Visiting the Neighbors - Kanako in the Netherworld

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"You should leave this to me."
>Let's show off our dodging skills. Compared to danmaku, a dozen orbs is nothing, even if they are fairly large.

[Hanzo K.]

>And while we're at it, let's call up a cold wind to trap the attacks and cool them into metal orbs to fling right back at Pyremaw! After we've dodged them of course.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>No need to dodge if we're doing that.

[Oldmansour]

>"You should leave this to me."
>Let's show off our dodging skills. Compared to danmaku, a dozen orbs is nothing, even if they are fairly large.

>And while we're at it, let's call up a cold wind to trap the attacks and cool them into metal orbs to fling right back at Pyremaw! After we've dodged them of course.

>No need to dodge if we're doing that.

>Years of life in Gensokyo have given you plenty of experience combating attacks such as these, even if you've never faced molten metal-themed danmaku before. Watching them fly, however, you note that they are homing projectiles, following your movements. Don't see a lot of those in Gensokyo. So you opt to employ the winds of the north to defeat the dragons's molten missiles.
>Unlike your previous efforts to deflect the dragons attacks, this one is not as successful as you'd intended. Your winds do indeed cool the metal, chilling it from molten to merely hot, but you fail to divert the missiles from their paths. The flying iron spheres continue to home in you, but before the first one draws within striking distance of you, at about six feet away you, the sphere explodes, detonating into thousands of shards of razor-sharp flak. The shockwave provides a solid, buffeting impact on your body, but the shrapnel is far worse. Each iron orb follows suit, hammering you with pressure waves and an absolutely hideous volume of metallic shrapnel.
>Given the difference in power between you and the dragon, its Ferrous assault produced only a moderate amount of damage upon your body, but it didn't do your clothes any favors.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Well, we can't let that go.
>We've dealt with homing danmaku before (damn homing amulets). Twelve homing orbs wouldn't have been a problem. We'd best attempt evasion if Pyremaw uses that move again.
>Make sure we're clear of any allies and close in. If we're in range for Virtue of Wind God, hit Pyremaw with it. Otherwise, throw out a few Giga Winds until we are close enough.

[Oldmansour]

>Well, we can't let that go.
>We've dealt with homing danmaku before (damn homing amulets). Twelve homing orbs wouldn't have been a problem. We'd best attempt evasion if Pyremaw uses that move again.
>Make sure we're clear of any allies and close in. If we're in range for Virtue of Wind God, hit Pyremaw with it. Otherwise, throw out a few Giga Winds until we are close enough.

>You make a note to adjust your tactics if and when Pyremaw decides to employ that attack once more. It may not have done that much damage, but you're not the type who relishes suffering the same blow twice, if you have any choice in the matter.
>The dragon that was closest to you has retreated back towards the rest of his allies, leaving you alone in the air. Setting your course for the dragon, who is in the process of lifting off again, you fly forward and closer to the ground, and produce perhaps your most infamous spellcard: Virtue of a Wind God. And just as in Gensokyo, circles of red amulet and charm-shapen danmaku appear around you, which are in turn circled by blue danmaku, then a third layer of green shots on top of all three. A truly impressive emblem traced in bullets.
>The only downside to this spell is that it takes a little while warm up and actually start firing. It's wind-up time is somewhat long compared to other spellcards. This has the unfortunate side effect of allowing your opponents to take a shot at you as you ramp up VoWG, as it's truncated by some, and Pyremaw takes advantage of this opportunity, unleashing his flaming breath upon you once more as he rises to face you.

[Hanzo K.]

>We can spare some energy to put up a Wind Barrier, yes?

[GuyYouMetOnline]

I meant the Virtue of Wind God that appeared in our spell list, not the spellcard.

[Oldmansour]

I meant the Virtue of Wind God that appeared in our spell list, not the spellcard.

Ah. Yes. Right. I knew I left off the 'A' for a reason.
A moment while I adjust.

[Oldmansour]

>Well, we can't let that go.
>We've dealt with homing danmaku before (damn homing amulets). Twelve homing orbs wouldn't have been a problem. We'd best attempt evasion if Pyremaw uses that move again.
>Make sure we're clear of any allies and close in. If we're in range for Virtue of Wind God, hit Pyremaw with it. Otherwise, throw out a few Giga Winds until we are close enough.

