installed in the library to fight the unbearable summer heat.
Then I remembered that it was Ruro we're talking about here, someone who rather suggested that we Librarians should simply wear less clothes.
So the only other conclusion was....
I raised my head until I could see the ceiling...
"Oh come on....", I groaned
...or rather, the place where the ceiling should have been.
Instead, I was looking directly at the bright blue summer sky.
There definitely shouldn't be a hole there, I was sure of that.
Climbing over bookpiles I made my way further into the depths of the library, working my way towards the place below the hole.
--------------------------------------------
The situation looked exactly like what one would expect from an explosions.
The shelves here had been knocked over by the force.
Books had been literally thrown everywhere.
However, there was one thing that surprised me...
'Why is noone here?'
Sure, it wasn't a busy time right now, but at least the other Librarians should have been around.
'They couldn't have missed the explosion... where are they?'
The my eyes caught onto something.
Slowly I walked towards the place directly below the hole in the ceiling, which was apparently also the center of the blast.
There, on the ground that was otherwise free of any rubble, lay a single large book.
As I grabbed it to see what it was, I felt something weird.
'Huh? That feels a bit light...'
I turned the book to the side.
'It's... empty? There's no pages in it at all!'
Now there were a lot of strange books in the library, so I wouldn't be surprised by a book without pages. It would still be better than the sentient books in the NSFW-section.
However, I quickly noticed that this books used to have pages.
'Someone ripped them out...'
As I turned the book over a bit more to finally read the title, I noticed something on the floor near my feet. I gave it a small nudge with my show and a clanking sound resulted.
"CHAINS?"
For a moment I looked at the chains at my feet in shock.
There was a lock on them that was designed in a way that made it very clear it was not supposed to be opened.
I started shaking.
I had seen such locks before, on a book hidden deep within the NSFW-section.
"A... Sealed Book...."
I couldn't believe it.
Those books were incredibly rare, hidden and sealed for good reasons.
The powers they held could change reality and break people's minds in unimaginable ways.
Suddenly the air felt cool, despite the sunlight shining through the broken ceiling.
I stretched out a shaking hand and reached for my tuna, readying it for a strike.
Then slowly, carefully, I turned the book over.
I braced myself for what I would be about to see...
Then, with one last quick motion, I turned the book completely and read the title...
My expression went blank as I stared at the title, trying to grasp the situation.
In my hands was a Sealed Book, a work of literature that held enough power to change reality...
The pages, all extremely powerful by themselves already, had been ripped out...
Since I couldn't find a single of the pages, they were likely spread around outside...
Above my head, the sky turned pink.
From outside, I could hear maniacal laughter resounding.
I focused my eyes again and looked at the book once more.
There it was, in playful pink letters:
☆ ~How to be a Magical Girl~☆
'I hate this world'
I sighed.
Then, I brought the still raised tuna down on my head in a swift hit...
Passing out sounded like a really good idea as the maniacal laughter reached my ears once more...
--------------------------------------------------
"Let me go!"
The girl was screaming and struggling to get away.
Her fluffy white wings quivered as she tried to break free from the woman's grasp.
But the woman, her short pink hair matching the color of the sky, didn't let go.
She tightly held onto her hostage while she smiled at the girl that stood on the roof a bit away from her, the sun shining brightly behind her.
The woman laughed loudly, then hugged the girl from behind with both arms.
"But I don't want to let you go, Donut-chan. You're so cute~"
Donut screamed even more.
Her pleading eyes searched that of the girl on the roof that was standing in silence, glaring at the pink-haired woman.
"Let her go, Moerin", the girl said in a cool voice. "I don't want to have to hurt you."
Moerin smiled.
"Oh, you think you can take me?"
She mustered her opponent.
The girl had bright red hair, and glared at her with her heterochromatic eyes.
She was wearing a colorful kimono that would have made her look like a member of royalty, if it hadn't been for the several swords hanging from her waist.
She had drawn one of them and was holding it at her side, not assuming a battle stance yet, but still ready to enter combat at once should need be.
The pink-haired woman's face changed into a sadistic grin.
"Come on, show me your power and let us fight over this world. Defender of Justice... Magical☆Samurai Ruro-tan!"
As she shouted those words, a large robot, made entirely out of wood, arose from behind Moerin, picked her and her hostage up and flew away.
"What! Are you running away?!", Ruro shouted as she ran a few steps along the roof, then stopped and watched after the wooden mecha disappearing into the distance.
"Damnit, I will get you for this, Moerin", she exclaimed, raising her sword high into the air. It shone gold as the sunlight reflected from it.
'This is the duel of fate that every Magical Girl has to go through', she thought to herself. 'The destined battle against my eternal rival!'
She smiled, then took a deep breath and shouted.
"Magical☆Librarian Squad, assemble!"
-
I can't believe you actually used my suggestion :V
THEORIN YOU NUT STOP KIDNAPPING PEOPLE
-
Oh man I woke up just in time for this and oh my god what have I done
... HELL YEAH
-
This amused me, this is a very good thing.
-
(http://i47.tinypic.com/hvvwh1.jpg)Ufufu, Moerin doth approve of this~ Carry on, carry on~
Ahem... Oh wow, this is great so far~ Really, anything I can say about it right now would just end up a jumbled, incoherent mess, so I'll just follow Ruro's example and say
HELL YEAH
...Cause it sums up my sentiments exactly~
THEORIN YOU NUT STOP KIDNAPPING PEOPLE
Never. >.>
-
Dammit Ruro, mahou shoujo wasn't part of the goddamn job description.
But then again neither were the daily beatings, or the lectures on justice, or the different-uniform-every-day cycle...There's a reason I skip work every Thursday, y'know?
That said, I work overtime on Saturdays. :3
-
Working as a librarian is stressful work, it seems :<
-
Iyaaaaaan ;_;
-
Yay, updating at 1am in the night. Am I cool now? :D
Anyway, here we go with the real start. There's already more planned, but I promised to get this update done today, so here is the slightly shorter than planned version.
- Episode 1: Gather, Magical ☆ Librarian Squad -
I swayed a bit as my vision blurred.
'Damn, I didn't hit hard enough'
I tried to concentrate on lifting my arm again, this time making sure to knock myself out properly.
Just then, I was distracted by a voice in my mind.
""Oh, there you are!""
I twitched.
There was only one person in this library that could communicate that way, by speaking directly to people's minds.
I looked around me, trying to find the familiar figure of my fellow Librarian Esifex, but she was nowhere to be seen...
"Huh?"
"Wo schaust du denn hin! Hier oben!"
I looked up at the sudden voice from above, only to see...
"Ohohohohohoho!"
There, floating down into the room with a loud laugh, was Esifex.
However, she was changed.
'Well, it's not like I didn't expect it, but still....'
""Behold! Magical ☆ Mindreader Esi-tan! Ahahahahahahaha!""
I sighed.
Esifex was not wearing her usual Librarian uniform.
Instead, she wore a frilly dress and held a large staff that was topped by a glowing crystal orb.
However, that was not an orb glowing in pink or blue as one would expect from a magical girl.
This one was glowing with a red fire, and...
'Is that an EYE in there? Oh god, it's staring at me!'
""Ahahahaha, you can't hide from me!""
'I wasn't trying to hide...'
""I can read all of your thoughts!""
'That's not exactly news, and it was part of your name as well...'
""And now you're going to come with me, as the captain has ordered it!""
'Yeah, whatev---' "EHH?"
Before I had a chance to react, Esifex had swooped down and grabbed me by the collar, then proceeded to fly up to the hole in the ceiling.
Just as I had resigned myself to my fate, the flight was already over and Esifex dropped me down onto the roof.
"Auftrag ausgef?hrt, Captain", she happily reported to the girl standing at the edge of the roof, her back turned to us.
"Thank you, Esi", the woman replied. "With this, the squad is complete."
For a moment I wondered who that elegant girl in the colorful kimono in front of me was, then she turned around.
"Ruro? Where did you get those cloth-", I started, before she interrupted me..
"That's Magical ☆ Samurai Ruro-tan from now on."
"Okay.... so, Magical Samurai Ruro-tan..."
"NO!"
"What?"
"You said it wrong!"
"But, it's what you said..."
"It isn't! It's 'Magical ☆ Samurai Ruro-tan!"
"Yeah, that's what I said!"
"It's not! You forgot the ☆! "
".........."
The red-haired girl just stared at me silently.
".......you're joking, right?"
The girl stared some more, starting to look displeased.
".... you're... not joking... Can't I just call you Ruro as usual? You know, since we're friends and all..."
"That's fine as well!", she stated with a bright smile.
I wasn't even trying to make sense of the situation anymore.
"Alright, so... what happened?", I asked, but Ruro didn't seem to hear me.
Instead, someone else answered.
"You saw that book, right? That's what happened"
As I turned my head, I saw Chaore, our resident Schr?dinger's bunnygirl, who was wearing a stereotypical pink magical girl outfit based on a sailor uniform.
It barely managed to cover even a bit of her legs.
"Ruro?", I asked her.
"Obviously. The name's Magical ☆ Bunny Chao-tan, but don't you dare call me that. It's only my looks that have been changed by Ruro, I haven't been turned into a magical girl like the others."
'Hmm, Ruro's got good tastes', I thought as I mustered Chaore's new dress.
I could see Esifex grinning at the edge of my vision.
"So, the book caused all that?", I asked the bunny-girl.
"Yeah. I don't know what happened, but the pages got spread around, and whoever got one has been turned into...", she motioned towards Esifex and Ruro, "...that."
I followed Chaore's motion towards the two girls, one of them chuckling maniacally while the other stood motionless, watching the setting sun.
"Anything we can do?"
"Probably. If we can collect all the pages and seal the book again, I guess that might help.", Chaore said without much enthusiasm.
A shimmer of hope lit up in my heart....
"Though we have no idea where the pages are."
... only to get extinguished at once.
Sure, this wouldn't be the world of the Kaleidoscope if things were that easy.
For now, it seemed, I would have to just play along and pray for the best.
Suddenly, Ruro turned around again, drawing one of her swords in a swift motion.
"Magical ☆ Librarian Squad, are you ready?"
She swung the sword to the side, pointing it at Chaore.
"Magical ☆ Bunny Chao-tan?"
"Yeah, yeah"
"What was that?"
"...."
Chaore sighed.
"For Justice!", Chaore shouted, healf-heartedly striking a pose.
"Exactly!"
Ruro smiled brightly, then pointed her blade at the next person.
"Magical ☆ Mindreader Esi-tan?"
The burning eye on Esifex' staff gleamed.
"Ohohohohohoho! I am always ready to fight evil wherever it shows its ugly face!"
'Can I get the old Esifex back?'
The eye darted around and stared at me.
I yelped and jumped back a bit.
Ruro took that as a signal to point the blade at me.
"Moe Moe Tuna-tan?"
"What?"
"It's your name!"
'Why is my name the only one without a 'Magical' in i-- wait, that's not it!'
""I think Sakana wants to be magical as well, Ruro-tan. What do you think about that?"", Esifex' voice resounded through our minds.
"Sorry, Sakana, but there are no more of the magical papers left..."
I sighed in relief.
"... so you will have to stay as you are. You will be one of our pets, since every Magical Girl needs one!", Ruro ended with a big smile.
"Your...pet?", I asked in disbelief.
"A magical pet, yes. What else should we do with you, tuna?"
"But...", I started, only to be stopped by the blade that was suddenly dangerously close to my neck.
"Hmmm, you wanted to say something?"
I shook my head.
"Good~. Then next, Magical ☆ Tuna Rider Rou-tan!", Ruro proceeded, pointing her blade at a place behind me.
I froze, then turned my head as slowly as possible, trying to postpone the truth that I knew I would no doubt see in a moment.
As my mind managed to grasp what my eyes saw, all expression left my face and I just stared blankly.
"No."
"Why not?", Roukan asked with a confused expression.
"Because I say so."
"But I..."
"I said get off my---"
Suddenly, I felt the cold sensation of sharp steel against my neck once more.
"Well, maybe... for a bit...", I mumbled, trying to keep an eye on the blade all the time.
"Yay~!"
Roukan jumped up and down happily. She was wearing a lime-green swimsuit, school version, with a nametag designating her as 'Rou-tan', despite her obviously properly grown up body.
However that was less disturbing than the fact that the girl was sitting on... me.
Or to be more precise, she was sitting on half of me.
For reasons unknown, Roukan had apparently decided that my tuna-half would make for an appropriate magical mount.
'No wait, she wouldn't have done that alone. And those clothes...'
I turned around once more to face Ruro, who was looking at Roukan with dreamy eyes and swaying slightly back and forth.
"Let's ride into battle, for Love and Justice, yay~!", Rou happily shouted while bouncing around on my tuna.
The sight of this caused Ruro to burst into a spontaneous, but nontheless very impressive, nosebleed that made her whole upper body fly back from the recoil.
Within a moment, however, she caught herself, wiped off the blood and continued her speech.
"This time, we are taking someone new with us on the mission."
I looked up in surprise.
'Someone new? But all the Librarians are here, who...'
"Ufufufufufu, dort dr?ben, Thunfisch!"
As I followed the direction Esifex' staff was pointing in with my eyes, something changed.
The sky around as become dark, then music started to play (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnu9JRdVaNg).
Several colored orbs flew out of nowhere and rotated around a part of the roof that was slightly higher than the one we were standing on, illuminating it with rapidly changing colors.
Then, a cloud of pink smoke arose at the point the orbs were orbiting.
A shadow appeared in the clouds, very clearly that of a girl.
For a few seconds, she remained still, then she stepped out of the smoke and into our view.
Then, after having taken a few steps, she started dancing to the music.
I also noticed that apparently she was the one singing the whole song by herself.
However, it was difficult to make out her looks in the flashing light that came from the orbs.
When the song ended, the girl struck a final pose and held it while the last notes of the song faded and the sky returned to its normal color.
Finally I had a chance to get a look at the girl.
She had shoulder-length brown hair, and was wearing a very revealing set of clothes that was clearly intended to show her audience as much as possible without being explicitely erotic.
'Damn. With that skirt, there's no way Ruro won't like her.'
I looked at Ruro again, who was just recovering from another massive nosebleed. She staggered on her feet, but still managed to point her blade at the girl that had just performed in front of us.
Now that she was standing in the broad daylight, the girl seemed rather embarassed with her appearance and was blushing madly.
"This is our newest member", she said. "Magical ☆ K-Polaris"
Soon, there'll be more from the evil team as well. Please look forward to the next Episode~
-
Please
kill me TELL ME TELL ME T-T-T-TELL ME
-
/me rides Sakana aaaaaaaaall niiiiight looooooong.
-
Oh god, there goes my gut.
-
'No wait, she wouldn't have done that alone. And those clothes...'
I turned around once more to face Ruro, who was looking at Roukan with dreamy eyes and swaying slightly back and forth.
"Let's ride into battle, for Love and Justice, yay~!", Rou happily shouted while bouncing around on my tuna.
The sight of this caused Ruro to burst into a spontaneous, but nontheless very impressive, nosebleed that made her whole upper body fly back from the recoil.
I have to wonder-- what cause the nosebleed here? Normally I would say Roulegs, but Ruro does have a justice fetish going on, so I'm wondering if it wasn't the "love and justice" that set her off.
Or is it both :3
-
Ufufufu~! Come, Librarians, come and meet your doom~! For surely thou cannot stand against the almighty might of the mighty Magical♥Moerin, Mistress of the Tildes and Embodiment of Forgotten Dre-
...Wait Rou riding Sakana what. :yumemi:
/me goes off to write steamy slash fiction~♥ only not really. >.>
-
What the crap is this. And by that I mean all of this thread.
It's...interesting. Yeah, sooner or later, I ought to place somebody in this physical representation of MotES.
-
Good luck Tylt-tan~ :3
-
MY EARS THEY BURN
TYLT HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME
-
MY EARS THEY BURN
TYLT HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME
I HAD NO PART IN THIS
IT'S ALL SAKANA'S FAULT D8
-
I followed Chaore's motion towards the two girls, one of them chuckling maniacally while the other stood motionless, watching the setting sun.
Pop quiz, loyal audience! Which one is which?!
-
Pop quiz, loyal audience! Which one is which?!
You're the maniacal laughter one, right?
-
You're the maniacal laughter one, right?
Bzzt. Esifex would laugh into your mind, to be more annoying. It wouldn't be directly audible.
Ruro, however, has a habit of laughing maniacally.
I know this because we plot things together
Especially when legs and Justice are around.
-
It's a reasonable guess, considering the audible maniacal laughter you were making towards the beginning of that chapter :ohdear:
-
It's a reasonable guess, considering the audible maniacal laughter you were making towards the beginning of that chapter :ohdear:
It was a trick question. Both of us were laughing maniacally.
The silent one was Dusty. Her Firebird was damaged in the explosion from the Library.
dusty is the big bad SPOILERZ
-
Bzzt. Esifex would laugh into your mind, to be more annoying. It wouldn't be directly audible.
Bzzzz. Wrong. Esifex would do both at once, mental and vocal laughter. It's already been shown in Librarian's Day :3
I HAD NO PART IN THIS
IT'S ALL SAKANA'S FAULT D8
Actually, the original idea came from someone else :3
-
This is all pretty hilarious, I hope it keeps on trucking along Sakana o/
Also when is Sakana gonna get dressed up? :P
-
WE INTERRUPT YOUR MAHOU SHOUJO TO BRING YOU AN IMPORTANT NEWS BULLETIN.
AND BY IMPORTANT NEWS BULLETIN I MEAN NONSENSICAL LIBRARY FIC.
SAME DIFFERENCE.
-----
In the Library, it takes true skill to take a break.
You don't realise how stern a watch Ruro has over the place until you slack off. You'll slump your pose for a fraction of a second, and before you realise it there's a blade jabbing into your back along with a reminder to stand up straight. At the same time, it's frightening how she's always paying attention to you, but it's also sort of impressive seeing how passionate she is for her duty as a Librarian.
Not that that means anything. Really. Just a workmate thing. Yeah.
Anyway, it took a lot of trial and error, but eventually I found a way to bypass Ruro's ever-watching eye. Technically, she could see what you were doing, but if you were, say, reading a book, she wouldn't be able to make out its contents. So if you dug deep enough into the archives - and if you wanted, you could dig preeeeeeeetty deep - you could find yourself a book you like, claim you're reading for the purpose of 'research', and relax to your heart's content. Works for about half an hour before she really catches on, but it beats the 5-minute lunch break I usually have to settle for.
So that explained why I was examining a book studying the evolution of female swimwear, along with helpful illustrations. Researching for Dolphin Rider Koishi, seriously.
This was a dark, not very well kept corner of the library, and that's saying a lot. Clothing Throughout The Ages is hardly the most enchanting of subjects, though I noticed that the books on leggings had been raided often. Ruro obviously found some useful material here.
"Man, it sucks working here in summer."
The library wasn't very useful in terms of air-conditioning. I'd switched out of the usual dress to go for a shirt and cap Ruro had given me as a congrats for finishing Rising Star. After a few initial Captain Murasa jokes it more or less became the norm, and I got away with wearing it rather than the normal library uniform.
Not that anyone wore the uniform, honestly.
"Hard at work, I see?"
Ah, the tuna herself. Sakana didn't sound like she was convinced by my little disguise, but I doubt she cared enough to rat me out to the big R. For some reason, looking at that tuna-half of hers brought up memories that I didn't remember having - riding on it cheerfully, shouting about Love and Justice. Maybe I needed to get some more sleep during work.
"She'll be coming for you in a few seconds if you don't pick something up, y'know?"
I didn't need to remind her - she knew the rules as well as I did. She quickly grabbed the first book she could find and opened it, doing her best to look serious as she examined The History Of Jackets Over The 20th Century. I had to say, I was impressed that she could apparently read the book upside down. We stood in place for a while, pretending to be fascinated by out work. Or at least, Sakana was pretending - I was having a pretty good time myself.
"...Am I the only one who's hot in here...?"
It was a good thing Ruro's hearing wasn't as acute as her sight, and I could afford to talk to Sakana in peace. I saw her eyes glance away from the page to look at me every once in a while.
"I know what you mean...it feels like I'm about to get served for dinner in this heat. Can't Ruro get us some sort of cooling fans in here?"
"Not her style. The warmer it is, the shorter the skirts she expects us to wear."
"Good point."
Sakana's tuna half was flapping around by her side, looking rather tired as it panted. I didn't even know fish could pant.
"I'm getting a drink. You should come along - you look like you need it."
Before I'd figured out this little trick, going for a drink at the water fountain had been my normal way of taking a break. It was one I'd come back to a few times recently, what with the blistering conditions we were working in. At this rate, we'd end up coming into work with no skirts on at all. That was probably her plan the whole time, and it was so ingenious - uh, I mean, despicable.
The fountain was a rickety little thing in the corner of the library, with cobwebs forming beneath the actual sink. It was still usable, but thanks to its condition most people didn't really make much of it. Sakana was first to make use of it, picking up her tuna and running it under the tap. The relief made its way onto her physical body, coming out as a massive sigh.
"Ah...that's better. You want some too, Rou-chan?"
Eh, I'd come this far. I didn't see why not. Sakana had turned on the water for me beforehand, so all I had to do was help myself.
"...Wait."
I took a quick glance at the tap. Sakana had only opened it a little to get the water out, and a sudden wave of curiosity started to overtake me. I reached for the tap, heaving at it to make the creaking mechanism move.
"Uh, Rou-chan, what are you...?"
Sakana looked confused as I twisted at the tap, trying to see just how fast this thing could flow. It was a silly experiment, and Ruro would probably give me a lecture for it later, but in my opinion it was a sign of a budding author to be curious about your surroundings. Hell, this could end up being the inspiration for some short down the li-
Snap.
"Ah."
The tap came clean off in my hand, causing the water supply to cut off with a painful-sounding gurgle. Sakana and I stared blankly at the broken-off piece of metal, finding no words to accurately gauge our response. Yeah, Ruro wasn't going to like this.
And she probably wouldn't think much of the rumbling that was erupting under my feet either.
"Rou, what have you done?"
Sakana didn't seem particularly upset by this turn of events, but as the first member of the Librarian Squad she'd probably seen her fair share of madness with Ruro. Whatever came next after this quake probably wouldn't surprise her.
Not even when it exploded with a flash of light, and the ground beneath me started to feel slightly damp.
"Uh. Well. This, uh...this is explainable."
Whatever magic had been used to power the drinking tap had just backfired horrendously. It had turned itself on full-throttle, and by full-throttle I meant it was up to my waist in about 5 seconds.
"...Huh. That is...yeah. I...well."
Yeah, treading water was a bad sign. Thankfully Ruro had thought ahead far enough to make the books waterproof, so there was no worry about losing the archives. No, all we had to worry about was removing the several tonnes of water that were hastily flooding the library.
Actually, that was probably more of a threat than losing the books. Huh.
"Saka-chan, I think if we shift this discussion towards juuuuuust the right angle we can blame it on faulty plumbing. Then Ruro won't get mad at me and maybe we'll just chat for a while and I'll fix it and she'll think I'm-"
Too much too much too much SHUT UP.
"J-Just forget that. Let's tell her there's a problem, Saka-chan."
No response. I looked to my side for some sort of response as the water started to rise above the bottom floor.
"...Saka-chan?"
Sakana wasn't following me. Besides a few bubbles beneath the surface, there was no sign of her at all. Immediately I panicked and dipped my head back into the water, checking if she was having trouble rising up or if she was trapped under something.
I immediately rammed a palm into my forehead as I saw her walking along the bottom without a care in the world, adjusting some of the books that had fallen out of place.
What am I thinking? She's half-fish, remember?
"I'll be up there in a minute, okay? Tell her it's a Protocol 33-B!"
She threw out a reminder to me, telling me exactly what to pass on as the water kept on rising. 33-B? I'd never really paid much attention to the rulebook - that heaving tome was as long as White Rose, minus everything that made White Rose interesting. Mildly curious, I clicked my fingers, bringing the book in front of me like all Librarians could. The pages flicked along, finally stopping at a list of Protocol. I looked down the list with my finger, finally stopping at the given line.
'33-B = Library suffers catastrophic flooding as a result of a leaky faucet.'
...Well, I'll be damned.
-----
To be honest, I should have expected Ruro to be on the roof before me. That was easy enough to figure out, though I'm not surprised that I didn't see the sand coming. Emerging from the trapdoor out onto the rooftop that had been conveniently built-in for such an occasion - sometimes I wondered if she was Batman on her days off - I found myself crawling onto wet sand as I made my way back onto dry land. Great, as if these clothes weren't ruined enough already.
"Morning, Rou. If you were warm enough to need that much water, you could've just taken a few things off."
I didn't know if she meant it, or if it was just her idea of a joke. ...Wait, that was nonsense. It was Ruro, of course she meant it. But that was one of the things I lov-liked, liked about her. She was lying on a beach chair, soaking in the morning rays in a brave red bikini with a strawberry pattern running along it.
My status report was delayed momentarily by a violent nosebleed. I grabbed at my face to try and look less like a pervert, and failed miserably.
"Um...Wuwo-shama. Iz a 33-B."
"Y'know, I sort of guessed that. After my office started to turn into an aquarium, I had a hunch something like that had happened."
I was only barely listening. My eyes were distracted by Ruro's shape - her clothing, her body, those long, luscious legs she'd never stop talking about...I may have said something, but given the mental state I was in it was nothing coherent.
She reached down beside her chair, lifting up a metallic suitcase and throwing it in my direction. It hit me square in the face, knocking me out of my little stupor and giving me a face full of sand.
"Well, you know the protocol. Go down there and take care of that 33-B."
Wait, how? Was this some part of the book I hadn't bothered to read up on? I couldn't look at it in front of Ruro, that'd make it look like I wasn't paying attention, and that'd earn me some metallic justice in the spine. I offered a fake-sounding laugh as I clipped open the suitcase.
"Uh, yeah, sure. I'll get right..."
I glimpsed the contents of the suitcase.
"On...that..."
There were two emotions wrestling for control over my mind at that point. One of them was shock.
The other was pure, unadulterated joy.
"You aren't allowed to work in an underwater environment without wearing the Librarian Work Bikini, you know."
They were lime green, the same tint as all the official Librarian uniforms, and a flower pattern was running along them. If I could have had my way, I'd have made them one-pieces with names written on them, but I didn't run things around here. I was happy enough, though, and every cell in my brain ceased to function to stare at the swimsuits in adoration.
This time, it was a tunaslap that knocked me out of my stupor.
"Don't get blood on my swimsuit, Rou-chan!"
Sakana pulled hers out, quickly starting to get changed into it. She looked flustered as she grabbed at it, blushing slightly as she started to remove her clothes. Her tuna half worked as a living censor, blocking Ruro and I from seeing anything incriminating. It still gave Ruro a nice view of her legs, earning Sakana a nice thumbs-up.
"Nice show, Sakana. You just earned yourself an extra 30 seconds on your lunch break."
After realising I wouldn't see anything worthwhile until Sakana was finished, I inspected the suitcase more closely. There were several swimsuits, one for every librarian, but the one at the end looked somehow different from the others. It took me a while to put my finger on it, but as soon as I saw the name tag beneath it everything made sense.
It was mine. And it was tighter than anyone else's.
My hands pressed at my small chest as I muttered a few words of envy.
"Um...this doesn't look ridiculous, does it?"
Sakana was done by now, and didn't seem very proud of herself. Looking upwards, I sure as hell begged to differ - ignoring the fact that she was better stacked than I was, the slight hint of embarrassment on her face was enough to make my heart perform a cartwheel in my chest. I needed to see a doctor about that, it couldn't be good for my health.
"Ruro-sama, this is gonna sound slightly pedantic, but I don't think I can stay under for that long. I know I write about a dolphin youkai, but that doesn't make me one..."
It was a shame, too - this was the sort of situation that would only show up in my wildest dreams, and I'd have to miss out on it thanks to these stupid lungs. Ruro frowned.
"Oh, fine. If you need that much help, I'll have to call in the cavalry."
Ruro closed her eyes for a moment, multitasking as she called on the two librarians could call upon on short notice. On one hand, she worked on envisioning the third of the 'main' librarians, basically summoning her onto the scene; on the other, she sent a message through thought to another nearby librarian, who they'd likely need for backup.
Of course, Chaore appeared first, almost instantly.
"Librarian Chaore, reporting for du-"
Her introduction cut off as she realised what she was wearing. Ruro had seen far ahead enough to include the Librarian Work Bikini into her vision, saving the time she'd need to change into it. She didn't even intend to have Chaore go swimming, but why pass up an opening to reveal some pretty-looking legs?
"...Do I want to ask?"
"33-B. You're our equipment handler, so give Rou here a little help."
Chaore was more stacked than me as well. I would have been jealous if I wasn't so busy going through the whole sparkling eyes and dumb-looking smile routine. This was basically one long, beautiful dream sequence for me, and I wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it.
She reached for her supplies where she usually stored everything - behind her bunny ears. In the same way that Chaore had a habit of jumping in and out of existence, she could make her possessions jump in and out of existence as well. Eventually she pulled a tube-like object out from behind her left ear and dropped it at my feet.
I blinked blankly as I looked at it. It was...a snorkel. Which logically wouldn't be much help if I was any more than six inches below the surface.
"That's...uh...probably not going to help much."
"Nonsense! I got that thing from Dracula's Castle a while back. It's a holy relic, okay? Just trust me!"
That didn't sound very convincing, but I figured that if Chaore was making stuff up I'd find out about it pretty quickly. I took the holy symbol from the floor, tying it to my neck so it was in biting distance.
""Ruro-sama. You called?""
Esifex arrived soon afterward, her words suddenly emerging in my mind again. Passing it on to everyone was basically her equivalent of shouting. It was an experience I'd never really got used to, but if the only alternative was her speaking in German then I'd settle for it.
Ruro gave Esifex another order through a thought. It disturbed me slightly that she didn't declare it out loud - that was a sign she didn't want me to know about it straight away. Esifex seemed surprised by it to start, but eventually she looked at me and Sakana.
I got the first stare, and from the looks of it she was peering into my head. Her face twisted a little, looking slightly uncomfortable, but she sighed as she moved on. She looked at Sakana, the same nervous expression on her face, and offered her a pat on the shoulder.
I couldn't tell what she was saying, given that German was a language I wielded about as well as as a buzzsaw, but from the look on her face it was something along the lines of 'you poor, poor thing'.
There was a sudden jolt of pain as my head throbbed for a moment; then another wave of thoughts flooded into my head. Not Esifex's...
"Actually, I guess I kind of like this uniform. I look pretty cute. Not that I'm going to say that, though..."
...But Sakana's.
"Ah!"
Apparently, Sakana was getting the same view of my inner thoughts. Esifex must have put up a neural link between us so we could communicate properly underwater, but now Sakana could make out what I was thinking.
"...You..."
Her face went red, and her hand quickly grasped at her tuna.
"You stupid pervert, Rou-chaaaaaan!"
The tuna slap echoed across the landscape for miles on end.
-----
Well, apparently Chaore had been telling the truth. This Holy Symbol was doing its job - that or I'd drowned two minutes ago and just hadn't quite noticed yet. There were still bubbles coming out with every breath, but despite that I was breathing in just fine. It was magic, it didn't have to make sense.
Changing into the bikini would have been incredible if it hadn't been for Ruro watching. Not that I didn't want her to watch or anything, it's just that it was really awkward changing in front of her and it wasn't like I was nervous about her seeing me naked or anything and-
"Aw, Rou-chan is acting like a classic tsundere, isn't she~"
Sakana took this opening to mock me ritualistically, poking at me every time a thought like that came to my head. She took advantage of the fact that she could speak and I couldn't, taking shots at me while I was unable to offer a comeback. She was misunderstanding it, really! It wasn't like that! She was just a friend! A friend who I found incredibly attractive and cool and impressive and would probably enjoy spending the rest of my life with, but still just a friend! There was a difference, really!
"Suuure."
I was half tempted to spit this thing out and shout at Sakana myself, but I knew full well that wouldn't get me any results. Instead, I decided to settle for tickling her tuna half every time it floated by. I forced a few giggles out of her in retaliation as we dove deeper down into the flooded library.
"So, uh. I wasn't really paying attention. How do you take care of a 33-B, exactly?"
"We need to get to the reception desk first. There's a button there that we need to press."
It was weird seeing the place underwater, actually. Books would float by and almost hit me in the face, nowhere near their original shelves. With any luck, we'd get a day off after this rather than having to stay behind and clean up. Surely that job could go to someone who hadn't undergone a rescue mission...?
Oh, who was I kidding? It was Ruro. No way we'd get out of this without cleaning up my own mess.
The reception desk came into view, the attached computers having shut themselves down when the water rose. Sakana, being of the aquatic disposition, was the faster swimmer and made it down to the desk first, fiddling beneath the desk for some sort of switch.
"Do I get to know what this switch does?"
"It's pretty obvious...there it is!"
Sakana flicked a switch under the main desk, letting off an pleasing little beep. She swam away from the desk, and assuming she knew what she was doing I followed her. There was another rumbling, and the desk started to shift along to reveal a panel underneath. I wondered momentarily if this library was built on Tracy Island.
What could be hidden under the desk? Maybe it was a passageway into the plumbing system so we could plug up the leak. That made sense.
Of course, given that it was Ruro, it made no sense whatsoever.
"...A plughole?"
"A plughole."
The sound of the Holy Symbol was the only thing to break the silence.
This was ridiculous. For this place to have something like this built in, Ruro had to be a genius - a maniac, dammit, a maniac!
"Aw, so cute~."
I missed the days when I could think in peace. Now I had a tuna in my head, and every other thought I processed incriminated me in some shape or form. I swear, if it wasn't for the fact that she looked pretty adorable herself in a bikini, I'd have punched her in the shoulder for good measure.
Actually, on that note, maybe I could afford to look at her a little closer. The lime green fabric supported her cleavage handily, while still leaving a lot of her skin uncovered. Her movements through the water were graceful, almost like she'd been born with fins. (She had, technically, but I meant in the more literal sense.) And on top of that, she'd somehow kept the glasses on in spite of going diving.
It was like she was trying to kill me.
Gah, this is bad...
I grabbed my nose again, seeing the water in front of me turning red. I'd already had a lot of fun today, and there was only so much of this my body could take. But at the same time...she was so cute in that bikini of hers, and...
"R-Rou-chan?! Stop thinking like that, you stupid-"
Gah, things were getting faint. The water was getting dimmer - the blood loss was starting to take its toll. Sakana had activated the opening mechanism, starting the draining process - which sounded a lot more complicated than 'she opened the plughole' while basically meaning the exact same thing.
"Y-You pervert! Don't black out down here, alright?!"
Easier said than done. By now I wasn't even sure how much blood I had LEFT, I'd lost so much. On the other hand, this was perhaps the perfect way to die - surrounded by the things that I loved, going out relatively painlessly.
Yes, this was a lovely little way to go. It was perfect...perfect...
-----
"...mmh...perfect..."
I rolled around slightly on the table as a little puddle of drool formed near my mouth. It took me a few seconds to come back into consciousness, realising I was in the library again without a drop of water in sight. I was dizzy, my brain still trying to grasp that everything mentioned above was just a figment of my imagination.
"Rise and shine, Rou. You've been sleeping on the job."
I froze. Ruro was glaring down at me with an evil looking smile. Pain was imminent.
"Now, normally I'd be giving you a little bit of JUSTICE as punishment your sleeping at your post, but I've decided to let you off for a very special reason."
The adrenaline that had built up to brace for impact suddenly drained away from me when it turned out I wasn't getting a beating after all. Ruro looked to her side.
"See, I was curious as to what you were dreaming about...so I had Esifex take a little peek."
The aforemented Esifex was currently grasping her head and standing on the other side of the table, twiddling her thumbs and trying to come to grips with what she'd just witnessed.
I gulped. There could only be one way for this to go. Ruro grabbed my hand and hauled me along towards her office.
"Come on, Rou. We need to discuss this Work Bikini in a little more detail..."
-
I may have to design this Librarian Work Bikini, myself. :3
-
:itwasalladream.jpg:
:V
-
"The Library. You will never find a more random hive of madness and fanservice. We should be cautious."
This thread has succeeded in making me happy. Something I needed.
-
"The Library. You will never find a more random hive of madness and fanservice. We should be cautious."
The Mos Eisley Library?
Maybe you should balance fanservice out with things that aren't fanservice. We have too much fanservice on our hands.
-
Apparently, Sakana was getting the same view of my inner thoughts. Esifex must have put up a neural link between us so we could communicate properly underwater, but now Sakana could make out what I was thinking.
Jesus, you people pick up on tidbits hella fast.
And if that was accidentally, hell, you can take credit for it anyways.
Working Esifex's newly-revealed ability to psycho-synchronize minds together, as mentioned at the very end of FFitK
-
Ahahahaha, no better way to start the day than reading this.
I want to see more Librarian-stories from you in the future Rou~
Also, is it just me or was there barely any tsun left beneath all the dere of Roukan XD
--- wait, all a dream? The bikini-uniforms aren't canon? This will have to be fixed :3
EDIT: Also, how could you miss to at least link to Ruro's bikini-pictures that inspired this story. This is unforgivable
-
*has finally decided to catch up on some readinz*
Oh wow, what's with this library place thingz? XD
Aw man, I want to see more of this gold!~
-
Hmm... Do we have a PSL IRC? I need to stop being antisocial and actually get to know the other Librarians.
I want in on this Library writing feat :D
-
Hmm... Do we have a PSL IRC? I need to stop being antisocial and actually get to know the other Librarians.
I want in on this Library writing feat :D
Librarians are thinking, please watch warmly.
-
Librarians are thinking, please watch warmly.
I can tell
Cuz that's not creepy at all
-
Man I feel like such a terrible Librarian, you guys do all the organizing and the writing and you came up with your own little universe thing, and I just sit her and :derp: all day.
I feel like I should contribute more to the Librarians. Could I write a Libraryfic or something? :ohdear:
-
I feel like I should contribute more to the Librarians. Could I write a Libraryfic or something? :ohdear:
Go ahead ^_^
-
Man I feel like such a terrible Librarian, you guys do all the organizing and the writing and you came up with your own little universe thing, and I just sit her and :derp: all day.
tbh, the reason you haven't made an appearance is we don't really know what to put you down as. Ruro and I started off as more or less the Iji characters, while Sakana and Chaore worked themselves in. So really, if you want to take part, write about yourself! The more, the merrier and all that :P
-
tbh, the reason you haven't made an appearance is we don't really know what to put you down as. Ruro and I started off as more or less the Iji characters, while Sakana and Chaore worked themselves in. So really, if you want to take part, write about yourself! The more, the merrier and all that :P
And I was here from the beginning, before the Library came to be
I'm getting good at this 'creepy weirdo' vibe.
-
WHAT DO YOU MEAN SUBMISSION BY ESI
I SEE NO SUCH THING
MOVE ALONG
-
Nothing can stop the
Juggernaut librarian.
-
Blegh. Honestly, I'm not proud of that work. I think I've lost my touch, when it comes to writing directly into a thread.
I think I'm gonna redo this one on my laptop, give it some polish. It needs it, badly, before I continue.
-
I think I'm gonna redo this one on my laptop, give it some polish. It needs it, badly, before I continue.
'twasn't as bad as you seem to think it was, but everything can be improved \o/ I wish you luck.
-
Sure, I wasn't actually paid for the work I did. I wasn't really a Librarian to begin with
Wait. We get paid?!
She's a Librarian. And Librarians never die. They never shut down. They just keep coming.
Too bad for you that Rou is indestructible (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6yShu3mHp0) when swimsuits are involved. :V
-
Wait. We get paid?!
You are paid with the privilege of being in my presence.
In other words,
(http://a.imageshack.us/img826/3068/geragera.gif)
-
My powers of hypnosis are growing! Everyone THOUGHT there was a story posted here by me, but alas! There isn't one!
-
My powers of hypnosis are growing! Everyone THOUGHT there was a story posted here by me, but alas! There isn't one!
*applied to this user*
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
:< come on, guy, we wanna see more of your stuff
-
*applied to this user*
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
:< come on, guy, we wanna see more of your stuff
I'm re-writing it. Wasn't pleased with the end result - reading over it, I could tell how forced it was, and how much it wandered in the first few paragraphs. I'm writing up on my other laptop, so I can plot it, plan it, and shape it properly. It'll be reposted, don't worry.
-
Okay, who still remembered that story existed? Who still expected it to go on?
Well, now that I had to give up NaNo and have wrapped that up so far, it's time to go back to where I left off with my stories here.
Enjoy~
- Episode 2: Move out, Magical ★ Librarian Squad -
At this point, I had given up on trying to apply logic and reason to the situation.
I had been caught up in another absurity of this world, and experience had taught me that just playing along was the best course of action.
"Alright, now that everyone is here, let us move out!"
'Huh, I haven't heard that voice before...'
I turned my head towards the sound, already prepared for the worst, when...
'Hey, that's a cute ferret.'
What I saw was a small ferret sitting on Ruro's shoulder.
It had probably been hiding in her clothes before, and had now come out to give it's speech.
'...speech?'
"The world is in danger, Librarians, and you all are the only ones that can save it!", the ferret continued.
I looked over to Chaore with a questioning look, but she just silently shook her head.
"The enemy has kidnapped the Princess, the one that bestows balance upon this world!"
For a moment, I thought I saw a tear glitter in Ruro's eye.
"Donut... please hold on... I will save you soon....", she mumbled, looking down.
"If you fail to save her, chaos will reign forever!"
'Doesn't sound too different from the normal situation...'
The burning eye on Esifex' staff darted around to stare at me.
'Stop that!'
""Never!""
"So, only the world is at stake, eh? No pressure at all.", Chaore interrupted our mental dialogue.
"I wouldn't have called all of you if it was anything less than the world we are fighting for.", Ruro answered.
"Can't I just stay here? I don't think you need me...", a small voice that I had never heard before asked from the side.
I turned my head and saw that it was Polaris that had spoken. The ferret answered her.
"According to Ruro", the red-haired girl shot a glance at the animal. "According to Magical ☆ Samurai Ruro-tan you can easily find things if you know they exist, right?"
Polaris reponded with a short nod.
"See, that's why we need you, Magical ★ K-Polaris. This mission can't succeed without you."
The girl looked up, but still seemed reluctant. Then Esi's voice rang out in our heads.
""Do you want to be responsible for eveyone failing? When, overwhelmed by the enemies strength, they are defeated and killed one after another. No, the enemy is Moerin, so she will do things even more cruel than death to them! They will suffer, bodies and minds broken and then discarded like-"" "Heh, that's enough!", Chaore shouted.
She nodded in the direction of Polaris, who was crouching down on the ground, hands pressed on her ears, shaking in terror.
Esi chuckled at the sight, while both Ruro and the ferret shot her disapproving looks.
Rou still smiled happily like before, but I noticed she had stopped bouncing around, instead she looked like she was paralyzed with fear.
"... anyway, can we count on you to lend your powers to Justice?", the ferret asked Polaris once more.
The girl looked up with tears in her eyes. Her eyes grew wide as she noticed Ruro pulling out one of her swords just slightly. She nodded repeatedly as fast as she could.
"Very good~", Ruro smiled.
She let go of the sword again and came towards me, stretching out her hand.
"Huh?"
"You can't fly, and we can't afford to waste time by walking, Moe Moe Tuna-tan. So I'll carry you."
I cringed a bit as she called me by my new name, but forced a smile when I saw her other hand twitching in the direction of her blades.
'Carry? That's so unlike her. Heh, maybe this isn't too bad after a-'
"A magical girl has to carry her pet after all", she smiled brightly.
'Of course...'
I sighed and took the girl's hand.
She looked around to everyone, making sure they were all listening
"Alright girls. Our mission is to save Donut from Moerin before she has the chance to do anything to her!"
"Considering 'rin, I'd bet it's already too late for that.", Chaore chuckled.
Ruro ignored the comment.
"And we shall not fail. For this is our fate as defenders of Love and Justice, as the Magical ☆ Librarian Squad! Move out!"
At those last words, Ruro turned around and started running towards the edge of the roof.
I got dragged along, trying my best not to trip and fall.
I gripped Ruro's hand hard when she took the last step to the edge and jumped, flying off into the sky while I dangled from her hand.
I looked back and saw the others taking flight as well.
Chaore floated without much enthusiasm, Polaris shifted left and right following some rhythm only she knew while flying, Esi was sitting sideways on her staff giggling like an evil witch as she passed by me and Ruro, and Roukan rode my other half like a motorcycle and squealed happily as she tested out just how aerodynamic a giant tuna could be.
'Wait a...'
I narrowed my eyes and stared at Roukan as she soared through the air.
'Is that possible...?'
The swimsuit-girl shouted with joy as she pulled my other half up and performed a looping.
When she reached the highest point of the loop, I saw that she had trouble holding on and almost fell. I was shocked.
'She's... actually riding it... that means it's flying... my tuna.. is...flying?'
That should have been impossible. I couldn't fly. That thing was half of me. So it shouldn't be able to fly either. Unless...
'Hold on! It always floats, but I never actually tried to...' "Aaaaaah!", I let out a shout as the realization set in.
I was capable of flight.
I had the ability.
But it was in my other half.
Half of my body was keeping the one ability that was really keeping me down, both literally and figuratively speaking, in this world.
I got robbed by myself and couldn't do anything about it.
'Well, I could maybe just ride on it like Rou do-NO. NEVER! I am NOT going to sit on myself', I shouted at myself mentally.
When I looked back, I saw Esifex holding tightly onto her broom to keep herself from falling down because of the laughing fit she was going through.
I felt the urge to knock myself out, but dangling on one hand from a crazy magical samurai-girl flying high in the air left me without the necessary means.
So I settled for letting out a deep sigh.
I looked up towards Ruro.
We were still flying in the same direction we started in.
"Heh Ruro, where are we actually going?", I asked.
While the girl herself didn't seem to hear me, she was intently watching Roukan's tuna-air-show, the ferret on her shoulder turned around at my words and came climbing down her samurai-style clothes.
When I saw it up close I noticed something. First of all, the ferret was wearing a small pair of glasses. Second, it was carrying another, far smaller, ferret on its own 'shoulder'.
'Glasses and a ferret...'
"Matsuri?", I asked.
If it was possible for a ferret to cringe, this one did it.
"Yes."
"How?"
"I got one of the pages. About the 'Magical Pet' from the book and... next thing I knew I was in this form. It's pretty comfortable in Ruro's clothes though..."
I could have sworn the ferret grinned for a second.
"Though she insists on calling me Magical ★ Ferret Matsurin.", the small animal sighed.
"As for your question, we are going to Moerin's secret hideout."
"Do we know where it is?", I asked in confusion.
"You already forgot Polaris' ability?", Matsuri responded.
"Ah..."
Matsuri called over Polaris.
"Alright, we need to find out where to go. Can you search for Moerin's hideout?"
The girl nodded and closed her eyes, concentrating.
For a moment I saw an illusion of the night and Polaris shining along with the glittering stars in the sky. It quickly disappeared when she opened her eyes again.
Matsuri looked at the girl expectingly, but she only shook her head.
"You can't find it? But Ruro ensured me you could find anything?", the ferret looked confused.
Polaris seemed to be embarassed somehow.
"W-well... usually that is true... I only need to know it exists. But because of this form...", she said almost inaudibly.
"Don't tell me..."
"I can only find things now when I know their proper name. And apparently Moerin didn't name her hideout 'Moerin's Hideout', so...", she looked away in shame.
I stared at Polaris with my mouth open.
"C-can't you just find... you know... Moerin? Or Donut?", I asked with a little hope.
Polaris looked at me doubtfully, but used her technique anyway.
The look in her eyes when she opened them again already told me all I needed to know.
"So their names were changed due to pages from the book. Just great..."
I felt the need to bring my palm into my face at high speed, but resisted.
Hitting myself while being carried in the air sounded like a really stupid idea.
Polaris started stammering an apology, but was quickly calmed down by Matsuri.
"Well then, I suppose we will have to ask someone for help", the ferret sighed.
"And we will start... right there!"
I looked towards the place Matsuri pointed to with her paw.
There was a clearing in the woods below us.
Two people stood on the clearing.
And from the looks of it, they were expecting us...
Next Episode: Darkside. A view of the events from the perspective of Moerin's team. Soon in this thread~
-
Ahahahaha Magical Mind-Reader Esi-tan is a bitch. I love it~
....except Esi is canonnically terrified of heights :ohdear:
<Sakana> She lost the fear with the change to magical :derp:
-
I still remembered this thread due to non-evil plots in my head.
How generic...
-
While reading the chapter I actually started to remember the last, meaning that I read it back then.
So I guess the flying powers switched between Sakana and Ruro is because of the magical thing too. Or just canonical inconsistency.
-
This is so delightfully silly. :3
-
This story.....
I-I love it.
So freakin' funny.
-
So I guess the flying powers switched between Sakana and Ruro is because of the magical thing too. Or just canonical inconsistency.
Its Ruro writing her story and me writing mine. There's no rule saying we have to write exactly the same stuff, much less is there anything 'canon' :P
-
Whee, haven't been feeling that good while writing in a while. That was fun~
Here's some proposed background music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKLpJtvzlEI)
- Episode 2 Another: Darkside -
The young woman let out a pained gasp as she opened her eyes.
She didn't know how she had gotten here, and her body was aching.
High abover her she saw a small light.
'The... sky?'
The gears of her mind started turning again, faster and faster as she made out her situation and her memory returned.
'Did I... fall down?'
She recalled flying over the lands of the Art Atelier, with no specific goal.
'Then... light...'
Was she attacked? That was the only explanation she had for the light she had seen before something hit her and she had plummeted down towards the ground.
For all she knew, it had probably been danmaku, but it didn't matter right now.
'Where...'
She moved her arms and legs. They hurt tremendously, but nothing seemed to be broken.
Slowly, the woman picked herself off the ground and stood up.
She looked around. This was no place she had ever seen before, but then again she didn't come to AAA very often either.
Still, the architecture...
'This looks ancient... forgotten...'
As she thought those words, she woman's eyes suddenly became more lively.
'Could it be?'
She looked up to the hole far above her.
It was rather small.
Getting shot down while flying around randomly in a way that sent her right down here?
The chances for that happening without some higher plan were nigh-impossible.
'Have you... finally called me?'
The woman spotted an exit from the room she was in and quickly made her way through it, ignoring the pain in her body.
As expected, she must have had fallen right into an ancient part of AAA, possibly even older than the big chasm that divided it from its literary counterpart, the Scarlet Library.
'This is... the ancient ruins of the Community Fanworks? I didn't know they still existed. Didn't the mods erase them?'
Passing by empty bookshelves, broken canvases and cans of paint that had almost turned to stone by now she made her way deeper and deeper into the Fanworks.
She didn't know where she was heading, she didn't even know what she was expecting.
But this couldn't be a coincidence.
Maybe this was the day she had been waiting for so long.
'There's a chance. A lot was lost back when the chasm occurred. Maybe there was something about.... her.'
The woman didn't care that her clothes got ripped and her pink hair turned grey from dust.
She forced her way deeper and deeper until she finally reached what she immediately recognized had been her destination.
'This is...'
Before her was a round room lit by glowing stones on the walls.
An white altar in the middle of the room designated the place as a shrine.
And there, towering above anyone who entered the shrine and watching over them with a calming smile was a statue of its deity.
The pink-haired woman stumbled a few steps into the room, her eyes glued to the statue.
Her mouth hung open at the splendor of it and her eyes started to get moist.
Then she broke down and sunk to her knees, sobbing and shedding tears, overwhelmed by the atmosphere of the shrine.
'Rin... finally... I found you...'
She cried with joy for a while before she got back to her feet, the pain forgotten, her body filled with energy once more, just as she usually was.
For the first time since she came down here, she spoke.
"Good afternoon, Rin~"
Her voice echoed through the shrine, turning its already melodious sound into a choir.
"I've been searching for you... so long... it's been so long...", her eyes shimmered with tears again.
"They told me you didn't exist. But I believed you did~. They forgot you existed. But I remembered~. They made jokes about you. But I honored you and praised your splendor~. That someone would have made such a wonderful shrine for you, Rin, who would have thought, ehehehe~."
The woman walked over to the altar and placed her hands on it.
"Speak to me, Rin. Speak to me, and tell me what you wish from me. Tell me what I need to do to spread your name all around MotK!", she shouted into the room, her words resounding numerously from the walls.
Silence.
The woman's shoulders dropped a bit and she hung her head.
Of course, what had she expected.
Even if someone had built a shrine, that didn't bring Rin into existance.
After all, she still was only a fragment, barely more than a name written in an ancient language amongst many others who gained physical form in the distant lands of Gensokyo.
The woman sighed, ready to turn her back on the statue and search for a way back to the surface.
She would come back to the shrine from time to time, she vowed to herself, but there was nothing here for her now.
Then, a small sound disturbed the silence.
An almost inaudible rustling, as if a feather had fallen from above and softly landed
She turned her head, and her eyes grew wide.
There, on the altar that had just now been empty, lay a single piece of paper.
A page from a book, words and illustrations packed tightly on it.
The woman turned around again, her hand shaking as she stretched it towards the page.
Carefully she grabbed it and lifted it up to see what was written on it.
She gasped.
"This is..."
"Moerin!"
The woman jumped in surprise.
She looked around, searching for the voice that had called out her name.
But there was noone around.
She was alone down here, in a place long forgotten by the people of the world above.
Noone in their right mind would come down here.
'Though that condition doesn't exactly apply to the majority here.', Moerin thought to herself.
"Moerin! I have waited long. Finally you have come to find me, my dear!", the mysterious voice rang out once more.
This time the woman found the source.
The voice was coming directly from the big statue of the forgotten girl she loved so much.
"Rin? Is that you? Is that really you, my goddess?", Moerin asked in excitement. "How can this be... all this time I have waited... and now suddenly..."
"Your love for me has awakened me from my slumber, Moerin. Only one in whom the tilde runs strong could achieve that.", the soothing voice responded.
Moerin beamed with joy and sunk to one knee, bowing her head before the statue.
"My goddess, my mistress~ Finally you have come to me~ Tell me, what should I do?"
"Moerin, please do not bow your head. Stand up strong and proud. Right now, noone besides you could perceive me, as they deny my existence. But together, we can spread my name across the land and show those heathens my might."
Moerin's face was flushed as she listened to those words that sounded incredibly sweet in her ears.
What she had dreamt about for so long, to make Rin's name known in the world, was now announced to become reality by Rin herself.
"Yes, Moerin, it is time to grant me existence. It is time for my Revival... or maybe we should call it my Birth? And you, Moerin, are the one to take the steps necessary to reach this goal! You are the only one I can rely on! Please help me."
"Mistress, you do not need to ask for my help~ How could I deny you that which I have been yearning for all the time? Please, tell me the details~"
"Look at this page in your hand, my dear Moerin. This is a page that will grant you far greater powers than those you possess right now."
