Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - Apathy
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxAmlmVvQ4
Terra clasped her hands together on her lap, still looking at the floor. "Um... how should I explain this... Their leader said that he would let us go if I could defeat him in battle. He called me out specifically, saying I had 'great power' or whatever... then he somehow was able to... change his appearance so that he looked like me, and he also had my powers, it would seem. Most likely that was his goal, to take out the person he believed to be the most useful and copy their abilities."
Once more, a sigh escaped Terra's mouth. "As for why I fought at all... Well, that should be obvious. I wanted to help these people out. From what I can tell, they're just regular people, and regular people don't deserve to die." Terra paused and looked up at the man called Phenom, wondering if she sounded like she was glorifying herself. "I mean... if I did nothing, everyone would have died anyway, right? I-I thought it would be good to try and help..."
Eternal Galaxy: Phoenix - Intermission
07/14/2015, 03:59 AM #251
07/14/2015, 04:39 AM #252
Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=FzXuyzrMxow&s=2686&e=2831#The_Legend_of_Dragoon_-_Complete_OST
"Someone who can copy abilities..." He pondered what might have happened had this character stolen his own abilities. That would be problematic. The only person who's ever really been able to keep up with Phenom without matching speed was Quigann... and he killed Quigann 6 "years" ago.
"Right... so then he copied your abilities and sicced his men on you... You said you weren't from around here... Where are you from? Where is your family?"
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=FzXuyzrMxow&s=2686&e=2831#The_Legend_of_Dragoon_-_Complete_OST
"Someone who can copy abilities..." He pondered what might have happened had this character stolen his own abilities. That would be problematic. The only person who's ever really been able to keep up with Phenom without matching speed was Quigann... and he killed Quigann 6 "years" ago.
"Right... so then he copied your abilities and sicced his men on you... You said you weren't from around here... Where are you from? Where is your family?"
Sometimes I feel like the only normal person here
"My Threshing has been Extra Princely Fresh"
"My Threshing has been Extra Princely Fresh"
Hazmer Baybee
07/14/2015, 04:57 AM #253
Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - Apathy
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxAmlmVvQ4
These next questions were a bit tougher. Terra hadn't really explained that she was from an entirely different planet to anyone besides the doctor who she first met here because she didn't know whether it would cause some kind of uproar. For all she knew, if word got out that an alien girl suddenly showed up in a field, who knew what might happen.
Then, Terra remembered. This man had said he was from... Heaven? That certainly wasn't normal. A realization hit Terra. Had he told anyone else he was an Angel from Heaven, or was this some type of secret? Either way, he clearly wasn't from around here either. She felt as though she could tell him where she was from.
She didn't want to talk about her family, though.
"I'm not from this planet," Terra stated. "I'm from this town called Neri. I don't know if you've ever heard of it. Anyway, I was visiting a nearby town to get a book and this... rift opened in the plaza, and these odd, parasite-like monsters poured out. I tried fighting them off, but I fell through... and now here I am." Terra did not mention her family. She didn't live with them, so they weren't important to Phenom's questioning. Terra hoped that she could get away with this, at least for a little while. She nervously tugged on her long sleeves which, even now, bunched up over her hands.
BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - Apathy
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxAmlmVvQ4
These next questions were a bit tougher. Terra hadn't really explained that she was from an entirely different planet to anyone besides the doctor who she first met here because she didn't know whether it would cause some kind of uproar. For all she knew, if word got out that an alien girl suddenly showed up in a field, who knew what might happen.
Then, Terra remembered. This man had said he was from... Heaven? That certainly wasn't normal. A realization hit Terra. Had he told anyone else he was an Angel from Heaven, or was this some type of secret? Either way, he clearly wasn't from around here either. She felt as though she could tell him where she was from.
She didn't want to talk about her family, though.
"I'm not from this planet," Terra stated. "I'm from this town called Neri. I don't know if you've ever heard of it. Anyway, I was visiting a nearby town to get a book and this... rift opened in the plaza, and these odd, parasite-like monsters poured out. I tried fighting them off, but I fell through... and now here I am." Terra did not mention her family. She didn't live with them, so they weren't important to Phenom's questioning. Terra hoped that she could get away with this, at least for a little while. She nervously tugged on her long sleeves which, even now, bunched up over her hands.
07/14/2015, 05:41 AM #254
Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=FzXuyzrMxow&s=2686&e=2831#The_Legend_of_Dragoon_-_Complete_OST
Phenom was not surprised in the least when he heard that Terra came from another planet, and it was clear that she was avoiding the topic of her family, so he opted not to pry. However, there was one thing in particular that sparked his interest.
"Parasites?" He said to himself, "Nihiliods... perhaps... But you're not from this planet. Same as us... hmm...." He looked out the window at the hills. It was barely the afternoon and work had already become so complicated for the day. He sighed and turned to Terra, opening his mouth before...
"PHEEEEEEEEEEEENOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"
Phenom recoiled in pain as a loud, angry shriek echoed in his earpiece. The scream was so loud, there was no doubt that Terra would easily hear it. It was Lachesis. Obviously angry that Phenom had left her in his bed, alone, without so much as saying something or waking her up.
"JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE PHENOM? HOW COULD YOU LEAVE YOUR BEST FRIEND ALL ALONE IN HER SLEEP WITHOUT SAYING SO MUCH AS "GOOD MORNING" OR "I HAVE TO GO, BE BACK SOON". WHY I'VE GOT HALF A MIND TO- "
Phenom reached his fingers up to his ear and pressed a button on it, muting the earpiece.
"Apologies... my partner can be... eccentric..." Phenom apologized, sounding a little annoyed. But who could blame him? He had just nearly had his ears blown out by the wailing of a banshee. "Anyway... back to the matter at hand. I'm going to remain here for the night, just in case. If you need anything, just talk to me. Unless you have questions for me, you're free to go."
Last edited by Kilelicus; 07/15/2015, 02:40 AM. BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=FzXuyzrMxow&s=2686&e=2831#The_Legend_of_Dragoon_-_Complete_OST
Phenom was not surprised in the least when he heard that Terra came from another planet, and it was clear that she was avoiding the topic of her family, so he opted not to pry. However, there was one thing in particular that sparked his interest.
"Parasites?" He said to himself, "Nihiliods... perhaps... But you're not from this planet. Same as us... hmm...." He looked out the window at the hills. It was barely the afternoon and work had already become so complicated for the day. He sighed and turned to Terra, opening his mouth before...
"PHEEEEEEEEEEEENOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"
Phenom recoiled in pain as a loud, angry shriek echoed in his earpiece. The scream was so loud, there was no doubt that Terra would easily hear it. It was Lachesis. Obviously angry that Phenom had left her in his bed, alone, without so much as saying something or waking her up.
"JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE PHENOM? HOW COULD YOU LEAVE YOUR BEST FRIEND ALL ALONE IN HER SLEEP WITHOUT SAYING SO MUCH AS "GOOD MORNING" OR "I HAVE TO GO, BE BACK SOON". WHY I'VE GOT HALF A MIND TO- "
Phenom reached his fingers up to his ear and pressed a button on it, muting the earpiece.
"Apologies... my partner can be... eccentric..." Phenom apologized, sounding a little annoyed. But who could blame him? He had just nearly had his ears blown out by the wailing of a banshee. "Anyway... back to the matter at hand. I'm going to remain here for the night, just in case. If you need anything, just talk to me. Unless you have questions for me, you're free to go."
Sometimes I feel like the only normal person here
"My Threshing has been Extra Princely Fresh"
"My Threshing has been Extra Princely Fresh"
Hazmer Baybee
07/15/2015, 12:49 AM #255
Chapter V
Boundary planets were once heavily militarized bases to deter invasion. Due to neglect by the Venturian Republic, they fell to anarchy. No one dared to reclaim the lawless planets, for most of the Inner rim saw them as Devolved. Because of that view, they were labeled as being worthless and were unofficially quarantined by society.
- Social distribution in Venturia, published in RY 109,115
Foreign Colony - H-BP04
This was now the second time Ignis was in the atmosphere of this desert planet at the edge of Helios. Before she had the sense to come in low and slow in her freighter. This time, however, she was in an Interceptor fighter. Low and fast was the only option she had. The sand kicked up from the air pushed past the wings spiraled in graceful arcs as she rolled the craft over the dunes, keeping ten meters between her and ground at all times. I must be fricten insane. Im not like Lotus or any of the others when it comes to flying and here I am thinking I can outrun them. The wrap-around view in the HUD showed that two other interceptors were on her tail, and one of them had a lotus flower marking. A twist of the left control stick activated the boosters, accelerating her fighter to sub-hypersonic speeds. The G-Force Dampeners worked overtime to counteract the rapid acceleration. If I pass over the colony at these speeds Ill be breaking a few windows, but Im not going to let them catch me. She called up to the center of her HUD a special image magnification feature unique to Interceptors. It showed the colony that was 600 klicks away as if it was only a few meters and not rapidly approaching. Most pilots used this to pinpoint a weakness to attack; Ignis used it to find a means to escape. All I need is a tall tower to jump onto. Then I would slow down enough to make Lotus overshoot, slam on full reverse thrusters, activate autopilot, jump out, and watch them chase the empty fighter. She felt that her plan could work as long as she timed everything right. That much wasnt overly worrisome for her since she was the daughter of a Master of Time. Chronal perception comes standard for us. This should be a bekaca. Piece of cake.
