Maidens of the Kaleidoscope

~Hakurei Shrine~ => Patchouli's Scarlet Library => Topic started by: Esifex on October 17, 2010, 10:19:18 PM

Title: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Esifex on October 17, 2010, 10:19:18 PM: Been a while since I started somethin :D

Here we gooooo~
Sealed Fates
For Eyes Only

The sun had just started to descend, casting a golden-orange glow across Misty Lake, painting everything in red and gold pastels. Several of the faeries flitting about the Lake took this as their cue, and began to make their way towards the Scarlet Devil Mansion, sitting like a resolute guardian on an island in the middle of the Lake.

None of them bothered with the gate; being able to fly made it rather unnecessary, and the guard was currently doing her rounds through the estate itself.

As the small cloud of faeries flew towards the Mansion, they were greeted by another group of faeries heading out. Due to the nature of faeries, as some spotted others they recognized, they stopped and mingled, completely forgetting they were expected to be somewhere. Some that were going in ended up turning around and leaving again with their friends, while some that were leaving turned about and went back into the Mansion.

Sakuya was standing in the second highest battlement, standing in the shade of the clock tower, watching the faeries as they mingled. She?d long since gotten used to their habit of forgetting if they were coming or going, and knew by now that she couldn?t rely on the same faerie to stick to the same schedule. Still, she had to make sure that an adequate number of faeries came in, and watching them wander about in circles before ultimately coming back in to work another shift was pretty amusing.

There was one particular faerie she was on the watch for, however, and after a moment of searching, she found her target.

The small faerie was floating back and forth, drifting from one group of fey before floating back to another, not stopping to talk to any of her companions before moving on. Somehow, she?d found a pair of glasses and was wearing them, though they were almost comically large on her small head and she was constantly pushing them back up her nose.

The little faerie had been on her way out after having worked a shift already ? and a shift before that, and a shift before that, and another shift before that. From the looks of things, she was about to confuse herself again and turn around to come back in for another shift.

Either she was easily confused, or she just liked the tea and sweets she was ?paid? with on the faerie-maids? breaks. If it were the latter, fine; she could use another pair of hands, and as long as she got to keep her glasses, she actually did a halfway-decent job at cleaning. If it were the former, she needed to be sent back into the forest so she could get some rest.

Sure enough, the small faerie floated between the two different groups ? those coming, and those going ? looking back and forth, finger to her lips, before ultimately turning around and bobbing through the air back towards the mansion.

Sakura snickered, and jumped from the battlement. Daiyousei and Cirno would be able to handle getting the other faeries changed and prepared for their nights work; they were the ones who normally dealt with the faerie maids, taking the orders and chores from Sakuya and delegating further.

The little faerie stopped with a start when Sakuya dropped down in front of her, and grabbed the glasses with both hands and held them to her face.

Sakuya laughed.

?She?s distracted, make it quick.?

?Shut up, I know how to do this. Ain?t my first rodeo, you know.? Three green glowing eyes shone out from under a hooded cloak. ?You brought them, right??

?Of course I did. Here; take them and go. I have a routine here, and if I?m off by more than a minute the others start to notice. I can?t be delayed, or the guards will find me where I?m not supposed to be. It was hard enough getting those for you, don?t jeopardize me any further.?

The cloaked figure snatched a folder from their opposing shrouded compatriot and stuffed it under her robe. ?You?ll be paid, of course. It?ll come in small increments; large sudden sums have a bad habit of attracting unwanted attention. We?ll be in touch.?

?Don?t get spotted on your way out of here. I mean it.?

The glowing eyes sneered at the darkened hood of the other. ?I have my methods. I didn?t come alone.?

She reached behind her and patted a bundle on her back. ?Alright kiddo. Time to do your thing.?

Another hood rose up off of her back, before she and the glowing eyes were both consumed in an orb of darkness.

Rumia? Clever.

?Go about your business. We never met.? The orb of darkness lifted off and took to the skies, before slowing down and wandering aimlessly through the air.

Nice touch. The remaining cloak turned and hurried along the wall of the Mansion, turning the corner and casting off her cloak.

Sakuya walked through the front door, trailing the group of returning faeries and closing it behind them. The small bespectacled faerie admitted to liking the sweets, but had also lost track of how long she?d been in the Mansion. Sakuya sent her back after promising to let her come back and work for more tea later.

She offered a casual nod to Cirno as the ice faerie floated in the chamber, directing faeries towards the maid quarters, where Daiyousei was drawing uniforms out in various sizes, offering them to the appropriate fey.

As Sakuya left the antechamber and headed further into the Mansion, intending on going to the kitchens to begin the nights? meals for her mistresses, she was mildly surprised when she nearly bumped into Remilia Scarlet.

?Milady.? Sakuya stopped abruptly and nodded respectfully to her mistress.

?Hunter.? Remilia offered a stern stare up at her Head Maid and majordomo.

Sakuya started. Remilia never brought up her past profession or skills unless something had happened in Gensokyo and she was being sent to aid in the resolution.

?Milady?? Sakuya repeated.

?The Dossiers have been stolen.?

The Den. Remilia had seated herself in her regular chair, an ornately padded, but simply carved, high-backed chair. A small single-post table was standing next to her, with a neglected cup sat atop it.

Sakuya strode in, having doffed her maid?s outfit and fitting her original Hunters? garb to match her figure.

Remilia looked her servant up and down. ?A striking appearance, Hunter. Appropriate. Is there anything else you?ll be needing to outfit yourself??

Sakuya tugged on her left glove, pulling it tighter. ?A target. Information. What do we know??

This'll be continued when I don't have to listen to a five year old scream at his mother about what to do in Mario Galaxy :derp:
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Kasu on October 17, 2010, 10:51:30 PM: Oh ho~

This sounds extremely interesting what with the whole mysterious aspect you gave it. I'll be keeping up with this.
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Esifex on October 20, 2010, 11:29:27 AM: Still have stuff going on on my side of the screen, but I'm still able to keep up with SOME semblence of regular writing. It's really zen, too; helps me tune out all the crap that I have to put up with here.

Remilia laid her hand over the top of her now-cold cup of tea.

?The Dossiers were locked up in the Voile. As alterations and new renditions of Fate would be made, Patchouli would draw them out for me. Only Patchouli, her aide, Meiling and I know where exactly in the Voile they are kept; you would have been informed, as well, but as of lately I?ve only been making new readings, without altering any past divinations. As such, I prepared the Dossier myself and handed it off to Patchouli or her aide as the situation and circumstances would require. I have not yet needed to retrieve any of them, either; the majority of them were drawn up before you joined us, when Meiling was still my majordomo.
?The credenza they were locked into has been forced open and mostly destroyed. No sign of the Dossiers remains, not even in part; they were all taken.?

Sakuya nodded. ?What exactly makes these Dossiers so important??

?They are the Fates of every major player in Gensokyo. Fate is not set in stone; my power is proof enough of that, though through proper planning and effort, any person can change their own Fate. If someone were to know what their Fate was, they could work to change it, prevent it, or bring it about sooner. If someone knew what someone else?s fate was, it would be catastrophic. But, beyond all that, most importantly, I want them back. They are the property of the Scarlet Devil; no one steals from the Scarlet Devil without reproach.?

Sakuya briefly pondered mentioning Marisa Kirisame and her frequent ?borrowing? of the books there, but instead changed her tact. ?What of the witch, Kirisame? We know she frequents the Voile, and has in the past stolen magical artifacts and tomes from Patchouli.?

Remilia nodded. ?I want you to investigate her, first ? Patchouli will also be outfitting you further, while we?re mentioning her. Your Hunter gear is formidable, but this is Gensokyo. It would behoove you to augment your skill and strength with something more mystic in nature; Patchouli will provide the necessary magical enhancements and equipment. Go to her now, and when she?s done, you?re free to begin your investigations. I don?t care how you do it; just make certain that you do not fail, and that all the Dossiers are returned, including any duplications that have been made.?

Sakuya nodded. It had been a long time since she had taken up the role of a Hunter, but already her habits were returning, including the miniscule respect for others. Remilia didn?t seem bothered by the informalities, however, and sent her off without mentioning her disrespectful manner and posture.

The Voile. Sakuya had been inside countless times, and knew the pathways through the winding stacks nearly as well as the librarians who lived inside it. A newcomer would?ve been overwhelmed by the sheer size of the chamber, and then lost amongst the twisting corridors between the bookshelves. For Sakuya, though, the worn stone floor was a path beaten and battered by constant use, and showed the way as clearly as if it had been painted.

She reached the sitting room situated in the middle of the ground floor, and helped herself to a seat at the table. Patchouli, or her aide, would be along shortly. They always knew when someone entered the Library, and they always knew where they were.

Sure enough, Sakuya was only waiting for a few minutes before Patchouli herself drifted down an aisle towards the large table, a series of books floating through the air behind her.

?I must say, the Hunter?s garb is a pleasant change from your typical attire, Sakuya. A shame it is only used on rare occasion.? The witch sat herself opposite Sakuya, rather than taking the head of the table.

?Remilia said you had some things to give me ? I was hoping you would also have some information for me. Any leads or evidence that could point me in the right direction??

Patchouli shook her head. ?Unfortunately, no, there are no leads as of yet. That?s why I suggested to Remilia that you go to Kirisame?s place first; she?s our prime suspect for intrusions into the Voile. Because of the nature of the witch, I felt it necessary to prepare some things for you. Koakuma will be along shortly with your load-out.?

?In the meantime, tell me what I?m getting and how to use it. Save us some time; I want to be moving as soon as possible.?