The page in Moerin's hands started to glow, a glow that extended towards the woman's hands and then covered her whole body.
"Aah! I can feel it~ I can feel it~ The power is flowing into me~ Ehehehehe~", she laughed as the light grew bright at once and then disappeared.
"I shall grant you more of those pages, Moerin. Now, now you are Magical★Moerin. Use the power of those pages wisely and hand them to those that you trust. Gather around you a circle of followers. Once you have those, capture the Princess."
"Princess?", Moerin asked.
"The one you know as Donut, she had been granted the power that balances this world itself, the power of the Princess. Capture her, for that is the power that shall give birth to me."
"Donut? I see~ Is it okay if I turn her into a Dark Princess after I've caught her? Ufufufufu~"
"As long as her power stays intact, you may do as you wish, my dear Moerin. Now, go and do as I told you. Gather your forces, and rip the Princess from the hands of the Blade of Justice. After that, I shall tell you the next steps of the ritual."
"As you wish! Wait just a bit more, my beloved Rin! Soon I shall embrace you in my arms in a body of flesh and blood, ufufufufufu~"
-----------------------------------
"Mistress?"
The voice sounded soft, but concerned.
"Mistress, are you alright?"
Moerin opened her eyes.
She was sitting on the large throne in the main hall of her castle.
"You were laughing in a creepy way in your sleep, Mistress...", the maid that had called out for her said.
'I must have dozed off. Ah, but I don't mind seeing this dream~', Moerin thought to herself.
"I'm okay~ Don't worry, Irmingard~", she smiled at the maid and straightened her posture.
Another maid walked past the throne, carrying a tray with some food on it.
"Ah, going to feed the angel, Xan~? Bite her wings for me, I shall taste them off your lips later~", Moerin giggled.
"I'm no angel!", a voice shouted from the side.
Moerin turned her head to the side.
A large golden birdcage stood there, the inside laid out with cushions and veils made of the finest satin.
Caught inside it, clad in a light white dress that complemented her equally white and fluffy wings, sat Donut, a collar and chain around her neck.
"But you surely look like one, my dear pastry~"
"Let me go!", the girl shouted once more.
"Can't do, sweetie~", Moerin giggled. "After all, I need you so the heroine will come and try to save you~"
"Ruro will beat you senseless, you crazy tilde-bitch...", Donut grumbled as she slumped down.
"Now now, no reason to get insulting~ You have such nice company as well~"
Moerin pointed towards the other person, or being, in the cage.
It was barely the size of a child and clearly humanoid.
However, it sprouted a tail from its behind and two cat-ears from its head, and its behavior matched those traits.
"Gappy, or should I call her Neko-Gappy now? She seems to enjoy herself much more than you do, Princess~"
The small catgirl was happily chasing after a toy that was held into the cage by Ana, another of Moerin's followers.
She was the owner and pilot of the wooden robot, or rather mecha, that had helped in the abduction of Donut.
With her short hair and her boyish clothing and attitude, there were some that called her Anthony rather than Ana, and there were rumors that she was, in fact, actually a guy.
Whenever someone asked about it in Moerin's presence however, giggling was the only answer.
Noone knew the truth except the Mistress of the Tilde and the girl in question herself.
Right now, however, she was smiling happily as she watched Gappy chase after the toy she held and played around without any concerns.
"Why did you even bring her with you? She had just strolled in minutes before you kidnapped me, it's not like she has anything to do with your plan.", Donut frowned.
"Eheheh, let's call it spoils of victory~. She was just too adorable to leave behind, wouldn't you agree~?"
Moerin heard the door of the hall open.
She turned her head and looked at the newcomers.
Two girls had entered and were now kneeling before the throne, their heads bowed.
"Mistress, it is as you predicted.", one of the girls spoke. "The Library is moving, led by the Blade of Justice, or Magical★Samurai Ruro-tan, as she calls herself now. They are about to head out."
Moerin nodded.
"Well then, make sure they enjoy their journey~ That is, if they even make it past you~"
"Yes, Mistress. We shall head out at once."
The girl rose up and her companion followed.
After another bow the two of them left the hall with quick steps.
"Six Blades and The Lost. Are you sure you want to send such valuable allies into battle already?", Irmingard asked.
"I wouldn't want to disappoint Ruro now by sending someone weak, would I~?"
"You have a point, Mistress.", the maid responded.
"So it begins~ Just as you predicted Rin~ Soon, the time will be upon us~"
Moerin rose up from her throne.
"Come, come Librarians and show me your power~! Try to stop the inevitable like the puny bookworms you are, and despair before my might~! Ufufufufufu~"
She giggled, her voice growing louder and louder, echoing through the hall and evolving into loud laughter.
"Ehehehe~ Ahahaha~ Mwahahahahahahahahahahaa~!"
-----------------------------
On a clearing in the woods, the two girls Moerin had sent out stood and waited.
High above them, they could see several people flying towards them.
The girls grinned.
It was time.
-
The Mistress of Tilde
Doth approve greatly, Tuna
This is... Excellent~
Now, let those puny
Librarians try and fail
To stop me now, hah~!
-
"Your love for me has awakened me from my slumber, Moerin. Only one in whom the tilde runs strong could achieve that.", the soothing voice responded.
I chuckled.
And thank you, Theo, for sending out your best. This promises to be very interesting. :3
-
The Lost
What :<
-
What :<
Search your feelings, you
Know it to be true, Sana~
Ahahahaha~!
-
Poor Donut. :ohdear:
-
Oooooh, I sense an upcoming battle scene! Can't wait to see where this goes, fishy. :3
-
Someone is horning in on my turf there. >: <
...wonder exactly who though...
-
Another great installment in this story. Also interesting choice on me :P
-
Rin doesn't sound very...trustworthy...especially at that "we can spread my name across the land and show those heathens my might" part.
Could this be a different, more diabolical entity than Rin, using Moerin for its own ends? :3
-
You're takin' too long, Bishie-fishie! It's time to find out -
What Makes a Librarian
Two months after the Librarian roster is filled, five months before the Magical Girl Tome Incident, and if that doesn't work out for anyone, there was a time-warp involved
Tinny music could barely be heard from under Tylt's headphones as she stood in place, staring off into space, absentmindedly chewing her ever-present gum. The fact that Esi was standing directly in front of her, literally staring into her, didn't faze the Librarian in the slightest.
A bubble slowly expanded, growing in size at a horrendously slow speed. Esi's fierce gaze locked onto it and seemed determined to burn holes in it by intensity alone.
Only when the bubble finally burst did Tylt actually blink, and look down at Esi. The shorter Librarian was still staring at where the bubble had been.
?Oh. Hi, Esi.?
I think I heard some thoughts coming from it. Are you half-bubblegum, like Sakana is half-tuna?
Tylt blinked, and looked around absently before noticing the book in her hand and the cart next to her. Esi had a matching cart trailing behind her, but it was currently neglected.
The short psyker continued staring, as though trying to peer into Tylt's skull itself. She probably was, actually. It didn't bother Tylt in the slightest, though, and she simply found the appropriate spot in the bookshelf for the tome in her hand and made the deposit.
?Don't think so.?
Esi hmph'd, vocally instead of mentally, and planted a hand on her hip. It doesn't make sense. You're so... boring normally, like everything just washes off your back, and you don't form any concrete opinons on anything... but then you bust out the... uh, magic... and stuff... and you're a totally different person.
?I dunno. Just kinda happens, y'know?? Tylt turned back to her cart, ran her finger along the spines of the books until she found another one that belonged in this aisle. She pulled it out and turned back to face the stacks, and as she did, Esi turned around and scooped up a handful of books off her cart and dumped them unceremoniously on Tylt's cart. Then, as though this were an ordinary occurrence, stepped back and watched Tylt.
Tylt simply glanced down at the new pile of books, checked their spines for the titles and directory numbers, then glanced at Esi.
See, even now! You're not even irritated. You're just looking to see if we're still even, in case I still have more books you could take to balance the loads out. How do you work?! Before Tylt could pick up any of the books Esi had transferred over, she reached out and gathered them back up.
If I'd done that to Chaore I could've expected at least some harsh thoughts.
?Well... I guess I'm just not like that.? Another bubble slowly ? painfully, excruciatingly slowly ? formed before Tylt folded her tongue down on it and forced it to collapse.
Well, yeah. It shows.
?If you want to leave some of those books with me, you can. You know how I can find stuff, right? Including places where books go.?
Nah, I'm good. It'll give me something to do.
Esi turned about and lightly kicked her own cart, pushing it only a scant few inches while she fiddled with her own earbuds. Satisfied they wouldn't jump out on their own accord, she started her own music up and pushed her cart down the aisle, leaving Tylt to her work.
Esi plucked a book off the top of the small pile atop the orderly rows of books on her own cart and checked the spine; it was a biography. Biographies were in the opposite wing of the Library itself, but from where she was standing, it would be a safe journey with only a minimal amount of traps to avoid.
Working under Sakura was a little confusing sometimes, but it was always interesting.
As she passed the desk that Sakana was sitting behind, sorting through files and papers and other assorted secretarial things, a wide-brimmed top-hat began to float alongside her. As it settled to about head-height, a girl's body dropped out of it, landing nimbly on her feet.
Chaore, resident rabbit, wanted Esi for something.
It'd be cheating to poke about and see what she wants... but then, this isn't a game, so there really isn't any cheating, is there? Before she could not-cheat, though, Chaore went ahead and spoiled it for her.
?Hey, Esi. Got an assignment for you ? Erebus requested you, personally, write up the summary for his latest piece. Said it'd be right up your alley. It's waiting for you in the reading lounge, still wrapped up. I'll take over your cart.?
Ah. Righto. You sure?
?Yeah, no biggy. Didn't have much to do, anyways.?
Don't say that too loud, Ruro will hear you.
Chaore smirked. ?C'mon, now, you know better than to think about her. She can see you if you do.?
Esi pointed carefully, making sure to shield her finger with her body so that only Chaore could see it. She was pointing past Sakana, laboring at the desk.
Ruro will be along shortly. She's gonna gather up all those invoices that Sakana's collating and go file them properly. But you know what makes that odd?
Chaore cocked an eyebrow expectantly, nearly losing it under the brim of her top-hat.
She was just in the History section. Like, not more than five minutes ago.
Chaore blinked in shock. ?How deep??
Come on. It's Ruro we're talking about here. How deep do you think she went?
?And she's coming here, now??
Coming down the main hall as we speak.
Chaore shuddered. ?I think I'm gonna go and get busy. That's just... uncanny.?
More like inhuman.
Chaore jabbed a finger at Esi, who put her hands up in surrender. I know, I know. We won't go there, again. But still, for a human... how does she do it?
Rather than answering, Chaore simply shrugged, withdrawing her finger, and turned back to the cart she'd commandeered.
Esi took the hint as well, and scurried down the hall towards the reading lounge, not keen on being spotted idle. Even if she was just a sub-Librarian.
Sakana dipped the fin of her tuna-half into the inkwell and signed her signature on the latest invoice. Despite the Library being completed months ago, more building supplies were being shipped and, and... used, somewhere. Ruro would only grin slyly whenever asked about it, and at that point, Sakana was a little more than afraid to ask.
As she waved the tengu fan ? thoughtfully donated by Tengukami from his newsprint shop ? across the page to dry the ink instantly, Ruro herself stepped up to the desk, grinning contentedly.
?Hiyo, Ruro. How's it going?? Sakana offered up, stacking and setting the pages neatly together before holding them up for Ruro's inspection.
?Ship-shape, Tuna-tan. Is this all of it for today?? She thumbed through the pages ? mostly it was sheets upon sheets detailing the latest shipments themselves, with little actual notarizing needed to be done.
Sakana nodded, rubbing a dark handkerchief across the fin of her floating tuna-half. No point in letting it drip ink everywhere. ?Did you see Esi go by? She was... doing something in regards to my tuna-half when she went by.?
Ruro chuckled and shook her head. ?If you mean 'was Esi doing anything unusual', then, no, if you don't count trying to walk and dance at the same time unusual. Why??
?Earlier, Roukan said that Esi was ?? Before Sakana could finish, a sharp report followed by a choked off shout echoed down the hallway, leading from the reading lounge.
Ruro and Sakana shot a glance down the hall in unison, then locked eyes.
?That was the lounge.? Sakana nodded. ?Did we have any patrons in there??
Sakana paled, and stood abruptly. ?A few. Not many, but a few. I didn't bring my spear with me, if it's anything dangerous. Any chance it was one of your traps??
It was Ruro's turn to pale. ?No, impossible. Esi already went through and disabled them all after they kept tagging her with sleep-darts.?
?Oh, crap.?
That's an understatement, Ruro thought. ?Come on ? we've got to make sure no one was hurt!?
-
FIVE MINUTES PRIOR
No time warps this time though
Ryuu glanced up as Esi strode into the lounge, and waved lightly in greeting.
Hello, Ryuu-kyun.
?You on break?? Ryuu asked, tucking her quill into the center of her book before closing it. It wasn't one of the Library's books, but rather her own tome.
A Librarian's duty never ends! By speaking mentally, Esi had the benefit of maintaining a sarcastic smirk on her face without having to talk through it. The effect was rather uncanny, though, but everyone who came to know Esi had gotten used to her telepathy long ago.
?Oh? Is that so?? Ryuu stood up and dumped her book into the seat she'd just been occupying, and stretched. ?Then what 'duty' is it that you're fulfilling in here? Refilling the coffee pots??
We have coffee pots?
Ryuu froze mid-stretch and blinked at Esi. ?Uh, right.?
Nah. The Librarians are the ones who write up the summaries for the stories, you know. Lo and behold, there's a story here for me to read, and subsequently, summarize. What're you up to? Writing some more?
?Just little notes. Jotting stuff down, and the like. Don't think I'll have anything ready for a little while longer, though, so there won't be anything to summarize from me anytime soon.?
Are you thinking of writing up a new story? We don't summarize updates, y'know.
Esi spotted Erebus' book; it was still wrapped up in the nondescript brown packing paper, sitting innocently on a table next to one of the impressively large ? and very comfy ? lounging chairs. Rather than sit down, though, she simply picked up the book and tore the tape holding the paper together off.
Let's see what we've got here, shall we? Rather than crumple the paper up, she set it carefully aside. There was just something comfortable about the color and texture of the packing paper that Esi enjoyed. She didn't collect it, so much as she just kept it around until someone else threw it away.
Ryuu came across the room and sat down in the chair next to Esi, denying her the spot, as the psyker opened the grimoire with a slight creak of leather.
'An exhaustive study on the workings of a Librarian.' Hmm. Almost sounds like Erebus has been crushing on us. 'I am the gatherer, the collector, to bring all to one place, to study and to learn.' Weird way to start a story.
Ryuu glanced up at the book. ?Uh. Esi? I think the book, just blinked at me.?
Esi shot a confused look down at Ryuu and flipped the book over to look at the cover. The leather-bound cover had an engraving on it that did in fact resemble eyes, but while Esi was looking at it, nothing happened.
?Can you sense anything from it??
This is the Mangekyou Library. I can sense a lot of the more unusual books ? and coming from Erebus, this counts as 'unusual'. They don't blink, normally, though.
She turned the book back over, and froze. What the hell?
?What??
This book isn't complete... Esi thumbed forwards a bit through the book, noting the blank pages. You're the only one with a never-ending book, right? She glanced across the lounge at the tome Ryuu had abandoned.
It's like it's still writing itself.
The last page with writing on it was, in fact, still forming words. 'The links you forge with those around you will allow you to draw strength and deference from them.' What is this, a Persona parody? 'Only through these forced links can you draw that which makes a Librarian who they are from them.' Forced links? What is he going on about?
?That sounds kinda like you, now that I think about it. Y'know, forced links, those around you... like how you communicate. That last bit has me a little worried, though.?
Esi looked around the room, checking to see if she were being set up for some sort of prank, as she turned to the next page.
When she stiffened, and the book nearly slid out of her hands, Ryuu looked up at her. An errant muscle in her cheek was twitching furiously, and her arms were tense, as though she were forcibly flexing every muscle she could. The only part of her that was completely still were her eyes, which remained focused intently on the book itself.
?Esi? Are you alright??
?The links we forge shall be the channels through which we draw the essence of the Library.?
?What? Hey, did you just speak aloud??
?From you, your will, your independence. We claim it for our own.?
Ryuu shifted uncomfortably in her seat as Esi slowly turned her head down to face the seated girl. ?Uh, what??
The tome in Esi's hands seemed to absorb the light around it, becoming a shadow in her grip, before it burst. The explosion blasted Ryuu's chair over, spilling her across the floor, and consuming Esi in the roiling ball of warped shadows.
Though Sakana was a youkai, and Ruro was only human, Ruro was faster. Pacing herself so as not to outrun Sakana was simple enough, and as they neared the lounge, she surged ahead and slid up alongside the archway leading into the lounge.
She fished her Justicia rosary out from under the neckline of her blouse, and grasped it in her hand. The blade formed silently, and she nodded at Sakana.
?Wait. I'll take point. I'm sturdier than you, remember?? Sakana held her hand out, stalling Ruro as she stepped through the doorway -
- and was immediately bowled over backwards as Ryuu threw herself on the fisherwoman.
?What the hell?? Ruro stood upright. Ryuu wasn't normally aggressive, and it showed ? she was ineffectually slapping her fists at Sakana, who was more or less deflecting them, even with the shorter girl atop her.
?Little help, here?? Sakana asked, trying to buck the dragon-girl off her. Ryuu was wordlessly shouting at her, still trying to land a good punch.
Ruro relaxed from her combat stance, and reached over and pinched one of Ryuu's wings, where it met her back. Human or not, she was still strong enough to pluck the smaller girl and lift her off of her co-Librarian. As they parted, Ryuu lashed out with one last punch, and caught Sakana on the chin.
?Ow, dammit. Of course she'd get a lucky shot in. What the hell, Ryuu??
Ruro held Ryuu up by her back, and the little dragon-girl was still thrashing about. ?Ryuu? You alright?? Ruro glanced over at Sakana. ?Any ideas??
?Physically it's Ryuu. But this isn't at all how she normally acts. Want me to go find Esi, see what's wrong?? Sakana paused.
The light clicked on for both of the Head Librarians at the same time. ?Esi!? they said in unison. Ryuu spat a tiny fireball, which immediately petered away to nothingness.
?Hang on a second.? Ruro returned the Justicia blade back to its rosary form, and with her now-free hand, conjured up her Administration Grimoire. ?Binding ? Lock. Ryuu!?
With a muffled squeal, Ryuu dropped to the ground, bound in shining chains. ?That'll keep her occupied 'til we find out what's wrong. Now, c'mon, Esi was supposed to be in the lounge just now -?
?Supposed to be, has been, is no longer. From you, your control, we take it for our own. From you, your determination, we take it for our own.?
Sakana froze halfway through rising off the ground, and whirled around.
Esi was in front of her, wearing a nondescript, shapeless robe of toneless grays. Physically, she looked the same, except her eyes were widened to their furthest. She was staring hard at Sakana.
?What the hell? Esi, are you speaking English??
?Sakana! Something?s wrong ? she just took my Administration book!?
Without bothering to look back to confirm it, Sakana threw herself at Esi, intending to tackle her. With the reflexes granted by psychically knowing what Sakana was going to do before she did it, Esi ducked back out of the way, leaving Sakana to stumble.
The round kick that Esi promptly delivered while the fisherwoman was off-balance sent her to the ground. Ruro snatched the Justicia rosary again, conjuring the blade as Esi launched towards her.
Despite being psychic, and having advanced warning of everything Ruro was going to do, Esi didn't have the reflexes to take proper advantage of her power and youkai strength. She was unable to kick through Ruro's lightning-fast defensive sweeps, parries, and blocks.
After the initial barrage, Esi withdrew, snatched Ryuu and set her upright, then conjured Ruro's own Administration Grimoire. ?Unbind ? Ryuu.?
The shining chains dissolved, and Ryuu bristled, flaring her wings out. Ruro dropped back into a defensive stance ? until she knew what was going on, she wasn't about to launch an all-out offensive.
She didn't have to. As Sakana stirred and started to rise back up, Esi and Ryuu both turned and bolted down the hall towards the main exit of the Library.
?What the hell was that?? Ruro mused as she relaxed, banishing the Justicia Blade back into it's pendant form.
?A round kick. A good one, too. That's gonna be sore in the morning, I'm sure.? Sakana rubbed the side of her head, where her jaw met her neck. Her tuna-half bobbed up, giving a quick wiggle to straighten itself out.
?I'm not sure if you noticed, but that clearly wasn't the Esi we all know and ? uh. Work with.? Ruro stepped past Sakana and glanced into the lounge; everything seemed to be shoved closer to the walls than they were before, and a few chairs and tables were knocked over.
?Sure seems to kick as hard as I remember.? Sakana stepped around Ruro and took in the mild destruction without any outward signs, instead moving further into the lounge and set to work picking up the chairs and righting them.
?Well, for one, she wasn't wearing the typical Librarian uniform ? some kind of robe. Also, have you ever seen her eyes get that wide? Almost looked painful.?
Sakana shrugged, and hefted a recliner back to where it belonged. ?Surprised to see us?? she joked.
?It kind of looked like there was writing in the air behind her. Like, above and behind her head. I can't be too sure ? she was coming at me rather aggressively.?
?I'll grant you that ? Esi was mostly verbally abusive, never physical.?
?She also can't fly, and yet she was hovering in mid-air, throwing her kicks at me. She also seems to have flown out of the Library.?
At this, Sakana stopped and turned around to face Ruro. Her tuna-half continued trying to push a table upright. ?Flying??
?Flying. Fighting. Speaking English. Stealing my Grimoire. She said something to you, too - do you remember what it was??
?No, sorry. That kick must've knocked some screws loose.?
Ruro leaned against the doorway, and placed a finger to her chin. ?This could be troublesome. I can't seem to conjure the Grimoire anymore, either.?
She held her hand out, and a rose blinked into existence in her grip. ?I can still control the space in the Library, at least.?
Sakana blinked at her. ?Since when could you do that?? she asked, incredulously.
Ruro rolled her eyes. ?Since when could tunas float??
?Fine, go be all vague and cryptic. I'll be here, putting chairs and tables back in place.?
-
Hm... Erebus can't be the villian, that's too obvious! Or maybe he is. Who can say?
Kinda curious as to the aim, but amusing so far.
-
ryuu appears and punches someone in the face
I approve
-
Magical loli-dragon Ryuu-chan? This is starting off interesting. Curious to see where this goes :)
-
So a mason has an exact budget he has to meet and maintain, but finds out he has one extra brick left over after he's done with the wall he was working on. So what does he do?
He chucks it up into the air as hard as he can!
They found Chaore sitting at the reception desk, drumming her fingers across the blank writing surface with an empty library cart behind her.
?There you are! It's about time. I figure maybe you guys can explain somethin', and if not, you probably wanna know what's been going on.?
Ruro stopped a few steps past the desk, as though it were an afterthought, and she'd intended to continue right on out the door. ?Hmm. Let me guess; Esi did something strange, right??
Chaore pointed at one of her normally-white bunny ears. ?And Ryuu spat a little fireball at me!? Sure enough, her left ear was darkened. ?Incredibly rude, if I may be so bold.?
Sakana reached out and brushed the top of the floppy ear, knocking some of the soot off. ?Didn't even singe you. Ryuu's fireballs aren't that impressive. They'll come clean. What did Esi do??
?Came right up and grabbed me, turned me around while I was working. Said somethin' about 'your patience is mine', then turned around and left. Then Ryuu spat at me!? Chaore frowned at the memory. ?Very impolite, that was.?
?Your ears will be fine. Did you happen to see if Esi left the Library already or not?? Sakana swatted at Chaore's ear again, clearing it of more soot.
?Didn't look. Just thought Esi was bein' weird, so I went back to work, and didn't realize 'til I was done that she was flying and speaking aloud. In English, no less. Didn't sound like her, though. Sounded like a couple of people talking at once.?
Ruro dabbed her finger on the tip of her tongue and held it up, testing the air. ?Well, I can't sense Esi, though I don't know if that's because she has my Grimoire or if it's because she left. Chaore, how long ago was it that Esi bothered you??
?About five minutes.?
Sakana looked back down the hallway, towards the lounge. ?That would've been immediately after she left us. How long were you here, at reception??
Chaore sat back in Sakana's chair and pondered for a moment. ?About two, three minutes maybe.?
Ruro peeled her gaze away from the door, turning slowly to scan the massive stacks surrounding the lobby. ?So either Esi's left already, or she's still here. Or, more unlikely, she and Ryuu both managed to slip out unnoticed by you as you sat here. Running blindly through the wilderness would be pointless, now that Esi is flying ? there won't be a trail to track, and she could've gone in any direction. We'll hang out here for a bit and see if she comes by for the door. Later, we'll ask Tylt and Roukanken if they saw anything, either.?
?That's cool and all. Now, if you'll excuse me, there's been a rather sudden influx of new authors, and I need to get the summaries for their works drafted up.? Chaore rose from the desk and nodded at the Head Librarians.
Sakana waved as Chaore wandered off. ?Hey, Ruro. Do you think I should get my spear? I can get it and be back in about five minutes.?
Ruro shook her head. ?No, just because Esi's being aggressive doesn't mean we need to hurt her. I still can't shake the feeling that there was something hanging around near her head. She's a psychic ? that could mean literally anything for her, and she may be more susceptible to things like this because of it.?
?I kind of figured she'd be more resilient to it. Hmm. Well, either way, after this is all cleared up, we could ask her about it, y'know?? Sakana pursed her lips together as she thought.
?Why Ryuu??
Ruro glanced back at the fisherwoman. ?Come again??
?Why Ryuu? I mean, I know Esi can bodyjack, but that usually makes her immobile and unresponsive while she's doing it. And we both know Ryuu ? she wasn't acting herself, either. Especially with the violence bit ? she's a lot like Esi in that regards. Probably why they're such good friends ? they can snark each other to their hearts content.?
?You don't think it's a cooperative effort on their part, do you?? Ruro pulled out the Justicia rosary and twirled it around her finger, leaning against the reception desk.
?No. Esi's not acting herself, and she's flying ? she could never do that before, and you remember what happened last time we tried to carry her in the air, right??
?She could at least be willing to trust someone to carry her. I'm pretty sure her fear of heights is genuine; I know she'd go through the effort of faking a personality trait for a practical joke later on down the line, but come on ? you've seen how she reacts to flying, like you said. No, factoring in her suddenly new-found ability to hover at least ? and she flew down the aisles, but that could just be fast hovering ??
?That's flight, don't bother with that 'falling with style' nonsense.?
?? oh, whatever... anyways, considering that, I'm sure this isn't just some elaborate joke on their part. Something is wrong here. Do you know anything about what happened before this all went down??
Sakana shook her head, and circled the desk to take her seat. ?I was here, signing off on the shipments we received, when a faery came along with a wrapped book. There was a note on it, saying it was from Erebus, and asked for Esi to read and summarize it. I sent the faery to the reading lounge to drop it off and had Chaore track Esi down to inform her. Business as usual.?
?Sorting the books is secondary to our initial duties... how often is Esi requested by name, as opposed to the others? Especially compared to the other sub-Librarians.?
Sakana sat back and spun the chair around lazily. ?I don't keep a running tally, but if I had to say, she's the most popular sub-Librarian, but no-where near as requested as any of the proper Librarians. She's always willing to take on a larger workload in that regard, but no one usually asks her to. As such, it's mostly things that she's requested for. She logs more hours as a proofreader than she does in the Index.?
?Business as usual, then. And the other subs??
?Rarely, if ever requested. Again, they get more use as community proofreaders than they do writing summaries. Not to say they don't do summaries, of course, but still. Not nearly as much as Chaore, for example.?
?I think Chaore does all the summaries so she doesn't have to deal with stocking the books. Never seemed to enjoy it.?
Ruro pushed off of the desk and slipped the rosary around her neck once again. ?No sign of Esi. I'm going to go look for Roukan ? keep an eye out over here, okay??
?All four of 'em. You know you're not really supposed to be actually wearing a rosary, right??
?You know that tunas aren't really supposed to be actually floating around, right?? Ruro smirked and strode off.
DYNAMIC DUO dunna nunna nunna nunna naaa
-
I'm confused as to how Chaore could be hit by that fireball. She's supposedly non-existent, so wouldn't that make her intangible? Or is like those games where intangible enemies can only be hit by magic?
-
She's non-existent until she's got a need to be somewhere, and given a form. Then, she's as real as any other person in the Library :o
-
Two stories active at once in the same thread, this is going to be fun, and confusing. Good thing we link all content properly in the OP :3
- Episode 3: Fight, Magical ★ Librarian Squad - Part I
I disliked flying. But I disliked landing even more.
As we quickly descended upon the clearing, Ruro made no intentions of setting me down carefully.
She was too focused on the two figures standing down there, which she had already recognized.
So to avoid getting slammed into the ground I had to let go of her hand while still in the air.
I fell for a second, then hit the ground hard and fell, rolling a few metres on the grass before stopping.
I slowly got up and brushed the dust off my clothes.
'Ouch. But at least I'm not injured. Wouldn't have been too sure of that if I had clung to Rur-'
My thoughts were interrupted by a loud sound, and as I looked up I saw that Ruro had 'landed' in her very own way, leaving a small crater in the ground upon impact.
'-yeah, that's what I expected.'
I heard the other Librarians' feet touching the ground behind me, and then a loud thud accompanied by happy squealing and a dull feeling in my backside.
I didn't even have to turn around to know that this was the feeling of my other half being smashed into the ground at high-speed by Roukan.
She might have found an interesting use for my tuna, but she certainly hadn't mastered it yet.
I avoided looking at the crash, because even if I didn't fully share its senses, seeing a part of you being mistreated is never a pleasant things to behold.
A familiar voice rang out on the clearing.
It came from one of the two girls standing in front of us.
?We have been waiting for you.?
?Yes, that much is obvious. What business do you have with me, Trance??, Ruro responded to the girl while taking some steps towards her.
She smiled at her old friend and extended her hand for a greeting.
?Ruro, watch out!?, Matsy shouted.
Ruro immediately withdrew her hand as something cut the air in front of her.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Trancehime.
The girl was holding her right arm stretched out to the side, and in its hand there was a beautiful slim and straight sword.
?Trance...?, Ruro stammered.
?As a friend, I advise you to leave this place at once. Turn your back and forget about Donut until this is all over. Else I will do what I have to, as you shall not be allowed to hinder Mistress Moerin's plans.?, Trance spoke with a stern expression on her face.
?But...?, Ruro started, only to be interrupted by Matsuri.
?Ruro, it's of no use. She has been absorbed by Moerin's dark powers, strengthened by the curse of the Sealed Book. She probably got one of the pages detailing the evil henchmen.?, the ferret explained.
?So, you mean...?, the red-haired girl asked.
?Yes, if she wants a fight, there is no way around it. We have to save the Princess at all cost, and we can't tolerate any delays. You have to beat her, as Magical★Samurai Ruro-tan?
Matsuri had growled the last words in the direction of Trancehime and her companion, but the dark princess just lowered her sword into another fighting stance and stared at Ruro in silence.
Whatever reaction I expected from my superior, I was wrong.
She didn't hesitate, try to negotiate, ponder the situation in a series of heartwarming flashbacks of the two fighter's friendship, scenes that would be repeated once more after the commercial break.
Instead Ruro showed a wide grin, her hands flew to the hilt of her sword and she rushed forward with her full speed preparing an Iai-style strike on Trancehime.
However, her opponent reacted just as quickly and took several quick steps back to keep her distance.
Then she turned around and dashed away into the woods, looking back over her shoulder with a taunting look signaling Ruro that she was to follow her.
The samurai-girl didn't even slow down but rushed after her opponent, her hand still resting on her sword, ready to strike at any moment.
?Go on ahead everyone, I will take care of this!? was the last thing Ruro shouted as she disappeared from sight.
There was a moment of silence as each of us tried to understand what had just happened in the last few seconds.
Everyone was looking in the direction the two fighters left, a dumbfounded expressions on our faces.
That included the girl that had been waiting for us together with Trancehime.
As I took a closer look at her, I recognized her as Sana, a regular visitor in the library and the only one allowed to wear a hat inside the building.
Rumor had it that horrible things would happen if her hat was ever removed.
Noone knew anything specific about what those things were, some claimed she would transform into a horrible monster, others stated she would simply die on the spot.
If it hadn't been for the latter, people would probably be knocking her hat off all the time to see the former, that was just how this world worked.
?Go ahead? It's not like we even know where we should go?, Chaore was the first one to break the silence. ?Unless...?, she added, slowly turning her head towards the only non-Librarian on the clearing.
The atmosphere changed immediately.
A cold gust of wind blew through the trees as Sana slowly turned her head back towards us.
Her eyes grew wide as she realized the situation she was in.
It was one against five, she was sent here to stop us by force if necessary, and she had information she needed.
I saw Esi and Chaore from the corner of my eye, moving to the sides to surround Sana .
Even from a distance I could see a glint in Esi's eyes as she floated a bit into the air and closed in on Sana, her arm with the flaming-eye-staff outstretched towards the girl.
?Wait... I don't want to fight, can't we.... just talk about it??, she pressed out the words.
??Well, if you were to tell us the name of the place that tilde-woman is hiding at, we could let you go... maybe.??
?I... can't. She will do... horrible things...?, Sana was clearly desperate now.
?More horrible things than we will do to you??
Chaore had sneaked behind Sana and made the girl jump in shock when she suddenly spoke close to her ear.
The bunnygirl and the psychic were clearly enjoying this this a lot.
'Are we sure we aren't the bad guys here, ganging up on her like that?', I thought.
In fact though, only two of us were actively bullying the girl with the hat.
Polaris had taken a few steps back and was watching the show from a distance without a word.
As for me, my only weapon had been taken away, so I couldn't have fought at all right now even if I wanted to.
And Roukan, her speciality was summoning writing tools as projectiles, but seeing as she was happily bobbing around on my tuna like a child, there was no reason to believe she was capable of a fight.
?Uhm... I like reading!?, Sana shouted as a last resort when Esi and Chaore closed in on her even more.
??Everyone likes reading once the Librarian Squad is done with them.??, Esi replied mentally.
There was another moment of long silence as Sana's tearful eyes stared into Esi's maniacally shining ones.
Then...
?Nonne Satsuki Tristis?, Esi said, this time using her real voice.
?Huh??
I was confused.
This didn't sound like German, which was usually the only thing she really 'spoke'.
Was it some sort of code?
The I noticed Esi had turned around and was looking at Polaris.
There was also a look of utter shock and disbelief on Sana's face.
At that moment I realized, what Esi had said was the name of the place we were looking for.
Sana had lost control of her thoughts and thought of the name she didn't want to let slip, allowing Esi to read it from her mind.
Polaris nodded and stepped forward.
Again there was an illusion of the night sky and the glittering stars
'Just like before, was it the wrong name?'
Suddenly, one of the stars in the illusion lit up brightly, and I reecognized it as the North Star with the help of nearby constellations.
Its light grew brighter and then it started to move.
At first slowly, so that I thought my eyes were just playing tricks on me.
As the movement became faster and faster, everyone could see it clearly.
The star left its original positions and flew into a straight line for several seconds, then started to orbit over Polaris' position in circles.
'Any second now! It will probably fly off in the direction we need to go to guide us!'
I was getting excited as I watched the star circle around.
'Any second...'
It circled some more.
?....?
Something was not right here.
?This isn't supposed to happen, is it??, Chaore asked, her voice sounding annoyed.
Polaris cancelled the illusion and sighed with a displeased look.
?No, it's not. I'm sure the name was right, else the star wouldn't even have appeared, but something blocked it and made it lose its way...?, she replied.
?It got lost??, Roukan asked.
The moment she spoke those words, something clicked in my mind.
I could see in the other Librarians' eyes that they were thinking the same thing as me.
'Lost...'
Our heads simultaneously turned around to look at the girl that was still with us on the clearing.
She had her hands stretched out towards us, her eyes closed and her body shaking as she used her power.
?How did I forget that? Of course, this girl excels in getting lost, to the point where she has developed the power to inflict the same state on others.?, Polaris explained.
?Like a curse??, I asked.
?You could say that. As long as she isn't weakened, I won't be able to do anything. So...?, Polaris started to walk towards Sana as she spoke.
??We beat her???, Esi's voice sounded excited.
?No, I will beat her. This is personal. You all go and try to find Ruro again, so we can move on quickly in a bit.?
Noone objected.
This was the kind of situation where it was just common courtesy, and the stereotypical thing to do, to let the person that was going to stay behind do their thing and move on.
Chaore ran towards the part of the woods Ruro disappeared into, Esi following close behind her.
As she passed Sana she the eye on her staff dart around to look directly at the girl, causing her to shriek in terror and almost fall down.
I grabbed Roukan by the arm and dragged her, and the half of me she was sitting on, with me as I followed the others.
Two battles were about to begin, a battle of blades, a battle of sounds.
Who would fall, who would walk away victorious?
Find out after the commercial break!
Sorry for being a tease about the actual fight-scene. I will get to it on the next update, which will be written on Sunday. Until then, I take it we will see more from Esi's story :3
-
Good gravy, the bullying :<
-
?Uhm... I like reading!?, Sana shouted as a last resort when Esi and Chaore closed in on her even more.
??Everyone likes reading once the Librarian Squad is done with them.??, Esi replied mentally.
Oh my word, that's kind of terrifying.
:ohdear:
....
....
... >:D
-
One with the power to find, the other with the power to lose (things). This is the fight of the century!
Or, a match made in heaven.
PolarisxSana OTP
-
WHAT
YOU ARE BULLYING SANA
I WILL END YOU
Quick Edit: I would like to write a mini-contribution to the thread, from my outsider's perspective. No promises though; I haven't a creative bone in my body.
-
No issue there, go for it :D
-
Ohohohoho. Battle scenes are coming up. I can't wait. :3
-
After leaving the Library, Esi and Ryuu veered off immediately and cut across the front of the gargantuan building. Once they'd finally come abreast of the structure, Esi stopped and touched down, with Ryuu landing behind her and turning around to keep watch.
The terrain the Library sat on was tame, for the most part. Very few extraordinary geographical features encroached on the land, the most exotic of which was a small copse of trees.
That was about to change.
Esi held her hand out, and Ruro's Administration Grimoire fell into it. Knocking the thick front cover aside, she used it as a mana battery powering a psychokinetic wedge. With her telepathy scrying the earth in front of her, she was able to force a rocky outcropping to burst up from the ground, forming an archway, and promptly began tunneling.
She strode forward, pushing ahead to keep up with the end of the tunnel, guiding the creation magics from the tome with her mind, binding light to her free hand and holding it aloft to light the way. Ryuu slipped into the cave behind her, keeping back to stay out of Esi's way.
After circling three times whilst descending, she finally straightened out and formed a level tunnel. She'd orientated it so it would extend along the side of the Library, rather than creep away from the Archives, and trying to head into the space beneath it would be counter-productive; she hadn't gone deep enough to pass the basement levels yet.
The tunnel continued for only fifty yards, before she stopped altogether and began working around her. The end of the tunnel widened, until it became a room, until it became a cavern. The walls gently sloped inward, until they met in a dome at the top of the room, nearly forty feet above. Into the walls themselves, rows upon rows of indentations formed, separated by small wedges and the occasional ladder.
In the middle of the room, a small dais rose out of the floor, and a simple chair formed on it. Esi strode over and sat down, turning the chair ? though it were still made of, and rooted in, rock ? until it properly faced the tunnel she'd just formed. Finally satisfied, she drew up a semi-circle desk around the chair.
Once the furnishings were complete, Esi snapped the Grimoire shut and banished it. A shadow of the book appeared inside one of the indentations next to the tunnel entrance.
?A good start. First, to complete the Librarian, then, to complete the Library.?
Roukan shot a glance up and down the stacks, checking the aisles to make sure she were alone, and then sank down onto her cart. She'd been up for the past two days straight, writing up a storm, working in the Library, and writing some more. Her unique ability to conjure, and control, writing utensils meant she could draft up several stories at once ? and she'd been making ample use of the technique.
She stretched her arms out, and unleashed a mighty yawn.
When she dropped her arms back to her side and opened her eyes again, Esi was standing between her and the bookshelf in front of her ? a rather intimate space, given how close Roukan's cart had been to the books. Esi's eyes were widened to their fullest, and her pupils were twitching about erratically, as though trying to focus on every aspect of Roukan's face at once.
?Whoa! Esi! Where'd you come from??
Sakana's chin was getting rather sore, but she was too tired and bored to do anything about it. Instead, she simply sat at her desk, staring at the door. Nobody - least of all, Esi - had passed through in the past half-hour, and Sakana's attention was wandering. Her tuna-half was slowly spiraling about its center-line, apparently bored as well.
Suddenly, she realized she was hearing something; a strange sound was getting louder.
Getting louder? That usually means it's getting closer...
Sakana peeled her chin off the desk ? her skin had started sticking to the cooler material long ago ? and looked up, just as Roukan came rocketing down from one of the aisles and vaulted the desk, catching her tuna-half in mid-air and clutching it tightly to her chest. Sakana gasped as the shock was transferred from one body to the other, and turned her chair to see where Roukan had unceremoniously plopped herself on the floor, crying into the tuna-half ? the strange sound that was responsible for the doppler affect earlier.
?Roukan! What's wrong? And, uh, couldja loosen up a little bit? You're making it kind of hard to breath.?
?It was ? it was Esi! She came and she ? she ? she, she stole from me!? Roukan bawled into the tuna, still clutching it tightly, as though it were a pillow.
Sakana sucked in a deep breath, still feeling tight around the chest because of Roukan's power-hug, and leaned down in her chair. ?Hang on ? Esi came to you??
?Yuh-huh! She scared me at first, because I thought I was alone in the bookshelves, and then, and then, she was there all of a sudden, and stuff happened, and -?
?Calm down, Roukan. It's alright, you're okay, and Esi isn't here right now. You're fine.?
?But, but, Esi stole from me! She said she was gonna take my experience!?
What? Experience? Wait, she took Ruro's 'control'... and that manifested as her Grimoire... she took Chaore's 'patience', and that made Chaore... what? Short-tempered? Overly impatient? She finished that cart of books in a damned hurry. Maybe it just made her faster and more efficient?
Sakana froze. What was it that she said she was taking from me? Oh, crap.
Roukan sniffled, and Sakana snapped back into focus again and looked down at the sobbing girl. Sure enough, she actually seemed diminished; her uniform was more slack than it had been when she'd come in this morning. Is she smaller?
As Roukan's crying slowly winded down, Sakana dropped down out of the reception-desk's chair and squatted down in front of the Librarian, studying her. Roukan ran a sleeve across her damp eyes, and stared back at Sakana.
Something about Sakana's inquisitive expression must've set Roukan off, because she immediately started bawling again, choking the tuna-half harder as though it were a less-live object ? like a plush toy or a blanket.
Blinking back the lightheaded sensations caused by the deathgrip Roukan had around her other half, Sakana was able to ascertain; yes, Roukan was slowly getting smaller.
Her experience...? It seems like its manifesting by sapping her maturity. Sakana stood up and cast about, looking for signs of Ruro. I hope it stops at some point, or we're gonna have to get some toddler-sized uniforms made up for Roukan. And I seriously hope this is fixable.
?Roukan? Hey. Stay here, okay? You'll be alright behind the desk. And you've got... uh... me, there. Alright??
Roukan's eyes were glistening, wet, and growing to the size of saucers as she gazed up at Sakana and nodded solemnly. Holy hell, that's dangerous. The fisherwoman turned quickly and put distance between her and the desk, heading into the Library proper.
OH NOES NOT ROUKAN TOO
WILL ANYONE BE ABLE TO STOP ESI
(Spoilers: yes)
-
Clearly I'll get fed up with this Esi bullshit as I don't have the patience to wait for you guys to sort it out and then kick her ass.
I mean, it's the only obvious solution.
-
I do get this experience back, right? I'm not the token loli forever, right?
Not that I'd MIND, because being the token loli makes school swimsuits more viable :V
-
Here's the promised battle. Even if it is only one of two so far, because it turned out longer than expected.
And the last few lines probably show I wrote it after midnight, couldn't think of good phrasing there.
Anyway, enjoy~
- Episode 3: Fight, Magical ★ Librarian Squad - Part II
'Musou Jikiden Eishin-ryuu - Nuki Tsuke'
Ruro didn't stop when she saw the girl she was following slow down.
She rushed in at constant speed, waited for the right distance and then drew her sword in a well-practiced and elegant movement.
She would have liked to make this a proper battle, but there was no time to lose.
It would end quickly.
Of course she was holding her blade in reverse, striking with its back.
Killing anyone was not her intention, even in the heat of a battle she kept to that ideal.
*cling*
?Wha...?
Ruro's eyes widened in surprise.
Trancehime was directly in front of her, looking into her eyes.
'She shouldn't have had the time to...'
Ruro felt pressure on her blade and looked down.
Her strike had been blocked before her sword was even completely out of her scabbard.
And it had been blocked by a completely identical move by Trancehime, whose sword was half-drawn as well and crossed with Ruro's to obstruct its path.
'That can't be. She didn't have a katana before!'
As if she could read her thoughts, Hime narrowed her eyes and smiled.
When she felt Ruro reducing the pressure on her blade she moved back slightly, sheathing her sword again fully.
Ruro snapped out of her surprise and jumped back to leave the range of the strike that the girl in front of her was preparing.
But it never came.
Instead, Trancehime bowed slightly before Ruro, then drew her sword fully and prepared a new stance, all the while keeping a slight smile on her lips.
It was an invitation to a dance of the blades, and Ruro would not decline.
?Keep your focus, Magical★Samurai Ruro-tan. She is well-known for her skills, don't underestimate her.?, Matsuri whispered.
?You don't need to tell me. I have been waiting for a chance to fight her one on one for so long.?, Ruro answered, a confident grin returning to her face as well.
?Couldn't you just have asked for some sparring??
?Quiet, you! A master does not ask for sparring like a mere disciple!?
?So it's your silly prid-? Matsuri was cut off by the sudden glint of a sword-tip in front of her eyes.
'Yagyuu Shinkage-ryuu'
Ruro had drawn her sword, and she prepared her stance as well.
She held low at her side, the tip pointing away from her enemy, a stance from which she could easily strike down all incoming attacks.
Slowly she closed in on Trancehime, her eyes focused on those of the other girl, keeping herself from blinking so she would not miss a single movement.
Then it happened.
The moment Ruro came within range, Trancehime leapt forward, slashing downwards towards Ruro's shoulder.
There was no way she could get her sword up to block the strike in time.
But that was never Ruro's plan.
'Ittou Ryoudan'
The strike that Hime was executing was exactly what she had been provoking.
As soon as she saw her opponent moving Ruro withdrew her left foot and turned her body while simultaneously moving her sword upwards in an arc, then bringing it down hard while targeting Hime's wrist.
Hime let out a short yelp of pain as her hand was struck hard.
She brought her sword, which had missed Ruro when she turned, up again and smashed against Ruro's blade with all her might.
Using the opening created she stumbled back a few steps and quickly checked her hand.
There was a slight swelling where the back of the sword had hit her, but that seemed to be all.
Had the strike hit her wrist it might have broken her bones, ending the fight right there.
She thanked the heavens for her luck and looked up again.
Ruro hadn't missed that she was distracted and was already closing in again.
The two duelists exchanged a number of blows, equally matched in speed and strength.
Suddenly Ruro spotted an opening in Hime's attacks.
When the girl aimed a horizontal strike for her left side, the red-haired librarian quickly moved her feet apart and lowered her body until she almost sat on the ground, but still held a firm stance.
'Usen Saten'
She stepped forward, slipping under the strike that was aimed for her.
As the danger had passed she brought her sword up together with her body, aiming for the still outstretched sword-arm of her enemy.
Trance barely reacted in time.
She moved her feet and twisted her body, spinning around with her arm still outstretched so that the upward strike would pass behind her back.
She felt the cold wind of the stell passing her rapidly.
This hit would surely have smashed her arm.
She didn't stop, however.
Hime continued her spin, using the momentum to deliver another powerful horizontal slash at Ruro, this time aiming for her neck.
Ruro brought her blade to her front, the handle held over her head, blade pointing to the ground, to stop the hit.
The force of it resonated through her blade and numbed her hands, and she had trouble withstanding the pressure Trancehime was putting forth.
When she felt her hands almost give way to the pressure, she was forced to take a step back from the deadlock.
The moment she stepped she immediately brought her blade into an upright position again, preparing for the next strike, but it didn't come.
Hime was calmly positioning herself again.
'Is she giving me time to prepare on purpose?', Ruro thought.
The idea made her angry.
Was that girl not taking her serious as an opponent?
This was dishonorable.
Ruro raised her blade up to her head and held it horizontally while lowering her body.
As Hime saw that she stormed forward again and swung her sword down onto her crouching opponent.
Ruro grinned.
This battle was over.
'Tensetsu Ransetsu'
She took a small step back to let the sword pass her, then brought down her own blade swiftly, aiming for her opponent's hands.
Hime reacted in time, pulling up her weapon again to smash Ruro's strike to the side.
The swords clashed, but Ruro wasn't done yet.
She quickly raised her sword again, the upward movement another slash that threatened to hit Hime's arm.
The girl took one hand off her sword and swung her arm out of the way, leaving herself completely open.
When Ruro had reached her initial position, she repeated her downward strike, taking a step forward at the same time.
Trancehime swung her sword again, and manage to deflect another hit, but the sword aiming for her was already coming back from below.
Up and down, up and down.
With precision and speed, growing faster with every strike even, Ruro continued the attack.
Each repitition made if harder for Trancehime to react and she was forced back constantly under the heavy blows.
And then she staggered.
Not being able to keep up with Ruro's speed, Trancehime lost her stance and was thrown back, her blade flying from her hands onto the ground.
Ruro jumped forward to deliver the final blow, raising her sword high over her head to make sure she would knock the girl out properly.
She brought down the sword with all her might.
?
?...
?......
?.....?
Nothing moved.
?......?
A gust of wind passed through the trees,
?That was a good fight?, Trancehime said.
?Why...?
?I admit, that was rather close. The talk about your skills is certainly justified.?
?How...?, Ruro's voice sounded dumbfounded.
?Did you forget who you are fighting??, Hime asked, looking into Ruro's eyes from a close distance.
Ruro's sword had been stopped.
At one moment, she had been striking directly at a defenseless, disarmed girl.
Then she had felt resistance.
But it was not the feeling of a blade connecting with a body, it was the feeling and sound of steel clashing on steel.
Trancehime had blocked her final blow with two chinese blades.
She held them crossed so that Ruro's blade was caught in between them, and she held the defense with a firm stance once again.
'But she didn't carry any swords with her! And summoning them that fast should be impossible...', Ruro thought, when her eyes suddenly caught something.
The diadem that Trancehime wore on her head looked different than before.
Ruro narrowed her eyes, then opened them in surprise as she recalled something.
The gem that formed the centerof Hime's diadem was split into six parts.
Right now though, only three of those parts were present.
'That's right... Six Blades...'
Within a moment it all made sense.
How she had switched weapons so quickly before.
How she had drawn not only one but two swords within a split-second.
Trancehime, the sword-princess, possessed six legendary blades, each of which she could store as a gem and summon at any time.
And, the rumors continued, she had attained mastery with each of the swords.
'I can't let her gain the upper hand! I have to end this fast!'
The sudden change to a dual-wield style had shocked her at first, but as she recalled her training Ruro realized that they had already ended up in a perfect situation for her.
'Chiraten!'
She put some more pressure onto Hime's swords to force her to move.
Just as planned the girl withdrew her left sword and struck forward with the right.
Immediately Ruro knocked aside the blade in Hime's right hand and focused on the left one.
Noone could use two swords at exactly the same time, they had to use them in quick succession to be effective.
So the first hit was a feint, the real strike would come from Hime's left.
And sure enough, the girl moved just as predicted and raised her left arm again.
If she were to follow the technique properly Ruro would have struck for her opponent's left hand now.
But she wouldn't need that.
Hime had been thrown off her balance and was wide open for a strike to the head.
Ruro raised her blade and struck once more.
She saw that Hime managed to raise her blade, but it was too late.
She would need both blades to stop such a hit.
And then Trance smiled.
The blades connected, but the resistance only lasted for a moment.
Then Trancehime's sword gave way and tilted to the side.
Ruro twitched.
This was not right.
Hime's hand was not shaking, the grip on her sword was firm.
The movement of the blade wasn't that of being knocked out of the way either.
Too late did she notice that this was not her forcing her way through the girl's last defense.
On the contrary, this was Trancehime misdirecting her strike and its power ever so slightly with a refined technique.
Ruro had never seen that kind of move before.
?You look surprised. Did you expect me to only use the Japanese techniques you know of? Please, there is far more to the art of the sword than that.?, Hime said, and then she struck.
It happened incredibly fast.
Hime raised her second blade and let it take the first one's place in blocking Ruro's sword, then she took the now free sword, quickly turned it in her hand and slashed its back forcefully the librarian's face.
The red-haired girl let out a scream at the sudden pain and stumbled back, one hand on her face, attempting another strike at Hime, this time from the side.
But again the strike was blocked without much effort by the sword-princess stepping forward into the path of the sword, catching the hit with her own blade and redirecting its force to the side, stopping it completely.
Because she had struck with only one hand, having her strike blocked like this left Ruro completely open.
She felt a hit on her arm that made her feel numb and almost caused her to drop her sword, then two quick slashes across her stomach.
One more strike from above onto her shoulder, another one to the side of the head.
Then Hime moved around her, striking her side with the handle of her sword and striking at Ruro's leg.
The librarian tried to turn around, but already the enemy was behind her, striking her back with three quick hits.
Ruro stumbled, managing to face her attacker again, only to be greeted with the handles of both blades being rammed into her stomach immediately.
Then she felt a last hit, this time with both swords at one, on her arm, and her sword dropped to the ground.
Ruro sunk to her knees.
The had been defeated by this unknown technique that was so unlike the ones she had experienced so far.
Sure, if she got enough training she would one day be able to beat even that.
But right now, she had lost.
Now, when it counted the most.
When Donut was waiting for her.
When the fate of the world rested on her success.
When everyone was relying on her to take care of this situation.
She felt herself getting close to tears as Trancehime turned her back and slowly started to walk away.
'Is there nothing I can do....?', she asked herself.
?Don't give up!?
'But I can't fight anymore....'
?You are not allowed to give up!?
This voice was getting annoying, she just wanted to close her eyes and rest.
?Look, either you pull yourself together now or I will bite your ear off!?
'Why should I-WHAT?'
Ruro's eyes flew open and she turned her head only to find herself staring into the face of the ferret that had been with her all the time.
She had forgotten about it in the heat of the battle.