Lotus was silently cursing to the goddess. Ignis was proving to actually be a competent Interceptor pilot. And here I thought she hated flying. The way Ignis was controlling her fighter reminded her of times flying against Aion during the War of Eternity in their Interceptor Duels. Shevic, the Bucki fruit doesnt fall far from the tree at all. We wont catch her in a straight run. We need Joe here to cut her off now.
Spear, flying on Lotuss right wing, grinned mischievously. And I thought you said this was supposed to be easy.
Shacir. I didnt say that.
Ok. You implied it. A low growl answered him which simply provoked the smile on his face to grow. Well, ETA to the colony is 5 minutes. Lots of time. Besides, shell slow down, less she plans on waking the dead by flying at one-point-eight kay-emm per sec at the deck.
Or making the living deaf. A third voice came in over the comms. Im coming in like a Barcrat in heat. Guessing the one Im seeing on sensors thats in the lead is Ignita, right?
Affirm, Joe. Spear responded. Just need to spook her enough so that Lotita can disable her fighter.
Roger that. Ill make sure to make my move after she flies over the colony so that she doesnt slam into-
Frict, shes making her move. Lotus slammed the right control stick down and back, causing her fighter to roll left and pitch into a high arc, narrowly avoiding Ignis as she went into rapid deceleration. Spear had done the same, except towards the right. In a minute well be over the colony. This is where shell do something brash, Im sure of it. She brought her fighter around, using the crafts RCSs to perform a sharper turn to bring her onto Igniss tail. Unfortunately, Ignis was one step ahead and had cut into her turn to go back towards the colony. She predicted Igniss turn around one of the colonys taller buildings and turned tighter to meet her once she made her way around it. Spear had opted to fly over the building to try and keep her from pulling up. Igniss craft made a snap-roll in the opposite direction and accelerated away from the colony. Lotus saw an opportunity and lobbed off a burst in the hope of hitting the engines of the Interceptor. The fighter made a quick slide to evade the shots, but Joe dove in from above, forcing it to pull up to evade him. Spear fired a burst to spook it to the left and Lotus landed the final blow as it ascended. Without power to the main engine, the craft gentle rose a few meters more before falling to the open desert bellow.
That got her. Now lets get down there before she tries anything more. Joe said as he quickly brought his fighter down alongside Lotus and Spear. All of them vaulted out of their ships and ran over to the downed Interceptor only to find the cockpit empty. Oh, Frict.
Spear had a look of disbelief plastered on his face Were we chasing a decoy this whole time? Lotus simply shook her head, equally bewildered.
No. Autopilot cant pull off those kinds of maneuvers. Plus theres no on-board AI on that craft. She was on it just before we took it down. But when did she jump ship? Lotus turned to the other two pilots. Did anyone see her bail? Both shook their heads no. She watched Joe glance to the colony as if it would provide an answer.
Wait, that tall building, there He pointed to the one that Ignis had flown past. She flew awfully close to that one. Lotus and Spear looked to the building, then each other, then to Joe, realization dawning on their faces at the same time. They then spoke it aloud in unison. She bailed onto the building face.
***
That was too close. Ignis thought as she dropped to the streets of the colony, Aura Barrier flickering as it absorbed part of the shock of the impact. If I had jumped any later I would have been seen, or worse, injured. She looked both ways down the alley she was in. At least no one was here to see me here, too. With that thought, she pulled her scarf and hood up and then put on her red goggles and made her way into the more crowded streets in the hope to slip into a group of people and, thus, vanish. Ill need to work on finding that lady in charge again. Frict, what was her name? Igniss train of thought was quickly interrupted by a fact that quickly dawned on her: The street that she thought was full of people was actually very empty. Huh? Where did everyone go? At that moment, something told her to look towards the visible horizon. Oh, Shevic. Looming in the distance was the unmistakable silhouette of a sandstorm. A man, who she assumed was seeking shelter, ran past her. It wasnt until she noticed a woman in pursuit did she realize that wasnt the case. I guess Im not the only person running from someone.
Boundary planets were once heavily militarized bases to deter invasion. Due to neglect by the Venturian Republic, they fell to anarchy. No one dared to reclaim the lawless planets, for most of the Inner rim saw them as Devolved. Because of that view, they were labeled as being worthless and were unofficially quarantined by society.
