~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library
Scarlet Soaked Sympathy
Zer0Axiom:
I've been mulling over this idea for a while and never did anything with it. Not sure why, but I've resolved to write it now. Aside from it being long and me being lazy, I hope to be able to complete the basic storyline I have planned. As for a proper title, I was thinking "Scarlet Soaked Sympathy" since the general story follows the residents of the S.D.M. cast.
The story would unfold in a series of short segments from E.o.S.D. until I.N. time wise. Some of these segments would be written from a specific perspective to try and establish a type of inner personality and opinion. Naturally, some segments may overlap as they cover the same events. As my creative ability is limited, I'll only use a few characters for the first person perspective and employ third person for everything else.
I'd also like to make note of the "Extra Segments" since they are exceptions to the story. They add to the story without being necessary. It will also be featuring a miniseries type of short that revolves around a "nameless" faerie.
Outline:
The tides of time continue to flow. After an extended period of "peace" graces Gensokyo, shadows proceed to loom over the bright future. Old and new alike move into the forefront of commotion as Gensokyo becomes a rowdier haven.
Chapter 1 [Segment 1-25+4]
Red clouds cover the skies, leaving Reimu to undo the situation before irreparable damage occurs. With her tag along companion Marisa, they set off to confront the troublesome youkai's petty plans.
Chapter 2 [Segment 26-??+?]
With one potential disaster averted, another appears to take its place. Once again, the heroic duo approaches the Scarlet Devil's mansion to restore peacefulness to Gensokyo.
Chapter 3 [Segment ??-??+?]
With the fresh memories of the summer's troubles out of mind, Gensokyo braces for another travesty: a never ending winter. With Sakuya joining the effort, the trio searches for where Gensokyo's spring has disappeared to.
Chapter 4 [Segment ??-??+?]
With spring's gradual return, a new burden reveals itself. Ghosts have flooded into Gensokyo. Without an alternative solution, the problem must be brought to the attention of a particular youkai for any resolution to take place.
Chapter 5 [Segment ??-??+?]
With spring's grand return, a wave of festivity takes hold of Gensokyo's residents. The Scarlet Devil, not being an exception, attends the gathering at the Hakurei Shrine while leaving her sister behind. But with the three most prominent figures away, will the remaining servants be able to enjoy their time together with the younger sister during the extended period of revelry?
Chapter 6 [Segment ??-??+?]
Time moves forward for all but the immortal. The Scarlet sisters have long spent their time unchanged, but for how much longer? With the memories of past horrors returning to the present, can "love" persevere through the struggle?
Chapter 7 [Segment ??-??+?]
With the prolonged winter and shortened spring, summer passes in a flash, but before autumn can be welcomed, the harvest moon must be returned. With the human unable to notice a difference, it's up to the youkai to seek the guilty and return the splendor of the full moon to the night; whatever the cost.
Chapter 8 [Segment ??-??+?]
With the passing of another "disaster," Gensokyo returns to a state of idle peace. The newly discovered residents invite their recent visitors for an evening game: a guts-trial. Creeping into the illustrious bamboo forest in the dead of night, what images of fright will be uncovered?
Character Profiles:
[Names are listed by appearance in their intended order]
(More characters will be added at a later time)
<Profiles are subject to sudden changes>
Main Cast [1st Person Perspective]
Kirisame Marisa : human magician; competitive and free-spirited girl at the center of attention
As the most common visitor to the Scarlet home, she is reluctant to accept the responsibilities placed upon her from her overly intrusive presence.
Hong Meiling : youkai sentinel; dutiful gate guard of House Scarlet
Efficient in the arts of combat and little else, she hopes to serve her master to repay a debt of gratitude.
Sol Arcana [koakuma] : youkai
A daemon of unexplained origin. She was rescued by Patchouli and given refuge within the Scarlet home. Inferior to those around her, she strives to become someone worthy of the kindness she's received.
Remilia Scarlet : vampire master of House Scarlet; "Scarlet Legacy"
As the "Scarlet Legacy," she is the last born in the ancient Scarlet line. Enduring hardship and loss since her birth, she looks upon the future to erase her long past.
