Twilight Storm - Heroes from the Outer World
Made by Exa, edited by DarkShadow.
The protagonists are made by Exa(Exa Thundercloud) and DarkShadow(Chrono Megumi)
Note: The fanfic isn't finished yet. More chapters to come.
Chapter 1 - The land behind the boundary
'Knowledge is power' - Exa Thundercloud clearly knows this. That's why studies sources of magic. Now he is a Lighting Mage, but he wants to be a Storm Caller, or more like a Thunderstorm Master (NOTE: in my conception, each magic types have five ranks, lighing magic goes like this: Spark Apprentice --> Shock Striker --> Lighting Mage --> Storm Caller --> Thunderstorm Master). He found many different ways, but neither of them seemed fitting for him. But one day, he read something, which seemed very interesting. One book told about a land behind a boundary, where the most powerful magic users use something called "danmaku". "Yes! That's what I need!" - thought Exa, and he went to Dracon Goldflame to tell the information. Dracon Goldflame is his older brother, and he is an experienced Incinerator (fire magic ranks: Torchwielder --> Burner --> Fire Mage --> Incinerator --> Eternal Flame).
- Look! Look at this! - said Exa to Dracon.
- What's this? - asked Dracon bored.
- That's it! That's what we need!
- But what?
- The method which we can be much more powerful with!
Exa showed Dracon the book about danmaku and the land behind the boundary (which is called Gensokyo). But Dracon wasn't too excited.
- Sorry, I don't have time for such things. I want to be the most powerful on my own way.
- Are you sure that you don't want to come with me?
- Completely.
- Alright, then I should go alone.
- Do this.
Exa left Dracon and started to think. 'I must go to Gensokyo somehow, but it's behind the boundary. How am I supposed to get passed the boundary? Anyway, let's go! I have enough time thinking on the way while I reach the boundary. ' He traveled where to boundary supposed to be, but he saw some pulsation. 'Is it a gate? I can't know this until I don't try to go through it' and he went... (Note: It was a boundary rip caused by a minor imbalance, that's how could Exa managed to go through the boundary.) Exa looked around, and it was a completely other place, with a nearby shrine. 'Yes! I did it!
I'm in Gensokyo!' But then he heard something. He realized that somebody is unconciously falling from the sky, but it was too late. 'What the...' and the unknown person fell on him. ' Who was this guy? ' - thought Exa. And almost in the same moment, the one from the sky ...opened his eyes, and asked: "What happened?"
- It seems that you fell on me!
- Sorry, I didn't know that you were here.
- Oh, never mind. But anyway, who are you?- Exa was so curious.
- I'm Chrono Megumi, and you?
- I'm Exa Thundercloud. You have a cool sounding name.
- Oh, thanks ^_^ But anyway, why and how did you come here?
Exa tells everything about learning danmaku.
- And what about you? What are your reasons?
- At first, please promise me that you won't say the following things to anyone.
- Of course, you can count on me ;).
- So, in fact I'm a ninja.
- A ninja? That's cool!
- Yes, and now I'm on a mission. I need to find the twilight staff called Dispear. It has the powers of light and dark.
- So it's like an item which is used by dark priests? (I took dark priests from Heroes of Might and Magic 4, where this is a combinated class of life and death magic ~ similar to light and dark).
- Almost, but it's more like a mage's equipment than a priest's.
- I see.
- So, I heard that the staff is behind a barrier. With the using of my skills, I managed to break the barrier, but it used most of my powers. That's why I was unconscious when I fell on you.
- Then you must be powerful, if you can break the barrier.
- Can I ask you something?
- Yes?
- Nobody said that I must obtain the staff alone. Could you help me on my quest?
- Sure, it must be easier with friends!
- All right!
And so, Exa Thundercloud's and Chrono Megumi's quest for the Dispear in Gensokyo has started. Who knows what adventures are waiting for them?
(Note: Dispear: move all vowels 1 place backwards, and you'll get: Despair.)
(Note2: Exa is Chaotic Good and Chrono is Chaotic Neutral)
Chapter 2 - The way to the Forest of Magic
- So... do you know something about the position of the staff? - asked Exa.
- Eh... not really. - answered Chrono.
