Continuation of
>>93789 When we last left Anonymous, he was training with Patchouli once again, ready to design his first very own spell card.
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Wait, no, not bullets. Thin, angled, parallel lines, closely spaced, and another series of lined perpendicular to the first ones piercing through them; it doesn't take long for you to figure out that what you're actually doing is shading some obscure shape, and yet... You can see it. The lines, slashing through one another, small bullets splintering off the parts where they connect, peppering the areas not covered by the lines. For a moment, the entire sheet seems to swim around in front of your face; and yet, once you blink, it returns to being a perfectly ordinary sheet of paper with some nondescript scribbling on it. Trippy, man.
"Have you finished?" Your mentor's stern yet unfeeling voice penetrates the lingering silence in the air; you notice that you've lost track of the time. Again. This is becoming mildly frustrating...
"I... think so."
"Good. Then, I shall begin another practice duel... Hopefully this time we will not be forced to endure unexpected interruptions."
"Wait," you blurt out, incredulous, "you mean I'm going to be using this against you? I thought I'd be shooting more of those paper birds, or something."
"Naturally. How am I to accurately judge the effectivity of your spellcard without experiencing it first-hand?" Before you can respond, the familiar feeling of swirling winds around the two of you is felt once more, enveloping you into some sort of invisible duel arena.
"Well then, go ahead and declare it."
"Come again?"
"The spellcard. Declare it-... ah, well. First, you must transfer it from its present form into your own psychokinetic energy, blah blah blah..." Past a certain point, you can't even make out what she's saying anymore; something about storing the pattern in your mind and unleashing it, somehow... Well, this whole shooting things with your mind business has been pretty vague from the beginning. Ignoring the purple-haired woman droning on and on about brainwaves and particles and who knows what else, you rip the sheet of paper out of the sketchbook, staring at it, focusing on it... Make it real, huh. What is 'real' anymore? That question has been bugging you ever since you found out about Gensokyo's true nature, and ever since you first learned to read that strange book of yours. Reality, fantasy, the lines between the two are blurred. One is not necessarily exclusive from the other. Reality is subjective - reality is what you, yourself, make real.
The paper glows a bright, blinding white, forcing you to squint your eyes, yet you concentrate further, visualizing the pattern in your head, embedding it into your mind. Then, the shape of the sheet redefines itself into something resembling a playing card, before dissipating into faint sparkles, fading into the air. You're probably going to have to consider buying a pair of sunglasses for future spell duels, if it's going to be this bright and shiny every single time; as you rub your eyes to make the after images fade away, Patchouli stops her incessant lecturing.
"Oh. Well done. Now... declare the spellcard."
Declare, huh... You take it to simply be another word for 'fire', in the given context. Well, here goes nothing - searching the depths of your mind for the spell you've just prepared, you close your eyes. You picture the pattern in your head, seizing it, projecting it from your imagination to reality... You open your eyes, only to have the same thing happen as before - a bright flash, and nothing. Patchouli merely shakes her head in a scolding manner, a sight which you're all too familiar with by now.
"No. You must -maintain- a spellcard, you need to channel it. Ah, yes... in addition to this, you must also shield yourself from enemy attack; being struck with a projectile while channeling a spellcard will not lose you the duel, but will end the spellcard prematurely - this is sometimes referred to as a 'Spell Break'. Thus, you must maintain both the card itself, and a defensive field around yourself to deflect or absorb incoming fire. Ah, and on that subject... The crystal I gave you."
"I did think it was a bit showy for just being decorative..." Although you mean this in jest, she actually almost looks disappointed by your words, yet she continues before you can say anything else.
"It is a philosopher's stone."
"Huh. Does it turn lead into gold, or grant immortality?"
"Neither. It amplifies spiritual and mental power. That is to say, it can either increase the effect of spells, or reduce the effort required for the same result. More experienced users may even set them to maintain previously cast spells autonomously, like a battery." You hold the crystal dangling from your neck by the chain in your hand, staring at it; it is a distinct color, yet one you cannot give a name to; each time you blink or look away, it seems different, yet also the same. It also looks somehow... familiar?
"This kinda reminds me of the crystals on Flandre's, uh... wings." No funky smell though; come to think of it, you've gotten strangely used to that smell by now, haven't you? You barely even notice it anymore. Patchouli narrows her eyes at you.
