Remilia Quest Dh?

[Oldmansour]

(....Nice one Sour. xD)

>Refresh my memory, why can we not cross rivers and the like without a bridge again?
>"Just one of the many restrictions we Vampires must succumb to in exchange for eternal life and great power. Much like Oni and Roasted Beans I suppose."
>Let's keep going!

>You're not 100% certain yourself. A number of vampires have theories, but to your knowledge, none of them have ever been definitively proven. Vampire hunters and the churches of the worlds have their own theories as well, but you haven't been privy to most of them, apart from the idea that running water is sacred, on account of Jesus being baptized in a river.
>"All of us have our weaknesses, Ranka." Honoka says.
>"If this Keep is near a lake, maybe we should try diverting the water into it." Shou offers.
>Reisen shakes her head. "That wouldn't do us any good. It would harm Remilia as much as the Countess."
>"Do not focus solely on the Countess, comrades." Honoka intones. "This vampire will almost certainly have her own servants and slaves attending her. She will be defended." She looks back at you, Shou and Reisen. "Apart from the Sins, have you any idea the forces she wields?"

[Hanzo K.]

>Have a thoughtful expression. "Well, given how she dared to attempt to steal underlings from another, in addition to being sealed until recently, I would assume that she does not have many servants. Although, if Rei was indeed turned by her, we may have more Vampires to deal with than just the Countess. As Rei implied that she wasn't the only one who was Turned."
>Glance at Reisen. "Tell me, do you know of anyone else, from the Village or otherwise, who has gone missing over the past few months aside from Rei? Because according to what I've gathered, she has only been unsealed for the recent two or three months. So if we know exactly how many people who have vanished mysteriously, we can estimate how many more foes we'll have to defeat."
>"As for her power, I can safely say that even during my time in the Outside World, I had never heard of one such as her. So I can only assume that her power likely lies in being merely skilled. Though I can't think that she must be that skilled or powerful, given she was sealed away."
>Shrug. "Of course, I could be wrong. This is all largely guesswork based on the facts that I've gathered thus far."

[Oldmansour]

>Have a thoughtful expression. "Well, given how she dared to attempt to steal underlings from another, in addition to being sealed until recently, I would assume that she does not have many servants. Although, if Rei was indeed turned by her, we may have more Vampires to deal with than just the Countess. As Rei implied that she wasn't the only one who was Turned."
>Glance at Reisen. "Tell me, do you know of anyone else, from the Village or otherwise, who has gone missing over the past few months aside from Rei? Because according to what I've gathered, she has only been unsealed for the recent two or three months. So if we know exactly how many people who have vanished mysteriously, we can estimate how many more foes we'll have to defeat."
>"As for her power, I can safely say that even during my time in the Outside World, I had never heard of one such as her. So I can only assume that her power likely lies in being merely skilled. Though I can't think that she must be that skilled or powerful, given she was sealed away."
>Shrug. "Of course, I could be wrong. This is all largely guesswork based on the facts that I've gathered thus far."

>Reisen takes a moment. "Not that I know of. There was a young woman who got lost about a month or so ago, and ended up in the Bamboo Forest, but Mokou helped her find her way home. As a matter of fact, Rei wasn't even considered missing. At least, no one told me she was."
>Honoka nods in satisfaction. "So much the better then."
>"Fujiwara no Mokou?" Shou asks her. "We'd been told that she and the residents of Eientei were enemies."
>"She's the princesses' enemy, specifically. She feels she HAS to consider me an enemy, but it's only by association. As a matter of fact, she's taught me a few things about the medicinal properties of the plants in the Bamboo Forest." She smiles. "But don't tell her I said that."

