Part 21: Turmoil on the Lake Part 1 - Part 1b

Since Marisa's group had a guide, they reached the Misty Lake first.

Thank you for accompanying me here.

Don't worry about it, your guidance helped us out too.

Be more careful next time.

Be especially wary of those black kedama. We don't know if they'll attack again.

Yes, thank you so much.



Suddenly, a bunch of fairies spawn in.



!

Whoa, these fairies just popped out.

That's right, the Misty Lake and the surrounding area is the habitat of fairies. Hey, Daiyousei, is the friend you were looking for among that group?

...Yes, the one on that island is Cirno. It seems she really was looking for me.

Ohh, bingo.

Good that we found her without incident. Go to her and ease her worries.

I shall do just that. Thank you so much, everyone.



You all better give Dai back, evildoers!!

...Ehh?

...Huh? Hey, what are you saying? We were just escorting Daiyousei to...



Well, to Cirno's credit she hasn't had the situation explained to her yet. Since Dai's right there I'm sure this misunderstanding will be cleared up.

Leave Dai here and get outta the Misty Lake right now!

Wha... evil magician? Hey you, you're calling the hero of the forest an evil kidnapper? Whaddaya think you're doing?

Heheh, an evil magician huh...

Well, with how she dresses, it's partly understandable.



Be careful, everyone. That's the creepy doll-girl!

That shortie over there is carrying a huge backpack too. She must be packing fairies in there!

Wha.... Creepy doll-girl...?

Ehh, is that shortie they're talking about... me?

It's just as I heard. I knew you were an evil group from the start!



Yeah, don't you know how to listen to others? If ya keep saying stupid things, we aren't gonna return Daiyousei either.



You idiot, if you say something like that...

!!



Everyone, we'll work together to beat 'em up!

Y-Yeaaah!

Well this is thoroughly silly.

...See, I told you so.

...Marisa, you weren't doing that on purpose, were you?

What? It was just a li'l joke.

It's not like that, Cirno. Please calm down and listen to me!





It's hopeless, we aren't getting through to her.

It seems so. Daiyousei, do you think you can persuade your friend? I don't particularly want to fight, but if it ends up as a danmaku battle... We're going to have to knock them about a bit. You realize that, right?

...I understand. I will give it a try. She seems agitated though, so I don't know if she'll listen...

All right, let's do this. Prepare yourselves, you evil group!





For all of Cirno's bravado, this isn't a very hard stage. There may be a lot of enemies, but they're all fairies so this is practically a bunch of free Graze.



The goal of this chapter is to get Cirno to calm down. This can be achieved by having Dai talk with her or by defeating her, but like the last time we had this choice Talk is by far the better option.

Unfortunately, I can't just have Marisa, Alice, and Nitori bulldoze a way to Cirno and clear the chapter in record time. Why?



Because this fucking iceberg on the opposite side of the map is a Bonus Conversation spot. Everyone will be moving around the fairy army to get to this.



There's not much I can do on the first phase but advance.



Hey, I know that magician. According to that girl from the trio, she uses light magic violently on everyone. They were also almost bottled up by her supposedly.

Even when they're not even present, the three fairies continue to be jerks.

B-Bottled up...!?

That doll-girl is really creepy because she talks to her dolls by herself. She acts as if it's totally normal.

Hey, should we really fight against those kind of people...? Maybe we should just go back home first?

Hey you two, are you thinking of ditching Dai?



Eep! I-It was a joke, of course!

Yeah, we wouldn't do something like that!

Hmph, that's fine then.

(She's so agitated, she's even threatening to use her power like that... I need to convince her to stop it somehow..!)



Three of the fairies throw up some danmaku to make the path to Cirno a bit tougher. Too bad I'm not going there.



On the second turn, Reimu's party spawns in!

That's the light of danmaku. There seems to be a battle going on.

Indeed. In fact, someone's over there...

Oh, Reimu. And that teacher from before. Hm, and two more people I don't recognize too.

Oh, so it's you Marisa. What are you doing here?

Investigating the incident. I came here cuz I thought the lake was suspicious.



Marisa's been getting pretty lucky with this incident; first she gets a Mysterious Voice to direct her, then she gets a guide to lead her to the Misty Lake.