?Of course. First and foremost, you?re getting two amulets that will sap Kirisame?s magicannon. Two in case you lose one or the first one fails to work properly, or if the reactor is over-charged. Being repulsed by her magicannon would be very counter-productive to your mission; additionally, without her reactor, many of her spells will be considerably weakened. Even though, I urge you to exercise extreme caution. She may be an ordinary human, and her spell reactor does provide a lot of pure magical power, but she is still a very powerful magician without it. Just hope that she?s fallen back on the Hakkero enough to get out of practice with her lesser, unaided spells.
?You?ll be provided with a set of wards that will protect you from any wards she has; it?s a tactic she herself uses to infiltrate the Voile when she?s not properly visiting, so be wary ? she may be prepared for just such a thing.
?You?ll also be getting a rune to allow you to communicate with us, here in the Voile. This very well could be a simple mission, and you could simply find the Dossiers sitting atop Kirisame?s table; however, something about this theft doesn?t match up with her typical modus operandi. As such, if you so decide to continue searching on your own without returning, you can keep in contact with us, inform us where you?re going, request Koakuma to send you something.
?Speaking of that ? you?ll also be getting an array. Try not to damage or lose it; it?ll open a small portal back to here that we can use to provide you with further equipment, or food if necessary, while you?re in the field.
?You?re also going to find a small set of spellcard talismans with a similar array on them. If you find someone with information that could aid us, but don?t have the means or time to interrogate them yourself, attach a talisman to them and trigger the large array. They will be teleported back here.
?Finally, your stopwatch.?

Sakuya started, and instinctively reached for her back pocket. The reassuring weight of her own dial was still there. ?What??

?Pardon? Oh. Sorry. Not your stopwatch, but a stopwatch for you to use. I designed it around a stopwatch so it would be better able to display how much time you could continue using it consecutively before its effects wore off. It will bend the light around you, helping to shroud you from sight. If you move while using it, you?ll be slightly visible, though, so be wary. The field it projects will expand around your body, giving you a small area to account for involuntary muscle movements, going through your satchels, or very slow movement.?

Sakuya smirked. ?Why would I need that? I could simply stop time ??

?Which would physically drain you. Don?t think I haven?t noticed that. Not only does your Lunar Dial affect you, it also lets off a very large magical signature. This stopwatch is powered by its own devices, and does not emit any type of spellcard signature. A magician would only be able to sense that it?s another magical artifact; around Kirisame?s place, you?ll have plenty of cover in that regard. It would be like holding a candle to the sun, whereas your Dial would be like a torch at midnight. If you absolutely need to use your Lunar Dial, don?t hesitate to do so; but if my Lightshroud could help you instead, I?d rather you used it, if only because of how your Dial affects you. Remilia insisted that I provide as much as I can for you, so you could properly rely on your own strength for whatever tasks you need to rather than wasting it on mundane expenditures.?

Sakuya blinked. Stopping time was anything but a ?mundane expenditure?; countless things could be done in such a state, though Patchouli was right; the longer she held time at a stand-still, the more it drained her.

She nodded. ?Very well. Another tool is another option, at the very least.?

Patchouli nodded in return. ?That is all I can provide for the time being. Koakuma will be here shortly with everything; we will help outfit you, then you can be on your way.?

With that, the witch drew a book to her and opened it, flipping through pages until she found a leaf in the spine, and began reading.

Sakuya sat back in her chair. Though speed was of the essence ? the longer the Dossiers were gone, the more likely they would be duplicated ? she couldn?t progress any further than her current goals. Fidgeting impatiently would do her no good, so she sat and relaxed, resting easily in the large chair while waiting for the second librarian to arrive.

Not but ten minutes later, she was finally ready to depart. Everything she had was evenly distributed through several pouches across her garb, each one of equal weight and tight enough to keep their contents from swaying as she walked. The small of her back was still warm from where Koakuma had traced the communication rune; Patchouli explained that if she were caught and bound, the odds were highest that her hands would be behind her back, so while slightly uncomfortable for regular use, being able to readily activate the rune would be handy. Sakuya didn?t quite understand where Patchouli had gotten the idea that Marisa would try to tie her up, but couldn?t argue with the logic. There was always the chance that Marisa wouldn?t be the culprit this time.

The sun had finally finished setting; it was only an hour ago that she was watching the faeries change shifts. Hopefully, Koakuma, Cirno, and Daiyousei would be able to reign the faeires in and keep them from causing too much havoc in Sakuya?s absence.

With the cover of proper night now, Sakuya took to the air and flew off towards the Forest of Magic. She stayed as low as she could, nearly skimming the surface of Misty Lake as she glided along, before bouncing up above the canopy of trees that marked the border of the Forest.

Night had just fallen, but Marisa?s house was darkened.

Far too early for her to have gone to bed. She must be out.

Sakuya boldly strode right up to the front door, deciding to try it first on the off-chance that it was unlocked; the sheer absurdity of it oftentimes made people assume that it would always be locked, but every now and again you had that one special case.

Unfortunately, it was in fact locked, and Sakuya went around the house to check the other doors.

She didn?t have to go far, as a side door that lead into a dim storage room was unlocked and even hanging slightly ajar. She pushed it open and let some starlight seep in, casting dim light upon dimmer shadows and shapes.

After a moment of staring through the dark threshold to allow her eyes to adjust, she fingered the Lightshroud Patchouli had given her. May as well give it a shot now, get familiar with it while it?s still safe enough.

She pulled it from her breast pocket and clicked it open; a luminescent face was within, but it was too dim to cast enough light to illuminate anything or affect her night-sight. Clever.

She clicked it, and saw a ripple of distorted air flicker around her for a brief moment. The single hand began to turn, ticking off seconds. As it passed the divisions of the clock face, the marks it passed stopped glowing.

Before too much time elapsed ? she wasn?t certain how long it took to recharge, though Patchouli assured her it was fast enough to remain useful for multiple consecutive uses ? she glanced up and scanned her surrounds, making certain she was in fact alone. She reached out and sliced her hand through the air, noting the visible wake it left.

There?s no way anyone looking directly at that could miss it. Out of the corner of their eye, though, they may pass it off as a trick of the light.

She brought her hand back slowly, checking to see how slow she had to go to keep the wake from appearing. Not much slower than a calm and comfortable wave; simple, deliberate movements would keep her from outlining herself.

She clicked the watch again, and the hand stopped traveling along and slowly began to wind back. She?d been masked for roughly five seconds, consuming a little under a third of its charge, and it looked like it would take about fifteen to recover the used energy. Fifteen seconds ? possibly more if she didn?t move, and didn?t strain it ? of straight use, roughly forty seconds to recover. Full use once a minute. Good to know.

She finally took the time to actually look at the things occupying the room with her.

Just like Patchouli had said; her Lightshroud would blend in with all the other artifacts kept by Marisa. Countless objects and trinkets littered the small chamber; flasks and vials sitting atop stacks of weathered and worn tomes, most of which were probably from the Voile, as well as dull bits of jewelry here and there, jars of ground herbs and powders.

Sakuya shook her head. Why would she hoard all this if she doesn?t put it to use? Does she have a category of everything in here, or does she take what interests her and dumps it off for later study?

A question that she didn?t need an answer for; she came for one specific item, or failing that, information that would lead to it.

In the meantime, though, depending on the powders Marisa had here, Sakuya might be able to arm herself with a few more tools.

I have a little more already typed up beyond this, but it's not a full scene yet, so stay tuned~
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Ryuu on October 20, 2010, 11:41:11 PM: gentlemen
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Esifex on October 25, 2010, 07:04:01 AM: NO
NO, I refuse to let this one go the way of the Mindgate Chronicles

Her time in the kitchens of the Scarlet Devil Mansion had done nothing to dull her knowledge of basic alchemical reactions and recipes, assuming she was properly able to identify the reagents she was using in the dark. All she had to go off of was their basic appearance and the labels that were on the jars – and Sakuya made it a habit to never trust a labeled jar. Misdirection and misinformation were the best ways to punish intrusion.

When she had entered the storage room, she hadn’t known for sure if it was connected to the rest of the house, but upon further inspection, she found that it in fact was. Armed with her new vial of powdered serum, she helped herself into the house proper and began to explore.

She’d never been in Marisa’s house before, and she had to say, it was rather appalling. Clutter and disorganization seemed to be the law of the land; bookshelves had more knickknacks on them than books, trinkets sat in all but one of the seats, and none of the chairs at any of the tables were properly pushed in. Echoes from Sakuya’s job as the maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion sent a twitch through her cheek as she took note of the mess. The clutter would also make it hard to move through here quickly and quietly at the same time, unless she wanted to risk trying to fly through a dark – and messy – house.

She moved quickly, noting where everything lay as she picked it up to inspect underneath whatever may have been obstructing the Dossiers. Her search of the study turned up nothing, however.

The small vial of powder she had put together in the storeroom reminded her of other options. It’d be best to set it up now, while she was still alone in the house.

She passed through the kitchen from the study, and angled down the short hallway. Luckily, the clutter was restricted to flat surfaces, and didn’t migrate to cover the floor, as well.

Quick glances into each room was all she needed to identify them; wardrobe, laundry, washroom, closet, and finally, her destination; the bedroom.

The bedroom wasn’t spared any mercy when it came to the mess. Sakuya almost bellowed in frustration at the sheer audacity of it all. How could Marisa stand this? Perhaps on another day, under more amicable terms, she would come over and offer to organize some of it for the witch. She may be able to retrieve some of Patchouli’s tomes and books, as well.

Before withdrawing the vial, she turned in place, examining the room, committing everything she could to memory. Four potential blind spots she could hide in provided the room didn’t get lit. The safest blind was nearest the door, hidden from sight by a chest of drawers, and the one furthest the door – the best one to put her close to the bed – was also the highest risk spot. For once, it seemed that the clutter would help her out. If she rearranged her pouches, it would help break up her silhouette, and she could try to bury herself under the pile of satchels and duffels that were piled up by the corner of the room.

She stepped around the unkempt bed and inspected the mound of bags. Loose and light, easy to manipulate. Perfect.

She unstopped the vial and tipped it over, tapping the side so a light dusting spilled out over the pillow on Marisa’s bed. For good measure, she dusted the top of the comforter, as well. The witch would have a nasty sneezing fit every time she went to bed, until she washed her linens, but the powder wasn’t poisonous. A simple serum to encourage cooperation and honesty is all. The sluggish reflexes were just a side-affect, is all.

She blew a quick puff of air across the top of the vial before plugging the stopper back into it, and slipped it into a pocket. Her hand brushed against one of her cards, and on a whim she drew it out and glanced at it. ‘Vanishing Everything,’ one of her teleport aids.