- Social distribution in Venturia, published in RY 109,115
Foreign Colony - H-BP04
This was now the second time Ignis was in the atmosphere of this desert planet at the edge of Helios. Before she had the sense to come in low and slow in her freighter. This time, however, she was in an Interceptor fighter. Low and fast was the only option she had. The sand kicked up from the air pushed past the wings spiraled in graceful arcs as she rolled the craft over the dunes, keeping ten meters between her and ground at all times. I must be fricten insane. Im not like Lotus or any of the others when it comes to flying and here I am thinking I can outrun them. The wrap-around view in the HUD showed that two other interceptors were on her tail, and one of them had a lotus flower marking. A twist of the left control stick activated the boosters, accelerating her fighter to sub-hypersonic speeds. The G-Force Dampeners worked overtime to counteract the rapid acceleration. If I pass over the colony at these speeds Ill be breaking a few windows, but Im not going to let them catch me. She called up to the center of her HUD a special image magnification feature unique to Interceptors. It showed the colony that was 600 klicks away as if it was only a few meters and not rapidly approaching. Most pilots used this to pinpoint a weakness to attack; Ignis used it to find a means to escape. All I need is a tall tower to jump onto. Then I would slow down enough to make Lotus overshoot, slam on full reverse thrusters, activate autopilot, jump out, and watch them chase the empty fighter. She felt that her plan could work as long as she timed everything right. That much wasnt overly worrisome for her since she was the daughter of a Master of Time. Chronal perception comes standard for us. This should be a bekaca. Piece of cake.
Lotus was silently cursing to the goddess. Ignis was proving to actually be a competent Interceptor pilot. And here I thought she hated flying. The way Ignis was controlling her fighter reminded her of times flying against Aion during the War of Eternity in their Interceptor Duels. Shevic, the Bucki fruit doesnt fall far from the tree at all. We wont catch her in a straight run. We need Joe here to cut her off now.
Spear, flying on Lotuss right wing, grinned mischievously. And I thought you said this was supposed to be easy.
Shacir. I didnt say that.
Ok. You implied it. A low growl answered him which simply provoked the smile on his face to grow. Well, ETA to the colony is 5 minutes. Lots of time. Besides, shell slow down, less she plans on waking the dead by flying at one-point-eight kay-emm per sec at the deck.
Or making the living deaf. A third voice came in over the comms. Im coming in like a Barcrat in heat. Guessing the one Im seeing on sensors thats in the lead is Ignita, right?
Affirm, Joe. Spear responded. Just need to spook her enough so that Lotita can disable her fighter.
Roger that. Ill make sure to make my move after she flies over the colony so that she doesnt slam into-
Frict, shes making her move. Lotus slammed the right control stick down and back, causing her fighter to roll left and pitch into a high arc, narrowly avoiding Ignis as she went into rapid deceleration. Spear had done the same, except towards the right. In a minute well be over the colony. This is where shell do something brash, Im sure of it. She brought her fighter around, using the crafts RCSs to perform a sharper turn to bring her onto Igniss tail. Unfortunately, Ignis was one step ahead and had cut into her turn to go back towards the colony. She predicted Igniss turn around one of the colonys taller buildings and turned tighter to meet her once she made her way around it. Spear had opted to fly over the building to try and keep her from pulling up. Igniss craft made a snap-roll in the opposite direction and accelerated away from the colony. Lotus saw an opportunity and lobbed off a burst in the hope of hitting the engines of the Interceptor. The fighter made a quick slide to evade the shots, but Joe dove in from above, forcing it to pull up to evade him. Spear fired a burst to spook it to the left and Lotus landed the final blow as it ascended. Without power to the main engine, the craft gentle rose a few meters more before falling to the open desert bellow.
That got her. Now lets get down there before she tries anything more. Joe said as he quickly brought his fighter down alongside Lotus and Spear. All of them vaulted out of their ships and ran over to the downed Interceptor only to find the cockpit empty. Oh, Frict.
Spear had a look of disbelief plastered on his face Were we chasing a decoy this whole time? Lotus simply shook her head, equally bewildered.
No. Autopilot cant pull off those kinds of maneuvers. Plus theres no on-board AI on that craft. She was on it just before we took it down. But when did she jump ship? Lotus turned to the other two pilots. Did anyone see her bail? Both shook their heads no. She watched Joe glance to the colony as if it would provide an answer.
Wait, that tall building, there He pointed to the one that Ignis had flown past. She flew awfully close to that one. Lotus and Spear looked to the building, then each other, then to Joe, realization dawning on their faces at the same time. They then spoke it aloud in unison. She bailed onto the building face.
***
That was too close. Ignis thought as she dropped to the streets of the colony, Aura Barrier flickering as it absorbed part of the shock of the impact. If I had jumped any later I would have been seen, or worse, injured. She looked both ways down the alley she was in. At least no one was here to see me here, too. With that thought, she pulled her scarf and hood up and then put on her red goggles and made her way into the more crowded streets in the hope to slip into a group of people and, thus, vanish. Ill need to work on finding that lady in charge again. Frict, what was her name? Igniss train of thought was quickly interrupted by a fact that quickly dawned on her: The street that she thought was full of people was actually very empty. Huh? Where did everyone go? At that moment, something told her to look towards the visible horizon. Oh, Shevic. Looming in the distance was the unmistakable silhouette of a sandstorm. A man, who she assumed was seeking shelter, ran past her. It wasnt until she noticed a woman in pursuit did she realize that wasnt the case. I guess Im not the only person running from someone.