Hmm, not bad. For you anyway.

Who are all these people? The battle seems to have just begun...

Ahh, it's a long story...

So you called your partners, you evildoers!? No matter how many evil people you keep calling, I'll freeze them all like frogs!

Huh? Evildoers...?



Wait... Please wait! Cirno isn't a bad person!

What do you mean? ...Wait, aren't you a fairy?

This fairy's on our side. She got lost, and we helped her out.

I see. What started this danmaku battle, then?

That blue-haired fairy is a friend of our fairy here.



I love how the two parties are just shouting the truth across the lake at each other, and Cirno's still not getting it.

Ahh... I understand the situation now.

She called me an evil magician. Ain't that horrible?

(...With how you dress, that's honestly somewhat understandable.)

Anyway, Daiyousei's going to her to talk to her, so try not to hurt her too much.

...I see. I'll try to show a bit of mercy then.





You be quiet!

However, in a danmaku battle, one must shoot back when shot at. And anyone who interferes must be taken down. You were called Daiyousei, right?



Y-Yes...!

Hah, typical Reimu. She'd always been the type to throw beans at even a crying oni.

Marisa basically just said that Reimu is completely merciless.

Daiyousei, we'll protect you, so don't worry about that. But what Reimu said is also the truth. We have to defeat the ones attacking us.

Yeah, you have to be the one to protect your friends, Daiyousei!

(I have to stop Cirno myself. If I don't do my best...)



That's nice.



Too bad everyone's just going for the iceberg.



Might as well look at Cirno while we're at it.



Cirno's biggest threat is being practically untouchable: 189 Evade + 90 Mobility + SS Size = Nobody but Reimu having a decent chance of hitting her without a Spirit. She's incredibly weak though, and you shouldn't be attacking her anyways.

If you're dumb and do decide to attack her though, it's crucial to get in close. Not only will that restrict her to only a measly Tackle, it'll also let you completely bypass her danmaku's effects. You'll see what I mean later.



Also, shooting her down is the only way to get this item. Still not worth taking her out.



Since this is Reimu's route, Marisa and Alice don't have a Support. As such I don't even bother keeping them together.



The Misty Lake has a pretty cool battle background.



The characters from the other route will all be level 8 (unless you somehow leveled them higher than that in chapter 3), and start with a preset amount of Graze. No upgrades or hold items though.



Aside from having Nitori take a dive to benefit from her S in Water terrain, nothing else happens this chapter.



Two of the fairies are underwater. This makes no difference for most characters, but all of Marisa's attacks are ranked B or C underwater so her damage takes a hit.



Like so. Damage reduction is normally pretty significant, but since the fairies have a B rank in Water terrain and paper thin defenses it's only -400 or so.

Yes, the fairies have a B in Water and are diving anyways.



The enemy phase ends with a fairy slightly tapping Keine.

Turn 3 starts with another party chat.

You are Marisa, correct? I have heard much about you.

Ahh, I've not seen you before. You're an ally of Reimu's, I take it?

Yes. I am Youmu Konpaku, and I am resolving the incident together with her. That youkai over there is Rumia.



Yes. Keine's stubborness.

Of course not. I brought them here myself.

Though it was by force for me. Hey, with this magician's group here, I should be able to go home now...

What are you saying? If you can fight, you're helping us out. Youkai have no human rights. You're not a human after all.

She's just as messed up as Reimu.



You can kind of see this chapter as an opportunity to give the other route's team some easy Graze. Alice will be glad to do so.



Alright Nitori, Extending Arm has a S in Water and this fairy has a B. Show us what you can do.



...Oh, less damage than Alice just did with a critical.

Note the difference between character and weapon terrain rankings: your character's terrain ranking will determine their defensive bonuses/penalties on a specific terrain, while the weapon's terrain ranking will factor into the damage bonuses/penalties. The multipliers are C Rank = x0.8, B = x0.9, A = x1.0, S = x1.1.



I get impatient and have Marisa and Youmu cast Accel.



Youmu's almost there!



Keine finishes off this fairy,



and Rumia and Reimu just move west, with Reimu taking a shot at a fairy in range.



Good old Reimu.



Enemy phase begins with this fairy killing itself.