"Really, now... I wonder why that could be." Lifting her hand to her face, she coughs into her palm several times; it sounds pretty nasty, though you wonder if it'd be inappropriate for a human to tell a youkai that they ought to see a doctor. In any case, she seems to recover quickly enough, nodding in your direction.
"Now, your spellcard." You notice her feet hovering off the floor in anticipation, and she begins a slow ascent. Right, you should probably get used to aerial targets... Trying to blow up those cranes was decent practice, you suppose. Well, despite not feeling terribly excited over the concept of shooting frickin' laser beams at your sickly mentor and benefactor, your better judgment tells you she's likely more than proficient in danmaku duels to avoid anything you could possibly throw at her; assuming, of course, that you even manage to cast anything. Had anyone told you a week ago that you'd be doing anything like this... ah, forget it.
Hm.
Just as an experiment, you grip the crystal in your hand, trying to sense something... anything. Mild tingles on the surface of your hand; you try to connect with the stone, to draw upon its power (or something like that); if it's like a battery, then maybe it has to be charged, first? Ah... A surge of warmth travelling up your arm, spreading across your entire body and converging into your head. Suddenly, everything seems so very clear. Patchouli must've charged the thing for you in advance? In any case, time to see just what you can do...
Oh, right. A name. You think back to when Patchouli declared her own spellcard against you - Earth Sign, Rage Trilithon, something like that, right?
"Say, uh... What's a 'sign'?"
"Signs are, simply put, categories. They do not have to be called 'signs' in the proper name of your spellcard, nor do you even have to arrange your cards into categories to begin with, though it is helpful for ease of finding it in your mind. Think of it as storing cards in imaginary files; as you become powerful enough to memorize increasing amounts of spellcards, it can become trickier to draw upon the one you need, when you need it. While spell duels are a turn-by-turn sport, there are time limits."
You nod, understanding. Well, let's keep this simply, shall we? No need to be overly extravagant and pretentious with our first card, now is there? It comes to you far easier this time, and with a burst of confidence you project your free hand forward, trying not to look overdramatic while doing so. Text materializes in front of you; first, both of you declare your names as you did the day before, then you rearrange the letters to spell out the name you've given to that little pattern of yours. It was the first thing that came to your mind, really.
Shading Technique 「Cross-Hatching」 Simple yet descriptive. While giving your foe a hint at just how you're going to be attacking her seems a bit silly in you opinion, Patchouli did emphasize how important fairness and giving the enemy a proper chance to succeed was integral to spell duels. You did throw in a little surprise though, didn't you? And there it is; from the edge of the duel barrier, behind Patchouli, several thin lasers blast forth. Well, calling them lasers would be somewhat inaccurate, since they don't exactly move at the speed of light, but a thin stream of shininess shooting forward with a 'FSSSHHHH' sound just makes you think 'laser', doesn't it?
She glances over her shoulder, before swaying out of the way, her movements calm and calculated. Here come the other lasers, perpendicular to the first ones and moving faster; after she avoids those as well, the collision points spray little bullets all over, which spread out and linger. Then, the cycle repeats itself. Perfect, it's coming along just as you pictured it, disregarding the fact that Patchouli doesn't seem to be having any difficulty whatsoever in avoiding it all. Granted, the air is starting to become dense with all the lingering bullets, leaving her very little space to move around in.
"By the way. How is that bite wound of yours feeling?"
"Huh? Well, it's-..." Before you can finish the sentence, you are engulfed by flames; despite them washing around you as if you were shielded by some sort of bubble - right, you were supposed to maintain a shield too! - the surprise factor is enough to send your concentration wavering. And then something hits you in the stomach, sending you falling flat onto the floor, the projectiles in the air changing into a fine mist which Patchouli gathers into her hand.
"You must not allow yourself to be distracted so easily. Also, something else I should tell you about - breaking or timing out a spell will transfer the spell's energy, spent by your foe to maintain the spellcard, to you. In the case of more powerful beings dueling against one another, this can lead to some lengthy battles. Not that you should worry about that just yet, but you should know that it is always better to put all of your energy into avoiding or breaking an enemy spell. Holding back to conserve energy can easily lead to careless mistakes."