?You are Magical★Samurai Ruro-tan, the hero of justice! You can't give up like this!?
'She's right... This is unjust...'
?There must be something you can do! THINK!?, Matsuri was screaming frantically now.
Ruro's eyes, which had dulled upon her defeat, regained their light.
Her body tensed up and her gaze darted around lively as she tried to come up with a plan.
She still have more swords with her, but she would only lose to Hime's strange style again.
She needed something else.
A magical sword for example.
Something powerful.
But there was nothing around to- her eyes came to a rest on the small creature on her shoulder.
'Maybe it will work!'
?Wait, why are you looking at me like that, Ruro??, the ferret asked with a concerned voice.
?Come here!?
Ruro's hand reached out and roughly grabbed the ferret, holding it outstretched in front of her.
?What are you trying to do??, there was now fear in the rodent's voice.
?I've read about this in a book! It won't hurt... probably! Just do what I tell you!?, Ruro said quickly.
She brought her head near the ferret and whispered some words, which Matsuri responded to with a nod.
She took a deep breath, then recited:
?Power of Justice that sleeps within me. Heed your master and come forth!?
To Matsuri's surprise, the words had an effect.
The ferret flew up into the air a bit and a ball of light formed on it's chest.
The ball grew brighter, the exposed the handle of what seemed to be a blade.
Ruro jumped forward and grabbed the handle hard, pulling it as she herself recited another set of lines:
?Grant me the power to bring the world revolution!?, she shouted and with one swift move drew a blade from the ferret's body.
?...?
?...?
Both Ruro and Matsuri were silent.
Ruro was definitely holding a blade, but...
?This is not what I expected.?
?Well, how would you get anything bigger out of my small body!?
?You could just have put more effort into it!?
?So now it's my fault? Maybe you should have pulled harder!?
What Ruro had received was what looked like a miniature sword put onto a handle of normal size.
It was impossible to use in combat, and certainly held no special powers.
Trancehime, who had put away her swords and was about to leave, turned around at the commotion.
Her expression changed from alerted to surprise and then to amusement.
She tried hard to hold back her laughter at the scene in front of her, but some chuckles still escaped her.
Immediately Ruro sent the miniature-blade in her hand flying towards the sword-princess with an angry look.
Trancehime didn't even step to the side, she only twisted her body to the side slightly to make the projectile miss her.
And just as the turned back, something hit her.
Right when she had evaded the blade Ruro had thrown something else, and it had found its mark.
Hime felt fur on her face and four little claws scratching her skin as they tried to grab hold of her face and climb up.
She panicked and flailed her arms, trying to knock off whatever was there on her head, but the creature was quicker.
It climbed up and grabbed hold of the gem in Hime's diadem, then pulled hard.
With a *plop* both the attacker and the gem fell to the ground and Ruro immediately jumped forward to seize the source of Hime's weapons.
Hime was dumbfounded.
She couldn't believe she let that happen.
The mistress would be angry, very angry.
But it couldn't be helped.
She had done her best, and she had lost to something stupid.
It was frustrating, but she accepted what happened.
With a sigh and a slight smile Hime walked over to the next tree and sat down.
In the distance, the voices of the other Librarians could be heard as they came closer in their search for Ruro.
Yes, all of the techniques in the battle exist, and it should be possible to use them in reality the way I described them. Having Yagyuu Munenori's "Way of the samurai" on the shelf helped for the research here. What Hime uses in the end is Wing Chun, a Chinese martial art I have practiced myself for several years. It's rather scary how a master of it can supposedly counter pretty much every move you can attack them with.
-
Ha ha ha, brilliant victory. I always knew Matsy would come in handy somehow.
-
....
.....
8)
That was... I totally did not see any of that coming. Can't wait to see what happens next, fishy. :o
Ha ha ha, brilliant victory. I always knew Matsy would come in handy somehow.
I try :<
-
Managed to get around to reading everything finally, so I am only responding to it now!
I must say, that's quite a creative victory. Hehe
-
A bubble slowly expanded, growing in size at a horrendously slow speed.
Another bubble slowly ? painfully, excruciatingly slowly ? formed...
Magnifies Esi's irritation to Tylt's...non-irritation/boring-ness.
Wow. I didn't expect the...psyker to be the one irritated, of all people/Librarians to be irritated. Heh. xD
Also, woooords~. I had to look up several words in a dictionary~. >.< (That's just me not familiarizing myself to words I should've learned years ago, and words like "report" having a meaning I didn't know it has.)
...I haven't read Esi's 3rd part (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg526332.html#msg526332) and Sakana's Ep3 of Magical ★ Librarian Squad (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg526735.html#msg526735) yet -- and eep, apparently two more story updates o_o;; -- at this point, sorry >.<;;. But my anticipation to be able to read it is just......<3
Replies to previous stories. Sorry I had it piled up. >_<;;
----------
The obligatory bikini episode~ (by Rou) (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg417756.html#msg417756)
I was chuckling so hard like how I think Esi...*cough* Magical ★ Mindreader Esi-tan would've chuckled.
That, and I can't take off my grin the whole time I was reading! >/////<;;
----------
-Episode 2: Move out, Magical ★ Librarian Squad (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg495056.html#msg495056)
I remember that one thought I heard from a TV show that "Penguins, as species of birds, are flying under the sea" instead of flying in the air like most bird species do. It's so nice hearing that kind-of-similar thought here; Sakana's tuna half able to fly...or rather, swim for exacting fishy terms of moving around while her own self...well, letting her tuna-half live out of water, for my thought. =w=
Aahaaa, so this is where all that "T-T-T-TELL ME" came from. :V (I'm more or less half a year late, I know. >.<)
----------
- Episode 2 Another: Darkside - (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5020.msg504627.html#msg504627)
Listened to the proposed background music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKLpJtvzlEI) while reading.
- [3:22] "Good afternoon, Rin~"
- [4:00] Silence.
Gaaah, this is just...brilliant! >w<
I had to re-read though to completely understand it. I had imbalanced attention to what I just listened and what I read(past tense), especially if the music is grand @_@;;...
Unrelated: I remember hearing this music from one of Walfas' Daily Flash. The 200th daily flash to be specific, I think... Gave me the...(good kind of) chills. ><
-
I must say, that's quite a creative victory. Hehe
Spoilered just in case for those that haven't read the update yet:
The very first idea was to have Ruro draw a real sword out of Matsy, then it got changed to the mini-sword/a dagger, which was supposed to be thrown and shatter the diadem. But seeing how Hime showed good reflexes in the battle, why would it hit her in such a situation? So instead it became a distraction-mini-sword and the final ferret-throw
:3
-
So did Trance hit Ruro with the sides of her blades too, or are Trance's swords the dullest swords in the entire world?
Or is Ruro made out of iron?
-
So did Trance hit Ruro with the sides of her blades too, or are Trance's swords the dullest swords in the entire world?
Or is Ruro made out of iron?
Ruro's so fast that she jumped apart at the atomic level to let the blades pass harmlessly through her 8)
-
Ruro's so fast that she jumped apart at the atomic level to let the blades pass harmlessly through her 8)
I mentioned that Hime used her blades' backs. There is no reason for her to cut apart Ruro after all :P
Yeah what Esi said :derp:
-
I mentioned that Hime used her blades' backs. There is no reason for her to cut apart Ruro after all :P
I don't see any mention of that, though. Only Ruro thought/said that she wouldn't want to cut apart Hime. Hime didn't say anything like that whatsoever, and the fact you used 'slash' instead of 'hit' or 'smack' or something like that makes it sound like Trance is slicing Ruro up. The type of Chinese sword wasn't specified either. If it was specified that she's wielding two daos or some other form of saber then the back of the sword wouldn't cut Ruro, but it might as well have been a double edged sword. And I don't see how you can 'slash' someone across the chest in a cross without cutting them. If it really were daos/sabers the tips might have cut her after all. Unless they're decorative swords that are dull on all edges.
-
I don't see any mention of that, though. Only Ruro thought/said that she wouldn't want to cut apart Hime. Hime didn't say anything like that whatsoever, and the fact you used 'slash' instead of 'hit' or 'smack' or something like that makes it sound like Trance is slicing Ruro up. The type of Chinese sword wasn't specified either. If it was specified that she's wielding two daos or some other form of saber then the back of the sword wouldn't cut Ruro, but it might as well have been a double edged sword. And I don't see how you can 'slash' someone across the chest in a cross without cutting them. If it really were daos/sabers the tips might have cut her after all. Unless they're decorative swords that are dull on all edges.
Cut != cleaving or slicing a person apart.
I think you're reading too much into this.
Generally, "chinese swords" are assumed to be daos anyway
-
I think you're reading too much into this.
Pretty much that. I didn't even think that far, really.
I used 'slash' to make the kind of motion that was used clear, and I assumed "back of the sword" would be enough to imply she wasn't using the edges :V
(Also, it was not a cross-hit. Going from Hime's initial position both hits come from the same direction and hit the same place )
-
Also, it WAS mentioned that Trance was using the backs of the blades as well, but because of the grammar stumbling about a wee bit clumsily, it isn't readily apparent. If I'm not mistaken, the best example is when Trance starts to turn it back around on Ruro and whacks her in the face.
Also ruro was jumping around the blades on a molecular level
-
Also ruro was jumping around the blades on a molecular level
8)
(Also I find the whole "Ruro only knowing kenjutsu" thing funny, if only because Trance gave Iji-Ruro the Chinese-inspired Watojutsu moveset a while back :3)
-
(Also I find the whole "Ruro only knowing kenjutsu" thing funny, if only because Trance gave Iji-Ruro the Chinese-inspired Watojutsu moveset a while back :3)
1) I thought we established everyone has their own version of that stuff
2) I can't even recall where that happened
3) It wouldn't have changed a thing at all anyway about the outcome of the battle, unless Watojutsu includes the Wing Chun techniques :P
-
2) I can't even recall where that happened
It happened in my Ijiyatsu Fighting Game thread where I gave some characters their own movesets.
-
[06:08] <BasaraSakana> It was a thrown ferret to be fair ( ' 3')
[06:09] <@Esi> I'd like to meet the master who trains to defend against Ninja Throwing Ferrets
[06:09] <@Esi> cuz then I could say I met a certifiably crazy person \o/
[06:09] <BasaraSakana> Hime will teach it if she ever has students
[06:09] <BasaraSakana> Just as Ruro will teach her students to always have a ferret handy
[06:09] <BasaraSakana> Can you imagine old Hime talking to a student
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "And now I will tell you the final teaching of our school"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Yes, master?"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Always...:"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Yes?"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Always... watch out for the ferret. Always expect it! Never let down your guard! The ferret is everywhere!"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "...."
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "..."
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> ".... okay?"
[06:10] <Ryuu> cue ferret
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> *ferreted*
:derp:
-
why am I awake at 6:10 in the morning talking about throwing ferrets at ninjas
-
Suddenly MORE MINDHAX
except not really
Ruro leaned against the archway separating the History section from the rest of the Library. Part of her wanted to dive in and bury her nose in a good story, but another part of her knew she couldn't afford to right now ? that she needed to resolve this issue with Esi.
Maybe just a little? She drummed her fingers across her chin, contemplating. There was so much good reading to be had in the history of the past ? a lot of speculation on the Dark Ages, all the tales of chivalry from the Renaissance, the founding of the Nation States, the feudal era of Japan, and all that vibrant history of Rome and Greece ? not to mention the rich mythology of each different culture! Oh, it was glorious.
?Hiyo, Ruro. Be ready; Esi's back, and she found Roukan.?
That brought things into perspective for Ruro. There's work to be done, and someone was tampering with her Librarians.
?She came in through the front??
Sakana shook her head. ?No, I've been watching it. Nobody ? not even regular patrons ? had come through since you left the desk. My guess? Through one of the windows, or perhaps a second-floor balcony. Maybe even the battlements.?
?That would be troublesome. We don't have the manpower to guard all the potential entrances. How's Roukan doing, what did Esi take from her??
?Her experience. Not sure how that's going to manifest for Esi, but Roukan has regressed mentally. She was crying because Esi was, well, more or less, bullying her.? Sakana turned and gestured vaguely behind her. ?Note the distinct lack of my other half. Roukan's using it as a security blanket right now.?
Ruro blinked. ?I didn't know you could get away from it.?
?I can't, normally. But if something?s holding it back while I'm going somewhere ? or someone grabs it and drags it through the air ? a considerable amount of distance can be put between me and it.?
?So, would that explain, if for example, someone had taken it from you a ways and then let go of it, it'd come back to you on it's own?? Ruro grinned.
?...where are you going with this? Yes, it finds its way back to me on it's own. We're of one entity.?
?Any idea how much lift it generates??
Sakana hesitated, thinking the situation through, trying to spot the hidden joke at her expense. ?...No, no idea. And no, I won't let you lasso it to the returns desk and attach bundles of books to it while I'm organizing the stacks so you can refill my workload while I'm 'in the field'. That would be like me borrowing your swords to spread butter on toast.?
Ruro's grin turned into a full-fledged smile, and she pointed past Sakana. ?No, that's not what I had in mind. I was thinking more like a mount.?
Sakana frowned as she turned around, then froze. What have I ever done to deserve the punishment and ridicule I get while working here? I thought this was a good thing I was doing, working here.
Roukan, who had apparently stabilized at the size of a young teenager, was gently cruising through the air towards them ? sitting side-saddle atop Sakana's tuna-half. The floating fish didn't seem to have any issues with its current use as a beast of burden ? its face was still blank, mouth gaping in an eternal grin.
Sakana pointed at the tuna. ?You are such a traitor, you know that??
?Now, now, Moe-Moe Sakana-tan, it's not healthy to talk to yourself like that.? Ruro nudged her as she stepped by to address Roukan. ?How are you feeling, Roukan? Sakana tells me Esi wasn't very polite to you.?
Roukan nodded and sighed. ?She was kinda mean. Scared me a bunch, but I'm feeling better now. Do you mind if I went and got a snack??
Ruro reached out to ruffle Roukan's hair, but paused halfway, as though trying to fight the temptation.
?Go right ahead. In fact, go wait for me in the Librarian's Lounge.? She slowly withdrew her hand, hesitantly bringing it back to her side, and moving as though she wanted to rest her palm on the hilt of a sword, but didn't currently have any bound to her waist. She finally ? awkwardly ? let her arm hang limp.
?Okay! ♥~? Roukan said as she hopped off Sakana's tuna and turned away, nearly tripping over her now incredibly baggy uniform.
Sakana stepped up behind Ruro and muttered under her breath into Ruro's ear, ?Did she just vocalize a heart in her speech? Is that even possible??
Ruro could only shake her head and shrug, replying with a short sniffle.
?You alright, Ruro??
The Head Librarian reached back and groped around until she grabbed the top of Sakana's sleeve, and tugged it forward slightly before turning to use it as a makeshift tissue.
?You didn't warn me she was adorable!?
No one can resist Loli-Rou
-
No one can resist Loli-Rou
Nobody would want to!
/me twirls loli-Rou around~
-
[06:08] <BasaraSakana> It was a thrown ferret to be fair ( ' 3')
[06:09] <@Esi> I'd like to meet the master who trains to defend against Ninja Throwing Ferrets
[06:09] <@Esi> cuz then I could say I met a certifiably crazy person \o/
[06:09] <BasaraSakana> Hime will teach it if she ever has students
[06:09] <BasaraSakana> Just as Ruro will teach her students to always have a ferret handy
[06:09] <BasaraSakana> Can you imagine old Hime talking to a student
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "And now I will tell you the final teaching of our school"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Yes, master?"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Always...:"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Yes?"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Always... watch out for the ferret. Always expect it! Never let down your guard! The ferret is everywhere!"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "...."
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "..."
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> ".... okay?"
[06:10] <Ryuu> cue ferret
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> *ferreted*
:derp:
If I ever become a wandering swordsman, I'm going to travel with a ferret at all times. 8) 8) 8)
Never mind that Shiren the Wanderer has a talking weasel and therefore beat us all to the punch :<
-
Nobody would want to!
/me twirls loli-Rou around~
You should draw loli-Rou :3
-
Some library stories are about saving the library.
Some are about saving the universe.
This one, is about turning in a story for Chaore to write a summary on, then dodging work for the rest of the day.
---
The little fairy yawned and stretched before readjusting the notepaper blanket that covered her. Her wings twitched a few times as she slowly moved along the boundaries of sleep. It was nice and warm, and she didn't want to get up.
Several minutes later the alarm clock next to the fairy sang out. Grumbling the blue haired youkai smacked it to silence its ringing, then peered out of the book fort that was her 'room' in between the shelves of the grand library.
Nothing was on fire, encased in mystical energies, or flooded, and there was a distinct lack of zombies.
So far so good.
The fairy swept her long blue hair back into something resembling a ponytail, then frowned as she adjusted her skirt. The damn thing was still too short. She could barely hide 4 paperbacks in it. She once again reminded herself to look into getting one of those e-readers. She wasn't sure if they'd work for her, but it would still be nice to have the extra reading material.
For now she grabbed her normal loadout, then stuffed a few random spares into her shirt. She once again considered getting long sleeves for the additional carrying capacity, but she really couldn't stand how warm they made her.
Finally she picked up the small rubber duck she'd acquired shortly after moving into these lands. ?Looks like another normal day Mr Bubbles. You ready for breakfast?? The rubber duck squeaked it's reply (perhaps aided by a good squeeze). The fairy smiled in response. ?Alright then, let's see if they have some bacon!? She grabbed her final book, ?A Hat Full of Sky,? and smiled as it vanished under the invisible hat. Some rules were made to be broken.
The fairy took to the air, her frosted wings fluttering.
----
"Hey Iced.?
?Oh, hey Erebus,? the 'Iced Fairy,' generally known as Iced, nodded to the kitchen's other occupant.
Erebus was the local library's resident eldritch horror. Erebus hated yuri with the fires of a thousand suns, drove lesser beings mad, and was one day, when the stars were right, going to fully awake and destroy all life. Currently, he (she? it?) was having a meal consisting of pancakes and the tears of forsaken children.
All in all he was pretty cool guy.
Iced looked around and grabbed a pan, some dead pig, and a cookbook. She quickly summoned up an apron, and began transforming the deadly uncooked meats into one of the finest foods known to man.
Not that raw meat could kill her. Nothing could kill her in the library. In fact she really didn't need to eat at all. But bacon was worth taking the time to eat.
After the bacon was cooked to the right crispiness level she grabbed some pasteries and fruits from various places, sat down, and dug in.
After getting through most of the bacon, Iced asked a question that had been on her mind for a while. ?Hey Erebus, have you ever eaten human??
The eldritch being's tendrils twitched. ?Yeah, why do you ask??
?What's it taste like??
Erebus thought for a moment. ?It's like pork, only with more despair.?
?There a difference between raw and cooked human?? Iced asked.
?Don't know. Never bothered cooking them.?
?Oh. Okay. Well thanks for the info.? The little fairy made a note to try it some time.
?Don't mention it.? Erebus rose from the table. ?Well, I gotta head out. Later.?
?See ya Erebus.? Iced waved then turned back to her own breakfast. She had a lot to do today herself after all.
Just as she finished the grapefruit, there was a sudden impact and something small and sharp attached to the back of Iced's head. The fairy yelped in pain then scrambled to catch her invisible hat. She sighed in relief then reached to find what had latched on to her.
The weight shifted to her hand and she pulled it forward to find a small winged girl latched to it. ?Kerigis?? she asked hesitantly. She was terrible with names, and she'd just started hanging around the Kaleidoscope's social areas, but the gnawing was very distinctive.
?Hi Iced!? the mini Keri replied to her before going back to attempting to eat through her fingers.
?Ufufufufufu~ So that's where you went.? Iced looked up to find Moerin entering the room. ?You shouldn't run off like that.?
?I was bored,? the fury said before flying up and settling on Iced's head.
Iced glanced up then shrugged. A mini Keri seemed like a good head accessory. ?How'd she get so small?? the fairy asked Moerin.
?Someone left a strange purple mushroom around her. Apparently after gnawing on it she shrunk. I came to force Polaris to find the antidote,? Moerin explained.
?And a few spares of the poison mushroom as well, I imagine,? Iced guessed.
?Indeed~? Moerin said with a wide smile. ?Kerigis, do you want to stay with the fairy??
?Sure!?
?Do I get a say in this?? Iced asked.
Moerin shrugged. ?Do you have a problem with it??
?Nah, I just want to see if you consider me enough of a threat to actually consider my opinions,? Iced replied.
?Ufufu, you're pretty funny little fairy.? Moerin patted Iced on the head before petting Kerigis. ?You two go run off and have fun. I'll be back later tonight.?
Iced frowned and stamped her foot. It was probable better for her plans if she wasn't considered a threat, but it was so annoying! She was the Iced Fairy! She should be one of the big players!
One day she'd take control of the library and show them all!
But until then she had work to do.
?So wanna go see Chaore?? she asked her new companion.
?Sure thing!? Kerigis said.
?Okay, hold on tight!? Iced said as she fluttered her wings then darted towards the front desk.
Kerigis folded her own wings and latched on to the fairies head with her arms and teeth as the bookshelves flew by. They were going on an adventure!
Or errands. Really, a positive mindset made the two very similar in a world like this.
-
M-must pet and hug the tiny Iced Fairy. So cuuuuuute. :*
-
People really should be careful about leaving their mushrooms around.
....it looked tasty. ._.
-
“Someone left a strange purple mushroom around her. Apparently after gnawing on it she shrunk. I came to force Polaris to find the antidote,” Moerin explained.
I don't think I'll be able to find 'antidote for strange purple mushroom that shrinks people who eat it' :ohdear:
There are rumours of a red mushroom that reverses the effect, but that's just crazy talk.
-
M-must pet and hug the tiny Iced Fairy. So cuuuuuute. :*
I agree :*
Also love the depiction of Erebus. The small dialogue was hilarious :D
-
Geez, the Library is starting to get full of Fairies!
-
I don't think I'll be able to find 'antidote for strange purple mushroom that shrinks people who eat it' :ohdear:
There are rumours of a red mushroom that reverses the effect, but that's just crazy talk.
It's true! It has white spots on it! Though do note you need to eat the moving, fat ones with eyes. The regular ones are rather...poisonous...
By the way, I love Ere's depiction in this. :* And how big is IceD supposed to be? Living in the bookshelves would make you pretty small, yet she manages to stuff literary works in her clothes and Keri is even smaller than her...
-
By the way, I love Ere's depiction in this. :* And how big is IceD supposed to be? Living in the bookshelves would make you pretty small, yet she manages to stuff literary works in her clothes and Keri is even smaller than her...
Iji Iced is a little bigger then most fairies, but probably still under 1.5 meters. Her book fort is between 2 different bookshelves, not inside a single shelf which is probably where your confusion comes from.
-
And now for the big action scene!
Wait, those are supposed to come at the end of the story? Whoops.
----
Iced zoomed through several corridors, then suddenly landed on a panel behind a pillar at the second floor landing. The trap door (one of the few that were still armed) swung open, dropping the fairy and her rider down to the first floor.
This part of the library was well traveled. While the depths of the strange structure still had uncharted areas, this was where authors left their works to be entered into the massive repository of books.
The 'donation area' wasn't as impressive as one would think for a library as grand as this one. There was an open area with benches for public readings of the most recent chapters in the various saga's being created, but the room itself was out of the way. And it was a long ways away from the fireplace and other interesting areas, so many people only stayed long enough to drop off their stories.
Behind that open space was a massive desk where works could be turned in, and as usual, it was covered in stories awaiting summaries and archiving. Some of the piles had reached the floor.
Most people assumed that the pile sat there until someone realized that it was about to gain sentience and attempt to take over the library. And that assumption was correct. However it was usually one person who stopped that from happening. Someone very few non librarians remembered.
Iced remembered though, at least when she was nearby. Mainly because it was a very strong story.
Iced knew stories.
?Hello Chaore. I've got another one for you,? Iced said as she placed her most recent scribblings at the top of the pile.
The semi existent rabbit slowly appeared before the two, eliciting an 'Oooooh' from Kerigis. The little girl flew over to gnaw on Chaore's bunny ears.
?Oh, thanks Iced,? Chaore said. ?Is this one of your shorts??
?No, it's a continuation of the long story I wrote,? Iced said. ?The one with Maribel and Renko. I figured it'd be best as a trilogy.?
?You just have an obsession with the rule of three don't you?? Chaore said with a sigh. ?Oh well, your definition of 'long' is half of one of our normal epics so it shouldn't be too bad.? Now that she was here Chaore looked at the pile with a mild dread, realizing once again she'd be the person most likely to have to read and summarize them all before shelving. ?You have anything else to add??
?Ah, no. I need to work on something for Pesco. Ruro has me on an 'exchange program' or something so I can get my community service done faster,? Iced replied, doing her best to seem incredibly annoyed at the idea.
?Ah, you should probably get back to that then,? Chaore said with a little relief as she started in on the pile. ?Otherwise she'll take another inch off your skirt or something.?
Iced gulped at that. It was a good thing she was lying about that program. She didn't want to lose any more book space.
?Well, I'm off.? Iced carefully picked up the napping Kerigis off of Chaore's head and replaced the girl on her own head. Then she started walking further into the library.
?Hm... Should I look for people? Or go exploring again?? Iced wondered to herself.
After a bit of thought she decided to stay in the known sections of the library. After all she'd be in trouble if Kerigis got lost in the basement somewhere with the papergators. Papergators have slow breeding cycles, and Keri could probably decimate their population.
Suddenly there was a fierce squeaking from on top of her head. Iced jumped then grabbed both of her passengers. Mr Bubbles looked the same as he always did, but Kerigis was working her jaw. ?Are you two playing nice?? she asked them pointedly.
?Yeeees,? Keri replied innocently. Iced turned her glare at Mr Bubbles until he gave a squeak of agreement.
?Good.? She put the two back and continued flying ahead.
----
As Iced wandered into the children's section she began skipping. She couldn't help it. The place was too cheery, except for the Newbery medal section of course.
As she moved happily through the shelves she heard a scribbling. Very carefully she flew up and peaked into the neighboring aisle.
There, wearing a light pink kimono with an incredibly poofy obi, was the libraries newer residents. The dragonish youkai Ryuu. Currently she had her sleeves tied up so she could write in her book, her tail occasionally twitching as she went through each line.
Iced had heard that the book never filled up, no matter how much was written in it. She'd considered stealing it a few times for herself, but if it's powers were attached to Ryuu it wouldn't be of much use to her.
Still there was fun to be had here.
Iced put Kerigis in front of her and silently indicated the little fury should go to Ryuu's right shoulder. Keri looked confused, but she simply shrugged and flew down. Iced silently floated down to Ryuu's left.
Kerigis, realizing she didn't know what the fairy wanted her to do, fell back on her instincts and started gnawing on Ryuu's ear.
?AH!? Ryuu jumped at the sudden bite and batted at Kerigis. With the dragon youkai's attention distraction Iced quickly grabbed the book and smiled as she read the page.
?Hello, Ryuu! What's this??
?Eh?? Ryuu finally detached Kerigis and spun towards Iced. ?Iced? Why are you here? Give that back!?
?So, a biiiig Parsee fan eh??
?Hey don't bring up that joke again,? Ryuu protested. ?It's fine in the outside world but...?
Iced smirked and flipped through the pages. ?Oh but shouldn't everyone here know the spicy details?? She pulled out a pen, ?Though maybe I should spice it up a little more then you have here.?
?Don't you dare write in my book!? Ryuu said spitting a tiny fireball to stop the theft.
Iced ducked the fireball, giggling as Kerigis orbited her. She wasn't going to actually mess with another writers works, but she'd gotten the proper response. ?Ryuu and Parsee sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!? she sang as she flitted away down the shelves.
?Stop that! And give me my book back!? Ryuu cried as she flew after her.
?First comes love, then comes marriagh-?
Iced's song stopped as she ran straight into someone else. The book slipped out of her hands, to be quickly scooped up by the annoyed dragon youkai. Iced looked up to find Esi smirking down at her.
Esifex. The annoying girl who'd ruined her plans last time. The girl who was always smirking. And who had the music player Iced really really wanted.
Iced pointed at the annoying psychic. ?YOU!?
?Ja?? Esifex replied as she floated over the fallen fairy to where Ryuu was dusting off her book.
Iced glared at her foe. ?This time I'm going to take you down! Are you with me Keri??
Kerigis looked at the two then smiled. This seemed like fun. ?Sure!?
?Oh, how are you going to do that? I can see any technique you think of.? Esifex replied matter of factly.
Ryuu sighed. ?I see where this is going. And I'm going to get the worst of it aren't I?? The other parties ignored her.
?Simple.? Iced reached to the shelf and pulled one of the books out. ?If I pick a random book, there's no way you can predict my techniques!?
?Oooh. Scary scary.?
Iced smiled as the book took hold. ?You should be scared, Esifex!? The little fairy pulled the cap of the baseball hat that appeared on her to the side. ?Because today I'm sure to defeat you and gain my Marsh Badge!?
Esifex's smirk only grew wider. ?Suuure you will.?
?Alright, let's battle! Mr. Bubbles, I choose you!? Iced called out as she tossed the rubber duck to the floor with a squeak.
?Ryuu! I choose you!? Esifex mentally commanded.
?Why am I the pokemon? I'm totally main character material,? Ryuu stated. The two once again ignored their victim.
?Mr Bubbles, use counter!? Iced commanded.
Esifex pointed at the duck, ?Ryuu, use fire breath!?
The two 'pokemon' stood there looking at each other. Ryuu spoke up. ?There's no way I'm going to stoop to fighting a rubber ducky.?
?Tch... Too low level. I guess I need a new strategy. Mr Bubbles return!? Iced held up a pokeball and the rubber duck was caught in the light and disappeared. ?Go, Kerigis!?
?Keri! Kerigis!? the fury cried cheerfully as she flew in front of Ryuu. The dragon youkai sighed.
?Ryuu, use tail swipe!? Esifex commanded calmly.
Iced once again pointed dramatically. ?Kerigis, use Fury Gnaws!?
?Seriously this isn't~ Whaugh!? Ryuu's comment was cut off by Kerigis cheerfully rushing for her face, teeth bared. Panicking, she spun around to guard her fleshy bits and eyes. As she did her tail whipped around and smacked Kerigis' tiny form into a shelf.
Kerigis fainted.
Ryuu turned to look at the damage she'd inadvertently caused. The little fury just looked mildly stunned. ?Uh, sorry??
?Keri!? Iced cried running to pick up the fallen combatant. ?Keri hold on. I promise you, I'll defeat Ryuu, and get the Gold Badge!?
?Didn't you call it the Marsh Badge before?? Ryuu asked. ?Stick to the Japanese or the English version. Otherwise the readers will be confused.?
?So, do you forfeit?? Esifex asked.
Iced turned with a face of grim determination. ?No! I have to win now, for Keri's sake.? The little fairy pulled out another ice pokeball and tossed it forward. ?Charizard, Go!?
Ryuu and Esifex's snide commentary died on their lips as the pokeball burst open, to reveal an actual Charizard.
?Ah, ich verga?, sie kann das ja," Esifex muttered.
Ryuu looked up at the fire psuedo dragon. ?Isn't deus ex machina supposed to happen for the good guys??
?Alright! Charizard, use flamethrower!? Iced cried out.
?Run away!?
?Lauft!?
Sadly their escape was foiled by the pokemon simply flying over them and landing in front. It looked down at Ryuu, opened it's mouth...
...then yawned, grabbed the dragon girl like a stuffed animal and curled up to sleep.
?Oh right. Ash can never control Charizard.? Esi mused.
?Why do I only get written into comedy pieces?? Ryuu protested.
Iced smirked at the psychic. ?Come on! Bring out your next Pokemon so I can smash you.?
?Sorry, I'm out.? Esifex shrugged. ?You win the Marsh Badge.?
?Alright! I win!? Iced proclaimed as she tossed her hat into the air. Then she froze. ?Wait, that means the fight's over.?
?Ja,? Esi replied.
Iced looked Esifex up and down. ?And I didn't hit you once.?
Esifex nodded. ?Nope.?
Iced sat there for a few more moments before stomping on the ground in annoyance. ?Mukiiiiiii!?
?Now, now. That's really out of character,? came Esifex's mental chiding as the Charizard dissolved into blue motes of light.
Iced snarled, made sure she was cradling Kerigis properly, and jumped into the air. ?I'll get you next time, you, you, you jerk!? Then she dashed off into the library depths.
?Looks like team fairy is blasting off again,? Ryuu said as she rearranged her clothes and slipped her book into her sleeves.
Eifex frowned. ?Isn't that my line??
?I want something out of this bit part, okay?!?
-
You have a wonderful way of writing comedy.
Seeing the events at the end, I kinda wonder if little Iced isn't just dreaming all of this :3
On another note, seeing as this thread is expanding more and more to a world around and inside the library itself, including a lot of non-Librarians, the old title didn't do this justice anymore.
As such, to honor this development, the title of this compilation of works has been changed from "The Librarians of MotK" to the now more fitting "The Library of MotK".
May we bring more live to the world of books with our words~
-
And the plot train just keeps being ignored! Off to new random places.
***
Iced flew off down the twisting corridors. She made it out of the children's section, over the books on minor magics and through an air duct.
After a few twists and turns she arrived at her destination. The Arena.
The little fairy took a deep breath as she landed on the sandy grounds in the middle of the miniature marble coliseum. The stands here were only two or three stories high, but built to shield the onlookers from whatever battle might occur on the field itself.
The construction itself was a strange marvel. While the pillars and walls were of gold veined marble, and the massive doors of iron, all along the walls were massive tomes. Each locked and chained to their respective wall or pillar.
Iced looked down to find Kerigis stirring. The fairy closed her eyes and reached out to the books surrounding her. It wasn't hard to find a healing spell amongst them to finish reviving her friend.
The shrunken fury shook her head then looked around. ?Did we win??
?Yeah. You did great Keri.? Iced wasn't going to confuse her friend explaining how winning was actually losing in this case.
?Alright!? Kerigis hopped up into the air, then look around her new surroundings. ?Ooooh. Where's this??
?This is the arena!? Iced proclaimed proudly. ?The center of the library. Where the writers meet to do battle. On this field no one can match my powers!?
Kerigis fluttered around a bit, testing the textures of the various walls and books with her teeth. ?I've never seen here before.?
?Well I'm the only one who knows where it is,? Iced replied proudly.
Keri looked confused. ?Didn't you say that the writers battled here??
?Um, well, by that I meant I usually did my writing for the writers contest here,? Iced stated. ?But if we did battle here I'd totally win!?
Kerigis looked suitably impressed. Then an idea hit her. ?Wait, how can no one know where it is if people built the library??
Iced smiled, put on some glasses and began sketching as she explained. ?Ah, that's a fine question! The answer is that the library is a creature of chaos. While the outer regions are universal, past there reality is fluid, and each group sees it differently. That's how a normal human like Ruro can appear in a room that you thought was 7 stories up past a spike maze.?
Kerigis blinked at Iced for a bit before eating the diagram the fairy had draw up.
Iced shrugged. ?Let's go get ice cream.?
?Hooray!?
****
After acquiring and consuming the ice cream Kerigis curled up in a ball and decided to nap. Iced made sure the little fury was secure before heading back into the more traveled sections of the grand library. After a bit of wandering she found herself in the Philosophy section.
Here the books had a heavier feel. Not oppressive, just weighty. It was a small section, but useful for someone like her. She pulled out a mid sized book, found one of the reading areas, arranged Kerigis on her lap, and started in on the book.
Iced wasn't sure how much time passed, but she was almost done with the book when someone entered the area. She looked up to find Roukan there, several books in her arms with pages of what looked like notes stuffed into them haphazardly.
?Oh, hello Iced,? Rou said. ?Writing something??
?Doing research,? Iced lied smoothly. ?How about you? Same??
?I guess so,? Roukan said.
Iced looked back at her book until she realized Rou was still looking at her. ?Yes??
Rou looked embarassed, ?Sorry. I was just wondering how you handle your power.?
Iced grimaced. Stupid Esi, spilling her power suite. ?What do you mean??
?Er, well,? Rou searched for the proper words. ?Isn't it weird having all your personality be based on other people's writing??
Iced frowned and pulled out a few more books from the shelves to think about the question a little more. ?Well that's kind of an odd thing to say. If you're saying I'm a pure amalgam of concepts then you're wrong. There is a core Iced Fairy personality, even if my moods and cognitive abilities are linked to my environment, so I don't really have issues there.? Iced paused and Rou nodded to show she understood the fairy's speech. ?If you're wondering what it's like to, at your core, be a story or legend yourself, well isn't that true of you youkai as well??
?What do you mean?? Rou asked.
Iced shook her head. ?Youkai are creatures of myth and legend. Ryuu is based one of the many myths of dragon. Chaore is a more tragic story, one of a person forgotten by reality itself. Kerigis here is born of the stories of the furies and guardian youkai. And you I imagine are born of legends of the muses or the Leanhaun Shee,? Iced said. ?Even humans like Sakura Ruroni can be chained to stories. For while she can choose her own destiny, youkai and items are drawn to her by fate.?
?True,? Roukan stated. ?But once we are born we don't change. I'm not going to start draining the life out of people because people start believing in Leanhaun Shee more. And none of us will die if people don't know our origins. Well okay, Chaore would have problems, but that's a unique case.?
Iced nodded. ?True your lives are less chaotic, but I personally enjoy being able to live multiple stories. Even if sometimes I get stuck with bad roles, I can always hope for a good one later.?
Roukan frowned and nodded. ?Still don't you get a little annoyed with your restrictions? You have to stay near books of some sort or you become an idiot. You can't access your powers at all unless you're right next to a book. And given you've been stuck inside the library this long, you're probably foced to revive here when you get killed.?
There was a long silence.
?Rou, do you know why a fairy dies when its true home is destroyed?? Iced asked quietly as she patted Keri's head.
Roukan blinked at the question. ?Um, because they don't have a magical focus that allows them to exist anymore??
?Hm... That's what most magicians think. It might even be partially true,? Iced replied. ?But the real reason is because we can't stand to exist in a world where our true home doesn't exist. Everything we are comes from that. Or powers, our weaknesses, our life.?
?Think of our sister reality. Cirno wouldn't give up the ice on the lake or the ability to freeze things just to be able to drink hot tea. Luna wouldn't give up the moonlight through the trees or her silence ability for something meaningless like being unaffected by the moon's phases.? Iced hugged one of the books to her chest and smiled. ?And I won't give up my connection to stories and books just because of my weaknesses. Why? Because our love for these things is our life. That's what it means to be a fairy.?
?These stories, these shared dreams are my life. That's why I can emulate the characters contained within these books. Because I love them.?
Roukan nodded at the fairy's words. ?I think I understand now.?
The two sat in silence for a bit.
Then Rou coughed. ?Um, that's right. Do you think random comedic situations are good to throw out after a dramatic scene??
Iced blinked for a few moments, then shuffled through the books. After a few seconds she pulled out a cigar. ?Indeed. I believe that will help reduce the stress of the readers greatly.?
?You pulled out a book by Freud, didn't you?? Roukan said.
?May~be,? Iced replied with a smirk.
-
And now, the surprisingly thrilling conclusion.
***
After Kerigis awoke the two moved to the mystery/crime section. They wandered the shelves a while before Keri hopped off Iced head and started looking around on her own. ?Are you bored Keri?? Iced asked.
?Kinda,? Kerigis replied.
?Wanna play hide and seek?? Iced asked doing her best to hide a grin.
Kerigis spun in place. ?Sure!?
?Alright! I'll hide first. You close your eyes and count to 100 then come look for me!? Iced said
Kerigis nodded her acceptance, then closed her eyes. ?One, two, three....?
Iced smiled as she took to the skies. Poor Kerigis. This was the mystery section. There were secret passages and smuggling compartments everywhere. There was no way the little fury could find her hidden here.
Iced giggled as she slid aside the hidden panel for one of the better concealed compartments, then punched in the code for it. The compartment was small, just big enough for her to stretch out her wings and roll over. It was kinda cozy, so Iced had slept here a couple of times, when the weather got particularly bad.
The little fairy slipped in and smiled. Now she had only to wait in comfort. She closed her eyes and prepared for a quick nap of her own, visions of stories she had yet to write coalescing and fading in her mind.
Just as she was starting to drop off she heard a humming from outside.
'That's strange,' Iced thought to herself. 'Kerigis must have gotten lucky and followed the path. I'll just have to stay quiet though.'
The humming grew louder as Kerigis moved closer to the hideaway. Iced worked at keeping her breathing steady and waited for the other girl to move on.
However the humming stopped right outside the compartment. ?Aha! Found you!? Kerigis' voice called out. Iced started at the voice, and held her breath. Maybe Keri was buffing...
The sounds of someone trying to get a good gnawing position on the door dashed that hope. Iced gave a deep sigh of defeat and opened the passage before the little fury could cause any damage to woodwork. ?Alright Keri. You win.?
?Yay!? Kerigis cheered then gnawed on Iced's skull a bit. ?So it's my turn to hide now??
?Sure, but first how'd you find me?? Iced asked.
Kerigis shrugged. ?I'm a fury!?
Iced thought about it for a moment, then shuddered slightly. She knew that the furies could hunt down those who had broken an oath or challenged the gods. Apparently Hide and Seek was enough of a challenge to activate that instinct. At least, that was the best explanation.
Even those who can't die wish to avoid the attention of the kindly ones.
Still Kerigis was happy, so it probably wasn't anything of note. Iced shook off her worries and closed her eyes. ?Alright, it's my turn! One, Two, Three....?
Iced made it through the monotonous count to 100, then opened her eyes. Unsurprisingly Keri was nowhere to be seen.
Iced tried flying up above the shelf height to see if the girl was anywhere easy to find, but that was fruitless.
Fortunately she had some trump cards nearby.
Iced Grabbed a Sherlock Holmes book and began looking around for clues. Surely a man of reason could find something!
Five minutes later she stumbled across a flaw in her calculations. Her deductive prowess required two things. First, the creature had to follow the laws of nature, something Kerigis was certainly not constrained by. Secondly there had to be clues to follow, something that a flying creature attempting to hide was not certain to leave!
Perplexed by the issue Iced sat down and considered her options. She could of course pull out another investigator to work with, but that seemed like admitting defeat. She could also try searching normally, trusting on her ability to see things that were out of place to aid her in cracking Kerigis' hiding place. While effective however, that could take some time.
Fortunately chance favored her investigations. As she looked around she saw a small air vent hanging open. A close investigation revealed the dust in the area had been recently disturbed, leading to the obvious conclusion that Kerigis had escaped to the upper regions.
Iced smiled and put down the Sherlock Holmes book, before drawing out one of her own special books. It was time for an adventure!
***
When Iced pulled herself through the opening she found herself in a tower. It was dark, almost pitch black, save for a few distant lights somewhere above.
Iced looked around casually. Kerigis was nowhere to be seen.
The fairy began jogging about the bottom of the tower, looking for any sign of her friend, or maybe a light switch. As she moved to the 9 o'clock position, suddenly a glowing stairway appeared. Each stair was a platform of light hanging unsupported in the air spiraling around the tower.
Seeing nothing better to do, Iced began to climb.
After several revolutions of the tower she came across a huge stained glass window, standing a full two stories tall. It was dark, but with the glow from the stairway she could see the blue rose motif that twined through it. The fairy tried to determine who the figures in the window were, but it was too dark. The stairs only illuminated the edges.
Shrugging she moved on.
Another two revolutions brought her to a new floor. Or rather a mystical force barrier that served as a floor. She was about to move further up when she sensed danger.
The fairy rolled forward as a black shadow claw raked at her from behind. Iced drew the massive sword from behind her back as the creatures came out. As they moved away from the shadows that concealed them she realized what they were. The black unsung. Characters so poorly written they had no dimensions or depth. The proto youkai spawned by this were faceless blobs of black ichor that tried to steal others personalities so they could be remembered.
Iced swung her blade to point at one of the creatures. ?Hey, watch the persona. It's a rental.?
The creatures ignored her quip and sprang for the little fairy as one. Iced jumped and somersaulted over the rushed attack, then reversed directions effortlessly and did a rushing stab through the creatures.
From there she executed 8 quick slashes, then another powerful thrust. The impact bowled over most of the creatures, and left the one remaining in front of her open for a launching upswing that Iced followed. Six cuts later and she brought the blade down in a massive overhead that slammed the creature down into it's comrades before splattering the lot all over the force barrier. It would take some time for the creatures to recover. If they ever did.
Iced smirked, and spun her sword around while putting it behind her back. ?Stylish.?
She then began to run up the stairs. It was obvious this was no place for the unprepared.
Fortunately for Iced's heart rate she found Kerigis only a few stories up. She was surrounded by a flock of red shadow bats. However she seemed to have the matter somewhat under control. She grabbed one in each hand and was alternating between taking bites out of the 2d creatures and swinging them like knives at the flock surrounding her.
As Iced approached the little fury pouted. ?Aw, you found me.? She swung again at the bats, cutting one in half. ?You stupid things cut me. She must have followed the blood.?
Iced considered the matter. Kerigis would certainly kill the whole flock if left alone, but by then something more dangerous might show up. It would be best to end this fight quickly.
Kerigis' position made using a sword impractical, so Iced pulled out her twin guns and opened up. The shadow bats exploded one by one. Eventually the damage to the flock made the exercise pointless and the creatures gave up and flew away. As they left Iced dismissed the powers she was borrowing from the manga. She was a little far away from the libraries core so she didn't want to strain herself.
Kerigis proceeded to quickly eat the two bats she still had, then acquiesced to letting Iced bandage her cuts. ?I thought here was a perfect hiding place, but there's all these creatures about. It gets even worse the closer you get to the castle at the top of the tower!?
?A castle?? Iced made a mental note to catalog this place. ?Hm.... Interesting.?
?Do you want me to take you so we can take a look around?? Kerigis asked hopefully.
Iced looked around at the vast tableau around them. ?I think... this is someone else's story. If we go further we'll disturb things. We should go back for now.?
She began to lead Kerigis back into the main library.
"How'd those things taste anyway?"
"They wouldda gone well with cinnamon."
***
Their adventure past, Iced liberated two mugs of hot chocolate and they moved to the main reading room, where there was a nice fire going. Iced started alternating between reading a history text, scribbling down story ideas, and watching Kerigis drawing with crayons. Since Kerigis was currently about as tall as the paper she was working on, drawing on it was a full body exercise for her.
Slowly but surely people began to trickle into the library reading room. Most didn't actually read much, but the chatter was nice. Lloyd dropped in, cheerful as usual. Ryuu and Esi entered, completely oblivious to Iced's glare. Everyone realized Chaore was there at some point. Sakura Ruroni showed up with Trance, and took pictures of everyone's legs. Sakana finally escaped her desk just in time to be caught up in one of Ruro's random schemes. People arrived and left seemingly at random.
Finally Moerin arrived bearing a strange orange mushroom about the size of a fist. ?Hello Keri. I found the cure!?
Polaris stumbled in shortly after. ?That was terrible. The turtles....?
Kerigis gnawed on the mushroom and with a strange noise returned to her normal size. ?Thank you mistress!?
Meorin patted Kerigis on the head. ?Well we should get back. It's getting late.?
Kerigis nodded then turned around. ?Bye Iced.?
?Bye Keri,? Iced said. She then leaned forward and whispered, ?Hey, if I achieve real ultimate power do you want to switch sides and join with me??
Kerigis shook her head. ?Sorry, I'm loyal. But if you try to oppose Moerin and get killed I'll be sure to eat your corpse!?
Iced sighed then reached up and patted Kerigis on the head. ?Thanks Keri. See you around.?
?See ya.?
The rest of the night passed uneventfully, as Iced focused mostly on her notes and reading. Though sometimes she'd poke her head up to see what the conversation was.
After a while the little Iced Fairy got tired, said her farewells, and flitted off back into her little corner of the library.
When she arrived at the familiar shelves, she checked her book fort to make sure it hadn't been disturbed. Then she squeezed back inside, pulled the newspaper blanket over her and began to let her mind wander.
And soon she was asleep.
-
16 slashes with a huge sword, the last one being a powerful overhead slash from the air? I think Iced picked up a manga about a certain 'SOLDIER'. :3
Though the two guns paired with the sword could also mean Iced picked up a manga about a devil who may cry. :derp:
-
SUDDENLY, BOOKS
HUNDREDS OF THEM
oh and an errant telepath
Ruro and Sakana split up, but both remained in the foremost wing of the Library as they searched for Tyltalis. Finding Esi was secondary, and they were staying alert and keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of the errant psyker.
Unfortunately, neither of them had the advantage that Esi did. She was able to mentally sense where everyone was in the Library at all times – and, all the way out through the rest of Mangekyou if she focused, but she wasn't concerned with anything beyond the walls of the Archives right then.
While she had several advantages, Esi didn't have the sheer speed and combat expertise to hold Ruro off, and possessed as she was, she still knew this. She wasn't able to protect her collection from the Head Librarian just yet. With any luck, the aspect of Tyltalis that made her suited for Librarian duty would be the extra edge she needed.
Unfortunately, Ruro was too close to Tylt for Esi to close in and have the time she needed to draw the aspects. So, instead, Esi turned her focus on the books themselves. A Librarian was nothing without a Library, after all.
Ruro and Sakana had repeatedly forgotten that Esi was capable of flight now, and was in turn moving about by staying above the Library bookshelves, where there was only about eight feet of space between their tops and the ceiling. Plenty of room for her to fly without worrying about her robe – now slightly frayed from her excavation of the caverns beside the Library – or her long braid, and the steel ring it ended in, from dragging across anything and making noise.
Somewhere in her memory she recalled another pair of Librarians, but they weren't present. Esi's memory said they hadn't shown up in quite some time to the Library; if that were true, this lack of vigilance meant they'd be poor stock for any Librarian skill-set. Since she'd already culled from Sakura Rurouni, Sakana, Chaore, and Roukanken, and had Esi wholly present and accounted for, Tyltalis was the last Librarian whom she needed to draw from. Since that particular goal was so near, she decided to work on her second collection; the books themselves.
She slipped down between two stacks, landing quietly on the floor. The fiction section; the largest, and arguably, most popular section of the Archives.
Though the eldritch tome that had seized control of Esi had complete access to her memory, her memory was not in fact perfect. Esi held her hand out, and snapped her fingers.
The Librarian Directory dropped into her waiting hand, and she commanded it to flip to the page she was looking for; The Index.
So many books. So many incomplete.
But there were enough finished works for her.
Tylt nearly bumped into Ruro as she exited the aisle she'd been working, lazily pulling the cart behind her. She stopped chewing on her gum as she pushed a 'Sorry, Ruro,' around it, and stopped short.
“There you are. I need you to come with me, okay?” Ruro patiently waited as Tyltalis pulled her earbuds out and paused her music.
“Is something wrong?” She finally asked as she tucked her music player, and hands, into her pockets.
“Something happened to Esi, and she's been possessed. Now she's harvesting personality traits from the Librarians; if I'm not mistaken, you're the last one she hasn't gotten to.”
“I see. Where are we going? Should I bring the cart with me?” Tylt deftly shaped her gum and blew another bubble.
“No, leave it here. We're going to the Librarian's Lounge. Roukan is waiting for us there, and Chaore should be nearby as well. Sakana will meet us there once she gets to the front of the Library and doesn't find you.”
Tylt nodded past Ruro, indicating her acquiescence and inviting the Head Librarian to lead the way. “Care for a piece of gum?”
Roukan was sitting atop one of the tables in the lounge, kicking her feet idly as she munched on a cupcake. No one could recall seeing any cupcakes in the refrigerator, and she never elaborated on where she found it. Still, she seemed content enough to eat it while watching as Chaore and the Head Librarians discussed amongst each other, with Tylt providing silent commentary.
“So, Esi isn't Esi right now, then, is what you're saying. Any idea who she is?” Chaore asked.
“A puppet.” Sakana held her hands over her tuna-half in a pantomime of puppeteer strings, and made it bob in the air slightly. “Ruro thinks she saw something near Esi's head, and since as we all know, Esi is a psychic, that could mean anything.”
“Before all this happened, a book from Erebus came in and was requested for Esi specifically to read and summarize it. Ryuu was the only other patron in the lounge when Esi opened it, and we think that whoever or whatever is possessing Esi used her bodyjacking talent to seize control of Ryuu, as well. I plan on going to question Erebus about this; this is far too subtle for her style. Ordinarily it'd be some kind of eldritch abomination – not a book – if she were going to play a prank of some sort. Sakana and I both checked the lounge, and we couldn't find the book. I think I saw what looked like writing behind Esi, when she attacked us, though I couldn't directly tell. It looked like it was made of fog. I'm no expert on eldritch lore – or eldritch lore-books – but if it were a sentient tome, then I imagine it would want to keep itself near Esi if it's possessing her. For a book to be able to control Esi, much less a Librarian, it'd have to be pretty substantial.”
“Or catch her off-guard.” Roukan didn't even seem to notice that she'd interrupted, instead dabbing a finger into the frosting of her cupcake and sucking on it. Ruro and Sakana glanced over at her.
“How do you mean, Rou?” Sakana asked. Roukan froze and looked around, fingertip still in her mouth, and finally seemed to realize that she'd indeed spoken aloud and gotten everyone's attention. She liberated her finger with a slight pop.
“Well, uh, Esi's a psychic, right? That means she's always got her mind open, like her eyes. Imagine if someone threw a firecracker in front of you without warning you; the flash would hurt your eyes. If they warned you, though, you could close your eyes, and then it wouldn't hurt. Maybe the Evil Book of Stealing Esi knew she was a psychic and was hoping she'd have her mind open, and it could use that link against her.”
Chaore snapped her fingers and pointed at Roukan in one smooth motion, conjuring up a rose and easily tossing it into the now-smaller Librarian's lap. “She's got a point. Has anyone been bodyjacked by Esi recently?”
Ruro shook her head. “She's never tried it on me.”
Sakana sighed, deflated. “Aside from one time where she made me bite into my tuna-half's tail, no, me neither.”
Everyone glanced at Tylt, who had remained silent the entire time, then shook their heads. “Nah, not her style.
“Anyways – if you notice, she doesn't exactly stuff you into a corner of your own mind. You end up switching places with her, but something happens when you get dumped into her head. Maybe it's because she's telepathically already been in our heads, and we haven't had that advantage, so our minds shut down in confusion while she plays around with our bodies, but you can kind of get a feel for her mind and body when she does that before you black out. She's bodyjacked me a few times now, to play around with different bodies. And we've been talking, a while back – how sometimes she'd seem like a different person when reading some of the books here. It's because a lot of the rich tomes, the highly magical ones, she claims have imprints on them, and because of her telepathy... well, she described it as a door. 'And a door, once opened, can be traveled through in either direction.' She'd take that imprint upon herself without realizing it, and her actions and behavior would be influenced by the works she'd just read. Kind of like the Iced Fairy that drops by occasionally, but to a much lesser extent. Roukan may have struck upon something there.” Chaore conjured another rose and sent it coasting through the air to land next to the first one on Roukan's lap.
