Remilia Quest Dh?

[Oldmansour]

>"Actually, I was able to talk my way past her. She's currently overseeing a match between my own gatekeeper, and the woman known as Sabine. Quite an impressive fighter that one, a good opponent for Hong really."
>Then sigh. "Such a spirited girl though, Sabine. I was rather close to roasting her alive with my own energy if she didn't calm down. Glad to see that she had at least some sense though, and backed down so that the fight would become more of a match to see who is the better fighter, instead of an out and out bloodbath. Which was a smart choice on her part." Let's let a little energy gather around our right hand for emphasis.
>Then disperse it with an idle motion. "I did tell you earlier though, before you blanked out on us. Was that Nyx's power in effect perhaps?"

>"It's true." Reisen adds. "Well, mostly true, anyway. Yuzuriha was about to fight Remilia here, but one of our companions intervened on your gatekeeper's behalf. Wanted the fight to be more fair if it came down to it."
>Nyx's eyebrows twist in surprise. "A vampire's companion said that?"
>Reisen nods, then gives the demoness a slightly sympathetic looks. "I'm starting to think you people haven't had good experiences with other vampires, have you?"
>Nyx merely shakes her head, slowly. She gestures towards you as you expound upon your encounter with the kickboxer. "The 'roasting alive' part, they've been dealing with for centuries, long before they liberated me." She stretches out her hand and gestures with two fingers. The large syringe fades out of existence, then reappears in her hand, but she lowers the point of it towards the ground and holds it only in one hand. How it stays in her hand is a bit of a mystery, but at least she isn't threatening anyone with it. For now at least. "That's partly why we came here."

>Hoshi nods. "Yes, but, you told me you were a vampire after I told you about the Countess.... Wait, blank out?" she seems very confused. "I don't remember blanking out?"
>"I haven't done anything to her." Nyx protests. "Well, not today, anyway, unless you count making supper." She places her free hand on her hip and pouts. "Which wasn't fair, either, since Sei's the one that caught it, why'd I have to clean it? I hate cleaning fish, it's all... fishy."

[Hanzo K.]

>Raise an eyebrow. "Yes, when Nyx was going after Reisen, and was about to strike at myself as well, you were like a puppet whose strings held no command. You came back around right after I disarmed Nyx."
>"Hmm...Liberated you, you say? Interesting...I've come across a book with some rather interesting contents, one of the interesting features was your name, Nyx. If I'm not mistaken, that was the name of an old Goddess, Primordial even. Now, the more likely scenario is that you were originally a nameless demon, and the one who summoned you chose that name for some reason or another."

[Oldmansour]

>Raise an eyebrow. "Yes, when Nyx was going after Reisen, and was about to strike at myself as well, you were like a puppet whose strings held no command. You came back around right after I disarmed Nyx."
>"Hmm...Liberated you, you say? Interesting...I've come across a book with some rather interesting contents, one of the interesting features was your name, Nyx. If I'm not mistaken, that was the name of an old Goddess, Primordial even. Now, the more likely scenario is that you were originally a nameless demon, and the one who summoned you chose that name for some reason or another."

>"I don't remember that at all." Hoshi says, seeming even more confused.
>"I didn't notice, either, but, whatever it was had nothing to do with me." Nyx assures you.
>"I was NOT nameless!" Nyx huffs. She then turns and stomps to her left, towards the windows and the flashing lights of danmaku. "Even HERE, I get this..."
>Despite herself, Reisen grins. "You seem to have touched a nerve, Remilia."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Apologies. There's a demon in my own home who was nameless before being summoned."

[Oldmansour]

>"Apologies. There's a demon in my own home who was nameless before being summoned."

>"Well, she must be a low ranking demon, indeed." the nurse harrumphs.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"That much is true. My librarian likely knows more; she's the one who summoned the demon."
>"In any evert, however, I apologize for offending you."

[Oldmansour]

>"That much is true. My librarian likely knows more; she's the one who summoned the demon."
>"In any evert, however, I apologize for offending you."