07/15/2015, 01:04 AM #256
Duon
"Let's see here..." Mima, after the others had left, was alone. Truly and utterly alone, settled out near the edge of the spaceport, rifling through a dimensional portal into looking for... something.
"Ah, there you are." Mima adjusted the portal's dimensions, and pulled out a quite large trunk, larger than herself, moving it into an easy to view position. She opened the lid, looking inside. Untouched for many, many years, just as she left it, filled with all kinds of strange knick-knacks, pieces of clothing, hats, accessories, all kinds of things across a wide spectrum of shapes, sizes and colors.
She shook her head a little. "But the energy required..."
A lightbulb went off in her head, and she turned, looking back through the portal, moving aside various things until she found what she wa looking for. It was a rock. To Mima, it looked a little like a keystone. She could feel the raw energy it eminated back when she first moved the thing. She didn't exactly remember what it was originally intended for, but it was perfect for a energy pool to draw from. She took her crescent staff and put it between the points, floating gently up and down between them, before the points extended, grasping the keystone. Mima held onto her staff more tightly, feeling the energy from the keystone racing through it and into herself.
She had never used this much energy before. It was dangerous, but for a spell of this caliber, it was needed. Her hands were a little shaky, but she pointed the staff at the chest, arcane runes glowing orange and flowing throughout the crescent and soon the entire staff.
Mima whispered a series of ancient, foreign and arcane words, repeating them over and over, louder and louder, reverberations setting in her voice. A storm was gathering above, overcast setting the scene as the heavy pitter-patter of rain came down.
Energy engulfed both the box and Mima, a pillar of energy stretching from the aky to them. Mima could feel everything, the entire weight of Gensokyo upon her back.
"Let us start this, let us end this. Let the stars align, the planets themselves move into place as they have eons ago in that more selfish time. Return this illusion. Return this fleeting dream. Return it, restore them all. Even if it costs me my own. Heed my selfish wish, or by the gods, I will crush this reality like a goddamn piece of paper." Mima struggled to breathe, her staff and her own body struggling to contain this energy.
"MAKE IT SO!" Mima plunged the staff into the ground, an explosion of light engulfing the surrounding area for several miles around before everything went black for her.
Mima's head HURT. That was the first sensation she felt. She must've collapsed from the spell. She felt... covers? She opened her eyes, to be greeted with a wooden roof. Something she hadn't seen in a while. She rose, looking around at her surroundings, her eyes widening, jaw slightly slack. It was the interior of a shrine. She knew this interior. It had the same layout as before, though the door was seemingly missing. She floated up, and realized her clothes were gone. She quickly grabbed the blanket she had been covered with and wrapped her upper half with it, peeking outside. The view was quite different. A forest surrounded the shrine, a dirt path leading to it, with the great red arch standing tall.
She looked up, with the same view of Duon from before greeting her. A smile reached her face.
"It worked, you know." came a voice from behind her. She turned to see Reimu Hakurei, in the flesh, wearing her signature miko outfit. She came up and shook Mima's hand, before pulling into a hug.
Mima shed a tear. It worked, everything. "I'd never thought I would be genuinely happy to see you."
Reimu released from the hug, tapping Mima on her bare head with her gohei. "Don't push. You may have saved everyone, but don't insult the shrine maiden, please."
Mima nodded. "What... happened, exactly? How long was I out?"
"A couple days, for that second question." Reimu said, sitting on the edge of the shrine. "For that first one, it's a long one."
Reimu breathed in. "Well, we all sorta just... appeared. Regrouped at the big fancy spaceport, Yukari explained what happened to those who didn't get the memo. Then, we found you. You were in bad shape when we found you, spiritual energy and ectoplasm leaking everywhere. So, we fixed you up. Yukari, Suwako, and a few others terraformed most of the land around here, made it like the old Genso. Everyone helped rebuilding the big important buildings and places. The shrines, SDM, the Underground, everything. Kappa took the spaceport though, they like their supposed 'science' or whatever."
"And what's happening now?" Mima asked.
"Still rebuilding. Shrine's quite fresh, some of the other gods helped us plant and grow all these trees overnight. Human Village is still being built." Reimu replied.
"It's still so different though..." Mima just looked on as she listened closely.
"Well, yeah. Can't get rid of the other big planet sittin' pretty above us, but otherwise, we're on our own. Animals have started to come here too, a lot of the extinct ones from Earth. Guess Gensokyo keeps it's charm, I suppose."