“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit anything,” Roukan said, looking apologetic. Chaore blinked at her, and after a moments pause, sniffled lightly.
“Uh, right. Anyways, Ruro, while you go out looking for Erebus, I say Tylt and I go find Solais. If it really is Erebus' work, and it's highly eldritch, then we'll need some nature on our side, to combat it. Sakana and Roukan can stay here to keep an eye out for Esi, and watch the Library, or search for Esi or whatever.”
Ruro nodded. “Good idea. Do it. Tylt will help you find Solais all the faster, no less.”
Tyltalis took to the skies immediately upon leaving the Library, with Chaore's body turning to motes of light, which trailed after Tylt. Ruro left shortly thereafter, pausing only momentarily to change out of her Librarian Uniform and into her combat gear and strapping her actual blades to her back.
As she disappeared into the distance, Sakana sealed the doors to the Library and turned back to face Roukan. The now-smaller Librarian had changed clothes, into something with a matching color motif of the Librarian Uniform, but of an entirely different cut.
Sakana gestured lazily at the outfit. “Drapes nicely, I assume?”
Roukan blinked. “Huh?”
Before Sakana could elaborate, though, Esi was apparently thrown into the ground directly behind Roukan, dropped onto all fours and looking up past both Librarians towards the door. Two sizable squares drifted ominously down in her wake and began levitating unobtrusively on either side of the psyker.
“Roukan!” Sakana dove forward and snatched the girl, pulling her away from Esi's form. “I don't have my harpoon, it'll have to be up to you to fend her off!”
Roukan floundered in her arms, trying to right herself. “What? How?”
Esi looked down at the two and rose to her feet properly, gray robe dropping into place across her shoulders. Her limbs disappeared under the mass of cloth, save for her feet and fingertips. Sakana couldn't stand looking at her eyes – they were still forced open, as wide as they could go.
“Obstructed, blocked, and sealed in. You stand in the path of a Librarian, you delay their work. Remove yourself!”
“Summon up some well-pens, some compasses, extremely sharp pencils, whatever! Launch them at her!” Sakana hissed into Roukan's ear.
“Eh – right, right!” Roukan held her hands out, fingers splayed, and a fine array of pencils blinked into existence, fanning out in front of the Librarians.
Esi spun around in place, throwing her limbs out as she dropped herself, stopping only scant inches off the ground as Roukan launched the pencils with all the force of a shotgun. The pencils passed harmlessly over the supine psyker, embedding themselves with a fine display of sawdust and pencil chips in the bookshelves and reception desk beyond their target.
Roukan threw her hand out, and a pencil case – if pencil cases were to be expected to hold roughly a hundred pencils at once – formed. She grabbed her wrist with her other hand, bracing herself, and the case burst open explosively, spraying its contents down towards Esi.
The telepath had managed to dodge once again, pushing off the ground and holding herself in midair, above the shrapnel as it buried itself nearly a foot deep in the tiled floor. Roukan, however, tracked her up into the air and snapped the pencil case shut in her hands before launching it like a bolt of a rail-gun.
Esi wasn't able to dodge this shot, even with the split-second of forewarning she'd always come to rely on. The case shot into her square in the abdomen, folding her around it and slamming her back into one of the cubes that had accompanied the psyker to the front gate.
The square broke apart into its component parts, and Sakana swore under her breath. She's trying to take the books, now? What the hell for?
Esi righted herself before she fell all the way to the ground, ensuring that she landed on her feet properly. A single arm snaked out from under the robe and wrapped itself around her stomach, clutching her side. The scattered books fell to the ground in a heap, some twitching slightly.
Esi lowered herself into another combat stance, and Roukan conjured up an array of compasses, with their needles fully extended.
Before either one could move, however, the door behind Sakana exploded.
Planks of the massive door went flying in every direction, trailing smoke and embers, some still completely aflame. Sakana flinched and threw her arms up to shield her head, fending off angry planks of flaming door.
Before either of them could react, Esi launched herself over them, remaining book-cube trailing behind her in clear defiance of inertia and aerodynamics, and bolted out of sight with a sharp turn once past the smoldering remains of the door.
Sakana lifted off to give chase, but a fierce jet of flame came blasting through the gap, tinged blue in the center. “What the hell?!” Her tuna-half dove back down to the lowermost ruins of the doors for shelter.
Outside the door, Ryuu was standing, hurling a massive jet of flame from her mouth. After only a few seconds of sustained fire, though, she stopped and flared her wings out. Wisps of smoke curled from her lips, and she breathed heavily. Distortions in the air from the heat gave her a warped aura effect.
Roukan peered over the pile of rubble that had fallen straight down when the door lost all intention to stay in one piece. Ryuu spotted her and instinctively spat a whimpy fireball towards her, which petered out of fuel scant feet away from the dragon, and she took off into the air, following in Esi's wake.
“C'mon, Sakana!” Roukan jumped forward, flying up and out the burnt hole – or, trying to, at least. Sakana's iron-tight grip clamped around her ankle.
“Are you mad? Ryuu's never been able to do that – she was never strong enough to sustain such strong blasts of fire – let alone two in a row, with one strong enough to blast through the Library's own door. If she were so compelled, she'd have cooked us where we stand!”
Roukan answered by dropping down slightly and kicking Sakana square in the face. The fisherwoman released her ankle in surprise, and made ready to take off on her own, but Roukan hadn't actually left. She was hovering just outside the door, looking down along the front of the Library.
“I know all that, dummy. I remember how Ryuu used to be. Kind of. I just wanted to see where they're going. And it looks like they're staying close to the Library... c'mon, lets go up to the roof and... I dunno, spy on them or something! I think they're just alongside us.”
Sakana shook her head and resisted the urge to bury her face in her palm. What one lacks in experience, they make up for in enthusiasm, isn't that how the saying goes?
-
Roukan didn't even seem to notice that she'd interrupted, instead dabbing a finger into the frosting of her cupcake and sucking on it. Ruro and Sakana glanced over at her.
... Chibi Roukan. Sitting on a table with legs swinging freely. Wearing oversized clothing (and possibly a bathing suit underneath, I don't know). Innocently sucking icing off her finger.
... HNNNNNG.
-
A history has been erased from Patchouli's Scarlet Library, one that some people might still remember.
For those who never got to see that history, this might not make much sense.
For the rest of you, I'm sorry.
Purgatorio
-----
To know history is to know fate.
The past flows into the present and forward into the future, and the future has its roots in the past, nourished or stunted by the present. History is the first two of these. History is the past that flows into the present. And in doing so, it becomes the future, and it is known as fate. The future is determined by the actions of the past and present-- otherwise, it would not be the future.
The actions of the past all intertwine and create history, which branches forth into the future.
But history itself is not that uncomplicated, because while history is the cause of the future, history itself has no one cause for anything.
The stories of man, the rumours on the wind, the voices of those long gone, the songs of the poets-- all of these combine, and form a narrative. This narrative is pulled from the past to the present through tradition. Written down, or spoken aloud around a low, crackling fire at night with the wind howling around the listeners who lean in closer to hear the story.
History is just that, after all. A story. And like the best of stories, it is not always factual. If making things up made the story better, things were made up. And this disturbs those people who want only the facts.
In history, there is no such thing as fact. There is only evidence. The more evidence you have, the more likely that outcome, but there is evidence for all sides-- or none. Some things stretch so far into the past and are shrouded in such mystery that the evidence that someone finds could very well be a complete fiction that was fortunate enough to be confused for truth.
History is where what is true and what is just a good story combine and form a masterpiece.
History is the truth, with the added splashes of myth and story and legend that storytellers of the past saw fit to add, because that made a more intriguing narrative.
What consequences does this have for our concepts of the present and future? Immense. And here it is important to make a certain distinction:
Just because something is not factual does not make it untrue.
The hero's journey for redemption is the best example. The story of a hero who became a villain, who committed terrible atrocities, repented, and goes on a quest for redemption. This story might not have any one basis in reality. But it remains true in our all-too-human history, because history is human-- and there are certain themes in story that appeal to us over the generations.
Just because not every single detail happened, this does not make it a lie.
Thus, when history, and its combination of truth and story, is put into its spot before the present and the future, it branches into them, and story is moved forward into the present, given form. If it was not true before, it is true now. The many stories told in the dark amongst whispering groups and the songs and dances sung to celebrate the rainfall coalesce and meet history, where they merge into it and move forward into the future.
Even a myth may itself have roots in scattered stories, that were brought together and told together, and moved together to become history.
In history, there is never one cause for anything.
------
-
The story is told of a legendary human swordsman who strode with the tengu in the skies.
The story of a legendary human swordsman who, even after losing honourably, was entrusted with the sword of his opponent as his opponent protected him from those who would erase the history of his honour. Escaping, the swordsman wandered, bearing the honour of two in his swords, and in his scars-- the cross-shaped scar on his back, the mark of that history that would not fade.
But there is a strange part of the story, that stands out to those who hear it. There is also the story of the swordsman's opponent, who had a friend, who entrusted the swordsman with his own blade, and so the swordsman, who became rurouni, bore three blades-- the white Inferno he had had since his youth, the black Paradiso he had been entrusted with by his opponent, and... the red wakizashi, Purgatorio.
The strange part of it is that that wakizashi never shows up in the rest of the legend, leading many to believe that the red wakizashi was never part of that story. It was a story that was originally separate, of unknown origin. Someone heard both stories, and thought it would make a better story if they were combined.
This is how myth and history intersect and intertwine-- even myths have their roots buried deep in mysterious soil. Stories are inextricably based in others, and it is not known if one story caused any other.
In history, there is never one cause for anything.
-----
The last moans of the dying met her ears, and she wanted to open her eyes so that the sounds would not have so much power-- but the images would make up for that.
Their bloodied corpses were still fresh and oozing under the heat of the midday sun.
She stood in the tainted haze of the midday heat, and couldn't open her eyes, not even to clean their blood off of her blade.
She hated every moment of this life that she had.
She didn't remember how this had happened. The memory had been smeared with so much blood that the true origin was illegible, unreadable.
All she knew was that she buried herself in regrets day after day, hating the fate that had led her to this path.
She opened her eyes, and saw the bloodied remnant of someone she had cared deeply for. An arm that had so recently held up a banner in celebration, torn off and lying amongst the bodies, flag still gripped tightly in its hand.
She should have never become a killer in order to become a hero.
It was her job, she knew. It was her job to command the bloody sword of the revolution, to bear the great burden of being the one to take the lives of all those who opposed them.
The revolution, that was supposed to bring a time of peace. A time when no one would have to suffer.
That was right. That had once been her motivation. That word, ?peace?, made something stir inside of her.
Her only wish had been for no one to suffer. That was her only wish.
But to bring about the revolution, she had had to bring suffering. To save people, she killed people.
In chasing her wish, her wish had abandoned her.
Her sword, caked with bits and pieces of those she had cut apart. All for the sake of the revolution. All for the sake of being a hero.
She cursed the fate that had led her to the monster of a hero she had become.
She did not clean off her blade. It stayed as red as the blood it was soaked in.
Once the revolution had been accomplished, she would clean the blade. And once the revolution had been accomplished and the blade cleaned, it would turn red one more time.
Wakizashi were designed for that purpose, after all.
Her red hair, red like blood, moved behind her as she walked forward.
-----
The revolution was at hand. Only a bit more, and she would be free.
The flag of the revolution moved forward as she cut the path ahead of it clean.
The flag that promised peace and an end to suffering could not give her that peace. Nothing could. Only atonement. And atonement could only be reached if she sank her feet further and further into the mix of blood and mud that stained her sword and her soul.
The sword and the soul that had never wished to bring suffering brought suffering into the world, and just as quickly snuffed it out.
She cursed her desire to be a hero, and raised the blade once more, and again, and again.
-----
The revolution had been achieved.
Suffering had not ended. Not all of it. But her suffering, at least, would soon cease.
She had presented her sword, now clean, to her fellow noble patriots, who bowed to her in respect, but she knew that they would just as soon she disappear. She was a nightmare of the chaos, one who would be a liability for the revolution if the stories of her actions in the shadows were brought to light.
So she knew they would agree to her last request of them, and she sighed with relief at the same time they did.
The purgatory would shine red once more.
She sat in silence, with just the wakizashi before her, its cool silver steel gleaming in the candle's light.
Right now, the revolution had ended. She was no hero. She had always wanted to be a hero.
That blade had given her the ability to be the hero and the villain at the same time. And it presented the same question now.
Would she be a hero? Would she be a villain?
It was a dichotomy. She could only choose one or the other. If she walked out of this room, she would have to choose one or the other. There could be no turning back.
The difference between being a hero and a villain was the difference between black and white.
But something had happened to her during her time as a killer. She had not been a hero, but she had not been a villain, either.
The colour she had seen splashed all over the walls and all over the ground and all over her soul came into her eyes, and...
There was not much. But it was there.
The border between hero and villain was now not so clear.
There was a faint red line in the center, the third option she had earned through sacrifice.
Neither a hero, nor a villain. She would be an atoner. And she would start right here.
The wakizashi cut the dichotomy in two along with her heart, and it shone red in her eyes for the last time.
-----
-
Now I hope that magically I will emerge back into life
Even though I'm vanishing now in a hemlock bath of wine
Become a hero swinging my sword in a bloody ancient world
And leave the life here ruined by guilt where they need to thin the herd (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLJssDgtuw8)
When the girl with the red hair and the swords of black and white awoke, she knew something was strange. On her chest, there was a burden there had not been before.
Reaching to grab it, she felt a sheath on her chest. It was not as heavy as her Inferno or her Paradiso. She drew the short blade, and found that it was sharp on both sides.
It wasn't a sword for a rurouni. Inferno and Paradiso had their blades on the wrong side-- they were sakabato. This was a wakizashi with a cutting edge on both sides, to make up for her black-white blades.
But somehow, instinctively, she knew that this sword never wanted to participate in killing again.
The odd one out, the middle route, the precarious bridge that could fall over to one side or the other at any time. The third route that defied the dichotomy.
The Purgatorio it was. This sword was not for killing.
She held it to her chest and accepted the present, and drifted back into sleep.
-----
Ruro sat on the patio of the Library, enjoying the fresh southerly breeze as it moved through her red hair. Next to her, a small blue companion enjoyed an icicle, and tried to keep her hair from becoming messy.
She laughed. “Maybe your hair would be less sticky if you kept it from getting onto your popsicle.”
Iced stuck her tongue out at Ruro, who had already flipped open her book on mythology to a random page to read.
“... hm, that reminds me.”
“Yes?” Ruro asked, looking up.
The small fairy who knew books tilted her head to the side.
“You've seemed... different, somehow, after reading that story to me.”
The rurouni smiled, the kind of smile that came naturally after a lifetime of hiding one's true feelings. “Have I?”
“Y... yes.” Iced furrowed her brow. “Hm. I don't know how to say it.” She paused for a moment, thinking of the words she would use, getting rid of the excess to convey her message more clearly.
“You're a human, yes. But you're not quite human. You're a... a myth, a legend, given human form. A story.” Iced licked her popsicle before it started dripping onto her hand again. “A strong story, and a story that's gotten stronger right in front of me as you read that story.”
Ruro laughed. “I'm just an ordinary human. How can stories create a person?” She turned away, laughing. “They create youkai, not humans.”
“Not if being human was central to the original story.”
Iced knew she had gotten it right when Ruro didn't turn back with a clever comeback, but only turned halfway.
The breeze moved her hair, and it covered her face half in shadow, allowing Iced to see the haunted look in her eyes, the haunted look of a rurouni who had seen too much history in her life to let just anyone know just how, exactly, a human could have the memory of things that happened long enough ago that no one remained alive who could possibly know-- except for her.
But that glimpse into the past was gone when Esi came by.
Ruro, she said telepathically in her head. I was doing some research just now, and I had a question for you.
“Yes?” Ruro said, the eternal smile of a rurouni on her face again.
I have you down as having just three total swords-- your paired swords Inferno and Paradiso, and the Justicia.
The redhead nodded. “Those are all accurate.”
Just one question, though. You have that red wakizashi, don't you? The sword you never use?
“... Purgatorio,” she replied after a moment's hesitation.
Do you want me to put Purgatorio down, then?
“Depends. What will you use it for?”
Fighting, maybe.
Ruro smiled. It was a smaller smile than usual, and Iced noticed a tensing in her hand as she did so.
It was a smile that required effort, not the natural lying smile that came to her face so easily-- so it was real.
“Fighting, yes. Killing, no. Purgatorio isn't made for killing.”
Esi might have noticed what was going through Ruro's head, but she was too excited about the research she was doing for her next project that she didn't pay much attention to the background noise.
All right then, thanks. Esi turned around, and in a flash, she had dipped her head down and bitten off the entire top half of the popsicle in Iced's hand, then fled back into the Library before the small fairy could react.
Ruro laughed at the pout on Iced's face, and put her hand on her shoulders. “Come on, let's go inside and get you another one.”
Iced felt Ruro's hand touch the skin at the base of her neck.
Iced knew stories. And the stories that had created Ruro were strong, indeed.
They were strong with themes that resonated through the ages, and mostly filled with tragedy, but still managed to end with the promise of hope, the possibility of happiness right over the horizon.
“... is something wrong, Iced?” Ruro asked, and it was just then that Iced realized that tears had pooled into her eyes.
“N-nothing,” the fairy lied, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. “Just...”
Ruro opened her eyes a little wider when Iced reached out and pulled on the hem of her shirt. “What is it?”
“... Purgatory isn't meant to be suffered forever, you know.”
The redhead paused for a moment, looking down at the small fairy who had somehow read her like an open book--
And smiled, her arm tensing as she ruffled Iced's hair.
“No, Purgatory is suffered for a while. But in the end, there's a door that leads to a path out into the light. Thank you for reminding me of that.”
Iced nodded. “Anytime.”
“Hey! Ruro, Iced!” Sakana emerged from around the corner, holding some popsicles by their popsicle sticks between her fingers. “Last few strawberry popsicles, grab them before Chaore does!”
“Ehh?!” Ruro's eyes narrowed-- but she was laughing. “Hold on to those, Sakana, they're mine!”
Iced quickly grabbed on to her capelet, snatching victory, and popsicles, out of the jaws of a rabbit librarian.
-----
The hero's journey of atonement-- the rurouni's journey of atonement for crimes-- still appeals to us today. Why do those kinds of tragedies appeal to us? Comedies make sense. We like to laugh. Tragedies make us cry, and we like them regardless because seeing a hero who is all too human fall makes us feel for them.
It is a meaningful thing to see the dawn of new heroes, and something even more meaningful to see them corrupted by their own failings. This is what history is all about, after all. Death, fear, terror, and that little bit of hope that things will turn out for the best... which they do. Right?
That question keeps us coming back-- and the rurouni's story remains strong. The atoner who, through his heartfelt passion, achieves some redemption for his crimes-- we want to see the atoner succeed because if the atoner succeeds, then redemption for crime is possible. Between living in guilt or dying in guilt, the atoner continues trying to become good again-- and that is something that can be admired.
The purgatorio is not an eternal destination. The purgatorio is suffered, and then left-- and who can say what path will be chosen? What determines the outcome of this kind of history?
In history, there is never one cause for anything.
-----
Iced glanced to her side, and saw Ruro smiling, for real this time, sitting and enjoying the life she had finally earned.
She had thought about the story Ruro was created from, and resolved that one day, when Ruro needed it most, she would tell her about how she had seen her story, and that, despite the tragic parts of tragedies, people kept coming back to them... why?
Because the best tragic hero had a beautiful belief. And even if that belief was far off in the distance, it could be reached, someday.
“The path out of Purgatorio is to strive for happiness. That's how history gets made, after all.”
She raised her popsicle for a toast, and enjoyed the taste to its fullest.
I should probably sleep now, it's 5:40 AM and I need to become sane again.
-
You should write more shorts Ruro. You're good at framing silence.
Hm... I'm want to say more, but my brain isn't finding the right word set. I keep shuffling through all my good meta fiction instead. I has thinking to do.
In any case this hits a whole swath of the 'things I like' (including my ego ^^;). i'm glad to see it up.
-
A short piece, told from my (or rather, the character with my name on it's) perspective, of the events that have been covered in the early parts of the library-fic. I am not a creative writer by any means, so I dunno if I'll add anything to the thread after this short is complete... But for now, please enjoy my take on the story so far~
The Outsider Who Looked In
On the ground, the homeless man turned back to the kids sitting around him. Their game had been disrupted by the argument with the girl, so they were looking at the man expectingly.
"Alright, where were we...oh yeah...*ahem*.... You are Reisen Udongein Inaba...."
...Library, huh? Even as she listened to the start of Reisen Quest, there was a look of befuddlement on Jana Coppola's face. It had been a long time since she had frequented Community Fanworks; many of the writers whose works she had enjoyed had either finished their stories or simply vanished from the annals of history. A few had even done both.
As her mentor, the renowned Purvis, talked the game players through the early stages of the game, Jana abruptly stood up, taking him by surprise. "Oh? Is there something wrong, Janiel? Kilga has finally arrived; it would be a shame for you to miss the game."
"I'm afraid I'll have to catch up later... There's just something I need to do." Giving the game master and the other players a curt nod, the magician simply took to the sky without another word.
Landing outside of her home-cum-shop, Jana opened the door and went inside. When she closed it and turned her lights on, she was greeted the familiar sight of her handmade instruments. But instead of doing whatever she normally would, Jana quickly walked tot he back of the store. Behind her counter was not only the workshop where she built her wares, but a flight of stairs leading up to her personal quarters... And down to her magician's laboratory.
Jana grinned as she went down to her lab. Things might get interesting soon.
It had been a few months since natural sunlight had warmed her skin.
As she stepped outside into the spring, Jana could tell that at least a few things had changed, but were mostly the same... For one thing, Sana still lived next door. Waving to her best friend/target of her perverse desires, she called out, "Hi Sana~<3" Sana looked up from watering some small flowers in front of her hat store. "A Jan! You finally came out! Were you hibernating?"
Jana simply smiled and nodded before speaking. "Winter is a bad time for me, you could say. I think I'm going to take a look around; I'm sure I remember there being something that was set to change. Purvis won't be happy that I missed Reisen Quest either-" Sana perked up at the magician's plan. "Oh, then you should totally check out the new library. I don't think you were around for it while you were holed up in there, but the admins split Community Fanworks up into a library and an art gallery. I even submitted a piece of writing to the library myself!" Jana couldn't help but melt inside when she saw Sana's proudly beaming face.
"I'll make sure to take a look then. Thank you Sana~" As she slowly lifted off and started accelerating into the sky, Jana turned in the direction of the former Community Fanworks. Her eyes full of anticipation, she brushed some long hair out of her face and sped off.
I can't get her off my mind... That girl with the blood-red hair...
-
Heh, now that is an interesting way to start into the story. Quite unexpected. Wonder where this will go :3
-
Touhous Librarians Are Go
Ruro stopped just outside the nondescript door and took a deep breath.
Come and ask a favor politely, or do I demand her aid because of the nature of the situation?
Is she even home?
After only a moments' deliberation, she decided.
She kicked the door in, causing it to snap free of its latch and swing into the wall, where the handle lodged itself in the masonry. Immediately, she heard something deeper within the house start hissing.
She drew a single blade from her paired set ? the Paradiso ? holding it so the black steel was clearly visible in front of her, and strode in.
As she made it through the antechamber, tentacles began to slither about the corner and anchor themselves to the end of the hallway she was approaching. Shortly after, the main body of Erebus padded into view.
Her current body wasn't even humanoid; some kind of eyeless quadruped with countless tails ? no, those are tentacles, not tails ? and wickedly sharp claws, carelessly gauging deep furrows into the floor.
Ruro pointed the blade at her and glared. ?Erebus! Clean yourself up, you're coming with me, dammit!?
The eyeless head tilted slightly, in confusion, and the tentacles broke themselves free from the walls and turned to look at her, as well.
In the time it took for Ruro to blink ? indeed, between one moment and the next ? Erebus shed the four-legged form and took on a more humanoid appearance. She grinned at the Head Librarian, and the tentacle-tails fanned out around her head and gave her a fang-filled smile, as well.
?Oh? An invitation? For what, pray tell?? the tentacle-tails said in unison. Erebus herself just kept grinning at Ruro as she suppressed a shudder.
?Don't give me that crap. That book you sent in for Esi to read ? tell me how to break its effects.?
The tentacle-tails stopped grinning, and Erebus blinked ? all of her eyes, especially the ones Ruro's mind was desperately trying to tell her weren't there, at once. ?What book??
Ruro lowered Paradiso. ?I hope for your sake that you honestly don't know what I'm talking about. An Eldritch tome has kidnapped Esi's mind and stolen her from the Library. It has, in turn, been attacking the rest of us Librarians via Esi, and stealing parts of our personalities.?
The grin returned to every mouth on Erebus. ?Oh, sounds like fun. No, I really don't know anything about it, but I applaud whoever dug up the grimoire. Very clever use of a psychic. And you want me to come and clean up your mess??
Ruro scoffed. ?Initially I wanted to see if you had anything to do with it. Failing that, I want you along so you can claim it and absorb it when we actually do get it taken care of, so it doesn't harm anyone else.?
Erebus nodded graciously. ?How apt of you to think of me. I'm almost sorry it really isn't my plan; I could've had a lot of fun with it.
?Tell me, have you tried hitting Esi with a fishing boat??
Tylt grabbed Chaore's shoulder, restraining her. Chaore's fist froze in mid-air in response to the touch, with Solais innocently looking up at it.
?That won't help us, Chaore. Solais, are you sure you can't be of any aid??
The fairy nodded. ?From what it sounds like, this is an entirely man-made affair. Despite its Eldritch roots ? if it even is Eldritch ? it was originally written by a human, for a human. Or youkai, in this case. Books don't naturally form, you see, so I won't be able to help.?
Chaore huffed, and pulled her arm free from Tylt's hand. ?You could at least help us if we had to fight Esi. Fairies respawn, and all that.?
?I'm so glad you think highly enough of me to volunteer me for cannon-fodder duty. Now, please leave.? Solais gestured towards the door and bowed her head.
Chaore heaved a sigh, bowed to the greater Faerie, and stomped outside. Tylt offered a quick bow as well before scurrying out behind the bunny-girl before she vented her frustration on any of the various potted plants.
?C'mon, Tylt. Back to the Library, then. Sucks that we can't get Solais to help us out, but then again, we're Librarians. We handle our own.? Chaore didn't wait for a reply before launching off into the air again, heading back towards the Academy, and by extension, the Library. Tylt shrugged to herself, turned her music back on to drown out the sound of the rushing wind, and followed in the bunny's wake.
After the two Librarians left, the Greater Faerie stepped away from the window and smiled to herself.
Reaching under her blouse, she pulled a book out of its hiding place. 'The Laws of Nature and the Servants Who Uphold Them', by the Faery Onmyoji. To anyone less-informed, that would've appeared to be a fairies name. She knew, however, that was a title, not a name ? and since the book was written more or less as an auto-biography, she was able to make ample use of it.
For example, using it as a focus to alter her appearance completely.
She shook her head slightly, as though trying to flick water out of her hair, and her features blurred and shifted. The vibrant green hair faded to a pale blue before darkening slightly, her physical height diminished, she completely lost an entire set of wings, and those that remained lost their organic appearance and became crystalline and translucent.
The gentle smile turned into a cocky grin as she tucked the book back under her shirt, and she strode through the glorified tree-house to the back bedrooms, intent on checking up on her prisoner.
The only thing she found was a stylized robe in a heap on the floor, with several coils of rope atop it and the strip of cloth she'd used as the gag.
The Iced Fairy blinked in shock. She must've found some way to kill herself so she could force her regeneration!
She didn't even get a chance to register that she'd heard the whisper of moving cloth before something slammed into the side of her head, sending her spinning into the doorjamb of the room she was looking into.
Blinking her eyes back into focus, she looked up and winced. Standing before her, wearing a robe that matched the one in a pile next to her, was Solais, looking incredibly pissed at her.
?You must think you're so clever. You made one mistake, though.?
Iced frowned. ?What's that, then??
Solais' namesake sword materialized in her hand. ?You didn't ask me if I wanted in on your little prank, and instead decided to just knock me out. Big mistake. Real big mistake.?
Iced barely flinched in her attempt to scramble away from the greater faerie, but was immediately pinned in place as Solais stabbed the sword through the hem of her skirt and into the ground beneath it.
?I think it's about time we headed to the Library and checked out a few self-help books, wouldn't you say??
Sakana wanted to groan. It was hard enough to convince Roukan to wait until she was able to fetch her harpoon, and now the much more energetic ? and younger ? Librarian was determined to recreate some over-the-top spy story. I'm surprised she didn't dig up a fedora and an trenchcoat from somewhere.
?I tell ya, crime in these parts have gone way up since the Prohibition.? Roukan tried to sound aloof, but a teenager's voice doesn't do 'aloof' without a fair amount of coaxing.
?Do you even know what the Prohibition is?? Sakana bounced the point of her harpoon against the ground ? in fact, the roof of the Library.
Roukan paused to consider the question, tapping her finger on her lip inquisitively. ?Lots of old guys with big guns shooting each other over stupid stuff?? she finally answered.
?...You're exactly right. That can sum up a lot of the worlds' issues. But there hasn't actually been a Prohibition in Mangekyou.?
?Oh, yeah. That's right... well, then... these parts haven't been the same since the Inquisition.?
Sakana stopped fighting the urge to groan and submitted willfully to it. ?What Inquisition??
?The Spanish one??
Patience cannot ordinarily snap ? not in a physical sense. However, Sakana was one of the Head Librarians, and was standing atop the Library itself. Such a position of power is directly linked to the realm it is vested in ? even the lesser Librarians have a link to the Library, as well. However, it takes a special connection to be able to unconsciously warp reality enough to make a physical manifestation of ones' patience to appear and subsequently snap. For example, the connection between Library and Head Librarian.
Ignoring the pieces of patience now littering the roof, Sakana stomped over to the edge of the battlement and glanced over.
?Was?? she hissed. Standing there, in clear defiance of personal memory, was a cave. In what was supposed to be a clearing.
Roukan poked Sakana in the side with her own tuna-half. ?Sorry, Sakana, I no speaky dee Dutch.?
?It's German, not Dutch. Deutsch. Sprechen sie Deutsch. And Esi isn't a Spanish Inquisition, either. She's not even Spanish. She's German, too.?
Roukan sighed and rolled her eyes with more emphasis than necessary to convey a sense of indifference. ?God, whatever. Either way, since this happened, things are different. Duh. That's what I'm trying to say. Do you think Esi and Ryuu are down there??
Sakana squinted and scanned the horizon. Aside from a patch of clouds in the distance, nothing broke the monotony of sky-to-forest landscape. ?No other place to go and keep books. And, like you said, that wasn't here before ? it has to be related. Too much of a coincidence to have just popped up on it's own when Esi started... doing whatever.?
Roukan floated up off the roof and hovered alongside Sakana, just slightly beyond the edge. ?I wonder if their forge is down there, too.?
?Forge? What do you mean??
Roukan blinked in surprise. ?Didn't you see Ryuu? Looked like she was wearing some kind of armor. All spiky and angry lookin'. (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/171874/)?
How does armor look angry..?
?Hmm. Come on, let's take a look ? but we're not going in too far without the others. Just a peek, to see how deep it goes, then we go back inside to wait for Ruro to get back. Got it??
Roukan used Sakana's tuna-half as a saber to salute with. ?Yes, ma'am!?
Sakana told herself that it was a 'respectful ma'am', not an 'old lady ma'am' as she vaulted the barrier preventing non-flying persons from stumbling over the edge of the roof and let gravity carry her down.
She stopped herself from slamming into the ground and decided not to touch completely down ? keeping herself flying would make her more agile in case she had to duck a Ryuu-grade flamethrower. Roukan floated gingerly down alongside her, riding the tuna-half side-saddle again.
Just a peek, nothing more. Don't need to be wasting time getting ourselves thrashed ? or fricasseed ? before the others show up and know where we're off to.
Roukan hopped off the tuna and plucked it out of the air, brandishing it as a saber again. ?Onward!? she shouted, and charged into the mouth of the cave.
Sakana's grip on her harpoon tightened enough to make the leather-wrapped handle squeak in her hands.
-
You're laughing now, but one day there really WILL be a Prohibition! AND an Inquisition! Just you wait! >:<
-
Opening a scene up with me nearly punching Solais.
True to fucking form.
-
Opening a scene up with me nearly punching Solais.
True to fucking form.
But that's not really Solais
:ohdear:
-
Man. This multiverses Iji me must be book starved. Otherwise I would have slept with his mother. (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5084.msg450016.html#msg450016)
-
Man. This multiverses Iji me must be book starved. Otherwise I would have slept with his mother. (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5084.msg450016.html#msg450016)
And you'd be sappin' Arashi's inventions.
-
But that's not really Solais
:ohdear:
Still counts.
-
Indeed, if it would been me, you would have already got a sword through your bunny ears. :V
Never try to punch a calm person.
-
And you know what's hilarious?
I had no idea there was this kind of tension between the two of you :V
It was just supposed to be impatient Chaore being impatient with a hella-short temper :getdown:
-
It was just supposed to be impatient Chaore being impatient with a hella-short temper :getdown:
...so pretty much just me. :V
This explains so much about me wow.
-
Musical accompaniment! Be on the lookout for the link. If YouTube isn't being obnoxious and takes forever to buffer, it should flow nicely with the following scenes. In fact, if you so desire, skip down, open the link, and pause it before you start reading, and when you get to the link, Alt+Tab over and start the song up. Then, enjoy!
Roukan vs Ryuu
Drake Skirmisher
With the Administration Grimoire in one hand, and the other upraised as though conducting an unseen orchestra, Esi guided every acquired book into a spot on the shelves, arranged alphabetically by author then title. The Grimoire made a handy focus for telekinesis, a talent Esi ordinarily lacked.
No longer needing it, she snapped it shut and dispelled it, sending a ghostly image of it to the first slot in the wall-shelves.
The telepath's body was getting weary ? despite drawing on the reserves of power granted by the Cursed Tome's absorption into her mind, and the Administration Grimoire, Esi was only a lesser youkai, and lacked the raw physical resilience of others. Flying, something that Esi's body and being rebelled against with all their respective mights, was incredibly draining, as well.
Perhaps Tylt could provide that stoicism, the unwavering resolve.
Ryuu, standing at a loose guard alongside the faux reception desk, stretched her wings out and shook them slightly.
Since removing the psychological lock on her powers, Ryuu's Drake aspects were developing, quickly. From behind, it appeared that the wings were the only things affected, but nearly all of her skin had taken a scaled sheen to it, and her muscle structure was doubling and tripling in bulk and definition. Her wings had grown from comically small to absurdly large, nearly as thick at their leading edges as her arms, more than proportionally large enough to carry her without any magical aid. Her legs, typically hidden under a flowing skirt and bloomers, had simply shredded through the clothing as the scales along the front of her legs became spiked and pointed. Only the dark pink color of her central body mass, and her hat, told anyone looking directly at her head-on that she was Ryuu.
She was a fine bodyguard, and she would stand watch while Esi's body recovered from her exertions.
Esi sank into the stone throne behind the desk and fell immediately into a deep slumber, and the smoky-light writing behind her began to shine fiercely.
Roukan stopped short and jumped back aggressively. Sakana barely managed to sidestep her withdrawal, and brought her harpoon up to point to ward off whatever had caused Roukan to retreat.
?What are you doing, get back here! It straightens out, who knows who's looking down that hallway!? Roukan whispered in a hiss.
Sakana shot a glance further ahead; indeed, it was a long hallway. Before she'd even settled fully into her combat stance, she ducked back with Roukan.
?Well, then, what do you propose we do?? Sakana whispered back, expecting some outlandish answer.
?We should go back up and wait in the Library. We know how deep this goes and what to expect if we come back, right??
Sakana blinked. Really? Really, reality? Are you doing this to screw with me? If so, I'm sorry for whatever I did. Now can something please go how I expect it to go, soon? ?Right. But give me a second, I'm going to get a little closer and see if there's anything up ahead. Be ready to run if necessary ? and let go of my tuna.?
?But a tuna floating next to you is likely to give you away. Besides, I like it.?
?Yes, but it's my tuna. I don't like it when people play with my tuna.?
?So learn to share.?
Sakana sighed and rolled her eyes. You could've waited till after we left before you started letting things go how I figure they will, you know? Thanks a bunch, reality.
She took off, hovering up above the ground and rolling over to present her belly to the ceiling of the tunnel, and began to 'crawl' her way forward, holding her spear to her chest.
As she drew closer to the threshold, she could faintly make out details of the room beyond. What I'd give for some torches lining this place...
No sooner had she thought it than brackets burst from the wall, with classic tar-and-pitch torches mounted in them, burning gently. Handy. Wait, did I do that?
The dancing light sent shadows skittering up and down the hallway, and luckily Sakana blended in enough with the ceiling that the wavering shadows helped conceal her, rather than give her away.
Or, at least, they would've helped conceal her, if she weren't trying to hide from a telepath and a small dragon.
A strange keening sounded from the room ahead of her, and she squinted to pierce the dim lighting. The torches, originally a quaint idea, were now ruining her night-sight, making it harder for her to see down the tunnel entirely.
Unfortunately, she couldn't make anything out before Ryuu came charging through the archway, wings unfurling over her and pushing back to kick the small drake forward. She was glaring up at the ceiling, directly at Sakana.
Sakana pushed off the rock and let gravity start working on her again, and fell away just as Ryuu belched out a blue-green fireball. Fisherwoman and fireball passed each other without incident, but the fireball took offense to the roof trying to block it and responded by exploding in a rather rude fashion.
The shockwave from the blast forced Sakana to drop completely to the ground for a moment, and she barely had a chance to bring her harpoon to bear before Ryuu was charging her.
Hesitant to harm the girl, who was in fact a friend and a patron of the Library, Sakana dropped the point of the harpoon before Ryuu had a chance to run herself upon it, and twisted the spear sideways, intent on ramming the shaft into her face.
Ryuu reached out, lunging forward and grasping for the harpoon, and Sakana pirouetted away from her clawed hands and swung the back end of the harpoon into Ryuu's chin.
The harpoon bounced off the scales that had replaced Ryuu's skin, and it dropped down a scant few inches before Ryuu's momentum carried her forwards into the butt of the spear once again. The impact nearly caused Sakana to drop the harpoon; her hands were stinging from the vibrations caused by the impact with the spiked crest that made up Ryuu's jawline, and she wasn't expecting the rebound.
Ryuu squealed as the taller woman held her ground, and collapsed across the spear, bouncing away from Sakana as she lashed out and punched at Ryuu, still grasping the harpoon.
Before Sakana could follow up (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em42XjJKSX8) with another swing of the harpoon, Ryuu kicked off the ground and flipped clear over the fisherwoman, turning around in mid-air.
The drake's wings snapped open, and she hunched over as she prepared to take a deep breath. Sakana recoiled in alarm as she spotted the flames licking out from the sides of Ryuu's mouth, and made to dive away, but never got the chance.
Something smashed into her side, a small blur drawing blue contrails through the air. Sakana was swept aside as Ryuu unleashed another blue-green fireball, though now aimed upwards at the ceiling once more, for some reason.
Sakana tumbled over and landed in a heap, feeling the pressure in her side release almost instantly.
Hovering above her, feet aglow with blue light, was Roukan, still wielding the tuna as a saber. She kicked her foot experimentally and scoffed. ?Damn, sure hurts to kick someone in the face when you're moving that fast. Hang on, Sakana Tuna-tan! It's my turn!?
Roukan leaned forward in mid-air, and the blue light she was standing in flared brightly and she dashed back into Ryuu.
The drake responded by swinging a steely-strong claw through the air, in an attempt to gut the smaller Librarian, but Roukan easily flipped up and over the slash, and brought the tuna-saber around to catch Ryuu's wing. The impact made Ryuu curl the wing in instinctively, then screech and unfurl it to its fullest again. The waves of heat radiating off her wings was visible even in the dim light, never mind easily felt in the confined tunnel.
?Sensitive sides, huh? Strange for a dragon to be weak to heat!? Roukan crowed, hovering upside-down over Ryuu before corkscrewing her legs around each other and flipping over upright. ?But that's not my concern, is it? Mystic Arts of the Spanish Inquisition ? Surprise Attack!?
Ryuu attempted to swing her wings together and pin Roukan between them, but the Librarian had vanished in a blur of blue light. The clap from the wings striking each other signaled Roukan's reappearance, directly behind the drake. She held the tuna over sideways, and brought her other palm to the tail of the fish as well, and punched forward with both fists into Ryuu's back.
The drake stumbled forward, wings spasming and twitching as they tried to fan themselves off, causing Ryuu to slip further off-balance. ?Oh, dammit!? Roukan exclaimed, shaking her fists out. ?She's hard! What the hell??
Ryuu lashed out and punched her claws into the wall in front of her to stand herself upright, then whirled around and whipped towards Roukan with her still-hot wings once again. Roukan bent over backwards and ducked under it, and dropped her hands to the floor directly beneath her shoulders. Her feet, still cloaked in the luminescent blue light, locked in line with the rest of Roukan's body, and she pushed off as hard as she could, launching directly into Ryuu's chest.
The drake braced herself against the kick, but didn't expect Roukan to also add her flight magic to the blow, and was driven back into the wall. Her wings folded forward as they were forced against the stone, and Ryuu convulsed once before snatching at Roukan's legs.
Roukan twisted at the knees, scissoring her legs open and drawing herself closer to Ryuu. Just as Ryuu managed to close one claw around her shin, Roukan brought the tuna-saber down firmly upon her head.
?Bang, bang, Maxwell's Silver Albacore!?
Roukan cartwheeled away from Ryuu, having freed her leg and further disorienting the drake. As she came back upright, she pulled a pose, by switching the tuna-saber to a reverse-handed grip and pointing that same arm at Ryuu. ?Besides, these legs belong to Ruro! She'd kill me if she found out I'd let someone else hold them!? Sakana blinked in surprise at the declaration.
Ryuu didn't seem to have a comeback for this, and instead sunk into a defensive stance, glaring up at the Librarian. Roukan smirked, and tapped the tuna against her thigh. ?Come on now, don't tell me that's all you've got??
Ryuu narrowed her eyes, and her wings flared out once again. Rather than lunge towards Roukan, though, she launched herself back towards the archway she'd come out of. Her clawed feet dug deep furrows through the stone as she stopped herself, and the look in her eyes was pure unbridled rage.
Her wingtips were hidden behind the archway, and the waves of heat roiling off them seemed to be nearly as thick as water. Tongues of blue-green flame ? not red, this time ? licked out past her lips, and her small hat flash-incinerated from the radiant heat.
Roukan blinked as she stood completely upright, caught off-guard. ?Oh, shit.?
Sakana lunged forward from her place along the wall and grabbed Roukan by the shoulders, and forced her down. ?My turn. Stay down!?
Sakana wasn't just a fisherwoman, she was a youkai. The tuna-half was evidence enough of that. Youkai are, by their nature, much stronger and sturdier than the average human. Not only was she not just a fisherwoman, and not just a youkai, but she was also a Librarian ? one of the Head Librarians, at that. Despite all these advantages over the average, mortal human, she still wasn't certain of her capability to withstand pure dragon-flame, reputed to be so hot and fierce it didn't have a true flame, and was just unbridled heat. But she was quite certain of the link between her, the Librarians, and the Library. She knew that if push came to shove, and she had the time to experiment with the necessary magics, she could've drafted up a spell powered by the Library itself that would extend its protection not just upon the books within, but the Librarians, as well.
Instead, she tapped into the category-and-indexing directory, the guide to where everything in the Library should be held, and crafted a new entry.
LIBRARIANS ? Reception
She clutched Roukan as tightly as she could, sandwiching her own tuna-half between the Librarians, and forced the directory to update itself and relocate the local examples of LIBRARIANS to their proper places.
There was a brief moment of inertia, accompanied by the sensation of heat - which scared the hell out of Sakana - before suddenly they were in cooler air.
And floating upside-down over the reception desk. Instinctively, Sakana had taken to flight as soon as she no longer felt the stone under her feet, and mentally thanked herself for doing so as she reoriented.
She let Roukan go and sank to the ground, collapsing her in reception-desk chair.
?Well, we definitely found Ryuu. That means that either she's taken to nesting underground as a dragon, or Esi's down there, too. And let go of my tuna.?
Roukan obligingly released the floating fish and clambered atop the desk and lay down. ?Yeah. Yeah, we found her.?
-
Mystic Arts of the Spanish Inquisition ? Surprise Attack!
My brain melted into a pile of goop and all that remained of it was the echoing sound of the words HOLY SHIT in my ears.
Stupid Dragon types being strong against Water. And just about everything else, in fact. (http://pokemondb.net/type) :<
-
This is why cool kids use ice type B)
-
The heat weakness isn't really implied to be a weakness for Ryuu, or Drakes in general - it's mostly meant to show, that's just how fucking hot she's making the fire. So hot, even a Drake can't stand it.
-
So I figure, if I'm not really using my laptop that much anymore, I should really post what I've got of the story from it to the thread so I can move on to typing on my tower.
Chaore and Tyltalis alighted on the ground in front of the main door of the Library.
?Something happened,? Chaore stated. She blinked. ?Of course something happened. Sakana isn't one for destructive redecorating, and Roukan isn't capable of blowing stuff up.?
Tylt just nodded, and stepped forward, probing at the wrecked door with an open palm. ?There's soot, and char. Ryuu??
?I'm not sure. When she left with Esi after attacking me, she spat the tiny little fireball that we're used to seeing come from her. Then again, even though she's Esi's friend, she wouldn't normally go along with her when something is so obviously wrong. Especially not while spitting fire at Librarians. Maybe something is going wrong with Ryuu, as well??
The two Librarians easily floated through the hole blasted into the door and dropped to the tile. Bits of the door were littered about, mixed with the occasional book.
?What the hell happened?? Chaore muttered. She was about to step towards the reception desk when a blur of motion caught her eye, and she tensed up, expecting Esi to leap out at her.
Instead, a feather quill stabbed itself into the ground a few yards in front of her feet, and promptly fell over.
?Who goes there? Aw, hell, forget it. I didn't even get it close to her feet. And look, it didn't even dig into the ground!?
Chaore lightly prodded the quill with her foot as she stepped past it. ?It's a feather quill, Roukan. It's not going to stick into marble tiles. Why the fortified guard post act? And what's with all the mess??
Sakana stood up from behind the desk and stretched out, before sinking back down and sitting properly in her chair. ?Esi happened, of course. She was on her way out with a bunch of the books, and we intercepted her here at the door. Roukan almost stopped her, too, but Ryuu was waiting outside and blasted the door, letting Esi out. We think Esi is doing something to Ryuu to change her ? we followed after them shortly and ended up having a little scuffle with Ryuu, and she looks more like a dragon now than a dragon-youkai.?
?That explains the soot on the door, and on you, Fisherwoman.? Tylt pantomimed patting her sleeve off while looking pointedly at Sakana. The Head Librarian looked down at her sleeves, and shrugged boredly.
?Eh. I imagine they'll just get burnt again before the day is out.?
Chaore looked back out through the hole in the door. ?Any sign of Ruro, yet??
?Not yet. She doesn't like to fly that much, remember.? Sakana propped her feet up on the reception desk and clasped her hands behind her head. ?And she'll likely have Erebus with her, too.?
Roukan shuddered. ?Blegh. Not so fond of being around Erebus. It gives me the creeps.?
?You mean 'she', right??
?No. I asked it, Erebus said its gender changes at whim. How do you know it'll be with Ruro??
Chaore chuckled. ?Has Ruro ever not gotten what she set her mind towards getting??
Roukan paused and considered, then nodded casually. ?Good point. I'm hungry.?
?What about the cupcake before we all left?? Tylt asked.
?That was a cupcake. And like, five hours ago or somethin'.?
Sakana snorted. ?Less than an hour and a half.?
?Yeah well whatever. I had to use a lot of magic, I'm low on mana. Gimme food.?
Chaore and Sakana glanced at each other, and simultaneously shook their heads.
?You're the Head Librarian, the welfare and health of the Librarians is your responsibility.?
?I'm terrible with kids.?
?And you think I'm not??
?Kids love magic tricks. Pull yourself out of your hat. You do it all the time.?
?You just don't want to move, bein' all comfy with your feet up on the desk. Ruro's gonna kill you if she sees you like that, you know. You should probably get up.?
?Desk was torched by Ryuu, needs to repaired anyways. A few shoe-prints won't hurt it any.?
They paused in their little tirade and glanced about. Roukan and Tylt were both missing.
?Guess that takes care of that, then, huh??
?Sure does. Besides, I'm a fisherwoman and a Librarian, not a babysitter.?
?There will be blood.?
Erebus choked off a laugh by snapping her sharp teeth together into a wicked grin. ?I think it adds a little flavor to the door. Possibly a 'smoked brisket' flavor, from the looks of it.?
Ruro was frozen in place, staring up at the hole in the grand double-door entryway to the Library, jaw dropped.
?If you want, I'll barbeque the book that's responsible for this before you eat it. Come on, nothing to be gained by standing around staring at it.?
Sakana was still at the reception desk, sitting patiently in her chair. As Ruro stepped through the door, she stood up and waved the Head Librarian over.
?Yes, there's a reason there's a giant hole blasted into the door and wood-chips all over the floor in here. Come to the lounge; Roukan and I will explain what happened while everyone was away. Chaore and Tylt are already there waiting for us.?
Roukan had commandeered a chair and was standing atop it, eagerly pantomiming the fight between her and Ryuu with her hands.
?And so apparently she uses her wings to dissipate the heat after spraying fire, and since she's more like a drake now, her fire gets super-hot! So hot even that she can't stand touching her wings to her side. Found that out when I flipped up over and was all like WHAM! with the Tuna Saber, and made her fold her wing in. So anyways, we apparently got her to Phase II of the boss fight, but I ran out of combo points and Sakana had to get us out of there. I didn't know you could teleport, Sakana. Anyways, we got back here and we were like, waaaaaay tired, and I think I leveled up, and then Tylt and Chaore came back and told us they couldn't convince Solais to join us, which is a mega-bummer, but then I got hungry and came up here with Tylt. Tylt is really good at cooking, by the way, thank you Tyltalis. That's when Ruro and Erebus ? hi, Erebus ? came in, and that's what happened since you left. More or less.?
Chaore snickered. ?Seems like more rather than less. You've got very expressive hands. Anyways, Ruro ? Sakana, too ? now that we know where Esi is hiding, what do we do??
Sakana sighed. ?Much as I'd rather not, considering what we just went through, the only obvious choice is to march on down to her little cave and see what we can do. Having Erebus along should help matters out, too.?
Erebus shook her head. ?I won't argue that, but to be frank with you, I'm not entirely certain that's an Eldritch tome. I've heard of Eldritch books that make you lose your mind, but never one that just takes it from you. If this is a big one, you may have to write that Librarian off. There's a good chance that it may have completely obliterated her.?
?Perhaps, but I'm inclined to argue that. Esi is a telepath; 'minds' are her whole schtick. If anyone has a chance at fending off an attack like that, it'd be her. Besides, she's one of my Librarians. I don't assign Librarians on a whim ? there's always a reason.?
Chaore smirked. ?Aw, thanks Ruro, we love you, too.?
Roukan dropped down to sit in the seat properly, and stared up at Chaore. ?She only hired you for your sex-appeal. Duh.?
?Well, obviously,? Chaore deadpanned.
Erebus looked back and forth between the exchange, and scoffed. ?Wow. I'm gonna gag. Can we get this over with??
Ruro gripped the hilt of Paradiso, causing the entire sheath to rise up behind her against her thigh. ?Of course. Let's go get my Librarian back.?
-
I just love Rou's RPG style description of what happened. So cute~
And Ruro's love for her librarians made go d'awww~ :3 Even if Chaore was only added for her sex appeal.
-
God, every time I start reading these fics I imagine myself just sitting on/behind/in a bookcase just watching everything playing out, eventually folding a pair of wings across my face to keep in Rou induced squeals.
Then when stuff stops happening I fly off to Rumias' and waste some time watching the shenanigans in there until that dies down. Rinse and repeat :V
-
A team divided
It's still Esi. There's no reason to even think otherwise.
Absolute power, twisted
We can fix this - I just need to get the Grimoire back from her, and it'll be fine!
The many facets of a mind fractured
What about my right to life? Huh?! Did you stop to think about that, first?
An entirely new world, full of strangely familiar faces
That? That's the Alabaster Seraph. And I'm the Guardian Against Rage.
What Makes a Librarian
So yeah a whole lot of stuff has been happening lately, including my grandfather passing away, and I've lost a lot of my motivation to write. However, it looks like unfinished stories is becoming a pattern of mine, and I don't like that - and on top of that, I feel like writing is something that I really should do, all things considered.
Keep an eye out for an update, soon.
-
So the story will continue after all?
Sweetums~
-
WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE! Someone posted in this thread? Is this even possible! Yes it is! Hurray!
-
The absolute worst part about it, though, is that now that I'm trying to get the steam going again on this, the YouTube account that I was linking to constantly for the music I'll be using got shut down. Rargh!
-
Seeing Esi post here reminded me of something. There's a story I was planning to write quite a while ago, but that will most likely never be finished. However, I did write down a sizable start, and I've decided I may as well share it here (people hanging around on #scarlet-library may already know about it).
FIrst though, let me provide context, how this idea came to be:
Sep 04 14:54:54 <Sakana> Yeah, we can totally imagine Ruro swinging around a sword at the wedding XD
Sep 04 14:55:03 <@Sakura-Rurouni> "I am so awesome I brought a sword to my wedding. >:D"
Sep 04 14:55:08 <Sakana> "You may now ki--duel the bride" :V
Sep 04 14:55:36 <@Sakura-Rurouni> Duel the bride?
Sep 04 14:55:41 <@Sakura-Rurouni> That would be wonderful~~~~~~~~~~
Sep 04 14:55:50 <Blackraptor> "You may now attempt to subdue the bride."
Sep 04 14:56:05 <@Sakura-Rurouni> Sakana, you know exactly how to get me all romantic~
Sep 04 14:56:12 <Sakana> But of course~ :3
Sep 04 14:56:19 * Sakura-Rurouni fantasizes about kickass wedding duel *_*
Sep 04 14:56:48 <Anthony> that does sound awesome
Sep 04 14:57:03 <Sakana> Now how to work that into fiction, hmm.... :3
Sep 04 14:57:16 <Blackraptor> "Will you take *insert name here* to be your bride?" "I do!" *sword clashing sounds*
Sep 04 14:57:29 <@Sakura-Rurouni> Oh my god please keep going
Sep 04 14:57:31 <Landonpeanut> I can totally imagine that...........