>Nyx stammers for a moment, turning her head and looking at you rather confusedly. "You... really ARE a vampire of a different kind, aren't you?"
>Hoshi gives the demon a nod. "She's a good girl."
>"How'd you arrive at that?" Nyx asks her.
>"We shook hands." Hoshi says with a bright, somewhat naive, smile.
>Both Nyx and Reisen give the star-themed girl about the same look: bafflement. Reisen, however, smiles after a moment. "It'd be nice if things were always that simple."
>"Things are as simple as people want to make them." Hoshi counters.
>Nyx ponders that for a moment, then lets herself smile for a second before asking you, "I guess you're not with that mad kappa that barged in her earlier, either?" sounding much less offended than she did before.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Did we know anything about Nitori (or any other kappa)?

[Oldmansour]

>Did we know anything about Nitori (or any other kappa)?

>You do. In fact, the kappa she's referring to is almost certainly Kikomi, the angry kappa who left the Hakurei shrine with Youmu earlier tonight.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"I do believe I've met the kappa you're referring to, but no, I'm not with her. Although she may think otherwise. She's rather angry with the Countess, and when she learned that I also have business with the Countess, concluded that I was also angry with her."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little cross, given how those Sin Spirits of hers have caused quite a lot of trouble, in addition to stealing one of my own who I had sent out to find something. Good help is rather hard to find, and she's rather like family in a way."
>Chuckle a bit. "I haven't found anyone able to make sweets like Sakuya can in all my 500 years. That, and she's the only one who can keep everything running like clockwork."

[Oldmansour]

>"I do believe I've met the kappa you're referring to, but no, I'm not with her. Although she may think otherwise. She's rather angry with the Countess, and when she learned that I also have business with the Countess, concluded that I was also angry with her."

>"Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little cross, given how those Sin Spirits of hers have caused quite a lot of trouble, in addition to stealing one of my own who I had sent out to find something. Good help is rather hard to find, and she's rather like family in a way."
>Chuckle a bit. "I haven't found anyone able to make sweets like Sakuya can in all my 500 years. That, and she's the only one who can keep everything running like clockwork."

>"The Sins don't belong to the Countess." Nyx informs you. "Not anymore than I do. They belong to the priest, and she's been wondering where the rest of them went after they ran away."
>"Sakuya... You must be the Scarlet Devil, then." Nyx's face seems a bit resigned as she turns back towards the windows. "I'd been thinking you'd be coming in shooting first."

[Hanzo K.]

>Chuckle a bit. "Well, that's one way to resolve things, as Danmaku is rather fun after all. I'm actually looking forward to seeing how good an opponent the Countess is in that regard once she's recovered. And yes, I suppose you were expecting someone taller to be the 'Scarlet Devil'?"
>Nod. "So, how many of them have been 'brought back home' then? I encountered Sloth in the process of possessing Hakurei earlier on in the night, and she was surprisingly more amicable than the previous two I had encountered and heard of. Envy was rather spirited, but all too easy to discipline and force out of the Kappa she had possessed. Gluttony, unfortunately, I didn't get to witness in action, but was also forced out of the human it has chosen to possess. Currently their Gems are being help at the Myouren Temple, for safekeeping. I suspect at least Envy's woken back up already. Poor girl accidentally trapped herself in the gem when she tried to recall back here while stuck in a binding field. She was the first one that was encountered after all, and this was before I had the information I do now. I suspect that Gluttony merely fell asleep to preserve energy. And I encountered something that could have had Wrath's effects, though I didn't encounter Wrath directly."

[Oldmansour]

>Chuckle a bit. "Well, that's one way to resolve things, as Danmaku is rather fun after all. I'm actually looking forward to seeing how good an opponent the Countess is in that regard once she's recovered. And yes, I suppose you were expecting someone taller to be the 'Scarlet Devil'?"
>Nod. "So, how many of them have been 'brought back home' then? I encountered Sloth in the process of possessing Hakurei earlier on in the night, and she was surprisingly more amicable than the previous two I had encountered and heard of. Envy was rather spirited, but all too easy to discipline and force out of the Kappa she had possessed. Gluttony, unfortunately, I didn't get to witness in action, but was also forced out of the human it has chosen to possess. Currently their Gems are being help at the Myouren Temple, for safekeeping. I suspect at least Envy's woken back up already. Poor girl accidentally trapped herself in the gem when she tried to recall back here while stuck in a binding field. She was the first one that was encountered after all, and this was before I had the information I do now. I suspect that Gluttony merely fell asleep to preserve energy. And I encountered something that could have had Wrath's effects, though I didn't encounter Wrath directly."