Flandre Scarlet : vampire
The unnamed "calamity" contained by the "Scarlet Legacy." She is Remilia's younger sister. Having survived death's embrace at a young age, she remains as Remilia's true weakness.
Support Cast [3rd Person Perspective]
Hakurei Reimu : human miko; dutiful shrine maiden and Gensokyo's fearless protector
As the final member in the Hakurei bloodline, it falls to her to safeguard all of Gensokyo and its citizens. Blessed with incredible intuition and remarkable potential, she seems lacking in motivation to all but the most attentive.
Patchouli Knowledge : youkai magician; Scarlet's friend, savant, and resident librarian
Her intrigue of the "Scarlet Legacy" led her to Remilia. With her extensive magical resourcefulness, she became Remilia's close friend and trusted confidant. Accepting the name "Patchouli Knowledge," she remains by Remilia's side.
Izayoi Sakuya : human chief maid; devoted servant of House Scarlet
As an orphan in modern France, she was driven by a need to be useful and became obsessed with "perfection." After a confrontation with a local devil, she accepted a new life in a new world as "Izayoi Sakuya."
Other Cast [No Profiles]
Rumia : youkai of darkness
"Lakeside League" : gathering; a gathering from the Misty Lake area
Cirno : faerie of cold; leader of the "Lakeside League"
Aqua Marine [daiyousei] : faerie of morning dew; second in command of "Lakeside League"
"Scarlet Maids" : gathering; a seemingly endless workforce employed to Remilia Scarlet
Letty Whiterock : winter youkai
I hope you enjoy my madness.
Zer0Axiom:
A gentle breeze whistled by as the clouds carried across the sky; not that anyone could see the drifting of the clouds, or even the sky. As of late, the summer air had been chocked by a thick mist. It would have been overlooked had it been so simple as "a thick mist," but this was not an ordinary phenomenon. It diffused the sky and smothered the sun; sending an ominous chill that grasped at the human of Gensokyo. This was the summer that would be remembered as the Scarlet Mist Incident.
"I can't believe how thick this fog is!" rambled a small figure in the mist, "I almost got lost getting here!"
It was none other than Marisa, a witch dressed in black. She wasn't speaking to herself, or even to no one in particular. Marisa had braved the near-zero visibility to visit the Hakurei Shrine, or more specifically, the Hakurei Miko.
"Aside from not being able to see the soft clouds in the blue sky, I don't think it's a problem," came the miko's reply. As expected, Reimu was quite nonchalant with her surroundings. After she took another sip of her tea, she casually added, "Actually, it's considerably cooler now so I'd argue this fog to be an improvement."
These two made for quite the contrast with one another. While Marisa was a hard worker that was dedicated to her goals, Reimu was relaxed and aloof in her appearance and objectives. Even so, it came as a shock to Marisa to hear Reimu's remark.
"You're joking, right?" Marisa asked with a dumbfounded expression. It was never a simple task in measuring Reimu's words.
"Of course I was," Reimu stated drably. As carefree as she was, Reimu took her few duties as the Hakurei Miko seriously. Her response brought ease to Marisa, but Marisa's sigh of relief upset Reimu greatly. Voicing her suspicions, she asked, "You don't think I'm that irresponsible, do you?"
"Actually," Marisa muttered, "... kinda."
Left in disbelief, Reimu pondered, "Do you really think so little of me?"
After helping herself to some of Reimu's tea, Marisa took a seat next to Reimu. Gazing at the horizon, she muttered, "Really can't see the clouds, huh?"
"Nope."
"... nor the sky..."
"Nope."
"... or the sun..."
"No," the tedium of conversation was deadening, but Reimu added, "It's over there."
Marisa was startled by the serious response and followed to where Reimu was pointing. Uncertain as to where in the clouded sky the bright sun would be, she called back to Reimu, "Where? Where is it?"
"Over the horizon," Reimu chuckled as disgust and disdain stirred within Marisa. It was nightfall, it seemed.
"I had that one coming, I guess," Marisa mused. For her part, Marisa was also enjoying herself. "If Reimu's joking around, she must have a plan," she reasoned. "So what's the plan this time?" she asked, being the impulsively blunt one of the two.
"Not that it's any of your business," Reimu chided, "but I figured I'd check things out at night."
