@FujiwaraPhoenix @Drifting Pollen @Lugubrious @VitaVitaAR





A downed, bisected skeleton dragged itself across, trying to reach its weapon to continue fighting-

CRACK!

But Fran put a stop to it by stomping on its skull, destroying it and rendering the skeleton dead once more. As the berserker checked on her companions, she would see that the last of the remaining undead being dispatched, ending the threat. In the Servant's honest opinion, this fight was too easy. Clearly, whoever summoned these skeletons were not expecting a ragtag group of otherworlders with otherworldly abilities to show up. Still, the path was now clear for them to continue. Fran was all for proceeding down the passageway further, confident in dealing with anymore surprises that may pop up. The others, however...

"Do...we...", Fran spoke, turning to her teammates as she pointed her mace down the darkened path. "...pro...ceed?"

Though she had seldom seen Kanako fight in earnest, Sanae felt no real awe as she watched the deity casually fire out multiple massive pillars in complete and utter defiance of the laws of physics in her attempt to crush the spirit standing against them in earnest. It was more of an expected standard to her, really; though Suwako could have been argued to have been the stronger of the two, she was still a god...

Regardless, though, it seemed that the onbashira were enough to completely rout their opponent—though that Sanae would be able to see as much in the moment, given how the few seconds after summoning the deity had left her weak enough to vomit once more. The butterflies, at least, were no immediate threat as she fell victim to her body's inability to stave off the magic threatening her, but at the very least they—and the oil that seemed to be the source of all her ills—were quickly disappearing in turn.

Once she had finished recovering from her brief bout of illness, though, the shrine maiden took a deep breath and finally managed to properly right herself. She still felt lethargic after the fact, but compared to how she had been mere moments before, this was a marked improvement that she would happily take. Steadily, Sanae flew over to what remained of the oiran and, with a brief shake of her head, once again pointed her gohei towards her face...

Or, well, just her eye at this point.

"I can't say that you weren't strong, but you really should learn to fight with less vulgar tactics," she quipped with a half-smile as a five-pointed star formed beneath the spirit's remains. "Not that I'd let you stick around to try again, though; once was more than enough for me."

With that matter settled, Sanae finally felt her legs give out from under her and fell to her knees. The ordeal had left her drained physically, for sure, but she hadn't exactly felt that while flying. It was at this moment, though, that the goddess who had answered her call chose to descend towards the shrine maiden.

"Ah, Kanako-sa-ack!"

Where she had been expecting a bit more of a "warm" reunion, Sanae instead found herself receiving a light chop to the head as Kanako looked at her. She seemed no less pleased with the shrine maiden as she had been when she had arrived, though, which usually didn't bode well.

"I had heard from Suwako that you had been kidnapped—and by another deity, no less—but you are still the shrine maiden for the Moriya Shrine. Please consider your own well-being as you go traipsing about in this fantasy realm, especially if battles here are to the death. Honestly, maybe I should have you train in actual combat instead of danmaku when you return from this venture..." she complained before her stern expression began to soften. "But it's good to see you haven't encountered worse misfortunes since you were first brought here. I'll save the lectures for another time."

With that, though, Kanako briefly glanced around the area, noticing the rather infamous blue-haired hermit and giving her a disapproving glare before finally turning to notice the other person among them who was actually distinctly unfamiliar to the goddess.

"I suppose you're one of those new 'friends' Sanae found when she was brought here. I certainly hope she hasn't caused you too much trouble with her antics," she spoke with a somewhat haughty smile on her face. "I am Yasaka Kanako, the main god of the Moriya Shrine... Though I suppose such a place would matter little to someone plucked from another world. You can just think of me as Sanae's protector for now, then. We may be seeing each other in the future again... Provided this one here actually manages to gather some faith to do so."

@DracoLunaris@VitaVitaAR

---

"Fujiwara, Fujiwara... Huh. Never heard of the surname before, but would I be off the mark in guessing that you were nobility, then?" Suguru replied as he brought one hand to his chin. "Well, I suppose lying about your lineage would also be possible, but I don't think there's any real merit to lying about being both unaging while having perfect physical recovery... I don't suppose that you wouldn't be able to teach someone how you do that, would you?"

The monk's musings were quickly pushed to the wayside, however, once Youmu made the decision to break into the mausoleum proper. Given how lax the jiangshi's guard seemed to have become ever since the fight against Suguru had concluded (especially considering how she was continuing to gnaw on one of his spirits even now), it was no surprise at all that Youmu's motion to simply disarm the undead and leave her lying on the ground would have went off without a hitch. There was a brief pause as the pair that wasn't native to Gensokyo—Carol in particular—seemed to regard the girl with a bit of pity as she tried (and failed) to jostle herself into a position where she wasn't just lying face-down on the paved stone pathway, but that feeling quickly faded once the monk took the opportunity to simply push the doors of the mausoleum open.

With their intended guard out of the way, it didn't seem like there was much in the way of distractions to stall them any longer, at least.

Once the group began to explore the mausoleum in earnest it wouldn't take long to reveal a spiraling stairwell that led into the depths of the underground. Whether or not this was here already or if it was something that the hermit who (presumably) resided here was a question they would have to ask her themselves...

But that didn't exactly change how claustrophobic the place felt or how many spirits were floating around and trying to keep the group from getting further within. Carol, understandably enough, was less than pleased with the fact; Suguru, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed by them to begin with.

"Eugh. I suppose this is better than those ugly creatures from earlier," the smaller girl complained, shooing at one of the spirits that drew closest to her. "but that chill running through my spine every time they get close is a feeling I could very well live without. I'd rather not try and dissect these things if I could help it, but..."

"Well, I don't sense any cursed energy from them," the monk replied with a shrug, "so it's out of my jurisdiction. There are quite a few negative emotions mixed through a few, though, so I suppose there are a few analogues to my own world."