Reimu turned to Mima, looking her in the eyes. "You're considered a savior, you know. To everyone."
"Can't have that, i'm an evil spirit, you know. Savior and evil don't mix." Mima replied, to recieve a chuckle from Reimu.
"No one said you had a choice on what others think of you. You saved us all, brought Gensokyo back from the brink. Almost ended yourself, too."
Reimu put a hand on Mima's blanket covered shoulder. "Just... relax, you know. You probably deserve it."
Mima smiled. "You don't know the half of it, Hakurei miko." She looked out, to the different, yet familiar mountains and valleys that could be seen in the distance. "But maybe, someday, i'll figure how to tell the other half."
"Let's see here..." Mima, after the others had left, was alone. Truly and utterly alone, settled out near the edge of the spaceport, rifling through a dimensional portal into looking for... something.
"Ah, there you are." Mima adjusted the portal's dimensions, and pulled out a quite large trunk, larger than herself, moving it into an easy to view position. She opened the lid, looking inside. Untouched for many, many years, just as she left it, filled with all kinds of strange knick-knacks, pieces of clothing, hats, accessories, all kinds of things across a wide spectrum of shapes, sizes and colors.
She shook her head a little. "But the energy required..."
A lightbulb went off in her head, and she turned, looking back through the portal, moving aside various things until she found what she wa looking for. It was a rock. To Mima, it looked a little like a keystone. She could feel the raw energy it eminated back when she first moved the thing. She didn't exactly remember what it was originally intended for, but it was perfect for a energy pool to draw from. She took her crescent staff and put it between the points, floating gently up and down between them, before the points extended, grasping the keystone. Mima held onto her staff more tightly, feeling the energy from the keystone racing through it and into herself.
She had never used this much energy before. It was dangerous, but for a spell of this caliber, it was needed. Her hands were a little shaky, but she pointed the staff at the chest, arcane runes glowing orange and flowing throughout the crescent and soon the entire staff.
Mima whispered a series of ancient, foreign and arcane words, repeating them over and over, louder and louder, reverberations setting in her voice. A storm was gathering above, overcast setting the scene as the heavy pitter-patter of rain came down.
Energy engulfed both the box and Mima, a pillar of energy stretching from the aky to them. Mima could feel everything, the entire weight of Gensokyo upon her back.
"Let us start this, let us end this. Let the stars align, the planets themselves move into place as they have eons ago in that more selfish time. Return this illusion. Return this fleeting dream. Return it, restore them all. Even if it costs me my own. Heed my selfish wish, or by the gods, I will crush this reality like a goddamn piece of paper." Mima struggled to breathe, her staff and her own body struggling to contain this energy.
"MAKE IT SO!" Mima plunged the staff into the ground, an explosion of light engulfing the surrounding area for several miles around before everything went black for her.
Mima's head HURT. That was the first sensation she felt. She must've collapsed from the spell. She felt... covers? She opened her eyes, to be greeted with a wooden roof. Something she hadn't seen in a while. She rose, looking around at her surroundings, her eyes widening, jaw slightly slack. It was the interior of a shrine. She knew this interior. It had the same layout as before, though the door was seemingly missing. She floated up, and realized her clothes were gone. She quickly grabbed the blanket she had been covered with and wrapped her upper half with it, peeking outside. The view was quite different. A forest surrounded the shrine, a dirt path leading to it, with the great red arch standing tall.
She looked up, with the same view of Duon from before greeting her. A smile reached her face.
"It worked, you know." came a voice from behind her. She turned to see Reimu Hakurei, in the flesh, wearing her signature miko outfit. She came up and shook Mima's hand, before pulling into a hug.
Mima shed a tear. It worked, everything. "I'd never thought I would be genuinely happy to see you."
Reimu released from the hug, tapping Mima on her bare head with her gohei. "Don't push. You may have saved everyone, but don't insult the shrine maiden, please."
Mima nodded. "What... happened, exactly? How long was I out?"
"A couple days, for that second question." Reimu said, sitting on the edge of the shrine. "For that first one, it's a long one."
Reimu breathed in. "Well, we all sorta just... appeared. Regrouped at the big fancy spaceport, Yukari explained what happened to those who didn't get the memo. Then, we found you. You were in bad shape when we found you, spiritual energy and ectoplasm leaking everywhere. So, we fixed you up. Yukari, Suwako, and a few others terraformed most of the land around here, made it like the old Genso. Everyone helped rebuilding the big important buildings and places. The shrines, SDM, the Underground, everything. Kappa took the spaceport though, they like their supposed 'science' or whatever."
"And what's happening now?" Mima asked.
"Still rebuilding. Shrine's quite fresh, some of the other gods helped us plant and grow all these trees overnight. Human Village is still being built." Reimu replied.