With a look of intrigue, Marisa instinctively asked, "Really?"
"Of course," Reimu asserted, ever full of confidence, as she proceeded to clean up her home a bit.
It was rare for Reimu to be wrong about these things, oddly enough, and after finding an opening, Marisa raced off to build a lead over Reimu. Marisa was consumed with the prospect of fighting stronger opponents to improve her own strength.
"This Mastermind would have to be powerful to cover all of Gensokyo in mist like this," she surmised, "Might as well go and learn a thing or two." Without looking back, Marisa darted off into the misty night.
"By the way, Marisa?" Reimu called out, only to find solitude. With a sigh, she finished her thought, "Not that I care, but do you even know where to start looking?" After finishing with her own preparations, Reimu set out into the night as well.
The night air was brisk and gentle, not that one could notice a difference with the mist so thick. Regardless, the carefree miko continued her approach to a nearby lake. It seemed fitting to start there as that was where the mist was thickest.
Reimu let out a cheerful sigh, "It's great to be outside at night."
"It sure is," came a reply from a figure coasting alongside her.
Surprised to find she wasn't alone, Reimu look around for the source of the voice. It was probably a youkai, and she might have a fight on her hands. Finding a small shape flying in the mist around her, she asked it, "And you are?"
"Rumia," was the response.
The small figure came to a halt in front of Reimu. From the parting mist, its shape became clearer. What greeted Reimu was a little girl holding her arms out straight from her shoulders. With short, golden colored hair and a black dress with white shirt, this Rumia could easily pass as Marisa's twin. Her bright smile and energetic voice didn't take from the equation.
"What are you doing?" Rumia ask as she mirrored Reimu's glances.
"... looking at you?" Reimu halfheartedly answered.
Although there was no particular rush to be anywhere, the situation could become bothersome. Reimu tried flying around the youkai, but found that the youkai simply moved into her path while asking, "At me? You couldn't see me before?"
As she expected, this youkai had become an annoyance. Abstaining a sigh, she answered, "Generally, people don't see well at night."
"Even though there are people out at night?" the bright eyed Rumia inquired.
"Have them for dinner, if you like," Reimu hastily replied as she tried rushing by again.
"Is that so?" the youkai mused as she kept in front of Reimu.
Perhaps she was hoping for too much, but it seemed that confrontation was unavoidable. As she moved back a small distance, Reimu complained, "You know, you're in my way?"
Completely ignoring Reimu's complaint, Rumia asked, "Are you the kind of person I can eat?"
Although it had been obvious what Rumia's intentions were, Reimu couldn't help but laugh at the question. Looking towards Rumia with a smile, Reimu politely chided, "No, I am not."
Without warning, the youkai lunged forward while releasing a barrage of energy, but Reimu was not without anticipation. Shifting to her right, she passed through the energy unharmed. As if by instinct, she thrust her trusty gohei to her left and struck at Rumia's chest. Following this momentum, Reimu brought up her right knee, and spiraled over to drop her left foot down.
Rumia had been stopped with pain from the gohei's impact, and could do nothing as Reimu's knee cut over her chin. That pain was only further amplified as she looked up and saw Reimu's foot come down on her face, but she was not beaten yet. Reeling from the heel drop, Rumia tried to reposition herself for a reversal; instead, she found an amulet flying directly to her head. Now spiraling uncontrollably, Rumia struggled against the inertia. As her eye's regained focus, they met with the ground below. With a deafening crash, Rumia landed headfirst into the dirt road and lay there unconscious.
With a triumphant cheer, Reimu had an I-told-you-so smile as she continued onward with her investigation.
Zer0Axiom:
"That was a waste!"
I was angry, furious even. I bolted from the shine to beat Reimu to the boss, but forgot to ask where that boss would be. I panned around at the endless haze and helplessly muttered, "What now?"
Then, inspiration struck. I scanned the mist once more. It seemed that the mist to the right was brighter in color than to the left. When comparing the mist in front and behind, they were about the same. "If it's brighter, it must be thicker," I concluded with a invigorated smile, "It's this way!"
Zipping around alone at night, I got to thinking about Reimu. She really is the only person who tolerates me as a "friend." Being alone like this, I can't help thinking of her.