>"Danmaku isn't exactly what I was thinking of..." Nyx muses, then gives you a small smile, curled at the ends. "Taller? No. I've known all kinds of creatures big and small who had a whole lot of power. But I was expecting someone with a bigger chest."
>You rein in your flash of temper, as best as you can. Little demon hit a sore nerve.
>"You should tell the Keeper all of that, she'd love to know what happened to them all out there." Nyx is interrupted by the noise of what sounds like danmaku impacting on the windows, accompanied by the flashing of green and brown light. "I saw Sloth come back in a couple of hours ago." With a brief snicker, she adds, "Probably taking a nap by now...." She trails off, then turns back to look at you. "Did you say 'Hakurei'? As in the exorcists Hakureis?"
>"Are they bad?" Hoshi asks her.
>"If you're not human." Nyx adds, fear plain in her voice. "How in all the hells did Sloth overshadow a Hakurei?"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Reimu's lazy. I think she was asleep at the time."

[Oldmansour]

>"Reimu's lazy. I think she was asleep at the time."

>The blue-haired demon looks positively stunned. "You must be joking."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"No. She's extremely talented-I don't think she's ever lost to anyone-but she's also extremely lazy. I have no difficulty at all believing she could sleep through a posession."
>"Hoshi here said that you would know where to find the Countess. Could you take me to her, please?"

[Oldmansour]

>"No. She's extremely talented-I don't think she's ever lost to anyone-but she's also extremely lazy. I have no difficulty at all believing she could sleep through a posession."

>Nyx remains still for a moment more, then facedives, just like you'd see in one of Patchy's manga.
>Reisen shakes her head. "Only in Gensokyo..." she mutters.
>"Why were the Hakurei's bad if you're not human?" Hoshi asks as Nyx collects herself.
>"The Hakureis have the job of defending humans from non-humans." Reisen informs her. "Or humans from other humans, sometimes. Just about everyone with power in Gensokyo has gotten into it with that shrine maiden, including me and Remilia. And we usually lose."
>Nyx pulls herself off the floor, rubbing her head. "Things aren't the same as they used to be, if the both of you aren't scared of her."
>Reisen nods in understanding. "The shrine maiden that's there now is powerful, like Remilia said, but she's a good woman. She may be lazy, but she's good at what she does, and Gensokyo's really a better place for it, even for youkai."

>"Hoshi here said that you would know where to find the Countess. Could you take me to her, please?"

>"Ordinarily, that'd be up to Celes, not me, especially when there's another vampire involved. But, this isn't a normal night, and you aren't a nor-"
>The rest of her sentence is drowned out by a massive boom, almost like a cannon firing, and an accompanying flash of white and red light. Hoshi and Reisen yell out in surprise, Reisen's ears flattening out. Unperturbed, Nyx continues, pointing with her tail at the windows behind her. "The Countess is probably in her meeting room, if she's not fighting one of the others that got here before you. But to get there, we have to go through the courtyard, and that, as you can tell, is occupied. You might have to duck once or twice."
>"Just duck? What was that bang?" Reisen asks.
>Nyx half-shrugs. "Oh, that's just Leraije. She's got the loudest danmaku of any of us."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"What is she that her danmaku would be so loud?"

[Oldmansour]

>"What is she that her danmaku would be so loud?"

>"She's our cannoneer."
>"You have cannons?" Reisen asks.
>Nyx nods, with a saucy little smirk. "You were lucky you didn't try to fly an army in here. And she's a sharpshooter on top if it, too." She flicks her tail up and takes a hold of it in her left hand. "Actually, I'm sort of surprised she didn't try to shoot you down on your way in, considering, y'know, vampire, and all..."
>She shrugs again. "Whatever, her call. She likes the sound of firearms just as much as firing them herself, and she made sure to use that in her danmaku. Whoever's fighting her up there's getting a real ear full."
>"If she's a gunner, that would give her an edge at danmaku." Reisen says. "She must be good."
>"Mmmmmm... Yeah, she's good all right, but Celes is better. Leraije's all bang, not much pop."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"We'll have to be careful, then. Lead the way, please, Nyx."

[Hanzo K.]