The next action is just as embarassing; a fairy somehow misses Nitori. Also, underwater Monster Cucumber damage.



Youmu takes another sprint, and everyone else just chugs along.



The iceberg is the second third-to-last Bonus Conversation spot, and thankfully it's by far the most obnoxious to get to.



This fairy tries to kill itself, but Nitori doesn't need the Graze so she takes mercy.



While her damage may be kind of mediocre, an underwater Nitori can tank like nobody's business.

...What? All fairy attacks are also B ranked underwater? Don't tell Nitori that, it'll hurt her feelings.



Alice starts turn 5 by turning around and finishing off this fai-







Anyways, Reimu has reached the ice! Bonus conversation text dump goooo

What's with this island of ice? Did that fairy make it? Hmm... Since I'm here, maybe I'll have some shaved ice.

Shaved ice has to go with red bean paste. Ah, I think my shrine only has sugar though...

Hey, what are you doing at my secret base!? If you mess with it, you're gonna regret it!

Maybe I'll just settle for sugared water then? ...Nah, I'll just get Marisa to bring some red beans next time.

That's the theme of these conversations: each character's favorite flavor of shaved ice.



It doesn't matter where you stand on the iceberg when it comes to triggering these.

Oh, there is an island of ice floating here. Would this be the work of that fairy?

With this much available, it should not be a problem if I make some shaved ice. If I am the one to eat it, then it must go with strawberries. It is such a pleasant feeling eating shaved ice with a strawberry taste.

Hey, what are you doing at my secret base!? If you mess with it, you're gonna regret it!

Wait, you said you liked it with a strawberry taste? You're such a kid.

Ohh, that fairy was listening in!? I retract my previous statement, shaved ice must always be melon-flavored! That would not be a problem, right!?

Now it's Rumia's turn.

I've spotted some ice. What a rare sight in summer~.

Yeah, since I'm here, I'll eat some shaved ice. The flavor has to be...

Hey, what are you doing at my secret base!? If you mess with it, you're gonna regret it!

*crunch crunch*

...Hey, you're not even eating it shaved!

What's Rumia's favorite flavor?



What a one-sided battle.



Also, take two went a lot better.



Now that I've reached the iceberg, I can start actually attacking. Or rather, Reimu will. She'll be heading south to deal with all the fairies down there while everyone else rests on the iceberg.

Speaking of that thing...

That's a huge block of ice floating there. Did that ice fairy make this? It's a stroke of luck to get some ice in the summer though.

I'll take a bit back with me and make some shaved ice outta it. And of course, shaved ice has to go with milk. The light taste of ice combined with lotsa milk... Shaved ice is all about power!

Hey, what are you doing at my secret base!? If you mess with it, you're gonna regret it!

Sorry, but my saliva's all over it. This ice is mine now!

I guess Dai was right about Marisa and Cirno.

How strange, there's a block of ice floating here. Did that ice fairy create it?

However, ice is certainly precious in the summer. Since we're here, I should take some shaved ice.

Shaved ice must go with green tea and red beans. Then add brown sugar syrup and soybean flour to top it off.

I suppose I'll break off a piece.

Hey, what are you doing at my secret base!? If you mess with it, you're gonna regret it!

...Wait, you're going to headbutt that ice? You're gonna break your head on that.

No, the one that will be broken will be the ice. Even if I break it too much, the tiny pieces will be perfect for shaved ice.

I don't think atomic explosions are very good for breaking ice.



The enemy phase starts with Cirno attacking. As long as you don't kill her it's okay to attack Cirno, but it's kind of a crapshoot. If she wasn't defending, Nitori here would have a 47% hit rate.

Since she's Daiyousei's friend, I'd rather not fight her if possible, but...

What are you muttering about? Your excuses aren't gonna work on me.

For a friend, she's really causing so much trouble to Daiyousei... Well, I guess she's thinking of Daiyousei in her own way too.

That was probably the dullest of the Cirno chats. I'll be posting all of the ones we didn't in the second half of this update.

Music: Flap & Frappe & Flapper



Sure they don't Cirno.

_{I'd have made a video for this, but . Also Icicle Fall is not the most exciting animation.}



The only thing of note on the next turn was Reimu starting her assault.



Eh, let them eat their ice.