"It's still so different though..." Mima just looked on as she listened closely.
"Well, yeah. Can't get rid of the other big planet sittin' pretty above us, but otherwise, we're on our own. Animals have started to come here too, a lot of the extinct ones from Earth. Guess Gensokyo keeps it's charm, I suppose."
Reimu turned to Mima, looking her in the eyes. "You're considered a savior, you know. To everyone."
"Can't have that, i'm an evil spirit, you know. Savior and evil don't mix." Mima replied, to recieve a chuckle from Reimu.
"No one said you had a choice on what others think of you. You saved us all, brought Gensokyo back from the brink. Almost ended yourself, too."
Reimu put a hand on Mima's blanket covered shoulder. "Just... relax, you know. You probably deserve it."
Mima smiled. "You don't know the half of it, Hakurei miko." She looked out, to the different, yet familiar mountains and valleys that could be seen in the distance. "But maybe, someday, i'll figure how to tell the other half."
Sometimes when you're driving down a road, a bug hits your windshield. It's ugly and unpleasant, but you just activate the wipers / cleaning fluid and it's gone in a few seconds. It's just part of driving down the road. You don't dwell on it, because that'd be silly. Bugs aren't worth the time.
You just discard their guts and keep on driving.
07/15/2015, 02:40 AM #257
Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - Apathy
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxAmlmVvQ4
"U-uh..." All told, Terra didn't want Phenom to leave. She kind of wanted to learn a bit more about him, but she felt that same wall of anxiety beginning to close in on her. She had no right to pry into his life... Still, she didn't want to let him just leave. She had to...
"I-I guess, maybe I have a question... u-um..." She was looking towards him until right then, when she looked down again. Stop that, Terra thought. Just say what you want to say! She looked up again, looking at the space between his eyes - as close to eye contact as she could get. "W-well, you haven't really told me anything about you! I-I mean... why were you here? Why did you show up out of nowhere to help me out...?"
Last edited by Aria of Forbidden Magic; 07/15/2015, 02:44 AM. BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - Apathy
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxAmlmVvQ4
"U-uh..." All told, Terra didn't want Phenom to leave. She kind of wanted to learn a bit more about him, but she felt that same wall of anxiety beginning to close in on her. She had no right to pry into his life... Still, she didn't want to let him just leave. She had to...
"I-I guess, maybe I have a question... u-um..." She was looking towards him until right then, when she looked down again. Stop that, Terra thought. Just say what you want to say! She looked up again, looking at the space between his eyes - as close to eye contact as she could get. "W-well, you haven't really told me anything about you! I-I mean... why were you here? Why did you show up out of nowhere to help me out...?"
07/15/2015, 03:15 AM #258
Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=FzXuyzrMxow&s=2686&e=2831#The_Legend_of_Dragoon_-_Complete_OST
"Who am I?" he asked, a long pause following. He pondered whether or not he should actually tell Terra who he was. What could she do with that knowledge anyway? And it wasn't like anyone would hear him to confirm such information. "Well... I suppose with Earth gone, the classified nature of my identity doesn't mean much anymore... As I said before: My name is Phenom Ortus. I am a Guardian Angel. Rank: Major. I am a member of GaHDD, an organization whose stationed on the space station 'Heaven.' I am here because we monitored strange activity on this planet's surface. I assume it has something to do with the army you were fighting earlier."
He shifted in his chair slightly, "As for my saving you out of nowhere, you seemed to be in danger, as well as defending something. Beyond that, all of those men seemed rather.... vile." he said, the ending being rather biting. "I detest those who gang up on others. Not many people in the world can fight such odds."
"As for additional information... I am 25 years old, physically, but I come from Earth ninety-thousand years ago. Judging by your skills, and the name of your town, you don't come from Earth...? Odd: Your name even translates to Earth in Latin.."
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=FzXuyzrMxow&s=2686&e=2831#The_Legend_of_Dragoon_-_Complete_OST
"Who am I?" he asked, a long pause following. He pondered whether or not he should actually tell Terra who he was. What could she do with that knowledge anyway? And it wasn't like anyone would hear him to confirm such information. "Well... I suppose with Earth gone, the classified nature of my identity doesn't mean much anymore... As I said before: My name is Phenom Ortus. I am a Guardian Angel. Rank: Major. I am a member of GaHDD, an organization whose stationed on the space station 'Heaven.' I am here because we monitored strange activity on this planet's surface. I assume it has something to do with the army you were fighting earlier."
He shifted in his chair slightly, "As for my saving you out of nowhere, you seemed to be in danger, as well as defending something. Beyond that, all of those men seemed rather.... vile." he said, the ending being rather biting. "I detest those who gang up on others. Not many people in the world can fight such odds."
