VitaVitaAR

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Heir to the Konpaku

---

I still don't understand what the problem was. But I wasn't about to stay there when all they did was insist on taking Roukanken and Hakurouken.

What kind of person just demanded family heirlooms like that, over some damaged cobblestones?

---Erk.

This... is a graveyard, isn't it? It's not entirely familiar to me, but the differences are probably because it's a different world. It's not that dissimilar from the graveyard in Gensokyo, especially when it comes to atmosphere.

It looks like Fujiwara-san, and that blonde little girl, both made it here too. I suppose we must have followed a similar route from leaving the main street, even though we didn't run into one another until now.

I'm relieved, honestly. It's not as if I can't handle myself, and I don't particularly know Fujiwara-san beyond having fought her before. But I'd rather be around someone familiar here then attempt to find my way around alone.

I can't help but feel that trying to find my way around alone would simply be more frustrating than anything else.

At least there's no---

Nevermind!

One of the figures in the graveyard is familiar, and the other definitely isn't. The former is so familiar that my heart sinks a little.

Miyako Yoshika in and of herself isn't really a problem. She's slow, and has the kind of thought processes you would expect from a corpse. But all she really does is remain in one place. I've never heard of any incidents of her biting anyone, which would be the worst outcome.

The problem is the person that is inevitably here if she is.

A certain someone I'm not very eager to deal with.

"It is," I respond, my shoulders slumping as I can't help but let out a sigh, "There's no mistaking her. Which means her Master is probably somewhere around here, too."

Even in this state, I can beat her if she tries something. I know that much. And I don't think Miyako-san will try anything aside from telling us to leave by herself.

But---

Who is that Buddhist talking to her? I'm not familiar with everyone from Myouren, but he doesn't look like he came from there either. Is he another person from somewhere else?

More then that, though, what are these things lurking around the graveyard? They're not ghosts, thankfully. I don't want to deal with ghosts.

But their presence is sickly. It's as if they're rotten. I'm not a miko or a monk or anything like that, but as a half-phantom it's hard not to notice.

It's like they're as malformed on a spiritual level as they look.

My fingers tense. My right hand drifts a a little closer to Roukanken's hilt, as my phantom half drifts behind me.

But they're not attacking, they're just watching.

Aah, I really don't like that either---!

But they're not ghosts. So I can deal with them. It's fine.

I suck in a deep breath, then exhale. I'll worry about them when I need to.

The Buddhist is asking about Europe? Europe is one of the places in the outside world, isn't it? Aside from knowing a handful of the more recent residents of Gensokyo come from there, that's about all I know about it. But this world definitely looks more like the Scarlet Devil Mansion then anything else.

"I don't think this is Europe," is all I can really say. If it's another world, it probably doesn't have Europe at all, "Though, since I've never been there, I can't be completely sure..."

Maybe this was this world's version of Europe?

@FujiwaraPhoenix@Raineh Daze

---

The Wandering Cat

---

The butterflies struck by Sanae's ofuda instantly dissipated.

But that only caused more of them to appear. It wasn't just a few, either. The golden butterflies were beginning to fill the hall ahead.

The heavy, oppressive feeling was now so strong that Rayne would almost certainly be able to feel it as well. The walls almost seemed darker, but not because of shadows---

It was as if there was soot clinging to them.

Had it been there moments ago? It didn't seem like it, the building had definitely been fairly clean and there were no signs of recent fires.

"Hmmm. Those butterflies are probably some manifestation of the curse," commented Qing'e without much concern, "In that case---"

She raised her right hand. There was something clutched in it, but it was hard to tell what at first.

But then a shape manifested from it.

It was blue-tinted and hazy, but certainly a human-like shape. It lacked many details, but for a miko like Sanae it would be easy to discern what it was.

It was a human ghost. Or at the very least, a piece of one. It certainly didn't seem to have any sort of intelligence as it seemed to hang there, limply, in the cloaked woman's hand.

As the butterflies approached, Qing'e lazily tossed the spiritual fragment towards the growing swarm.

Almost immediately, the butterflies alighted upon the ghost, and the previously-still, hazy shape suddenly began to squirm.

It was starting to break down almost immediately. Pulled apart, crumbling, and being sucked into the butterflies that had landed on it.

In a matter of seconds, it was already completely gone.

"Mmm, so that's how it is," Qing'e said, still sounding far less concerned then anyone in such a situation should, "Don't allow them to touch you, for even a moment. They'll suck the life out of you. That explains how the victims ended up."

If anything, she sounded almost satisfied. As if she'd been curious all along at how the curse functioned.

Though at the very least, it was unlikely that was the sole reason she was here.