Before she dug out the pile of satchels, she stepped over to the chest of drawers and set the spellcard against the floorboard. If she were discovered under the pile of bags, she could activate the card and teleport to the opposite side of the room; most likely, because of how the furniture was arranged, this would put her directly behind Marisa, and she could trigger the Lightshroud. A good contingency plan.

Satisfied that she had properly set herself up for an optimal success rate, she continued her search, limiting herself to Marisa’s bedroom now. Where she was, she’d only have a few seconds after hearing the witch’s return to hide herself; she couldn’t afford to try to get all the way across the house without making noise – not with the poor state of affairs everything was in.

The slightest of frowns etched itself on her face; nothing matching the description of the Dossiers was to be found, anywhere. Unless they were somewhere else in the house, or Marisa still had them on her person, they weren't here.

Rather than assume anything, though, Sakuya wanted to be certain, and so, she made way toward burying herself in the pile of pouches, ignoring the scent of worn leather and cloth as she did so. As she sat down, she drew out the talismans that would sap Marisa’s Hakkero and laid them out next to where she’d be sitting, one on either side of her.

Success lay in preparation. With everything in its proper place, she was best suited to seize the advantage, and come out of the night with what she wanted.

She ended up waiting only another ten minutes after she’d hidden herself before Marisa returned. The witch entered her own home with a complete lack of subtlety or decorum; letting the door slam shut, and a loud clatter that could only be interpreted as her tossing her broom aside nonchalantly, signaled her arrival.

After only a few moments, Marisa appeared at the doorway to her room, looking exhausted. She pulled her wide-brimmed Witch’s Hat off her head and sent it across the room with a flick of her wrist, kicking her shoes after it while undoing the ties of her signature shawl, embroidered with a large letter ‘M’, at the same time.

The witch heaved a massive sigh, pulled her Hakkero from her pocket, and spun it once on the tip of her finger before grasping it and tossing it lightly in her hand.

“…bloody long day. God, how I missed you, bed,” she said as she tossed her Hakkero straight at Sakuya’s hiding spot.

The small block of nondescript material was much heavier and denser than it looked; Sakuya had to fight the urge to grunt as it impacted square with her head. Though the pouches atop her softened the blow, it still stung, especially considering how hard Marisa had thrown it. Patchouli would be aghast to see an artifact of such power and utility thrown about with such reckless abandon.

The Hakkero had caused the bags to shift slightly, and the peephole that Sakuya had left herself had turned. She could still see Marisa standing at the foot of her bed, but she couldn’t see the bed proper. If she couldn’t get her sights lined up again, she’d have to take her chances at Marisa facing away from the corner when she went to get out of her hiding place.

By gently turning her head in small, subtle movements, Sakuya was able to shift the pouches, trying to reorient her sights. In the meantime, Marisa continued disrobing, getting ready for bed. Sakuya glanced over at her, and when the witch had turned her back, she gave an abrupt jerk of her head, and the gap that she’d made before fell back into place.

Sakuya allowed herself a small grin of satisfaction; she hadn’t needed to use her hands at all, and she was still sufficiently covered. The fact that Marisa hadn’t lit any lanterns made it all the more easier to remain hidden, of course, but an accomplishment was still an accomplishment.

Marisa finally turned back about to face her bed, took a deep breath, and then suddenly threw herself into it, landing face-first on her pillow. Sakuya’s eyes popped open; she hadn’t expected Marisa to do that, of all things, and had no idea what that would’ve done to the dust she’d sprinkled across the pillow.

She turned her head under the duffels slowly, so she could better watch Marisa, instead of glance at her out of the corner of her eye.

The witch promptly raised her head, with a look of consternation, and then heaved a massive sneeze. “Ah, god, I gotta clean these linens soon.”

And the rest of your house. I’ll loan you the cleaning aids and perhaps a faerie or two. Just ask!

Marisa rolled over onto her side and worked her way under her comforter, then bunched handful of it up and drew it up to her chin.

Sakuya gaped. She sleeps like a child. Hopefully the concentrated exposure to the dust wouldn’t have any lasting effects.

Marisa popped out from under her comforter and perked up, suddenly looking alert; Sakuya froze and held her breath, falling completely silent save for the sound of her heart beating.

One tense moment passed before Marisa heaved another sneeze, causing her blond hair to fray out, and then ran her wrist across her face. “Tom’row mornin’. I’ll wash ‘em tomorrow. Too tired…”

Sakuya relaxed again and made herself slightly more comfortable under the pile of pouches. She wanted to give the witch enough time to start to fall properly asleep, to make her naturally sluggish, as well as allowing the serum to work its magic. With any luck, Marisa would wake up thinking it was some bizarre dream.

YES MARISA IT WAS AAAAAAAALL JUST A DREAM now clean your house
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Ryuu on October 25, 2010, 07:29:51 AM: itt sakuya watches marisa strip and then marisa huffs some magic powder

ps ilu esi
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Hanged Hourai on October 26, 2010, 03:21:23 AM: I'm soooooooo gonna be following this.
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Esifex on November 24, 2010, 06:39:50 AM: No FUCK YOU its NOT DEAD YET
I SAID SO

Sakuya didn?t want to risk letting Marisa fall completely asleep; if she woke her back up, a shot of adrenaline might be enough to counteract the truth serum. There was no telling how potent the powders were, when you took the rest of Marisa?s house into consideration.

After another ten minutes, she began to stretch her limbs out where she sat, slowly and methodically displacing the satchels and duffels lying atop her. Once freed, she stood and twisted, keeping her eyes on Marisa?s form, being careful not to make any noise.

Marisa?s breathing had remained steady the entire time, without shifting into the long, deep breaths typically associated with sleep. Now was a perfect time to interrogate her.

Sakuya leaned over the witch and prodded her in the forehead sharply. Marisa jumped under her comforter, and began thrashing about to push it off her face. Sakuya stood up to keep the thin cloud of dust that she?d freed from getting too close, and watched the witch struggle to wake up again.

As soon as Marisa was sitting up, she held her hand out to the side and her Hakkero obligingly jumped into her waiting grasp. She began to track the reactor towards Sakuya, who responded by simply reaching forward in unison with Marisa and touching the amulet to the Hakkero.

The Hakkero glowed for a split second, but the amulet seemed to drink the light in before starting to shine, itself. The slip of paper began to grow hot to the touch, but Sakuya kept it pressed against the Hakkero, and prepared to pull the second amulet out.

Marisa stared at the reactor in confusion, then peered past the shining amulet.

?Who are you? Why are you here??

Sakuya stood back upright and dropped the amulet to her side. It was getting incredibly hot; she didn?t want to risk putting it back into one of her pouches and having it burn through, so she tapped into her own magic and properly ignited the paper. In the receding glow from the amulet and the small burst of light from the tiny fireball, Marisa was able to make out Sakuya?s silhouette, but without the typical side-braid and maid headband, she didn?t immediately recognize her.

Sakuya scattered the burnt embers from her hand, casting them aside and reaching forward to grasp Marisa?s wrist. She steered the Hakkero away from her as she leaned in close.

?It?s me, Marisa. Sakuya. And I?m here, looking for something.?

?What the? Sakuya? Dammit, I told you and Patchy both, I?ll return the books myself, or she can come and get them when I die. There?s way too much in them to study to just let them rot in the library!?

?I?m not here for the books. I would?ve taken them while you were asleep, if I were. I?m here for something else.?

?What? But, I haven?t taken anything else.?

Sakuya blinked. Either she was telling the truth, or the powder had no effect.

?Where have you been the past few days? It?s been a while since you?ve dropped by, as polite company or otherwise.?

Marisa blinked stupidly at her. ?Uh. I?ve been here, and at the shrine.?

?The shrine? Why??

?Nothin?s been happening, and since Alice left for some work, I haven?t really had anyone else to visit. Patchouli has been a little hostile lately, ?cause she won?t shut up about her books. I figured I?d go and visit Reimu, share some tea, and enjoy the weather.?

Sakuya loosened her grip on Marisa?s hand, and the witch promptly dropped the Hakkero off the side of the bed. Sakuya rolled her eyes again at the poor treatment.

?Any idea what Alice is up to? She hasn?t been by in a while, either.?

Marisa shrugged. ?Am I allowed to ask why you?re in my room now, and how you got in here??

?No. I?m not done asking questions yet.?

?At least tell me where you got that outfit from. Never seen you wear it.?

Sakuya glanced down at herself, and had to agree; the Head Maid?s uniform was a far cry from her Hunters? Garb. ?I?ve had it for a long time now. Hope you don?t see me wear it again, unless I?m working with you.?

Marisa heaved a yawn. ?Aw, whatever. Looks cool, though.?

Sakuya stood up and glanced around the room one more time. ?I?m seeking a small folder, possible still bound in the sheaf from the Voile. Do yourself a favor and turn it directly over to us without looking inside if you happen upon it; your curiosity isn?t worth the risk to your life. It is The Scarlet Devil?s property, and Lady Scarlet doesn?t take kindly to her property being mishandled.?

?What about all the books from the Voile??

?Those are between you and Patchouli. So far, you haven?t had the misfortune of pilfering anything that belongs to the Mistress. I strongly recommend you keep it that way, or I won?t be making such a genial visit next time.?

Sakuya flicked her wrist through the air, and her Vanishing Everything spellcard was between her fingers.

?I?ll be in touch.?

The silver-haired Hunter vanished from sight, with a single playing card tumbling down from where she?d been holding the spellcard. Marisa stared up at her now-empty room in the darkness for a moment before heaving another yawn and dumping herself back into her bed, curling up under her comforter once more.

Thankfully, she was turned away from the cabinet that Sakuya had been contemplating using as a second blind, and didn?t notice the slight distortion in the air and the dancing shadows caused by Sakuya moving faster than the Lightshroud could allow.

Sakuya eased herself against the wall and deactivated the small dial, settling into a considerably more comfortable position leaning against the wall than sprawling out against the corner. She wasn?t planning on leaving immediately, in case Marisa had in fact taken the Dossiers and was going to go check on them after her departure.