Easygoing doesn't even begin to describe her. She's kinda like a cloud that sails through the sky. Her smiles are without worry or concern. It's like she dances around danmaku without losing her tempo. Maybe this is what gives her a certain charisma that's just great to be around: gentle and strong.
"If she were here, she'd probably say, 'It's great outside' or something," I mused with a smile; until I heard, "It's great to be outside at night," from a distance in front of me. My spirits were crushed, again. It seemed a lost cause; Reimu would always be in the lead, but before I could call out to her, I heard someone else, too.
My thoughts echoed my doubts, "She's not alone? Who could it be? Is it-?! ..."
I needed to calm down.
"... no, it's too soon to be anyone significant," I assented to reason, "While she's busy here, I'll get ahead of her."
With my doubts expelled, I gathered my spirit, "This time for sure! I'll find the culprit before Reimu can!"
I circled around them and raced onward. Eventually, I found myself over water. "A lake, maybe? Um, I'm not too sure since I really don't come through here much, but I think there's an island in this lake," Since there wasn't much else to find here and the mist was concentrated around this area, I figured this would be the place to look. "The Mastermind must be here!" I cheered to boost my enthusiasm and charged for this lake's island, or so I thought.
"I thought the island was around here..." I wondered why I couldn't find a simple island. I remembered it being close by the bank and was fairly sizable for this particular lake. There was a big house on it, too, so I don't think it could have shrunk. Frustrated once more, I blurted out, "It can't move, can it?!"
At this rate, I'll lose my lead again. My fighting spirit deflated. I felt like I was going to cry, but then realized I was reacting to the cold air. "Summer nights are fairly cool, but this is freezing!" I complained as my problems seemed to be accumulating.
"You'll never reach land again!" a voice greeted me in an unusual manner.
Glancing around, I noticed a mass of blue scatter some of the mist. In the increased clearing, the mass of blue took on a more recognizable form. Although it was "more recognizable," I still didn't know what it was exactly. Then, as a breeze picked up, I noticed it carried freezing air to me from her direction.
Fighting off the shivers, I stated my observation, "So you were making it all cold."
"Better cold than hot, right?" the blue figure remarked.
"If you insist," my words held no interest with the subject. After thinking it over, the being before me was probably a loudmouthed faerie. I was certain that they were reputed for leading travelers astray. My troubles really had accumulated; into her.
"Something's not right," she seemed to be contemplating something.
"Makes you wonder, huh?" I mused while thinking, "It's not right to have a faerie in thought."
"You should be more scared!" the faerie asserted.
"Really... I should?" That was what was off? It didn't make sense, but then faeries don't really make sense. I really shouldn't poke at things like this, but I added, "Why is that?"
"Because I'm the strongest!" she boasted with confidence.
I couldn't help but laugh. Her? Strongest? I've seen twigs more intimidating than her. Granted, I'm referring to the ones from the Magic Forest, but they're still formidable for deadwood. Actually, they make for good targets to practice with since they're so durable and all. Then again, maybe my habits are- wait... what was I talking about before? Right, "strongest faerie."
After her confident declaration, I was consumed with laughter. Gripping my sides, I asked her, "You're strongest? Says who?"
"Says everyone," she replied with a smirk as she snapped her fingers.
It seemed an empty gesture, but then I noticed a strange sound. As my laughter subsided, the sound rang clearer. It was almost like buzzing, but lower in pitch. "Could it be... wings?" I thought to myself.
Then, as if to affirm my suspicion, the cloud cover began to lift. On all sides were faeries as far as the eye could see. Although visibility was bad, that was beside the point. I felt my jaw drop with such force; not from their overwhelming power, but staggering numbers.
"This might be a problem."
From overhead, a familiar voice commented on my situation, "That's quite a predicament."
"Reimu!" I was relieved and shocked to see Reimu: relieved she was here and shocked she got here so soon.
"There was another one, too?" "When did she get here?" "What do we do now?" Reimu's arrival stirred confusion amongst the faeries.
"Maybe we can finish this quickly, together," I thought.
As if to reestablish order, the blue faerie cried out to Reimu, "You! Keep out of our fun!"