- Then where should we start the search?
- Maybe we can ask someone at the shrine.
- Do you know they can help us?
- Well, it's worth a try.
- That's true. Let's go!
The shrine was in fact the Hakurei Shrine, where Reimu Hakurei lives. Reimu is well-known by residents of Gensokyo, but Exa and Chrono don't live in Gensokyo... Anyway, when they nearly reached the shrine, they saw the miko.
- Excuse me, can I ask you a question? - said Exa.
- It depends on what you want to ask. Anyway, who are you? - answered Reimu.
- I'm Exa Thundercloud, a Lighting Mage.
- And I'm Chrono Megumi, a ... mercenary.
- Why don't you say that you're a ninja? - whispered Exa to Chrono.
- She doesn't need to know everything about us.
- You don't trust her?
- That's not the case...
- That's enough! Stop the whispering about! - shouted Reimu.
- Oh, we're sorry.
- Anyway, I haven't introduced myself yet: I'm Reimu Hakurei, the miko of this shrine.
- You mean the only miko of this shrine? - asked Chrono.
- Yes, I mean that. But what do you want to know, anyway?
- We search for a staff called Dispear. Do you know anything about it?
- Dispear? I have never heard about it. But I can give you some advice: in the Forest of Magic, lives a magician called Marisa Kirisame. She is a collectomaniac, maybe she has something like what you need.
- Okay, one more question: where is the Forest of Magic? - said Exa.
- You don't know that?
- No, we don't know that.
- Ok, go north and take a path through the Snow Covered Forest, after that you'll reach Mayohiga.
- Mayohiga?
- Yes, it's a village, but be careful!
- Why?
- Because you might be attacked!
- Don't worry, we are experienced, right? - told Exa to Chrono.
- Yes, we don't have any problems with ambushes!
- Ok, after that you'll reach the Forest of Magic but don't say later that I didn't warn you...
- Thank you for your help! Goodbye!
- Goodbye!
I don't know what this Dispear thing could be, but it must be something very important - thought Reimu.
Exa and Chrono started to go through the Snow Covered Forest. It is a beautiful, but very cold place. 'That would be good if Dracon was here' - that was in Exa's mind. Chrono had lesser problems with the cold, because as a ninja, he went through a hard physical training, which involved getting some resistance against the nature's elements. After a while, a group of fairies appeared.
- Stop right there! - said the fairies.
- W..w..why? - answered Exa, still suffering from the cold.
- Don't shoot us anymore!
- Shoot? - asked Chrono.
- Yes, like that red-white miko and her magician friend!
- B..but we're n..not them!
- Yes, we don't want to shoot any of you all! We just want to go through this forest. - Chrono seemed determined.
- Prove this!
- See, we're not the ones who shoot others just for fun. If we would want to shoot you, we already started that, right?
- ...maybe you're right. You may pass, but if any of you attacks us, then...
- All right! All right! - answered Exa and Chrono.
After they left the forest, Exa felt better. ' That cold almost killed me' - he thought. They reached Mayohiga. It doesn't look very different from any other village, but they're prepared for an attack. Exa chanted a small meditation which makes casting lighting spells easier, and Chrono prepared his kunais (throwing needles). They went a bit, and suddenly...
... a human-like creature appeared, but she had cat's ears and tail. Her name was Chen, the shikigami of Ran Yakumo, a nekomata who is skilled in black magic arts.
- What do you want? - she asked.
- We just want to go through the village and go to the Forest of Magic. - answered Chrono,
- ... but before that, you want to get some good fortune items, right?
- Good fortune items? - Exa was surprised.
- Don't try to fool me, you're just like Reimu!
- You mean that miko? She didn't seem to do something like that...
- You can't judge someone just by outside. Now get lost! - and after that, Chen started to shoot magical attacks against Exa and Chrono. There are not one, not several, but many attacks. ' So, that's danmaku" - thought Exa. ' Taste my lighting, you cat-human!' - he shouted, and shoots a Lighting Bolt to Chen, but the nekomata easily avoided the attack. Chrono's kunais were ineffective, too. But the black magic shots go closer and closer to the heroes. Exa casted a Lighting Shield to protect himself, and Chrono avoided the shots. Then something popped into Exa's mind! 'Chrono, I'll charge your thrown kunais with electricity!' - he said. 'Ok, do this!' - answered Chrono. The combined strike of Electric Charge and Multiple Throw worked, as they managed to hit Chen. But this is not the end of the battle! - she said. And she casted a spell which shot bullets as if they come from an egg. It was Wizard Sign "Phoenix Egg".