It was a scant three minutes after Sakuya ?left? that Marisa?s breathing slowed down again and she properly fell asleep. Rather than wasting her Vanishing Everything card, as she?d pretended to earlier, she simply walked out of Marisa?s bedroom, not bothering with the Lightshroud. Perfection demanded she searched further yet for the Dossier?s before leaving, but again she turned up nothing.

Marisa hadn?t bothered to lock the front door once she?d come home, so Sakuya had no qualms about doing the same as she brazenly marched out.

The witch had mentioned the other witch ? the puppeteer, Alice. Perhaps she?d know something ? though, more likely, not. If Marisa didn?t have her fingers in the pot, there was no reason for Alice to be involved. The reverse wasn?t true, of course, since Marisa insisted on poking her nose anywhere magic was involved; for Alice to cut Marisa out of work involving her talents was odd, and merited looking into.

Unfortunately, Sakuya?s regular duties rarely carried her this deep into the Forest of Magic to begin with; she didn?t know the direct path to Alice?s house. Height equals sight, though; she?d be able to spot the clearing from the air. Hopefully.

It also meant that she?d be more visible to the nocturnal youkai. As such, she wasn?t too terribly surprised when she heard singing. The singer seemed to be interested in being heard, but keeping her distance. Sakuya wasn?t about to let some youkai announce her presence to the night, however, and changed direction, homing in towards the singing with all the subtlety of a gut-shot bull in a china shop.

?Wagh!? A tan- and purple-clad figure dove out of the way, focusing more on trying not to get tackled than singing. Sakuya glared down at her, piecing together what she knew about whom she was seeing. Clearly a youkai; humans didn?t have purple hair, or wings, and typically had a hard time flying. She seemed a bit familiar, but unfortunately, Sakuya?s job at the Mansion kept her from going out and mingling often with the other local residents. She could barely remember the name of the grocer she bought her produce from in the human village.

?You. You?re one of Cirno?s friends, aren?t you??

The bird youkai stopped flailing about and settled down before getting a good look at Sakuya. ?Uh, yeah. Who?re you? I?ve never seen you play with Cirno before.?

?Cirno works for me sometimes. What?s your name?? If this is who she thought it was, based off of what Cirno had told her in the past, this is the night-sparrow youkai, who happens to run a food stand. A slight shadow of a chance that she may know something about where Alice went, and better yet, may be able to lead her there.

?I?m Mystia, Mystia Lorelei. And you?re? Silver Moon?? Mystia tapped a finger to her chin as she tried to recall.

Silver Moon? Because of my hair, and name? ?If that?s what Cirno calls me, then yes, but my name is actually Sakuya. Tell me, Mystia? you run a teriyaki stand, right??

The bird youkai shook her head. ?Nuh-uh. Lamprey eels! They?re better for you, and can cure night-blindness.?

Another piece of what Cirno had told her clicked into place. ?Or they don?t, and you just cure the night-blindness yourself while they?re eating your lamprey. Am I right??

Mystia blinked in surprise, choking back a gasp. ?Uh. M-maybe. You wouldn?t happen to w-want any lamprey, w-would you??

Sakuya paused to consider. ?Well, I suppose you could make some for me. I want to ask you a few things, anyways??
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Hanged Hourai on November 24, 2010, 06:47:35 AM: Kyaa~ :*
Awesome story is awesome.
:3
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Iced Fairy on November 24, 2010, 05:11:20 PM: Heh. The more I think on it the more I like Marisa's totally unconcerned attitude.

And now Sakuya grills a bird.
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Esifex on November 26, 2010, 02:41:28 AM: Mini-update!
_{ITS SO TINY}

The short wait while Mystia cooked was worth the delay; the night-sparrow did in fact know who Alice is, and where she lived, and that Sakuya was going the completely wrong way. The lamprey was delectable, as well. She was considering glaring down at Mystia for trying to induce night-blindness in her so she wouldn?t have to pay, but the lamprey was easily worth some coin, and the information she?d gotten was worth a tip, anyways.

Sakuya discarded the small bone she?d been using as a toothpick as she landed in the clearing surrounding Alice?s house. Though Alice was a youkai, she still behaved like a human, and the darkened house at this hour would mean that she was asleep, or she was actually gone, as Marisa had said.

Something about the large clearing set off warning bells in Sakuya?s mind, and she hung back away from the house for a moment before deciding to contact Patchouli.

?Yes, Sakuya? What is it?? Patchouli?s voice was muffled, but still distinct enough to hear clearly.

?I need some information on the puppeteer. Do you know how she guards her house??

?Beyond typical magical warding, I?d assume her dolls and puppets stand guard. She has two different sets of dolls that are nearly sentient and have a limited form of free will, and they may organize a defense of the other dolls in Alice?s stead, if she?s asleep. Individually, I don?t believe her dolls carry much power on their own, but if she?s present, expect them to be a challenge. Otherwise, the dolls will only be a threat in large numbers.?

?How do you kill a doll?? Sakuya mused to herself.

?The dolls are made in the human image; damage to this image would be similar to damage to a human. Don?t be fooled by their small size, however, as they?re very nimble, and slashing their throats won?t be as easy as you?d think. Alternatively, if you can see the array that?s bound to the dolls, you could try disrupting it, and the doll will lose motivation. Each doll has its own array, and they are bound directly to the dolls. The arrays are made out of Alice?s puppeteer thread and infused with magic; however, just because they?re magical in nature doesn?t mean mundane means can?t destroy them. A quick cut with your knives should be enough to break the arrays.?

?I see. And here I thought I was asking a rhetorical question.?

?I?ve studied her magic many times, with and without her permission. It?s a condition for entering the Voile, as well; no magic comes in without my knowledge.?

?Handy, that is. Thanks.?

?Of course. Good luck.?

So, dolls and puppets, then? if they?re all the same size as the one Alice always has with her, this clearing could field an army.

Sakuya steeled herself and strode forward, towards the house.

She made it all the way to the front door without incident.

She also managed to circle the entire house without incident.

The only obstruction before her was all the doors, securely fastened and locked. Nothing stirred outside the house, nor within; through the windows, she could see the faint outlines of the dolls and puppets, arranged on shelves and mounted in frames and brackets.

She pulled a rack and pinion from her pack and set to work on the doors. It was but a minute of jimmying the lock before it finally released; clearly, Alice didn?t furnish her house from with locks from the smithy in the human village ? these were higher quality, but not without their weaknesses. The lever she?d used torqued slightly and she?d have to replace it before she could force another lock open.

Once she?d opened the door and peered inside, she noticed that all the outlines of dolls she?d spotted were immobile and in fact incomplete. Not a single completed doll stood sentry; all of the silent guardians were in phases of completion; a line of them were all missing an arm, and others had small bucklers but no weaponry or heads, and several appeared to be impaled on large needles, still strung with thread.

As Sakuya slipped into the house proper and began to take in her surroundings, she could only assume that Alice had in fact left the house untended without even a skeleton guard.

Unless they were still dormant, waiting for her to trip some kind of alarm. Perhaps Marisa had been allowed a key and was expected to maintain the house in her absence, and so only certain things would bring the guardian dolls out to play.

Mindful of her step and actions, she crept further into the house proper, when suddenly a small ting noise made her jump and whirl in place, daggers in each hand.

The ting sounded once more, and she was able to zero in on the source. A small glass dome over a doll with a plant wrapped around it, and the pedestal the two were sitting on was apparently a turntable. The way the vines had twined about the doll had lifted its arm, and it was brushing against the ovoid dome on each rotation. If the house hadn?t been so silent, she wouldn?t?ve heard it.

She relaxed and softened her stance, slipping the daggers back into their respective sheaths as she strode over to the dome. The label under it read ?Isolated Suzuran Doll?, and the blonde figurine was almost obscured by the plants? wild growth. Apparently, the magic that went into an infused doll was warping the suzuran plant into growing beyond its typical bell-flower shape.

Leaving the poisonous plant contained in the dome, where it continued to spin lazily on the rotating pedestal, Sakuya turned in place once more and began to take in her surroundings, burning the location of everything in the room into her mind before she began searching.

While the Dossier?s didn?t turn up, she did find something very interesting. Filed away in a small cabinet, among folders of correspondence and ledgers, was a small letter requesting Alice?s ?unique talents and skill-set for work of an indeterminate duration?. It wasn?t signed, though there was a crest on the bottom in place of a signature with a post-script offering full coverage of all expenses for any work performed while employed, including unrelated affairs. The date was only a week past.

Sakuya set it by itself on the desk and drew out the transport array she?d been provided. As she unraveled it, she brushed her hand over the rune tattooed on her back and alerted Patchouli.

?Hey. I?m sending you something. I need you to cross-reference the crest on the bottom, tell me who uses it. That?s my next destination.?

?Understood. Send it along.?

Sakuya triggered the array, and the letter vanished from the desk. As she began to wind the array weave back up, something felt different, and she glanced around the room.

In the study, the turntable continued to brush the contained doll?s arm against the glass dome at a steady rhythm. However, there was a faint, new sound; fabric rustling.

If Marisa were allowed over to keep the house cleaned and maintained, she wouldn?t be expected to use magic, despite being a witch. Either that, or Alice had attuned her guardians to Marisa?s particular type of magic. Marisa didn?t use teleportation magic.

Sakuya just did.

She crouched into a combat stance and focused, listening intently. The glass dome tinged. One more rustle of fabric on fabric, then something else; the faint hum of magic arrays arcing up.

Why fight dolls when I can just leave? she thought to herself. Rather than draw her daggers, she simply stood up straight and teleported clean out of the house.

Let the dolls inspect, find nothing, and return to their places. Sakuya had left nothing unturned, and put everything she?d touched back into its place. Even if the dolls left a sign of their activation, no one would find anything unusual.
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Sect on November 26, 2010, 10:42:04 AM: Sakuya is cheating on this sneaking mission: Snake never had the ability to freaking teleport.

That doll in the glass case... is Alice trying to replicate Medicine?
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Esifex on November 26, 2010, 06:56:58 PM: Quote from: Sect on November 26, 2010, 10:42:04 AM
That doll in the glass case... is Alice trying to replicate Medicine?