"We'll probably have to go through them to reach the origin of the curse, so---"

It was at that very moment that the golden butterflies began to emerge from the walls around them.

@FujiwaraPhoenix@DracoLunaris

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Red Light District

---

"You're right, of course, forgive me," Qing'e replied, inclining her head apologetically, "I'm simply used to poking at interesting things, and the both of you do seem rather interesting."

The hooded woman's gaze returned to the building. Indeed, like most of the higher-class buildings in the district, it seemed quite extravagant, with bright reds and blues adorning it and a rather flashy sign advertising it to be 'The Wandering Cat'.

It couldn't have been abandoned for very long, and yet the building seemed almost totally silent.

Somehow, though, it didn't seem empty.

Certainly there was no-one visible entering or exiting it, nor any sounds of life.

But there was something there.

Something that, to Sanae in particular, would feel like an extraordinarily heavy presence. A pitch-black miasma that could almost be felt tangibly by the arahitogami, almost smelled.

Like something burning.

Whatever was lurking in the abandoned brothel was something that could nearly be felt even by those with no spiritual sense at all.

"I knew you would feel it," Qing'e commented, glancing towards Sanae, and then Rayne as well, "And you might be able to pick up on it soon as well."

Her gaze drifted towards the building's entrance as she approached it.

"Whatever's lurking here is the root of the curse that's been draining away the life of the people who came here. Quite simply, if this goes any further, it may not just be this district in danger. The people who work here don't deserve this suffering, but it might not end with them."

Slowly, she opened the door.

Within was some form of lobby, having been abandoned in a considerable rush. The candles and lamps lighting the building had long since gone out, but Qing'e had a way to rectify the lack of visibility.

Raising her right hand, the hooded woman conjured what appeared to be a spherical blue light, and beckoned the others to follow her.

"The sooner we find the source of the curse, the sooner it can be cleansed."

As the trio entered, it was possible that Sanae or Rayne might glimpse something strange, ahead, in a hall leading deeper into the building.

The fluttering wings of a golden butterfly.

Then another.

And another---

@FujiwaraPhoenix@DracoLunaris

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Heir to the Konpaku

---

... But why?

This doesn't make any sense.

It's no worse then clashes I've seen and participated in back in Gensokyo, in the human village. No bystanders were going to be hurt. I understand this is another world. I'm not stupid, and it's not like it's some sort of overly-complicated explanation for our current situation.

It's something as straightforward as just another world existing.

Why is it a problem if we dueled here, as long as no-one else was caught up in it? That match had only approached the more intense bouts in Gensokyo towards the end.

---Unfortunately, with the damage to my phantom half, I'm not sure it could have escalated into the sort of duel I'd wanted to show someone as legendary as Miyamoto Musashi, but I was still going to give it my all.

But now, she's run away, and the town's guards are trying to take away my swords and take me with them.

Roukanken and Hakurouken are family heirlooms. I have absolutely no intention of handing them over. How shameful would it be for a Konpaku to do such a thing?

I wouldn't be able to look Yuyuko-sama in the eye, no matter what she said, if I let myself be disarmed so easily.

"I won't hand over my swords."

I fix my eyes firmly on the one who appears to be their leader, at least judging by how he's done most of the talking.

"If you want to take them from me, you'll have to do it yourselves. I already offered to fix the cobblestones."

That was the only damage our duel caused. I'm a gardener on top of my other duties, so it's precisely the sort of thing I can manage even if it's not exactly the same as laying out a stone path.

If that's not enough for them, then there's nothing more I'm going to offer. Not after they insisted on trying to take Roukanken and Hakurouken.

"Since that's not enough for you, I'm leaving."

I leave the ground, the air whipping past me as I ascend to the top of a nearby building. There's not much reason to deal with them any longer. If they tried to take my swords by force, I'd have to slash them all, and despite what I said to them I'm not particularly interested in even non-lethally harming this town's guards.

Still, I don't get what made them so angry in the first place.

I take another step and gently step off the rooftop on the other side of the building, descending to the street below.

I'll just leave them behind.

@FujiwaraPhoenix@Raineh Daze

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

"Sir Fionn, what are you---"

Fanilly could not quite help but stare in wordless shock, wide-eyed, at her knight's actions.

He had just decided to start playing along with Duke Thedric. Leaning entirely into the parody-like madness being expressed by Brennan's lord.

The Duke blinked, and then his wide, bright eyes seemed to take on an entirely different glow.

"Ah-hah! You're right! My marching uniform...!"

Hurling the baguette to the side, knocking several nearby items to the floor as it landed uncerimoniously, the Duke marched over to his dresser and picked up what appeared to be a spare maid uniform.

