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While Lisa and Saskia were doing… whatever, Yoko took Ella to a separate field so they could do their training. Yoko paused for a moment, pressing the hilt of the Yokai Killer against her chin before saying,
”Since we do not have an Apparition on hand,” Yoko sighed. ”Teaching you Eternal Binding will be… Difficult, but we can make it work.”
Yoko shook her head, ”Now, Ella, to understand Eternal Binding, it’s about control. Control over the Apparition, and your Lux.” Yoko sakd, before she knelt and drew Kanji symbol using the Yokai Killer. Yoko pointed at them:
”Remember these symbols: they stand for containment, control, and eternity,” Yoko explained, ”You begin the ritual by drawing this.”
Ella watched intently, trying to commit the Kanji to memory. This was where her attempt at learning Japanese was coming in handy! Even though these Kanji weren’t any of the ones she’d learnt, at least she knew some. She crouched down and vaguely drew the Kanji in the ground, looking back up at Yoko. "Is this right?"
Yoko facepalmed, ”It has to be EXACT. A single mistake means the Rampage will slip through the cracks.” Yoko shook her head as she released her hand from her face.
"I'm trying! You know when you learn Kanji they normally recommend filling up like a whole page of one of those practice journals!" Ella wailed, before trying again. It was a bit more accurate this time.
Yoko lept high up into the air - landing on top of a rusted tractor, laying the Yokai Killer on the tractor in front of her. ”That sounds like a great idea…” Yoko rubbed her chin. ”… I want you to keep writing the Kanji until its perfect.” Yoko then took the seiza position.
”I will be here if you need anything, Disciple,” Yoko said.
"Yes, Sensei!" Ella shouted, in true weeb fashion. She squatted down and started to draw the Kanji, over and over again, with a focused determination that contrasted her normal distractibleness.
Eventually… she got it to the point that looked right to her. She looked back up at Yoko. ”Is this right? I think I've got it!"
”Yes! Excellent!” Yoko said in excitement. ”Next step… you will need to gather five objects - four objects you will draw these symbols on, and the one you will seal the Apparition into.”
"Can they be anything?!" Ella asked. She pulled off her massive rucksack and started rummaging through it… before pulling out five dildos of various sizes. "Everything else I have is too useful!- don't tell Lisa I said these weren't useful…"
Yoko stared at her.
Then at the dildos.
Then back to her.
Then at the dildos.
”Why would you-” Yoko facepalmed. ”… Just draw the damn kanji.” Yoko commanded.
”Alright!" Ella then miraculously pulled a Sharpie out of her bag too, drawing the Kanji perfectly onto the dildos. "There! What's the next step?"
”… The chant,” Yoko said with a nod of her head, before taking a deep breath. ”Now repeat after me…”
With another deep breath, Yoko recited the chant in Japanese.
”“By the ancient strength of Hatanaka, I invoke the power of chains.
By the symbols drawn and bound, let the circle hold fast.
Containment, control, eternity—
These are the laws I weave.
O restless spirit, you are now bound for all time,
Your essence contained.
By the will of my ancestors and the force of my soul,
I command thee—
Enter the vessel and know no escape,
By the light of this spell, you are forever restrained.
So it is spoken, so it shall be done!”
Yoko dramatically finished, before turning to Ella, ”Do you need me to write it down for you?”
"Say it one more time!" Ella said, after muttering the first half correctly under her breath. It was pretty easy to remember if she thought about it like it was a sailor moon speech! "Then I'll remember it…"
Yoko facepalmed before she repeated it back to Ella SLOWLY.
Ella nodded, paying perfect attention, before repeating after Yoko-
”“By the ancient strength of Hatanaka, I invoke the power of chains.
By the symbols drawn and bound, let the circle hold fast.
Containment, control, eternity—
These are the laws I weave.
O restless spirit, you are now bound for all time,
Your essence contained.
By the will of my ancestors and the force of my soul,
I command thee—
Enter the vessel and know no escape,
By the light of this spell, you are forever restrained.
So it is spoken, so it shall be done!”
It wasn’t perfectly pronounced Japanese, but it wasn’t bad, all things considered… once again being a Weeb saved the day! Yoko facepalmed.