>"We'll get to the facts once we arrive, certainly." Honoka says. "It would have been well to face a vampire with as much information as possible, but I suppose we should be content with what we have. Which reminds me." She glances behind her at Shou and then Reisen. "Do either of you possess silvered weapons, or the ability to create holy water?" Both women shake their heads in a negative. "Then we will have to make do."
>"Those weapons are effective against vampires?" Shou asks the cloaked youkai.
>"They are."
>"And how do you know about vampiric weaknesses?"
>Honoka's face darkens, before she turns her head back towards the land in front of her. "The Scarlet Devil is not the first vampire I've known. Though she is much better company."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, I shall tell you right now that if I myself am anything to go by, Crosses will be all but useless. I myself using several in my own attacks. Such as 'Red, the Nightless Castle', which is essentially a giant cross made entirely from my own energy. Among other sundry skills. Though I need a spellcard for that one, which I've neglected to bring along sadly."
>Chuckle a bit. "I have to say, this land does wonders for shifting around one's weaknesses. Of course, I can't see any reason to not exploit the Countess's own weaknesses, given how much her underlings have offended me."
>"You can always tell the worth of a leader by those who follow them. Constantly misbehaving underlings show that the leader is unfit to do so. Whereas properly disciplined and loyal ones prove that a leader's worth is high."
>Smirk. "Besides, while I do have honor of a sort, I also know how to fight smartly, which requires capitalizing on one's mistakes to wrest away the advantage."
>Laugh a bit, in our typically hammy way. "She may think she'll have the home-field advantage, but she is no different from any other culprit, like myself, that Princess, or any other high-caliber youkai."
>ETA to the Keep?

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, I shall tell you right now that if I myself am anything to go by, Crosses will be all but useless. I myself using several in my own attacks. Such as 'Red, the Nightless Castle', which is essentially a giant cross made entirely from my own energy. Among other sundry skills. Though I need a spellcard for that one, which I've neglected to bring along sadly."
>Chuckle a bit. "I have to say, this land does wonders for shifting around one's weaknesses. Of course, I can't see any reason to not exploit the Countess's own weaknesses, given how much her underlings have offended me."
>"You can always tell the worth of a leader by those who follow them. Constantly misbehaving underlings show that the leader is unfit to do so. Whereas properly disciplined and loyal ones prove that a leader's worth is high."
>Smirk. "Besides, while I do have honor of a sort, I also know how to fight smartly, which requires capitalizing on one's mistakes to wrest away the advantage."
>Laugh a bit, in our typically hammy way. "She may think she'll have the home-field advantage, but she is no different from any other culprit, like myself, that Princess, or any other high-caliber youkai."
>ETA to the Keep?

>"Gensokyo does seem to have a penchant for these sort of incidents." Reisen says, letting your reference to Kaguya's incident slide.
>Shou nods. "Reimu even thought that WE were responsible for an incident, of sorts. I'm still not completely sure why we had to fight it out before settling things."
>"Such is the way in these times, it seems." Honoka says.
>Honoka did not mention a time to the Keep itself, but she did say it was about 15 minutes to the stream between the village and the Keep. You can see the stream she mentioned coming into view now, about five minutes away. It doesn't seem to be all that big, maybe three feet across, maybe four, but that's enough to prove to be an obstacle.
>Or at least, it would have, but you can see, about a quarter mile to your left that someone has set up a simple wooden bridge. It's not even as well put together as the bridge that brutish youkai was guarding, but it's a bridge enough.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, would you look at that? Somebody already left a bridge. I can only assume it was hastily made to allow those like myself to pass."
>Would it take too much time to fly over to, and across the bridge at a high speed?

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, would you look at that? Somebody already left a bridge. I can only assume it was hastily made to allow those like myself to pass."
>Would it take too much time to fly over to, and across the bridge at a high speed?

>"Yes..." Honoka says cautiously. "It was not here when last I was this way, which would have been a month ago." She slows herself down. "We should be cautious. It may have been put up by one of the Countesses' minions."
>It would take less time than stopping and trying to freeze it with your glaive.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, I shall use the bridge then, and you four keep an eye out. we'll move on from there provided nothing happens. Even if it was made by a servant of the Countess, I know to not look a gift horse in the mouth. As the old proverb goes."
>Let's head for the bridge at max speed then, and then use the same rate of speed to fly across it. Provided nothing happens, we should be fine.

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, I shall use the bridge then, and you four keep an eye out. we'll move on from there provided nothing happens. Even if it was made by a servant of the Countess, I know to not look a gift horse in the mouth. As the old proverb goes."
>Let's head for the bridge at max speed then, and then use the same rate of speed to fly across it. Provided nothing happens, we should be fine.