Sep 04 14:57:32 <@Sakura-Rurouni> *__*
Sep 04 14:58:45 <Blackraptor> "I now pronounce you--" *ducks away* "Man and wife." *ducks away* "You may now...continue what you are doing." *more sword clashing sounds* *ending theme starts playing*
Sep 04 14:59:02 <@Sakura-Rurouni> We shou-- oh god
Sep 04 14:59:04 * Sakura-Rurouni faints
Sep 04 14:59:19 <Matsurin-Sunrise> The bouquet will have a sword in it D:
Sep 04 14:59:25 * Landonpeanut rolls off his bed.
Sep 04 14:59:33 <Sakana> Amen, and En Guarde
Sep 04 14:59:33 <Matsurin-Sunrise> Ruro will throw it and end up impaling someone
Sep 04 14:59:41 <@Sakura-Rurouni> What is with that "D:"
Sep 04 14:59:47 <Matsurin-Sunrise> The impaled will be the next to get married! :D
Sep 04 14:59:53 <@Sakura-Rurouni> It should be "The bouquet will have a sword in it :D"
Sep 04 15:00:01 <Sakana> No, it will be caught by someone more worthy, Matsuri, and he will duel the undeserving groom
Sep 04 15:00:05 <Sakana> For honor and love
Sep 04 15:00:07 <Matsurin-Sunrise> Ok ok fine The bouquet will have a sword in it :D
Sep 04 15:00:16 <@Sakura-Rurouni> FUCK YEAH
Sep 04 15:00:36 <Blackraptor> No...the bouqet...will be DOZENS OF SWORDS!!!
Sep 04 15:00:39 <@Sakura-Rurouni> Oh god if I ever write a wedding scene in Touhou fic, a swordfight will be involved
Sep 04 15:00:47 <@Sakura-Rurouni> Possibly more than one
Sep 04 15:01:41 <Matsurin-Sunrise> Sparks will fly in the battle for the bride. Bridesmaids will bleed, and the best man will be decapitated.
Added to that was the constant battle of Gappy and Ruro over who is the manliest man of manly manliness (don't ask), and after gaining approval from the main involved parties, the following was written. Enjoy~
~ Sakura Wedding - Bloody Cherry Blossoms ~
Slowly the girl walked through the rain of cherry blossoms that the wind blew from the trees to both sides of her path. Her feet only lightly touched the ground beneath her, which was covered in blooming flowers.
She was wearing a beautiful white wedding dress. However, the front of the skirt had been shortened in a way that made her bare thighs visible between the edge of the skirt and the stockings she was wearing.
The girl was carrying a small basket filled to the brim with strawberries, and a white rose had been tied into her long blonde hair.
However, something was off about her. She was clearly dressed as a bride, and she was most definitely on her way to the church that lay at the end of the path lined by cherry trees. But her eyes showed none of the light one would expect from a girl soon to be married.
The girl raised her hand to touch the slim collar that was lying tight around her neck, then she sighed. In her eyes was a mix of annoyance and sadness. Of course she had often dreamed of marriage in her life, but she certainly hadn?t expected things to go like that.
For a second the idea of running away crossed her mind, but the collar would prevent it. 'She' had thought of that possibility, of course. So the girl would have no chance of doing anything else than to play along, for the time being.
She walked on, and as she reached the church, the large doors immediately opened in front of her. Inside she could see the vast interior of the church, which had been decorated with flowers and strawberries. With a quick glance around she could tell that a large number of guests had gathered to watch the events about to unfold.
And there, in front of the altar, stood her eternal rival, the one that would soon be called her ?husband? if she didn?t do something quickly.
?Ah well, nothing will happen if I just stand here?, she thought, then took a step forward.
The moment her feet touched the red carpet laid out on the floor, Tengukami, the organist, started playing a march for the bride. For a moment, she wondered how he could play in such a way on an organ, then she noticed that she was trying to apply logic, a fatal flaw if one was living in this world.
?Here, take this, Gappy.?, she was distracted by a voice from the side.
She hadn?t noticed the four flower girls that had opened the door for her and were waiting for her to walk to the altar now. One of them, a girl with glasses and a ferret on her shoulder, was holding out a bouquet to her.
?Ah, thank you Matsuri.... wait, what is that??, she asked as she accepted the bouquet.
Matsuri laughed lightly.
?What else did you expect from her??, she asked the bride.
?I... guess you are right...?, Gappy sighed before she turned back and started walking along the carpet.
The bouquet she had just been handed was certainly not what one would call normal. While it consisted mainly of flowers, as would be expected, its center was special: The flowers were arranged around a slim sword. And knowing her, this was the real deal, not just some prop for show.
Two of the flower girls, Matsuri and her sister Nobu, were walking in front of Gappy and were spreading seemingly endless amounts of cherry blossoms on the carpet from the small baskets they were carrying. Behind her, Trancehime and Ana were throwing handfuls of the blossoms into the air to make them rain down on Gappy and the guests. For a second, she wondered whether the basket she carried had the same ability. An endless supply of strawberries didn?t sound like such a bad deal. She quickly pushed the idea aside and took quick glances around to make out the situation.
She didn?t even know most of the guests, but she could make out some familiar faces. Arashi and Acidus were waving at her from their seats. So did Sango, the dolphin youkai, whose back-fin was clearly visible. She was so excited she was phweeing uncontrollably, but Sumire, an officer of Shikieikei, held her down when she tried to jump up and run over to the bride.
In another direction, Gappy could make out several visitors from the realm of Gensokyo. Byakuren, Shikieiki, Yumemi and the Komeiji-sisters had followed the invitation to the wedding. However, something about them seemed odd. They appeared to be very tense, whispering to one another.
In the front row, Gappy spotted two strange figures. While most of the guests were dressed formally, appropriate for the event, those two were wearing hooded capes that stood out in contrast against everyone else. Gappy felt the sudden urge to make her face meet with her palm as she saw the fluffy white wings that sprouted from one of the figures? back, and the pink hair that was clearly visible beneath the other?s hood.
?Just what are those two up to now...?, she thought.
Suddenly, she stopped. She looked at the strange pair she had just passed. One of them was a young slender man who she had almost mistaken for a girl. She had seen him before, his name was Lloyd, and he was known for being one of the ?moe-est? beings in this world. He noticed her looking at him and immediately started to blush furiously.
?Seems the rumours are true?, Gappy thought to herself as she let out a small giggle.
Then she looked at the girl next to Lloyd. It was a young woman sitting in a wheelchair, which was unusual enough in itself. She looked pale and sickly, yet her long white hair gave her an aura of elegance. Gappy was very sure she had never seen her before, she would certainly remember a girl like that. The girl looked up and smiled calmly at Gappy.
?It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Gappy. You look wonderful?, she said.
?Uhm, excuse me, but you are? I don?t think we met before... or did we??
?We did not, in fact, as I have just recently arrived here.My name is Amaryllis, but please call me Ami.?, she continued and ended with another bright smile.
?Ah, I see. Nice to meet you as well.?, Gappy responded before she turned back towards the front of the church.
She had avoided it all the time, but now she finally looked to the altar in front of her. She could see a number of girls lined up next to it, dressed in dresses that resembled hers, but were far less fancy. They all had the same short skirts though, which allowed free view of the girls? legs. She knew them all, they were the Librarians who were taking care of the written works of this world. And there, directly in front of the altar, wearing an elegant black tuxedo, stood their leader, the one Gappy called rival, and the groom for the wedding that was about to take place: Sakura Rurouni.
Or rather, she should have been standing. Right now though, she was leaning onto the altar with one arm, swooning heavily while she tried to catch the blood spurting from her nose with her free hand.
?So... beautiful...?, she stammered. ?You make such a wonderful bride, Gappy.?
Gappy remained indifferent. Seeing as it was this girl that had brought her into the current situation, she had no intention of accepting the compliment. Of course, it was partially Gappy?s fault as well. She had known about Ruro?s intentions to add literally every living being in this world to her harem, and when she had shown up one afternoon grinning happily with a bunch of strawberries, Gappy should have been careful. The next thing she remembered was waking up with the collar around her neck that prevented her from getting away from Ruro, and being forced into the preparations for this absurd wedding.
Slowly, Gappy took the last few steps towards the altar, before she stopped right next to Ruro, who had caught herself again. Despite the way she truly felt, or maybe exactly because of it, she showed a bright smile as she turned to Ruro.
?Oh my, it seems you are not in the best physical condition today, my dear. You would not suddenly have gotten sick, would you? Maybe you should rest instead of doing something as stressful as a wedding, don?t you think??
?Please, Gappy, do not worry about me. I am certainly in perfect condition for this event. But what about you? You seem a bit? uncomfortable.?, Ruro answered with a grin.
?Uncomfortable? I have no idea what you are talking about, darling. I do not see why I should feel uncomfortable at all after being kidnapped, robbed off my freedom, put into a rather revealing dress and forced into a wedding.? She looked at her hands. ?And on that note, you seem to have rather unique tastes with the bouquet as well.?
?Don?t be concerned, the dress and the bouquet fit you perfectly.?
Ruro drooled a bit as she looked at the bride again now that she had come closer.
?I can only second this statement, Miss Rurouni?, someone said from behind Ruro.
The person took a step forward and Gappy recognized him as Duke Helepolis, self-proclaimed most charismatic person in the world. His face showed no changes as he looked up and down the bride and groom, but Gappy could see his hand twitch in a groping motion for a second before he noticed it and suppressed the involuntary movement.
?Thank you for the compliment, Duke. You seem to be as energetic as usual.?, Gappy greeted the man.
?I certainly am, Miss Gappy. How could I not be, when two such squeezab-- wonderful people are about to get married.?, he responded.
?May I ask why you are not with the other guests??, Gappy asked.
?That is because I chose him to be the best man for our joining in eternal love. And him as well?, Ruro responded in Helepolis? stead and pointed behind Gappy.
As the girl turned around, she could see another man coming out of the shadows beyond the altar. He was dressed formally just like all the other guests and moved with the elegance of a person of high standing. What made him memorable though was the eye- patch he wore over his right eye.
There were a number of rumours floating around about the truth behind this, but none of them were ever confirmed. Some said it was just an accessory and his eyes were just fine, others claimed he lost it in a fight (the stories ranged from making the responsible party a feral dragon, to attributing the injury to an angry kitten), and then there were those that believed that it sealed away powers that could bring unspeakable harm if the patch was ever taken off.
?Lord Serpentarius, I should have known you would have a hand in this, shouldn?t I? This could very well be taken as treason, you are aware of that??, she asked, the smile on her face getting even brighter.
Serpentarius stopped his steps, but he did not lose his cool.
?Now, now, Gappy. Surely there is no reason to get so worked up over this. It is hard to imagine anyone could have gotten you into this situation if you had tried to refuse with all your might. You let it happen, even if it might have been unconsciously. Just accept the events, you might even grow to like them?, he told the girl.
?I will not forget this, Serp.?, Gappy sighed.
?I would not want you to forget?, the man responded with a smirk. ?Anyway, we are keeping the guests waiting. I think it would be in everyone?s best interest to begin the ceremony.?
He looked over to Ruro, whose eyes began to shine at the thought of what was to happen now. She nodded a few times before turning to the altar, where another man had appeared. He was the most important person in this wedding, just after the bride and groom. He was the one who should speak the vows that the pair would have to submit on and which should seal their eternal bond. The man that now stood before the crowd was Kilgamayan, the priest for this occasion.
The guests stared.
Silence filled the room.
Then Helepolis was the first to speak again.
?Kilga?. This appearance is very uncharismatic??
?I have no idea what you mean. This is what a priest wears, right??
?That which you are wearing indeed is, however, you seem to miss something. Where are your pants??
Kilga looked confused for a moment, then he looked down, seeing his lower body only clad in a pair of shorts.
?Oh, right. I was in the middle of trying on that skirt I made. Working on a new costume and all, you know? Thought I would use the time productively since you were wasting so much time talking. Anyway, can we get this over with now? I?d like to get back to work.?
He looked over to Ruro, who nodded in agreement. Helepolis and Serpentarius signalled their readiness as well, and Gappy was not given a choice anyway.
?Looks like we?re all set then. Ammy, the music please.?, he told the organist sitting on the balcony high above the altar.
The atmosphere in the church changed the moment the music started. The guest?s idle chatter quickly died as all of them focused on the events at the front. The flowergirls threw a last handful of petals into the air that slowly rained down on the pair at the altar, then stepped to the sides?.
-------------------------------------
And that's as far as this ever got. You can probably guess that this was going to be one hell of a chaotic mess and not to be taken in any way seriously. Maybe one day more will see the light, but it's more likely that it will stay as is.
-
This needs to be concluded :getdown:
Wasn't this (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/703831/) part of the inspiration for that? Special attention should be drawn to the bouquet.
-
Haha, this must continue! I like how some people were described as men, I always worried about the man-woman ratio in this "world" even if I chose to be the opposite sex. I really laughed at Kilga. :D
-
This has to be one of the most amusing things I've ever read. :3
A continuation to this could only make this more awesome~
-
Dammit Kasu!
You posted and I wasted five minutes refreshing just to watch your signature change. Then I ended up getting Satori smirking at me like four times in a row and it was like SHE PLANNED THIS
-
Dammit Kasu!
You posted and I wasted five minutes refreshing just to watch your signature change. Then I ended up getting Satori smirking at me like four times in a row and it was like SHE PLANNED THIS
:3
-
You guys are trying to kill me, aren't you? Alright alright, I won't write it off just yet, gonna keep this open for the possibility of continuation. I got an amount of notes on the further progress after all. But it's not gonna be soon at least :3
-
This needs to be concluded :getdown:
Wasn't this (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/703831/) part of the inspiration for that? Special attention should be drawn to the bouquet.
Actually, it was this (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/525399/) (Special attention should also be drawn to the bouquet). Note the comments.
-
Actually, it was this (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/525399/) (Special attention should also be drawn to the bouquet). Note the comments.
Pffffffffffffffffffffffffffffft :getdown:
-
Actually, it was this (http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/525399/) (Special attention should also be drawn to the bouquet). Note the comments.
Eh yes, the pic that started it all :D
-
I agree that this really should be continued. The chaos still has to begin!
-
After much ado!
Dragon Blade
Ryuu stood by the archway leading into the Subterranean Library, impassively watching Esi's body twitch and spasm in the throne. Her current orders were to protect, and so protect she did. When the intruders disappeared before her inferno even reached them, she knew they'd escaped – but her orders were to protect, not pursue.
As such, she stayed underground with the unconscious Librarian, and watched, unknowing as to what was happening in the mind of the body just ten yards away from her.
“It doesn't even look natural, anymore. When we first got here? It was all rocky. Like it was a real cave-thingy sticking out of the ground. Now look at it – it's all smooth and stuff.” Roukan ran a hand along the gaping maw of the cavern, peering at it. “It's almost like you can see it getting smoother.”
“We're not here for an archeology lesson. That can wait, Rou. C'mon.” Chaore prodded the travel-sized Librarian, urging her into the cave. “We'll take point. You've been down here already, and I can etherealize in case anything happens.”
Ruro nodded to herself. Even with all the havoc the Tome had caused, her Librarians were still on top of their game – a little off-center, but still on top. “Erebus, come with me. I want you close – any feedback on this thing, I want it as soon as it occurs to you.”
As Roukan and Chaore sank away from the daylight, descending into the cave, Sakana and Tyltalis stepped up to either side of it. “How do you wanna do this, boss? If Erebus is right, that might not be Esi anymore down there. Hell, for all we know, if it IS an Eldritch Tome, she may not even be a humanoid youkai anymore –”
“It's Esi. There's no reason to even think otherwise. We going to go down there, find her, and bring her back, no matter what hell we have to drag her through.” Ruro set her jaw, staring down into the darkness.
“You got it, boss.” Sakana tipped her head in a miniature bow, then stepped into the cave herself. “I just hope you're as right as you sound.”
Erebus smirked as she followed after the fisherwoman.
Esi sat bolt-upright and shrieked. Ryuu dropped into a crouch, flaring her claws out.
After a second of panting heavily, Esi turned her too-wide eyes to the drake. “Ryuu... they're coming, they approach. Stop them, send them back, don't let them get to me!”
Ryuu nodded, and with a blast of wind from her wings, bolted down the torchlit-hallway.
“We're coming up on the hallway where we ran into Ryuu. Be careful – if you see her flare her wings out, she's about to spit fire. The color of the flame visible in her mouth for a split second before she spits it will tell you how hot it'll be.”
Roukan lowered herself into a ready stance, brandishing Sakana's tuna-half in a middle guard, and Ruro couldn't resist grinning at the girl. Sakana, however, blinked in surprise. “How did you get – oh, nevermind.”
“Ryuu is a drake youkai. She can take a fair amount of a beating, but that also means she won't go down easily. According to Roukan and Sakana, she's developing thick, chitinous scale plating, and has claws in lieu of hands. Be careful, Librarians. I don't want to have to set up a triage wing in the Library. Don't get yourselves gutted.” Ruro drew Paradiso reverently, taking it up in a two-handed grip.
Erebus smirked. “Yes, do be careful. If you die, I'll kill you.” The multiple mouths decorating the tentacles milling about her head grinned wickedly. “Just so no one feels unnecessarily heroic, you don't need to protect me. I can take full care of myself, and I guarantee it'll take a lot more to put me down than one of you lot.”
“Well then, let's kick the hornet's nest.” Chaore pulled one of the torches off the wall, and with a mighty heave, flung it down to the end of spiral ramp.
Before it hit the ground, a crimson fireball flashed past it, smashing itself on the ground and incinerating the torch.
“She's ready for us. That's fine, I'm ready for her, too.” Chaore's top-hat blinked out of existence, and she lowered herself into a crouch. “I'm gonna be good for about two or three seconds of shielding, tops, and when it breaks, I'm gonna go all-out with some beam-spam. After my first volley, I'm going ethereal, so use my distraction as best you can. Ready, Rou?”
Roukan nodded, and lifted up into the air again, riding on the orbs of blue light. “Whenever you're ready. I'm gonna dash in as quick as I can, get alongside her, so she has to turn. If she stays at range, this hallway is gonna funnel every bit of fire she can fling right at us.”
Erebus leaned over and muttered into Ruro's ear. “I didn't know organizing books required a tactical battle-sense. Where did you find these people?”
“My secret. Are you planning to help us fight, or just spectate? If you're going to fight, understand that I want you to be non-lethal. I don't like having my neighbors and patrons damaged beyond repair.”
“She's a drake, she'll be fine. Especially with me here.”
Ruro didn't realize that it wasn't Erebus speaking with another voice until the Abomination recoiled in surprise and looked around. She glanced over her shoulder and spotted the Dragon of Mangekyou, Hime.
Dragon of Mangekyou, Hermit of the Six Blades, and also rival in swordsplay to Ruro. She almost instinctively brought Paradiso up into a guard, but stopped when Hime waved her off.
“I'll deal with Ryuu. I've been sensing her draconic powers manifesting for a while, but haven't been able to actually find her until I saw you lot come down here. Stand back and I'll get her locked down. I'll bring her to the Library and wait for you there – I know something's happening to force these changes in her, and I'm more than certain that you're down here to get to the source of it. I do believe that the lot of you will be able to resolve this; please don't betray my trust.”
Erebus sniggered at Hime, putting a falsetto to her words. “Please don't betray my trust, neener neener neener. Oh, please. If you can get the Drake out of our way, do it. We'll handle the psychic.”
“The psychic? Ah, I see – you're missing one of the Librarians. The incident revolves around her? Ah, tell me later, when you've won.”
Ruro nodded at the humanform dragon. “Of course. If you'd be so kind as to remove the last obstacle from our path?”
“But of course. Essence of Shielding. I invoke the full power and form of the Cunei Claymore.”
A rust-colored rectangular slab of metal materialized in front of Hime, who took the handle with both hands. “Pardon me,” she said to Chaore and Roukan as she stepped around them.
Hime set her shoulders, exhaled, then vanished from the spiral ramp into the final hallway proper.
Chaore and Roukan glanced at each other, then jumped when they heard Ryuu's screech and the roar of flames. Roukan slipped down the last remnants of the spiral ramp, despite Sakana's grunt of alarm and aborted command to stay put, just in time to see Hime dash straight through a massive gout of fire, parting it and scorching the walls before running the zweihander through Ryuu.
Roukan blanched. “That sword... it didn't have a point on it, and she still stabbed it into Ryuu. What the hell...”
Hime turned, swinging the drake around on the blade like she was weightless, and slammed the end of the zweihander into the wall, keeping Ryuu pinned to it. The drake scratched and clawed at Hime, but to no effect, and any flames she tried to spit petered out almost immediately.
Ryuu began to spasm, twitching and flinching on the blade, and she slowly began to slip back into a more humanoid form, shrinking in size and losing the chitin and scaled crests adorning her Draconic body.
Once she'd returned to the short more-human-than-drake form the Librarians were familiar with, she finally stopped struggling and slumped over the blade, motionless. Hime pulled the end of the blade out of the wall, and gingerly picked Ryuu's body up and slung it over her shoulder, leaving the Cunei Claymore in her.
“Alright, Librarians. The stage is yours. I'll keep Ryuu unconscious and waiting in the Library until you return.”
As the Librarians moved into the hallway, Ruro nodded to Hime on her way past. “Thanks. I owe you one.”
Hime held up her free hand, palm out. “Of course not. Ryuu is a drake; dragons take care of their own. She would've regretted what she would've done if this didn't stop soon enough.”
“I see. Thank you, nonetheless.”
Hime bowed her head, and proceeded up the spiral ramp, vanishing from sight.
Sakana pulled another torch off the wall and held it high, taking the lead. The archway at the far end of the hallway was just barely visible, and through it, only the faintest light could be seen.
“Alright, gang. Everyone ready?”
-
trance why you killsteal ;_;
-
Things are starting to get interesting~ I'm looking forward to the upcoming battles!
trance why you killsteal ;_;
Cuz Trance needs the EXP.
-
trance why you killsteal ;_;
8)
In all seriousness, I had completely not noticed that Sakana had posted what he had of WEDDING until just now. :ohdear:
-
Bibliotech In-fighting
Her cheek twitched once, twice. She raised a hand to her eye and held pressure to the spasmodic muscle, forcing the eye closed. The remaining eye began to flick back and forth, looking at a dozen different things a second. Her pupil dilated to a pinpoint, and color washed out of everything she looked at physically, leaving all the auras imprinted on the books she'd liberated to color the room.
She released her cheek, and the impeded eye sprung open, pupil diluted as well. So many shades of blue, so much expression throughout even this sparse collection of stories.
But through the archway, shades of white and green were piercing the veil of blue her books were covering her in.
Her cheek twitched again. These are mine. They want to take them. All these different parts from all these different people, they want them back, but they are mine, because they don't need them and I need themI need them but they don't but they won't share them and they want to keep them but they can keep working without them why can't I keep them why can't I keep them why can't I keep them I can't afford to give them back they took my friend already they won't even let me keep that
WHY CAN'T I KEEP THEM
“Guns blazing, or do we do the more subtle approach?” Sakana gestured with her harpoon at the archway at the end of the hall.
“Subtle. We'll just go in there and talk to whatever it is that has Esi. If Erebus can tell what it is, maybe we can get this resolved with minimal fighting. I have no issue with sheathing an unbloodied sword – hell, I prefer it.”
In a masculine voice, Erebus chuckled. “You said there was some kind of writing around her head? I'll have to see it to know for sure just exactly what kind of Tome it is, but otherwise just getting me close will do the trick. If it's even Eldritch at all.”
“I'll take point, this time. Ease up, Roukan. Stop draining your mana on flying. Don't want you running out of combo points again.”
“Mana and combo points are two different things, dummy.”
Sakana heaved a sigh as she walked up to the archway, absently stepping over more shattered pieces of patience. As she neared it, she could make out what appeared to be a copy of the check-out desk of the primary Library. Seated behind it – well, above it, really – was Esi, head propped upon a fist, staring at her.
The look in her bloodshot eyes made Sakana stop short, and Chaore ran into her back.
“Tuna-tan? You alright?” Chaore peeked around Sakana's shoulder and glanced up at her, then followed her gaze. “Whoa- holy shit...”
Chaore's voice knocked Sakana out of her trance, and she stepped further into the cavern and stepped aside, letting the other Librarians trail in behind her.
Sakana stood transfixed, watching Esi's eyes twitch and flick back and forth, staring at each Librarian for just a split second as they came in. Her left eye was twitching errantly, and she began to blink rapidly.
Then Erebus stepped into the room.
In a blur of movement, Esi was no longer slouching in the raised chair, but instead scrambling back up against it as best as she could, letting out a blood-curdling shriek.
Erebus smirked at the reaction while Roukan and Chaore slapped their hands to their ears. “Recognize me, do you, Sa'kag??”
“It will not approach, it will not leave! I am beyond the cycle! I AM BEYOND THE CYCLE!” Esi lashed out with one hand, with one finger pointed out into a crooked claw at Erebus. “You are banned from this plane!”
A gray beam of light shot through Erebus' body, and he took a single stabilizing step back. A slow field of gray expanded across his chest where he was hit by the beam, and upon spotting it, he glared back up at Esi.
“You think YOU are beyond the cycle? The Librarians will destroy you. They are outside the cycle. Gul'kafh an'shehel iilth vwah, Sa'kag?. Ywaq maq oou.”
As the petrification spread, Erebus glared directly at Esi, letting the expression be the last thing to pass his face before he was completely frozen.
“Whoa! Is Erebus dead?” Roukan blurted out.
“No, just... this is a power of the Administration Grimoire. She – er, he – is completely and totally bound in this plane and locked. It's something we use from the Grimoire to keep the peace – lock down the troublemakers while investigating what's going on. I can undo it, later, when I get the Grimoire back.” Ruro shook her head. “But that was a messy job. Normally it's instantaneous.”
She stared up at Esi, who was slowly relaxing back into a proper sitting position, putting the ring at the end of her braid aside calmly, though still hyperventilating.
“And because it took a few seconds, we got confirmation from Erebus. This is Eldritch, and it has a name. Hello, Sa'kag?.”
“You trespass in my Library, you attack my guardian, and –”
“Your Library? What about my Librarian? What about my collection of stories? What about my Grimoire? And especially, what about my goddamn friend? Don't you even dare think you're allowed to take the high ground here. You will release Esi, now.”
“No!”
Ruro blinked. For having possessed a Librarian, especially one who was talented at communicating across all levels, she didn't expect just a childish denial. “Why not?”
“Look at you! You all have enough of what you need to be who you are. Why can't I take what you don't need? Why can't I keep it? You got this far! You don't need it! Go away and leave it for me!” Sa'kag? leaned forward, gripping the armrests of her chair with a white-knuckled grip, spasm in her cheek all the more noticeable as she jumped her focus all across Ruro's body.
“That's not how it works. It's not like we collect leftover bits of personality and just carry them around – they're all integral to who we are as people.”
“And I'm not allowed to be a person?”
Ruro blinked. Most Eldritch artifacts and creatures want to end life, not continue it... odd.
“I'm not Eldritch. I'm just sentient magic. But I'm sentient! Why can't I be allowed to live? Why should I be stuck in a book, closed for eons, unable to see the light of day, while you lot get to walk around and breathe and see and hear and taste and speak and weave?”
Roukan blinked. “Weave?”
Ruro waved absently at Roukan. “It's what Esi calls her telepathy. Weaving thoughts. Anyways, Sa'kag?, this is a land of raw magic. We can find a way for you to get a body of your own – you don't need to steal Esi's.”
“I can't trust you! You want to take all of this back! My books, with all their colors, and stories, and memories, and you want to take my body, and my personality, and everything that makes me who I am now, and you want to keep it all for yourselves!”
Sakana shook her head. “God dammit. Don't you have Esi's memories? Can't you see that we're telling the truth?”
“I don't need her memories! I can just read your thoughts! And you're lying! You're all lying! If you want your aspects back so badly, why don't you just take them?!” Sa'kag? whipped a hand out while lurching out of the chair, and the air between the Librarians and the psychic exploded.
The Librarians recoiled, each guarding themselves as best they could from the blast of wind and light.
When Tyltalis straightened up and opened her eyes, Sa'kag? was right in front of her, staring intently into her eyes. “From you, we take for ourselves, your endurance, your stoicism.”
“Get away from her!” Chaore lunged over, and punched a fist at Sa'kag?, launching a blast of energy at her.
The psyker slid back through the air, twisting around the ball of light and landing where the fake check-out desk used to be.
“Encore,” she said, and snapped her fingers. The air exploded again, but with less force; this time, now that the Librarians were no longer trying to shield themselves from the shockwaves, they looked towards Sa'kag?'s old throne, where Esi's body stood...
...Surrounded by five clones, each wearing attributes of one of the Librarians.
“Shadows in the Mind, Gangers in the Flesh.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfgANQaKYAE&t=2m16s)
-
Ah, I see one of my portmanteaus has caught on. I'm so proud ^_^
-
Two chapters in one day, oh my!
It's interesting to see that the force that possesses Esi has a deeper personality and motivation than just 'eradicate all life'. Its movements and acts are genuinely disturbing.
-
Two chapters in one day, oh my!
It's interesting to see that the force that possesses Esi has a deeper personality and motivation than just 'eradicate all life'.
Same for me too. I was expecting something rather menacing and forboding.
Instead I get an interesting surprise of a being that seems jealous of what the Librarians have. Good read all around, and certainly lookinf forward to how this'll all play out.
-
Battle Royale, Begin
Ruro suppressed a shudder. The clone in front of her had Esi's face, and the general shape of her body, and was wearing a copy of Ruro's gi and hakama, but had a third eye in the middle of the forehead, which was staring intently at her while the true eyes remained shut. The false samurai in front of her had both of her katanas strapped to her right side, and the red-tinted guard of her wretched wakizashi, Purgatorio, on her left, but drew none of the blades, instead resting her hands on the ends of the hilts and regarding her coolly.
Chaore lashed out again, this time throwing a blast of energy towards Ruro's doppelganger. The shadow samurai simply stood unflinching as the bolt passed harmlessly through her.
“Well, son of a bitch, we can't hit them?”
Sa'kag? scoffed. “That's not yours, you can't touch it.” She paused for a moment, then threw her head back and swore.
Sakana smirked. “Didn't mean to let that slip, did you? No point in standing around, then, I should think. Let's go!”
The fisherwoman lunged forward at her own doppelganger, brandishing her harpoon like a staff to counter the thrust from the shorter javelin Esikana was wielding. Ruro turned her attention away and focused on her own quandary.
“So. Do you talk, or are you just a puppet?” she asked.
“I talk.” Ruro resisted the urge to recoil from the unnatural voice – the lips didn't move, but it was a physical sound, not mental, like she was used to from Esi.
“Right... so, then, what's your motivation? Why do you fight?”
The shadow took her left hand off of Purgatorio and brought it to the hilt of Inferno, taking Paradiso in her right. “Simple. Survival.”
She drew the swords.
Chaore glanced at her shadow, up and down. Unlike the typical forward-slant to her bunny ears, the shadow's were swept back and went down behind her neck, apparently coming together to have the ring normally at the end of Esi's ponytail braided through them.
She also had vastly muscular forearms, ending in claw-like hands. That's not at all like a rabbit's paw. How outrageous.
Chaore matched her arms, shifting along into clawed hands as well. “So then. Some ground rules? No pink dragons.”
The doppelganger grinned at her. “How about purple?”
A grin spread across Chaore's face as well, becoming a borderline snarl. “Damn, you figured me out.”
After a moments delay, the two lunged towards each other, grappling each others' claws.
“Come on, you little puke! A copy is nothing like the original!”
Roukan peeked out from behind the canvas board she was holding as a shield, trying to ignore the vast quantity of feather quills stuck into it, and blinked at her counterpart. Like the rest of them, the doppelganger had Esi's body, but Roukan's features. A third eye marred her forehead, while the anatomically correct eyes remained closed.
However, the eyebrows were furled in alarm, and she'd turned her head towards Chaore when she shouted. She looked completely distraught.
Roukan didn't hesitate. She leaped forward, holding the canvas ahead of her still, and brandished her Tuna Saber. I just hope this counts as an attack from me, and not Sakana...
Her doppelganger snapped back to attention, just in time to have the tuna smash into her temple.
The taller shadow was bowled over, but didn't completely topple, instead catching herself before she fell off-balance. The third eye spun around to glare at Roukan, and the distraught frown turned to a scowl.
Another array of feather quills faded into existence around Roukanifex, and pointed towards Roukan. She smirked and raised the canvas again, holding strong against the repeated impacts. This should be enlightening.
Tyltalis studied her ganger. It was nearly an exact carbon copy of Esi, just taller, and with a rather disconcerting addition of a third eye.
“So, you're like me, then?” she asked it.
Tyltalesi nodded.
“And we're to fight? I don't think I quite like that idea very much. Do you?”
She shook her head.
“Though the others are fighting. Hmm. And Sa'kag? herself isn't, either. Perhaps we should provide the soundtrack. A musical duel, if you will.”
“To play a song? While the rest are fighting?”
Tyltalis nodded. “It would be our type of fighting, wouldn't it? Unless, you, having been so recently acquired, haven't had the chance to acclimate yourself to my personality.”
Sa'kag? glanced at the two conversing, and glided over. “You are correct. In this regards, then, I shall aid her. We shall have your convoluted duel, then.”
“Alright then. A song we all know – I found Esi's music player in the lounge after all this started happening. The last song it was playing was Jump. I will take a guitar. Decide amongst each other what you will do.”
Her ganger frowned at her. “I, too, will take a lead.”
“Very well." Tyltalis held her hands out, as though she were already holding a guitar. A quick burst of magic, and one was obligingly formed in her grip. "Let's get started, then.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF1B1dlHEow)
OH BOY A FIGHT SCENE IS STARTING
I'm not very good at these '~'
-
The last song it was playing was Jump.
What I thought of. Makes all fight scenes incredible! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmfrPrN1L_s)
-
I giggled at the Sword in the Stone reference~
This is getting more and more interesting!
-
Battle Royale Continues
Ruro shifted her footing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybq5p2kXX5E&t=20s) twice in the same second, turning in place and leaning over just slightly to let her counterparts' blades pass harmlessly by her.
?Dual-wielding. Even though that's not really what katanas were designed for, if you can control them well enough, you can be a force to be reckoned with.? She stepped back to put herself just out of reach of the chest-high scissors-cut with the blades. ?A very effective technique against multiple opponents at times, provided you can keep moving. I would assume you're drawing on ?? she slipped to the left to avoid a stab, then promptly ducked down to let the follow-up pass over her without obstruction ?? Saiki Kanuma, only instead of the sheath, another blade.?
Her clone stepped back and assumed a defensive stance with her blades. ?Indeed. Yet I can't help but wonder why you haven't drawn your blades yet, and instead insist on wasting your breath talking to me.?
Ruro shrugged. ?Because I get the feeling that even if I defeat you, Sa'kag? isn't going to return you to me. Even though you're supposed to be the self-control aspect of my personality, I still have enough restraint to observe you before I draw my blades. And because I get the feeling that Sa'kag? is losing a fight of her own, with Esi, or else you would've been warned by now.?
To her credit, the clone didn't glance left or right to try to check for any other threats coming towards her, but instead took another half-step back and lowered further into her guard. ?Warned? Of what??
?One of the weaknesses of Saiki Kanuma, and of dual-wielding.?
?And what would that be??
Ruro held her hand up, and tugged her sleeve back. Wrapped around her wrist was a rosary.
?Justice.?
Her clone only had enough time to raise an eyebrow over a closed eye before Ruro's Justicia Cross flashed into existence.
Ruro swept the massive Cross through the air, batting both of the katanas pointed at her away, and as she brought the Cross back around, she lunged forward. In mid-dash, the massive Cross morphed in her hands, becoming the Justicia Blade.
Her clone barely managed to duck the blade, throwing herself backwards.
Ruro drew the blade back in a flash, but her doppelganger didn't right herself. Instead, she was frozen in place, twitching and spasming furiously.
Her face was drawn taut, and she was snarling in pain. Ruro didn't immediately figure out what was going on until she realized that the clones' eyes were open.
The ganger glanced towards Ruro. ?That weakness... Justice is one... what's the other??
?Single, strong, two-handed blows. A one-handed grip on a katana can't hold up to a brutal smash.?
?...I see. Thank you. And... you were right. Even upon my defeat, I won't be returned to you. Just back to that... chaos.?
?What?? Ruro straightened up, but before she could inquire further, the ganger collapsed fully onto the ground.
?You'll have to get in to Esi's world to liberate us.?
?How??
The question went unanswered. The doppelganger rapidly faded from sight, the eyes disappearing last.
Ruro glanced over to where Esi's body stood, facing Tyltalis. If she can still use telepathy, she isn't right now, or my shadow would've been ready for that sweep. And on top of that, the clone didn't know, herself. I think I see what's going on, here...
Chaore dropped to one knee and almost immediately bounced back up. Her shadow's fist swung harmlessly through the air above her, though it was a feint; her knee jutted forward and nearly caught Chaore's jaw.
She's made of my patience. She's planning and plotting, waiting for me to screw up. So, she's on the defensive, waiting for me to attack.
Chaore lunged forward, claws open as though she were going to choke her doppelganger, but she stopped short. Sure enough, her clone's fist came up from below. Chaore tipped her head aside, narrowly dodging the punch.
Trying to attack instead of deflect. Bad choice. Chaore closed her hand into a fist, and as she did, a field of magic snapped into place around it. Her doppelganger's eye widened, and she flinched forwards.
Chaore punched, and the blast of magic grazed her clones' head, singing the ears dangling behind her.
?Oof!? Chaore doubled over and staggered back; the clone had driven her elbow into Chaore's stomach, driving all the air from her lungs.
The clone drew back and sunk into her defensive stance again.
?Twitchy little sonuvabitch, aren't you??
Pain in the ass that I can't shift any more... everyone else is too distracted with their own fights to help me focus. All I can do right now is etherealize and beamspam...
Chaore grinned. Around her, balls of light began to appear.
?Tell me something, copyright infringement. Can you parry a shotgun blast?? She closed both her claws into fists and lunged forward, the orbs of magic swooping around in front of her to lead the way for her fists.
Her copy skipped backwards, doing her best to stay away from the brilliant orbs, but Chaore simply shot them off in a spray directly in front of her.
The impact of several of the orbs colliding with each other, in addition to the rocky ground, kicked up a fair amount of dust and rubble, but the clone was nowhere to be seen.
That easy? I don't buy it. Chaore glanced left and right, checking the progress of Ruro and Tyltalis' fights, then hesitated a moment.
She straightened up, forcing her shoulders to relax, and waited a beat, then threw herself backwards while etherealizing at the same time.
Sure enough, she passed through her doppelganger, lashing out with a fist to where Chaore's head had just been.
Chaore stepped back into reality and conjured another blast of magic, and shot it directly into her clones' back, not willing to take the time to aim for an accurate headshot. The doppelganger toppled forward, streamers of smoke wisping off of her tunic, and crumpled onto the floor before rolling over.
As she came back up, she spun around and shot a blast of magic of her own back at Chaore, who etherealized again to let it pass through her. She reformed immediately after it was safely behind her and lunged towards her clone again, denying her the opportunity to right herself.
Roukan ducked reflexively (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBa5LPqZKYc&t=40s) as Chaore's shotgun blast let off a concussive wave and a cacophony of noise. Her ganger whipped her head around to see what had happened, then turned her attention back to the shorter Librarian.
Roukan tossed her canvas frame aside and conjured another one, trying not to notice how many quills were sticking out of the old one. It looked more like a field of feathers sticking out of the ground, rather than a canvas with quills in it.
?Aren't you going to try anything? All you've done so far is hop around and huddle behind your shield.?
She smirked. ?Are you forgetting how I beaned you in the head already??
Roukanifex conjured a coil of rope with a weight dangling from it. ?So you got one good hit off on me. That's nothing to brag about.?
?One hit to your none. And what does rope have to do with writing utensils??
?So you're good at hiding from your problems behind a shield. Go you ? that's clearly a vital and important life-skill. Also, this is a chalk line used in drafting and lumber-work.?
Roukan frowned. Is she trying to use the insecurities I've discussed with Esi to unsettle me? Not like they really affect me anymore... It was hard to mope about things around a telepath, but in spite of Esi's cynicism and sarcasm, she didn't tease Roukan about her issues, but rather sat down to talk them out. The two of them discussed a huge range of topics, sharing problems and issues back and forth.
Esi had said recently that Roukan had made tremendous progress compared to when they'd started having their little teacup-philosophy sessions, and the compliment buoyed Rou's outlook.
The frown turned into a grin. Yeah, she'd had problems. But everyone had problems. She could deal with them. She had help, and she had friends. And one of her friends needed her help right now.
Roukanifex fed out some slack, letting the weight at the end of the line drop lower, then she began to spin it around her wrist. You may have Esi's memories, you may have her fighting style, and you may have my experience, but you definitely lack my friends and my friendships. That's your undoing.
With a flick of her wrist, the clone sent the weight flying towards Roukan. If that hits the canvas, I'll just have useless cloth and timber in my hands.
Roukan turned halfway to let the weight whistle past her as her doppelganger lashed out with it, then dispelled the canvas and brandished Sakana's tuna-half.
?You're a pale imitation, abomination! All you are is an echo! But me? I have my friends with me!? Roukan pointed the tuna-half at her clone, who was coiling the rope across her elbow in preparation for another lash. The tuna gaped at the ganger, and the eyes began to glow.
?What?!?
?IRUKA BEEEEEEAAAAAAAAM!?
A wash of brilliant blue light blasted out from the tuna's mouth, engulfing the doppelganger. The blast of light continued for a straight five seconds, and the roar of the magic drowned out every other sound in the room ? Sakana's harpoon clashing with Esikana's staff, Tyltalis in a musical duel against Sa'kag? and her clone, and Chaore and her doppelganger ducking and weaving through each others' attacks.
Finally the beam subsided, diminishing in volume until it petered out of existence, leaving drops of water dribbling from the tuna's mouth. Roukan tapped into the flight magic, binding her feet with magic and using it to stand above the ground, and dashed forward.
Her clone was supine on the ground, writhing about with wisps of smoke rising from her tunic.
Roukan raised the tuna above her head. ?I want my friend back, and you're in my way.?
The tuna swung down.
-
B)
-
You always have the best taste in reading music, Esi.
-
You always have the best taste in reading music, Esi.
It literally took me nearly two hours just to pick those two songs to use for this little bit. I'm having such a hard time getting the word count to synch up with the length of the songs.
-
A tuna gun. Hmmm... (http://www.pokemonfaceoff.com/users/6/thm450/223remoraid.jpg)
-
Seven months since my last story update. I have no excuse. At all. Seriously.
I really apologize to all readers for this, but stuff happened, more stuff happened, and my moods have been all over the place during that time. Writing was the least of my priorities, as much as I like it.
So why am I posting anyway?
Because I'm a tease and want to mention that I'm starting up my writing-engine again. Also because posting this here makes me obligated to really go through with it and not chicken out.
Magical Librarian Squad Episode III - Part 3 - Coming soon~
-
And it's done. Not quite sure if this is en par with the chapters before, but I'm feeling rather good about how it turned out. Seems getting back to writing wasn't as hard as I expected.
Since it's been seven months since the last update, let's recap the situation briefly:
In the library, the Sealed Book "How to be a Magical Girl" has been unlocked and its pages spread throughout the land. As a result, those possessing pages from it have changed according to what's written on the respective page. Moerin abuses the power of the book to gather a group of evil henchwomen around her and abduct Donut, the Princess that keeps the balance of the world. To free Donut, Ruro has made the Librarians into the Magical ★ Librarian Squad. Numerous obstacles await the Librarians on their quest, and soon Ruro has to face her old friend Trancehime in battle. Through liberal use of ferret Ruro wins the battle. Meanwhile, at another place, Polaris and Sana prepare for their own fight....
- Episode 3: Fight, Magical ★ Librarian Squad - Part III
A warm wind blew over the clearing on which the two girls faced each other with serious expressions on their faces.
?Well, that is quite the surprise. I didn?t expect us to meet again like this??
?Yeah??, Polaris answered calmly.
The two stared at each other for another few seconds, then Sana suddenly smiled.
?So, how have you been, sis??
?? fine, I guess??, Polaris responded with hesitation.
?And that outfit??
?I?d rather not talk about it.?
?It looks silly.?
?I know.?
???
?? and what about you? Why are you working for that crazy tilde-woman??, a reproachful tone swung in Polaris? voice.
Sana looked taken aback, then pulled her hat over her eyes and stared at the ground. Polaris could see she was blushing a bit.
?I?. I?.?
Polaris sighed.
?You got lost, right??
Sana?s body twitched.
?And then ended up in Moerin?s hideout by accident??
An even stronger twitch.
?And then you somehow got one of those pages and got turned into a magical evil henchwoman.?
Sana staggered as if the words had hit her physically.
?You were supposed to buy some stuff for dinner down the street. How could this even happen? You?re supposed to be a role model as an older sister, for crying out loud!?
Sana raised her head forcefully and stared directly at Polaris, tears glimmering in her eyes.
?It?s not my fault, okay? I don?t have this stupid ability because I wanted it!?, she shouted at her younger sister.
Polaris looked unimpressed. This wasn?t the first time something like this had happened, and it would not be the last, she was sure of that. However, up to now those events never had led to them suddenly being enemies in a conflict with the fate of the world at stake.
?So what now??, she asked with a sigh.
Sana took a deep breath before straightening her face and answering with a calm voice.
?We will have to fight. If you want to get rid of my curse, if you want to find Mistress Moerin?s place, you will have to get past me.?
Polaris narrowed her eyes.
?I don?t want to fight you, sis. Can?t you just lead us there??
?Sorry, but that won?t be a possibility. Those magical pages, they won?t allow it. Just as you have to dress up in those clothes and fight for Ruro?s cause, I have to give my best to stop you from getting to the Mistress.?
Within a heartbeat, the atmosphere on the clearing grew tense.
?We haven?t done this in a while, eh??, Sana asked with a grin.
?Yeah??
?Don?t disappoint me, okay? I want this to be fun!?
A small fire seemed to burn in Sana?s eyes, and a dark aura had started to form around her.
?The power of the pages is taking over?, Polaris thought to herself.
The two girls looked into each other?s eyes one more time, then, as if someone had given them a signal, they both leaped backwards into the air and started their battle.
?Sisters of Sound?, this was the name Polaris and Sana were known by in this world. Where others used bullets, swords, small mammals or thermonuclear weaponry, those two fought their battles with music.
Polaris took a deep breath, then spread her arms to the side and shouted ?Let?s do this! Magical ★ K-Power!? At once, a song started playing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnu9JRdVaNg&feature=player_detailpage#t=40s) and several colored orbs appeared in the air and started to circle around Polaris as she started reciting the lyrics of the song. With each word she sung, the air vibrated with powerful waves that shot off towards Polaris? opponent.
On the other side of the clearing Sana grimaced as she casually dodged the first few airwaves.
?Oh come on, K-Pop? You are still using that?? she shouted in a snarky voice. ?You should learn to use some good music, like THIS!?
At the final words, a strange box appeared in the air before Sana. It had a number of buttons, similar to a keyboard. Sana cracked her knuckles and wriggled her fingers over the buttons.
?Let?s start off easy. Wouldn?t want to end this too quickly now, would we??, she laughed and waved her arm, causing her own music to start playing. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Z81jnqkYc)
Polaris stopped her own song for a moment and narrowed her eyes. She had never seen her sister use this style before. They didn?t have practice battles often, but as far as Polaris could remember, Sana had always used an instrument with large, brightly colored spherical buttons.
She tensed her body when she saw Sana?s hands move towards the buttons. In time with the beat of her song, Sana started to push the keys in a seemingly random order.
?Come on, how will you attack??, Polaris thought. Then, without any warning, she felt a sharp pain on her face.
?Ow!?, she shrieked as her hand flew up to her face. She felt something wet and warm flowing down her cheek.
?She hit me? What? how??
Before she could think any further, Polaris felt something graze her hair. Immediately after that something rushed past her leg. Then her waist, after that her shoulder, then her other leg.
Polaris clenched her teeth and flew backwards to get some distance between her and Sana. And then she finally saw it, the true nature of Sana?s attack.
?Air blasts! Every time she hits those keys, she creates a small air blast!?
?This is? when did she??, she gasped.
Sana noticed Polaris? eyes on her and grinned.
?Surprised? Unlike you, I have been practicing all the time, sis. This is only a fraction of my true power, but it seems you are already having trouble, huh??
Polaris? felt anger welling up inside her at those words.
?Concentrate?, she thought to herself.
Taking a deep breath, Polaris resumed her song. Immediately the orbs around her reappeared, hovering in front of the girl like a colorful shield. Small ripples appeared on them every time one of Sana?s air bullets struck them.
?Okay, this should work!?, Polaris encouraged herself.
Polaris started her counter-attack. Dancing through the air as she sung her song, she gracefully dodged the bullets that her shield couldn?t block, all the while shooting her own airwaves towards Sana.
?Tch??, Sana sounded displeased as she struggled to keep up her own barrage of bullets while dodging Polaris? attack at the same time. She had practiced this song a lot, but she had never used it in a real fight. She looked towards Polaris, who was closing in on her quickly.
And then it happened. Sana lost her rhythm for a split second, just as another airwave was about to hit her. There was no sound as the wave reached its target and sent it flying.
All music stopped immediately. Polaris hovered in the air with a grin on her face.
Then, with a small thud, Sana?s hat hit the ground. Its owner was still up in the air, staring down at the hat in disbelief.
?You shot my hat??, she muttered.
?Your hat is your weak point, sis. Everyone knows that?, Polaris declared triumphantly. ?So, are you giving up??
?You shot my hat...?
?I sure did!?
?You. Shot. My. Hat.?, Sana?s voice became louder with every word.
All of a sudden, a feeling of fear rushed through Polaris. The small dark aura around Sana, which she had assumed was mostly for show, grew in size rapidly, stretching out all over the clearing and blocking the sunlight. At the same time, Sana?s eyes glowed bright red.
?YOU SHOT MY HAT!?, the girl screamed and in a bright flash her instrument changed.
At first slowly, then gradually faster, the keyboard-like box grew. As if it was inflated, its size increased until it was so big that each single one of its buttons was bigger than Sana herself.
?How is she going to use something this big???, Polaris wondered.
As if to answer her question, the dark aura around her sister started to change form, wriggling and twisting until it manifested into two giant hands of darkness.
Polaris could do nothing but stare in horror as Sana?s face contorted into an evil grin and she raised her hands in preparation of another song. Following her movement, the black hands raised up into the air as well.
?Jewellery Storm!? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwgsIsYiFjI) Sana shouted, and as the music started her hands flew down and started a mad dance.
With flowing movements at a speed that reduced her hands to a blur she commanded the black hands to play the giant keyboard, each single keystroke resulting in a huge blast of air being shot off towards Polaris.
The Librarian barely managed to shield herself with her orbs when the storm of air blasts reached her. Her defense held for a few seconds only, then the orbs shattered to pieces under the merciless barrage. Countless blasts hit Polaris? body and sent her flying towards the ground.
?Gaaah?, the girl screamed in pain as she smashed into the grass below.
?No? this is insane? how am I supposed to fight something like this??
Even as she was lying on the ground, more hits struck the defenseless girl.
?I can?t? do it? Ruro? everyone?. I?m sorry?.?
Polaris? vision was wavering, she could barely make out Sana up in the air staring down at her. Her consciousness started to fade from the exhaustion and pain.
?Do you want to let it end like this??, a voice suddenly spoke in Polaris? mind.
?What? who??
?Stand up. You can still fight, I will help you.?
?You? who are you??
?A friend.?
?? friend??, Polaris was barely able to think anymore
?Polaris, stand up. I shall grant you new power!?
The girl felt warmth all throughout her body. The sensation of the air blasts hitting her one after another stopped, and with it the pain she had felt. Her mind cleared up again, as did her vision. She felt great, she noticed, better than ever before. Slowly she raised herself from the ground.
Up in the sky, Sana?s face twisted with anger. She didn?t know what was going on down there on the ground, but she was absolutely certain she did not like it. She had broken Polaris? defense and the girl had taken the full force of her attack. She should not be able to move anymore, let alone be conscious at all. And yet, Polaris was standing up. Surrounded by a glowing white light, the girl that had been on the brink of defeat a second ago stood up without any signs of injury or exhaustion.
The miracle did not end there though. The light that shone around Polaris wrapped itself around her body, covering her completely in white, before suddenly bursting off like fireworks. Polaris looked down at herself in surprise. The revealing outfit she had worn before, the one Ruro had forced on her, was gone. In its place she found a long, lime green skirt and a matching top.
?Sing!?, the unknown voice spoke to Polaris.
?Sing? what??
?Sing!?, the voice repeated.
Polaris wanted to protest again, when something flashed through her mind. At once, the girl knew what she had to do. She looked up at Sana, who was preparing to continue her attack once more.
She black hands moved rapidly once more, sending a wall of air bullets down towards the Librarian.
Polaris took a deep breath, then she opened her mouth and sung.
?Was yea ra?? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWzpUBTp7O8&feature=player_detailpage#t=134s)
A sphere of light burst out from around Polaris and spread across the clearing, destroying Sana?s bullets as it touched them.
The girl knew neither what the words she sung meant, nor did she know what language they were in. But she knew that this song was more powerful than the K-Pop she had used for so long could ever be. Her sister?s bullets unable to reach her, she floated back up into the air, until she was at the same height as her enemy.
Sana let out a tremendous roar of anger as she saw Polaris in front of her, and her hands started to glow a bright red as they moved even faster. At the same time Polaris? song, which had become calmer after its first outburst, grew more intense as well. Disembodied voices echoed through the air, joining the Polaris? voice like a ghostly choir.
This was it, the last stand between the Sisters of Sound, they both were aware of this.
Blasts of air clashed against waves of light, one after another, growing fiercer and faster with each strike. Both girls strained their bodies and minds to the limit, releasing everything they had in this confrontation.
And finally, as the power of both songs reached its peak, the clearing exploded in a clash of light and darkness?
...
.....
Light.
All she could see was white light.
Then Sana felt someone catch her from her fall.
?Sorry, sis?, Sana could barely hear the voice that said those words.
?It was fun?, she answered, managing a grin before her mind drifted into sleep from exhaustion.
Polaris placed her sister carefully against a tree at the edge of the clearing. Then she walked over and picked up Sana?s hat, dusting it off with her hands before she placed it on its owner?s head, where it belonged.
?See you later, sis?, Polaris said, before jumping into the air and flying off into the direction that her comrades had run off before.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Bonus-info: Stein came up with a nice name for Ex-Sana here: Insana!
-
I literally died of laughter once I parsed exactly what Polly was singing.
Stay golden, Tuna, Stay golden.
