Still waiting for that intermission.
Yes I apologize, I thought I get it done in time, but I got it done late, and notapirate ended up leaving for the day.... so I didn't get the edit work done till several the following day my apologize! So here it is without further ado!
Another year in the fortress passed. Suika gave a satisfied yawn and took another swig from her gourd. Things were still going well. Perhaps an accident or two had happened, but nothing major.
"Well Marisa?” She glanced at the magician, who had leaned forward for a closer look, “what do you think?”
"Heeeh," she furrowed her eyebrows, "this is just a trench isn't it?"
"It's above ground," Suika returned.
"hah," Marisa shook her head and shrugged, "really now, I'd think you could do better. You sure you oni aren't all talk?"
Suika pouted in annoyance, "of course, it's just that I had alot to deal with!"
Marisa smirked, "well, whatever then. Remember though, I still want to see if you can catch a thief soon."
Just then, Sakuya emerged from the door, carrying a tray with a teapot and cups.
"Interested in tea?" She inquired, hastily adding upon seeing the suspicious look on Marisa, "not milady's specialty, I assure you."
"Well, I'll take some of you then," With a flourish of her hat she stood up and swiped a cup for herself before settling back to her seat. Yukari, too, took one for herself with the help of her gaps, ignoring the brief glare from the maid.
"Oh?" Sakuya raised her eyebrows as she examined the dining room that Suika had been working on, "my my, you certainly have been busy. I’m glad you have managed to make the dining hall fit for use. Milady would be pleased.”
“Eheh, it was simple enough,” Suika giggled.
Remilia’s muffled voice was heard through the walls then, “Sakuya, I want some more tea!”
“Yes, milady,” Sakuya called back, before bowing slightly to the two, “I shall be going then. Do keep that vampire alive, I have no doubt that Milady would be fairly...displeased should something happen to it.”
With that, she turned to leave, closing the sliding door behind her.
Suika and Marisa were just about to return to the game then, when a faint groan emitted from behind the walls. A groan? Marisa’s ears perked up, but when she stood to find the source, the sound faded to nothing.
“Strange, must’ve been the wind,’ she mumbled, but when she was about to return to her seat, the sound reverberated within the walls once more, in a far more eerie tone.
“Now now, I can’t you running about and scaring everyone else. You’re better off staying here, there are plenty of things to play with, after all.”
‘Buuut I want to go tooooo”
“Sorry, but I’m afraid you’ll have to be a good girl and stay.”
“A-aaww, okayyy NyaaaanNyaaaan...”
Marisa frowned at the conversation. Dusting invisible dirt off her skirt, she told Suika she was going to take a look and left without waiting for a response; the oni was too preoccupied to care too much anyway.
Round the corner where she thought she had heard the voices, only the empty storage room greeted her, decorated with a gargantuan hole in the wall.
“Hm, I swore I master spark’ed the other end of her shrine,” Marisa mused. Deciding that striding through the gaping new entrance was a good idea, she stepped in to find a new guest seated on the floor with Reimu and the others. Well, it seemed like a new guest, but the expression on Reimu said otherwise.
“My my, you certainly have quite the entourage, Reimu,” the guest, a woman in a simple blue dress giggled. She looked somewhat dignified with her posture, but at the same time her lips spoke of mischief. Another troublesome character had seemingly arrived.
“You could have used the door, Seiga,” Reimu pointed out, unamused, “they’re there for a reason.”
“Oh?” Seiga raised an eyebrow at the sliding doors just next two her, “well, it’s far easier if I came in this way.”
“It’s common courtesy.”
“Courtesy?” Seiga tilted her head briefly before chuckling, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Marisa left then, gingerly stepping through the hole and back to Suika.
“So, who is our new esteemed guest?” Yukari inquired, fiddling with her fan with a hint of boredom.
“Just a hermit, come to see Reimu, of course,” Marisa shrugged.