With her free spirited smile, Reimu objected, "Oh, don't worry. I won't bother your fun; just passing through, is all." She even bowed.
"Well," that blue faerie seemed like she got caught off-guard by the respectful display and smiled joyously as she conceded, "You may move along since we're busy here."
"Ah, thank you very much," Reimu courtly responded to the reply.
Their conversation was sickening. To think that Reimu would stoop so low to avoid some trouble, or was she doing this to spite me?
After another bow, she remarked, "I'll be heading that way then. Take care!" and flew off behind the blue faerie.
"What was that all about?" I felt completely unsatisfied by the bizarre exchange. Not only was I disturbed by the groveling Reimu, but she left without even saying anything to me. Some friend she turned out to be.
"Cirno!" one the faeries called out to the cold blue faerie. Apparently, Cirno had become self-absorbed from Reimu's respect and was daydreaming, or something.
Having been brought back to reality, she responded to the one that called out to her, "Yeah, Aqua?"
"We should deal with this human now, right?" she replied while pointing to me; seems I'm to be dealt with.
"Ah, right!" Did she forgot about me? I felt so insulted.
The faerie swarm prepared for their frenzy, and I wasn't planning on losing to them; not now, not ever. With a "Let's go!", the faerie massacre began.
Zer0Axiom:
The quiet night was embraced by the ominous haze. Any normal human being would be at home: sleeping uneasily or cowering in fear. Fortunately, Reimu was not one of those people. As the last miko of the Hakurei Shrine, she took her responsibilities of safeguarding Gensokyo seriously; even if she didn't seem very serious. Having bested Rumia, the youkai of darkness, Reimu continued her gradual approach to the nearby lake; more specifically, an island on the lake.
Moving along at her relaxed pace, Reimu found an interesting sight at the lake front. There was a large congregation of faerie type youkai, and at their center was none other than the troublesome Marisa. Under normal circumstances, Reimu might have offered her assistance, but tonight would be an exception. There were bigger concerns at hand, and Marisa would have to make do by herself. Even though this was an exceptional time, Reimu couldn't simply abandon Marisa either.
"Maybe I can help her indirectly," she pondered.
Recalling that faeries were simplistic in nature, it would be a simple task to avoid confrontation. The problem would be in the "assisting Marisa" part. Without putting much thought into her plan, Reimu called out and made her presence know to the crowd, "That's quite a predicament."
As expected, all present were surprised by her appearance. As the clamoring grew louder, one of the faeries in blue cried out, "You! Keep out of our fun!"
Then, as if by instinct, all the commotion came to a halt. "She's the leader, huh?" Reimu concluded. Without hesitation, she smiled and remarked, "Oh, don't worry. I won't bother your fun; just passing through, is all." As a final touch to the charade, she bowed deeply to the loud faerie.
Her display won over the lead faerie immediately. With a tint of blush, the bluish faerie waved her hand slightly and commented, "Well, you may move along since we're busy here."
Taking her cue from the favorable response, Reimu gestured another bow and assented, "Ah, thank you very much. I'll be heading that way then. Take care!"
Her subtle glances to Marisa found an unrefined expression. She would hazard a guess that Marisa took the display at face value and missed the clue. After drifting forward for a bit, Reimu paused to clear her thoughts.
"Marisa can take care of herself," she reasoned, "And I have to resolve this disaster."
Having reevaluating her priorities, Reimu resumed her search for the guilty party afoot. Just then, a voice called out to her, and Reimu's reflexes answered with a wave of talismans; her firm intent to "punish evil" taking initiative. This response did not go ignored, and a battle ensued.
While maintaining her distance, Reimu observed her opponent. This youkai had long red hair and was dressed in fine green and white clothes. It's materials and style were unfamiliar to Reimu. Even the green hat on her head was unusual.
Disregarding the unnecessary, Reimu turned her attention to her actions. The youkai used a series of fine movements to maneuver around while releasing a concentrated wave of energy in Reimu's direction. From this alone, Reimu concluded that this youkai would not continue her assault for long.
In judging danmaku, one of the things considered was its type. Someone like Reimu might be limited in the amount used by the quantity supplied since her tools were her danmaku. In contrast, people like Marisa were limited to their individual stamina as they released energy from within themselves. This youkai would be of the latter. Furthermore, they were currently in flight; this increased the strain upon both combatant's stamina. From these points alone, it would be reasonable to surmise that Reimu held the momentary advantage.