>You make a note to adjust your tactics if and when Pyremaw decides to employ that attack once more. It may not have done that much damage, but you're not the type who relishes suffering the same blow twice, if you have any choice in the matter.
>The dragon that was closest to you has retreated back towards the rest of his allies, leaving you alone in the air. Setting your course for the dragon, who is in the process of lifting off again, you fly forward and closer to the ground, and you invoke your newfound, and supposed, ultimate magic, Virtue of Wind God.
>A massive tornado springs to life in front of the dragon, intense and immense, enfused with your divine energy. The tornado drives forward, spinning the dragon around and scything its hide with terrible cutting winds, blasting its scales with the essence of wind. When the dragon emerges, the damage is obvious, but your attack isn't finished yet. A section of the tornado near the top of it sprouts viridian blades and splits off from the main body of the tornado, a whirling disc of airy death. The blade of wind roars forward and gouges the dragons' flank, coming to rest in front of it and to its right. Another section of the tornado follows suit, then another, then another, then another, until seven different disc of bladed air have struck the dragon and surround the beast, six on each side, one hovering over Pyremaw. The six on the dragons' side shoot out currents of green energy, almost electric, shocking and paralyzing the dragon, while the blade above spins faster and faster, growing larger and larger, the cacophony of sound deafening. When the top blade has grown to twice the size of the dragon itself, it orients itself down and dives for the dragon, while the other six converge on Pyremaw as well, the resulting impact erupting in a truly epic eruption of energy.

>From below, you hear the female paladin remark, "Damn, Ken."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Ken?
>What's Pyremaw's condition following that attack?

[Oldmansour]

>Ken?
>What's Pyremaw's condition following that attack?

>You're not quite sure what she means by that. Perhaps it's a local expression.
>The torrent of light and energy released by your spells final explosion obscured the dragon, even from your divine eyes, but the light is now beginning to fade. To your amazement, with the labored sound of beating wings, the dragon emerges from the explosion, still heading in your direction. Its hide has numerous grooves dug into it from your blades, and its black blood trails behind it, steaming in the cold air, streaming from its nose and its dozens of wounds. His left front leg hangs limp, and he seems to be missing a few teeth. But he's still in good enough shape to send a linear gout of flaming breath in your direction.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>He doesn't know when to quit, does he?
>Evade the flames.
>Let's go with Meteoric Onbashira next.

[Oldmansour]

>Let's go with Meteoric Onbashira next.

Just to make sure this time...

>The spellcard or the technique?

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Technique. In this world, we'll be best served by fighting according to its rules. Spellcards are not the way to go here.

[Oldmansour]

>Technique. In this world, we'll be best served by fighting according to its rules. Spellcards are not the way to go here.

>Very good. But don't think that danmaku and spellcards are useless, either. They're still inherantly non-lethal, but they also do damage. It would be a flashy and effective way to show one's power, and a good way to guarantee taking an enemy alive, should you ever want to.
>But that aside...

>He doesn't know when to quit, does he?
>Evade the flames.
>Let's go with Meteoric Onbashira next.

>Either he's got a truckload and a half of endurance, or he's massively stubborn. If not both.
>Banking to your right to get around his breath attack, your proximity to him due to your previous attack, and his own continued momentum, doesn't allow you to completely evade his breath, but you only catch enough to singe your side a little. His molten metal attack was far worse.
>Your return attack takes the form of a massive onbashira rising up from the ground, rocketing upwards and smacking the dragon right in his sternum. Assuming dragons HAVE a sternum, but no matter. Your onbashira, flames spewing out the bottom of it like a genuine rocket, carries the black dragon up. And up, up into the sky, into the upper atmosphere, out of the atmosphere, before your pole falls away. Only for another onbashira to come rocketing out of the void to strike the dragon squarely between its wings, driving it back down towards the ground below. When it return to your visual range, Pyremaw's atmospheric re-entry has given him the appearance of a shooting star, albeit a huge one. The burning dragon is smalled into the ground but your rocket powered onbashira, kicking up a cloud of ice and steam and shards of frozen ground.
>You take a moment to appraise your altered techniques. If attacks like this are the standard for this world, this must quite a world indeed.

>But you don't have time to properly reflect upon your new powers before, impossibly, Pyremaw rises again out of the fog of boiled earth.

[SirChaotick]

>Doesn't know when to stop, does he.
>Are we getting any signs of exhaustion?
>Pummel him with something more basic - the Expanded Onbashira technique should do.