“Hm?” Yukari folded her fan with renewed interest, “my, there are certainly plenty of them coming out of the woodwork now, don’t you agree?”
“Guess so. Not that I really care.” Marisa leaned back, only to feel her head planting into something soft...
“Did someone mention me?” Seiga questioned, having opened a new hole in the wall and peeking in. She looked down upon feeling something hit her chest, giggling when the sight of Marisa’s expression met her eyes, “My my, if you like them so much you could have always asked to touch them.”
“I-I don’t need to touch your boobs, ze!” Marisa hastily scrambled away from the hermit, her breathing now quick and heavy.
“Ahah, is that so?” Seiga put a finger to her lip and smiled a most devilishly mischievous smile.
“Hey Seiga, if you’re done here, quit making holes and get out of my shrine!” Reimu called out with a scowl.
“But Reimu, don’t you want to amplify your powers? You have the potential. I can help you, you know?” Seiga returned with a cheery smile inspite of the annoyed shrine maiden.
“Not now!”
Seiga sighed, her expression a mild disappointment, “Very well then, I shall return when you are less...busy.”
Stepping out and into the room, she closed the hole behind her with a little flourish of her hairpin. It was then that she noticed the table, or more specifically, what was on it.
“Explain it to her, Suika,” Yukari sighed. To Marisa, she gestured with her fan, “Marisa, a word if you will.”
“Yeah...” Marisa nodded slowly and followed Yukari to the corner of the shrine, still staring at her chest. Somehow it seemed far smaller than before.
Seiga watched them leave, and sat next to Suika to watch her game, “So, could you enlighten me as to what this wonderful thing might be?”
“It’s a challenge!” Suika puffed her chest with a grin, “I’m showing Yukari how we oni survive!”
Seiga did not take too long before a scheming smirk formed on her lips, “my, there are certainly a lot of...corpses.”
“Yeah,” Suika frowned, “they cause me alot of trouble, you know.”
Seiga chuckled softly, “they only cause trouble because you don’t use them.”
“Nn?” Suika tilted her head, unsure of what the hermit was getting at.
“Have them fight for you, set them in an eternal arena battle with your enemies, even using them as a trigger is good enough,” Seiga smiled, “the dead are meant to be your tools, Should you be able to use them well, mastering this land would no doubt be...incredibly easy.”
“Hmm,” Suika glanced back at the restless bodies, shuffling their feet as the roamed the slime infested land. Could she really? It was worth thinking about. Just then something formed in her mind. A memory of something...
“Oh right, you’re the hermit Reimu mentioned in the note?”
Seiga chuckled again, “Why yes, I’m here to bring out the inner most potential within her...” A lie, but she said it with such calm it could almost be seen as truth.
NEW CHALLENGE!
Seiga's Challenge: Undead labor workforce union Seiga wants you to put your dead bodies to good use! This one is pretty open for many ideas, though some include have them "operate" various things, set up an Arena (man vs. zombie), and maybe even a feeding pit! Use your imagination and be creative here! You need at least 40 zombie animated and doing whatever creative thing you cook up to be considered a success! Condition must be completed in 5 years (By spring 116)
Also yes, Highzealot, the condition for Remilia's challenge will not be complete unless the vampire lives to the end of the year.
So you'll have to deal with your vampire overlord, or kill him or her and lose the challenge.
And another reminder.... This is the last year for Marisa's "To catch a thief challenge" see if you can trap one before the end of the year!
Also Darvi, you failed to complete the aboveground fort challenge, but you did managed to complete the others! Highzealot just has to make sure the vampire overlord lives till the year's end.
You will have till Wendsday Morning of next week to finish the year and post the save! Good luck!
Also yes thanks Wymar for posting that. I've given Raikia permission to do the adventure segment of Cross horns. He said he'll be busy so it'll be inbetween posts.
So I will consider this to run along with your stuff and will be marked as a seperate segment.
Also I need to update everything on the first page. I'm kinda been busy...