>Chuckle slightly as we go. "And here I assumed that my own little group was quite the eccentric lot. Seems I've been outdone."
>It might be interesting to have a Danmaku Tournament after all this. Cobalt Keep against Scarlet Mansion.
>Hmm....Maybe Soccer would be a better pick actually.

[Oldmansour]

>"You wanna take the long way 'round, or the short way?" Nyx asks you.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"How dangerous is the short way likely to be?"

[Oldmansour]

>"How dangerous is the short way likely to be?"

>"Depends on how long it takes them to finish." She points to the window again. "Like I said, we got to go through there to get to the Countess' meeting room. Take the longer way, one of the two couples might have finished. Take the short way, you'll probably need to keep your head down."
>"I'll stay here, though, I was reading a book." Hoshi says.
>"Could you do me a favor and have a look in at out patient, first?"
>"Sure." The brunette gives you a smile. "It was nice meeting you, Remilia."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"We'll take the short way. I'd rather get this done with."

[Oldmansour]

>"We'll take the short way. I'd rather get this done with."

>"Suit yourself. But you might want to have earplugs handy."
>Bidding a polite farewell to the helpful brunette, Nyx leads you and Reisen out of the library, and back the way you came.
>"You mentioned a patient?" Reisen asks the demon.
>Nyx nods. "Young girl who came down the river a couple of days ago. She had a high fever and seemed physically exhausted. Near as we can tell, she got into Gensokyo by accident, or maybe wandered in here, we're not sure. She hasn't been real lucid."
>"Has her fever broken?"
>"This morning, yes. But she's spent most of the day asleep, which is probably for the best. Oh, I almost forgot." she says suddenly, stopping in the fork in the corridor you reached before. "Before we go out there, I'm ordered to tell you that one of the ones having a danmaku duel is our resident samurai, Sei. And she really, really hates it when people butt in on her duels, so, just saying for your own sake as much as hers, keep your bullets in your pants."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Certainly."
>"Oh, I should probably tell you something, as well. While searching this place for the Countess, I ended up activating two enchanted statues, which proceeded to attack me, and I had to destroy them to protect myself. I do apologize for this, but I didn't feel as though I had any choice."
>"And yes, I did enter the room beyond them out of curiosity. When I saw that it contained a coffin, however, I left immediately, leaving it undisturbed. I would not want my place of rest disturbed, and I pay others the same courtesy."

[Oldmansour]

>"Certainly."
>"Oh, I should probably tell you something, as well. While searching this place for the Countess, I ended up activating two enchanted statues, which proceeded to attack me, and I had to destroy them to protect myself. I do apologize for this, but I didn't feel as though I had any choice."
>"And yes, I did enter the room beyond them out of curiosity. When I saw that it contained a coffin, however, I left immediately, leaving it undisturbed. I would not want my place of rest disturbed, and I pay others the same courtesy."

>"So you're the one that knocked those down." Nyx says. "But to tell you the truth, I didn't even know they were there. Celes must have put them there to guard that coffin. That or keep folks out, I don't know. Guess she never planned on that folks being another vampire."
>"Does it belong to the Countess?" Reisen asks.
>The demon laughs. "Oh, noooooo, nono. That cute little pink thing belongs to a vampire we found asleep here when we were unsealed. One who had that pretty little girl back there chained up for a snack when she woke up." She adds, with a little lick of the lips, "Can't say I blame her, either..."

[Hanzo K.]

>Raise an eyebrow. "Interesting. You all woke up earlier than the seal was set to wear off, yes? Perhaps she is behind it all. I've heard of similar events occurring, some young would-be ruler takes up residence in a seemingly-abandoned fortress or castle, only to inadvertently unseal the former occupants. Given how she had a 'snack' ready and waiting, it stands to reason that's likely the case. Personally, I prefer sweets myself. They're one of the things that almost every girl enjoys after all, and Sakuya is easily one of the best at making them."
>"Ah, as for that medical area, I had sent someone I know to be rather good with healing arts to investigate that hallway. She can actually transfer energy in order to restore lost vitality! Isn't it impressive? I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if we returned to find the mystery girl fully conscious and fit for moving about."
>Then chuckle. "Come to think of it, that Half-Ghost is also a sword-user. I suspect a match between her and Sei would be a quite exciting show! We should hurry then, I would rather not miss things!"
>Let's get going, and be ready to block our ears in an elegant and charismatic manner!