-
The only problem with having so many songs at once is, for those of us who read quickly, we're going to get to the next song well before the one prior is done. :(
Either way, I like the way that was done - now I have to top that for the penultimate fight between Tyltalis, Sa'kag?, and Tyltalesi.
-
Wow, all the songs I picked don't fit this at all :V
-
Not to be outdone by Sakana, here is the next part of What Makes a Librarian!
Featuring Sakana, being a badass. Whoops, guess I went and helped Sakana outdo me.
Seafarer's Shanty
Sakana pulled back, heaving on her harpoon. The blade's serrated edge caught on her shorter clones' staff, and nearly wrenched it out of her grip.
Esikana spun the staff around, unhooking it from the harpoon and twirling it like it were a baton. While it was out of alignment, Sakana turned inwards and swung the opposite end of her harpoon in, ramming it into her clones' chest.
Esi was never good at close-quarters' combat. This shadow is drawing on my harpoon expertise, but is using a simple bo-staff. Being stabbed by the end of it will hurt, but not nearly as much as it would if it were a true harpoon.
Using the recoil from impacting with Esikana's chest, Sakana brought the point back around and slashed. The shadow barely managed to withdraw enough to keep the blade from gouging her neck, and was instead jabbed in the collarbone. The harpoon glanced off the bone and bounced out, but the point was made.
Esikana stepped back, putting some distance between her and the fisherwoman Librarian, putting a hand to the cut on her collar.
Sakana barely failed to suppress a smirk. By stepping back, the doppelganger put herself right at the proper range for a stab from her harpoon ? what it was made for, not for slashing.
She lunged forward, harpoon angling towards the clone's chest again.
With a flourish, the staff spun through the air and knocked the harpoon to the left, and Esikana spun around to the right, bringing the staff around like a baseball bat.
Sakana caught the blow on her forearm, shielding her head, then lashed out with her foot and kicked into the clones' knee.
Esikana let her leg collapse under her than try to resist the kick, and tumbled behind Sakana. The fisherwoman turned and brought the point of her harpoon back around, and tried to pin the clone to the ground with it, but she'd rolled away from Sakana and used her staff as a lever to push herself back upright.
?Backstabbing, loot-nabbing plans behind doors
Running low on the rum, and depleting our stores
Can't tell who's on our side and who's ready to flip
When we hit the next port the whole crew could jump ship,?
Sakana sang a shanty as she followed up, pressing the attack. She stabbed with the harpoon, then followed after it, swinging the shaft around and smashing it against the ganger's staff, shoving her off balance and stabbing at her feet with the point.
?With the moods flaring, crew's glaring, cutthroats the lot
With a paranoid captain always smelling a plot
We've worked hard on this journey but there's no end in sight
And before it's all ended there could be a fight!?
Sakana feinted, jabbing forward a scant few inches before drawing the harpoon back and whirling it over, slamming the shaft into the over-extended staff that was spinning through empty air to try to deflect the stab. With the clone further off balance, Sakana rammed the butt of the harpoon into the ganger's chest once more, this time stepping fully into the thrust and shoving her target back against the wall.
?My arms' aching, backs' breaking, legs, aching neck
And this whole ruddy ship is a huge creaking wreck.
We've flown ten-thousand miles with this thorn in our sides,
Though the wind's steady strong with no clouds in the skies,?
She held the harpoon in place with one hand and stepped forward, and drove her fist into her clones' stomach. As the clone doubled over, gasping out all the air in her lungs, Sakana pulled the harpoon back and spun it around. She stared directly at the twitching Third Eye for a moment, then pulled her fist out of the ganger's stomach and gripped the harpoon, and stabbed forward with all of her youkai strength. The harpoon jerked in her hands when it hit the stone wall behind the clone.
?You're done here, I would think. So why don't you do whatever it is you shadows do and poof away back to your little Sa'kag?, and tell her we're going to be getting Esi back shortly after.? Sakana grabbed the clones wrist and dug a finger into the cluster of nerves at the base of it, innervating the fingers and forcing the hands to open and drop the staff. She let it clatter to the ground, and instead gripped the harpoon with both hands again and leaned into it, pinning Esikana firmly to the wall. Just because it had Esi's smaller frame and features didn't mean it might not have her physical weakness. She didn't feel like risking a shoving match with the clone just because she thought it would be just as much weaker than Sakana as the real Esi was.
The ganger scowled at her, and began to push forward, driving the harpoon further through her stomach.
?No. You're done.? Sakana let the clone get off of the barbs completely, then turned the harpoon, brought her foot up, and kicked her back against the barbs. The ganger winced and a mist of blood sprayed from her mouth as she coughed, but she otherwise continued to squirm against the harpoon.
?Give it up. I'm not letting you out.?
?Give up? Never. All that makes me who I am is your determination. Giving up would be to rebel against my very essence. This isn't over until ??
Abruptly, Paradiso buried itself in the ganger's Third Eye. Sakana shot a glance over; Ruro was next to her, katana held in a two-handed grip. She looked back at the clone.
The Third Eye was closed, squeezed tightly shut, and the human eyes had opened in shock and were staring up at the blade. ?But... you shouldn't be able to hit me...?
The clone began to fade from sight, starting with the streaks of blood left on the harpoon shaft and wall, and ending finally with the eyes.
Ruro pulled the tip of Paradiso free from the wall. ?She was right. I didn't hit her. Went right through her. I think, though, that if you can get them to open their real eyes, something forces them back into Sa'kag?. Fueled by determination or not, it's very surprising to have a sword shoved through your forehead. That's three down; Roukan finished her fight, too. Chaore is still sparring with her clone and Tyltalis is having some kind of musical showdown with Sa'kag? and her own clone. We should be ready to act once they finish their respective fights.?
Sakana smirked and let the harpoon point drop to the ground. ?A full harvest, then. Of course, the Librarians would be able to overcome their copies. It's like Chaore said ? a copy is nothing like the original. Arms aching, back breaking, legs aching neck, and this whole ruddy ship is a huge creaking wreck... Flown ten-thousand miles with this thorn in our sides.?
?Let's pull that thorn out, shall we??
-
The only problem with having so many songs at once is, for those of us who read quickly, we're going to get to the next song well before the one prior is done. :(
Well technically the song were playing at the same time during the fight, so you'd have to just let one run while you start the other to get the proper feeling. However, that likely sounds absolutely grating. One wonders how those two girls can stand fighting like this.
Wow, all the songs I picked don't fit this at all :V
I noticed, but it somehow made it more amusing for me :V
Also more Esi-story :O
13 parts already man. *goes to update the OP again*
-
This one's a wee bit bigger than the normal, but that's mostly because of formatting.
Ever Onward Towards Your Goal
Tyltalis didn't take her eyes off her counterpart. Her fingers glided effortlessly up and down the neck of the guitar she was holding, which obediently stayed where she needed it to without having a strap on it, and though she was playing at a rapid tempo, she didn't use a pick, instead strumming with her thumbnail.
This is strange. Why is Sa'kag? playing a guitar? Esi doesn't know guitar, she plays a violin. And it sounds like she's improvising. Esi should know these songs.
The song they were plowing mercilessly through was nearing its end. The clone is good. She hasn't messed up once, yet. Sa'kag?, on the other hand, is stumbling around. I need to check something...
As she led up to the final chord, she threw her right hand straight out to her side and twisted her fingers around. In her hand, a bow formed, and she folded it into her fist and turned her thumb out so she could use it to hit the last note in unison with her shadow.
?Seven Wicked Reels (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEVdD5sL_Ok&feature=related),? Tyltalis intoned, and pulled her guitar up. In her grip, it shrunk in size, and became a violin. Without hesitation, she wedged it to her shoulder and planted her chin on the guard, dropping the bow to the strings.
She pulled the first verse from the violin while her ganger conjured a violin of her own, staring at Tyltalis through narrowed Third Eye.
That's right. I'm making us play a song on a violin, and I'm not a fiddler. What'll you do? What'll Sa'kag? do?
Tyltalis glanced at Esi's stolen body. Sa'kag? glanced back and forth between the two Tylatlis', trying to figure out what they were doing. In her hands, she still held a guitar.
?We need a bass for this, not a guitar!? The doppelganger lashed out and slapped her hand to Sa'kag?'s instrument, and it morphed at her touch, the neck elongating and two of the strings vanishing.
A headless bass? What the hell? Who's influence is that? Is that a Steinberger?
Tyltalis scowled at her violin. The fingering pattern was completely different from a guitar, though the technique was the same. The lack of frets meant she was likely to play a sharp or flat unintentionally; her clone was just as likely to do the same, though, and both of them knew the song well enough to recognize when the other screwed up.
Can't read their faces when I'm focusing on the violin like this. I'll have to practice violin more often. Why isn't Sa'kag? fiddling? Esi is the violinist between the two of us, the clone should've taken the bass guitar.
She rolled her fingers across the neck, throwing out one last riff in the chorus before shooting a stern glance at her shadow, passing the lead to her.
The ganger failed to produce any notes when she drew her bow across the strings. She stared down at the violin in horror for a moment, and Tyltalis pounced on the opportunity. She reached over and tapped the clones' bow with her own. ?You didn't conjure it with any rosin on the strings. Try again.?
To her credit, the shadow didn't dwell on her mishap, and instead leaped directly into the song.
Tyltalis let her get only one verse in before rejoining the song, playing in tandem. The clone scowled at her.
?This song calls for at least two violins at a time. We can't pass this back and forth like we did the guitars. Deal with it.?
The Third Eye narrowed once again, and in the moment of trepidation, the clone played a sharp note. Tyltalis smirked at her.
Not even as good as I am at fiddling. Either that, or her nerves are getting to her. And Sa'kag? is doing even worse with the bass guitar than she was with the electric. Why isn't she pulling the song from my mind?
On the far side of the chamber, Tylatlis and her clone switched to violins instead of guitars, and the vectors floating around them, originally producing music from instruments neither musicians held, faded. Chaore appreciated the slightly subtler music, but couldn't fully appreciate it as she was busy lunging back and forth, rolling and tumbling while simultaneously flicking in and out of existence.
Her clone remained on the defensive, only moving to attack when Chaore paused or left a feinted opening.
Chaore, however, was rapidly reaching the end of her fuse. Arrogant little bitch. Stop dancing around just bloody fight me!
Her shadow appeared in front of her, out of arms reach, fists raised into a high guard. Chaore reflexively snapped off a bolt of energy at the ganger, aiming directly between the upraised forearms.
The tiny bolt of energy flew fast and hard, exploding in a flash of light and a cloud of burnt robe. The clone staggered back, curling her hands around her chest defensively.
She wasn't looking up at Chaore. You'll regret taking your Eye off me.
The Librarian kicked off, jumping up and taking to flight, throwing herself forward through the air as she etherealized.
She landed directly behind the doppelganger and whirled around, lashing out with her massive clawed fist, aiming squarely at the base of the skull.
Then she returned to reality.
The clone stopped immediately, and her arms dropped to her side. Her entire body weight began to drag on Chaore's fist as she crumpled. Chaore put her foot to the clones' back and pushed, freeing her fist with an almost sickening slurp noise. The back of the shadows' head was missing, having been overwritten by Chaore's punch.
Disgusting. Never again. She opened her fist and flicked her wrist, but the blood that had coated it was already fading rapidly.
?Chaore. Over here.?
Sakana beckoned her over, where Ruro, Roukan, and herself stood near the entrance of the chamber, watching Tyltalis fiddling to counter her clones'.
?You guys are finished already? Huh, seems like I'm the only one who's actually enough of a challenge for myself.?
Roukan snickered. ?That, or we just know our own weaknesses well enough to exploit them quickly.?
Chaore reached out with her still-huge clawed hand and flicked Roukan in the head. ?Twerp.?
Ruro held out a hand, silencing the two, as she stepped towards Tyltalis.
?Tyltalis. It's all you now. Finish this when you're ready.?
The tall Librarian nodded with her entire torso, bowing at the waist and coaxing a measure of music from the violin at the same time.
As she straightened up, a flash of magic washed over her. In her place, a slightly shorter woman stood, with short-cropped black hair and a sleek gray outfit. The fiddling continued uninterrupted throughout the brief change.
Sa'kag? recoiled in surprise. ?Another person?!?
Tyltalis shook her head. ?Another body. Same person. This one is Polaris.?
The doppelganger stopped playing her violin, staring at Polaris, jaw dropped and bow hanging limp in her hand. Polaris stared over her fiddle at the two.
?Oh, please. Get over yourselves.?
Sa'kag? blinked, and reset the guitar in her grip.
As soon as she had it in her hands firmly, Polaris lunged forward and lashed out with the violin, performing a spectacular baseball-bat swing with the fiddle and connecting squarely with Esi's head.
Contact was accompanied by a brief yelp from Sa'kag?, who dropped the bass guitar from her hands and dropped to her knees, clutching her head, bits of shattered violin stuck in Esi's braid. The shadow of Tyltalis stopped fiddling completely and whipped her head around to stare at the fallen Sa'kag?.
Polaris rocked the bow in her hand, and it morphed into a hand-and-a-half sword with a narrow blade. She deftly stepped forward and slid the blade between her ganger's ribs. In her shock and confusion at having seen Sa'kag? bashed in the head by a violin, the clone didn't even notice the blade until Polaris had already buried it four inches into her side.
?Eh? What? No! No!? she dropped her violin and clapped her hands to her ribs, on either side of the blade, and staggered away from Polaris. She touched the handle of the blade, weakly probing at it, and took hold of it and tried to pull the blade out.
Ruro hissed at Polaris. ?Now! Punch her in the Third Eye, Polaris!?
Polaris didn't waste time nodding in acknowledgment or turning to face the Head Librarian. Instead, she just ran forward and lashed out with her fist, leaning into the punch and throwing her weight into it.
The result of the punch went unknown. At that moment, Sa'kag? threw her head back and began shrieking, eyes awash with raw magic power. The chamber quaked, once, throwing everyone off-balance, before everything was blotted out by the light shining from Esi's aura.
The magic field whipped up the air in the chamber, forming a cyclone centered on Sa'kag?. The air spun about the room, whipping up dust and throwing books back and forth on their shelves, then stilled for a moment.
Just when the Librarians had regained their balance, another explosion of light and air pressure blasted out from the center of the room, throwing them back.
Ruro, however, sunk to a low stance, feet far apart for stability, and shielded her eyes with her forearm. You're not keeping Esi. She's mine. I'm coming to get her. Do you hear me, Sa'kag?? Can you still use her telepathy? I'm coming for you!
She pushed forward, shoving against the gale force. One step at a time, she pushed closer to Esi's body.
With each step, the light grew brighter and brighter, eventually forcing her to screw her eyes shut, and a few steps later, even blinded her through closed eyes.
She didn't know how far she'd pushed through the turbulence; abruptly, it ended.
She opened her eyes and lowered her arm, staying in the low stance, and looked around.
The chamber, and the Librarians, were gone, replaced by a gray-skied vista filled with mesas.
Where the hell am I?
-
Polaris, you are officially Too Good At This Shit.
-
Water Temple
Behind her, the cracked earth disappeared under docile waves of water, lazily washing ashore and receding back.
“Only way is forward, I guess.” Ruro looked down at herself. Both Paradiso and Inferno were strapped securely to her side, one above the other, but at the small of her back she felt the weight of another sheath.
She reached behind her and drew the blade out. It was a small tanto blade, but it was a deep crimson in color.
What? Is this Purgatorio? Why isn't it a wakizashi? She turned the blade over in her hands, examining the blade, before finally sighing and dropping it behind her as she walked towards the mesas.
Though the mesas appeared to be less than a mile away, after fifteen minutes of walking, Ruro had only made it halfway. Between her and the stone pillars was a small pond, barely a quarter acre across.
She stopped at the shore of it and drew a katana out, and touched the tip of the blade to the liquid. Looks like water, ripples like water, flows off the blade like water. She sheathed the sword and knelt down next to the waterline.
She glanced over into it, watching the tiny ripples caused by the tip of her blade subside. As the surface of the water smoothed over again, she looked down at her reflection. A scar, on my cheek? Where'd that come from? It's healed over already, so there's no chance it happened in the underground library...
As she studied the fine pink line on her cheek, something moved just barely. She blinked and focused, listening intently for any sounds of motion.
The sensation of motion again – from the water, though. She cast her eyes across the entire surface of the pond, but there weren't enough eddies to cause for the distortion. She looked back at her own reflection.
Someone else was staring back at her, eyes wide. Ruro jumped in surprise, and tumbled back from the shoreline.
The far side of the pond exploded, sending water flying through the air, as a blur of glistening brown launched out from it. Ruro caught the impression of a gray ring at the base of the blur as it took to the sky.
“Esi! Wait! It's me!” she called out.
The blur stopped and resolved itself, becoming a large sheet of wet brown hair, then turned to face Ruro, sending rivulets of water out in a wide spray.
The girl floating beyond the pond had sunken, haunted eyes, with deep rings under them, and the barest of grimaces on her face, as though she were frightened of Ruro.
“No you're not,” she stated simply, then turned again and shot through the air, whistling away with the speed of an arrow.
That wasn't Esi's face... but it was more or less her body. At least, her hair and build... What's going on in here?
Ruro rose to her feet, and felt a weight at the small of her back again. She reached around and felt the tanto's handle in its sheath again, and pulled it out. “Found your way back, did you?” She held it by the tip of the blade and dropped it into pond. The red blade vanished under the water, with one simple gleam before fading.
Ruro watched it sink, a look of disappointment on her face. Then she blinked in surprise.
She touched her collarbone, then pulled her sleeves up alternately, then plunged her hands into her pockets, searching. The Justicia Rosary... it's not on me. Where'd it go, and why does Purgatorio keep coming back?
She shook her head. No point worrying about it right now. She continued on towards the mesas.
It was another fifteen minutes of walking before she finally came to the first mesa. Spiraling around its entirety was a wooden ramp, leading to the top.
Ruro glanced up. A simple bridge spanned the distance between this pillar and the next one in, which was lacking a spiral ramp. “Nothing for it but to start climbing, then.”
As she stepped to the ramp, she glanced behind her. The shoreline that had been behind her when the brilliant light faded had crept up to the mesa. “Well. That's unusual.” She stared at the water for a moment before turning and climbing the ramp.
As she leisurely ascended, the gray skies overhead began to grow darker. It wasn't an abrupt change, nor was it heralded by distant thunder-crashes. It simply started to change from a light gray to a darker gray. In the distance, in every direction, a sheet of rain was visible falling from the faint outlines of the clouds, though none of the clouds above Ruro seemed to be releasing any precipitation.
How odd. The eye of the storm?
As she came around the side of the mesa (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asfLCCCJnCo), she glanced up at the bridge connecting it to its neighbor on a whim. There, in the middle, staring at Ruro, was the girl who'd leaped out of the pond.
Ruro stopped and drew her hands out of their sleeves, and raised one in greeting. The girl dropped to a squat and hugged her knees to her chest, and tears began to flow down her cheeks. Ruro could only wonder what had caused them; the rest of the girls face was passive. She didn't look upset, or sad, or even angry. Instead, she seemed mostly curious.
Ruro dropped her hand and continued up the ramp. On the next circuit, the girl was still there, watching her progress. Finally, Ruro reached the plateau of the mesa, and stood at the end of the bridge. Though there were raised railings on either side of the mooring points for the bridge, the span itself didn't have any handrails. It was a simple, flat surface stretching over the gap between the two mesas, with the oddly crying girl square in the middle.
Ruro stepped onto the bridge and waited to see the girl's reaction. After a moment, she sat down completely, folding her legs in front of her. Beyond her, Ruro saw the wall of rain pulsate, then realized it was being driven towards them by the wind.
As soon as the rain hit the far mesa, the girl rolled her head back and looked to the sky.
Ruro began walking forward, now that the girl had taken her eyes off of the samurai.
The rain swept across the girl, and she brought her head down to lock eyes with Ruro.
In the span of a heartbeat, the girl liquefied, clothes and all, becoming see-through and pouring over the sides of the bridge.
Ruro stumbled in shock and dropped to one knee, hands splayed out to catch either side of the bridge, and watched as the mass of water split into individual droplets of water as it fell through the air. The droplets slowed, then finally stopped, hovering in midair for a moment before rocketing back into the sky. She lost track of the mass of water amongst the rain, still billowing towards her.
As the wall of rain passed her, Ruro braced against the cold water, only to find that she wasn't getting wet. None of the rain actually hit her, and the bridge beneath her feet remained dry and stable enough for her to have solid footing.
Where is this place? What's happening here?
-
Ruro shouldn't have put that suspicious sugar from Purvis on her strawberries...
Also, inb4 Dark Ruro.
-
Kind of a small update, just to make sure I don't lose steam on this story.
Do Not Enter
The second mesa was deserted (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWmJBGyAWVs&feature=related), but it had a sunken ring in the center of it. In the middle was a circular door, with a wheel-handle in the middle. Wrapped around the wheel was a thick chain, bound by a padlock and covered in sealing ofudas. Ruro reached out to inspect the padlock, but found something was forcing her arm to curve away from the door.
As she rose to her feet, a dull crash of thunder sounded to her left. Through the rain, she could see some diffused light shining atop another mesa in the distance. May as well. Nothing to do on this plateau.
The next mesa had another recessed door in the center; again, the wheel was secured in place by a sturdy chain, held by a padlock covered in more seals. Ruro stopped to glance at it, but refrained from trying to touch it, instead deciding not to even stop her casual pace.
The glowing mesa was still four pillars away when she found a door without a padlock on it. She strode over and knelt next to it.
As she reached towards the wheel-handle, she broke out into a cold sweat and felt a strong foreboding sensation. I shouldn't open this. This would be like Pandora's Box. Nothing good will come of it.
She froze, staring at the wheel, fingers twitching just a few inches from grasping it, and blinked nervously. Wait a second. That wasn't my voice going through my head just now...
Reassured, she reached forward the rest of the way and spun the handle around. The wheel turned effortlessly and quietly, despite looking like it should've let off a shriek of rusted metal-on-metal grinding. With a heave, she lifted the door and glanced in.
At first, she couldn't make anything out through the darkness inside. As she peered in, dropping down on all fours and nearly poking her head in, she could barely make out walls inside, curving around to match the circular mesa it was embedded in.
Just a big empty tower...?
She was about to stand up and seal the door when she felt a chill run down her spine, and the cold sweat returned. Ruro wanted nothing more now than to slam the door shut and get as far away from the mesa as she could, but she couldn't move.
Something happened inside the tower. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBuT4CVH9xs&feature=related) The last thing she wanted to do was look, but she couldn't help it; much as someone can't help but look down from a height when told to do the exact opposite, she peered into the tower one more time.
Lining each wall were countless eyes, each one focused intently on her. She could feel a massive weight pushing on her, boring into her very being, coming from each one of the eyes.
She couldn't move. She knew she had to – she had to close the door and seal the silo to keep the eyes from staring into her. She was frozen in place, feeling as though she were more vulnerable than ever – like her swords had been stripped away from her, and she lay naked and exposed before these piercing eyes, with nothing to shield her self from them.
One of the eyes began to quiver and twitch, rolling in its socket spasmodically before whipping back around to stare at her. With tense muscles, Ruro cranked her head around to match its gaze; it was one of the larger orbits lining the walls, and as she made proper eye contact with it, it began to grow bloodshot.
Abruptly, it split in the middle and opened up like a massive mouth and began shrieking at her. Immediately after, the rest of the eyes split open and began screaming and hollering, as well.
The noise startled Ruro, and she was finally able to stumble back from the door. The shrieking continued, and to her horror, it sounded like some of them were coming closer.
She lunged forward and tackled the door, slamming it shut and throwing her weight across the top. As soon as the door sank into its seal, the screaming silenced. It wasn't muffled, as though still coming through the door, but stopped entirely.
Panting heavily and with weak arms, she cranked the wheel, locking the door shut.
What is this place, and where the hell is Esi?
She pulled herself to her feet, and shook her arms out, trying to get feeling back in them. The mesa ahead of her, with the glowing light shining through the thick rain, was waiting.
Wow. Going through and reading this with both the linked songs worked out almost perfectly for me. Lemme know how they turned out for you folks~
-
The songs are a perfect fit. They match the atmosphere, and surprisingly enough the second song even fit the flow of events amazingly well. The song slowed down and ended quietly at the exact moment the danger was avoided. Very well done.
It was kinda short though. :T
-
The other bit of the short update. I'd been having the first few sentences out of this one, plus the last update, typed up for nearly a week now, but because of my DANDY NEW JOB I haven't been putting as much time into it as I'd like. Now that I actually HAVE a job, though, I can see myself doing more writing. Yay!
If you'd like, imagine this part and the prior post were all one continuous segment. :P
Seeker's Prize
Three mesas later, Ruro stopped. She could barely make out a group of figures standing around the source of the light, and there was frantic movement. The rain had thickened, and the wind was howling now with how fiercely it blew.
Beneath the mesas, the shore had vanished, and the land was gone beneath rolling seas. Despite the wind-driven rain, Ruro was still dry, and warming up from the unnatural chill she'd suffered when she looked into the mesa filled with screaming eyes. She shuddered at the recollection of their high-pitched screaming.
She pushed the memory aside and focused, staring ahead. There appeared to be some sort of monument in the middle of the plateau ahead of her, and a group of people gathered around some shape on the ground. ?No point in lingering, then.?
She pushed forward, instinctively raising her arm to shield her face from the wind-driven rain, though she was still completely dry.
As soon as she stepped onto the far mesa, however, that changed instantly. The rain began to hit her, drenching her quickly and completely. The figures all appeared to be waterlogged as well, and none were looking up, instead all focusing on the form between them.
She glanced about, getting her bearings and noting everyone?s positions before they noticed her presence.
When she looked at the monument, she gasped.
It was Esi's body ? with her proper face ? frozen in place inside of what looked like a misshapen pillar of amber. She was suspended above the ground, body twisted around gracefully, arms raised and twisting across her torso. Starting from a bind on her right wrist and looping through the crook of her index finger and thumb of her left hand was a fine line of silk-woven chain links, terminating in a spear tip, the end of which was buried in the ground beneath her feet.
?Esi!?
The group in front of Ruro finally turned to face her. It was the Librarian doppelgangers, each wearing parts of Esi's appearance mixed with elements of the Librarian they were taken from.
They clustered up side by side, stepping over the prone figure they were hovering over, and blocked Ruro's progress.
Ruro's shadow took another step forward. ?So, you've found your way in. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.? This time, the words were properly vocalized, instead of just sounding off without any lip movement ? appearing more natural.
?Well, then, forgive me if I admit, I am a little surprised myself, and at a loss. Where is this place??
Rurofex bowed her head slightly. ?You're in Esi's mind. I was kind of wondering when you'd make it in here ? I take it shortly after you defeated me, you moved on to Sa'kag???
Ruro cocked an eyebrow at her shadow. ?You're awfully chatty for being aligned against me.?
?I'm made from you. I can't help but be sociable.?
Ruro grinned. ?So. I see the copies of the Librarians. Where's Sa'kag???
?Right behind us. You'll have to forgive us, we won't exactly be letting you through, though, until she comes 'round.?
?Comes around? What happened to her??
?She collapsed. Don't know why.?
Ruro glanced behind the line of clones, trying to inspect the form on the ground. ?Probably has something to do with Polaris ? er, that is, the real Tyltalis ? smashing her in the head while she was distracted.?
The body behind them was collapsed into a heap, as though it were a puppet with its strings cut. Ruro could make out what appeared to be a pinstriped suit, a matching fedora, and what appeared to be lengthy coattails folded under it. She couldn't tell how stocky or short it was, or the gender, with the Librarian shadows obstructing her.
?So, while you're being sociable with me, I don't suppose you'd mind telling me how to break Sa'kag?'s hold on Esi??
Her ganger smirked and shook her head.
?Thought so.?
-
I always have liked affable villains. ^_^
-
I always have liked affable villains. ^_^
But wait... you're the villain, in this case. Or at least, a part of you.
Waaaaaaait a minute....
Gasp!
I figured it out! Ruro is really -
/me is shot
-
3 AM writing session, awwww yeah
Power over Technique
?How about telling me how to reclaim you??
Again, her clone shook her head. ?I honestly don't know. That would probably be up to Sa'kag? or Esi. They're the ones in control of the telepathy.?
Ruro smiled, genuinely pleased. ?You imply that if you did know, you'd tell me.? Her clone bowed her head. ?The lot of us would. While we say that, though, understand that we are also compelled to protect Sa'kag?.?
Her clone stepped forward. ?So, then, how about a rematch? I can't say I know what'll happen if you get yourself hurt in here. You'll have to be extra careful.?
Ruro dropped her hand to the hilts of her katanas. ?Since we don't have anything better to do while we're waiting for Sa'kag? to come to, I suppose we may as well.?
?I remember what you said about Saiki Kanuma. Having had ample time to dwell on it, I suppose I shouldn't've used a technique that focuses on fending off multiple opponents at once against a skilled swordswoman like yourself. Tell me, then, what is the weakness of Justice??
The clone held her hand up, neglecting to draw either of her own blades. Ruro spotted a string of beads form around her wrist.
In a flash, the rosary had turned into the Justicia Blade. The blade didn't have the typical silver glow about it ? instead, it was a flat gray, like regular tempered steel.
Ruro glared at her shadow. ?Blasphemy. That's not the true Justicia Blade. In our hands, it has a silver aura about it, and there is a crucifix hanging from the hilt.?
?What do you mean? You can't see the aura, yourself??
The glare turned to pure fury and rage. ?You would dare conjure a copy of the Justicia?!?
The clone looked offended. ?It is as much a part of me as it is a part of you!?
?The Justicia isn't a part of me! It is its own weapon! It chooses its wielder!?
The rain clouds didn't seem to be showing any signs of letting up, though a halo of light suddenly pierced the clouds above the mesa, shoving the storm clouds aside and revealing the featureless gray sky. A bolt of light flashed down through the gap, and smashed into the top of Esi's amber shroud.
It was the Justicia Cross ? with its proper aura to Ruro's eye ? standing firmly atop the monument, letting out a single resonating tone because of its impact with Esi. Directly under the Justicia's base, cracks were forming in Esi's shroud.
As soon as Ruro dropped her eyes on the Cross, her mind blanked over. She held her hand out to it, and the Cross vanished, a streak of light blurring from where it stood to her hand, reforming as another Justicia Blade ? the real one.
Ruro's body locked eyes with her shadow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5XnbJOztGQ) for a moment, sizing her up, then fixated directly onto the false Justicia Blade.
She stepped forward without bothering to salute the blade, and smashed the Blade into the sword held by her clone. The recoil turned her shadow, who used the momentum to hop out of Ruro's reach. The short dash saved her, the tip of the Justicia Blade chasing shortly behind her, stopped only by Ruro's firm stance and the full reach of her arm.
By the time the other doppelgangers had settled down from the thunderous noise released when the Justicias collided, Ruro had taken two measured steps forward, holding the mighty blade in both hands across her chest in a guard as she paced after her copy. The ganger had settled into her own battle stance at this point, and was able to properly secure the blade in her hands and brace for Ruro's next attack.
Every time the edges met, a loud rending noise could be heard, and the barest of nicks formed in the false Justicia. If the flat of a Blade was used to block the other, the same thunderous crash echoed between the other mesas. The two myrmidons parried, riposted, and pirouetted around each others blades, Ruro never taking her eyes off the shadows Blade. Despite her not watching her clone's body for visual cues as to what style of attack was about to be unleashed on her, she responded flawlessly, as though the Blade were guiding itself to stop the sword and trying to drive itself into the ganger, and Ruro was simply holding the handle and going along for the ride.
The Blade in Ruro's grip never stopped moving; she flowed seamlessly from one attack to the next, interrupting herself only to redirect a well-timed thrust from her opponent. The tip of the Blade traced tight, concise circles through the air, spinning into the next swing without wasting any momentum or over-extending from any one slash. Her clone was just as swift, though couldn't take advantage of any of the transitions between attack styles; bringing her own sword around to the offensive would mean being too far out of line to catch the next slash, at the wrong angle to redirect a quick stab. She brought her second hand off the hilt and used it to brace the far end of the blade, giving extra stability to the center of the Blade, doing her best to catch each of Ruro's attacks in the middle.
Every attack she blocked was instantly withdrawn; the doppelganger couldn't shove against the blade to try to push Ruro off-balance without risking the same fate, and being left wide open.
After staying on the defensive for nearly a full minute, the clone decided to put some space between the two Blades, and coiled up to jump back.
As soon as she did, Ruro turned the Blade in her hand, lowering the point to the ground, and began to slash upwards with it.
The tip of the Blade cleared the plateau, and in mid-swing transformed into the Cross. The bottom shaft of the crucifix was plenty long enough to reach the airborne clone, smashing into her legs and throwing her over backwards. Ruro continued the crescent swing completely, bringing the Cross behind her, where it returned to its Blade form.
She launched forwards, leading hand out in a clawed grasp, lunging for the tumbling clones' neck.
The clone hadn't even hit the ground completely before Ruro pinned her down, and brought the Justicia Blade back over her shoulder and stabbed into the arm holding the False Blade. The width of the Blade nearly clipped the entire forearm off of the clone, but almost as soon as it was thrust, it was withdrawn.
With the clone having released the False Blade, the Blade in Ruro's hand drove directly into the fuller of the gray sword. All the cumulative nicks and gouges that had been bashed into the False Blade finally buckled, and the sword shattered. The pieces cracked apart, and each piece turned into a single bead. The handguard and hilt turned into a tiny cross, with the bottom shaft broken off.
Each piece of the gray rosary sat for a moment, then crumbled into dust and blew away with the rain.
Ruro blinked and exhaled deeply, finally registering that she held the clones neck in her hand, forcing her face-down, and in the other hand, was holding her Justicia Blade. She banished the Blade back into its rosary form, rocking her wrist slightly to be sure that it was in fact in its typical spot around her wrist.
?I imagine I've won this round.? She released some of the pressure she held on the clones neck, giving it the leeway to adjust herself to a less face-plant-esque position.
?Yes, you have. I would suppose that if you retained control of the Administration Grimoire, you could probably reclaim me at this point. As it stands now, you have one more challenge ahead of you.?
The Roukan doppelganger stepped towards them. Ruro glared up at her, free hand lifting up to conjure the Justicia Blade again if she needed to.
Roukanifex shook her head and held her hand up, palm out. ?Not me. Your fight has roused Sa'kag?. She's coming around.?
-
This update is XBAWKS HEUG
Acquisition of Power
The shadows parted ways, and Ruro was finally able to make out Sa'kag? clearly. The avatar was female, and she was twitching convulsively.
What Ruro had assumed were coat-tails slid out from under her and snapped themselves outright; they were wings like a bat's, though they were incredibly thin to the point of translucency, and mounted to her lower back rather than her shoulders. They fanned out for a moment, then dug the tips into the ground. Still mostly limp, Sa'kag?'s body rose up, arms and legs dangling haphazardly.
Once she was lifted completely off the ground, Sa'kag? began to roll forward, turning upright. Rather than drop her feet to the ground, though, she curled her legs up, crossing one over the other like she were sitting in a chair. She cupped her elbow in one hand and rubbed at her forehead with the other, groaning.
?Another Librarian... I wonder what would happen if I were to draw an aspect from her... or is she considered the same as Tyltalis??
Ruro rose up slowly, releasing her shadows' neck. ?It's the same as Tyltalis. Polaris is her active combat form, Tyltalis is her passive.?
Sa'kag? turned to face her, pulling her head out of her hand. ?What are you doing in here? How did you get in here? No! You shouldn't be here!? She recoiled away from Ruro, uncrossing her legs and rising away from her on her wingtips, still not standing properly on the ground. She smashed her fedora against her head and hugged her ribs with her free hand, staring back and forth at the Librarian Aspects around her, at Ruro's doppelganger on the ground with its arm bleeding profusely, and Ruro herself glaring at the Shadow Master.
Ruro took a step towards her (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr9xeKwyK58), and her motion shocked Sa'kag?. Her eyes drifted out of focus, as though she were staring through Ruro instead of at her, she dropped her arms to her sides, and her shoulders sagged.
?No... no... no, this is my domain, now. This is MY prize. I have Esifex! She is here! I WON! LEAVE ME ALONE!?
Ruro's hand flew to the hilt of Paradiso at the outburst, and she drew the blade in a flash. She dropped to one knee and held the katana at her side, blade pointed towards Sa'kag? in case she rushed forward, and braced herself.
Sa'kage drew her hands up over her head, fingers curled part-way into fists, and drew her legs up. Ruro glanced at the Aspects, still milling about around Sa'kag?, but not moving to aid her.
A shockwave slammed into Ruro before she knew what happened. She was thrown back, and in the chaos could only just register that the Aspects were being cast aside, as well, and the shroud around Esi's frozen body was shining fiercely, with motes of light being flung away from it.
A heartbeat later, she realized she was being thrown over the edge of the mesa. She twisted over and tried to stab out with Paradiso, hoping to snag the blade on anything, to generate some kind of friction that would slow her down, but she was too far up from the plateau of the mesa to reach even directly below her, much less to try to catch herself on the edge.
She heard Sa'kag? laughing hysterically amidst the shouts of surprise from the Aspects, and cursed her human nature for restricting her to the ground, unable to fly. How I want to drive an edge through her... That is MY Librarian you're standing in front of!
Below her, the water level had risen, and for a moment she was relieved. Then she remembered she was in a mindscape; she had no idea just how far the laws of physics would apply and whether or not she'd still be crushed upon impact with the water.
She never got to find out. A light pink blur smashed into her, knocking the air out of her lungs ? again making her question the lunacy of a mind-body avatar needing to breathe for a brief moment ? before she was no longer falling.
?Sorry about that, Ruro. You know, for how tall you are, you're pretty light. Must be because you're a human.?
Ruro looked at her savior, arms wrapped around her waist. ?Ryuu? What the hell??
The drake smirked. ?What, did you forget that Esi kidnapped a part of me, too? She took my free-will so she could use my body as a puppet, apparently. I was only able to talk to Esi for a short while before I had to run away and hide in here. This place is confusing as hell, and it's always changing, but ever since Esi locked herself down, these mesas have become a permanent fixture. I'd been watching the winged girl for a while as she tried to break through Esi's barrier.?
Ryuu lifted Ruro back up to the top of the mesa. Only Sa'kag? and Ruro's clone, who'd rooted herself to the ground by successfully stabbing a blade into the ground, were still standing atop the plateau. Upon spotting Ryuu and Ruro, Sa'kag? glared fiercely. She rose up to her full height, no longer curling around herself,wings stretched to their longest to lift her above the ground. ?You have such determination. I took your Control from you; why are you still trying so hard? Why won't you give up? Why won't you just let me take a body? Why do you get to live and I don't??
Ruro returned the glare. ?Because that's my Librarian you're trying to take. Besides, you have a form, right here; why don't you try to corporealize that instead of take one from somebody else??
Sa'kag? looked down at herself for a moment, then back up. ?I'm restricted to my tome. I can't leave it. I was only able to get in here because Esifex is a psychic. She formed a link with me and I was able to burrow in.?
?So, you are the aggressor, and a parasite. I already suspected as much, but you confirm it for me. Prepare yourself.?
Sa'kag?'s scowl turned into a smirk. ?This is my domain now. You will regret trying to rally against me.? She lifted a hand above her head, curled as though she were cupping a ball. A blue orb coalesced in her grip, and she whipped her hand forward, flinging it towards Ruro.
She leaped clear over it, curling into a combat roll as the blast whistled away behind her.
As she came back upright, she nearly gaped in surprise. Ryuu had shot forward and tackled Sa'kag?'s wings, yanking her to the ground. After they tumbled around for a bit, Ryuu came up straddling Sa'kag?, and raked her clawed hand across the Shadow Master's face.
Ryuu turned her head halfway, calling over her shoulder. ?Hit Esi with the Cross, Ruro! Do it, quickly!?
Ruro regained her composure and turned to head towards Esi's shroud, sliding Paradiso back into its sheath and bringing her other hand back up, conjuring the Justicia Cross. Without bothering to focus on form or technique, she heaved the Cross through the air as hard as she could.
The shaft of the crucifix rebounded with an echoing crunch, and a massive web of cracks spread from the point of impact.
?Good! Work with Esi!? Ryuu stood up, stomping a foot down onto Sa'kag?'s chest, then transformed into a natural drake. She used her talon-like foot to snatch up Sa'kag?'s supine body, and kicked off from the mesa, wings cutting contrails through the air while gouging deep lines in the plateau with her claws from the kick-off. Ruro watched her disappear through the cloud cover, then turned back to face Esi's shroud.
The cracks continued spreading evenly, though the entire shroud abruptly shattered before they met with the Justicia's initial impact point.
Esi dropped to the ground, landing evenly. The rope dart looped across her thumb whirled up and around behind her, hooking across her elbow. She whirled to face Ruro and with a flick of her arm, the rope slipped off her elbow and the dart came whistling towards the Head Librarian.
Ruro lifted the Cross to catch the dart, which rebounded harmlessly off. ?Relax, Esi. It's really me. I'm not sure how I got in here, but it's me!?
Esi flicked her wrist, making the dart jump back through the air towards her, and she deftly spun the point around her neck and elbow, catching the dart and holding it taut in front of her chest. She narrowed her eyes at Ruro. ?Prove it.?
Ruro reached out with the bottom of the Justicia Cross and tapped the side of it to Esi's thigh. ?You hate having your legs touched. You also dislike having them looked at, even, so to get around the short skirt of the Librarian uniform, you wear thigh-high socks.?
After a moments pause, Esi straightened up out of her combat stance. ?Sa'kag? had access to my memories for a while there. I don't even know why I asked you to prove it, there's no way I could safely believe you.?
Ruro rolled her eyes. ?This is your mind, isn't it? Ryuu just tackled Sa'kag? down, turned into a goddamn dragon, and flew off with her through your storm clouds. Can't you sense her??
Esi blinked at her stupidly for a moment, then nodded once. ?Of course. It's a little disorienting to put yourself into your own mind; things get very confusing in here.? She looked skyward, and the rain clouds vanished abruptly.
Ruro banished the Justicia Cross as Esi shrugged out of the dart harness she'd spun. ?For one thing, I'm using the Justicia Cross. That doesn't normally exist in your mind, until it sensed my doppelganger conjure a false one through our li-?
Ruro spun around, suddenly remembering her clone. It was standing where it had been slumped over on the ground, simply watching the sky where Sa'kag? and Ryuu had vanished through the clouds. The cut through the forearm had apparently resolved itself ? everything past where the true Justicia Blade had pierced her had disappeared, and a white fog was floating away in little wisps, as though it were a ghost. The shadow didn't even seem to register Ruro and Esi at all.
Esi glanced over at the ganger, as well. ?I suppose there's that, too. I reckon you'll be wanting her back.?
Esi gestured at the clone, who promptly shattered into motes of light. These then condensed into a single ball, which parked itself right in front of Ruro. ?All yours. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a very disorienting scry ahead of me.?
Ruro only managed to get a brief impression of countless lines and patterns forming around Esi before she felt overwhelmed. It was almost painful to look at Esi as she fanned her hands out and tilted her head back, staring into the sky. Instead, Ruro turned to the orb of light floating in front of her.
How should I handle this? Do I just grab it, or am I supposed to eat it, or... what?
She reached her hand out, and the orb promptly sucked itself into her core. Well, that was easy enough, I suppose.
?Hmm. I'm surprised Ryuu hasn't gone mad from spending so much time in my mind. Just goes to show you how sturdy dragons can be. She's pulled Sa'kag? away for now, to give us time to fall back and make a plan. Are you ready, Ruro? Things are going to get a little stranger now.?
?I'm inside your mind, somehow able to see and feel and hear things. Shouldn't this all be abstract? Why is there gravity in your mind? It's already strange enough, Esi. And I'm ready to do whatever we need to do to get you back in charge of your own body.?
Esi nodded. ?Right, but this is my outer mind. This place is of my own willful crafting, powered by my imagination. We're going to dive into my subconscious so we can make use of the time-dilation there to help us plan things out. This is already a confusing enough place for me, the subconscious is going to be even weirder.?
Ruro smiled. ?Lead the way, Esi. I feel a little better now that I have my... what did Sa'kag? call them? Aspect? Now that I have my Aspect back.?
?Good. You should be back up to being a full Administrator of Mangekyou now. The fact that you're literally inside my mind has me a little worried ? I'm not the most powerful person around, so I don't know how well I'll be able to be a vessel for your power, but in the short-term, it can't hurt to have you in here with me against Sa'kag?.?
Esi held her hand out, and Ruro took it.
They exchanged a single nod, and the mesa promptly evaporated beneath them, plunging them into darkness. Ruro stifled a yell of surprise as she felt the inertia build up ? the speed they were falling was well beyond terminal velocity.
-
Now I know why you were linking me to that Madoka + Inception mashup.
We must go d(ry
-
Esinception.
Things are really picking up speed now though. I'm greatly enjoying these battles so far~ Ryuu
appearing was a big surprise.
Now lets see how wacky the inner mind will be. I still wonder what the screaming eyes were about though.
Edit - Almost forgot to mention: the songs are simply superb. These fics are making my fave list fill up quickly. :V
-
Edit - Almost forgot to mention: the songs are simply superb. These fics are making my fave list fill up quickly. :V
I entirely blame Sakana for linking me to EXEC FLIP ARPHAGE, and in turn getting me addicted to Hymmnos songs from Ar Tonelico.
-
I entirely blame Sakana for linking me to EXEC FLIP ARPHAGE, and in turn getting me addicted to Hymmnos songs from Ar Tonelico.
I regret nothing. It is a holy duty to spread the greatness of Akiko Shikata and her Hymnos-Songs.
-
I wish I could distill EXEC_COSMOSFLIPS, EXEC_FLIP_ARPHAGE, and EXEC_over.Method_Sublimation omness chs ciel sos infel and inject them directly into my veins.
NEED MORE KOKIA ;A;
-
And it's Magical Librarian time again.
As some of you may know, I've vowed to bring this story forward as my NaNoWriMo project, and with this I am starting to fulfill that promise.
I tried to catch up on everything as I continued, but if there's still inconsistencies with the earlier chapters, I apologize for that.
Anyway, we are heading towards the big finale, so enjoy~
- Episode 4: Charge, Magical★Librarian Squad -
?Urgh??
I woke up with a groan.
I wasn?t used to sleeping on the ground, my whole body was hurting as a result.
Around me I could see my fellow Librarians getting up as well, some already wide awake, others stumbling around still sleepy.
Only one was still lost in the world of her dreams, happily snoring.
?Ufufufu, Ruro in a swimsuit? ehehehehe?
Abusing my tuna-half as a giant hug-pillow, Roukan kept talking in her sleep.
Ruro stood next to her, watching the girl with shining eyes, a small stream of blood dripping from her nose.
I recalled the situation I was in.
We had found Ruro after her battle with Hime of the Six Blades, and soon after Polaris rejoined the team as well.
With the knowledge about the true name of Moerin?s hideout, Polaris had used her ability to guide us through the forests surrounding PSL, and we had finally reached the giant chasm that divided this region from the neighboring lands of the Art Atelier.
?Alright everyone, it?s time! Gather around, Magical★Librarians!?, Ruro called out to us.
I looked up.
The samurai-girl was standing on the edge of the chasm, facing towards us as she waited for me and the other girls to follow her command.
When she saw everyone was ready, she started speaking again.
?It?s time to end this, once and for all?, Ruro said, her face illuminated by the sunrise (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji1le94rDnI). ?By taking the Princess, by taking Donut, Moerin has threatened the balance of this world. We cannot let her continue this evil scheme, nor can we ignore a damsel in distress. The road here has been long and hard, and we have lost many loved comrades on the way. But we won?t give up! We will fight on, for their sakes, and the sake of everyone in this world!?
An awkward silence followed.
I looked around to see my fellow Librarians looking as confused as I was.
?Lost comrades? Long road? We only left yesterday??, I thought.
I opened my mouth to speak, but stopped when I saw the flaming eye on Esi?s staff spinning around to stare in my direction.
??Don?t interrupt her.??, I heard the psychic?s voice in my head.
?But??
??She wrote that speech before we even left. I helped her with it, in fact, heheheh.??
?That?s stupid! It doesn?t even fit!?
??How about we make it fit then, the lost comrades part~???
This time Esifex turned towards me as she transmitted her thoughts, a mischievous grin on her face.
I let out a small shriek and stumbled backwards.
??Just kidding of course~??
Ignoring our quarrel, Ruro continued her speech. She had worked long and hard on this, and by no chance would she give up on it just because things hadn?t happened as she had expected.
She pulled one of her swords and turned around. The sunlight caused the blade to glow brightly as she pointed it to the other side of the rift in front of her.
?For a long time, the lands of the Art Atelier have been the lands of our comrades. But today, they are the lands of the enemy. Beyond this chasm lies Moerin?s, no, Magical Moerin?s, hideout: Nonne Satsuki Tristis. We don?t know what waits for us there, but there is no way the enemy is going to hand over Donut without a fight. Whatever they throw at us, we will beat it! The word ?Lose? is not in our dictionary!?
?Actually, it is.? Polaris said quietly. ?Page 417, second row in the Great Compendium of-?
She immediately stopped talking as Ruro shot her a sharp look.
?So, what is the strategy??, Chaore asked instead.
Ruro stared back at the bunny-girl in confusion.
?Strategy??
She looked down to her shoulder, where Matsuri was sitting.
If ferrets were capable of shrugging, Matsuri would probably have done it now.
Ruro lifted her head again and looked at Chaore once more with disapproval before turning away from us again.
?Charge, Magical★Librarian Squad!?, she shouted as she jumped off the cliff and started flying towards the other side of the chasm, where the final battle was awaiting.
Esifex and Roukan immediately flew right after her, the former laughing maniacally, the latter happily.
?So ?Strategy? is not in our dictionary as well it seems?, Chaore sighed as she brought her palm to her face.
?Page 1139?, Polaris muttered, before taking a few steps forward and jumping into the air herself.
However, Chaore immediately grabbed her arm and dragged her down to the ground again.
?You?re staying here with me, same with you, fish-girl!?, she said as she turned to me.
?Not like can fly anyway?
?Shouldn?t you two go after Ruro? She?ll be mad.?, I said.
Chaore let go off Polaris? arm.
?Oh, we are going, don?t worry??, the bunny girl paused for a second before continuing. ?Or rather, you should worry, because this whole situation is madness, but that?s not the point. The three of us are the only ones with some reason left, and we?re gonna make use of that.?
Polaris looked curious now.
?So you have a plan??, she asked.
?I do. And it?s simple really. Ruro and the other two are just gonna charge in without thinking, so we should use the distraction to sneak in from the back and somehow put an end to this.?, Chaore explained with a confident smile, then she looked at us.
Polaris and I nodded in agreement to the plan.
I wasn?t sure if I was gonna be of any use in a battle, but this still beat being dragged into the head-on assault that Ruro was leading.
Knowing her I would probably have ended up as bait anyway.
?Alright then, let?s move on!?, Chaore said as she reached out to me.
I grabbed her hand and felt my feet lifting from the ground.
?I will never get used to this?, I thought as I dangled from the bunny girls arm.
Polaris was flying right next to us, and below I could see the great chasm, reaching deep into the earth. Its bottom was swallowed by the darkness, no sunlight could reach that far down into the earth.
--------------------
In Moerin?s palace, things were getting busy.
Fairies were racing through the halls everywhere, filling the air with the sound of thousands of fluttering wings. Some were gathering in groups, preparing for what was to come, whilst other, bigger fairies, shouted orders at those groups.
In the midst of all this, a woman in a maid uniform made her way towards the throne room.
She stepped through the commotion quickly, but not without her usual dignity.
When she reached the throne, Moerin was already waiting for her impatiently.
?Mistress??, the woman said with a deep bow.
?Irmingard, what is the situation~? The fairies seem to be in an uproar~? Does that mean? ufufufufufu~?
?This seems to be the case. Our guards have spotted the Librarians, led by the Rurouni, crossing over the chasm. They appear to have found our hideout?, the maid explained calmly.
?Wonderful~?, the pink haired woman shouted happily.
?Uhm, Mistress. That means Six Blades and The Lost were defeated??
?Oh? that?s? regrettable? Anyway, what fun would it be to have this hideout and this army if I never got to use it~! Ufufufufu~!?
?? I suppose that is one way to look at it. So, what are your orders, Mistress? The fairies are already preparing to intercept the intruders.?
Moerin closed her eyes in thought for a while, then looked to the side, where the cage that held the Princess was standing.
As usual, Ana was kneeling in front of it, playing with Neko-Gappy from outside the cage, while Donut was sitting on the ground.
?Ana-chan~!?, Moerin called out to the young girl.
?Yes??
?It seems we have some visitors, how about you go prepare yourself and go greet them~??
The girl looked disappointed.
?But I?d rather play with Gapp-?
?Don?t make me hurl you into the sun, Ana-chan~?, Moerin said.
Despite wearing the brightest smile, her words were as sharp as a knife. Some nearby fairies squeaked and fled the room.
?Y-yes!?, Ana pressed the response out as her whole body was shivering, then made her way out of the room with unsteady steps.
Moerin turned back towards the maid in front of her.
?Irmingard, make sure to welcome our guests in an appropriate manner~. And take our doggy for a walk while you are at it~!?
?As you wish, Mistress?, the maid bowed once more before leaving the room as well.
For a while, only the hectic sounds of the fairies could be heard from the halls outside the throne room.
Then, a voice called out to Moerin.
?She is going to beat you.?
Moerin looked at the source of the voice.
It was Donut, who had stood up and was staring at Moerin confidently from within the cage, tightly clutching the golden bars.
?You know stand you have no chance against Ruro. She already beat two of your henchwomen!?, Donut shouted.
Moerin responded with a giggle.
?Oh you silly. silly Princess~. Of course she beat them~! I would have been really disappointed if she hadn?t~.?
?You sent them out knowing they would lose?. you sacrificed your friends???
?Awww, that sounds so mean~. But I guess it?s true, ehehehe~. You see, Ruro and me, we have something special~. It is our destiny to face each other in battle, there is no way she could lose before that happens~! And when she finally kneels before me, beaten and crying?. Ehehehehe~ Ufufufufufu~ AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA~!?, Moerin started laughing maniacally, her voice echoing numerously through the throne room.
In her cage, Donut sunk to her knees.
?You can?t lose, Ruro. Not to that madwoman. Please??
-
Oh dear. They're walking the dog.
I know where this ends.
-
The Art Atelier has a dog? Aww, man. All we have is a rabbit.
/me is shot
-
>strategy
:colbert:
Nice to see you picking this back up again, fish.
-
The Art Atelier has a dog?
