~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library

Shadow Project East - MariAli Cyberpunk [Complete]

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NekoNekoRex: ======Part 6======= "Yeah! Ha ha!" Marisa laughed. She was bristling with the excitement, and basking in the triumph of the kill. "Got 'em!" the gunner cheered. "Works every time!" Alice stepped out from her hiding spot, a sense of relief washing over her. "If only at the cost of my sanity." she said, with a sigh. "How typical of you to wait until it's moments from killing you to fire that outrageous weapon." "Relax, it's dead, and I'm not, as usual. That's the important thing, ain't it?" Marisa retorted, grinning. "I always come through in the end." Marisa crouched down to inspect her S.P.A.R.K., checking for any signs of wear or damage. It was a shame she could only fire it full-blast once per charge. "Fightin's all about firepower, after all. It's gotta be flashy, so I can impress you with my bewitching charms." she added, with a chuckle. "I can assure you that you're having the opposite effect." Alice deadpanned, rolling her eyes. She picked up one of the injured drones and began to scan it, calculating how much time she'd need to repair it, or if she even could. "That mindset is going to get yourself killed one day. A single mistimed second, and like that, it's over." "Ufufufu... Assure yourself as much as ya' want, but I know you still love me~" Marisa teased. "I wouldn't worry so much, I'm a professional, after all." "Ugh, and I question why every hour." Alice scoffed. "Anyway, Miss Professional, go make sure that thing is dead." Alice ordered, mockingly. "Our client wants physical proof, too. I'll leave that disgusting task up to you." Marisa continued to grin, bringing her arm to bear, and looking back at the Nue. "Ya' really think I need to double tap it? Well, whatever." she said with a shrug, walking over towards the burned corpse. She held the rifle in one hand as she pulled out her survival knife, aiming the gun at the creature's scorched head. "Looks like you lose." At that moment, a tentacle whipped at Marisa, smacking the gun out of her hand. The Nue's eyes shot open, still burning with fury. "What in Makai!?" Marisa cursed, startled. she dropped the knife, reaching for the rifle that had come to rest at her hip. The beast didn't allow her the chance. It jumped to its feet and spun with all its might, catching Marisa with the sweep of its snake tail. The gunner was crushed against the wall behind them. "SKRAAAAAAAW!" the Nue gave a hoarse cry. Alice turned around, yelling "Marisa!!" in alarm. She pulled out her pistol and frantically began to fire, but the monster meshed its tentacles behind it, and the lasers seemed to burn uselessly into the armored carapace. Marisa gasped sharply as the air was knocked from her lungs. Pain erupted from her chest and back. She was disoriented, but she still reached for her gun. She looked up just in time to see the critter jumping at her. She acted fast, holding her weapon up as a shield. The Nue crashed down on her, paws smashing against Marisa's assualt rifle. "SKRAAW! SCREEEEEEEEEE!" The Nue screeched as loudly as it could, roaring at the woman who had caused it so much pain. Marisa's ears were ringing. Behind the youkai, she could see Alice and her drones approaching and shooting, but they'd be too late if she didn't act NOW. The changeling was crushing her with its weight and fury. Marisa watched in horror as the creature's head snapped and popped. It's jaw unhinged itself, more toothy bones growing from its gaping mouth. Its neck began to bend unnaturally off of its shoulders as it reached down to tear her face off. She scowled, staring into the face of death. "Ya really want to eat me that bad, huh?" She wasn't going to let it win. She wrenched an arm from underneath her rifle, the other pinned down as she struggled as hard as she could to keep its claws from tearing into her. She had one last gun strapped to her waist, Blazing Star, her revolver. As the Nue went to bite off Marisa's face, instead it clamped down on an arm, shoved into its cavernous maw. Cold metal pressed against the roof of its mouth. Marisa grit her teeth, and shuddered from the intense pain. She hissed one last thing before she pulled the trigger. "Eat this." Suddenly, the Nue's skull splattered all over the gunner, as the explosive bullet went straight into its brain and erupted. The body sagged down, very dead. Marisa grunted as she pried the corpse's mouth open. Blood spilled out of her arm from where the jagged and broken teeth had sunk past her skin. She had to bite her lip to keep from screaming in pain. "Marisa!! Marisa!!" Alice shouted, looking flustered as she rushed over to aid her partner. She helped Marisa shove the body off of her, and immediately pulled out a small medkit from her pocket. It was also a drone, and she quickly set it to begin running a full