>The others slow up to match Honoka's pace as you change your course towards the rickety-looking bridge.
>At max speed, you can't completely prepare yourself to go on the defensive if the need arise, but you hope your speed will carry you through, as you fly towards the airspace over the wood and rope bridge.
>Which you cross completely without incident.

[Hanzo K.]

>Smirk a bit. "Nothing to it."
>Let's rejoin with the others now that we've crossed, and continue onward!

[Oldmansour]

>Smirk a bit. "Nothing to it."
>Let's rejoin with the others now that we've crossed, and continue onward!

>Pleased by the lack of a trap or anything else from the enemy, you reunite with your comrades and continue flying south.
>After about nine minutes of flying over some rather nice grassland below you, the ground drops off ahead of you. You are approaching a cliff, it seems, and the river to your right flows down into the area below.
>"That's it." Honoka intones, her voice deadly serious. "The old Keep is just ahead, in that valley. Make your preparations, ladies. If the Countess is truly there, then battle will soon be upon us."

[Hanzo K.]

>Let's check the Glaive, make sure it's still in good condition. Then set our spellcards so we can have swift access to them at the drop of a frilly hat.
>And finally, let's make a set of four smaller wings out of our aura, and set one pair above our real ones, and the other pair below them.
>"Well then girls, are you ready?"
>After putting the Glaive away, fistpalm. "Ah, Ranka, before we press onward, I'll have to warn you about one of the Sin Spirits, Lust. She rather resembles you quite closely from what I saw of her via my power to look into one's fate."

[Oldmansour]

>Let's check the Glaive, make sure it's still in good condition. Then set our spellcards so we can have swift access to them at the drop of a frilly hat.
>And finally, let's make a set of four smaller wings out of our aura, and set one pair above our real ones, and the other pair below them.
>"Well then girls, are you ready?"
>After putting the Glaive away, fistpalm. "Ah, Ranka, before we press onward, I'll have to warn you about one of the Sin Spirits, Lust. She rather resembles you quite closely from what I saw of her via my power to look into one's fate."

>Your weapon is in fine condition, and you adjust your cards to ideal comfort and accessibility. You note Shou rotate her spear arm, while Ranka seems content to give her hair a toss as you adjust your aura for Fallen Seraph mode.
>Ranka waves her hand before her face. "I don't believe in fate." she says dismissively.

[Hanzo K.]

>...What the hey, we'll add another two pairs of wings, for a total of Ten.
>"Well, do not say that I did not warn you. What I see is often the truth of what will happen. Besides, I was also noting a rather uncanny resemblance between you and she."
>Nod. "At any rate, I do believe we are all ready, no? Let's be off!"
>Time to make for the Final Dungeon!

[Oldmansour]

>...What the hey, we'll add another two pairs of wings, for a total of Ten.
>"Well, do not say that I did not warn you. What I see is often the truth of what will happen. Besides, I was also noting a rather uncanny resemblance between you and she."
>Nod. "At any rate, I do believe we are all ready, no? Let's be off!"
>Time to make for the Final Dungeon!

>You upgrade your aura to Fallen Thrones.
>"Oh, please." Ranka places the back of her hand to her head, places her other hand on her hip, and strikes a fashion model-esque pose. "This flower of the wind is a unique breeze."
>"I'd listen to her anyway." Reisen advises Ranka. "Better safe than sorry, as the saying goes."
>The blonde flirt gives Reisen a wink. "If you're worried, honey, then you could always keep an eye on-"
>"Maybe you could save that 'till after the matter at hand is settled?" Honoka grumbles. Ranka pouts, but does keep her mouth closed.
>With the others giving you a wider berth since you played with your aura, you fly in in silence, and after only a few minutes more, you fly out over the top of the basin, and take in the sights below you.

