/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>46887487
-God Squad-

The mountain, had become destitute looking in only a few short minutes, Tengu still running from their destroyed homes, the mountain side pockmarked with craters, tree stumps still glowing red from where the trees were cut, countless iron pillars embedded into the bare dirt and rock, slivers cut out of nearly every surface of stone.

But among all the chaos, the Myouren shrine lay tranquil and creepily undisturbed, looking just like it had minutes before with nary a scratch. Even the half-frozen over pond was entirely silent and still among the chaos of Youkai Mountain.
In the midst of the tranquil but chaotic landscape, a ice fairy crested the stairs back up to the Myouren shrine.

“Wooow!” Cirno exclaimed, carrying a large block of ice over head head one-handed. “Man, this has been a day hasn’t it!” Cirno exclaimed, a bright expression on her face.

Following her up the stairs, Suwako responded glibly. “That’s one way of saying it. So, ya’ know who this is.” Suwako asked, gesturing to the figure frozen in the block of ice Cirno carried.

“Nope.” Cirno shook her head as she sat the block of ice down next to the torii gate. “I think she told me her name, but I didn't commit it to memory.”

Kanko, who was quickly following behind the two sighed. “Well it’s probably best to just keep her like this until this is all over.” Her mind already racing with how she’d be able to take advantage of this crisis.

“Yeah, let’s deal with her later, now where’s that Sanae?” Suwako agreed, laziness and the current crisis triumphing over her curiosity about the oni woman who kept going on about Reimu.

“Hey, guys, we finally got her!” Sanae announced walking out of the forest while dragging the Lord of Youkai Mountain, the Tenma by her feathered head and beaked face. The large old bird's entire body bound with Sanae’s snakes.

Shou waved them overlooking slightly worse for wear. “Shou! Are you okay!” Cirno said, jumping up and through the air towards her senior.

“Yes, I’m fine Cirno.” Shou chuckled, waving off the fairy with one hand.

“Same here guys, but we need to discuss what we’re going to do next.” Sanae said, waiving to the giant tree that had overtaken the village, barely constrained by the blue and star pattern barrier containing it.
Then with another hand she waved to the sky, still partially destroyed with its ‘top’ missing and various artifacts and things still visible through the hole in the sky, Sana could swear she could see Miko up there smiling at them from her Senkai in Gensokyo’s ‘orbit’ only the horizon had been entirely restored.

“But I think I’d like to talk to our guest here first.” Shou gestured her head to Sanae. Each of them, sans Cirno, had their own suspicions and reservations to serious degrees about this whole affair, but Shou was the most suspicious of the incident.

“Oh yeah.” Sanae removed the writhing gag from the old bird’s mouth as she was laid on the floor as she looked at the gathered plotters with hatred in her eyes.

“Be done with me, tool of false gods, or would you rather and me to her alive.” The Tenma spit out her words like venom as she looked up at Shou.

“I serve Bishamonten,” Shou cared little for the games of Tengu and foxes, or Youkai for that matter even if her indolent followers indulged in such. Although she did judge them harshly she knew of her own hypocrisy.

“You serve that wheelchair god, or that wannabe youkai, working towards their interests and plotting against me, Just like all those other-” Shou ignored the rest of the old crow’s ranting, petty complaints about the gods and Buddha’s. Strangely the old bird seemed to focus on the favor granted to female non-tengu Youkai by some male ones, Shou wondered about that as well sometimes.

Idly she tied the Tenma’s beak shut with a rope as she thought. Shou had sensed that something was wrong, but the Tenma’s words... Nobody wanted the old bird alive, and unlike the other sages she was unnecessary to keeping the barrier maintained, her inclusion among their ranks was their concessions to the interests of Mara.

Shou put her hand to her chin. Nobody wanted the Tenma alive, everybody benefited from her death. But she was nonetheless important to the balance of power in Gensokyo.

The Tengu’s interest in the HSE while genuine, began to look alot more suspicious, Okina should’ve rightfully done something before the situation escalated this far.

“Was this entire thing a setup?” Shou questioned out loud. Her voice, cold and accusatory as her normally golden eyes became shadowed.

“Huh?” Cirno questioned as the form of the Tenma squirmed underneath her. Kanako and Sanae looked surprised, while Suwako just raised her eyebrow.

Shou sat down on the Tenma, earning her a grunt from the bird. Looking her allies with a hard expression, she asked them. “How much do you trust Okina?”