However, several other factors existed as well. One of which being whether one was a youkai or not. Since youkai were born with greater capacities of stamina and physical strength than human, they would hold a natural advantage. Additionally, a youkai would be stronger at night then during the day. Finally, there would be distinctions between the experienced and inexperienced. All these factors gave a greater advantage to the longer lived youkai's favor.
In spite of these numerous disadvantages, Reimu was not troubled. Her opponent's attack pattern was short and controlled, suggesting a preference to close ranged combat. So Reimu continued to grace the sky with composure and precision; waiting for an opportunity to present itself.
Finding a small opening, Reimu unleashed her counteroffensive. With a short spin, she threw out five talismans to the youkai's next location. She then followed with two amulets, one at and the other above her target.
After noticing the attack, the youkai short stepped the talismans and fired off a blast of chi to disable the approaching amulet. Before she could react, the second amulet came down and struck at the nape of her neck. With a short yelp in response, she felt the amulet burn unto her skin. Though the pain was distracting, she endured it and spiraled a distance to her side, dodging another set of talismans. After preparing another wave of chi, she quickly reached for her spell card.
Holding her card out, she called, "Flower Sign!" Reimu's amulets stopped short of their target, having been disabled by a defensive wall of energy from the spell card's activation.
"Selaginella 9!"
Without wasting her breathe, the youkai completed her declaration. An array of energy gathered around her and created the image of a six-petaled flower. The image then broke apart as the energy scattered towards Reimu; replaced shortly by another amassing of energy. The flood of energy sailed by Reimu as she bobbed and weaved through the barrage. The spell card was short-lived as the circumstance of its use deigned its function to bomb instead of spell.
Although published with her approval, Reimu was still unsure of the exact principles to the Spell Card Rule. She was initially doubtful as to how reliable the rules would be enforced, but after seeing it in use, she smiled with satisfaction. These battles might play out as games, but their results would be measured with skill and ability.
It had been not long since the release of the Spell Card Rule. Under this new rule, formal battles could be conducted between two parties without complication. Regulating the use of spell cards, the powerful could flaunt their power for sport or play. Likewise, it enabled a less powerful party to compete against an otherwise unbeatable foe. Though many points remained of concern, they would be redundant if a challenge to battle was not issued and accepted.
When invoked, a spell card would shine to signify its activation before dissolving. The active duration would be tracked by a magical circle beneath the card's user. This circle's shape and design, reflections of their creator's skill, would recede in size proportional to the length of the spell card's period of activity.
The spell card would also project a barrier around its user, absorbing damage during the spell card's effective duration. If enough damage to the barrier accumulated, a spell break would occur; ending the spell card's active period immediately. Spell card usage would be classified further into two categories: spell and bomb.
The use of a spell was restricted only to function during a formal duel by one of the participants: the caster. Its allowable duration of use was further limited within a maximum time span of two minutes in length. Additionally, during any single duel, all spells were regulated to single use; repeating a spell was not allowed.
A bomb differed from a spell in the fact that it could be used at any time. This versatility was offset by the fact that bombs did not remain active for as long as spells could. As their active duration could not exceed several seconds, a spell break would be impossible and unnecessary. Though their functions and effective use differed greatly, the amount of energy consumed by a spell and a bomb remained the same; therein preventing the possibility of continuous uses of bombs during a battle.
With her spell card resolved, the youkai was pressed for another counter strategy. She was at a considerable disadvantage and couldn't afford to squander another card use. Faced with another onslaught, she braced for the worse.
Having evaded the youkai's Selaginella 9 bomb with little more then burnt hemming on her skirt, Reimu readied another handful of talismans. A few more attacks would leave her with total victory, proving her initial assessment accurate. As she swung her arm out, she suddenly paused. A tremendous amount of energy approached from behind and would hit her if she did not move away. Aborting her battle plan, Reimu rushed to a side as did her opponent.