>The waterfall basin is a rather nice looking place, the waterfall to your right tumbling at least forty feet down into the clear lake below, but your attention is, understandably, drawn to the sizable building tucked into the southwest corner of the basin. It is a tall structure, at least three stories high. It's exterior is dark blue and black stone, with patches of a very dark, rich green on exposed areas of the roof. Just as Honoka said, each wall is decorated with a blue standard, with a crest emblazoned upon it, though you're a bit too far away to make out the detailing on the crest. It has a rectangular base, but parts of the structure rise above the others, with one tall tower of slate grey brick rising at least four stories high. The openings at the top shows that it is a bell tower. There seems to be at least one gap in the structure, indicating an open courtyard just to the right of the middle of the structure.
>The air around the place is cold, uninviting. It has the feel of an abandoned castle, deserted for many years, but it wasn't the most inviting of structures even when it was populated. It's placement is in a well defensible location, with the basin cliffs being almost sheer to its back. There are no lights to be seen from your current vantage point.
>Despite the defensibility of the location, multiple points of entrance present themselves. The left side of the structure has an extension built on to it, connected to the main Keep by an open walkway with a wooden roof. Slightly apart from the main compound is a covered stairwell leading down into the ground, possibly a separate wine or vegetable cellar, or who knows what. You vampires being a sneaky lot.
>The main door of the Cobalt Keep actually hangs open right now, but it is not empty. A humanoid form sits on her haunches on the ground smack in the middle of the entrance, her eyes on the lake before her. Flanking her on either side are a pair of dogs. Large dogs. One seems to be a golden retriever, but the other one is a breed you don't immediately recognize.

>The reason she has her eyes on the lake is plain to see. There are a pair of humanoid figures standing on the water's surface, both in martial arts fighting stances, squaring off against each other. One of them wears an oriental-style pant and shirt combination, the light blue trousers, edged with with white, are slit up higher than her knee, showing off her toned, fit legs. Her red shirt is sleeveless, edged with gold, and her arms are raised in a stance that seems vaguely familiar, but you can't quite place it at the moment. She compliments her shirt with a large gold ribbon belted at her waist, trailing like a scarf down below her butt, and her shirt has a square 'window' cut into it over her breasts, with a small red ribbon under it. Her shortish black hair has a braid wrapped on the back of her head, and she has a black headband with a kanji stitched into it. Her hands are half-covered by gauntlet-style fingerless handwraps, orange on one hand, black on the other, both with a kanji on the back.
>Her opponent, grim faced and very serious, is Meiling.

>The time is now 2:59 AM.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Most impressive, Clearly the Countess is also a Woman of Wealth and Taste. Much like myself."
>Let's see about floating near the gate, but out of reach of anything the dogs might pull. "Impressive show, no? That woman in green with the red hair happens to be my Gatekeeper you know. I was hoping to find her soon."

[Oldmansour]

>"Most impressive, Clearly the Countess is also a Woman of Wealth and Taste. Much like myself."
>Let's see about floating near the gate, but out of reach of anything the dogs might pull. "Impressive show, no? That woman in green with the red hair happens to be my Gatekeeper you know. I was hoping to find her soon."

>"You think the other one works for the Countess?" Reisen asks aloud as you start to fly down towards the Keep entrance.
>"We should assume." Honoka answers. "But that bodes well
>Before she can speak farther, the woman in red and blue charges, her feet making barely a ripple as she dashes across the surface of the water. Meiling slides her right foot backwards in anticipation, as her opponent lunges forward, leading with her knee. Hong slides to the side and uses her right arm to ward the driving knee to the side, but as she does, her opponents right hand flashes forward, almost faster than even your eyes can track. Your Gatekeeper's left arm, however, is just as fast, and she raises her forearm to block the blow, ducking down and sweeping her leg in a circle to take her opponents' ankle out. The woman doesn't even try to evade the strike, merely plants her left leg upon the water's surface. Meiling's leg sweep connects, but although her opponents leg quivers, it does not give. Instead, she drives her left elbow down towards Meiling's exposed knee, but the redhead rolls away, hopping back up and coming up ready.
>Now you recognize the other woman's stance. It is Muay Thai kickboxing, a vicious and lethal form of martial arts. Even if she wins, Meiling's going to rack up at least a few bruises, if that woman's as strong as you think she is.