[Hanzo K.]

>Actually, let's hold off and gauge his condition first. He could be completely tapped-out for all we know.
>Let's be ready to dodge though.

[Oldmansour]

>Doesn't know when to stop, does he.
>Are we getting any signs of exhaustion?
>Pummel him with something more basic - the Expanded Onbashira technique should do.

>Actually, let's hold off and gauge his condition first. He could be completely tapped-out for all we know.
>Let's be ready to dodge though.

>He may be outmatched, but there doesn't seem to be any quit in this dragon.
>You've been employing some fairly heavy duty powers, but you think you could keep going for a while yet. You've had more exhausting battles against Suwako and even Reimu, although this dragon did more physical damage to you than Reimu did.
>Taking a grip on your onbashira, you consider pounding him once more, but there may not be much fight left in him, so you opt to assess his condition first. Needless to say, the dragon's in bad shape. He was in bad shape before, but he now has a visible dent in his back where your onbashira hit him between his wings, and he probably has a matching one on his belly as well. He is walking now instead of flying, and even that movement looks pained as he limps out of the small crater your attack left him in, his left front leg useless, the leg on the right side affording only halting steps.
>While he doesn't make any offensive moves just yet, Pyremaw's face doesn't show any signs that he's about to give up or go home.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Even if it doesn't attack us, if we let it go now, Pyremaw will only cause more problems later. We should finish it off here.
>Use the Expanded Onbashira technique.

[Oldmansour]

>Even if it doesn't attack us, if we let it go now, Pyremaw will only cause more problems later. We should finish it off here.
>Use the Expanded Onbashira technique.

>Resolved to end the threat of Pyremaw, and it certainly does appear like he has power enough to be a serious threat to people, you raise your onbashira over your head. The pole quadruples in length, and is surrounded with green divine energy. Bring the onbashira down with a mighty swing, you aim for the dragon's skull, to end him once and for all.
>Pyremaw, however, simply refuses to go down, and he spins on his hind legs, his spiked tail lashing forward. His appendage and your weapon meet with a resounding crash, metal and wood striking down mightily upon scale and bone. Flecks of armored hide trail away from the dragon's tail, and blood flows from several new wounds on his tail. And you're pretty sure you heard the very distinct sound of bones crushing.

>"I call upon thee to yield, Wyrm." the voice of the male paladin resounds. You glance down, and see both he and the female approaching the dragon from the front, the two arches flanking them farther to the left and right. The archers are now carrying very different looking bows. If anything, they look like someone took the saint dragons you saw and turned them into bows. Of the saint dragons themselves, there is no sign. Very curious.
>"Thy allies hath fallen or fled, and thou art overmatched by the powers arrayed against thee." the paladin continues. "Yield thyself to us, and allow the darkness in your soul to be purged by the Light."
>You're not sure what he means by that, but Pyremaw obviously doesn't think much of the offer, as he unleashes another barrage of shadow bolts, five this time, each bolt targeting one of the foes before him, only one heading your way.

[Hanzo K.]

>Time for another Divine Wind Barrier! "You're wasting your energy on such attacks."

[Oldmansour]

>Time for another Divine Wind Barrier! "You're wasting your energy on such attacks."

>Did you wish to protect merely yourself or the other four as well?

[Hanzo K.]

>Them too, naturally.

[Oldmansour]

>Time for another Divine Wind Barrier! "You're wasting your energy on such attacks."

>Did you wish to protect merely yourself or the other four as well?

>Them too, naturally.

>With a wave of your hand, a quintet of roiling barriers of air appear to intercept the shadow spell cast by Pyremaw, the bolts of dark energy impacting upon the wind and dissipating harmlessly.
>"Pay heed to the wind woman's words, Wyrm." the paladin declares. "Thou hast no chance. Accept the benedictions of our Light, and allow thyself to be saved!"
>The archers flanking the paladins, however, answer the dragon not with words, but with drawn bows. Silver arrows fly from their bows, imbedding themselves in the serpentine neck of the dragon, and your divine senses detect Divine energy pumping into the dragon from those bolts.