"As for additional information... I am 25 years old, physically, but I come from Earth ninety-thousand years ago. Judging by your skills, and the name of your town, you don't come from Earth...? Odd: Your name even translates to Earth in Latin.."
Sometimes I feel like the only normal person here
"My Threshing has been Extra Princely Fresh"
"My Threshing has been Extra Princely Fresh"
Hazmer Baybee
07/15/2015, 07:18 PM #259
Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - Apathy
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxAmlmVvQ4
"N-no, I'm not from Earth..." Ninety-thousand years ago? What? How in hell can he say that with perfect stoicism!? Terra continued to scream confusedly inside her mind. It seemed like the more she learned about the peculiar Phenom Ortus, the more confused she became and the more she wanted to know.
Wait, Terra thought. A thought had just reached her. Is this guy able to travel between planets...? Will he be able to take me home? For a moment, Terra felt overjoyed. But then, another, conflicting thought reached her. Wait... he's investigating this place. He can't just leave to take some girl home. I don't even know how far he'd need to travel to get there. Plus, she noticed that he didn't mention whether or not he could help. If he could, wouldn't he have offered? Terra settled down again.
"U-uh... that's... all I need to ask, I guess. I-if you want, I'll leave." Terra was certain she could find some other way to get home. She had already begun to wonder if there was some way she could go back magically. She figured it was possible that magic existed somewhere on this planet. If she didn't, then she'd just keep looking for another pathway. Terra wouldn't give up, no matter what the odds looked like.
BGM: Umineko: When They Cry - Apathy
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxAmlmVvQ4
"N-no, I'm not from Earth..." Ninety-thousand years ago? What? How in hell can he say that with perfect stoicism!? Terra continued to scream confusedly inside her mind. It seemed like the more she learned about the peculiar Phenom Ortus, the more confused she became and the more she wanted to know.
Wait, Terra thought. A thought had just reached her. Is this guy able to travel between planets...? Will he be able to take me home? For a moment, Terra felt overjoyed. But then, another, conflicting thought reached her. Wait... he's investigating this place. He can't just leave to take some girl home. I don't even know how far he'd need to travel to get there. Plus, she noticed that he didn't mention whether or not he could help. If he could, wouldn't he have offered? Terra settled down again.
"U-uh... that's... all I need to ask, I guess. I-if you want, I'll leave." Terra was certain she could find some other way to get home. She had already begun to wonder if there was some way she could go back magically. She figured it was possible that magic existed somewhere on this planet. If she didn't, then she'd just keep looking for another pathway. Terra wouldn't give up, no matter what the odds looked like.
07/15/2015, 08:10 PM #260
Prosperity | Sungrey
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=FzXuyzrMxow&s=2686&e=2831#The_Legend_of_Dragoon_-_Complete_OST
"If that's all..." Phenom stood up and walked over to the window on his right. He pressed his fingers against his earpiece again and spoke. "Calm now?"
On the other side of the headset, Lachesis huffed in impatience, causing Phenom to roll his eyes slightly.
"It will have to do. I need a localized pulse on this town. Looking for survivors of the raid..... Please."
Lachesis huffed again and typed away at her keyboard, setting up the station's scanners to monitor the colony below it. A few moments later, Lachesis responded.
"The only signs of life on the scanners are the ones in that structure you're in." She said, audibly miffed.
"...."
"It's not like you could have gotten there any faster, Phen. Don't blame yourself."
"Right..." he finished, taking his fingers from his earpiece. He looked at Terra out of the corner of his eye. "You may need to fight again. Especially if that person you spoke of earlier takes on my form."
BGM: Legend of Dragoon OST - Echo of Flame
http://listenonrepeat.com/watch/?v=FzXuyzrMxow&s=2686&e=2831#The_Legend_of_Dragoon_-_Complete_OST
"If that's all..." Phenom stood up and walked over to the window on his right. He pressed his fingers against his earpiece again and spoke. "Calm now?"
On the other side of the headset, Lachesis huffed in impatience, causing Phenom to roll his eyes slightly.
"It will have to do. I need a localized pulse on this town. Looking for survivors of the raid..... Please."
Lachesis huffed again and typed away at her keyboard, setting up the station's scanners to monitor the colony below it. A few moments later, Lachesis responded.
"The only signs of life on the scanners are the ones in that structure you're in." She said, audibly miffed.
"...."
"It's not like you could have gotten there any faster, Phen. Don't blame yourself."
"Right..." he finished, taking his fingers from his earpiece. He looked at Terra out of the corner of his eye. "You may need to fight again. Especially if that person you spoke of earlier takes on my form."
Sometimes I feel like the only normal person here
"My Threshing has been Extra Princely Fresh"
"My Threshing has been Extra Princely Fresh"
Hazmer Baybee