I actually got the idea for that from a doujin. I forget which one exactly, but yeah, Alice had a doll in a glass dome with a suzuran plant next to it, labeled just as it is here.
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Esifex on December 09, 2010, 06:12:40 AM: HA YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD SNEAK AWAY AND JOIN THOSE HOOLIGANS ON PAGE THREE
WELL TOO BAD MISTER

Sakuya decided to return to Mystia?s lamprey stand to while the time away as she waited for Patchouli?s reply. The night sparrow was no longer in her poofy beige and purple dress, but instead the typical garb of a cook, complete with an apron over her dress and a handkerchief holding her hair back.

There was another person at the stand, a man from the human village, nursing a small carafe of some kind of alcohol ? it didn?t smell of sake ? and slowly eating a lamprey skewer. He nodded in greetings towards Sakuya as she sat herself, but said nothing, turning his attention back to his late-night snack.

?Oh! Silver! Welcome back. Can I get you anything? Were you able to find Alice??

Sakuya winced at Mystia casually blabbering about her looking for Alice in front of someone she wasn?t familiar with, but the question was innocent enough and easy to dodge.

?No, she wasn?t home. Thanks for the directions, though. And, I?ll take a small skewer, if you don?t mind. Water to drink.?

The man next to her chuckled. ?Water? This late at night? C?mon, you can afford to drink a little. Would you like to try some spiced rum??

?No, I wouldn?t.? Sakuya glanced up and down at the man, cataloguing his appearance. Either he was already drunk, or was a newcomer to the village ? otherwise he would?ve recognized her or asked why he hadn?t seen her around before.

Rather than pushing the issue, the man simply shrugged off her refusal to partake in charitable drinking as Mystia set down the small tray with the smoked lamprey skewers on it.

Sakuya nodded her thanks to Mystia, eyeing her up and down. Wonder where she had room to change into that outfit. This stall doesn?t seem to be that big.

As Sakuya went to eat one of the skewers, the rune on her back began to grow warm. She blinked and stood up. ?Ah. Excuse me one moment. I?ll be right back.?

After she?d cleared the hanging drape and stepped a few yards away from the stall, she touched her hand to the rune through her tunic, triggering it.

?There we go. Sorry it took so long, but I found out who the crest belongs to.?

Sakuya shrugged to herself. Wasn?t really that long, but whatever. ?Go ahead.?

?It?s one of the crow tengu clans ? or would they be called flocks? ? official seals. I don?t know who exactly is in charge of the crow tengu right now, but this is one of the higher-caste seals? the sort you?d use to stamp on the wax sealing a letter shut, that your recipient would be expected to recognize.
?Additionally, before you ask, no, Alice never mentioned to me what the work was going to be about, either. It?s been a while since she?s visited the Voile ? longer still than Marisa has.
?Did you find my books while you were at the black-white?s house, by the way??

Sakuya blinked as she remembered the teleportation array she had. ?Found them, didn?t take them.?

?Hmm. Are they at least still in good condition??

?Patchouli, your tomes are all ancient to my eye. I couldn?t tell you if one was about to fall to tatters or if you?d just sealed the spine on it.?

There was a beat of silence. ?Good point. Very well, I suppose I could ply upon you to retrieve them on a later date.?

?When I?m not busy working for Remilia, of course.?

?Of course. Are you planning on visiting the tengu tonight, or will you be returning??

?There?s no time like the present. And I figure, as long as I?m not actively hostile towards the patrols, they may actually answer my questions about Alice?s work. Night-guards are typically bored enough to be amicable, right? At least, using Meiling as an example.?

?Meiling is friendly with passers-by because it fits the Mansion to be friendly, but imposing. With the caste system in place within tengu society, those guards are there not just to keep intruders out but to maintain order within, as a sort of political police force for the tengu overlords.?

?Point taken. Regardless, I?m going to the Youkai Mountain tonight. I?ll just have to be cautious as usual.?

?Good luck. Let us know if you need anything else.?

Sakuya looked at the skewer in her hand for a moment before glancing back at Mystia?s stall. After a slight hesitation, she voraciously worked at the eel, pulling as much of the meat off it without biting into any of the small bones as she could as she walked back to the drape.

She poked her head in through the half-curtain and gestured at the tray with her other two skewers on it, calling for the man?s attention. ?Hey. Those are up for grabs. Ask Mystia if she wants ?em or not, but I?m not gonna finish them. Enjoy.?

The man turned to consider the small tray, and while so distracted, Sakuya stepped back out and took to the skies.

Even though night had long since fallen, Youkai Mountain was still hard to miss; it?s large, imposing size blotted out many of the stars, as did the sister mountains on either side of it.
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Sect on December 09, 2010, 06:34:19 AM: You'll need to fix your italics code, starting when Patchy's asking about Sakuya seeing her books at Marisa's place. Also, you should put a line in between Patchouli's lines, if only to keep things consistent.
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Esifex on December 09, 2010, 06:40:04 AM: Quote from: Sect on December 09, 2010, 06:34:19 AM
Also, you should put a line in between Patchouli's lines, if only to keep things consistent.

That's a habit I've picked up from novels, though to be fair, the forums don't support indentation.
"Dialogue, you see, has to be surrounded by quotation marks. We're all familiar with this.
"But what happens when the same person is still talking, but takes on a different topic? Typically, you end the last line of their dialogue without closing the quotation marks, but open up the next paragraph with them anyways to assert that what is there is still being spoken.
"Since it was all Patchy talking, but hopping from subject to subject, I didn't feel like breaking it up further with more empty space than necessary, though if I find that it DOES end up a little harder to read like this, I'll go back and remedy it," Esi vomited words out at you.

Nice catch with the italics, though, thanks :D
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Esifex on January 04, 2011, 09:16:53 AM: Quote
Warning: this topic has not been posted in for at least 14 days.
Unless you're sure you want to reply, please consider starting a new topic.
NO U :V

_{This excerpt marks the start of some grimdark - if that's not your thing, you may want to just leave off and read something else. I will remind you, though, that this isn't just Sakuya - this is Hunter, the person she was BEFORE she became Remilia's head maid.}
Have some thematic music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVYEVYnuuME) for this scene.

Crags, bluffs, cliffs, and then on top of that, the plateaus, tunnels, and woods within the range itself? Plenty of hostile places that Alice wouldn?t be in, but then there?s still a massive area she could be. And there?s no guarantee she knows anything about the Dossiers.

Though she were a single person in the dead of the night, wearing dark, mottled clothing designed to break up her silhouette, Sakuya knew she wasn?t going to just slip right in. The wolf tengu patrols would be able to spot her, clear as day, coming in against a clear night-sky backdrop, and on top of that, if the wind blew just right, their sensitive sense of smell would tip them off that someone was where they weren?t supposed to be.

Sakuya felt a moment of envy towards the wolf youkai ? their heightened senses would be a godsend for someone doing her line of work. Though trained and sharpened as far as she could push her senses, she would still be floundering in the dark compared to the elite lupine guardians, and her hearing was nowhere near as reliable in silence ? especially since she was susceptible to tinnitus in near-silence.

Let?s see if we can?t start this with diplomacy instead of violence. Sakuya angled down, cruising at a lazy arc towards a gentle slope atop one of the small plateaus that surrounded the base of the largest mountain. If anyone saw her ? and she wasn?t willing to bet odds that she?d escaped noticed for so long ? they?d know exactly where she was going to land, and would see that she was landing on flat, open ground with no cover to hide behind.

Her feet had no sooner touched soil than she heard a piercing whistle. A single, sharp tone, barely a measure long, and it came from further up the incline. Sure enough, she?d been spotted.

If the wolf tengu had been carrying torches, they would have of course stood out like literal beacons against the darkness of the night, but then they?d also have ended up ruining Sakuya?s night-sight ? and their own, though the wolves were reputed to being able to shift from color to motion sight at-will. As it were, the pack of eight tengu that abruptly appeared around her seemed to melt out of the darkness, save for the one that had attracted Sakuya?s attention by whistling.

She opened her mouth to identify herself, but before she could speak, one of the tengu bristled. ?The Scarlet Devil?s right-hand!?

In almost perfect unity, each of the tengu snapped into a battle stance, brandishing the bucklers they had strapped to their forearms while drawing out blades.

So much for diplomacy. Sakuya dipped her fingers past her own sheaths, and drew out a pair of daggers.

The wolf that had whistled earlier, however, didn?t draw a blade, but rather a small curved tube of some kind. The three tengu nearest the unarmed wolf settled into a forward guard formation in front of her, blocking Sakuya from directly getting to her.

Their tactic confused Sakuya for the barest of moments, during which she cast about wildly for what that tube could?ve been, and why the wolf would?ve gone for that instead of her sword.

The bitch tilted her head up slightly and inhaled, and with that breath, it clicked. A bugle! Sakuya launched into the air, scrambling for clearance over the three defending wolves.

The element of surprise was the only thing that kept the bulwark wolves from rising up to block her attack; even though Sakuya was holding the dagger incorrectly for a proper throw, her familiarity with the short blades and many hours of practice sent the hurled knife precisely where she wanted it ? through the ivory horn that the female wolf was bringing to her lips.

As soon as the horn shattered, the three wolves had each assumed a phalanx formation and were bringing their blades up to meet Sakuya in the air. Rather than doing the polite thing and letting them impale her, Sakuya instead seized hold of her flight magic and used it to pull herself back to the ground.

With one hand now empty, Sakuya was more than capable of vaulting forward, drawing her remaining dagger around and across the back of the leg of the middle wolf, and snapping her legs out into a vicious kick to the two tengu on either side of the victim of her hamstring.

Her somersault ended up carrying her directly into the middle youkai, but because of her wild kick, Sakuya ended up straddling him as they went down in a tumble. In the brief moment that she was looking behind herself, she spotted the other four wolves much closer than she?d anticipated. They?re quick. Gotta be quicker.

Sakuya didn?t linger ? a single kick, better described as a wild flailing, from a human to a pair of youkai, wouldn?t be nearly enough to deal any lasting damage, or better yet, knock either one of them out. All she had was momentary disorientation to work with, and she had to make the most of that moment.