Without removing the dress he was already wearing, the muscular noble proceede to pull it on, fabric audibly stretching and tearing as he did.

"I apologize for my uncouth behavior! Now, to conquer the Kingdom of Pudding! To strike down the tyrannical Rectangles!"

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

"It would be best if you didn't refer to Duke Thedric in that eway once we've arrived," Fanilly commented with a wince. Not that she necessarily expected the coarse-tongued mage to listen, but she had to try, if nothing else.

"Though, given they've already sought the assistance of mages, I'm certain they'll allow to you cast on him, as long as it helps to discover what happened."

If it was as she feared, Fanilly wasn't certain there would be any way to cure Duke Thedric's mind. At the same time, however, there were no reports of any kind of violence.

The fact that the madness suddenly emerged abruptly, with no prior signs of any sort of mental decline, when he awoke one morning...

Was it possible the shard was being used in some sort of plot targeting the nobility?

Fanilly had to confess she doubted that possibility, moments after it rose in her mind. It wouldn't be a very efficient way to try and remove them from power.

But it certainly seemed as if something strange had happened.

The stone-and-wood walls of Brennan loomed ahead, now. It wasn't as large as Aimlenn, certainly, but even from outside it was clear that Brennan's healthy trade had granted it a great deal of resources.

There was a shout from atop the walls, and the great doors opened ahead of them.

A young man with dark hair and green eyes, clad in fine blue-and-orange clothing with a sword on his hip and a cape on his back was there to greet them. Behind him stood an entourage of Brennan's garrisoned soldiers.

"While I can't say I expected it, I'm glad you've come to offer your aid, Knight-Captain," the man said as he stepped forward, bowing his head, "I am Sir Aglan, and I wish I could welcome you and your knights to our city in better times."

He let out a heavy sigh.

"You may take your horses to the garrison stable, after that---"

He hesitated a moment.

Fanilly took a moment to glance past him. Brennan hardly seemed to be in a particularly unusual state. The stone path lead deeper into town, the buildings here near the gate made primarily of wood. But past them, she could see larger, stone buildings, and in the distance the second set of walls around the Duke's manor.

There were people visible, too, going about their daily business.

If she had to guess---

It was almost certain the matter of the Duke's madness had been kept from the people of Brennan.

"---After that, it's best that you come and see the situation for yourself."

---

"---And that's the proof that I am Prince Erion, and by my word, it is time to begin baking the cake that will reach the heavens!"

Of all the things that Fanilly had expected, upon hearing of Duke Thedric's madness, this was nothing like any of them.

His manor was a tall, stately building, surrounded by a small garden. It took up less space then a castle, but it still spoke of its lords' taste in natural surroundings and greenery.

But the lord within...

He was as Fanilly remembered him. Older, of course, but still tall and with a muscular, robust body. A thick, dark beard tinted with grey was matched by a full head of hair, and his blue eyes were bright.

But he was wearing a bright pink dress, stretched over his muscular form, and thrusting a baguette into the air.

"Now, come with me, comrades! We shall conquer the Kingdom of Pudding! We shall celebrate with the Lamplighters every day! And I shall sing the Song of Lythenne!"

Did Duke Thedric even know the Song of Lythenne's untranslated high elven lyrics?

"... As you can see, it's almost like a parody of madness," Sir Aglan said with a heavy sigh, as Duke Thedric lept onto his bed. It creaked audibly, "But nothing has worked to recover his wits. He simply woke up and began acting... like this."

Fanilly hesitated. What did she say? This certainly wasn't the work of a shard of Angroron, but---

"I... I see," she began, "Did anything unusual happen, er, the night before?"

"I wish you were the first who asked that, because then we might have an answer," Sir Aglan responded wearily, "Alas, no-one seems to have seen anything. There was a party late into the night, Duke Thedric retired to his bed afterwards, and awakened having gone mad."

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Red Light District

---

"Mmm?"

The Red Light District was certainly... something. Indeed, it was kept clean, and the shining, expensive buildings and large windows displaying brief glimpses of what was inside behind thick curtains spoke of a great deal of money and upkeep rather then squalor. But the dubious air of the entire district couldn't be ignored.

Perhaps these things were just what should be expected.

"I suppose I'm not surprised that you're not excited to be here," Qing'e said, her lips curling into a small smirk, "A maiden such as yourself lusting for a night out in a Red Light District would be quite the shock indeed. I expect you keep your less-then-appropriate desires locked away inside your mind."

Her unseen gaze drifted, now settling on the Knight-Witch.