"I'm starting to feel tired again, actually..."
"Exactly. Now, it is your turn."
"Huh?" What's she talking about?
"To attempt to break one of my spells. Hm... It is a Sunday, correct?"
"Yes. Why?" She simply frowns a little, before pointing her hand towards you.
"No reason."
Fire Sign「Agni Shine」 Suddenly, flames! Everywhere! Oh god oh god oh god. The fire surrounds Patchouli like a whirlwind of death, gradually expanding outwards, the flames forming into distinct spheres spinning both clockwise and counter-clockwise, intersecting and passing through one another. It's... it's just two spirals spinning in opposite directions, right? You can avoid this, you can avoid this... The natural instinct to NOT die a horrible fiery death takes over, granting you mobility you never knew you had. One of these days she's going to have to teach you how to fly-...
"Do not simply avoid them; attack me, break my spell, penetrate my shield!"
"How the hell do you expect me to do that - whoa! - while trying not to get hit in the face with fire!?"
"Penetrate it!"
Alright, she's asking for it. Goddamn it, if only you could... Yes! Some breathing space, about a few seconds worth, you've got to land an attack on her, somehow... Focus, focus, concentrate! It's too damn hot! Stupid convection... In desperation, you reach your hand out towards her, palm facing upwards, as if trying to grasp her in your fist. Even you have no idea what you're supposed to be doing right now; you just imagine her and that damnable shield of hers in the palm of your hand, and... squeeze it shut.
What you hear next sounds like a small explosion mixed with shattering glass, and the fireball that was about to slam into your side mere fractions of a second from now instead turns into a green fog of sorts, instantly refreshing you as it envelops you. Huh, so... You did good?
"Huh? Did I do it right? Hey, Patch-..."
By the time you lift your eyes from the mist that surrounds you, you can only catch a brief glimpse of Patchouli falling, before she hits the floor in an extremely painful-looking crash. Shit, what did you just do!" Was that your fault? No, there's no time for questions like that; you rush over to her, feeling the duel arena fading away from around you two. The wizard lies limp on the ground, eyes closed, breathing extremely faint, what little color there was in her face drained away completely. God damn it..! What do you do in a situation like this? Why do you keep causing drama whereever you go? Why...
She's regaining conciousness. Her violet eyes gradually opening once again, she sends you a weak glance, lips moving lightly even though you can't hear a word she's saying.
"W... what? I... I can't hear you... Hey, are you alright?" Stupid question, but you don't exactly understand what the hell just happened there. She opens her mouth again, before suddenly curling up, pressing both hands to her mouth and getting caught in yet another violent coughing fit; this one is louder and nastier than any you've heard before, and it lasts a good minute, all the while you just kneel beside her, frozen in fear and drenched in cold sweat.
"...That is highly irregular. You should always..." More loud hacking coughing.
"...Always use projectiles in a fair duel. But... Good work on penetrating the shield. I did think you..." And she's coughing again. Shit, did you cause these coughing fits just now, or is it just a coincidence?
"...You have more potential for a strong offense, than a strong defense." When she pulls her hands away from her face, you notice that they've got blood on them. This... this can't be normal.
"Hey, we've got to get you some help! You're..."
"I am fine. This is perfectly normal, and to be expected... It was simply caused by my being somewhat malnourished as of late, and being caught off guard by your attack just now. Do not worry over such trivial matters." Trivial?
"You're coughing up blood! That's hardly something you can consider normal! You need medical attention, you-..."
"I said,
I am fine." She simply fixes you with a cold stare, colder than any ever before, chilling the blood in your veins even as she resumes coughing afterwards, hard enough to cause tears of pain to well up in the corners of her eyes.
"...Lessons... concluded, for the day..." She struggles to sit upright, but fails, simply closing her eyes in resignation.
"Leave."
...
[] Leave her be, she clearly doesn't want you to stick around right now.
-{} See if you can track down Koakuma and get her to tend to Patchouli's needs.
-{} Go get Remilia, she should know that her friend and tutor is having serious health issues.
-{} SAKUYAAAAAAA!
-{} She said she's fine, right? Surely, she would know her own body best...
[] To hell with what she says. Stay with her.
-{} In fact, insist that she lets you take her to whatever medical facility is closest, right now.