The immense number of attacks surprised Exa and Chrono. There are much more bullets than before. How should they avoid them? 'It's sure that a frontal attack would be a big mistake' - thought Exa. 'Maybe, if we can divide her attention, then we could be more effective. Chrono, attack her from the back, I'll divert her! - told Exa to Chrono. Exa starts casting Sparks - it's not very strong, but makes more shots than a Lighting Bolt - even though it's still fewer than a danmaku attack. But Chen just laughed. 'Fools, you can't go through my spell!' And it wasn't a joke! More and more shots came and even though Chrono progressed, Exa found the situation more and more desperating. Even with Lighting Shield, it seemed impossible to survive this. And one stream of shot hit him, just about the same time when Chrono managed to reach Chen. 'You hurt my friend, now I'll kill you!' - Chrono went to a berserk-like state, and throw some more kunais to the nekomata. The strikes Chrono dealt to Chen could be easily deadly to a normal human, but Chen wasn't a normal human. 'Oh, you're quite good, unlike your friend. Then feel my true wrath!' 'Oh my god, another spell? Does she ever run out of mana?' - Exa was so desperated. 'But we can't give up!' But the nekomata prepared one more spell - if we can count this as a spell. Chen was flying around like crazy, in the shape of a pentagram, summoning even more shots. That was Shikigami Sign "Pentagram Flight". 'Chrono, get back, it's too dangerous staying there!' - shouted Exa, but it was too late. Even though Chrono was very talented in avoiding, even that was too many for him. The spell hurt him, too. Now both Exa and Chrono were injured, and the attack seemed impossible to stop. 'We must find a weak spot on this spell! It mustn't be unbreakable' - they thought. 'Concentrate, concentrate... Yes, I saw it!' - said Chrono. 'These shots go through a similar pattern, so it's possible to avoid them. Just follow me!' 'I hope Chrono knows what he's doing' - thought Exa. The plan seemed to work. 'Okay, throw some kunais in front of her!' - said Exa to Chrono. Chrono did this - even though the damage caused him so much pain - and Exa shot some more Sparks to knock the kunais to Chen... and he lost his consciousness. But the kunais hit the nekomata, causing her some serious damage. 'You win this time, but we'll meet again someday! - she said and she flew away. Chrono ran to Exa. He had one Potion of Healing, so he used it on the Lighting Mage. After a while, Exa opened his eyes.
- Is ... she dead? - he asked.
- No, she is still alive, but we'll find her someday. The more important thing is, are you ok, my friend?
- Well, ... sort of. You saved my life, thank you!
- You can count this from a friend. - winked Chrono.
So Exa and Chrono fought their first battle in Gensokyo. It seems that the next challenges would be very hard, too...
Chapter 3 - Meister von Energie - Experte fokussierenmethoden
(Note: it's Masters of Energy - Expert Focusing Methods in German)
Finally, our heroes left Mayohiga, and they're almost at the Forest of Magic, but they're still tired and wounded.
- We need to refill our equipments, we've completely run out of anything! - Chrono sighed.
- I don't want to disturb your thinking, but there is a building there! We can ask there if there is a shop nearby! - said Exa.
- In the middle of the forest?
- Well, as you said earlier, it's worth a try. We need to go there, by the way.
- All right, let's go.
Exa and Chrono went to the building, and they're surprised. In fact, it WAS a shop, called Kourindou, run by Rinnosuke Morichika, and it has everything that a traveller, an adventurer or a hero needs.
- How can I help you? - asked Rinnosuke.
- Well, we need food enough for three days for two people, four potions of healing and two potions of anti-venom. - said Chrono.
- ...and two potions of mana. - added Exa.
- Ok, six rations of food - 300 yen, four potions of healing - 400 yen, two potions of anti-venom - 150 yen, two potions of mana - 150 yen. That'll be 1000 yen.