”Good enough!” Yoko shouted.
”… Once you finish the ritual, your Lux will bind the Apparition. Keep it steady and… We don’t have an Apparition on hand to try this out.”
Yoko sighed, ”There has to be something around here.”
"They’re never around when you need them!" Ella yelled, looking around for some kind of Apparition… But not seeing anything.
”We’ll run into something,” Yoko shrugged. ”Perhaps I could teach you Focus so we could have an easier time finding one. It will be invaluable down here.”
"But I already know how to focus," Ella said, tilting her head. Though she guessed she wasn’t very good at it. "Sure! I don’t see how it’s magical, though!"
Yoko facepalmed.
”… Perhaps I should have elaborated on what the spell is,” Yoko began.
”The Hatanaka Focus spell is a spell that imbues all five senses with Orange-Lux.”
Yoko nodded at Ella, ”It saved my life countless times down here. You could hear the breath and heartbeat of a creature waiting to ambush you.”
"Oooo, that sounds great!" Ella nodded excitedly. ”Then I can save all three of us before we're even attacked! Oh, can I combine it with Green lux to make my senses extra good?"
”If that is what it takes, Disciple, do so,” Yoko said with a nod of her head, then crossed her arms - Yokai Killer in hand - before she said.. ”First, channel your Lux into your senses… Stand still. Still as possible. Complete stillness is key for Focus. ANY movement disrupts the connection to your surroundings.”
Yoko took a step back as she ssid, ”Close your eyes and let your Lux pour into you. Let it flow through your body, your mind, your soul. From there, direct it into your eyes. Your ears. Your nose. Everything.”
Yoko paused, ”Begin with your hearing: extend the range of your awareness and listen. Not just what’s near, Disciple, but what is far away. The rustle of leaves, the rainwater dripping off the leaves…”
Ella nodded, closing her eyes. The staying still bit was difficult, at first. Ella's natural state was in movement. She could hyperfocus at times, but that focus always involved some kind of movement. Eventually she managed to stop fidgeting, forcing herself to stay still.
Then, she started doing what Yoko told her to.
”… What do you hear, Disciple?” Yoko asked.
"I hear…. Lisa and Saskia talking about robot dicks?!" Ella wailed, immediately breaking the concentrated state she'd managed to get into and slapping her hands on her cheeks.
Yoko facepalmed, before quickly pulling her hand back onto her sword. ”… Now pour it into your sense of smell. What can you smell at the moment? Anything unusual? Other than the horrendous smell inherent to this place.”
Ella closed her eyes again, stilling herself and sending out her senses. Concentrating on what she could smell… it was difficult to get past the disgusting smell of the entire place, but she fought through. Rust… "Running water… blood. A lot of blood."
”Good, next is your sense of touch. Feel the vibrations in the air, the ground beneath your feet. If someone moves, you will know…” Yoko nodded her head.
Ella slowly moved her head up and down, trying to expand her sense of touch… it wasn't pleasant either. There were vibrations everywhere, and- "Oh, Lisa and Saskia are practicing again! I can feel them moving."
Yoko smiled, stepping forward, ”Open your eyes, but do not give up the focus. Sharpen your eyes. Look at the smallest details - the ground’s texture, the way the light changes - and tell me anything out of place.”
Ella opened her eyes carefully, squinting them against the light. It was… amazing after she got over the pain of seeing far too much. She looked around with a light gasp. She could see everything… She tried to focus on anything that might be out of place, but it all seemed as normal as this place could get right now. "Saskia’s spitting on a tractor, that’s pretty out of place."
”… Other than that, Disciple?” Yoko rolled her eyes. ”The gestalt of it, Disciple? What are you seeing? What are you feeling? What are you smelling? Everything?”
"Everything, too much- it’s amazing but overwhelming," Ella said, full of awe. "Ooo, I can even see tiny flowers- ew, no, that’s a gross bug."
Yoko smiled.
”Time to teach you another valuable spell down here: Block,” Yoko said with a nod of her head. ”Now, before you ask, Block is a spell in which you use your Orange-Lux to flow into your body to mitigate physical and magical damage…”
"Oh, that makes sense!" Ella nodded. "... but I don't really get how it's Orange-Lux?"
