[X] Sunny

“Leave the ringleader to me!” you hiss to Aunn and Lily. They nod and spread out, cornering the other two. To their credit, the bandits seem ready for this showdown, not backing down at all. Star sneers at Aunn, Luna doing the same to Lily, but less enthusiastically when she sees Lily raise the shovel.

“Ready for round two?” Sunny smirks.

“Ask yourself.” You march forward, directly towards the noisy orange haired fairy, who won’t be loud for much longer.

“Don’t worry about that. We heard you were some kind of ice fairy.” Sunny gestures dismissively at your wings. “I get it now, but don’t you know what happens to ice when the sun comes out?”

“It’s night right now, stupid.”

“Wrong! It melts!” Sunny’s wrist flick forward, and you dive to the side. Two thin orange beams sail over the backs of your legs.

Scrambling back up, you launch an icy dart at her dumb face, then charge forward, trying to close the distance. Your fist swings out, almost at its goal.

Two stabs of burning heat slam into you from the back and you’re knocked aside, tumbling into a crate. You twist to inspect yourself, winching as you pat down the burned holes in your dress.

“Haha! Light is mine to command!” Sunny gloats, having dodged the poorly-aimed icicle. She dances further away from you and begins rolling a fiery ball around in her hand like dough, making it brighter and brighter.

You kick away from the container, sliding hard on the ground as the bolt passes over you. You stare with saucer eyes at the carbonized crater left on the wood.

You can’t lose to some third-rate fairy like Sunny, you refuse to! You shove yourself off the rough ground. Thankfully, she’s catching her own breath, sweat starting to soak her sleeves. Watching her wearily, it’s enough time to form up a thin layer of armor over your upper body, linked frozen beads in a flexible grid-like layer. You hope it’s enough to stop the curvy lasers, since only misses will stop the fireballs.

You try playing around a little at range, launching a few more projectiles, but she’s nimble. She keeps circling around wide, keeping her distance. Yet even though her hands are glowing, she holds back from attack. Only now do you notice everything else in the dark warehouse becoming even dimmer. She’s stalling, you realize.

“When I beat you, I’m taking your badge as a trophy!” Sunny spits out.

Her hands clap together, unleashing a giant blob of white in a massive flash. The warehouse flares bright, every surface is spotlit, every edge outlined, all the way up to the rafters high above. The magical mass of light pulls away from her hands, a wobbling drop of honey falling horizontally, accelerating straight at you!

In an equal parts panic and rage you throw out as big an icicle as you can, forming an irregularly shaped, but clear as glass crystal that spins slightly in the air.

The angular chunk of ice intercepts the bolt of light in the middle. It’s almost too fast to catch, but it’s almost as if the light bends as it passes into the ice chunk, before exploding into a scintillating burst, emitting entire curtains of rainbow light in every direction. Flitching away from the explosion, you feel the colored rays that weren’t redirected sizzle against your armor, nibbling at your hands. But most of the energy had been redirected into a dazzling pattern of soot that now coats the surrounding area.

That was an unexpected result. You blink away the shadowy impressions, your night-sight returning agonizingly slowly.

You’re pleased to see the ice had continued on, unimpeded, having crashed and exploded against a stunned Sunny. You can feel the curious eyes of the others, but you put that out of your mind. This is your chance to get close!

The opposing fairy had been knocked further down the corridor, sitting against a row of barrels. She tries to get up, but it’s too late. You rip off the sagging ice armor from your clothes and use the strips to instantly encase her hands, one braced on the top of the barrel, the other stuck against the ground. Sunny kicks uselessly on the ground.

As she struggles, her hand on the ground starts to glow again, a dull orange that’s bounced inside the ice. The hand breaks out in a smaller flash, spraying you with shards.

“Hey! Cut that out!”

Ignoring you, she pulls her left arm out and uses it to try to free her right. But in doing so, you spy her dress shifting away from the back of her neck, opening up a lucky gap. It’s the perfect place to slip a frozen surprise. In a quick, practiced motion, a handful of supercooled marbles roll down her back, disappearing into her clothes.

“Ack!” The effect is immediate. She stiffens up, limbs askew like splayed out chicken. “Augh! Oh! Get it out! Ow!”

Her hand is now occupied trying to desperately scoop out the intruding cold assassins. You form a baseball-sized orb of ice, swirling leaves of frost etched into the outer layer as a decorative flourish. You hold it out to her. “Want some more?”

“N-no!”

“Then do you unconditionally surrender to me?” You put one hand on your hip.

“Yes… I yield…” She slumps over, holding her dripping palm out protectively.

“Ha! That’s more like it! Now: who’s the strongest fairy?”