She wheeled about, using the grounded wolf tengu she was astride as a base to push off of, redirecting her momentum back upwards in an altered roll, and launched up at the staggered wolf to her right.

Before the tengu could re-orient herself, Sakuya lunged in close and smashed her fist as hard as she could against the wolf?s ear. The tengu let out a dog-like yelp and spasmed, releasing her sword and car-wheeling her arms wildly.

Sakuya snatched her buckler and used it as leverage, heaving back against the wolf?s fall and pulling her over the fallen tengu. Dazed from the shot to the ear, the wolf stumbled over the male wolf, kicking him back to the ground and tripping into the third wolf that had moved to defend the bugler. All three wolves collapsed in a tangle of limbs and bristling tails.

As Sakuya turned back to settle into a proper stance after her tengu-hammer throw, she shot a glance at the bugler to make sure the bitch wasn?t closing in on her as well. Instead, it seemed she?d backed away from Sakuya and was huddling down behind her shield, staring intently at the fight. Sakuya mentally noted her position and turned back to face the other four tengu as they continued to smoothly close the distance.

Eight to one. Three down. One disabled or dissuaded. Alarm horn silenced. Four combatants showing caution, but also indignation. Find a flaw in their technique, exploit it, don?t stop moving.

The two outermost tengu in the line slowed their pace half a step, allowing the pair in between them to come forward and brandish their swords in a dual strike, swinging downward.

Sakuya nearly turned sideways to slip in between them when she spotted the other two wolves turning, spinning outwards to bring their blades in to bisect the abnormally large blind spot left by the initial swing.

It was a beautiful technique, simple as it were ? getting even a single attack pattern to work for four swordsmen against a single target was tricky. The odds of striking your own ally went up for each additional swordsman present, and so precise teamwork was required.

Unfortunately for the wolves, it was a one-shot attack, and Sakuya was a veteran of danmaku duels ? she was conditioned to spot openings and check for fake safe-zones; it may as well have been a giant white X painted under a suspended rock, as obvious a trap it was to her trained eye.

The way the maneuver was coming together told Sakuya two things ? these tengu trusted each other, and didn?t expect to come up against anyone who could pick the flaws and weaknesses out of the attack while it was still in motion.

The center pair had dropped to one knee and was bowing their heads down, tucking their chins against their chests. Their blades had struck the ground as the outer pair?s swords were angling in ? from the trajectory they were turning, their blades would pass right by each other and turn in towards their allies, where they would be stopped by the upraised shields of the first two wolves, assuming they didn?t bury their blades in their targets.

The outer tengu were facing outwards in their spin ? the center tengu were kneeling as though they were genuflecting before Sakuya. Neither group had their eyes directly on her. This is almost unfair how well they?ve set this up for me.

At the speeds the blades were slicing through the air at, and how fast the thoughts shot through Sakuya?s mind, no one else would?ve been able to turn their attack against them. If their target had singled out all the little bits and pieces that made up the attack and could figure out how to exploit the weaknesses therein, they still wouldn?t have the reflexes necessary to engage a counter, and at that point the wolves would?ve split up and simply used their superior numbers and youkai strength to their advantage.

Then again, no one else had innate control over time and space.

To completely stop time, Sakuya would?ve needed her special fob watch as a focus. She didn?t need to stop time completely; simply slowing it down suited her purposes just fine.

As the coup-de-grace tengu?s turn slowed to a crawl, she leapt up and forward, launching herself directly into the attack. She?d be long gone by the time the blades got to where she was, though.

Once again using her flight magic to aid her combat prowess, she stopped herself in midair and paused for a moment, letting the ponderously slow blades arc into a better position before she made her move.

As undignified, as low-brow, as mind-bogglingly simple as a move a stomp is, it?s also very effective in the right circumstances.

Sakuya dashed forward and shoved herself downwards, driving the upraised shields of the decoy tengu back down, leaving them open to their own allies? attack. As they felt the shields drop from in front of them, each one looked up in surprised shock and disbelief as their partners? swords swung towards them.

Sakuya vaulted forwards, diving over the stunned and misfortunate, tucking into a flip as she came back down and released her stranglehold on time. She?d barely had time to hear the startled yelp before the graceful attack by the wolf tengu turned into a bloody mess.

One of the attacking wolves had barely managed to pull his attack, unable to stop completely but just enough to keep his sword from becoming lodged entirely in his ally. As he began to draw back, stifling a look of horror, Sakuya mercilessly flung her remaining dagger, and it struck him directly at the base of his skull. He noiselessly dropped, blade tumbling from his limp hand as his partners collapsed next to him.

Beyond the remaining attacker, Sakuya spotted the bugler. She was no longer settled into a battle stance, but kept her buckler held in front of her torso, and was watching Sakuya intently.

The final attacker, a bitch, was less fortunate in her attempts to liberate her blade ? while she was struggling to pull it free, Sakuya dashed up behind her, straightened her hands out into flat, open palms, and slapped as hard as she could over the bitch?s sensitive ears.

As it had the first time, the blow to the ears stunned and disoriented the wolf, who cringed and shuddered, nearly dropping to her knees. Sakuya plucked another knife from its sheath on her harness and effortlessly drew the blade across the bitch?s throat.

Eight on one. Four dead, four disabled, of which, one dissuaded. Eliminate three, interrogate one.

Rather than further horrify the last standing bitch, and potentially break the air of lethal mastery by clumsily stabbing and slashing at the three helpless foes, Sakuya decided to use one fell swoop to clear them all. With the third dagger still in her hand, she pushed the bleeding bitch away from her, letting her lifeblood continue to pour out as she expired in the grass.

She already had enough lifeblood for what she needed.

Blood as a medium. It didn?t matter whose blood it was, of course; the last time Sakuya had done this with her own blood, it left her weak and nearly dead. Luckily, Remilia had been there to secure her body and return her to the Scarlet Mansion.

Concluding magic. It wasn?t a spell of her creation; in fact, it was Mistress Remilia?s. She didn?t have the spellcard with her, though, but the technique was developed long before spellcards were. It would?ve been easier to conjure with the spellcard, but anyone who was even halfway familiar with danmaku would?ve sensed the spellcard aura in a half-mile radius. Doing it this way meant the spell was going to be lethal no matter where it hit, but then, she wasn?t intending to pull any punches to begin with.

Divine Lance ? Spear the Gungnir!

The dagger in her hand exploded in a wash of red light, elongating to take the shape of a featureless, nondescript shaft of blood-red. If Remilia had conjured it, or she?d used a spellcard for it, it would?ve been decorated with scrollwork, canard wings, and a more pronounced point. This?ll have to do.

The divine spear had little mass ? less so than even the dagger it had consumed upon etherealization. It didn?t need to be thrown like a material lance, either; it was a spell component, you simply willed it to go where you wanted it.

In a flash, the Gungnir cleared the distance ? short as it was ? and speared all three of the tengu Sakuya had attacked first, pinning them to each other and the ground beneath them. The bugler flinched as the lance flew, and stiffened for a moment before realizing she wasn?t impaled.

Sakuya closed the hand she?d held the Gungnir in, and the lance shredded itself and the tengu it?d impaled into non-existence. As gruesome as it looked, Sakuya knew they?d died the instant the spear had pierced them. Armed with this fact, she was able to remain impassive, and successfully maintained her air of lethal efficiency before the bugler.

The bitch stared hard at her, before finally dropping her arms to her sides. As the buckler swung away from the rest of her body, Sakuya spotted a glint of metal and immediately dropped into a proper combat stance, pinning the wolf tengu in place with a hard glare.

?Relax. You just took out seven healthy, rested, and well-trained wolf tengu after flying in from Misty Lake. What hope could a runt like me hope to do to you, no less with one of your daggers in my hand??

The bugler held her and up for Sakuya to inspect. Sure enough, the glint of metal she?d seen was her own dagger, impaled completely up to the hilt through the palm of the bitch?s hand.

?Good. You understand that you can?t hope to defeat me, which means you also understand that I don?t need to keep you alive, but rather that I want to.?

The wolf nodded, almost nonchalantly. ?And I can only imagine why. Tell me, after I answer your questions, are you going to kill me anyways??

Sakuya relaxed from her battle stance and shook her head. ?Nonsense. That would remove all incentive for you to answer me truthfully, and on top of that, why would I kill you? You didn?t attack me. Your compatriots did, and look what it got them.?

?Indeed.? In a simple, deliberate movement so as not to alarm Sakuya, the tengu grasped the handle of the dagger in her palm and yanked it out abruptly, barely failing to stifle a whimper. ?Will you be wanting this back, or shall I keep it as a souvenir of our little encounter??

?I?d like it back. I lost one with the spear I just used to remind you just why fighting me would be a bad idea. I don?t feel like continuing this night down two daggers.? Sakuya held her hand out expectantly, and the tengu obligingly handed the knife over, handle-first.

?If you?re wondering why a wolf isn?t trying to avenge her pack, let?s just say that being the runt of a litter that got scattered to the winds feels no loyalty to the pack that doesn?t even spare her the scraps of the leftovers, who constantly neglects to inform her of her duties, embarrasses her in front of the Lord overseers. Ask your questions of me; though you are not a wolf, you are clearly every bit the dog of the Scarlet Devil. Rather than the lapdog of the rumors, however, you are the bloodhound. I can feel kinship and respect to a bloodhound, even if I can?t feel outright loyalty to you.?

Vengeful. That was lucky. Lucky, or Remilia had Fated things to go her way tonight.

?I am honored, then, to be held in such regard.? Sakuya tipped her head in a miniature bow.

?I?m impressed. You can say that with a straight face.?

?I mean it. No sarcasm. Now then, I do have some questions for you, though. This pack recognized me ? I?ve never seen them before, and only passed by the mountain during the Flower Incident. That means that someone has posted a description and ordered the patrols to be on the lookout for me specifically. Why??

?I couldn?t tell you why, but I can tell you that?s true. The patrols were ordered to be on guard for anyone from the Misty Lake region. The Witch of Seven Days, the Small Devil, the Scarlet Devil, and the Devil?s Advocate were all posted with orders to repulse on sight, and sound an alarm. Looks like we failed both tasks.?