”It’s channeling your Orange-Lux to enchant your defenses,” Yoko explained,
”Block is more than just a spell, it’s a mindset. It requires you to focus entirely on defense and become an immovable object.”
Yoko took a few steps in front of Ella, and unsheathed the Yokai Killer, taking a defensive position with the blade in front of her - across her chest. ”I will demonstrate, come at me with your strongest attack and I will not falter!”
"Alright!" Ella shouted. She took some time to drain all of the colour from the bracelets in her arms to strengthen herself and her abstraction. Then, light shone around her legs… it was her signature move, the most magical girl of her attacks, the strongest! She brought down a leg as hard as steel towards Yoko, burning light radiating around it with her own strength heightened by her colour boosting spell…
… And it seemingly did nothing as Yoko took a more neutral posture. She slid the Yokai Killer back into its sheath as she said, ”With Block, you become an immovable force! To activate it, you need to ground yourself - plant your feet firmly. Then channel the Orange Lux into your core and feel it expand outward to everything - your skin, your clothes, your items - and focus only on maintaining it. Do not think about ANYTHING else. Especially not those two, Disciple.”
Yoko pointed across the field at Lisa and Saskia, before she continued, ”When Block is active, nothing will move you. You will be like a wall! Like a mighty Hatanaka Disciple!”
Yoko valiantly raised the Yokai Killer into the air, ”Now try it. Focus on your defense, and nothing else. Remember, Disciple, this spell requires total commitment. Once you activate it, there is no retreat or counterattack!”
Ella frowned. Not thinking about Lisa and Saskia… that was hard. Protecting them was most of her motivation! They were her friends! But maybe she had to block attacks to protect them! She shifted her feet to be a bit apart, bending her knees and holding her arms up in front of her in a more defensive posture. She closed her eyes and started to channel the Orange-Lux across her… it combined with Green as her skin hardened and the protective Orange-Lux layer formed over her with a light glow of Red-Lux. She felt unmovable.
While this went on, the Yokai Killer retracted into the hilt, before she slid it back into her hip pouch. Yoko then pulled out a metal rod… which extended into an outright bo-staff. Holding it with both hands, Yoko said, ”Get ready Disciple!”
Yoko swung it at full force at Ella.
Ella didn't move, taking the full brunt of the staff… and it hurt! But not as much as it would've if she wasn't trying this block spell, pushing her back a little bit… she frowned. "Do it again!"
Then she dropped back into the same stance, trying to feel the flow of Orange-Lux from her core outwards, strengthening the bits she'd missed until it was like there was a faint, rainbow layer around her entire self.
”… Don’t say it like that!” Yoko shouted as she recoiled, cocked it back, before jamming it into Ella’s cheek.
The staff slammed into Ella’s cheek… but she barely felt it. It left a slight mark, but it practically bounced off. Ella grinned. "How was that?!"
The staff retracted as Yoko smiled, ”You’re a natural, Disciple. You just need to be strategic about when and where you use it. As you can still be physically manipulated.”
"People did always say things just bounced right off me!" Ella said with a grin, nodding. "I’ll make sure to use it wisely, Sensei. Fighting is one thing I’m confident in!"
”Excellent, because we’ll be doing a lot of it down here,” Yoko said as she put the staff away, and re-equipped the Yokai Killer. ”We should practice these spells some more - sans Eternal Binding - just to ensure-”
The voice reappeared…
…-en…?…?…?…to a-…?…?…?…-pparition.
Yoko raised an eyebrow.
Ella frowned… And decided to not try and understand the lack of words there. She’d just get confused! "Please repeat what you’re saying, strange voice, I don’t understand! Something Apparition?"
I…?…?… Apparition…?…?…?… you…?… can…?..?…trust-
”I believe the voice is leading us to an Apparition, Disciple,” Yoko noted.
…?…?…Yes…?…?..?..?
"Great! But there’s no directions?" Ella said, looking at Yoko. "Unless you understand where it’s leading us?"
…?…?…I-…?…?…got you.