She mutters something, barely audible but certainly rude. Whatever answer that was, it’s wrong. You press the ice ball against her neck, right under the chin. She jumps upward, twisting her head. “Eek! Okay! It’s you! Cirno! You’re the strongest!”

“Good. We have an understanding.” You pull away, but she raises her hand for something.

“Actually… um… that felt pretty nice. Could I keep the ice?” Sunny says, weakly.

“Uh… sure, I guess.” You shrug and let Sunny keep the orb, which she rolls against her forehead with her free hand, sighing.

Your compatriots have done well, though less dramatically. Lily stands over an unconscious Luna holding the shovel. Yet there’s not a blemish on the fallen girl’s clammy skin. “She… tripped and fell over on her own. She appears quite sick, to tell you the truth.”

Aunn tightly restrains a struggling Star Sapphire. The fairy attempts a final half-hearted stab with the broken bottle against Aunn’s abdomen, tearing into the fabric, but sliding harmlessly off the skin underneath. Similar jagged cuts cover the rest of her shirt and arm bandages.

“Please stop ruining my shirt…” Aunn adjusts the hold to pin Star’s arms, almost lifting the blue fairy off the ground.

“Boo… you guys are no fun at all!” Star tosses the bottle with her wrist, which clinks and rolls in a semi-circle, clattering.

“We did it!” You look around, letting the shakes wear off. There were casualties, sure, but all three of the bandit fairies were wiped out! It’s a done deal! Heck, maybe even a little anti-climatic. “We captured the Ghost Thief!”

You give Aunn a high five, which she returns enthusiastically with her elbow, swinging a grumpy-looking Star. “Yes, I think we did, Cirno!”

###

Larva scratches her scalp. “Aw! I missed out!”

She pokes at Luna’s cheek, who had awoken bleary eyed. She’s tied up with Sunny and Star using one of the ropes that had snapped during the collapsing trap. “So, where did you hide Misty’s notebook?”

“We’ll never tell you!” Sunny yells in defiance. Luna just whimpers.

“Did you forget what I can do?” You bop Sunny on the head.

“Let’s interrogate them once we’re back at the office and away from all this…” Aunn looks around at the mess.

It doesn't look that bad in your opinion. Two of the towers of goods would have to be re-built and there’s definitely losses under all the wood scrap and broken glass, but surely Takane will be happy enough to get the stolen goods back to overlook the small stuff. Cleaning up might be tricky, since there’s a lot of charred wood and a whole swath of scale dust settling into the boards. There might even be residue poisons floating around, but there’s gotta be someone more knowledgeable who will know how to scrub that out. It’s the yamawaro’s warehouse, anyhow. They didn’t even help out with the fight!

Aunn cradles Medicine in her arms. You hold the end of the rope, ready to guide the three bandits of losing to their new home in the cells. With all three tied together, they’d better be good at six-legged racing or they’re getting rolled like a barrel. Lily guards the prisoners from the rear. The lamp is still wet enough to get tipsy off of, so Larva uses her new fire abilities at the front.

“Could you turn it down a little? It’s making me feel dizzy,” Aunn suggests.

“Really? I didn’t know it could do that…” Larva does as requested, shrinking and cooling the purple flame until it becomes a dull pink, and much easier on the eyes.

“Let’s talk to Takane before we leave,” Aunn says to you.

“All right. But where the heck did she go?” The rest of the warehouse is dead quiet.

“She’s where the wagons are at, I think?” You both turn in surprise to the unsolicited advice from Star.

“Huh? How do you know?”

“My ability lets me detect the location of all living beings. It’s telling me there’s a group of people around there.”

Aunn stares at the fairy suspiciously. “Why would you even tell us that?”

“I dunno… I mean we completely lost, so the sooner we end this, the better. I’m tired and I want to sleep.” She blinks her honest-looking brown eyes, widening her mouth in a lazy yawn. These fairies really are a strange bunch. You don’t trust them, but it’s not like they could do anything without instant punishment.

Aunn looks even more suspicious. But she isn’t able to come up with any objections either. “Fine. We can check the loading section first. It’s not far from the front door anyways.”

Your victorious party and the unhappy captives make a slow traverse past the stored goods, to where you remember the wagons to be. Everyone keeps a look out for Takane or the yamawaro, but there are no signs of any life. The eerie pinkish glow from Larva’s finger drains the artificial surroundings of depth, casting spindly figures that stroll along the walls, trailing you, dancing at the edges of your vision. The second-level balcony looks like a giant maw about to swallow the group in one bite.

Only one wagon is there, but it is empty, as you recall Takane saying earlier. Of the yamawaro boss and her people, there is still no trace. You’re about to pinch some answers out of Star, when you spy a solitary shadowy figure emerging from behind a stack of spare wheels. It’s too solid to be a shadow, or a ghost.