The musings of the pair continued as the group continued to travel downwards, though the former seemed to be lost in her own thoughts more than actually saying anything meaningful to the group. Eventually, though, the stairwell led into what seemed to be an oddly lavish Chinese-style garden of sorts, complete with flowing water and stone bridges crossing over the artificial ponds and streams as they converged towards a similarly-styled house at their center.

"Is there any chance this 'acquaintance' of yours was brought here well before you were? I cannot fathom anyone being able to construct something like this within a few weeks..." Carol asked with a look of mild bewilderment on her face. "Never mind her thoughts in hiding such a place within a mausoleum and beneath a city, no less...!"

@VitaVitaAR@Raineh Daze

Compared to the tension that build up during the slow, wary descent into the depths of the magic shop, the ensuing brawl against the otherworlders' skeletal attackers was more of a relief than anything. These undead foes certainly didn't pose much of a challenge, and while he was glad to contribute for once, Lewa couldn't claim much credit when it came to nullifying the threat. Not with Fran, Remilia, and Anne around. The presence of such raw power really rendered the ambush anticlimactic, and the realization that he'd been the only one affected by the spooky atmosphere left him with a sheepish smile once the one-sided fight concluded. Why should they fear, after all? Sure, Anne made an effort to rally a proper defense, and Remilia seemed upset, but even that effort seemed wasted when they could swat these rattling bones like gnats. To them, it was just an annoyance. Of course, they were probably not the skeletons' intended targets, but Lewa couldn't help but wonder if this world had anything that could make these people sweat.

Well, with that over, the group had a choice to make. Given the presence of so many enemies in lieu of the man they'd come here to find, it seemed clear that they would return to the quest-giver empty-handed, with nothing but bad news to offer. However, the reveal of that rocky passage and the pitch-black caverns beyond told Lewa that their visit here wasn't quite over just yet. Confident, intrepid, curious, and almost certainly unsatisfied with the prospect of going back now, the others would probably want to delve into the once-hidden cave system in search of answers. And in truth, Lewa would be lying if he said he wasn't curious himself. While the whole concept of large-scale architecture was still fairly new to him, it seemed unlikely that someone could build a basement right next to such a big underground space by accident. If his ragtag crew could find out what really happened here and why, they would be able to offer Serena more than their condolences.

Lewa allowed the shaft of his axe to slide through his fingers, adjusting his grip upward toward the bladed head. Its balance in this position allowed for easy transport during travel while still keeping him armed. Even if his group had little to fear in these parts, he doubted they were out of the woods just yet. If the Great Spirit could fall victim to Makuta's treachery, there were few beings out there that a sufficiently devious sneak attack couldn't fell, and he was resolved to not let that happen to him. Or the others, if they could help it. As long as the little fae remained in their care, her safety was the real problem whenever any combat occurred. Lewa nodded to Fran when she spoke, indicating that the berserker could take point as they continued. "Let us leave no stone unturned."

Once all the enemies were thoroughly dealt with and she had a moment to breathe, Anne let out a sigh of relief and lowered the Fae girl off her shoulder. "Are you okay?" she quietly asked, kneeling down to look the child in the eyes and then giving the rest of her a quick once-over to check for injuries. Nothing would have struck her directly in the battle, but the Knight still didn't know how fragile her charge might be, or what sort of conditions might affect her well-being in situations like this. Would the violence worsen her trauma, or would she just take it in with the same blank stare she seemed to give everything else?

Once she'd verified that the girl at least wasn't badly hurt, Anne turned to the rest of her group. "The mission's technically a failure... Well, I should just call it a job rather than a mission. Anyway, if there are no goods to retrieve, we can't fulfill our obligations to the Princess." Their employer would likely want an explanation and maybe an apology, but she hadn't given any specific orders on what to do in a situation like this. Given the circumstances, Anne thought they could be excused for taking matters into their own hands.

"...It's a pain, but I'm with Lewa on this. If we leave this situation alone, whoever wanders in here next is just going to get killed." Plus, there was the matter of who'd set up those skeletons and why. Anne didn't think old bones just got up and put on armor by themselves, even in this world, which meant they were probably animated by magic. That in turn meant they'd been deliberately placed here and primed to attack any intruders—not the actions of someone with good intentions in mind.

She'd come here promising to protect this city. Even if it meant personal risk and inconvenience, even if it meant subjecting her companions to the same, she would press forward and save those who could still be saved.

Of course, the Fae child didn't have any business being down here with them, but Anne couldn't exactly leave her unsupervised or send her up to the streets on her own. After carefully picking up the girl once again, she followed up at the back of the group, trusting the others to bear the brunt of any further traps.

Mokou gave Suguru an odd look. To recognise the existence of Japanese nobility but not her family? Had they really fallen that far as to be forgotten…? Or was he just completely oblivious to history? Well, he was right: it wasn't really important, aside from maybe giving another reason to go fight those taoist immortals now and then if they wanted a reason more than "we're all immortal, why the hell not?"

"It's a medicine and only one person can make it. Trust me, you'd want rid of this eventually," she answered, shaking her head. Well, if he could find someone else, maybe it would be more bearable… but his very surprise at the concept made it seem doubtful. And there was no way she was letting slip the other method to obtaining the hourai elixir.

As they wandered into the mausoleum, she couldn't avoid noticing that it was very similar to the same one the immortals had built—ah, the jiang shi's owner was one of them, right? But, taoists, that explained a lot. "The taoists in Gensokyo have something like this. I don't know how fast they could get it up, but it's its own sealed world. She could hide it in a crack."

And she only knew that because there was no way anyone was hiding that entire temple they'd sprung up without it being visible. Confirming there was nobody home to fight had been way too slow.