- One question - are other currencies acceptable? - asked Exa.
- It depends on the currency. I can't accept any worthless currencies.
- What about this? - Exa showed Rinnosuke some GPs (Note: Gold Pieces, from D&D and other RPGs).
- Is this real gold?
- Of course! I don't want to make people don't trust me!
- Wow, you're so fair! - whispered Chrono to Exa.
- Thanks! - answered Exa.
- To tell the truth, I have never seen this currency before, so I need to evaluate this. One moment, please. - said Rinnosuke.
- No problem.
After a few minutes:
- Ok, each GP is equal to 100 yen. So, you need to pay 10 GPs.
- Here you are.
- Anyway, you're new here, right?
- Yes, we have just arrived today.
- But actually you paid for the bought things. Some of the residents here tend to steal things...
- Really?
- That's true.
- Oh, that must be bad.
- Also consider that I don't have many customers... but at least I don't have concurrency.
- That's good. Anyway, we're leaving now. Goodbye!
- Goodbye!
After they left Kourindou, Exa and Chrono sat down. They haven't eaten since they were here, and they need some relaxing. They still had a long way today...
As the effect of the food, and the potions, they felt much better. So they continued their way to the forest.
- I have some strange feeling about this place... - said Exa.
- I don't feel anything. - answered Chrono.
- There is some magical force nearby.
- I have no magical sense, you know.
- Yes, I kno...
Exa couldn't finish the sentence, because a huge laser blew in front of them.
- What the hell? - asked Chrono.
- That MUST be the magical force which I felt. Let's go! - and they run to the right, from where the laser came. And they found a witch-looking girl in black clothes.
- YOU ALMOST KILLED US!!! - shouted Chrono.
- Everyone knows that I'm practicing Master Spark on Fridays, ze.
- WE DIDN'T KNOW THIS! You shouldn't shoot lasers at random places!
- Okay, Chrono, calm down! She shouldn't know that we came.
- And do you shoot your lightings everywhere? - Chrono was still angry.
- No, I don't say...
- You're a magician too? That's interesting. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Marisa Kirisame.
- So, you're Marisa Kirisame! That's great! We heard your name, and in fact we searched for you.
- Really? What do you want?
- We know that you have a lot of things.
- Yes, that's true.
- Do you have a staff named Dispear? It focuses Light and Dark magic,
- Let me see... - and Marisa went back to her house. Chrono and Exa followed her.
- Okay, is that what you need? - Marisa showed a beautiful staff to our heroes.
- Yes, that's what we need.
- But for this, you need to do me a favour, ze.
- What? Another meaningless side-quest? - Chrono couldn't believe that he was so near to the Dispear and he couldn't get it.
- Don't worry, we'll do it fast, and we'll get the staff. - Exa was still calm.
- And what'll happen if we must fight against some other crazy danmaku user?
- Take this as a challenge. By the way, what should we do?
- As you leave the forest, you'll see a lake. In the middle of the lake, there is the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
- Devil? We need to fight with demons? No way! - Chrono shook his head.
- Not really. If you do it right, you don't need to fight. In that mansion, there is the Voile Magic Library.
- A Magic Library? Sounds good.
- Okay, in that library, you can find a book called "Meister von Energie - Experte fokussierenmethoden" (Note: I don't know how Marisa can speak German, I chose a German name to make it more interesting.) Bring me the book, and the staff is yours, ze!
- So, do we need to STEAL it?
- Just borrow it... without the permission of the owner.
- I have a bad feeling about this.
- Don't worry, we can do it! - Chrono winked. Okay, then we will get the book. Bye!
- Goodbye!
Our heroes left Marisa's house, and walked further.
- It's evening, we must find a place to rest. - said Chrono.
- Okay, but where? We can't just sleep in the forest.
- Hm... good question.
As they went further, their hope has weakened. It was almost midnight, and they didn't find a place to rest. But they saw a light. 'A house! Maybe we can rest there!' - Exa was so happy. He knocked on the door. The door opened, and...
- Do you know what time it is now? - asked the girl who opened the door.
- Sorry, but we're very tired, and we need to find a place to rest.