Nitori continues to get beaten up.



And Reimu continues to be awesome.

This large block of ice floating in the lake here... It doesn't quite fit with the typical scenery of summer. It does give off a nice, cool feeling though.

It looks good enough to bring back and turn into shaved ice. I wonder what I'll eat it with? I could make some fragrant syrup... On the other hand, I shouldn't make it too sweet... Maybe keeping it simple and having it with milk might be the best option.

Magicians just like milk I guess.

What do you think, Shanghai?

Hey, what are you doing at my secret base!? If you mess with it, you're gonna regret it!

Shang-hai.

I see, you like it with strawberries, huh?



I have Dai heal Alice instead of just selecting Wait.

Ah, it's our secret base. It still hasn't melted away even though we made it this morning.

Cirno made it for when we wanted to play with just the two of us. It's a bit cold standing on it barefoot though.

Hm, Dai's at our secret base. Does she want to play?





That's right, this isn't the time for this. I need to stop Cirno...!



Meanwhile, Reimu.



Would you look at those odds. If you're curious, if Reimu actually attacked she'd have either a 61%, a 68%, or a 79%.

A fairy like you is trying to challenge me? You've certainly got confidence, if nothing else.

Bah, so what if you're that shrine's shrine maiden. Did you pee your drawers at the sight of a powerhouse like me?

Ahh, I couldn't hear you over all this noise. What were you saying? Something about being powerless, was it?

I said powerhouse! POW-ER-HOUSE! Grr, how dare you make fun of me!



The dodge animation for Icicle Fall is just the target standing perfectly still.



A fairy hits on a bullshit 3%, and is immediately kicked in revenge.



Reimu then kills one fairy and cripples the other.



Then she kills that one too come player phase.



Guess who's at 180 Graze?



Also Dai heals Reimu to full HP because better safe than sorry.



Just one more turn to go.



Also, Dai starts heading over to Cirno. I don't need to have her Focus or come with a Support Defender, because Cirno will never attack Dai.



Zzzz.



Yessssss.

Ohh, even this huge block of ice can float like this. That fairy must've made it.

It looks really pretty too. I'll take it back with me and make it into shaved ice. The syrup will definitely be cucumber-flavored! It's gotta be cucumber-flavored ice!

Hey, what are you doing at my secret base!? If you mess with it, you're gonna regret it!

Besides, cucumber-flavored shaved ice sounds horrible.

Hey! Did you just make fun of cucumbers!? I'm gonna have to show you the light. I'll stuff cucumbers into your mouth until you realize how amazing they are!



I got bored of dodging Icicle Fall so I had Reimu move right next to Cirno.



Alright, we're done.

Cirno!

Dai!

Whew, I've finally gotten to you. I wasn't able to find you at all. I even searched as fas as the Forest of Magic.



The Bamboo Forest of the Lost is a very dense thicket of bamboo that people tend to get lost in. There are a few guides living inside/nearby it to help bring people to the exit though.

After all, a seeker would get lost there if they tried to search there... It was my surefire plan.

Ahaha... So you really meant it when you said we'd play near the lake...

Anyways, it's good that you got away from them safely. Did they do anything really bad to you? You were really scared, right?

No, it wasn't anything like that. In fact, Marisa and the rest saved me from...





...! Cirno, wait! You're wrong!

You all are gonna regret making me your enemy!



Tch, does she not have ears!?

Good grief, children really become a bother when they get like that. We might need to punish her a little to make her understand.



Reimu's already got a Fantasy Seal with Cirno's name on it.

No way... Everyone, please wait!

I'm afraid that seems unreasonable now. We can't keep ignoring this now that she's declared a spellcard.

...Then...

...No, we've got 4 minutes. We've got all the time until that spellcard ends. I can't imagine she'll listen, but she's your friend. You gotta do something.

...I understand. I will try again.



In other words, Talk to Cirno again.



Nobody was in range for Perfect Freeze, so Cirno just did Tackle again. Only this time she actually hit.



Perfect Freeze's gimmick is that you straight up can't move. If you didn't know this ahead of time and were trying to actually beat Cirno, you might be tempted to blow a few bombs clearing a path through, denying you the Bonus.



Wow, look at all those options.

Cirno, stop!