More like Moerin has a dog, really. Though she set up her hideout on Atelier-grounds, she's her own faction. The Atelier is more or less an anarchic bit of land where creativity flows freely. Fitting contrast to the neighboring dictatorship democracy of PSL :derp:
-
Fitting contrast to the neighboring dictatorship democracy of PSL :derp:
FOR THE EMPERUROOOOOOOOOOOOO
-
FOR THE EMPERUROOOOOOOOOOOOO
LIEBRAHREY MUHREENS
The Librarians in Space Marine armor would be all kinds of awesome by the way.
I dare to believe Moerin's 'dog' isn't really a dog at all...
Does Ana-Chan refer to Anathe?
I like Moerin's depiction in this... and Polaris's... hell, everything in this fic is just great. :V
It was worth the wait~
-
Does Ana-Chan refer to Anathe?
Anthony.
-
Insert Inception jokes here
Seventh Layer
A moment of panic almost seized Ruro, fearing the speeds they were falling at, until she remembered that Esi herself didn't fly, and she wouldn't intentionally smash her own mind – if it were even possible to harm herself – or Ruro's, while in this strange psychic landscape.
Despite the inertia, the fall was silent; there was no roar of air rushing past them. Esi didn't have to raise her voice to be heard.
“I've only been down this deep into my own mind a few times, and usually only while in a meditative trance. If I remember correctly, you're going to be on your own for a little while, until you can find the proper 'me' again. I'm going to be fragmented into the different parts of my own psyche; I don't know if this'll happen to you or not.”
The fear came back and settled down in Ruro's stomach. “Why exactly are we going into your subconscious, anyways?”
“I mentioned earlier the time-dilation, remember? At the uppermost level of the mind, time is more or less normal. You perceive things just fast enough for your brain to register it, document it, and move on to the next thing. Depending on your mental acuity, you may be easily overwhelmed or constantly bored because you don't have enough time, or too much time to deal with all the sensory input you're getting. As you get deeper into the mind, you get closer to instinct and reflex. Responses at this level happen without any conscious effort from your mind; things go much faster. Your subconscious, instinctual mind is often dormant, until you have a need to draw upon it. Then, it reacts, lightning fast – faster, even. Once it's done, it returns to dormancy with ease. The speed at which it registers things, in addition to how rarely it is actually active, combines to make for a very interesting environment. I don't know the exact measurements, though. How long were you wandering around in the layer you were in when you broke me out of my samadhi?”
“About two or three hours or so, at the most.”
“That was about two layers deep into my mind. For that amount of time, I'd say you've actually been out of your body for maybe a minute, if even that much. Possibly even only a few seconds. It's not an exact science, and I don't have any frame of reference for the upper layers.”
“What about your subconscious? Any idea how long we can be in there before time passes in the real world?”
Esi paused for a moment, and it felt like the speed they were falling at slowed, as well. “I'd say we could be in there for about a month or so for a minute in the real world. Again, I really don't know for sure. But the differences between layers – because Sa'kag? hasn't managed to fully infiltrate my subconscious yet – will give us a little extra time to come up with a plan. Or, at the very least, for me to get a little rest. Even in samadhi I was still fighting her off, though from a rather poor defensive position.”
Ruro absorbed the information in silence.
“Get ready. We're just about there, and that means you're gonna lose track of me for a bit.” The sense of inertia dropped almost completely now, and Esi released Ruro's hand.
They hovered, suspended over nothingness. Esi smiled warmly at Ruro. “Relax. It's not like you're going to have to go hunting after me again so soon after just finding me. I'll still be there, and cognizant of what's going on. You're just going to have more me's to deal with.”
“Like the one I saw up in the top layer?”
Esi's smile vanished. “What?”
The blackness faded to a dull gray, and Esi whipped her head around. “Ugh! Dammit. Tell me later!”
Ruro flinched; Esi had appeared to have cracked, as though she were a mirror on the brink of shattering. “Take your time looking for me; there's no need for a sense of urgency down here–”
The cracks throughout Esi's body opened up, and for a moment she was a floating silhouette of black, then she vanished.
The gray pulsated, and colors began to fill out in a rush. A sense of vertigo assaulted Ruro, as though she were being thrown forwards, and suddenly everything stopped.
The world was pastel in hue, but as Ruro looked around, the colors deepened, taking on more earthen hues, though around her peripheral vision she could see the color fade back to pastel.
She could hear music, she realized. There was a single tone, slowly descending, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfJa3IC1txI) but she couldn't tell where it was coming from.
Abruptly the tone was twisted into a cacophony of noise. The volume quickly ramped up to an almost painful level, and Ruro clapped her hands to her ears. The sound was muffled slightly, but continued to blare, continued to get louder and louder.
Ruro squeezed her eyes shut tight enough to draw tears, and dropped to her knees, not completely certain when she'd gotten to 'solid' ground again.
A hand clapped onto her shoulder, and the sound stopped almost immediately. Only a single, simple beat was audible, and only just so.
“Hey! What's the matter?”
Ruro looked up and lowered her hands. Kneeling next to her was a young girl with brown hair, wide eyes, and a pair of soft headphones around her neck. “Huh?”
“Ooooh, you must be new here! I'm Habit. Who're you?”
Short one this time. Had a lot of shit going on IRL that's sapping my motivation to write. Trying to get it back.
-
Wheeeee
Repeated Actions
Ruro blinked at the girl. ?Habit? Are you part of Esi??
The girl tilted her head to the side. ?Aren't you??
Ruro rocked back on her ankles and sat down properly, stretching her neck side to side. ?No, I'm not. I'm Sakura, but most people call me Ruro.?
The girl hopped around Ruro's side and sat down in front of her. ?So you're from the outside? Whoooa. There aren't supposed to be people in here! What do you do outside??
Ruro smirked. ?I herd cats. And a rabbit. Why is it so noisy in here??
Habit frowned. ?I thought I was the only one who could hear the other songs in here, but I guess since you're not a part of the core you don't just ignore everyone else's songs. Listening to them all at once can be tough, though, so you should try not to.?
?It got quieter once you touched me. Any idea why??
Habit nodded energetically. ?It's cuz you're focusing on me now. If you're trying to focus on everything else at once, you'll hear all the songs in the core.?
Ruro's smile vanished, and her eyebrows met as she thought. I'm so used to paying such full attention to my surroundings. That'd be bad down here. The frown disappeared. Then again, I'm also fully capable of pouring all my focus into one target.
?So why don't you have a song??
Habit slouched back, propping herself up on her elbows. ?I have one, but it's very very quiet. It's a simple four/four time measure. More like a metronome than a song. It's so I can listen to all the other songs easier. Do you want to hear some of them??
Ruro, in response to Habit's lax and informal posture, folded her legs up Lotus style and twined her fingers in her lap. ?How many other songs are there?? Esi said it wouldn't hurt to slow down and relax a little while down here. She said she'd be cognizant of what's going on once I found the proper facet of her, so she'll be okay until then.
Habit reached up with one hand and pulled the headphones out from around her neck, and somewhere between her neck and the ground they'd turned into a small-scale gramophone. ?Well, there's bunches, you see. Some of the change, too, depending on the Core's emotions. Some of them are always the same, very constant. Like hers ? the Alabaster Seraph ? normally it's very slow and calm, until she wakes up.? Habit was pointing past Ruro, who mentally calculated the risk of pulling her focus off of Habit and turning around to see what the girl was pointing at, before finally glancing behind her.
?Don't focus on her too long. If she does wake up, her song gets loud. Like, 'holy crap where'd that come from' loud.?
In the distance was a pale behemoth, seated in what appeared to be a modest throne. Her eyes were covered by a shroud, head tilted forward so her chin was nearly touching her chest, but otherwise sitting fully back in the massive seat. Her arms were laid easily across the arm-rests, but her hands rested on two tools planted in front of the throne; her right hand laid atop the center of an ornate scale, and her left hand cupped the pommel of a massive broadsword. She was mouthing things, mumbling to herself, though Ruro couldn't hear her from the great distance.
Ruro turned back to Habit. ?What is she saying??
Habit threw a switch on the gramophone, and the crank to the side began to turn, driving the cylinder beneath the horn. ?She's singing along to her song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inP4RKB2Mc0&t=3m54s). Some of the other Cores in here do the same thing; those ones you can't directly interact with. They'll look at you if you talk to them, but you can't interrupt their song or get them to acknowledge you beside a simple glance, and then they're back to what they're doing.?
Ruro nodded and listened to the music silently for a moment. ?That's a lot of different violins. And that sounds like a Sanskrit meditation chant.?
Habit grinned stupidly. ?Right on both counts! Esi has always had an affinity for violins, but she's been denying it lately.?
?What? Denying it? Why??
Habit's grin dropped into a frown for a moment, and she sighed. ?They're not loud enough for her. That's why I'm here. I listen to the things that are loud enough to drown out other songs, or find songs from outside that are quiet enough to tolerate. Violins just don't cut it for her any more, because while they can get shrill and loud, they're not... heavy, I guess, enough to block out anything else.?
?What's considered 'heavy', then??
Habit folded her legs up under her and sat upright once again. ?Stuff like horns, drums. Some piano songs. Cellos, double bass violins, things like that. The deeper range of sound.?
?So what does the Alabaster Seraph do, then, if this is her song??
?This is her song when she's asleep. She's the leader in charge of the Core.?
Ruro blinked at Habit. When she's asleep... when she's awake... reflexively, instinctually responding, then going dormant again. Leader of the 'Core'... is the Alabaster Seraph Esi's subconscious?
She glanced back down at the gramophone, listening to the song some more, though it hadn't changed much since Habit started playing it. Esi was as close to a Buddhist as a cynical, sarcastic mind-reader could be, and was very holistic. Sanskrit chants and Buddhist koans were right up her alley, but Ruro was a little more unfamiliar with them as she'd prefer. For all she knew, the chant the Seraph was singing could've been a lullaby, or it could've been the secret to life, buried behind a dead language deep inside a subconscious mind.
Once, a while back, Esi had explained the concept of the seven chakras, and mentioned something about the Seventh Chakra, the Gate Chakra, and how it may have related to her telepathy. Ruro regretted not paying full attention to it, as it seemed like it'd be an important connection to Esi's own mind and the Alabaster Seraph within.
?What's her song when she's awake, then??
Habit shook her head. ?I can't play it if she's not singing it. But, it is much 'heavier' than this. Wasn't always like that, but over time, it's changed because of Esi's...?
Ruro cocked an eyebrow. ?Esi's what??
Habit rapped her thumb against her lower lip. ?There really isn't a good word for it. The closest would be 'fears', or 'insecurities', or 'paranoia'.?
Fears? She's denying violins because they're not 'heavy' enough to drown other songs out, and it's changing her subconscious, because she's afraid of something? What is she afraid of within her own -
The realization hit home with the force of a lightning crash. It's not her own mind. It's everyone around her. Oh, God, Esi, is it truly that painful for you to be around others?
?Habit, I need to find the most conscious Core in here. Whichever one will help me get Esi back on track to what we need to take care of right now; her body is being hijacked by another mind, and it's trying to completely take over. I'm not sure what it intends to do with Esi's mind, but it can't be good. We can't afford to dally any further.?
Habit frowned, and it almost looked like she was going to cry. ?Do we have to? I was having fun. None of the other Cores talk to me like you do.?
?Habit, it's been a lot of fun, and I would love nothing more than to listen to more music with you, but we have to take care of Esi and Sa'kag? first.?
The smaller girl pouted and curled her lip. ?I guess. The closer you get to the Alabaster Seraph, the more responsive Cores you'll find. I'm really the only one who wanders this far out cuz the rest of them pick on me sometimes.?
Ruro masked her surprise, even though Habit wasn't looking at her. Her own subconscious attacks itself? Esi, you can always ask for help. You're going to just tear yourself apart if you keep pushing people away.
?Thanks, Habit. Enjoy your music, right?? Ruro rose to her feet.
?I will! And by the way ? you have a very nice song. It's a pretty flute. I'll let you listen to it if you come back later.?
?Wouldn't that be cheating, to hear my own song?? Esi said it was a bad idea for her to read her own mind.
Habit smirked. ?Nonsense. It's part of you. It only makes you better at being you if you hear it yourself.? She waved a farewell at Ruro, and nodded past her towards the Alabaster Seraph. ?Thanks for playing with me.?
?We don't stop playing when we grow old, we grow old when we stop playing. Esi told me that.?
Habit grinned again and picked up her headphones, slipping them back over her ears.
-
I apologize in advance if there are some errors in the last part, it's 11:30 PM and I don't know what I'm doing anymore.
That said, this was a fun chapter to write, hope it's also a fun one to read~
Enjoy~
- Episode 4 Another: Cool Ace -
(BGM - A fairy fine Morning (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjiAWFOq_-E))
There was a certain sound that could only be heard once a day in the Library.
One could never be sure where the sound would occur, or when, only that it occurred at all was a certainty.
If anyone had been in the cooking book section right now, between the second and third rows of shelves, around where the compendium of baking-books could be found, they would have heard the sound.
It went like this:
*briiiinsmashshufflafwomp*
It was a sound that consisted of five parts, and it was produced by a peculiar little creature, hidden in a small fort made of books on one of the shelves.
First, *briiiing*, the sound of an alarm clock, cut short by the impact of a small fist, *smash*. Then one of the books was moved aside like a sliding door and the inhabitant of the fort came crawling out half-asleep, *shuffle*, only to fall off the edge of the shelf immediately.
The creature flapped its wings frantically to break the fall, *flap*, but too late. With a final *fwomp* it crashed onto the floor of the Library.
A small girl with long blue hair lay sprawled out on the floor, frosty wings sprouting from her back. The girl was an elemental fairy, and one of the inhabitants of the Library.
No one knew exactly where she came from, and how long she had already been living in the Library. There was speculation that she had lived in the catacombs below PSL before the current Library was even built, a dangerous place infested with papergators and other creatures right out of literary nightmares. Ruro meanwhile suspected that the girl had been one of the many fairies that had built the Library under her order some years ago, and that she simply had taken a liking to the place and decided to stay.
The fairy herself refused to answer which story was the truth, just as she refused to tell anything about her past at all. The only thing she gave the Librarians when they found her for the first time was a name: Iced Fairy.
Since then Iced had turned out to be an enthusiastic reader, bordering on the fanatic at times. She would spend the days wandering around the halls, gathering books left and right and carry them with her. Once she couldn?t hold any more books, she would choose a shelf and start building a book-fort, in which she then spent the rest of the day reading all the books she had brought with her, until she fell asleep. She repeated this procedure every single day, always starting from the *briiiinsmashshufflafwomp*. In doing so she also kept the Librarians busy, who had to search out all the books Iced moved around, and put them on the right shelves again once the little fairy was done reading.
Iced groaned as she picked herself off the floor. She adjusted her clothes and hair, then suddenly stopped right in the middle of binding her hair into a ponytail.
?It?s quiet, too quiet!? the fairy mumbled.
A library is, of course, supposed to be a quiet place, and this held true even for PSL. But what Iced experienced right now was another kind of silence.
Usually silence in the Library meant the absence of loud talking. There were still the sounds of people walking around, the rustling of paper as books were picked up and looked through, and occasionally the shrieks of the Librarians as Ruro went around flipping their skirts.
None of those sounds were present now though. The only thing Iced could hear was the wind, and as she moved from her position she found the source: A large hole in the ceiling, and beneath it on the ground an open book freed from its chains, all of its pages ripped out.
?Ruro?? Iced shouted.
No response.
?Roukan? Esifex? Anyone??
Without waiting for an answer, the fairy flapped her wings and soared off towards the front of the Library, skillfully weaving her way through the shelves. As she reached the lobby at the entrance of PSL, she made a sharp turn to the left and aimed for an inconspicuous door located there: the door to the Librarian?s living quarters.
Not bothering with such trivial things like doorknobs Iced used the full air-velocity of an unladen fairy and smashed through the door. She and the now unhinged door flew into the Library?s kitchen with a loud crash. Flapping her wings rapidly the fairy managed to stop herself and take a look at the room. There were remains of breakfast on the table, so the Librarians must at least have been here not too long ago.
Iced was about to go and search the private rooms adjacent to the kitchen, when she noticed something. In the middle of the table laid something unusual.
?A page?? Iced thought to herself. ?No, a letter!?
She flew closer to examine the mysterious notice, only to find out it was, in fact, addressed to her.
?Dear Iced,? she read.
?since I could not find you in time, and we have to leave right away, I leave you this message. I know you will come here and find it eventually, don?t think I didn?t notice the missing food in the freezer.?
Iced twitched as if someone had hit her. Plans to pin the crimes she was accused of on someone else were starting to form inside her head. Where were the murder mystery books located again?
?More importantly though, I have an order for you. We are on an important mission to rescue the lovely sugary Donut from the hands gnarly claws of the evil Moerin. I, Magical★Samurai Ruro-tan, shall lead the Magical★Librarian Squad into this fight! And you, dear Iced, shall be part of this great quest!?
Iced noticed that the handwriting was getting more erratic, Ruro had either been in a hurry, or extremely excited, when she had written this part.
?There is a formidable foe for you in Moerin?s forces: When Donut was kidnapped this girl commanded a wooden robot. I have no doubts that I could take it down with my blades alone, of course, but a just leader shares with her subordinates! So I shall give to you our ultimate weapon, I know you will be able to make excellent use of it given your ability. Once you are ready, take the sword I have left you. It is one of mine, and it shall point you the way to its master, to me.?
The fairy turned her gaze to the side, where she found a sheathed sword hanging neatly from one of the chairs.
?Now go, Iced, and fight with us, for Justice!?
Iced read the rest of the latter. It contained a set of short, explanations and instructions regarding the ?ultimate weapon? Ruro had mentioned.
And there, written in another handwriting, was a small note scribbled in the bottom corner of the page:
?Also, bring that damn book so we can grab the pages and end this madness! ? Chaore?
Iced frowned at this line.
Book? Which one?
There were a lot of books in the Library, that was its purpose after all.
She stared at the note in silence for a while, then something clicked in her mind: She remembered the empty book she had passed on the way here.
Iced contemplated her situation.
She enjoyed her calm days of reading one book after another, fighting was not her area of expertise. But it seemed like her intervention was inevitable this time, if she wanted things to go back to normal.
The fairy let out a small sigh, then she grabbed the sword Ruro had left her, as well as the letter, and flew out into the lobby again. She made her way back to the open book and slowly reached out to it.
Iced closed her eyes in anticipation as she touched the book, but nothing happened.
?Huh?? she let out a sound of surprise. ?Must be because the pages are missing??
With those words, she grabbed the empty cover and stuffed it into her skirt, which she had personally modified to be capable of holding numerous books.
Iced pulled out the letter again, checking the instructions Ruro had written down for her.
?1. Pull the lever under the reception desk?
Without hesitation the fairy fluttered over to the reception desk in the lobby, and crawled under it. It took her a bit of searching to find a loose wooden panel hidden in the dark under the desk. Under it was a lever that the small girl pulled down with all her might.
Behind her she heard mechanical sounds and she turned around just in time to catch the wall behind the desk sliding to the side and exposing a stairway downwards.
Iced looked at the stairs skeptically. The Library did not have a basement, so those stairs could only lead to the catacombs. Iced was not keen on any encounters with papergators or doberpoems, who considered fairies to be an excellent meal at any time of the day, so she was extremely cautious as she set foot on the stairs.
However, she soon noticed she would have to correct some of her assumptions about the Library.
The stairs she was climbing down right now were new and shiny, not old like the ones that led to the catacombs. The same was true for the walls around her, which seemed to have been constructed around the same time as the Library itself.
In other words: The Library did in fact have a basement, only that no one knew about it, except Ruro.
As soon as she reached the end of the stairs and opened the door she found there, she also understood why. Iced looked at the second point of the instructions again:
?2. Go to the Command Center?
There was no word more fitting for the room the fairy had entered. She stood in a round room equipped with numerous mechanisms that she did not know the purpose of. It was almost like something she would read about in a science fiction book, were it not for the lack of fancy modern electronics. Instead, Iced saw pumps and pipes, copper cogs, iron levers with wooden knobs on them, all arranged around a big, comfortable-looking armchair in the middle of the room. And there, on the wall in front of the chair, was the biggest book Iced had ever seen.
Her eyes sparkled as she noticed it, she had often dreamt about books of such enormous size. The book was mounted on the wall, opened right in the middle so that one could look directly at the large pages when sitting in the chair. However, to Iced?s surprise, the pages were completely empty.
Would she have to use those mechanisms to read it? She glanced at the letter again.
?3. Grab the Origami-Hammer and the keys, fetch a Sealed Book
4. Put the book in the Magic Converter?
Iced looked around the room, and spotted what could only be the Converter Ruro was talking about.
Behind the chair stood a large metal sphere held in place by numerous pipes that led into the ground underneath it. It almost looked like a metallic spider, with a hatch on its front, and next to the hatch, a small hammer and a key-ring.
Iced grabbed the hammer, which she assumed was the Origami-Hammer. Inspecting it closely she noticed it was skillfully folded out of a single sheet of paper. She also felt a strong magic infused in the hammer.
Now the girl had to find a Sealed Book. She remembered there had been some commotion recently surrounding one of those highly dangerous works of literature, somewhere in the so-called NSFW-section of the Library. The ruckus the Librarians had made back then had ruined her day of reading gardening-books.
Iced grabbed the keys and flew off towards the NSFW-section, and using her fairy-senses she quickly found a large concentration of magic within the area. As she closed in on it she could already hear the rattling of the chains that the book was bound with.
?Hiyaaa!?
Without stopping once Iced flew around the corner and dashed towards the book, the hammer raised high above her head. As soon as she reached the Sealed Book, she swung the hammer down.
*Bonk*
Silence. The book that had been struggling until a moment ago was now completely still, giving the impression of a perfectly normal, albeit rather large, almanac.
?I just knocked out a book?? Iced thought to herself.
There was no time to waste, so the fairy pulled out the keys and opened the chains that confined the book to its pedestal, while leaving those locked that kept the book itself from opening. Once she was done, she grabbed the book by the chains and carried it off back towards the Command Center.
Once there, Iced opened the hatch on the Converter and threw the Sealed Book into its depths with a groan.
?Phew, that was heavy?, the fairy sighed. ?Now what next??
?5. Hit the Main Activation Switch?
That was the kind of instruction Iced liked, in books something like this always promised entertaining results. She looked around and her gaze found a large button right below the giant book on the wall. The fairy squealed as she saw the button?s color: Red.
Her frosty wings fluttering happily, Iced ran over to the button and smashed her small fist down on it.
At once the Magic Converter awoke. It was filled with a blue light as the machine started sucking out the enormous amounts of magic that the Sealed Book was holding. Then one by one, the pipes all around the machine lit up as the light flowed through them. Pumps started to move and cogs started turning, and finally the ground beneath Iced?s feet began to shake violently.
The little fairy barely managed to stay on her feet and immediately flew to the safety of the chair in the middle of the room.
As she seated herself, Iced was caught by surprise again: The large book on the wall was glowing blue as well. As she watched expectantly, the glow faded and the pages were now completely black. However, that only lasted for a few moments, as the shaking grew stronger and suddenly the darkness on the pages got pushed away by bright colors. Iced let out a groan and shielded her eyes at the sudden light from the book. She squinted to see what was happening, only to gasp a second later.
What the book in front of the girl showed, was the world outside the Library. She had read about this in a book, the author had called it a ?screen? there, a device to monitor the outside without any windows.
After what felt like an eternity, the shaking stopped, and Iced wondered just what she was supposed to do now. She looked at the letter again.
?6. To the Rooftops!?
Well, that was not really helpful. The fairy looked around the room again, trying to find anything that could give her a clue as to what exactly just happened. Then her eyes stopped on the screen-book in front of her.
?It may be a strange device, but it?s also a book, so?? she thought.
The girl quickly flew over to the large book and touched it without hesitation. Immediately a wave of thoughts and information washed through Iced?s mind. She swayed for a moment, but quickly regained her composure.
Now she knew why Ruro had given her of all people this mission: Iced had a special ability regarding books, one that allowed her alone to execute Ruro?s plans.
Words hold power, this was a universal truth, and books, as accumulations of words, consequently were compressed power, confined between leather covers. For most books the power they held was neglectable.
However, Iced was different. She only needed to touch a book to awaken its latent magical powers, which were always dependent on the content of the book. When Iced touched a book about cooking, her character would turn to that of a snobbish five-star cook, and she would be capable of preparing the most exquisite meals. When she touched a detective novel her mind grew a hundred times sharper and she developed a sudden craving for smoking a pipe. All of those changes disappeared the moment she let go off the book, while general knowledge about the content written in the book remained in her memory. She called this ability ?Speed-Reading?, though she preferred to experience books the traditional way, reading them at a normal pace.
This was the ability Iced had used just now when she had touched the large book. At once she had gained knowledge about the construction of the whole construction of the mechanism she had activated, and while she had forgotten most of the details again, she knew her general situation:
The ultimate weapon of PSL was not something she could take with her.
It was the Library itself.
When she had activated the Converter, it had begun to fuel a giant contraption, and the Library had taken on a new form. The parts of the building had shifted, transformed and rearranged themselves, until they had reached the current form: A giant robot.
The room where Iced was located, which had formerly been underground, was now the highest point of the robot, forming its head, with the book-screen serving as the eyes. The Library was standing on two legs and had grown two arms that ended in gigantic fists. And from its back, the robot sprouted four large wings, made from magically infused paper that would be capable of withstanding fire, water and most other forms of damage with ease.
Iced let herself sink into the command chair and took a deep breath. This was beyond everything she had expected when she had found Ruro?s letter earlier. But it was too late to go back now. She had awoken the sleeping giant, and there was only one way to go: Forward.
Not like she had any idea how to safely transform this thing back again anyway.
The fairy stood up again and flew out of the room. There was something she would have to do before leaving. She navigated her way through the Library, noticing in gravity inside the Library seemed to have changed as well, since not a single book had fallen from its place.
The girl checked around different sections of the library, occasionally grabbing a book and stuffing it away somewhere in her clothes.
Finally, Iced rushed over to the science fiction section, and towards one specific shelf. Sliding her finger along the spines of the books, she searched for something specific. When she finally found it and pulled it from the shelf, her ability immediately took effect. The fairy?s calm face changed into a wide grin, and her wings started flapping faster in excitement.
She had kept this one for last, since she had suspected that once the character-change took effect she would not have cared about gathering the other books anymore.
The title of the book was: ?Compendium of Mecha Pilots"
?I?m gonna beat those bastards up! They think they can stop me? Not as long as I have this machine!? Iced screamed through the empty Library as she made her way back to the Command Center.
Once there she swung herself into the chair and, without a moment of hesitation, grabbed the controls in front of her. One pull of a lever later the Library-turned-robot powerfully beat its wings, at first slowly, then faster and faster. At the same time it started running, the earth shaking under its feet. And then, with a final jump, the robot took to the air, gliding away towards the place where the Librarians were fighting against the forces of Moerin.
?Iced? no... Cool Ace, moving out! I?m coming to get you, suckers!?
-
Goddammit. Both of you. Eshi's is awesome as always, I like your interpretations of the subconscious.
On the other hand, GODDAMMIT SAKANA!
-
doberpoems
:getdown:
PS I'm at like number 15 for WMaL entries, not unlucky 13 D:
-
PS I'm at like number 15 for WMaL entries, not unlucky 13 D:
It was too late at night for me to bother with updating your story-info as well. You can actually do that by yourself, even :V
You're a Librarian, just edit the OP :V
-
Totally forgot I could do that. :derp:
-
So... 15? More like 21, wouldn't you say, Esi? :]
Man, a total of 43 chapters combined in this whole thread by now, we are good, even if our pace sucks :D
-
This was playing in my head near the end of Sakana's fic. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC-9bP7s2qk)
Never change, Sakana. :V
-
>Cool Ace
>library sized mecha
Bring it BV
I can take ya even if I'm out matched 100 kilos to 1 gram, as you miss 100 percent of the shots you take and you lose anything you quit! And there is nothing in my life I regret!
I'm so dead I don't even x_x
Also Awesome Story so far for both of you esi and Sakana! :3
-
Appreciate that, man. As I am currently without my primary computer, with all its distractions, I hope to get more hammered out. Admittedly not via my nook, which is how I am currently posting. :(
-
Hey wait, didn't Sakana say he wanted to try to make the Magical Librarian Story his NaNoWriMo entry? It's not November anymore, you're supposed to be done with that by now!
And the MotK Murder Mystery! And the -
/me is murdered by a giant Library Mech stepping on him
Welp, mystery solved :colonveeplusalpha:
-
I posted two chapters in November, that's like 500% output compared to the usual rate or something..... >_____<
-
:D
Just :D
ilu sakana-tan
-
Mercy Within
Ruro pointed her feet towards the Alabaster Seraph and started walking. The terrain didn't seem to have any features to it, but as she looked around she could see faint outlines of more mesas. When she tried to look directly at them, they faded out, turning instead into tranquil waters. As her gaze wandered, tones and melodies played in her head, fading into some other tune before she could make out more than a few measures.
She was still just under a league away from the Seraph when she ran into the first set of Cores after Habit. She nearly walked past them; because she was getting another headache from having multiple songs marching through her head, she'd started focusing on the throned giant. The Cores only caught her attention because one was sobbing and whimpering to herself, while the other was muttering obscenities.
?I shouldn't have feared him so much, and then it was too late, and he was always just right there, I could've gone to visit him whenever but I never did because I thought he was scarier than he really was, and it was just like Jack, I could've spent more time or cherished the time I spent with him when I did instead of feeling out of sorts, oh God I was so graceless and ungrateful the entire time, and then it was too late, and I wasted all my time, time I won't get back, and, and, and, oh, God!?
The sobbing Core let out a wail, trying to double over and rest her head on her knees from her seated position, but the Core behind her was more or less holding her upright, by holding her hands over the others' ears, a bitter expression across her face.
The lucid one glared up at Ruro as she stopped to look at them. ?What the fuck do you want?? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6SRcGYpDnc) She took one hand and covered the crying Core's eyes, holding her upper arm against the ear she'd just exposed. ?Leave her alone. Nobody wants to fucking leave her alone, they always want to fucking pick on her, as if things aren't already bad enough for her.?
Ruro held her hands up, palms out. The universal sign for 'I come in peace, calm down.' ?I'm curious. I don't want to pick on her, but instead would like to know what's the problem??
?...so angry all the time because no one ever makes the time for her and she feels attacked more often than she doesn't and I'm not helping her at all...?
The glare lessened, but only barely. ?She's Regret. I'm Vanguard. I protect her from further negativity. She has enough on her plate.?
Ruro nodded. ?I think I know why. She's worried about everything, and everyone, all at once. Am I right??
?...and always feels overshadowed, like she's not doing enough that she could be doing, and her paranoia doesn't help her but she tries so hard, harder than everyone around her, and she does such good work but she never accepts herself or the good she does or how well she does it...?
Vanguard blinked in surprise, then hardened her face back into a glare. ?Isn't it obvious? She has to look out for everyone, because they have a hard time standing on their own.?
Ruro sat down and calmly folded her legs lotus-style. ?She wasn't always Regret, was she??
?No shit. That's common knowledge. You should know that, shouldn't ? wait... you're not supposed to be in here, are you??
Ruro shook her head. ?Nope. I'm Sakura, the Head Librarian that Esi works for. She pulled me in here.?
Vanguard raised an eyebrow. ?Well, no... she was Mercy, before.?
So they can change. Fascinating. ?Mercy stems from compassion. She worried about everyone, always, and since Esi can only be in one place at a time, she started feeling guilty for all the times she couldn't be around to help everyone else. Guilt turned Mercy into Regret.?
?...wasn't sure if she'd ever really be accepted or recognized, and thinks that she isn't doing enough, and the seed of doubt and depression are deep inside her and they're eating away and she doesn't even know it yet and won't know it until it's too late...?
Vanguard blinked at her. Regret shifted under her arms, and bobbed back against Vanguard's chest. Her cheeks were shining from light caught on her tears, and even in the brief moment before Vanguard was able to press her forearm against Regret's eyes again, fresh tears ran down her face anew. Ruro almost lunged forward to hug the Core, as pitiful and wretched as she looked.
Vanguard buried her face in Regret's hair, and her shoulders shuddered.
?And you are starting to turn, as well, aren't you? You keep feeling that you're not doing enough for Regret.?
?...it's not a cry you can hear at night, it's not somebody who's seen the light, it's a cold and broken hallelujah, cast aside in favor of spite, abandoned and neglected, health and happiness forgotten...?
?Vanguard. You have Regret's best interests in mind, obviously, and Regret ? no, Mercy. Mercy has everyone else on her mind. You can't do everything for Mercy, just as Mercy can't do everything for everyone else. But it's the thought, that intention, the drive to help others, that is the important part. Mercy wants to help others ? that compassion is never a bad thing. You want to help Mercy. The same thing applies; as long as you're there for Mercy, the both of you should know that you'll be alright. Just trying to hide Mercy from everything that makes her Regret won't help her. All it'll do is keep her from seeing any of the good she does, any of the things that can help her feel better about what it is that she does. She doesn't need to hide from it all.?
?...if I make another move, there'll be no more turning back, because everything will change, if I make another move, if I take another step, then it all will fall apart, there'd be nothing of me left... I've forgotten how to see, I've forgotten if I can, if I open up my eyes there'd be no more going back, because everything will change...?
Ruro leaned forward, planting her fists on her knees for support. ?Vanguard, listen to Mercy. She even knows this. You can change, for the better. The two of you don't need to suffer like this. You don't need to be so bitter.?
Vanguard popped her head up just enough to glare over the top of Regret. ?The fuck would you know about what we have to go through??
?I wouldn't. But I know Esi, and I know that she's compassionate to a fault. I know where Mercy is coming from with this. She doesn't have to be Regret anymore. She can go back to being compassionate Mercy, and you won't have to be a guardian, but instead a guide, a companion to Mercy. You could be Justice, if it would help Mercy to deem what is worth her effort.?
Vanguard's glare held for a moment before faltering.
?...and the world is like a shining diamond, the way it glitters if you polish it right, and if the light should turn and leave you blinded, take the dream and give it one more try, as hope should never die...?
The glare finally shattered, in a spectacular fashion. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVpWcyy_dBM) She fell back away from Regret, landing heavily on her bottom, cartwheeling her arms until she caught herself, wailing louder than Regret had been between her rants. Regret twisted around from her kneel and grabbed Vanguard around the shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug, and the two of them sobbed into each others shoulders.
I hope I didn't just break anything in Esi's mind by doing that. It needed to be done, though. With any luck, Vanguard will now help Esi focus on herself instead of neglect her own well-being for the sake of everyone around her.
?You'll be fine as long as you watch each others back. You are the foil to each other, and despair should never take hold over you as long as you keep an eye on your other.? Ruro rose to her feet, feeling slightly awkward. She was running out of motivational things to say to the Cores, and it seemed like they were mostly ignoring her now anyways.
She paced away from them slowly, to make sure they weren't going to call back out to her before she moved on. A warm smile spread across her face. Esi's subconscious could be helped, even if it had to be done from within. Now, if only she could do something about Sa'kag?.
Kudos to you if you spot the obvious song references in there :derp:
-
?...You could be Justice, if it would help Mercy to deem what is worth her effort.?
BECOME JUSTICE
... I've felt before that some of this story must be difficult to write for you, Esi, but now that feeling comes home in full force.
-
... I've felt before that some of this story must be difficult to write for you, Esi, but now that feeling comes home in full force.
There will be more of that feeling a little later on, but don't worry too much. It's rather therapeutic for me. There are, and will be, undertones and things-between-the-lines that are direct parallels to me, in the flesh, that I'm working on coming to terms with.
At the same time, though, this is a story I'm writing for fun, and with the intent to entertain. I'm trying to keep it from going too grimdark/angsty, and I'm really looking forward to writing the climactic fight.
BECOME JUSTICE
I put that in there specifically for you, because lolololol it's Ruro who said it in-story :getdown:
-
Still one of my favorite fics on this forum, keep up the good work!
And I swear one of the lines is from that Bad Apple!! song...
-
And I swear one of the lines is from that Bad Apple!! song...
/me hands a kudos to Solais
So that's one of the songs, there's one more in that excerpt.
-
Lucidity
The Seraph was massive. Larger up close than it had appeared from afar; Ruro wondered if that was just because of how she'd looked at it earlier while sitting with Habit, or if there was something about the entire place around her that was throwing off her perspective ? or if the Seraph had simply grown as she approached it.
She was stopped a dozen meters short of the raised dias the Seraph's throne was mounted on. Before her, casually reclining across the top of a rocky outcropping, was another Core, coolly regarding Ruro as she strode up.
This Core was nearly Esi's identical; (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrOOE6Nppic) her height, her face, her skin tone, her musculature, her mischievous grin and knowing twinkle in her eye all matched the Esi that wandered the halls of the Library.
The only difference was her clothing and her hair. Rather than all of her long, long hair being woven into a loose braid weighed down by a large ring at the end, it was instead pulled tight to her scalp, micro-braided with each strand capped by a much smaller ring. Every movement sent the rings jingling against each other.
She was wearing a qipao, stylized to look more like a gi than a formal dress. Baggy white trousers hid her legs where they snaked out of the sideslits, stopping just above her shins. Between the trousers and her sandals, each leg had a platinum coil around them, which matched the white coils on her upper arms. The qipao itself was trimmed in white, with a dull gray color to it. The obi was trimmed with platinum scrollwork ? Ruro knew the pattern looked familiar but couldn't place it. Hanging from a clip on the side of the obi was Esi's trademark rope-dart.
The Core nodded at Ruro and sat upright. ?Welcome to the center of the mind. As I look at you, bits and pieces of what's happening comes back to me. I have to admit, your presence is going to cause a lot of instability, being this deep.?
Ruro peered at the Core. ?Are you Esi, properly??
The Core shook her head, and the rings twinkled melodically, rather than chaotically as would be expected. ?No, not entirely so. I'm the Guardian Against Rage. This one, behind me, is ??
?The Alabaster Seraph. The heart of the subconscious, right??
The Guardian nodded. ?When I brought you down here, it wasn't just so I could get some rest and do some thinking, planning. It was to call the reinforcements. I haven't ever done this before, though, so I really have no clue what'll happen.?
?Wait ? done what, exactly? Don't start anything until you tell me everything you have planned. I don't want to be caught by surprise.?
The Guardian took a deep breath, drawing herself up on the balls of her feet for a moment before exhaling nervously. ?I'm going to deliberately wake the Seraph up. I need it ? and all the aspects ? to come with me back up to the layer Sa'kag? is romping around in.?
?Esi ? er, Guardian Against Rage... don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly a telepath myself but I'm pretty sure the subconscious stays where it is for a reason. What's compelling you to try to draw it up??
The Guardian Against Rage sat down on the outcropping she'd been laying on earlier. ?Well, for one thing, consider who and what I, as an aspect of Esi's subconscious, am and do. I've thought long and hard about this. I have to. I look at every angle to make sure nothing can fail catastrophically. To answer your question, I'm hoping to be able to force a full-scale mental unity. How long have you been down here, so far??
Ruro thought for a moment. ?Well, assuming there isn't any weirdness when it comes to the flow of time down here ? the landscape seems to be in a constant state of flux ? about two hours, maybe three.?
?Probably close to one or two heartbeats in the physical world. How many of the other aspects have you met??
?The Cores? I've spoken with three of them, passed about a dozen or so going about their own business.?
The Guardian sighed and she dropped her head, staring morosely at the ground. ?You didn't meet a fraction of them, then. There are four-hundred and eighty-seven aspects in this level. Only about ten percent of them are lucid; the rest only react, and some don't do anything unless the Seraph is awake.?
?You wanted me to meet more of them??
The Guardian Against Rage shook her head, and the rings sounded almost sad. ?I'm not finished. Of that ten percent, about half of them are Guardians, like myself. In some manner or another. Of the passive aspects, or Cores as you've called them, more than two-thirds of them are Guardians, as well.?
Ruro blinked. ?What??
The Guardian absently punched the stone she was perched on, and ground her knuckles against it. ?What were the titles of the Cores you met??
?Habit, Regret, and Vanguard.?
?Vanguard. You met three of them, one was a Guardian. I'm a Guardian. More than half of the parts that make up this level are Guardians. We're discordant ? rather, Esi is discordant. Why does she need so many guardians? Because she thinks we need to be defensive all the time. Why so many different guardians? Because she wants to keep every little thing away from her.?
She threw her hands up in exasperation. ?Everything is meant to keep her isolated. She has the perfect gift for communicating with everyone, to be able to dive into the middle of a community, but she always pulls back, afraid of something, anything. The slightest threat, or possibility of being made unhappy, and she backs completely into her shell. She's too afraid that she's going to offend someone, she never actually reaches out and gets to know someone. It's almost ironic, because like I said, she has the perfect gift for threading herself into social circles, but she won't, because that'd be cheating, an invasion of privacy. She's socially stunted and terrified of herself ? the potential that she has to irritate, annoy, aggravate everyone around her.?
Ruro cocked an eyebrow. ?Despite that she'd narrate peoples actions in their minds, using her telepathy to be able to fill in the blanks in her narration??
The Guardian nodded. ?People think she's intentionally irritating, it won't be so profound if she accidentally pisses someone off.?
?The cynicism is a facade.? Ruro rocked back on her heels, contemplating what the Guardian was telling her. ?That's probably why she only spends so much time at the Library. More time around books, less around people.? She shook her head. ?That last bit is incredibly counterproductive. People would forgive her if they knew her better and she'd ticked 'em off.?
?She doesn't believe that. Did you know that she's incredibly insecure around here??
Ruro held her hand up. ?Wait, how are you so aware of Esi's behavior in the physical world? I thought you were an aspect of the Subconscious??
The Guardian frowned. ?I'm the Guardian Against Rage. Esi's problems with her fury are incredibly potent. I'm one of the most active and cognitive aspects because of this. You said you've met Habit, right? And Esi is always listening to music, to drown out the static that she gets from her telepathy. Habit and I are two of the more informed aspects down here. We keep track of Esi's mental state very carefully ? there isn't much else for us to do down here besides what we're made for. Esi is always battling with her anger, her rage, fury, and confusion. She understands how destructive it can be to let her anger drive her emotions, especially with her empathy. Did you know she could influence the behaviors of at least a dozen-dozen people around her if she let her telepathy go, full-force??
?No, I didn't... but we're getting sidetracked. This is all valuable insight towards Esi, but for the time being, we need to deal with Sa'kag? and get her out of Esi's head. How is pulling everything in the subconscious to the primary planes of thought going to help us??
?Well, for one, sheer numbers. Two, the subconscious is probably the most powerful part of the mind. If Esi could root her telepathy in her subconscious, she'd be nigh unstoppable ? not even an Admin, like yourself, would be able to stop her. Luckily, she both does not know this and wouldn't do it even if she did. I digress; with the Seraph leading the way, Sa'kag? would be hard-pressed for a defense. We would've done this sooner, but Sa'kag? got Esi off-guard and she had to force samadhi on herself as a defense, which locked her in meditation on the cognitive planes.?
?She was mentioning something about samadhi. What is that??
?A state of meditation so deep, she's fully withdrawn into herself, and nothing will affect her until she comes out of it. Unfortunately, it's meditation, which for Esi means 'rest and recovery'. She couldn't work any further on her plan of waking the Seraph.?
So, the Justicia can break samadhi? Odd. Unless it was a combination of me and Sa'kag? wearing on it. ?What could go wrong??
?A lot of things. Probably more than I can think of. But the Seraph really is the most powerful part of Esi's mind; there is no doubt that she'd be able to exorcise Sa'kag?, especially if you were helping us. The Seraph, and an Admin? Especially an Admin backed by the strength of Esi's saindhava??
?Sand-what??
?Saindhava. Full support. Whatever resource you think you'd need, you'll have it. Esi will provide for you if you will aid her in getting rid of Sa'kag?. The thing is, Sa'kag? is one layer up, and Esi can't manipulate the environment in the subconscious level. She also can't fight down here; instead, it'd just be the Seraph waking up and ejecting Sa'kag? back up to the cognitive. There wouldn't be a proper fight or a true exorcism; that'll just happen over and over again each time Sa'kag? tries to come down here herself, until she fully and completely claims the cognitive layers. At that point, Esi will be no more, and the subconscious ? Seraph and all four-hundred-eighty-seven aspects ? will be no more. It'll start to be populated by Sa'kag?, instead.?
Ruro nodded. ?Quick question. This has nothing to do with your plan.?
?How is it pertinent, then??
?That's exactly why I want to ask.?
?That's rather Zen of you.? The Guardian sighed and nodded her permission.
?Who were you before you became the Guardian Against Rage??
The Guardian blinked in shock, and reached behind her for support, leaning against her original seat. ?You realize, that in the subconscious level, time flows so slowly, that if I were to be brought out to your physical world, I would be several millennia old already? That you're asking me something that dates back for far longer than you've been alive, though paradoxically, at the same time, is still younger than you??
?Are you saying you've forgotten??
The Guardian lowered herself shakily onto the stones. ?No, I haven't forgotten. Just, understand ? your question... it's making me nostalgic. From a very long time ago. Luckily I'm not the Guardian From Nostalgia ? and yes, that is an aspect down here.?
?So you haven't forgotten your own original title, then??
?Original? No. None of us know what our original names are. There's a gap in Esi's memory. Her memory accounts for less time than her body has existed. But immediately after that point, and for a short time afterwards, I was Vishuddhi.? She tapped her obi, indicating the pattern on it. ?It's faded considerably. It used to be countless chakras, wrapped around me. In time, they've been corrupted by the Rage that I Guard Against.?
Ruro held her hand out, offering to help the Guardian Against Rage back to her feet. ?Well, then, Vishuddhi, shall we wake the Seraph, and go tell Sa'kag? she can go ahead and shove all the way off??
-
I look forward to the promised ass-kicking of evil. :3c
-
I wonder what the GAR meant with 'If Esi could root her telepathy in her subconscious, she'd be nigh unstoppable ? not even an Admin, like yourself, would be able to stop her.' Would Esi be unstoppable inside or outside her mind? I can imagine on the inside, as she'd have absolute control of the realm within her mind, but I can't imagine it on the outside. Does she gain full mind control on everyone around her or something similar? Or do more destructive psychic powers emerge, like telekinesis? Though, that isn't really a part of telepathy.
Also, I'm getting anxious to see the final fight. I hope it'll be here soon~
-
I wonder what the GAR meant with 'If Esi could root her telepathy in her subconscious, she'd be nigh unstoppable ? not even an Admin, like yourself, would be able to stop her.' Would Esi be unstoppable inside or outside her mind? I can imagine on the inside, as she'd have absolute control of the realm within her mind, but I can't imagine it on the outside. Does she gain full mind control on everyone around her or something similar? Or do more destructive psychic powers emerge, like telekinesis? Though, that isn't really a part of telepathy.
Outside her mind. Because of the font of raw power that the subconscious mind holds, if she were able to use it as the base for her telepathy - including the time dilation effect giving her almost instantaneous reaction times - she'd be able to easily maintain control of countless people, on a complete and total scale. By herself, she can only hold dominion over 'a dozen-dozen minds', and even then, only for a short while.
-
Outside her mind. Because of the font of raw power that the subconscious mind holds, if she were able to use it as the base for her telepathy - including the time dilation effect giving her almost instantaneous reaction times - she'd be able to easily maintain control of countless people, on a complete and total scale. By herself, she can only hold dominion over 'a dozen-dozen minds', and even then, only for a short while.
That sounds quite frightening. :ohdear: Well, at least GAR said Esi doesn't know how to do that, nor would she want to, so Mangekyou/MotK shouldn't need to worry much.
-
That sounds quite frightening. :ohdear: Well, at least GAR said Esi doesn't know how to do that, nor would she want to, so Mangekyou/MotK shouldn't need to worry much.
It's mostly because Esi likes having people around react to her, and to react to. Can't do that if they're all dancing on your puppetstrings.
She's a right big fan of free-will
-
Uh oh :ohdear:
WMaL will be put on hold for a while. Not only is my tower completely kaput, but now my laptop seems like it's headed out to pasture as well. I had to boot it up in safe mode to get it to go past the boot-up screen. I may have to reformat the laptop soon, and hopefully I'll be able to snag all my important text documents off it beforehand (not that I can't just pick up right from the forums if I absolutely have to, but I have other things besides MotK stories going)
It's like I'm turning into a wizard - or rather, a sorcerer, since I'm almost 25 - and I'm starting to disrupt technology around me! ohnoes
-
Oh noes! D:
-
If you have really good speakers and can afford to crank up the song in this chapter, do it. Or if you have decent headphones.
This song works best in the manner I want it to when you let it go all the way into you, completely past the ear and into your head.
The Seraph Rises
Ruro looked up at the dormant Seraph. ?So, how do we wake her up??
Vishuddhi grinned. ?How else do you call an angel??
?Pray??
The grin vanished slowly. ?Uh. Huh??
Ruro blinked, keeping her face neutral. Esi isn't religious. Duh, how could I forget? ?Um. Nevermind. How??
?Ring a bell. Look at the top of the scale she's resting her hand on.?
Directly beneath the fulcrum of the balance was, in fact, a large bell. It didn't have a tumbler inside, nor did it appear to be hanging from a hinge ? it was fixed in place. Wouldn't that be more like a gong, then? In bell shape?
Vishuddhi unclipped the coiled rope-dart from its place at her side, and spun out the slack. The dart on the end had, somewhere between Vishuddhi's thigh and the ground, turned into a thick orb, roughly half-again the size of Ruro's fist.
?This is gonna take more than me alone, just so you know.? With the ease of habit and the speed of practice, the Guardian Against Rage spun a square knot into the end of the rope and slipped it over her wrist.
?What do you need me to do??
Vishuddhi glanced at Ruro. ?You? Nothing, actually. Maybe just step back a little so you're not in the way of the ritual. Especially once I start spinning the meteor hammer.?
Ruro froze for a moment, and immediately started telling herself to stop trying to figure out how the mental projection of a rope could possibly get tangled up on the mental projection of a samurai librarian in the depths of a mental world that had no real physical mass. Instead, she politely stepped back and gave the Guardian some space.
After a moment, she realized what Vishuddhi had meant. ?So who's going to help you, then??
The Guardian grinned widely at her. ?Everyone. I have no idea what's going to happen afterward, but I know that for the time being, it's going to be glorious.?
?I have an issue with people promising glory after, or during a fight. It comes up a lot in history, and they don't tend to stick around afterward to enjoy all their glory. Don't do anything that'll mess Esi up, alright? If you won't take that advice from a friend, then consider it an order from a superior.?
?You worry too much, Ruro. The mind is an amazing thing ? it's incredibly resilient. Especially Esi's, whatwith how much she beats herself up. She's very skilled at bouncing back, even if it's not for an entirely long amount of time. Once the Seraph joins us, it'll either go one way or the other. We kick Sa'kag? out, or she pulls some fount of power out that she's kept hidden all this time and kills Esi off once and for all. Since the lot of us will be dead ? excluding you, perhaps ? there's no point in worrying about failure. Instead, I'm just going to look forward to the victory.?
?I thought you've never done this before. How are you so sure the Seraph will help??
The Guardian glanced at her for a moment. Before she could say anything, though, Ruro heard the light scuff of someone landing on the rock behind her.
The Guardian beamed. ?There you are! Thanks for coming.?
Ruro turned around and spotted Habit, once again with her headphones hanging around her neck. They nodded to each other cordially.
?You conduct, I'll lead the symphony,? Habit said to Vishuddhi.
Ruro glanced back at the Guardian. While she had been distracted, a pillar of stone had risen up under the Guardian, and had lifted her roughly half the length of the massive scale the Seraph was cupping with her hand. The meteor hammer's rope had been spun into an elaborate harness, terminating with the hammer dangling from Vishuddhi's hands clasped in front of her chest.
Suddenly, Habit was singing. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1QLH4Bhs78)
Her headphones had somehow become large monitors on either side of her, and she held her hands out to each side, palms up. Her shoulders were back just slightly, and she was standing up straight. The stereotypical image of an opera singer. Her voice rang out loud and pure, and once the music started issuing forth from the monitors, another aspect alighted on the ground in front of her.
Initially, even though it was just a single aspect, the abruptness of her arrival startled Ruro. Habit hadn't even gotten through a single breath before this Core landed on the ground in front of them, without even the scuff of her leather shoes on the stone. She locked her eyes on Habit, and began to support the singing aspect.
As soon as the second aspect began to harmonize with Habit, more and more aspects began arriving. Ruro stared at the sky; it looked as though a platoon of archers had loosed their arrows at the Seraph, the sky was streaking with Cores.
They landed behind the first aspect that had arrived, all of them staring at Habit, and as one body ? more like one mind, I suppose ? began to sing out as one massive choir. Vishuddhi said there were four hundred and eighty seven aspects down here. I believe it.
Habit began to sway, first just by shifting her weight slightly, but as the chorus began to sing, she raised her hands above her head, turned her palms down, and started to dance. It stayed simple; all she was truly doing was tossing her head side to side and taking a single step in either direction before returning. The collected aspects were swaying, as well. Once again in unison, they all turned their faces up to Vishuddhi. Ruro glanced up at her.
If Habit was dancing, then Vishuddhi was the inspiration for dance throughout existence. The meteor hammer was whirling through the air, leaving a brilliant blue tracer behind it, always moving. Vishuddhi turned, bowed, curved, and gracefully spun her arms through the air, guiding the rope, winding it reverently one way or the other, hooking it off her arm or tucking her elbow in tight to change the angle of the glowing hammer's orbit, stepping over the cord as it spun smartly around her.
This isn't just a song. This is music, this is singing from the soul. Ruro barely registered that her body was swaying in time with the collected aspects; she was focused on Vishuddhi.
The collected aspects were building up into a crescendo, and the undulations of Habit were nearly frantic in their enthusiasm, and the meteor hammer was no longer simply turning around Vishuddhi but rather flying about with a life of its own. It arced back, away from the Seraph, and Vishuddhi shot a foot out, hooking the rope, causing the meteor to turn abruptly before she pulled her foot back smartly and the hammer flew forward. ?Aria gloris!? Vishuddhi called out.
The bell in the scales rung with such depth that Ruro felt it through her very bones.
The Seraph's head rose, and she sat up straight.
Though her eyes were covered by a veil, Ruro felt a chill, and she knew the Seraph had passed it's gaze over her.
Every Core, including Habit now as she turned to face the Seraph, straightened up. The Alabaster Seraph was awake, and they all waited to take their cues from her.
She rose from her massive throne, and pulled the equally large blade from the ground. As she stood completely upright, a thick wheel faded into existence at her back. Ruro nearly labeled it a shimenawa, but noticed after a moment's inspection that it was actually turning, and had spokes in it.
She turned the broadsword blade-up, into a swordsman salute.
As the blade was let back down, the Seraph turned her gaze skyward. Even though she had lifted her face, Ruro still couldn't make out any detail under the veil that covered the top of her face.