- And do you think this is the best method?
- We've just arrived here today, and we don't know this place.
- In that case, I can allow you to stay for the night.
- Thank you!
Exa and Chrono entered the house, and they saw that the house was full of dolls. But they were too tired to think about it, so they went to the bed and started to sleep. That was their first day in Gensokyo, the land behind the boundary...
Chapter 4 - An icy battle
Exa opened his eyes. He didn't sleep much, but he got used to it. But what he saw first, wasn't so ordinary. Two of the dolls which he saw yesterday flew into the room with a tray.
- Aaaaahhhh! I can't believe it! - he screamed.
- Please, scream more quietly, I want to sleep a bit more - answered Chrono.
- But... the dolls are flying!
- I don't care... wait, what did you say?
- Look, the dolls are flying! These are not ordinary dolls!
Chrono opened his eyes, too, and realized what Exa was talking about. ' That must be some twisted trick, or some hidden mechanics. ' - Chrono was still very frustrated. That was the time when the girl entered the room.
- What is the problem? - she asked.
- About... the dolls... - said Exa and pointed to the two dolls which were still in the room.
- Don't worry, they are Shanghai and Hourai, and they brought the breakfast to your room, that's why they were there. Anyway, I forgot to introduce myself yesterday. I'm Alice Margatroid.
- I'm Exa Thundercloud, and he is my friend, Chrono Megumi. - answered Exa.
- And how the hell can these dolls move? - asked Chrono.
- By magic, of course! - she smiled.
- So, are these animated dolls? - Exa was curious.
- You can say that.
- You know, in our world, mages create animated golems from different materials (wood, stone, even iron). These golems look like huge statues. They are durable, and have high power, but they are slow. But your dolls are fast and small. Can you use them for fighting?
- Yes, my dolls can use weapons, magic, and sometimes they can be used for explosive attacks.
- Like an all-round figther/mage.
- I don't want to interrupt your conversation, but we need to go now. - Chrono was impatient because he wanted to get to book as soon as possible. 'Exa, eat your breakfast and let's go!'
- All right. Then we will continue this later, when we would have more time.
Exa and Chrono ate the food, and said goodbye to Alice. Fortunately, after a short time, they left the forest, and reached a lake.
- This must be the lake we need. - said Exa.
- Yes, we fly over it, go to the mansion, and in the library, we get the book! Piece of cake! - Chrono was excited.
- But how can we get the book?
- That's simple, you'll start a conversation with the librarian - it seems that you can talk a lot - and I'll steal the book.
- We should borrow it, not steal it.
- No way! I don't think they lend it to us. Anyway, if things would be that easy, Marisa could borrow the book, too.
- Hm... maybe you're right. But should we trick them? If they realize that, they'll never trust us anymore.
- That's not a problem. We don't need to meet them anymore after we get the book.
- This will end up in a big trouble... - Exa sighs.
They started to fly over the lake, but it was very cold there. ' No way, that chilly wind again. ' - thought Exa. But the wind was not the only problem. After a while, another fairy appeared.
- Where do you want to go? - she asked.
- We don't have time to talk. We're in a hurry! - answered Chrono.
- Again "heroes" who try to save Gensokyo?
- Mind your own business!
- He-he-he... that's not how things go!
- And a fairy wants to regiment us? Ridiculous!
- I'm not an average fairy, I'm Cirno, the ice fairy!
- So... did you cause th..that cold? - asked Exa.
- Who else? - she laughed. 'Now, turn back or I'll freeze you both!'
- No way! I don't fear a small fairy! - shouted Chrono, and threw some kunais to Cirno. However, she avoided the attack, and started to summon icicles. Exa was concentrated on defense - because he was still suffered from cold - but Chrono acted fast, and managed to damage the fairy. But after that, Cirno summoned more icicles, and these shots started to surround Exa and Chrono. This attack was Ice Sign "Icicle Fall".
- Hehehe, you can't survive this! - laughed Cirno.
- Shut up, you fool! - Chrono was very impatient, and he used his Multiple Throw skill, but he forgot to think about avoiding. Some icicles hurt him. 'You have made me very angry! VERY angry indeed! '- he shouted.