diagnostics scan on the injured girl. It went to work, looking for injured areas and injecting fast-acting drugs. Alice pulled out yet more medical supplies, focusing on staunching the blood flow from Marisa's arm, and sterilizing the wounds. In her AR view, she had cleared everything out of the way to focus solely on the task of treating her partner. Marisa managed a weak smile, coughing. She felt so tired... so sore.. the adrenaline had run empty... She winced as the drone crawled over her, poking her with needles and prodding her with sensors. She groaned. "Hnnng.. I told 'ya I was a professional..." she said, managing to still joke despite feeling horrible. "How impressive ...was that?" Alice frowned, not in the mood. She was too worried to return any banter, and the bleeding had to be stopped. "It was very impressive, but... ugh, this was all my fault!" Alice was rife with worry, and all the ways she could have prevented this flew through her head. "I should have just sent a drone to check its vitals, but I was too preoccupied with doting over the injured dolls..." "Eh? You should know better than ta' blame yourself like that, Alice. It was a crafty critter, I'll give it that, but not as crafty as me." Marisa said knowingly. "This is nothin'. Let's get movin'." Marisa insisted, shifting and trying to get back to her feet. A fresh wave of pain erupted from her torso, stopping the attempt. "Ooooch! Ow ow ow! That's a broken rib." she said in a strained voice. She shifted back, flinching again. "Maybe two." "Quit moving!" Alice scolded, holding Marisa down as she continued to work on her arm. "You're making it worse, so keep quiet!" she insisted, watching Marisa's vitals dip slightly with the injuries aggravated. The bleeding had begun to subside now that she'd treated it with a clotting gel, thankfully. She took out a needle and thread. She'd need to stitch the arm up to completely close the wound. By some miracle the bite had missed all her tendons, so the arm could heal without any surgery. That was perhaps the only relief she could get out of this. "Alright, alright, fine." Marisa replied grumpily. The drugs began to take effect, and the pain was starting to drain away. She winced every time Alice poked her with her needle, but even that was starting to fade with time. A few minutes passed as Alice continued her work. Eventually the arm was stitched up, and the bruises had been treated for now. The broken ribs would likely need magic or advanced care... but that would have to wait until they returned home. Alice sighed and gave the okay to move once more. "Despite your best efforts, it appears you'll live through this day after all." Alice concluded, in a lightly mocking tone. "The morphine should last long enough to get you home, to get some better treatment for those ribs." Alice offered her hand to help her partner up. "The best one can expect from Doctor Alice." Marisa thanked. Alice was right, the pain was light, though it was a temporary measure for sure. She took Alice's hand, stumbling as she was pulled back to her feet. The drugs were making her woozy, making it a little hard to keep herself upright. She braced her hands on Alice's shoulders for support. She grinned as she came face to face with the puppeteer. "Well, aside from the 'proof', there's just one more thing to collect before we head on home." Alice gave her partner a curious look. She was certain they had completed everything in the mission. They had only needed to kill the changeling, really, though ridding these outskirts of a few more feral youkai was always a bonus. "I don't understand, Marisa. The mission is over. What else could we possibly need?" "Ufufu... my reward~" Marisa says, suddenly pulling Alice inward and embracing in a kiss. Alice looked surprised, but quickly settled into it, letting go of her thoughts. They closed their eyes, sharing the moment together for almost a minute. It felt warm and sweet, in contrast to the barren ruins around them. Though little time passed, it seemed like it had lasted for days. Finally they parted, both smiling. "Ahh... I suppose you deserved that one. We did agree to wait until after the mission, after all." Alice conceded, looking deep into her partner's eyes. "There's plenty more where that came from, and plenty of free time ahead, after we collect the cash~" Marisa enticingly added. "That's if you can still move once we run out of painkillers." Alice reminded her. Marisa waved it off. "Bah, a little pain and effort is always worth a fun payoff." Alice sighed. Typical Marisa. "Well, let's not stand around any longer. You can flirt all you want on the ride back home. It'll be a long trip." "I'll take you up that offer!" Marisa grinned from ear to ear, pumping her fist with excitement. The movement also made her wince in pain, however. She needed to take it more easy. Recovering, she hobbled over to where she dropped the knife, and got back to her task.