”Hold on! Before we do anything!” Yoko raised the Yokai Killer into the air as she turned towards Lisa and Saskia and shouted, ”OTTEN! TURNER! Come here!”
"What?" Saskia groaned as they came over.
"We’re going Apparition hunting!" Ella said cheerfully. "The voice is telling us where!"
”Lucky you!” Lisa said, ”The voice in my head just tells me to kill people!” Lisa threw her hands in the air.
…? …?… Le-…?…?…-eft. Left…?…?…ft…?…?…?…Left.
The voice said.
”Left of what?” Lisa asked. ”And who are you?!”
…?…?… Do-…?…?…-out-…?..?..?…?…?…?… Ella…
"Do without Ella?" Saskia asked.
”Left of Ella?!” Yoko shouted.
…?…?…?…Ye-…?…?…Yes…-s…?…?…Yes.
"Of me?!" Ella snapped her head to her left, mouth falling open and pointing… At whatever it was. She couldn’t tell!
"It’s the ghost of your Uncle," Saskia said with a deadpan expression.
”Yeah, he’s come back from beyond for that ass!” Lisa said, laughing, ”Every time you opened your mouth he was probably sticking it in, so you should do that talking thing less.”
Yoko facepalmed.
"HE NEVER- I NEVER-" Ella shook her head, tears starting to stream down her face. She didn’t want to think about it! So she did actually close her mouth, just in case… just in case… she hung her head and sobbed.
"It’s probably not that," Saskia said with very little comfort to her words, putting a hand on Ella’s shoulder. "Let’s go hunt whatever that is."
… GO. TO. THE. LEFT!…?…?
The voice said.
… FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! I LOVE YOU FOUR, BUT JESUS!…?…?
”The voice wants us to go left!” Lisa said, before she went left…
… her left.
…?…?… Turn around Li-
The voice disappeared, and Lisa turned around as she walked down a path. Yoko was not that far behind, as they kept walking, Lisa suddenly came to a stop as she said,
”.., How do we know that the voice talking to us isn’t an Apparition?!” Lisa threw her hands into the air. ”It could be trying to eat our butts!”
…?…?…-Haha….?…?…-once you-…?…?…out.
"You barely have any ass to eat," Saskia commented drily. They stepped around Lisa to keep walking down the path without much care. "Once we get out? Keep going."
Ella silently trailed at the back of the group, still feeling a bit dejected. She didn't want to say anything… what Lisa had said had actually upset her. She was struggling to process that.
"Hopefully it's just at the end of this path," Saskia continued with a shrug.
”Hey! I have enough to-”
…?…?…?…-ready…?…it’s…?…?…ming.
The Yokai Killer began glowing brightly. ”Something is coming ! Get ready!” Yoko shouted.
A wave of spiders came, and five of them were wrapped in glowing coccoons.
"I'm ready!" Ella shouted, pulling out the four dildos with Kanji written on them and wielding them like they were weapons.
"Terrifying," Saskia chuckled, nails digging into the recently healed wound on their palm and forming into two swords from the back of their hands.
A wailing could be heard, and a faint blue light came from the bushes. The bushes rustled… Then a strange Apparition came out. It floated in front of them for a moment…
…?…?…-n’t know…?…?…is, but-…?…?…?…take him.
The Voice said.
…?…?… Be careful, please.
”Brooks! We have to perform the ritual here,” Yoko began. ”Or we lure him back to those Kanji!” Yoko cocked her blade back, and she narrowed her eyes.
”Decide quickly!” Yoko said before she disappeared in a burst of speed. She appeared on the other side of the Apparition, before a slash appeared on the Apparition’s torso.
"I'll do it here! Keep it distracted!" Ella said. She crouched down, drawing the first Kanji in the ground where she was with her Channeler… before moving on to draw one to it's left.
Saskia raised an eyebrow, before jumping forward to slash the Apparition's other side in a similar move to Yoko. The Apparition reached out and grabbed the blade… Only for five razor-sharp spider legs to burst out and impale the Apparition’s torso. Yoko quickly slashed upwards with the Yokai-Killer and managed to get it to drop Saskia.
…?…?…Are you-…?…?…?