Sakuya frowned. ?Devil?s Advocate? Who?s that??

?The blond vampire with the seven-colored shards? We don?t know her proper position at the mansion.?

Small Devil? must be Koakuma. ?Very well then. Other newcomers to the mountains ? I?m looking for Alice Margatroid, the Witch of Seven Colors. She disappeared shortly before a file that belongs to the Scarlet Devil did, and she received a letter asking her to come here. Her presence, the guards being ordered to attack us, our missing file? that?s not a coincidence. If perhaps the regular patrols weren?t told what you?re guarding now, in addition to your normal duties, then maybe she knows. Where is she??

?She?s not on this mountain, though she is here in the range.? The wolf pointed to the side, indicating one of the smaller sister mountains to the primary peak of Youkai Mountain. ?There is a network of tunnels throughout the Kappa?s mountain ? unnatural ones. The Wolf Tengu refused to patrol them, and of course the Crow Tengu don?t like being underground or indoors for more than they need to be. If you?re going to fly there, at least do me the favor of not lifting off from right here ? you?d attract the other wolf guards, who would come and find me as the lone survivor. Questions would be asked, questions I can?t safely answer.?

?The wound in your hand won?t close up for a little while, even for a youkai. I?ll knock you out before I go ? they?ll see that you didn?t get to draw your blade, and the wound in your hand as well as the broken horn will tell them all they need to know. But, before that, do you have any idea why the Puppeteer is even here? I came here grasping at straws, but what you've told me and the reaction from this patrol group tells me I'm going in the right direction.?

The wolf glanced down at her wounded hand. If she were apprehensive at all about the threat of impending unconsciousness, she didn't show it. ?She was brought in to both guard those tunnels and for her... unique skills, from what I heard. Exactly what skills that means, I couldn't tell you.?

Sakuya looked over at the smaller mountain and nodded to herself. ?I see. Guess I'll just have to find out when I get there on my own, then. You've been a great help, and for that, as I promised, I leave your life in your hands.?

?But, of course, you'll be knocking me ou-?

The bitch didn't even grunt as Sakuya's shin smashed into her temple, knocking her out in one clean kick.

After only a moment to clean her daggers and sheath them, Sakuya lifted off the ground, prepared to flit over towards the Kappa's mountain. She paused for a moment and considered the helpful wolf tengu, debating on whether she should use one of the teleporting arrays on it to send her back to the Voile.

No. She said it herself, she doesn't feel explicit loyalty towards me for sparing her. Her place is here.

Sakuya took off, then, pushing through the air as quickly as she could without looking back.

If I timed this right, hopefully the music ended right as you finished :D
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Esifex on December 02, 2011, 05:07:22 AM: Let simmer for twelve months, then suddenly dump more ingredients in and see what happens to the whole mess
I should get my own title. LITERARY NECROMANCER

It didn?t take long for Sakuya to find a crevasse that slowly turned into one of the artificial tunnels. There was a simple wooden wall with a plain door set into it a handful of meters into the cave ? there were no guards, and the door wasn?t locked. It appeared to be only for keeping the weather from getting in to the unusually smooth tunnel.

The layout of the tunnel made her think of a mine. Spaced out evenly every fifteen meters were braces going up the walls on either side, starting from the floor, and meeting in the middle of the ceiling. Small lanterns burning with a faint yellow, though very clearly artificial light were hung on every other brace. She suspected they were magic-driven rather than electrical; she?d seen some of the light bulbs that the kappa had been making.

Marisa had tried to convince Sakuya to buy some so she wouldn?t have to use chandeliers and candles to light the Mansion for Remilia, but form must be kept ? Remilia preferred to have the flickering firelight, as it better suited her idea of a proper Vampire?s atmosphere. Flandre, of course, immediately fell in love with the lamp Sakuya had brought back to get their opinions, and had put it in her room.

It was likely broken now, if not from Flandre getting bored and using her power, than by the fact that Flandre had been developing a habit of chucking books across the room from her bed when she finished them, and was bound to knock the lamp over eventually.

Sakuya was reminiscing on light bulbs and lamps to pass the time as she moved through the dull, featureless tunnel, and almost completely missed the steel door on her left as she walked by it.

Instead of a doorknob, it had a small box with upraised numbers on it, and a green rectangle just above the numbers. As she knelt down to get a better look at it, she pressed on the communication rune.

Patchouli?s reply was almost immediate, but she sounded incredibly bored.

?Yes, Sakuya? Or should I call you Hunter, for the night??

Sakuya ignored the question. ?I?m inside the Kappa?s mountain, and I found a door with some? thing, instead of a doorknob. It?s got numbers on it ? I think it wants a cipher to open the door.?

?I didn?t think the Kappa would likely be found in a mountain. I thought they were more inclined towards water, like rivers. Have you tried the door regardless, to see if it?s not latched??

Sakuya rolled her eyes as she pushed on the door. It didn?t move. ?It?s latched. And I think this is more of a laboratory shelter mountain. It?s really just a small hill compared to the rest of the mountains here, if it makes any difference to you. Can you think of anything else to help me get through this door besides ?hope they didn?t close it all the way???

There was a brief pause as Patchouli considered. ?Unfortunately, no. I?m not familiar with Kappa technology so much, and if I were to research it, I?d need to know what it looked like before I could get anywhere. You couldn?t just teleport to the other side of it??

?Not safely. I prefer to be able to see where I?m going when I teleport, unless I feel like risking having rocks or a wall where some of my internal organs should be. This could just be an unusually secure broom closet only two or three feet deep ? if I tried to teleport into that, I?d like hurt myself, badly. Hmm. Is the teleportation array clear??

?Yes, why? Are you coming back??

Sakuya pressed one of the talismans that had the teleport weave inscribed on it across the seam where the door met the frame holding it into the wall.

?No. Stand back, though. Not sure what exactly is going to happen with this.?

?I hope you know what you?re doing. Random experiments with magic have a nasty habit of blowing up in your face.?

?Not in the slightest. But I am familiar with teleportation magic, so I?m pretty sure if anything is going to happen, it?s going to happen on your end.?

A note of alarm rang through Patchouli?s voice. ?Head Maid, what are you doing??

?Sending you the number pad. And part of the wall it?s attached to.?

Patchouli sighed, and then apparently turned away from her crystal ball to call to her assistant. ?Koakuma, get the broom and dustpan ready.?

The entire door vanished when Sakuya tripped the magical array, and Patchouli yelped. A loud crash could be heard through the link.

With the absence of the door, the hallway behind it was now connected to the one Sakuya was standing in. She could feel the air pushing past her ? not quite a breeze, but definitely moving at a decent speed. Just what I needed, something to carry my scent ahead of me.

She couldn?t see any light further down the tunnel, so she walked back the way she came a little and pulled one of the lanterns off its brace before starting on her trek.

?Patchouli, are you still there??

?Not for lack of effort on your part. You could?ve warned me how tall it was.?

?This Light Shroud that you?ve given me. Will it work if I?m holding a lantern inside its field of effect??

?No. It works by bending light, not by stopping it. It?ll be distorted, and no one will be able to tell what it is, but it?ll clearly mark where you are. You?re better off discarding the lantern than you are keeping it. Besides, I thought you were trying to be stealthy. Why are you carrying a lantern, and won?t it ruin your night-sight??

?It?s been ruined for a while. Been walking down a hallway lined with lamps, but this new one is pitch black.?

?Well, that?s good, then. Anyone hiding down it will be more sensitive to the light you?re carrying. If you were to splash it on them while activating the Light Shroud ??

?This is normal light, Patchouli. It?s not like the magic light you have in the Voile. It doesn?t ?splash? because it?s not a liquid.?

?? Oh. Right then. Well, still, you could throw it at someone. The resulting blind spot will give the Light Shroud enough time to work completely.?

Sakuya nodded to herself. Not a bad idea, honestly.

Koakuma could be heard through the link letting out a plaintive wail. ?Aaah, Patchouli, ma?am, I can?t dust up a big steel door! You shouldn?t have knocked it over if you can?t pick it up again!?

Patchouli?s sigh was cut off as the communication was terminated, and Sakuya grinned to herself slightly.
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Shrine of Chaos on December 13, 2011, 02:51:54 AM: Hmm, I can't wait to see what happens next. Teleporting a door... this story just gets better and better!
Title: Re: Sealed Fates - Chronicles of the Hunter
Post by: Esifex on December 20, 2011, 05:13:06 AM: MYSTERIOUS SPEARWOMAN HMM
WHO COULD IT BE HMM
You'll figure it out eventually

Sakuya was starting to regret carrying the lantern with her. As long as the tunnel was, her eyes would?ve adjusted to the gloom before she?d gotten to anything of note. As it was now, the small circle of pale light illuminated just enough of the corridor to show her what was five feet in front of her, and where she was to anyone else further down. The darkness pressed in on her tiny world of light almost claustrophobically.

She subconsciously stopped relying on her sight, instead straining her ears to listen as hard as she could, only using her eyes to make sure she didn?t trip over the uneven ground.

She almost missed the fact that she?d stepped out into a cavern instead of a hallway; the change in the sound of her footsteps echoing off the walls was what drove her to look up and realize that she?d reached the end of the tunnel. A faint luminescence could be seen throughout the cavern. She set the lantern down next to the tunnel entry and glanced around.

The ceiling arched away overhead, rising up roughly twenty to thirty feet. For the most part, the chamber was a flat surface, broken up by several short, but stocky stone pillars. Some type of glowing moss or algae was growing in thin strips in a regular pattern across the floor, and going up the pillars. Along the ceiling, the bioluminescent growth was thicker and more irregular, not as controlled.

On the far side of the chamber, more of the unnatural yellow light was shining faintly.

Sakuya took a step forward, to move towards the yellow light, when something came whistling through the air towards her. She jumped back reflexively, and a winged spear smashed into the ground a few steps further than where she?d been.

A warning shot.

A chain martingale on the butt of the spear gave a sharp twang as it snapped taut, then the entire spear was ripped out of the ground and back the way it came. Sakuya traced its path as it coasted through the air, and looked to see where it would land.