With a deafening roar, a blinding surge of energy carried pass both girls. In its wake, not even a semblance of mist remained. Confused by the surprise attack, Reimu had turned around to locate the new perpetrator. Finding a chance opportunity, the youkai retreated from sight.
Reimu's concentration became strained between "identify the new assailant" and "chase the escaping enemy." As she was about to give chase, she notice her assailant's approach. Black dress, blond hair, black pointed hat, riding a broom; it was none other than Marisa.
"Run!" Marisa called as she passed by without even slowing down.
Deprived of a chance to think, Reimu was left utterly confused. Containing her grief, she followed after Marisa and the rouge youkai.
Zer0Axiom:
"Let's go!" wasn't much of a war cry, but I wasn't in any position to complain.
Reimu had turned her back on me, and left me in a real bind. No matter what I thought, it was nothing more then what I deserved. Had it have been me, I would have just ignored these faeries and went straight to the boss as well.
"Right, it's my problem, not her. By my strength will I triumph! I won't allow these small fry to best me!" renewing my spirits, I turned to the battle.
The faerie swarm used a hybrid diving hit-and-run tactic. As one group circled around, another moved overhead; groups from below crossed to my side; groups overhead spiraled down below; it was enough to make me wonder, "How long did they practice to be this efficient?"
Since it was an encirclement, their allies would be in the crossfire; not to mention they were in tight formations. I was left with little breathing room, literally. Dodging all this would get me only so far; I needed a plan of attack, too.
As I was considering the few options at hand, I noticed that Cirno wasn't doing much. Next to her, Aqua also seemed to be just observing. It annoyed me to no end because I felt like they were just toying with me.
"You're Strength of Numbers will fall to my Might of One!" I declared. I really don't know what I was talking about either, but I decided on my approach and followed through.
The smaller ones didn't make much danmaku, but a lot of them made a lot together. I fired up a laser and swept a few of them back. The bigger ones had less movement, but lots of danmaku. For them, a large blast should suffice. After clearing out several groups, the remaining encirclement began to falter, and their attack frequency decreased. It got me thinking, "This isn't so bad."
Just then, Aqua jumped in and spiced up the battle. Compared to the other faeries, she was very good. Fast by a faerie's standard, she zipped around the gaps within the formation. The danmaku was fairly standard stuff though. I didn't take her as much of a threat since her danmaku was pretty standard for a faerie.
I guess I was a bit too overconfident. I tried to hit her with some magic missiles, but she moved around too quickly for them to hit. When I tried to lighten my load by bring down more weaklings, they also picked up the pace. I was back at square one and quickly losing ground.
Juggling myself between waves of aggression, I clutch my spell card in hand as I looked for a break in the assault. When their combined danmaku cleaved off my left sleeve and some of my skirt, I had no choice but to use a bomb.
"Magic Sign!"
With the card's activation, the energy blasts in the immediate area dissipated, and the group tempo paused momentarily. I sighed, but there was no time to be relieved yet; I was still surrounded. Taking a deep breathe, I invoked the spell's name.
"Stardust Reverie!"
Several large and colorful stars circled around me and ate through the continuing faerie attack. They spun around a bit and created a tail of smaller stars before they flew out in all directions. As they carried across the crowd, they took some of the faeries with them before disappearing. When the mist settled, I was faced with less than a tenth of the original gathering. Among the surviving were Aqua and Cirno.
"How'd ya like that?" I taunted, relieved that I was no longer completely surrounded.
"We're not beat yet!" Aqua rebuked.
Considering how my Stardust Reverie plowed through them, it would make sense that the remaining few were also the tougher ones. I calmed myself to prepare for the upcoming struggle, but found the situation shift from what I had expected.
"I'll handle this," Cirno decided.
With a slight nod between the remaining faeries, the stage was set for a showdown between Cirno and myself; I felt so cheated. Not only was I embarrassed by an alliance of uncountable weaklings, I get to face off against their leader: another weakling. Well, complaining won't finish the fight; I might as well do this right and win it with style to redeem myself.
Drifting at my eye level, Cirno commented, "For a puny human, you're not bad."
I'm pretty sure my mind blanked out for a moment. I think I had a I-can't-believe-this-is-happening-to-me kind of smile. After her words echoed in my head a few times, I declared, "To be called puny by a short stacked faerie is where I draw the line!"