>The guard at the gate takes no hostile action, but her dogs both turn their attention to you and your companions as you fly towards them. With a closer look, you think the larger dog with the grey and brown coat is actually a husky, a close relative of the wolf. The woman keeps her eyes on the fight on the lake, but you see her nose twitch as you approach.
>"It's rare to see that kind of fight nowadays." Ranka says, her own eyes drawn to the attractive women sparring on the water's surface.
>"Maybe the Countesses' woman doesn't know danmaku." Shou suggests.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, I never expected someone to know Muay Thai. Seems that no matter who wins, the winner will come out almost as battered and broken as the loser. Hong was never one for Danmaku herself though, Martial Arts is where her true strength lies. She's a very competent fighter, as proven by the rather impressive show we see before us."
>Laugh a bit, but add a slight echo our voice. "I must say, the Countess may well be an equal to myself, if she has one as skilled as the one in blue on her payroll."
>Let's spare some attention towards this gatekeeper here though, see if we can't discern anything interesting about her.

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, I never expected someone to know Muay Thai. Seems that no matter who wins, the winner will come out almost as battered and broken as the loser. Hong was never one for Danmaku herself though, Martial Arts is where her true strength lies. She's a very competent fighter, as proven by the rather impressive show we see before us."
>Laugh a bit, but add a slight echo our voice. "I must say, the Countess may well be an equal to myself, if she has one as skilled as the one in blue on her payroll."
>Let's spare some attention towards this gatekeeper here though, see if we can't discern anything interesting about her.

>Reisen's eyes appraise the two warriors. "Do you think she'll need help?"
>Both Honoka and Shou reply in unison, "No." The two share a look of brief surprise, before Shou nods slightly to Honoka. The cloaked youkai continues, "It would not be right to intervene. Not unless one or the other were hopelessly outmatched."
>"Plus, if that woman with the dogs was willing to let the two of them fight it out, then any of us getting involved could make the whole thing turn into a brawl. Maybe draw out more guards from the Keep, if there's more watching." Shou adds.

>The Cobalt gatekeeper sports a dark purple cap atop her head of light green hair, neatly combed and styled. She wears a long blue and white tabard over a black shirt, with a green and purple diamond pattern on its short sleeves. The tabard has what seems to be a crest on it, but in her current pose, you can't make out the details of it. Her legs are bare, topped by a blue skirt that matches her tabard. She also has a brown and red leather bracelet on her right wrist, which upon a closer look is actually a dog collar, complete with a metal chain that wraps around her waist, and her fingernails are painted gold.
>And if that weren't distinctive enough, her right hand, resting atop her right knee, is missing it's pinky finger.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "Indeed, it's just practical to play it this way. Let's keep an eye on things for the time being. I'll intervene personally if need be, I have a technique in mind for just that situation even."
>Let's turn our attentions back to the fight, but see what we can pick up from this strange woman's scent.

[Oldmansour]

>Nod. "Indeed, it's just practical to play it this way. Let's keep an eye on things for the time being. I'll intervene personally if need be, I have a technique in mind for just that situation even."
>Let's turn our attentions back to the fight, but see what we can pick up from this strange woman's scent.

>Reisen seems a bit unhappy. "All right."
>"I know how you feel, sweetheart." Ranka says, placing her hand deftly on Reisen's shoulder. "I don't much like watching two pretty girls beat each other up, either."

>And beat each other up they do, as they part from each other again as you turn your head back towards them, having exchanged another flurry of blows. They separate to about seven feet, and Meiling stomps her foot down on the water's surface. She sends a burst of ki into the water, and a vertical wall rises up in front of her. She stretches her hands out to her side, palms out, and declares, "Aqua Palm!" before spinning in place and striking the wall with both palms. The side facing her opponent undulates and begins discharging fist-sized nodules of water in the shape of Hong's open palm.
>Her opponent narrows her eyes and clenches her fists tighter. Reddish fluid starts to flow from between her clenched fingers, and even from here, you can smell the caustic-ness of it. She cocks her arms back to her side and then drives them both forward, and snake-headed shaped bursts of acid fly from her flashing fists to the cry of "Viper Fire!" The watery palms and striking acidic snakeheads collide in mid flight, the two martial artists matching their opponent shot for shot.
>Nearly. One snake head and one water palm evade each other, and streak towards their target. The kickboxer cocks her leg straight and snaps it forward as the palm draws close, splattering it into inert droplets with a frighteningly fast strike. Meiling exhales in the half second she has to prepare, and drives her right palm forward, dispelling the acidform snake head. Her hand literally steams under the caustic impact, but the face she levels at her opponent is as grim as it was before. "You won't stop me." she says flatly to her opponent
>"You can't beat me." the kickboxer responds, every bit as serious as the chinese girl.