- Wait, Chrono, go in front of her! - said Exa.
- Are you crazy?
- No, but I realized she only shot a few icicles in front of her. Therefore, you can avoid easier.
In that moment, Exa moved, too, and casted Sparks. With the combination of Chrono's skill, and the strategy he just realized, they managed to break through the spell.
- Not bad, not bad, but I'll show my true power now! - said Cirno, and shot even more shots, and these shots were frozen after a while, and started to move all the way. That was Cirno's signature move, Freeze Sign "Perfect Freeze".
- Chrono, concentrate on your defense, and I'll shock her! - told Exa to Chrono.
- Are you sure that'll work? You're still slow because of the cold! - answered Chrono.
- Don't worry, I can do this!
- All right! - answered Chrono.
Exa still moved slow, but since most of the attacks are went to Chrono, he managed to avoid the shots. Chrono had a harder time, but with his ninja skills, he could evade every shots. Finally, Exa reached the fairy, and shot an unavoidable Lighting Bolt to her.
- Geez, that's impossible! How can you avoid that? - Cirno started to whine.
- We worked as a team! - Exa winked.
- I don't care! I'll be the winner! - the ice fairy was still self-confident, and used her final spell, Snow Sign "Diamond Blizzard".
With this, she could summon a huge amount of icy shots. However, these shots went to random directions - in fact, she couldn't control that many icicles.
- Arghhh, I'm really fed up with this stupid girl! - Chrono started to lose his nerve. He charged to the fairy, in the hope he could finish the fight in one strike. But there are too many shots there, some of them almost hit Chrono, when a Lighting Aura surrounded him, and the icicles couldn't break through this.
- Thank you! - said Chrono to Exa.
- That's natural from a friend! - winked Exa. 'Now, finish her!'
Exa's Lighting Bolt and Chrono's new skill, Shadow Slash (Note: he could use that from that point because of the fury) had been combinated to the powerful "Spark Slash". The battle was over, the ice fairy couldn't resist this!
- I... can't... believe... it! Take this! And this! And this! - Cirno couldn't bear the defeat, and started to throw frozen frogs to Exa and Chrono.
Exa went to Cirno, and grabbed her arm.
- Calm down! That anger makes you hot, and I'm sure that won't be good for you. Relax a bit, you'll need that now. - Exa smiled.
The little ice fairy stopped, and after a while, she flew away.
- Why didn't you kill her? She attacked us! - asked Chrono.
- We didn't come to Gensokyo to kill people. Anyway, let's go to the Scarlet Devil Mansion! - answered Exa.
- Good idea!
After a while, Exa and Chrono finally reached the mansion. The true quest has just begun...
Chapter 5 - The Scarlet Devil Mansion
Exa and Chrono stood in front of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Despite the huge size of the building, it seemed that only one person guarded it. (Note: The other guards - which you've seen in EoSD Stage 3 - are only part-time guards, only for situations when the SDM need every defensive force) That person was a girl in Chinese clothes and wore a beret.
- So, how must we enter the building? - asked Exa.
- Knock out that guard, that's simple! - answered Chrono.
- I don't think that that's so simple. We don't know how powerful she is. Also, even if we could defeat her, then it's almost obvious that we'll need to fight everyone in the mansion. A frontal attack is useless!
- Ok, what about flying in through a window?
- This building doesn't have many windows, and they're probably prepared for such sneak attacks.
- Do you have any better ideas?
- Let me think a bit...
A few minutes passed...
- I know it! Just follow me! - smiled Exa.
- I hope you have a good idea... - Chrono was not very amused.
Exa and Chrono went to the girl - who was called Hong Meirin, a youkai martial artist.
- Excuse me for disturbing you, I'm Exa Thundercloud, a magician from another world, and this is Chrono Megumi, he's skilled in shadow arts. I heard that here is the wonderful Voile Magic Library, which has all the books a mage needs. I hope it would be ok if we could go to the library.
- So... you don't want to beat me or mess with the mistress? - asked Meirin.
- No, that's not our intention.
- Thank goodness! You know, nowadays I'm used as a punching bag by everyone - by Marisa, by Reimu, even by our chief maid, Sakuya. - Meirin seemed relieved.