"Oh, going to draw a line now? Go ahead, if you think it'll help," Cirno mocked.
Swallowing my displeasure, I suggested, "Then, why don't we do this the old fashion way?"
The confusion in Cirno's expression was obvious as she remarked, "The old fashion way... would be..."
With a semi-victorious smirk, I clarified, "'You shoot at me, I shoot at you, last one standing wins.' You alright with that?"
Having been brought to the same page, Cirno answered, "If you want; it's fine by me. I'll beat you whatever the rules."
"Actually, we should be using that new Spell Card Rule, but I don't care for that. I'll put this half-pint into a new world of pain, and to do that, we can't use that new rule," my frustration complained.
The stress was getting to my head. I needed to focus on what I was going to do, or I'd end up being played again. With that realization, I started to take deep breathes to calm down.
As if sensing my grief, Cirno added, "Also, if you're going to use a spell card, don't bother with that dust thing; it's embarrassingly weak."
"Oh, alright," my words replied as I contained my indignation.
Thus began my shoot out with a faerie. At first, it seemed like a tie. Hard to believe, right? I was fighting a faerie to a mere tie. My speed didn't help me in trumping her danmaku since it was wide angled sprays with a condensed followups. Her shots were well balanced and she was fairly nimble.
On the other hand, my shots were very confined in comparison, and didn't provoke much of a response. If this continued, I'd have to use a card. It was a waste of time and effort to throw bombs left and right during a fight, but I had little choice. I wanted to show her up with Stardust Reverie, but decided to see why she would call it weak first.
Restraining my stubbornness, I called out, "Hey! If my Stardust Reverie is so weak, what would a strong spell card be like?"
"You want to see strong? Then you asked the right person!" she asserted.
I was curious as to if she really could use a spell card. Not only use one, but use one that would be stronger than my Stardust Reverie.
She held out a card and asked, "You ready for this?"
"Bring it!" I challenged and fired a barrage of missiles. There was no way I was going to back down.
"Freeze Sign!"
With her call, a small wave of cold air was released and stopped my missiles in place. This was peculiar since the missiles froze in place instead of impact for no damage. "This is what a strong spell is like!" she declared as to make certain I didn't miss it.
"Perfect Freeze!"
Suddenly, a large cluster of energy rained towards me. It was so quick that I almost fell over trying to dodge it. Then, without warning, they, too, froze in place. Afterward, Cirno launched another flurry of cold energy at me. As I pulled to a side, I noticed that all the previously frozen shots began to drift around. They cluttered around me, and I found my speed unable to aid my escape. As the cold blasts sailed pass me, I felt them burn at my arms and left shoulder. I was still in one piece, but the throbbing pain intensified.
I looked up and saw that Cirno seemed to be waiting for something. With a grimace, I voiced my thoughts, "Indeed, this Perfect Freeze makes Stardust Reverie look weak."
Hearing this, the other faeries began cheering; Cirno's victory seemingly assured.
"However!" I cried out to quiet crowd before continuing, "However, that's still weak."
"Impossible!" "You're a liar!" "Cirno's the strongest!" I had won the ire of the peanut gallery.
With a curious look on her face, Cirno raised her hand to silence the commentary. It seemed that she wanted to face my better spell card.
With a wide grin, I pulled out my next spell card and taunted, "You ready for this?"
"Let's see it," she challenged, and I didn't waste the invitation.
"Love Sign!"
Activating my spell card, I pulled out my mini-hakkero from my side pocket. Pointing it towards Cirno, I focused my emotions together and recited the spell's name.
"Master Spark!"
A beam of energy took form and propelled itself from within mini-hakkero. What happened after that exceeded all of my expectations. Though I had practiced this spell often, I never had it be so large before. The out pour was so overwhelming, I was almost thrown off of my broom. It's roar was so loud, I couldn't hear anymore. There was such a presence of power that I was blinded by its light.
After a few moments, I felt the pressure subside. I could not see in front of me; hear the lake below me; feel Cirno's presence anywhere around me. All I could think was "I'm glad that wasn't me" before remembering my purpose: surpass Reimu.
"Later, losers!" I called back to the terrified faeries as I raced after Reimu.