The Apparition floated backwards down the path.
"Don't let it get away!" Ella shouted, absorbing colour to boost her speed. She skidded round it's other side, drawing the third Kanji while also kicking the Apparition back down towards the circle. Then she jumped to drawing the fourth one.
”Disciple! Focus on the ritual!” Yoko shouted, as she paused for a moment and began breathing. Her aura began shining, shimmering, and waving. Before Yoko stopped breathing, before she darted off in a burst of speed past Ella, Saskia, and Lisa.
She quickly ended up on the other side of the Apparition, and swung the Yokai Killer in a graceful arc. The Apparition was struck, before screaming in pain and throwing a hand forward. An invisible force came with the hand and sent Yoko flying.
The Apparition turned around before hitting Lisa and Saskia with the same force. It raised its ethereal limbs, and stones and debris were pulled out of the ground into the air. Then flicked it at the four…
Ella tanked the stones and debris thrown at her by sheer strength of will, blood pouring down her face and barely seeming to bother her. She finished the last Kanji on the ground then threw the dildoes to each of their matching points, with a blank one in the middle.
”“By the ancient strength of Hatanaka, I invoke the power of chains.
By the symbols drawn and bound, let the circle hold fast.
Containment, control, eternity—” She started to chant, concentrating all of her orange Lux into the spell.
”… Disciple! Not yet!” Yoko shouted as she climbed to her feet. ”It’s still fairly strong!”
”Wait! Are those the dildos?!” Lisa shouted.
With a sickening crack, the Apparition’s neck went upright as it began crying blood. It grasped its face before it let out a powerful scream that carried a shockwave
"Not all of the dildos!" Ella shouted as she was knocked back by the scream shockwave. "Only half of them!"
”Well you can't blame us when we look for fun elsewhere," Saskia intoned, swapping from blood blades to tendril and digging it into the ground to keep herself upright. With a sickening crunch, wings started to push through their back.
"... Whatever!" Ella shouted. She raised her hands, electricity crackling around them before shooting a burst of violet lightning at the apparition. Which collided against it, and knocked it back.
”Who cares about the dildos?! My BABIES!” Lisa whined over the corpses of her spider minions.
Yoko had taken a defensive position to tank the brunt of the attack. ”You’ll have to make due, Turner!” Yoko shouted as she aimed the Yokai Killer at the Apparition. While it was still recoiling from Ella’s lightning, the edge of the blade extended - shooting out towards the Apparition and impaling it through the chest. Then webs appeared around it courtesy of Lisa. It shrieked in pain.
”Disciple! Replace the objects! Finish the ritual!” Yoko commanded Ella, then turned to Saskia, ”Otten! Hit it with everything you have!”
"Yes, Sensei!" Ella shouted… pulling out even more dildos and scrawling the Kanji on them.
Saskia jumped at the Apparition, blood tendril piercing it's face while their wings slammed into it with their sharp tips slicing through it.
Yoko stared at Ella for a few moments, taking a deep breath. Yoko brought the sword down, bifurcating the Apparition from the torso down after Saskia attacked. Yoko shouted to Lisa, ”… Turner! Keep doing what you’re doing!” With a nod of her head, Lisa kept wrapping the Apparition in webs.
The blade retracted, and Yoko swung out - and it extended yet again. However, the Apparition let out another shriek that carried a telekinetic force with it in all directions.
"This is fucking annoying!" Saskia said, as they dug their wings into the ground to stop themselves being completely blown back.
As the telekinetic blast came at Ella she paused, took a deep breath, and was perfectly still. Light rainbow light shimmered across her and the shriek completely washed over her. Then she immediately went back to drawing the Kanji.
"I'm done, is it weak enough yet?!"
”Hold on!!” Yoko shouted, as the Yokai Killer retracted and she threw it into the hip pouch. ”Disciple! Start chanting! I’ll take it from here!”
Yoko pulled out a metal bo-staff, before pressing it against the ground and it extended, launching Yoko the Apparition’s head. As she flew, she cocked back the bo-staff, and then whacked it. It was launched across the battered path towards Ella.
Ella had placed all the dildos in their correct Kanji location, and the dildo for the sealing in the middle.