>The guard's scent is ambiguous at the moment, flavored by dog hair and dried meat. You can't determine if she's human or youkai. The other humanoid, the one fighting Meiling, is a youkai. She has to be, no human can fight Meiling hand-to-hand on her level. It's just not possible. This guard, though, you can't be sure.
>Her dogs, on the other hand, are a different story. They don't smell quite natural. Well, the retriever doesn't, anyway, as you've never been close enough to a husky to smell one before. The big golden dog, though, smells somehow stronger, and yet thinner, as well, than a normal dog. It may be a youkai itself, and you wouldn't be too surprised if the husky was, too.

>"That doesn't mean we should be totally idle." Honoka counters, as she drops down to the ground, about fifteen feet away from the gatekeeper. Curiously, Shou is right behind her.
>"You are the protector of this Keep?" Honoka asks the guard.
>"I am their leader, yes." the gatekeeper replies in a somewhat youngish sounding voice. Based on her face, height and voice, if she's a human, she must be no more than 18.
>The cloaked youkai nods. "My name is Honoka." It is the tone of one formally introducing themselves to someone they expect to fight.
>The gatekeeper sighs ever-so-slightly and rises, giving you a good look at the crest on her tabard. It depicts a large white lamb with blood trailing from its eye, standing atop a blue lake with a dark blue moon reflected in it. The dogs flanking her fall silent, but they tense up slightly. "I'm Yuzuriha Kawamura."

[Hanzo K.]

>Hmm...Interesting emblem. Have we ever seen anything of the sort before?
>Raise an eyebrow. "Well, since you've introduced yourself, I suppose I should as well, it's only polite. I am Remilia Scarlet, you might have already heard of one known as 'The Scarlet Devil'. I am she."
>"But I must say, it's been quite some time since I've found someone capable of matching her in hand-to-hand combat short of myself."

[Oldmansour]

>Hmm...Interesting emblem. Have we ever seen anything of the sort before?
>Raise an eyebrow. "Well, since you've introduced yourself, I suppose I should as well, it's only polite. I am Remilia Scarlet, you might have already heard of one known as 'The Scarlet Devil'. I am she."
>"But I must say, it's been quite some time since I've found someone capable of matching her in hand-to-hand combat short of myself."

>A number of nobles, human and non, incorporated a moon and/or a lake into their crest, but the lamb is a new one. Especially a lamb weeping blood. And now that you look really close, you can see the outline of a sickle in the moon. It seems to be aimed at the neck of the weeping lamb.
>Yuzuriha's face shows obvious relief when you mention your name and title, even as Meiling and the kickboxer charge at each other again. "The Scarlet Devil. We'd been hoping you'd arrive."

[Hanzo K.]

>Sigh a little, and regard her with a single eye. "Yes, well, I take it this is the domain of the Cobalt Countess, no? I have a bit of a grievance with her and those Sin Spirits. It's rather poor form to steal someone else's prized help after all, and Sakuya happens to be mine, and nobody else's."

[Oldmansour]

>Sigh a little, and regard her with a single eye. "Yes, well, I take it this is the domain of the Cobalt Countess, no? I have a bit of a grievance with her and those Sin Spirits. It's rather poor form to steal someone else's prized help after all, and Sakuya happens to be mine, and nobody else's."

>Yuzuriha nods. "We know. That's why we were hoping you'd arrive. Well, the Countess was hoping. Rei, though, was singing a different tune."
>"Rei's here?" Reisen asks her.
>The guard nods again. "She came home a few hours ago. And, I got to be honest, Remilia. From what Rei and Sakuya have said, we were thinking you were a bit taller."
>You hear Ranka giggle behind you.

[Hanzo K.]