"And you... have the air of a married woman, so I can't imagine you've been to a place such as this. At least, not for quite some time, if ever. Still---"

She gestured to a group of finely-dressed young women as they passed.

"No matter how this place might appear lavish and decadent, there's not many people who can protect the ones who work here. And they're suffering, even if it doesn't look like it."

She paused a moment, catching sight of an overweight middle-aged man in flashy clothing whose eyes were lingering on Sanae rather closely.

If someone were looking closely at Qing'e, they might have noticed her hand twitch.

If they were looking at the man, they might have noticed him suddenly looking down as something tugged his pantleg.

They might have noticed the brief look of horror on his face, eyes bulging in their sockets and a cry escaping his throat, as he saw something down at his feet. He stumbled back, slipping, and fell heavily onto his backside.

But no-one passing by seemed to spare it much thought, and it was difficult to see what was there.

Qing'e continued to lead the way.

"Ahead is a brothel that was thriving, and from my understanding cared quite well for its workers. But customers and courtesans alike suddenly started to fall ill, becoming drained and exhausted. When a customer died, his body shriveling up like rotten fruit, it shut down, and everyone fled. But this strange illness and exhaustion has started to creep into the surrounding buildings. If this keeps persisting, more people will die."

@FujiwaraPhoenix@DracoLunaris

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

@Chronic: That's fine if you can do a sufficient description.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

@Chronic: Then we'll see when it's done.

Blades of Iron Roses: An Anime-Inspired Knight RP

@Chronic: I'm going to have to see your intended character concept first.

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Heir to the Konpaku

So her opponent deflected Cherry Blossom Flashing just like that?

Really, it was only to be expected. But the fact she had to respond to it purely defensively meant that Youmu was making progress.

A smile crossed the Half-Phantom's lips.

Getting serious, then? So far, she'd only showed off a few of her techniques.

If her opponent was getting serious---

"In that case, I'll just have to get serious as well."

It was only to be expected from the legendary Miyamoto Musashi, even if she came from another world.

With a faint hiss, spiritual power flowed along Youmu's limbs, passing from her body and across the edges of Roukanken and Hakurouken.

She'd slash through the space between herself and her opponent, through hesitation, confusion, and anything else in the way of her victory. A sparring match shouldn't just be taken lightly, so she was going to give it her all and---

"Eh?"

Wait, her opponent was just leaving!? The Legendary Miyamoto Musashi was sheathing her blades and turning tail? Where did all these people come from, for that matter?!

The audience for their duel had kept their distance, which only made sense. No-one wanted to be caught up in a duel at home, either, but quite a few people enjoyed watching them.

Youmu couldn't help but be incensed at her opponent's sudden departure. Their match had just been about to swing into full gear. A demonstration of the skills passed down through her family line, versus those of a legendary samurai whose impact was felt throughout the world of martial arts.

But now she was just running off?

"But... but what about our match?"

Youmu's shoulders sagged. She couldn't help but be deflated, her phantom half drooping in the air too.

---Aside from that, though, what was with all these people? They were some sort of town guard, that was certain, but why were they interfering? This might be a different world, but a friendly duel wasn't anything violating the law, was it? It certainly wouldn't have been back home in Gensokyo.

"I'm not handing over Roukanken or Hakurouken," Youmu protested, a frown crossing her features as she narrowed her grey eyes, "If you really want me to, I can re-lay the cobblestones, but I was only engaging in a friendly duel."

Laying stone was something easy enough, given her experience as a gardener, but that clearly wasn't the only thing they were angry about.

@FujiwaraPhoenix@Raineh Daze

---

The Church

The priestess's eyes widened for a moment on the mention of Lavielle.

After a pause, she let out a sigh.

"Lavielle isn't enshrined here. I don't know of any church that is a place of her worship," she replied with a frown, "If that's what you're looking for, you're only going to find ruins."

She seemed to consider her next words for a moment, before continuing.

"You really must be from far away. While I can't say I'm fond of Lavielle's worship, there's no prohibition against it. She is a goddess, however diminished and distant she might be. Personally, I would instead recommend offering a prayer to Valitys, but if you really wish to seek out Lavielle then you may be able to find a shrine with the merchants."

Her gaze drifted to the small, silent girl.

"As for the fae girl, it's not that only another fae could assist her," she continued, "The fae don't experience disease or aging. They can be killed by violence, but their bodies aren't composed of the same sort of matter as we are. Since I don't see any injuries, if anything is wrong with her... it's likely something spiritual, or something weighing upon her mind. In the former case, a mage might be able to help her. In the latter---"

She hesitated for a moment.

"I can't say for certain. Despite her looks, she's probably older than any of us here, but the minds of fae are difficult to understand."

@Lugubrious