”“By the ancient strength of Hatanaka, I invoke the power of chains.
By the symbols drawn and bound, let the circle hold fast.
Containment, control, eternity—
These are the laws I weave.
O restless spirit, you are now bound for all time,
Your essence contained.
By the will of my ancestors and the force of my soul,”
As Ella chanted, she channeled her Orange-Lux fully into the circle. The Kanji started to glow bright pink and a barrier formed around the Apparition, pulling it into the centre.
“I command thee—
Enter the vessel and know no escape,
By the light of this spell, you are forever restrained.
So it is spoken, so it shall be done!”
The Apparition screamed as it was sucked… into the dildo. Yoko put the bo-staff away, and ran over. ”Disciple! You did it!”
”… Can we still use those?” Lisa asked, pointing at the Dildos.
"I don't see why not," Saskia intoned.
Yoko gently whacked her on the head with the Yokai Killer, ”Turner, we don’t have time for that.”
"Yay!" Ella cheered and threw up her hand, before grabbing the dildo with the Apparition sealed in it. ”Is this magic now? Like… an artifact?!"
Yoko shrugged, ”It contains a magical being but that’s where the magic begins and ends.”
"Maybe it'll be fun to-"
”Can I seal multiple apparitions in it?!" Ella interrupted Saskia with another shout.
”Stop shouting, Disciple,” Yoko commanded, before adding, ”You can, but I would advise against it. The more you contain in one object, the easier time they will have escaping.”
"Alright, I'll just use another one," Ella said with a sigh, putting the dildo with the apparition sealed in it back in her bag. Then she collected all the ones with Kanji on them… she could reuse them! For the ritual.
"Well that's great," Saskia said. "But did you learn anything to use against the Robots."
"No! I don't want to go anymore! You'll- you'll-" Ella wailed, grasping her cheeks. "Try to fuck them!"
”Damn straight we will!” Lisa said, ”We’re getting dicked and you can’t stop it!”
Yoko facepalmed.
…?…?…Really?…?..?
"I will stop it! I won't let you!" Ella shouted before pointing to the sky. "See the strange voice agrees!"
"Maybe they're saying really because they don't think we can do it, and it's a challenge," Saskia said.
”You don’t have to allow it!” Lisa shouted, ”It’s going to happen whether you like it or not! We may record a video! It’s be number one on Pornhub!!”
…?…?…?…?…?…-anger of…?…?…dying…?…?..?…?…?…?… Just FOCUS! Tra…?…?…?… -thing! Any-…?..?..?
”I'm stronger than you so I can stop it!" Ella shouted, leaping at Lisa and trying to put her in a headlock.
”But I can do this, ninja!” Lisa said, before a net of webs appeared in front of her.
Saskia rolled their eyes. "Yes, we know we're in danger of dying, creepy stalker voice. It's fine. The danger will bounce off Ella's fat ass."
”… Disciple, and friends!” Yoko shouted, as she walked over to Ella, ”Let us go back to training! While I taught some of the Hatanaka spells, there is still more work to do! ”
"... Were those three not enough?" Ella said, looking over at Lisa and Saskia with an almost pleasing gaze. Saskia just shrugged. "What more is there to learn?!"
Yoko grabbed her hand and pulled Ella back towards the Barnhouse. ”You learned the basics! But we must refine your skill, yes? You must become an expert to survive down here, yes?!” Yoko said as she continued to pull Ella back.
”You have to give your friends a chance to develop their countermeasures, YES?!”
"FIIIINNNE I UNDERSTANDDDD," Ella wailed as she was practically dragged away by Yoko, holding out hands to Saskia and Lisa.
Saskia just waved.
"But I want to develop something fun and flashy too! Metal melting spell or something!"
”Yes! I understand! But that conversation was making me stupid as that inbred Murakin!” Yoko hissed.
"... It was making me sad too, so I understand," Ella nodded, bottom lip trembling again. Just thinking about… no she didn't want to think about it. "Alright, you're right, let's train more! I need to keep my mind off it!"
”Then…” Yoko pulled the Yokai Killer out. ”Let’s get to work.”