Dai!? I've declared a spellcard, so don't come here! It's dangerous!

I know it's dangerous! But if I leave things as it is, you'll be beaten up by Marisa's group! So please stop fighting, and let's go home. Marisa and her group aren't evil.

That's a lie. Look at how they treated you! I heard it from the other fairies. I'm gonna freeze them all!



What are you doing!? Let me go!

...C-Cold!

! Ah... I'm sorry, Dai...

No, it's okay...

...Cirno, you're not supposed to use your power like this. Didn't you promise me?

I have to admit, I'm curious about Cirno and Dai's backstory in this game. I wonder if there will be a flashback in a future game?

...But... But they all bullied you. So I thought that I needed to teach them a lesson...

Um, Cirno, you've been misunderstanding things. Marisa's group aren't bad people at all. They saved me from a group of black kedama that attacked me.

...So they didn't kidnap you?

They didn't. They haven't attacked me even once, have they?

...



Well don't you all look comfortable.

Perhaps it's best to leave the problems of children to the children themselves. I'm glad that we didn't have to get involved and it settled itself peacefully.

Right right, this is a victory for the power of friendship.

Whoa, you're getting emotional over this?

Anyway, it is good that it all ended well.

We managed to preserve some fighting power too. I can save more talismans for later.



Everyone moves to the top left corner. It is a very short trip for most of the team.



Even if it was a mistake, you should reflect on your actions, fairy. You were quite a bother to everyone.

...Can't you let fairies on our way go without a lecture?

Take care of each other, okay? Especially you, the blue one. Don't make Daiyousei worry so much.

Yes, you should be thankful to Daiyousei. It's because of her that you've made it out of this unharmed.



Stop saying such foolish things. If you keep getting too hotheaded, you may well make the same mistake again.

...

Now then, you said we should move on, but our next destination remain undecided. Shall we combne our information for now?

If we're gonna do that, then let's have some food. I'm hungry.



...Hmph, I'm not gonna say thanks. You all made me worry about Dai so much! Anyway, let's go back home Dai!

Ah, wait!



Huh, what's wrong, Dai?

Ahaha... I'm sorry. The relief just winded me for a second. I couldn't move. Please wait there, I'm going now.

Geez, Dai. C'mon, I'll give you my hand, so...



Man, are these things just stalking Dai?


Oh.

...What are those?

That's a black kedama from back then!

? What's up with that kedama? Aren't they supposed to swarm in forests?

...That kedama is not normal. They are the ones who attacked Daiyousei earlier.

Ahh, so that's one of the group who bullied Dai!

Wait, then that means...

...Dai's in trouble!



Ugh, we're one step behind!

Dodge it, Daiyousei!

...! I can't, my wings won't move...

Something tells me that getting Cirno to stop may have hurt Dai more than she let on.

I thought we brought her back safely, how could this happen...!

Argh, we won't make it in time!









The kedama goes kablooie.

!



Since then, shrine maidens have devoted themselves to the gods. They serve as a link between the people and the gods. In essence, shrine maidens are the children of the gods. At times, they deliver the words of gods. At times, they save transient humans...



Are you not aware of your inability to complete the job you began? Do you remain clueless of your naivete as a shrine maiden?

Are you not aware that Reimu's kind of busy trying to solve an incident and that you are actively hindering her (and thus indirectly hurting every human in Gensokyo) by stopping her like this? Come on, even Keine does her lectures on the move.



!

Those are the clothes of a shrine maiden! Furthermore, to be able to defeat the kedama in one blow... What power...

Uhhhhhhh Marisa did just that last update.

... I get it. I already half-guessed, but who woulda thought it was actually true. Hey Reimu, guess she's appeared. That's...



...It seems you have heard of me, but this would be the first time that we have met.



I am the wind priestess of the Moriya Shrine. I have been waiting to meet you... Reimu Hakurei.







------

No video this time for reasons you will see next update.

------

(B): Ah, you're quitting for now?

(B): Yeah... That's good timing, I hafta get back to the shop and look after it too.

(B): Though the only one that always comes to buy fried tofu is that youkai...

(B): ...Guess that youkai ain't too bad, though. She's nice, and she bounces good. I like it.

(B): Anyways, see you later.