Her clothes are too dark and single-colored, but the height is about right… “Takane!?”

“Nope. She’s… a little preoccupied. Could I take a message?” It’s an unfamiliar woman’s voice, with a deeper tang.

“Who are you?” Aunn demands.

“A fine evening to you as well, Miss Deputy!” The figure approaches closer, slow and quiet like a caterpillar. If your heart wasn’t pounding, your breathing ferocious in your ears, you’d have given Luna a slap. “And you’re the new sheriff, aren’tcha? Miss… Chirpo?”

Larva strengthens her flame, washing the area in a harsh lavender. Each of you backs away in shock.

The stranger’s clothes are a midnight blue, looking almost violet. From under a black broad-brim hat pours wavy light hair and a single braid on her left, tied with a ribbon. And where her face should be is a grotesque eagle’s face, the naturally purple mask made luminous by the light, staring back at you with voids where the eyes had been cut out. The cruel curve of the beak is carved sharp enough to tear flesh. You can tell by the nudges of her head she’s studying you and the others as much as you are her.

“It’s her!” Sunny yells, suddenly much bolder.

“Help us!” Luna cries out in unison.

“Yeah, this sheriff is a total weirdo!” Sunny adds.

The stranger just watches, silently chuckling if her shoulders shaking is anything to go by.

Aunn’s breath hitches. She only whispers, “T-the Gouyoku Alliance…”

“You three, shut up!” Recovering your wits, you announce to the newcomer, “My name is Cirno! If you know I’m the sheriff, tell me who you are!”

A second look at her hair gives you a flicker of familiarity, but you can’t quite pin it down fully.

“Whoops. Sorry ‘bout the mixup! Not the best at rememberin’ what I see in those tengu papers. I’m just your normal greedy and money-grubbin’ Gouyoku grunt, after all! You can call me Reimu!”

Aunn shakes her head. “I’ve never heard of any bandit with that name before…”

“What do you want with us?”

“Nothing to do with you, really. Some important business with these yamawaro, and maybe some wolves. Oh yeah, and I’m also here to pick up those three!” She gestures deftly at the three bandit fairies.

“What? They’re suspects that we’re arresting for a string of burglaries,” Aunn squeaks out, as spooked out by the woman as you are.

“Sounds tiresome. Hand ‘em over to me,” Reimu speaks casually, as if suggesting nothing more unusual than to borrow a match. “Don’t worry, there won’t be any more burglaries, I can assure you of that.”

“That makes no sense! They are my prisoners! They can’t steal because I’m gonna lock them up!” You stamp your foot. Who the hell is this stranger and why is she getting in the way? “I’m not giving them up!”

Reimu sighs. Her hand slowly moves upward to unbutton her coat.

The coat slides open to reveal a startling arsenal. Two canvas bandoliers encircle her waist, One is jammed with bullets, the other with suspiciously colored vials, the glowing liquid swirling and pulsing in their glass enclosures. Her belt is loaded with pouches, two knives, and many suspicious black orbs with ribbon tabs sticking out. But what draws your eye are the two guns.

At her right side is a sleek, obsidian black pistol. It hangs freely, linked by a rotating pivot to a metal clip on the belt. Her gloved hand on the same side settles into a relaxed half-grip just above the handle.

More terrifying is a large piece of flint-grey metal holstered on her left hip. It’s some kind of super-sized revolver, with a pentagonal barrel connected to a stout octagonal drum. Small tubes run parallel to the barrel, coming together to a valve on the side. The cold edges and blocky contours give off the impression of a mighty machine at rest, like a train engine sleeping in its berth at the yard.

Oh, and she also has the Keiga rocket attached to a strap on her belt. It’s mostly obscured behind her, except for that distinct wolf head.

“Wait! Where did you get that rocket?” You point at the dangerous signal.

“Oh this?” She pats it with her left hand. “Someone left it in a room upstairs. A shame, there’s nothing like fireworks to celebrate a job well done! Now, to get back on topic, I really do need to take custody of those three. It’s very urgent for me, see.”

You wordlessly step in front of your captives. Larva and Lily look both frightened and confused, but they flank the captured bandits. Aunn looks helpless, Medicine still in her arms.

Reimu shoots a quick glance behind her, then steps forward. “I’ll even trade you the rocket for the fairies?”

“No!” You glare angrily, hoping you look less weary than you actually feel. She just chuckles.

“I wanna clarify: we can do this with very little pain, or a whole bunch. I’m personally a woman of peace, but here, the choice is all yours!” You can feel the grin forming behind the eagle mask’s jagged beak.

[ ] Live to fight another day.
[ ] Stall her out.
[ ] Rapid tactical retreat.
[ ] Attack first!