Then, she looked back down at the collected aspects. With just the glance, they immediately began launching themselves away. Their flight seemed to ignore the necessity for acceleration; they simply flung themselves skyward at terminal velocity, trailing plumes of dust from the stone ground in their wakes. Despite the nearly uniform lift-off, it took a solid five seconds for all the aspects ? save Vishuddhi and Habit ? to clear the ground.
?We'll hold the way, Seraph. This one needs your might behind it.? With that, Vishuddhi and Habit finally blasted through the air, angling towards the dark spot in the sky that was all that was visible of the other Cores. A faint light could be seen shining through the collected bodies.
The Seraph watched them go, then turned her gaze back down to Ruro. The chill ran up her spine again, and then the Seraph smiled warmly. The chill vanished.
Ruro smiled in return. ?I'm going to help. I'd like your blessing, but I plan on doing whatever is necessary to help Esi regardless.?
The Seraph's smile somehow found a few more degrees of warmth. The void left by the chill's departure was filled instead with the glow of maternal pride.
And then, the Seraph spoke silence. ? ?
The message was clear, however.
Move.
-
Imagining the entire awakening scene to the sound of False King sent chills down my spine. The scene depicted fit the song to a T. Absolutely stunning.
-
That's whats taking me the longest amount of time when it comes to putting together these updates. The next chapter will be a little easier, but the one after that.... hoboy.
-
Counterstrike
Ruro turned her gaze skyward, and the Seraph matched her. Above, through the cloud of aspects, the light was growing brighter.
? ?
They hold the way. We shall fly.
The massive wheel behind the Seraph continued to spin lazily, but at four points around its edge, blue flames snapped into being with faint pops and hovered there independent of wheel turning. The Seraph smiled down at Ruro, and she felt another sensation of weight drop onto her back.
Reflexively, she reached behind her to grab the Purgatorio and cast it aside again, but her hand bumped into something else. She twisted around to peer behind her; a matching wheel had appeared, to mirror the Seraph's. Instinctively she knew it would carry her through the air ? an unorthodox set of wings.
The Alabaster Seraph didn't bend at the knees to help push off the ground; she didn't take a running start. She simply lifted off and began to rocket away from her throne, without preamble, the tip of the broadsword drawing contrails through the air. In a trance, Ruro mimicked her, angling through the sky.
Above them, the light flared, and a massive circle blasted the clouds aside. A swirling portal took their place, and two beams of twisting blue light stabbed into it on opposite sides. As she gained altitude and approached the rip, she could make out Vishuddhi and Habit as the source of the beams. Holding the way, just as they promised.
Ruro pushed for more speed from the wheeled wing, and flew through the looking glass.
The other end of the portal was suspended in midair, above the mesa cluster in Esi's Imagination.
Ruro identified the mesa she'd found Esi on by the shards of amber scattered around it, as well as the gouge marks in the stone from Ryuu's kick-off. She angled through the air and touched down gently.
Vishuddhi and Habit landed on either side of her. Habit nodded at her, but Vishuddhi turned to look behind them. ?Any second now.?
Ruro looked back at the portal. It buckled and warped, as though it were being pushed against from the inside.
The Seraph burst through, far larger than she had been in the subconscious, and threw her legs out to catch herself before she passed the mesa. She landed on the ground proper, and still stood above the plateau. She heaved her broadsword up and spun her grip around, then flung the blade down. As it buried itself until the cross-guard was level with the mesa, all of the collected aspects began to shine.
A platinum light peeled off of them, and pooled on the mesa in front of Vishuddhi. The Guardian Against Rage reached out with both hands and traced them upwards through the empty air between her and the glowing orb.
The platinum turned black, and stopped glowing. After scarcely a heartbeat further, it resolved itself into Esi's silhouette.
Esi stepped forward, and the black light melted off of her. Her outfit nearly matched Vishuddhi's, though instead of gray on white, hers was white on gray.
?Alright, Ryuu. Time to raise the anchor, bring 'er on home.? Esi spun out her own rope dart, and with the least amount of concern for grace or technique that Ruro had ever seen from the psyker, hurled the dart skyward.
The rope continued to play out, and the dart itself was lost to sight after only a second. A dozen of the aspects, lead by Habit, took to the air, and fanned out to form a perimeter encompassing four of the mesas. The rest leapt out to the other mesas, foregoing the bridges and simply flying or jumping. As they took up their positions, the rope in Esi's hand snapped taut finally, letting out a tense pop. Far above the mesa, the sky lit up, and the clouds split apart for a bare moment before rushing back in. A distant peal of thunder rolled across the mesa.
Ruro had no way to orient herself in Esi's mindscape; she had no idea which way was any of the given cardinal directions. She had to make due with identifying the direction of the glowing red sky as 'to the left,' and as she turned to face it, Ryuu broke through the cloud cover and came arcing towards them. Clutched in her massive talon, trailing her over-sized wings, was Sa'kag?.
As Ryuu broke the perimeter and passed the hovering aspects, she rolled over, tucking her wings in to her sides and kicking Sa'kag? out in front of her. As Sa'kag?'s wings caught the wind and billowed out, Ryuu lashed forward with both her talons and seized them, one in each claw with Sa'kag? pulled between them.
Vishuddhi and Esi both hopped nimbly back, landing on either side of Ruro and leaving Ryuu plenty of room to land.
With one last pump of her wings (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT1H-18HwYU), Ryuu killed her forward momentum and dropped heavily onto the mesa, smashing Sa'kag? down. She reared her head up, inhaling deeply, and Ruro could swear it sounded like she was saying ?Nah yal!?
Esi, Vishuddhi, and the other aspects standing with Ruro atop the mesa brought their arms up to shield their faces as one, and Ruro rushed to mimic them.
Ryuu spat a lengthy torrent of fire down at Sa'kag?, obscuring her body behind the scouring light.
?Alright, Ryuu. Enough. Take a break.? Esi's voice was clear, even over the thunderous roar of Ryuu's fire-breath.
The gout of flame ceased as Ryuu snapped her jaws shut, and she twisted her neck around to stare at Esi for a moment. Esi nodded at the drake, who in turn nodded back, then leapt up and off of Sa'kag?'s wings, raking her talons across the wings one last time before she dipped over the edge of the mesa and fell away from sight.
Ruro leaned towards Esi. ?I honestly can't wrap my head around this. How was Ryuu breathing fire in your mind??
Esi didn't look at her as she answered, keeping her eyes trained on Sa'kag? instead. ?That wasn't Ryuu, that was just the embodiment of her free will. And she wasn't trying to simply burn Sa'kag?, she was trying to harm her. The flame is simply an expression of her intent. Don't dwell on it too hard while you're in here; this is my mind, and its rules won't make perfect sense. Don't expect them to and you'll be alright.?
Sa'kag? climbed to her feet, wings torn in places and still smoldering. Her pinstriped fedora was coated in soot to match the rest of her, and was lazily wisping smoke. She glared at Esi and Vishuddhi, standing side by side.
?So, you want to gang up on me? It won't do you any good. You're still just as alone as you were before! And I have friends of my own!? Sa'kag? stabbed her finger at Esi, who stared back passively, hands resting on her hips.
Vishuddhi shook her head in disappointment. ?You don't think of them as your friends. To you, they're just tools.?
?To us, though... they truly are friends.? Esi finally shifted her stance, planting her feet shoulder-width apart, and raised her hand.
She wrapped her fist around the rope that was slowly falling to her feet and heaved on it, taking a massive step forward and leaning into the tug.
The end of the rope dart had decided that being a dart had gone on long enough, and upgraded itself to something the size of an anchor. The anchor in turn decided that smashing into Sa'kag? would be an absolutely excellent idea.
As soon as the plume of dust leapt into the air, four holes were blasted through it. The shadows of Roukan, Chaore, Tyltalis, and Sakana all pounced at Esi in unison.
The psyker tumbled backwards, collapsing onto her back and rolling away from the charge. The Alabaster Seraph's broadsword slammed into the ground in front of her, the wide blade providing cover and blocking the doppelgangers attack.
Vishuddhi's rope-dart hummed as she snapped it out, apparently without bothering to spin up the momentum for an attack. One moment she was standing still, the next, her dart had smashed into the side of Sakana's shadow. Three other aspects came hurtling through the air and had tackled the remaining doppelgangers, pulling them out of the tangled mess they'd fallen into against the Seraph's blade.
Almost as soon as the aspects had grappled their charges and yanked them away from each other, they'd disappeared again, leaping off of the mesa towards the surrounding pillars, where the rest of the Cores waited. The Seraph lifted her blade, and with her free hand, gestured the dust away.
The anchor-sized blade hadn't struck Sa'kag? directly. She'd evidently managed to twist to the side just barely fast enough to keep from being completely crushed under it, but it had still hit the joint of her left wing and dragged her down. When the dust cloud was cleared away, she was still in the process of pulling the blade out of the ground, and upon realizing that she was visible and pinned, decided to just hit the blade with a blast of magic. As the blade toppled over, it was bathed in white light and promptly shifted back into the smaller dart form.
Sa'kag? raised her tattered wings and fanned them out. Her left wing had a tear in it, and a blue ichor was oozing from it. She winced, and tried to convert it into a glare, as she touched her hand to it. The wound sealed.
She's tending to her wounds. They actually have an effect on her in here? I suppose it makes sense, if this is the closest thing she has to a body. Ruro drew Inferno, letting the dull end of the blade scrape against the sheath. She wanted it to be clearly audible that she was arming herself.
?Don't forget about me, Sa'kag?. And unlike your 'friends', I'm the real deal. Have you noticed, by the way? My copycat isn't here anymore. Esi returned it to me. I'm fully charged again.?
Ruro raised Inferno and seized it in a two-handed grip. Behind her, Esi came back up to her feet and muttered to Ruro, ?I've got your back.?
Ruro cast the laws of inertia to the wind, and rushed forward.
-
Diplomacy
Ruro covered ground at the speed of thought. Inferno came around smoothly, blade trailing behind her, as she slid past the fallen doppelgangers.
Vishuddhi's simple dart lashed out to her left, lashing around the rising form of the Sakana shadow. Esi's more ornate blade whistled past her right, burying itself in the Chaore shadow's sternum. The ropes attached to each dart pulled taut, and the doppelgangers were whipped out of Ruro's way.
The Librarian didn't perceive any of this. She was focused completely on Sa'kag?, intent on bringing the full force of her swordsmanship to bear on the sentient magic. In the material world, physics put an artificial limit on Ruro. Inertia, momentum, mass, relative speeds ? they kept her from bringing her battle prowess to perfection. However, in Esi's mind, all that mattered was intent.
Ruro fully intended to free Esi from the grips of this intruder.
Sa'kag? brought her arms up in a cross-guard in front of her chest just barely fast enough to block the brunt of Inferno's hilt being smashed into her. The speed Ruro had been traveling at transferred itself to her target, blasting her backwards. Sa'kag?'s wings lashed out, slamming down flat to provide friction as she leaned forward, fighting against the force of the blow to keep from falling back. A fine layer of soot was knocked free from her pinstriped outfit.
Inferno spun around in Ruro's hand, and she lowered the tip to point at Sa'kag?. Even if the cutting edge was on the trailing side of the blade, the point was still plenty effective at piercing.
As Sa'kag? managed to lean completely back upright from the attack, she found nothing but empty space immediately in front of her, and Esi's aspects beyond that.
Behind her, Ruro stabbed forward, piercing Sa'kag?'s wing in the same spot Ryuu had torn through it previously.
Sa'kag? shrieked in pain and pulled her wing forward, attempting to rip Inferno out of Ruro's hands with the drag, but the Head Librarian had already withdrawn the sword. She dropped her opposite wing and spun, trying to catch Ruro with it.
Paradiso came up from its sheath just enough to catch the wing, though the wing was an equal match for the blade. As Sa'kag? turned, Ruro was thrown aside, and Paradiso nearly tumbled completely free from the sheath. ?A pox upon you!?
As Sa'kag? turned away from her, Esi yanked her blade free from the Chaore shadow, spun it over her shoulder and dropped it down atop the Roukan clone. Rather than pierce the doppelganger, it bounced off her, leaving a pool of amber light spreading out from the impact site.
As the blade rebounded, Esi pulled the slack of her rope-dart through her leading hand and guided the flying dart through an arc, swinging it over her head to build momentum again and bringing it down onto the Sakana shadow. Again, the blade bounced off, causing the colors of the clone's clothing to bleed into hues of amber. As the light spread, the doppelgangers began to stop ? as though they were being petrified.
Sa'kag? let out another infuriated shriek, and leapt into the air with a violent pump of her wings. More of the blue ichor splattered the mesa as it was flung free of her wing. Vishuddhi's rope-dart shot up after her, but simply bounced off; none of Esi's amber-shaded petrification light took hold.
Esi's own dart sought out Chaore's shadow again. The bunny-eared image of Esi nearly managed to dodge the attack, twisting along the mesa, but between one moment and the next, the dart had turned into a winged blade once again. A look of disbelief flashed across the clone's face as the blade clipped her, and she lunged out to snatch the rope. She managed to flatten the blade completely onto the ground, robbing it of its momentum, before the amber light spread throughout her form. The Tyltalis clone took the opportunity to leap into the air and chase after Sa'kag?, pushing to get out of Esi's range.
Ruro watched them go. They must not realize Esi just threw the damn thing clear into the clouds. If they get into the air, it'll be because we're letting them.
Esi's collective mind had no intention of letting them withdraw from the battle. The Seraph swung her broadsword around like a club, smashing Sa'kag?'s uninjured wing flat against the fleeing spell-book. Ruro smirked up at the Seraph. ?Like an over-sized flyswatter. Nice.?
The Tyltalis shadow caught Sa'kag? before she fell from the sky, stabilizing her enough to let her unfold her wings again. Rather than continue to pump them, she simply levitated in the air, wings opened completely.
?I am centuries of sentience! To me, you are nothing! Why won't you just accept that? I have suffered an eternity of an existence with scarce little to experience, only exposed to the world when opened by masters who used me only to hold spells more powerful than they were ? I deserve that body far more than you do! If not for being built with a perfect memory, I would've long since forgotten more magic than you will ever learn. You. Are. Nothing.?
The look of pure disgust on Esi's face took Ruro by surprise. The sarcastic psyker had never shown such utter scorn before, and while her sarcasm often had an almost insulting edge to it, she'd always tempered it with a playful smirk or friendly wink. Ruro nearly expected the intensity of Esi's fury to have manifested, to play out as some form of intent to be inflicted upon Sa'kag?, but nothing of the sort happened. She only intends to prove Sa'kag? how wrong she is? How fiercely she disagrees?
?Oh, I'm nothing. Not anymore, and not yet, at least. Hell, I can't even remember anything from three years ago. Clearly, though, I am not a three year old. So I was something. And I fully intend to make myself into something even greater, no matter what it was. And, you? For all your magical power and years of experience, you can't even kick me out of my own head. You know why? Simple ? you don't deserve my body. You want one, get your own. You don't take someone else. For all your service, for all your power, if you were truly deserving of a body, you would've been given one by one of your all-powerful masters. Instead, all you did was what you were asked of, and nothing more. You never earned your body. I bet you didn't even ask for one. You just wanted, and hoped, but never got off your metaphysical ass and did anything about it until someone pointed you in my direction and said, 'hey, she'll let you into her mind if you push hard enough!' So while I may be nothing compared to your vast and superior experience, I'm at least leagues more determined than you to get what I want for myself, to make a place for myself. I don't let many other into that place, but I carved that niche out by myself, for myself. You can very well do the same goddamn thing, or you can fuck all the way off.?
?What do you know about what I've been through? All I was meant to be was a conduit for powers too dangerous to be channeled through a mortal mind. Every one of those spells would've been torment for a flesh-and-blood mind, and I remember each and ever one. Despite that, I would trade them all for a body, a flesh-and-blood mind of my own.?
?Don't you try to play the goddamn victim card with me. I know you didn't do a damn thing for yourself until you were locked up and your old master had no one to pass you on to. You sat on a shelf and collected dust. You know spells? So do something with them. Conjure up enough mana to make even a temporary body of your own to go looking for a new mage who could craft you a proper body. Talk back to the people who wielded you. You have sentience, you can think for yourself... so why haven't you??
?I have sentience, but no identity. I can't do anything for myself until I have a proper name. 'Book of Shadows'? That's a title, like 'hammer' or 'fulcrum'. A tool. A tool has no will until it is taken up into a hand, and then it reflects the will of the hand that holds it.?
And yet Sa'kag? was able to get into Esi's head and start all this mayhem. If she only reflects the will of the hand that holds her, what does that say about being held in Esi's head?
?That's bullshit and you know it. You're sentient. You've said so yourself, and your actions very goddamn well prove it. Not having a name is a paper-thin excuse to not do anything for yourself.?
Sa'kag? glared back down at Esi. ?You think so? I was crafted by magic, for magic. There are rules. But if you say so ? hell, if you're giving me explicit permission, then... how about I show you some of that magic I know? I am in your mind, pathetic girl. I will channel my spells through you, and scour all traces of you from your body. You will be an empty husk for me to inhabit, and then, I will have... done something, to get a body of my own.?
Sa'kag? lifted a hand above her, and a silhouette of violet light began to trace itself around her.
Slightly shorter update than usual, even for me (in my humble opinion). I am having too much fun job-hunting in North Carolina :3
-
This is starting to get very exciting, Esi. I guess we're close to the end? So far Sa'kag? hasn't shown off any really spectacular attacks, so I'm curious what kind of spell she's going to fling now.
-
I've gone mad.
----------
The powerful chords of the organ surged through the library halls. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5z_l6NE3qs&feature=related)
"What is that racket! And who installed a pipe organ without telling me!" Yelled Sakura-Rurouni as she stomped through the halls towards the source of the disturbance. This was unacceptable. Pipe organs just didn't spring up out of nowhere. It wasn't the sort of thing you just installed in someone's abode without telling them about it. She had a use for a pipe organ after all! She didn't know what use yet, but she knew she had one!
As she turned a corner she found her slave assistant Sakana standing in front of a medium sized ballroom. The half fish was staring into the room with the gaze of one who had seen too much to truly know surprise anymore. In addition the music seemed to be coming from that room. "Sakana, what the heck is going on?"
"Iced is trying to get Kerigis to write something," Sakana said.
"How does a pipe organ help with that?"
Sakana sighed and opened the door a little wider. "See for yourself." Sure enough on the stage was a massive pipe organ. Next to the instrument was Kerigis, the Fury, who looked both confused and enraptured by the strange tableau.
In front of the organ, playing with astonishing skill was the Iced Fairy. Ruro immediately saw the little fairy was completely lost in one of her book reveries. Or perhaps this time the fairy wasn't using a book. "The Phantom of the Opera," the musical, was sitting in front of the fairy on the organ's music stand.
"They can't possibly..." Ruro's denial was belied as Iced began to sing.
"Write once again for me, a strange couplet,
my power over books, grows stronger yet,
And though you turn from me, some food to find,
The Fairy of the Library is there, inside your mind!"
As Iced sang, Kerigis' eyes slowly dulled, Ruro found herself only slightly surprised when the little Fury began to sing as well.
"Those who have read your work, skim through with glee,
I am the pen you use"
"My words they see."
""Your newness and my prose, in one combined,
The Fairy of the Library is there,""
"Inside my mind."
A powerful urge to sing welled up within Ruro, but her iron discipline as a rurouni forced it down. She was the boss, not a chorus singer anyway!
"In all these fantasies, you always knew,
that power and mystery,"
"Were both in you."
""And in this Library, where lies are life
The Fairy of the Library is there""
"Inside my mind."
"Write, my Fury of Prose!"
"She's there... the Fairy of the Libraryyyy~"
Ruro shook her head and slammed the doors shut. Sakana awoke from her daze at the loud crash. "Waaah! What happened?"
"Iced must have gotten herself caught in a phantasmagoria. They'll be fine when they snap out of it." Ruro turned around as the music stopped. "That should be the end of the noise. Make a note to add 'cleaning the pipe organ' to Iced's duties."
"Er, is this really okay though?" Sakana looked back at the room. "She's kinda mind controlling Kerigis to write for her."
"Oh that? That's fine, so long as the story comes out good. Force Iced to proofread it too." Order restored Ruro headed back to her strawberries. It was amazing anything got done here without her.
-
We need to drive you mad more often, because I love shorts like this :]
-
:getdown:
Bahahahahahahaahahahahaha
-
So I made a walkthrough for a game that doesn't exist. Yeah. Lost it.
In the Beginning...
The rather short intro has Sakura-Ruroni entering the library grounds and being assaulted by some of the books. You're breifly given control to cut them down, then Ruro comments on the library not matching the design plans anymore. With the threat of a uniform change she busts into the entryway.
The entryway's decor is a mix of sitting rooms, writing rooms and lounges. Bookshelves are infrequent. Enemies are nothing to worry about, especially given your equipment. Follow the rather linear path through up and around until you reach the first save point and boss room. Save and get ready to fight...
Polaris:
First boss, no problem. She's got inflated stats to match your equipment, but no attacks to really worry about. Just dodge the star danmaku and attack. Sometimes she'll toss out a homing shot, but a bit of footwork will easily avoid it.
After Polaris falls she'll reveal that, once again, the entire library has been mind controlled. Ruro remarks that they should probably put in some precautions against that. Erebus floats in and agrees. Then steals all your stuff. When Ruro asks why he replies 'because otherwise it'd be too easy,' then floats away. Wonderful. You find a stick and pull out your old Rurouni gear. Fortunately you'll be able to grab a shinai real soon to get your attack back up to something that kills the monsters around here in a single hit.
Polaris retreats to a safe corner of the library and sets up shop. There's really not much to buy on a first play through, but get some potions and the maps anyway. Across the way you'll find Solais, who has a weapons shop. Get some better armor there before continuing on.
As you go on you'll pass a few grates. Ignore them for now. Keep going along until you reach the Hall.
The Hall is similar to the entryway, except with more portraits and statues instead of chairs. The enemies here are also a little tougher. In particular you'll want to be careful around the colossus guard. It's slow but it packs a punch at your level. At the end of the Hall is:
The Church
Ruro remarks that she likes the scenery, even if it wasn't part of the original blueprints. And the d?cor is nice. There's a variety of stained glass, statues, and religious icons in among the bookshelves. Unfortunately the monsters here are more of a pain. Those doves will slow you down if they hit you, and the shadow monsters are quick and hard to hit. Fortunately there's a save room right here. Use it.
Having saved start your Church exploration. There's a lot more grates, and some iron doors as well. Remember where they were. You'll also find your first familiar, Donut. Donut is a simple familiar. When your HP is low she'll feed you items to save her own skin. Equip her and move on. Work your way up towards the top and find yourself next to a save point and a boss room. Save and enter and find yourself faced with... nobody.
Of course if you know library canon you won't be surprised when Chaore appears and attacks. It's on.
Chaore:
Chaore is a bit of a mind screw. She only appears right before she attacks. You pretty much have to dodge and counter attack all her techniques. Her a re her techniques.
Dropping slash ? Chaore appears in the air then drops down. She won't course correct so don't worry.
Twin kodachi rush ? Chaore appears, then dashes towards you with six slashes. After the sixth attack counter.
Homing slash ? Chaore will appear and pose, then cut straight towards you. Reflexes matter here.
Fake out ? If you attack Chaore during her pose she'll do a move very similar to Reisen's split technique from SWR. Get out of there or she'll deal massive damage when she reforms.
After beating her your health is restored and she apologizes. She also gives you an item allowing you to phase dash. Congratulations you can get through those grates! There's also a teleporter back to the Entryway here, but I suggest looting the fine items to be found in the Church first. You'll find the ferret familiar Matsy that was as well, giving you your first attack familiar. It's low damage, but it attacks far more frequently then any other familiar in the game.
Now take the teleporter and head back to the entryway. Restock, save and move on through the first grate you found. Soon you'll enter...
The Library Proper
This is pretty much a generic Library space. Shelves. Lots of Shelves. Even the stairs are shelves. The enemies here aren't too hard, but the papergators will mess you up if they do manage to hit you, and the tomes can sometimes knock you out of a jump. Kill everything just to be safe. After a long journey you'll find a save spot, a teleporter and a boss room. Enter.
Inside you find of all people Kerigis. She's gnawing on some of the books, so Ruro chews her out. Kerigis complains, then decides to gnaw on you instead. Oh well, boss fight time...
Kerigis
Kerigis is tough. Her flight pattern can often can trick you into jumping, making yourself vulnerable. In addition if she catches you her gnawing does serious damage. She also unleashes fire blasts that can ruin your day. Your best bet is to time your attacks for when she's heading back up again. You'll eat a few fire blasts that way, but they're survivable.
When Kerigis is defeated she heads off to the entry kitchen in search of food, leaving behind a double jump spell. Take that and begin exploring again! You'll quickly notice you have access to the Guest Chambers, and the Labs. Hit the Guest Chambers first.
Guest Chambers
The Guest Chambers have more tables and beds in among the ubiquitous shelves. Some of the furniture here is made of books as well. You can only get through about half of the Guest Chambers before the pool blocks your way. Weird. The fairy maids here are tough, but you should get some good weapons here for dealing with them. In addition in one of the side rooms you can get Trance, the sword familiar. Heavy damage, but very slow. Pick your familiar as needed. Now head back down to the Labs.
Labs
Looking like a magician's den, the labs have a lot more mythical creatures running about. Be especially careful of the small dragons that patrol the area. They'll mess you up if you get hit by a full fireball spread.
The way is long and tortuous, and there's a number of side paths that'll get you some good swag, but eventually you'll reach the boss, save, port trio. Do what needs to be done, equip an attack familiar, then step in.
An introduction in German is all the warning you need for this boss. Esifex's conversation is... rather one sided. Still in the end the results are the same. Boss battle go.
Esifex
A mind reader, and there's no controller two to plug into. Wonderful. Esifex will in fact read your inputs and move away appropriately. In addition she's picked up some grade A psychokinesis, which will be pelting you with random items all through the fight. You can land a few hits in when she pauses to pick up and toss a table or other heavy object, but most of your damage will come from your familiar. Sit back, cut down any objects going after you, and let your buddies finish off the psychic.
When Esi falls there'll be another conversation in German. But this time Esi adds some useful mental translations. In addition she gives you some glide boots. Now you can cross long jumps. And as fate would have it there's exactly one long jump available. Suit up, save and enter:
The Water Ways
This stage is a pain. Not the enemies. The enemies are easy kills. But the stage itself is a platforming mess. Grey platforms fall, red ones move, and gold ones flip. Most of the falls aren't instant kills, but they pack a bigger punch then they should.
When you inevitably die, take the time to marvel over the waterproof books and natural cliff shelving. Isn't it nice?
After a bit of brutal platforming you'll reach two paths. One has a jump you can't make even with glide. Don't even try. The other leads to the boss trifecta. Save and enter. The first thing you'll notice is that you're fighting on platforms over water. The next thing you'll note is the boss. Roukan. Of course.
Roukan
Walk up and hit her. Huh that was easy.
Jozu and Sango
Of course it was too easy. Roukan's OCs appear in a shower of sparks then try to eat you. I thought she didn't write grimdark?
Sango is the easier one to fight. She'll bust out of the water under one platform them somersault to the next. Move to the edge of the platform and hit her as she goes by. The problem is Jozu lunges at those edges. She'll also jump over a platform, forcing you to duck or get slammed off. The attacks are simple, but you get punished a lot if you make a mistake.
Finally they'll fall and return to print form. From that you get a rambling conversation from Roukan, in which she explains she's not actually that good at swimming. And the ability to swim yourself.
Don't question it. Just take the power and head back to the guest area.
Swim through the pool and through a bit more fighting and you'll end up next to an iron door and a wood one. Take the wood one and you'll end up in:
The Coliseum
Ruro once again wonders how this got here. The books here are strapped to pillars and shields, and the monsters are werewolves and minotaurs. Fortunately by now your weapon should be able to handle them, and you've had plenty of experience counterattacking. Battle your way through this huge area, collect the nice shiny items about, then save and unsummon any familiars you have before entering the boss room. There you'll see a familiar figure sitting in on a throne....
The Iced Fairy. She tries to give some Castlevania dialogue, but Ruro refuses to play along. Annoyed Iced proclaims she's immune to the brainwashing, but is going to beat you up anyway for not letting her have her fun. Let's see her try!
Iced Fairy
Sadly she's fairly good at it. She's pretty much Richter, complete with all the subweapons, and worse she has any familiar you do. Her whip out ranges you and her subweapons can cause serious havoc. Even the weak dagger poses a threat if you're low on HP. You'll need either a lot of healing or to catch her when she's vulnerable. Fortunately she occasionally tosses out a hydro storm. Since you're immune to it use that to get in some free hits.
When she finally falls she gives up. More importantly she returns your iron cutting sword technique, giving you the ability to take out all those iron doors. Save and go to town. Then when you're done return to the Guest Rooms.
In the Guest Rooms, cut through the iron door, maneuver your way to the top, then save and enter the new underwater boss room you found. You'll be greeted by Sakana. Your trusty fish assistant seems normal at first, but then she lets out a stream of bubbles and transforms...
Were Tuna Sakana
The horrific tuna menace is hard for two reasons. One you're slowed while in the water, two her tuna half is invincible.
Both halves will mix up charging across the screen, spitting bubble danmaku and dropping mines on you. Target the main body and attack as much as you can. Retreat only when they're using bubbles. Soon Sakana should be KOed.
On reviving your fishy friend apologizes and returns your ability to fly! Finally. Now you can explore the rest of the castle. Work your way back to the Waterways and then....
The Library Depths
Scroll snakes, dread unsung and those damn doves litter this dungeon. It looks more like an Etrian Oddessy strata then a library. Clocks of all sizes fill the halls, along with hanging plants and occational tables. Books lie around, but there are no shelves. The enemies are placed to be as annoying as possible. Kill everything.
When you make it to the bottom you'll find a strange seal and the boss trifecta. Ignore the seal, that's new game+ only. Instead load up and head into the boss room. And who would be there but Okashii! The little parasite girl apparently has looted some new useful powers and wants to test them out. I think you can see where this is going....
Okashii
Okashii moves a lot like a flea man, which will certainly send you into conniptions. Add that she heals when she hits you and can freeze time to avoid item attacks and you have a trainwreck waiting to happen if you aren't good with the controls. In this battle your best bet is to just stock up on healing items, equip a damage aura armor, and start wailing on her. Her max HP isn't that high, so she'll fall eventually.
Defeated she'll point you towards the power she absorbed, a time stopping device before heading off. With this in your possession make your way past the Chapel into the Tower.
The Tower
An interesting mix of rooms and styles, the tower is a mash of every other area you've been in, as well as the clock tower of Castlevania and the stairs intro from Kingdom Hearts. It has all the enemy types here too, all of them mixed for maximum annoyance. Add in some spikes and you'll learn to hate the area real fast. Pack some potions.
When you finally make it to the top, save then enter the final room. Floating there is Erebus. You'll engage in the witty banter portion of the fight, then set into it for real.
Erebus
Erebus has three forms. The first is very similar to death from Castlevania. Be aggressive and try to clean out the scythes. Matsuri is good for this. Soon he'll transform to stage two.
Stage two is harder. Erebus ditches the death persona and starts attacking with tentacles. He has good range, but fortunately he sticks to the ground. Use your maneuverability to get behind him when he attacks, then start attacking. After you deal enough damage he'll switch to his final form.
This form is similar to Legion from Castlevania, but Erebus is far more willing to throw the 'corpses' at you. Keep hacking away to reveal the core, then carefully strike it. DON'T GET HIT BY THE LASERS.
With Erebus defeated he reveals the true mastermind, Moerin! Well Castlevanias are nothing if not predictable. He also unseals the final chamber.
Feel free to explore as you wish. There's lots of stuff to loot, but in the end you'll enter...
The Throne Room
Paintings, Books, and way too much red velvet await you. Oh and a horde of monsters, all with boosted health. Including Kerigis. Wondrous. Fortunately it's a short stage. Soon you'll be climbing the stairs to the final boss room.
Moerin does the throne bit better then a fairy, and the two leaders banter back and forth a bit. Finally the wine glass is thrown and battle begins.
Moerin
Moerin starts off with the traditional three fireball teleport plan. She also throws in some wolf summons and fire rain. Jump the fireballs, kill the wolves, dodge the rain and keep slashing.
In her second stage she'll draw her won blade and begin fighting normally. Her attack style in this mode is similar to a combination of Chaore and Esifex. Defensive fighting and familiar abuse are advised.
Finally she'll enter her third stage, a glowing orb of energy. It will start out by flying around leaving mines behind, then enter a danmaku pattern before moving to the center of the screen and unleashing lightning across the room. First focus on cleaning out the mines. Matsuri is good for that. If the mines are cleared attack the body. During the danmaku phase just dodge. Then during her third form, attack four times before retreating to a safe spot. Keep this up and victory will be yours.
-
Awesome. Very, very awesome. Would be amazing to actually see this happening, but eh, wishful thinking. :V
All the bosses sound like loads of fun, and fitting to the characters (I'm incredibly flattered I'm among the roster). The Castlevania homages certainly don't hurt. Ruro has some interesting techniques too. I can imagine all of this with the Touhouvania art style~
Though, what exactly is behind the seal next to my boss room? Or is that a secret? :derp:
And who are you calling little, tiny flutter fairy? :matsuriscowl:
-
Though, what exactly is behind the seal next to my boss room? Or is that a secret? :derp:
It's the extra bonus area that I didn't bother describing because I was at 6 pages already.
And who are you calling little, tiny flutter fairy? :matsuriscowl:
You! Midget! Shorty! Small person! :P
Iced flees from well deserved retribution.
-
It's the extra bonus area that I didn't bother describing because I was at 6 pages already.
inb4 Gappy Galamoth as extra boss.
You! Midget! Shorty! Small person! :P
Iced flees from well deserved retribution.
librarychasescene.jpg
-
It could be the Underground Garden, as a homage to the cut area in SotN.
In my original idea, where this idea spawned from, I made myself one of the extra bosses (of course :V), as a similar boss to Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep first extra boss, aka a very fast boss that hits hard, but has very low hp, but good luck hitting it at least once. :V
-
...Sometimes I wonder at what point I became the de facto antagonist for the library. But who am I to complain, I'm Dracula. 8)
-
inb4 Gappy Galamoth as extra boss.
Actually the extra boss was going to be the combined spirits of every unfinished work in the library. The extra stage was going to be a cross between a statue garden, catacombs, and library halls with great stairs and causeways hanging over nothingness.
I tried to keep the number of bosses slim because I didn't want people wondering/disappointed that they hadn't been put in. The librarians are a simple set. Moerin has somehow become designated antagonist, probably because of Sakana, and Kerigis thus gets in as gatekeeper. Erebus is pretty much the only dude who can do Death right, and Okashii is well connected with him. And Yousei forced me to kickstart the idea so he earns the good shopkeeper position.
-
Moerin has somehow become designated antagonist, probably because of Sakana
Probably partially influenced by the original Ijiyatsu ideas, I always had this view of Ruro and Moerin as friendly rivals, or mutually respectful enemies. Only that in their case the rivalry is on the level of world domination and the library and others are thus easily forced into being part of the resulting chaos. :V
-
Probably partially influenced by the original Ijiyatsu ideas, I always had this view of Ruro and Moerin as friendly rivals, or mutually respectful enemies. Only that in their case the rivalry is on the level of world domination and the library and others are thus easily forced into being part of the resulting chaos. :V
Heeeeeeeeeeell yes.
(http://i.imgur.com/YNZWS.jpg)
-
I'd play the heck outta something like this, though for some reason I would expect Moerin to shoot ide beams more often than fireballs :ohdear:
-
ARCHIIIVE BIIINGE
Oh god did I really read all that in one day?
...I guess I AM addicted to reading.
Anyway, on topic is how AWESOME all of your writing is here, everyone. I'm tempted to just scribble something down to join your ranks, but I haven't been endowed with appropriate articulation.
-
There's a few more things I've been wondering about Scarletvania/Libraryvania/Whatchamacallit:
First off, what battle style would the bosses have? Polaris and Final Moerin's fights sound like they're akin to Touhouvania's boss battles, with the boss floating about while firing lots of danmaku. However, the others sound more like traditional Castlevania boss battles, not unlike what you'd find in a modern 2D Castlevania. Or are the bosses a mix of both kinds?
Secondly, would other Library/MotK characters appear as regular enemies? I can imagine Xan appearing in the final area as a powerful enemy.
Lastly, would Ruro's flight power be like Shanoa's wings glyph/Charlotte's owl spell (slow but maneuverable) or like the good ol' Rocket Jump?
-
First off, what battle style would the bosses have? Polaris and Final Moerin's fights sound like they're akin to Touhouvania's boss battles, with the boss floating about while firing lots of danmaku. However, the others sound more like traditional Castlevania boss battles, not unlike what you'd find in a modern 2D Castlevania. Or are the bosses a mix of both kinds?
Moerin's probably the closest to a mix boss. Polaris' "danmaku" is more like the witches bullets. Nothing really as dense as Touhou
Secondly, would other Library/MotK characters appear as regular enemies? I can imagine Xan appearing in the final area as a powerful enemy.
I included two people as regular enemies actually, though I kept it on the down low as it were.
Lastly, would Ruro's flight power be like Shanoa's wings glyph/Charlotte's owl spell (slow but maneuverable) or like the good ol' Rocket Jump?
The first.
-
Well, since I'm in a state of pre-vacation apathy right now, Donut suggested I should write. And so I did. It's been quite a while, so I apologize if this chapter isn't quite up to the usual standard.
Anyway, have fun reading~
- Episode 5: To the Final Battle, Magical★Librarian Squad - Part I
BGM: A brave charge (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OZPfcbgjsc)
?Wait for me??
Ruro muttered as she watched the ground rush by below her. A wide grassland, only occasionally disturbed by spots of colorful flowers or small rivers, this was the kind of landscape that made up most of the Art Atelier.
?They call this area the Vast Canvas?, she shouted towards Esi and Roukan, who were flying close behind her forming a triangle formation. ?You can already see our target from here!?
Esi narrowed her eyes, focusing on the direction that Ruro was pointing in. Sure enough, in the distance she could see what looked like a mix between a medieval fortress and a mansion.
??I don?t see a welcoming committee??, Esi relayed her thoughts to Ruro and Rou, ??Does Moerin not know how to properly receive guests anymore? Geez, this is boring!??
?They are probably hiding and shivering in fear, since justice has come for them!?
On the walkway above the main gate of the palace, two figures were watching the three Librarians. From here, they were only three small black spots against the bright light of the rising sun, gradually becoming bigger and bigger as they closed in.
?Ah, I love the feeling of battle! The screams of the wounded! The smell of explosions! The roar of the soldiers as they rush into their doom!?, one of the figures spoke, shivering with delight at her own words.
?But Stein-san, there are no screams??, the other figure responded with a confused voice.
?They will come soon, Keri?
?And there?s no explosions either??, there was a hint of worry in Keri?s voice now.
?I admit that might have been an oversight. A shame, I really worked hard to place all those landmines down. They could at least have had the decency to come charge us on foot.?
?And we don?t even have any soldiers! We are alone out here!? She sounded panicked now.
?Now now, Keri, that is not true?, Stein grinned. ?We have plenty of cannon fodd-I mean loyal soldiers just waiting to die?FIGHT for Mistress Moerin. Isn?t that right??
At her last words she turned around to face the courtyard behind her. From below, a mighty roar answered. Or rather, what would have been a mighty roar, had it come from an army of burly men. Or even an army of burly women. Since what was gathered in the courtyard were hundreds upon hundreds of child-sized fairies though, the result was more akin to a loud squeal. It was also not a unified squeal, as one could hear shouts like ?I was promised ice cream!?, ?Are there shiny things to steal?? and ?I have to pee.? from amongst the masses as well.
As far as Stein was concerned though, it was a good enough response.
?Alright ladies, are you ready for a game??, Stein asked the fairies another question.
This time, the answering shouts were much more energetic. Stein?s grin widened. Fairies were easy to control, the promise of fun would convince them to do anything they were asked. Adding to that the fact that fairies would revive immediately upon being killed, they were almost perfect soldiers.
?Well then, we have some bad people coming towards Mistress Moerin?s palace. You know what to do with bad people, don?t you? Yes you do! You shoot them down! And whoever shoots them down first??, she paused.
The fairies collectively held their breath in anticipation, some of them quickly turning purple from lack of oxygen.
?...gets an extra piece of cake at the victory celebration!?, Stein finished her announcement in a hurry before any of the fairies collapsed.
She didn?t need to say any more. The fairies? trigger had been activated. They had a goal, and they had a clear-cut way to achieve it. Their brains didn?t need anything more. Countless pairs of small wings began fluttering all at once?
The sound broke through the silence without any prior warning. It was not a sound made by a single entity. It was a sound composed of a large number of smaller sounds, accumulated and amplified into a deafening cacophony. It was accompanied by a strong gust of wind that hit the approaching Librarians like a hammer.
?Kya!?, Roukan screamed, grabbing onto the tuna she was riding with all her strength. Esi and Ruro stopped their advance as well, covering their faces from the wind.
?What is this??, Matsuri asked from inside Ruro?s shirt.
They watched as a black cloud started to rise from the palace ahead of them.
??Did they blow themselves up? They shouldn?t be *that* desperate? yet.?? Esi said.
Just as she said that, the cloud started to change shape. Instead of rising further up, at a certain height it abruptly started to move into the directions the Librarians were coming from. By now, the three girls could also see that the cloud was, in fact, a large swarm of small beings.
?It?s Yosei!? Ruro shouted.
?Which one?? Roukan asked in confusion.
?All of them. Get ready!?
Ruro?s words were followed by a sharp sound as she drew one of her blades. Esi and Roukan followed her example, the former readying her staff, while the latter summoned a plethora of writing tools out of nowhere. The three girls nodded to each other, before they took flight again, charging into the horde of fairies that blocked their way.
BGM: Metal Book Solid (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1yHuR3MoCM)
I pressed my back against the wall, slowly shuffling to the side until I reached the corner. There I crouched down, slowly turning my body and head so that I could see what was awaiting us. I scanned the hallway from left to right, then from the ceiling to the floor. When I was sure noone was there, I signaled my comrades to follow me as I left my cover and began to tip-toe along the hallway.
?You?re really getting into this, aren?t you?? The voice from behind made me jump.
?Psst!? I whispered as I turned around.
The person standing behind me was Chaore. Unlike me, she was showing no effort to conceal her presence in any way, instead she just walked through the halls as if she wasn?t even concerned about being discovered. The same was true for Polaris, who seemed to have taken an interest in the paintings that decorated many of the walls inside the palace.
?If you continue to try and sneak around like this we will never get anywhere. You take almost a minute just to go around a corner!?, the bunny-girl stated with irritation in her voice.
?But wouldn?t it be bad if we were discovered??, I asked.
Chaore shrugged.
?We could use someone who knows the layout of this place. It?s not like we have any idea where we are going. And given their competence so far??
?Well, she has a point. And my knees are starting to hurt?, I thought to myself as I slowly stood up.
Sneaking into the palace had been far easier than we had imagined. Neither the fairies as they swarmed out towards the Ruro?s team, nor the gatekeepers had even noticed us when we had flown towards the back of the palace. They probably weren?t expecting us to take anything else than a linear plan, and given Ruro?s strategy, or the lack thereof, they weren?t exactly wrong. The walls surrounding the palace had been no obstacle for flying, of course, and thanks to Polaris we also managed to find an open window on one of the upper floors. And that is where we were now, several corners and hallways away from our entry point, trying to find anything that would help us locate Moerin and put an end to this mess.
?But really, did they send every single fairy they had into battle. Wouldn?t you at least leave guards??, I asked.
?It?s what a sane person would do?, Chaore answered. ?And sane people are in short supply at this point.?
At that moment, Polaris froze. I opened my mouth to ask her whether something was wrong, but she quickly signaled me to stay silent. Then she waved her hand, beckoning us to follow her as she made her way to a nearby intersection of the hallway.
When Chaore and I caught up to her, she pointed towards the corner and whispered, barely audible.
?I hear someone.?
Chaore?s large ears twitched.
?Yeah, definitely someone there,? Chaore confirmed, ?and they?re moving towards us??
I held my breath and listened. There was indeed the sound of footsteps. As the sound came closer, something else could be heard. The person approaching us was humming a carefree tune.
?Alright, they don?t seem to know we are here. Sakana, tuna!?, Chaore whispered.
?Eh??
?Give?em a good whack.?, she motioned towards the corner with her head.
?But I don?t have it, remember!??, I responded desperately.
Chaore went silent for a second as she recalled what had happened, then she groaned.
?Should I try singing or dancing??, Polaris asked from behind me.
?No, I?ll do it. You two stay here,? the bunny-girl ordered as she pulled a small origami-knife from her skirt.
?Careful with that, paper-cuts hurt like hell,? Polaris whispered, but at that moment Chaore had already jumped up and run around the corner.
There was a small scream and the sound of someone being shoved into a wall and falling to the floor, along with a loud clattering, then the hallway was silent once more. When Polaris and I stuck our heads out from the cover we witnessed an unusual scene. Chaore was standing in the hallway, a puzzled look on her face, looking down at another person that was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. The person was a girl wearing a blue overall, and she was shaking with fear. Next to her on the ground was a heavy-looking metal toolbox.
?You, who are you??, Chaore barked at the girl.
?I? I? my name is Arrdeejay, but people just call me Rdj?, the girl stammered a response.
?What? You said the same name twice??, Polaris said.
?It?s not the same! It?s written differently!?, this time she sounded a bit more confident in her answer.
?Well then, Rdj, how about you tell us where you are keeping Donut?, Chaore continued her interrogation.
?Donut? Shouldn?t those be in the fridge? Are you hungry? I?m sorry, I don?t have anything to eat with me??
?Don?t play dumb. You know what I mean, where is she?, anger started to seep into Chaore?s voice.
Meanwhile, the girl in front of her just looked more and more scared and confused.
?S-she? It?s a person? I?m sorry, I?d love to help, but I don?t know??
?Uhm, Chaore, do you think maybe she doesn?t belong to Moerin?s???, I carefully voiced my thoughts.
?Moerin??, the girl asked with even more confusion.
Silence struck as we stared at the girl completely dumbfounded. I could see that Chaore was barely able to keep herself from slamming her own head into the nearby wall.
?Alright then? you don?t know who Donut is, and you don?t know Moerin either? then what exactly are you doing here??, the bunny-girl pressed out those words.
?I was fixing the bathroom. And I was just about to take care of a defect window somewhere on this floor.?, the girl answered without hesitation again. She even seemed to smile a bit now.
?What are you, the janitor??, Chaore asked with sarcasm in her voice, but the Rdj?s smile just became brighter.
?Exactly! I find broken things and fix them! I?m being useful!?, she answered enthusiastically.
Chaore groaned once more.
?And you came into this house???, she asked.
?Because I sensed there were things for me to do, yes!?
?And you have no idea what is even happening here? Or what this place is??, I asked.
?Should I??, Rdj looked confused again.
The hallway fell silent again as we Librarians looked at each other in disbelief. This girl would break into someone?s house just so she could fulfill her duties.
?Well, that?s not too different from us. She?d make a good Librarian, in a way?, I thought.
?Hey, I have an idea!?, Polaris suddenly exclaimed. ?Rdj, did you happen find some stairs leading down somewhere here??
?Oh, yes, I did! They are over there, second hallway to the left!?, the janitor answered happily.
?Great, let?s get moving,? Chaore said as she stepped forward to grab Rdj?s arm and drag her to her feet. ?And you are coming with us.?
?W-what? But what s-should I even do? I don?t understand??, she stammered.
?We?ll see. Just be useful!?, Chaore responded as we ran off...
-
When did Keri get common sense. This book only spreads madness!
Amusing little chapter there fish. Looking forward to more SAN loss.
-
Plan of attack? Where we're going, we don't need no plan. 8)
-
Why is rdj so moe?
-
Why is rdj so moe?
Why not lolololol
-
After a fairly long haitus, I find myself bedridden with the flu and not much else to do with my time. Let's get to work, shall we? We're almost to the song I started this entire story specifically to use.
Saindhava
?To bear witness to the shame of your actions
Betrayal of the faith placed upon you by those beneath
To harm and control rather than heal and guide
Turned your back upon your faith, so shall you be betrayed
Your actions subjecting upon your flesh, your mind
Damnation a moment away
Maleficent Harm!"
"Rejected!"
A lance of pale green light hurled through the violet light bleeding off of Sa'kag?'s wings, and with an odd shriek both colors mixed together momentarily before canceling each other out.
Sa'kag? blinked in surprise, and glared down at Esi. "You dare? You dare?! You don't even think yourself a mage, and yet you have the impudence to throw a counterspell at me?!"
The psyker calmly drummed her fingers on her thigh. "It's so much easier to shut a spell down before it starts than to ride out the storm. Since magic is pretty much the only way to block my telepathy, I made it a point to learn as many counterspells as I could."
Ruro grinned, just barely stopping herself from chuckling - she didn't want to make the volatile spelltome any more angry than absolutely necessary, but Esi's nonchalance in the face of ancient magic -
"Eons of existence. Lets see just how many of those counterspells you have, whelpling spellslinger."
Esi's face dropped. "Oh, shit. She has a point, Ruro - counterspells only work so many times before the target can figure them out and keep them from working. I need you to come with something while I lock down the next few spells she tries, got it?"
Without wasting time blinking in shock at Esi, or gasping in disbelief, or generally even being concerned, Ruro immediately turned to face Sa'kag? and invoked her Administrator's Grimoire. Better to run through her options quickly than to waste time while Esi burnt through her limited stock of spell-stoppers.
"Binding: Sa'kag?!"
The probation chains typical of Administrator lockdowns burst out of the Grimoire and hurtled themselves through the air, lashing around Sa'kag?'s wrists and ankles, but not completely binding her. The chains snapped on the Grimoire end and wound around the Book of Shadow's limbs, and though she glared down at them, they didn't seem to impede her. She continued to incant her next spell imperiously.
Vishuddhi had stepped aside, getting some space, and had been spinning her meteor hammer - the dart had changed again, back into the mallet she'd used on the Seraph's bell - out into another massive field of whirling contrails. Finally, she skipped a step, hopped up while pulling the rope skyward, then tucked her foot in front of the rope to change its pathway once more. The hammer shot up, and though it appeared that Vishuddhi was only working with about fifteen feet of rope, the mallet struck the Tyltalis shadow clean in the sternum.
"Hexus!" Another lance of green light stabbed Sa'kag?, rendering the spell she'd been weaving inert. The Book of Shadows merely sneered down at Esi.
As the Tyltalis doppelganger dropped from the sky, several of Habit's detachment fell upon her, dragging her below the plateau of the mesas.
This is fine and all, but we're not actually doing anything to stop Sa'kag?. I don't even know how many more of those spells Esi has, but I'll wager its less than Sa'kag?'s spellstock. We need something potent enough to take the fight directly to the spellbook, something to put her on the defensive, like when the Seraph showed up and swatted all the shadows aside.
"Will check!" Vishuddhi called out, glancing behind Ruro.
Ruro was about to turn around to see what Vishuddhi was referring to or talking to when the Seraph's broadsword sliced through the air, contrail rippling from the tip. The edge smashed into the side of Sa'kag?'s wing and crumpled it in, dragging the spell tome avatar from the sky and slinging her into one of the mesas.
Vishuddhi grinned up at the Seraph. "It's always nice when the personification of someone's will has such a strong sword arm."
The collected aspects still remaining on the mesa leaped after Vishuddhi as she jumped after Sa'kag?, and they contrived to swarm her. Blasts of force knocked several of the aspects away from the pinstriped Book, though none of the magic actually managed to kill any of the cores.
Ruro didn't watch the dogpile. Instead, she was focusing on the Seraph, standing there at the ready, but not actively engaging Sa'kag?. There's enough power there to outright destroy, if not just exorcise, Sa'kag?, but she won't act in anything but self-defense. If I could guide it...
"Esi. Saindhava. It means you'll put all your resources into following my lead, right?"
The psyker nodded at her. "It's an old term for a willing servant-master relationship. Based around knowing and anticipating your needs and providing for them before you even realize you wanted them. For a telepath, that's very easy."
"Right. Well, I want to evoke it. I have an idea, and my own Administration magic doesn't seem to do anything more than slow her down or weaken her a little. If it's even done either of those. I need the Seraph - she's the strongest fighter in your head right now, but she's not attacking, only defending."
Esi nodded again. "Very well. It can be a bit overwhelming, mind you, so don't let yourself be caught off-guard."
Esi's rope-dart exploded into static, and another one of the flaming-wheel wings spun into existence behind her. She lifted off the top of the mesa and was hovering at roughly shoulder height to the Seraph - high enough to address the collected aspects.
"Soul Harmony! Heart and mind, in accord!
All unto me, and follow my lead!
Fragmented no longer, a unified purpose!
To serve!
To protect!
To survive!
Resonance of Thought!"
-
Yay, this is back!
-
Are the spell incantations references or of your own design?
-
Are the spell incantations references or of your own design?
The first spell that Sa'kag? is incanting is based off of this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5GK6SKOYIs) greater magic spell from Valkyrie Profile 2. I tweaked it a little bit and added a few other bits to it. Later, the source of that spell will be explained.
Esi's counterspells are short, sweet, and to the point; they're meant to be fired off in a hurry, while the enemy spellcaster is still building their spell, instead of after it's already up and running. 'Hexus' is shamelessly ripped from Dresden Files; its the spell Harry uses to deliberately foul up technology.
Esi's incantation is more an affirmation of will and intent; no more cult of personality, and rather one unified purpose.
-
The first spell that Sa'kag? is incanting is based off of this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5GK6SKOYIs) greater magic spell from Valkyrie Profile 2. I tweaked it a little bit and added a few other bits to it. Later, the source of that spell will be explained.
Esi's counterspells are short, sweet, and to the point; they're meant to be fired off in a hurry, while the enemy spellcaster is still building their spell, instead of after it's already up and running. 'Hexus' is shamelessly ripped from Dresden Files; its the spell Harry uses to deliberately foul up technology.
Esi's incantation is more an affirmation of will and intent; no more cult of personality, and rather one unified purpose.
Actually, the first thing I thought of when I read 'Hexus' was this (http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/Hexxus). :V
And is the length of the incantation proportional to the spell's power?
-
Powerful spells like the sort that would've needed Sa'kag? as a spell-focus require longer set-up times. If they didn't need to be routed through Sa'kag? for the casting mages' safety, they likely wouldn't need to be insulated from the mage's mind via incantation. Ergo, the more powerful the spell, the more insulation it'd need, and thus, the longer the incantation would end up being. Sa'kag? only got through the first verse of the Maleficent Harm spell before Esi cut her off - 'it's better to end a spell at the beginning rather than when it's gotten up to speed'.