- Is that so?
- Yes, that's true. Even though I'm skilled in martial arts, my danmaku is not that great, so I'm easily defeated by them.
- I have an advice to you: if you're a good martial artist, use it to go near the enemy! As far as I know, danmaku is not very effective in close range. We're no danmaku users, but with some strategy, we could defeat two of them.
- Hm... maybe you're right.
- Ok, ok, but can you allow us to enter? - asked Chrono.
- Wait a moment, I'll discuss this with the others - and Meirin went to the SDM.
- I told you that my idea would work! - Exa winked.
- It was just pure luck! - answered Chrono.
The youkai girl returned.
- Ok, you can go in, Sakuya will escort you to the library.
- Thank you!
Exa and Chrono entered the building. It looked large from the outside, but it looks even larger from the inside. There were a lot of maids and other servants. After a short time, the chief maid appeared.
- Please, follow me - said Sakuya.
Our heroes realized easily that the mansion is not only huge, but has a very complicated structure. Orientation is difficult here.
But Chrono spotted something else, too...
- Something is suspicious with that maid. - he whispered to Exa.
- What are you talking about? - asked Exa.
- Look a bit more precisely!
- Hm... I don't understand.
- Why does a maid have such huge amount of knives?
- So, did you mean that? Maybe those knives are for cooking.
- Don't be so naive! She is armed and dangerous! Also, that guard mentioned that this maid uses her as a punching bag. She may be some elite guard... or an assassin.
- An assassin?
- Yes, probably she was hired by that mistress to eliminate the objectionable people.
- You're paranoid!
- I don't think so...
- Ok, this is the library! Just don't make a mess! - said Sakuya to Exa and Chrono.
- Thank you! - our heroes answered.
As they entered the library, they were amused.
- This is the biggest library I've ever seen! - Exa was so excited.
- But this a disadvantage for us, it's harder to find the book in such a large place! - Chrono sighed.
- Ok, I'll talk with the librarian, you'll have enough time to search.
Exa looked around a bit, and he found two girls - one is in clothes like she wants to go to bed now (pajama-like clothing and a night-cap) , and the other is a small devil-like creature.
- Excuse me! Are you the librarian here? - asked Exa to the girl with the night-cap.
- Yes, I'm Patchouli Knowledge, the librarian of the Voile Magic Library.
- You have a beautiful name, you must be very wise.
- Thank you.
- And I'm Koakuma, her assistant - said the devil-like girl.
- That's interesting, having such a creature as an assistant in a library? Most mages summon or call similar beings for attacking someone, or sometimes to charm the opponent.
- That's possible, but I have no problems with Koakuma doing her job.
While the conversation went, Chrono started to search for the book. It seemed that the books are sorted by the type of the magic.
' Air Magic... Animation Magic... no... Black Magic... Boundary Magic... no...' - Chrono went through the categories.
- From that huge amount of magic books, I guess that you're a magician, too. - said Exa to Patchouli.
- Yes, I'm specialized in the powers of fire, water, wood, metal, earth, sun, and moon.
- So, are you an elementalist?
- You can say that. - and after that sentence, Patchouli started to cough.
- Are you ok?
- Don't worry, I got used to it.
Until that, Chrono continued his work. 'Charm Magic... Demonology... Earth Magic... Energy Magic, that's it! Just a little bit more and... yes, I found it! The "Meister von Energie - Experte fokussierenmethoden"! Exa, I found it! - he showed the Lighting Mage the book from a greater distance.
- Hm... next time I'll bring you something that's good for your health, but now, I need to go! Goodbye! - said Exa to Patchouli.
- Goodbye!
Exa and Chrono left the SDM, and went back to Marisa.
- Well, here is the book you need! - said Chrono to her.
- Good, for this, you can get the Dispear! - answered the black-white magician.
Chrono and Exa said goodbye to Marisa.
- Yes, we did it! - Chrono was so happy.
- You know, I still have doubts about what we did. - said Exa.
- Why? We have the staff!
- But we stole the book, and tricked them...
- No problem!
Finally, Exa and Chrono got the Dispear. But is this really the end of the quest?
Chapter 6 - ...