>Pyremaw roars in outrage, and opens his furnace-like mouth, pointing it at the archer to your right. But the female paladin has leaped high into the air, easily twenty feet up, and a silvered lance, surrounded by blue flames, which you sense are also divine in nature, has appeared in her hands. She hurls the sanctified weapon down, the lance slamming into the top of Pyremaw's jaw, exploding into a cascade of silver and blue light, and the dragon's head smashes into the ground before he can unleash his flame breath. The paladin lands about fifteen feet in front of the dragon.
>The male comes to stand beside his fellow paladin, and lifts his shield high. "Surely thou can see. Thy evil days are at an end. Only salvation or destruction awaits you."

>Pyremaw seems to disagree, as he raises his head once more, and unleashes his fiery breath upon the two paladins standing in front of him.

[Hanzo K.]

>Bit zealous, aren't they? Perhaps it's time we find out the full story then. Let's make another wind barrier to reflect his flames.
>"Now then...Before things have the potential to get 'messy', I would like to know a little more about this situation. You people would not have survived were it not for my intervention. Equivalent Exchange after all."

[Oldmansour]

>Bit zealous, aren't they? Perhaps it's time we find out the full story then. Let's make another wind barrier to reflect his flames.
>"Now then...Before things have the potential to get 'messy', I would like to know a little more about this situation. You people would not have survived were it not for my intervention. Equivalent Exchange after all."

>The two paladins had both extended their weapons towards the flame, both glowing with white light, but whatever defences they might have been mustering, if any, your shield of wind diverts the flames to either side of the armored humanoids before it reaches them.
>"'tis our mission to save those we can, noble woman." the male replies. "Our exalted patron decrees that we must save those we can, whenever the possibilty exists. And the possibility exists ever, and we are gifted the means to make it so."
>The female looks about ready to add more, but Pyremaw doesn't seem in the mood for conversation. The dragon slams his injured tail into the ground, and a missile-like bolt of molten metal bursts from the ground and hurtles towards you, dripping liquid lead.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Deflect it with wind. If we don't have enough time, just dodge.
>"It seems only death will halt this beast's attack. Stay behind me; I'll handle this."
>Let's try the Yamato Torus techinque this time.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Although, a sufficient beating might also suffice. Give it a sound thrashing until it simply cannot fight back any more, that sort of thing. Even a dragon will crumble before a powerful wind. If possible, it would be nice to take this one alive."


Remember, this guy's the only in-character key to learning more about that 'Broodmother' that we've found. It never hurts to learn about potential foes or allies after all.
Although, that one fellow we thrashed a little while back might be more willing to tell us what he knows if he sees Pyremaw broken before us.

[Oldmansour]

>Deflect it with wind. If we don't have enough time, just dodge.
>"It seems only death will halt this beast's attack. Stay behind me; I'll handle this."
>Let's try the Yamato Torus techinque this time.

>Based on the speed, and potential explosive potential of the projectile, given the last molten metal attack Pyremaw launched against you, you opt to employ both deflection AND agility. A powerful burst of wind deflects the missile's path to your right while you sideslip to your left. You keep a close eye on the thing as it flies, in case it explodes when it gets close. No explosion comes, however, and the missile passes harmlessly to your right, leaving you closer to the dragon, but unharmed. Not by a great deal, however, as the missile came a bit closer than you would have liked. Goddess though you may be, being that close to red-hot liquid lead is not entirely comfortable.

>Anxious to bring this battle to its conclusion, you raise your hand and cast Yamato Torus. A veritable forest of green and blue daggers fly from your hand, not entirely unlike the spellcard version of the attack, although this one doesn't feel nearly as non-lethal as the spellcard. The flashing blades of energy gather themselves into two parallel columns of slashing blades, and while only one line connects with Pyremaw, the damage it deals is impressive. Almost thirty blue daggers imbed themselves down the dragons' neck and back. Pyremaw roars and sinks to the ground, his breath hissing out of his mouth, which lolls open. The dragon survived your attack, but you get the feeling it isn't by much.

>"Although, a sufficient beating might also suffice. Give it a sound thrashing until it simply cannot fight back any more, that sort of thing. Even a dragon will crumble before a powerful wind. If possible, it would be nice to take this one alive."

>As the dragon falls, the two archers draw their bows again, but hold their fire. The male paladin sheathes his sword, then closes his eyes and starts speaking quietly to himself. He seems to be praying.
>The female however, remains armed, and steps forward, keeping her ranseur pointed at Pyremaw. She does not, however, attack, and calls back to you, "I know why we want him alive, but why do you?"