>Chuckle a little. "I'm rather impressed by Rei's ability, it isn't every day you find a youngling capable of emulating the techniques of one 500 years her elder."
>"I assume she was hoping I wouldn't be coming here, correct? So sorry to disappoint her, but I can't leave my much-valued Head Maid in such a situation. It reflects rather poorly on me as a leader you know."
>Glance back at Hong and the other girl. "Do you suppose we should stop those two for the time being? They can easily resume their fight later on, and in a much more welcoming venue."

[Oldmansour]

>Chuckle a little. "I'm rather impressed by Rei's ability, it isn't every day you find a youngling capable of emulating the techniques of one 500 years her elder."
>"I assume she was hoping I wouldn't be coming here, correct? So sorry to disappoint her, but I can't leave my much-valued Head Maid in such a situation. It reflects rather poorly on me as a leader you know."
>Glance back at Hong and the other girl. "Do you suppose we should stop those two for the time being? They can easily resume their fight later on, and in a much more welcoming venue."

>"So that's what she can do?" Yuzuriha asks you.
>"She was afraid you meant harm to the Countess." Her two dogs growl at that as she herself looks between you and the other four of your companions. "And despite the Countesses' hopes, I think she may have been right."
>Yuzuriha shakes her head. "Sabine never stops a fight once she starts. And that woman, Hong, was a lot more hostile than you've been, once we told her that Sakuya was here. She would have fought all four of us, if Sabine hadn't drawn her off."
>"Is she always like that?" Shou asks you.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Hong's rather protective, it's what makes her such a useful Gatekeeper. As for what Rei's particular ability as a Youkai is, I am not entirely certain, I'm rather interested in it myself. Her skill at learning things quickly is what I was referring to."
>Smirk a bit. "I won't hesitate to enjoy a little fisticuffs if it's needed, but I didn't get to where I am simply though violence alone. Nobility has to be able to resolve such things diplomatically of course."
>Laugh a little. "Besides, I've already given another my word that she won't die. It would play havoc with the tapestry of fate you know, her dying at this point in time. She was actually not fated to be unsealed for another 200 years, and somebody preempted that somehow. Given just what my own ability involves, I pay a bit more attention to fate than most others."
>Sigh. "But I suppose you won't let us pass without a fight, will you? At least Danmaku is non-lethal, which I rather enjoy. Even a Human can recover from the damage incurred in a Spellcard Duel rather easily, So those like the Countess and Myself will also be back on our feet rather quickly. I suppose it's good that I arrived before Hakurei and the others did then, she has a bit of a grudge you know, Sloth managed to possess her, as you likely already know. She won't forget that anytime soon, nor does she forgive easily."

[Oldmansour]

>"Hong's rather protective, it's what makes her such a useful Gatekeeper."
>Smirk a bit. "I won't hesitate to enjoy a little fisticuffs if it's needed, but I didn't get to where I am simply though violence alone. Nobility has to be able to resolve such things diplomatically of course."
>Laugh a little. "Besides, I've already given another my word that she won't die. It would play havoc with the tapestry of fate you know, her dying at this point in time. She was actually not fated to be unsealed for another 200 years, and somebody preempted that somehow. Given just what my own ability involves, I pay a bit more attention to fate than most others."
>Sigh. "But I suppose you won't let us pass without a fight, will you? At least Danmaku is non-lethal, which I rather enjoy. Even a Human can recover from the damage incurred in a Spellcard Duel rather easily, So those like the Countess and Myself will also be back on our feet rather quickly. I suppose it's good that I arrived before Hakurei and the others did then, she has a bit of a grudge you know, Sloth managed to possess her, as you likely already know. She won't forget that anytime soon, nor does she forgive easily."

>Yuzuriha shakes her head. "I'm afraid you're wrong. On a few things, Scarlet-san."
>"For one, I don't know where you got 200 years from. From what we've been told, our seal was due to expire in about two months."
>"But it broke prematurely?" Shou asks her.
>"It did. And I don't know how."
>"For another," she continues, "the Hakurei and her servant beat you here. And so did that samurai ghost and her kappa friend."

[Hanzo K.]

>Raise an eyebrow. "And what are they doing currently? I assume they're raising a fuss as we speak, no?"
>"At any rate, this is a rather deep enigma. I'll need to discuss this with everyone, the Countess included."