NekoNekoRex: A day had passed. The sun hung low in the sky overlooking a bustling metropolis. It was quiet as cars rode through the streets, with only the low hum of electric engines, and whir of tires on asphalt. They moved about in an orderly fashion, like cogs in a machine. As one would expect when the cars drove themselves. The hustle and bustle of the city was dying down just a bit, as some stores were beginning to close for the night, and people were headed home. Those that toiled their long hours looked forwards to their designated break and sleep periods, before they'd have to go back the next day. However, the peace and order was broken, if only for a moment. A motorcycle flew down the streets. Though it too was electric, extensive modification had given it back the rightful engine roar it deserved. The machine looked imposing and dangerous; it was heavily armored and the nozzle of a rocket's thruster lay open on the back like a dragon's maw. Its speed and handling were also as how a real chopper should have been, as it weaved and zipped through the automated grid. It ignored seemingly every limit and law in place. Soon, however, it was gone, vanishing deep into the slums on the edge of the city. Within the deepest reaches of the slums of the city, the chopper finally arrived at the site of an old shrine, built in times long past. The wooden structure seemed to defy the metal and earth of the urban jungle around it. "After you~" Marisa said politely, extending a helping hand as Alice climbed off the bike. Though she didn't need help, Alice took the hand anyway, snickering at Marisa's contrived attempt at being a gentleman. "I suppose you're going to help me open the door, too?" she asked. Marisa grinned as she climbed off the bike herself. "But of course! Anything for a charming girl such as yourself~" Marisa continued to hold her partner's hand as they walked towards the entrance. Marisa hoisted a bag onto her other shoulder as they left the bike behind. A small girl sat on the porch of the shrine, sleeping against one of the wooden beams. Though she looked like a normal young child at first glance, the bottle of sake held in her hand, the battle axe at rest behind her that was as large as she was, and the large horns adorning her head seemed to indicate otherwise. As Marisa and Alice approached, she opened a single eye, turning her head ever so slightly to observe the visitors. Marisa paused to turn and give the girl a smirk, but the girl seemed to dismiss them, closing her eye and going back to sleep. The two continued inside. The inside of the shrine was in surprisingly good shape for a slum abode, if somewhat spartan. The only exception seemed to be the empty bottles of sake strewn on the floor. They made a trail leading from the door to a small table, where a young woman sat. The young woman, dressed a traditional miko outfit - which was an odd sight even at proper shrines in this day and age - carefully was etching groves into thin metal needles. Her bored expression quickly shifted to one of interest as Marisa and Alice walked in the door. "Oi Reimu, we're back!" Marisa announced. She gently tossed her bag to the floor, and a bottle of sake rolled out alongside a heaping pile of stacked cash wads. Reimu seemed to shift back to a bored look as she reached for the bottle. "What took you so long?" she asked, unimpressed. "Did you decide to take a day off with Alice?" Alice snaped back, "And I suppose you've been hard at work, with this mess you've left?" Alice flicked her eyes to the bottles littering the tatami. "Clearly a productive use of time and money, looks like! Or was enjoying yourself while we risked our lives just a bonus for you?" "We both know it takes time for me to enchant these needles and other thnigs for my work, and how draining it is..." Reimu complained. Her eyebrow shifted up slightly as she inspected the bottle. A decent vintage. Her expression otherwise doesn't seem to react to Alice's words. "Obviously most of this was Suika, I need time to recover