Atop one of the pillars, the faint outline of an outstretched arm was sticking up, waiting for the spear to return, and three glowing green dots below it, aimed in her direction. Sakuya nearly dove to the side to dodge a danmaku shot, but when the dots didn?t move, and instead rose up to take their place in the middle of the silhouette of the head in charge of the arm holding the spear, she knew it to be something?s eyes.

A voice called out to her. ?These Kappa night-sight spectacles are truly amazing. I almost wish I had the expertise to understand exactly what they?re capable of. Without them, I almost wouldn?t have seen you coming ? you?re very quiet, and that lantern didn?t do much against the rest of the background light in here.?

Night-sight? She can see in the dark? I thought all youkai could anyways? but that explains why the tunnel didn?t have any lights in it. Sakuya decided to try a bluff.

?Do you always attack the workers here, or am I just lucky today??

?Oh, please. You?re not a worker. The only worker allowed in this network has already been sealed in, and if you were going to relieve me of my post, you would?ve announced yourself coming in here. And I?d be the first one to know when the work here is done, because she?d come to me, first.?

?So that means that Alice is beyond you, then. Good to know.?

There was a muffled curse as the three glowing eyes looked down for a moment.

?Beyond me, yes. Don?t expect to be able to just slink past me, though.?

Sakuya grinned and drew a pair of daggers. ?I wasn?t counting on it.?

?Such confidence in the face of the unknown! To have that kind of courage; you must think yourself to be above and beyond, the best of the best!?

?I?m not the best. Everyone else is just worse than me.?

The figure scoffed, and hefted her spear. ?Confidence in excess is vanity, you know.?

Sakuya sank into a balance combat stance and began striding forward, taking the first step. ?Only if it?s without merit. Are you going to just stand and blather on at me all night, or will you hurry up and die??

The lancer hmmphed at Sakuya, then leapt forward off the pillar into a flying kick, spearhead leading the way. She wasn?t using flight magic, but being a youkai, she didn?t need it to get up to speed.

Sakuya spun to the side, getting ready to leap over the spear if it was brought around. The winged canards on either side of the spearhead would be just as deadly as the main point; though they appeared to have more of an aerodynamic function, to keep the spear flying straight if thrown, they?d still be just as deadly if the spear was spun and swung like a pike.

Rather than bring the spear to the side to try to catch Sakuya as she moved, the lancer dropped the point into the ground. There was a harsh screech as the blade gouged into the stone, and then she was using it to change the direction of her jump.

Sakuya barely dodged the hobnailed boot as it came sailing towards her head, and she lashed out with a dagger before diving away from the trailing spear. With the winged head, there was more to keep track of than just the point; the canards could hook onto her, strike from around a parry, or just distract her from the primary point of the blade.

As the guardswoman came back to the ground, sure enough, she cantered the spear in a wide arc and used the weight of the weapon to add momentum to her turn, bringing her back around to face Sakuya.

If it weren?t for the use of the weapon like a pole-vault, Sakuya would?ve immediately dashed in behind her to put herself inside the effect range of the spear, and brought her daggers to bear. Instead, she was still rising back to her feet by the time her opponent was facing her again, and nearly had to jump clear off the ground to dodge another thrust from the spear.

Great. The one person I meet who fights by themselves with a spear actually knows how to use the damn thing.

In a battlefield, the spear would be used in large numbers, to form a sort of barrier against cavalry and foot-soldier charges, and after the initial crush, used to push the enemy line back and hold them at bay while swordsman, one row behind the lancers, would dispatch anyone who?d gotten close enough to slip between the points of the spears. To try to use a spear defensively by itself was suicide; all it took was one parry to get past the point. From there, the fight tended to be measured in heartbeats, unless the lancer managed to drop the spear, back away, and draw another weapon in time.

This guardian seemed to have other ideas on how to fight by herself with a spear. From what Sakuya could see, she wasn?t carrying any other weapons, either; she almost considered returning the taunt about confidence, but decided that saving her breath was more important. Quipping one-liners could wait until she was the victor.

Sure enough, she pressed the attack, striding forward and jabbing repeatedly at Sakuya, spinning the shaft in her hands to keep the canards moving. She never extended a thrust any further than necessary; all that the spear needed was a few inches of forward thrust to wound. The mass of the weapon and the shape of the point would tear open any punctures the spear made, even if contact only lasted for a second. As such, Sakuya couldn?t rely on an over-extended thrust being shoved out of the way to give her an opening. Trying to push the spear aside regardless wouldn?t work, not with those canards. The solid grip the lancer had meant the spear wouldn?t track outwards very far, and that would only put her at just the right position to stab one of the wings into Sakuya?s kidneys, or to step back and pull the canards into Sakuya, using them to throw her off-balance.

For the scarcest of moments, Sakuya regretted not packing a proper sword. Her daggers were well kept, sturdy, and very much lethal, but the blades were only five inches long. She had a short saber sheathed across the small of her back, but she wouldn?t be able to draw it in the middle of her dance with this lancer. However, the moment passed, and she decided to work with the familiar comfort her daggers afforded her.

She was starting to see a pattern in how the lancer was attacking. Short, measured steps forwards, with the occasional step to either side. The way she was attacking with the spear, though clearly intending to gut Sakuya with every stab, was also designed to make her dodge in a predictable direction. Sakuya was being herded ? towards one of the pillars, where she?d attempt to dodge back away from the spear, find a wall behind her, and suddenly a spear could meet her innards more intimately than she?d like.

Spatial awareness was not a concept that was lost on Sakuya. Her own innate magic revolved a great deal around it; it was very hard indeed to work inside the Scarlet Devil Mansion without such a talent, especially considering that it was her own little touch that had warped the interior of the manse to be much larger on the inside than it was on the outside.

Appropriately enough, she could remember ? even sense, if she strained hard enough ? the layout of the chamber from what she?d seen when she first came in. She knew she had another six feet to go before she?d be run up against a pillar.

At five and a half, she twisted the air behind her with her magic, and feigned surprise and an impact with the stone.

The lancer leaned into the thrust this time, drawing back for the barest of moments to build up momentum coming forward.

Despite only apparently having six inches of space between her and the solid wall behind her, Sakuya still managed to have plenty of room to firmly plant her foot well behind herself and use it to push off, coming forward into the lancer?s attack with a turn. She curled herself around the canard, and hooked her dagger against it and threw it forward into the pillar.

The lancer, expecting solid resistance five inches closer than it was and a target more off balance than she evidently wasn?t, staggered forward, off balance herself and out of line. Sakuya lunged forward, presenting her trailing dagger forward, aiming for the side of her opponent?s neck.

In a display of skill and speed that even Sakuya had to approve of, the lancer managed to twist around so she fell away from the dagger. By turning her head and shrugging, she kept her carotid artery away from the lethal edge of Sakuya?s weapon. Instead, one of her swooped ears poked free of the strap holding the night-sight glasses to her face, and was instead nicked.

Long ears. Clearly a youkai ? not like a human could?ve made that first flying kick to begin with. A tengu of some sort, or a mercenary? Might be a weaker youkai, or else she would?ve used the shaft of the spear as a bludgeon by this point. Regardless, she?ll have endurance. I?d wound her to exhaustion before I could chase her there.

The thought shot through her head before she completely cleared the tumbling lancer, and she brought her leading dagger forward. There wasn?t enough time or space ? ironic, considering Sakuya?s innate magic, but at such close quarters she wouldn?t be able to initiate any spells before the advantage was lost ? to properly turn the point of the dagger for a stab, so she had to settle for another slash. The blade sliced through a thick leather tunic ? or several layers of cloth, Sakuya couldn?t tell nor did she care ? before striking flesh. A hiss of pain rewarded Sakuya for her efforts.

Just two cuts in two minutes. I?m losing my touch.

She spun around, digging her heels in to stop her forward momentum. She flicked her wrist, flipping her lead dagger around to hold it by the point. Bringing it up, she made ready to throw it, but the lancer had turned her stumble into a full roll, leaving the spear to drop to the ground for the time being.

Even as she came back up to her feet, she snatched up the martingale in her hands and whirled it through the air like a ribbon-dancer, quickly and gracefully pulling the slack out of it and yanking the lance back into her hands.

Impressive.

Sakuya took two measured hops away from the lancer, back towards the tunnel she?d come from.

?So, tell me. Are you a tengu? You?re not flying about like one of the crows, though I imagine they wouldn?t like being underground nonetheless. You don?t look like one of the wolf tengu, either. I seem to recall there are more types of tengu, but I just don?t know them all.?

The lancer scoffed. ?No. And what about you ? which one of the Scarlets are you? You don?t have the blinding speed of one of the vampires, and the image of the Cruxis Lance isn?t causing you any clear discomfort, nor are the holy wards in the chamber doing anything to you.?

Cruxis Lance? What? Sakuya looked at the spear. After a moment, she blinked, and stopped seeing it for a weapon and more for a geometric shape.

She laughed. ?What? You mean a cross? Oh, please, no. No, I made that same mistake once, long ago. The Scarlet?s aren?t susceptible to ninety-degree angles. In fact, Flandre has a few very elegant crosses decorating her room. If you must know, you can call me the Scarlet Bloodhound.?

The lancer shook her head, glowing eyes tracing imprints in Sakuya?s vision. "That?s not a name, that?s a title. If I am to defeat you, I?d rather you were remembered by your name. If you are to defeat me, I?d rather have the honor of knowing my conqueror.?

?How noble of you. I?ll tell you my name if you tell me yours.?

Again, the lancer shook her head. ?Now, I?m nothing but a sell-sword. I used to be a noble sentry, a guard worthy of my weapon. The world doesn?t care who I am anymore, and it hasn?t for a long time.?

?Well then, Guardswoman, you will know me as the Scarlet Bloodhound, or as Hunter, but you will not know my name. My name was given to me as a mark of honor; I won?t just hand it out to an aggressor.?

?A mark of honor? How lucky you must be, then, to be granted an identity so you can be recognized for your deeds.? The spear snapped back into her hands, and she came gliding forward again, spearhead tracing tight circles through the air. ?I shall see to earning an identity again, to reclaim my post as noble sentry.?