too." Reimu looked back at Alice, unamused. "You would know better than anyone, that all things that use energy need time to recharge. You just need Marisa's bed to do it yourself." Alice looked about ready to explode at the shrine maiden, but was interrupted when Marisa grabbed her opposite shoulder with one hand and pulled Alice in, their sides bumping right together. "Now now girls," Marisa chided, "We all know Alice is very pretty, cute, and I love her dearly." Alice promptly shut her mouth, deciding instead to just glare at Reimu in leiu of arguing with her. She didn't want to risk further embarrassment. "Now, let's all sit down for a bit and enjoy the nice sake I got. We just completed a mission, I think this calls for a llttle celebratin'!" Marisa cheered. "I say we get drunk and save arguin' over who wants my hot bod' more for another day!" That finally broke Reimu's uncaring shell as she cracked a bemused smile. "Tch, I can at least agree to one of those things. Hopefully we'll be able to actually get drunk before Suika-" As if on cue, the door behind them flew open as the horned little girl stumbled in, dragging her axe behind her. "Hic'! I he'rd sum'one mentionin' a 'ice sake!" she slurred, obviously already hammered. "Yoo guis' ain't holdin' ou' on me, are yoos?" Her eyes quickly zeroed in on the bottle in Reimu's hands. "'Gimmie!" she demanded. Marisa turned to the short oni and smiled. "'Course I didn't forget about our toughest member! In fact, I accounted for it!" She lifted up her oversized caviler hat, and revealed another bottle of the same sake. She held it out in front of Suika, who promptly snatched it up. "Now we can all enjoy some together while we talk, eh?" Suika nodded, grinning from ear to ear. She plodded over to the table and eagerly popped the cork off her bottle, taking a long swig. She sighed in content at the taste. Alice watched the scene play out, giving a small groan. She wondered how she had ever gotten bunched in with this band of misfits. She looked at her partner. She pondered how she'd managed to stay sane around her so long. She didn't think much, already knowing the answers, and gave another small groan in defeat. Everyone else seemed to be having a good time, she supposed she could live a little and enjoy it too. She followed Marisa over to the table. Reimu got up and produced some small cups to drink out of, as Alice and Marisa sat down. Drinks were served, and after a round or two everyone soon were merry. They made a night of it, and Marisa and Alice told their story of how they fared in Mayohiga. How youkai had ambushed them and gotten them separated. How they had regrouped and took out the changeling. How they had managed to bribe a mage into giving Marisa a quick but effective fix. Suika was entertained, Reimu was impressed just a little, and they all enjoyed the story. After the tale, Marisa tapped her glass against the bottle, bringing attention to herself. "Alright, and now that we got the booze and the rundown, it's time ta' talk about the results. After expenses, we got just enough money ta' cover livin' for the next month." she announced. "However, just livin's pretty lame, so I got us a new mission ta' undertake to rake in some extra cash!" Though everyone was at least a little tipsy, they were all ears now. "So I heard from a little birdie that the Gap Hag and her cronies have developed a prototype for a new flyin' technology. I reckon if we borrow the design docs, we could pawn it off to the kappa for a good price!" she eagerly disclosed. Marisa suddenly looked a little alert, remembering something. Maybe she was getting a little too tipsy, because she forgot to clog the 'waves first. She produced a small box and flicked a switch on the side. White noise and jamming signals begin to silently fill the air around them. Only then did she continue. "Now, here's what I know, and here's what I think we oughta do..." *(@%^_+^@##% SIGNAL LOST *!%&)#$& TRANSMISSION END #^(@%^#$!

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