[Mirrinus]

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Spoiler

Let's Play Labyrinth of Touhou - Chapter 5

Intrepid reporter Aya Shameimaru here, bringing you the latest headlines from inside the strange space of Gensokyo!

EXPEDITION TEAM REACHES FLOOR 3

The brave party from Gensokyo reached Floor 3 of the dungeon in the sky earlier this morning. To their suprise, they discovered a charming little city. When interviewed, local aristocrat Remilia Scarlet said she had plans to set up a villa here as a vacation home. Building permits still pending.

OBSTRUCTION DELAYS EXPLORATION

The Gensokyo Expedition Team soon came across the stairs to the next floor, but they were stopped by local doll maniac Alice Margatroid. Alice confessed to sabotaging the magic circle necessary to proceed, and sent the team on a wide goose chase to defeat the four dolls she had scattered around the area in order to restore the seal.

When questioned further on her actions, she had this to say:

"I'm investigating the source of this incident. Reimu is a prime suspect, so I need her detained while I conduct my investigations. Hey, why are you even interviewing me? Aren't you with Reimu?"

This reporter would like to re-affirm her neutrality in any such matters.

HATE CRIMES AGAINST TENGU ESCALATE

Tragedy struck this morning as the villainous Gensokyo Exploration Team brutally massacred a group of Tengu in the city of Lea Monde. Claims that the attacks were made in self-defense have not been substantiated.

The Tengu retaliated with their immense speed, harassing the advancing party with powerful gusts. None were available for comment.

MYSTERIOUS SWITCH DOES NOTHING

Local shrine maiden Reimu tells of a mysterious switch that beckoned her to press it for no discernable reason.

These switches, scattered throughout Floor 3 and the areas of Floor 4 not blocked off by resident conspiracy theorist Alice Margatroid, have not been confirmed to do anything even after being pressed.

Complaints to whoever designed this dungeon have not been addressed.

YOUKAI OF DARKNESS EXTERMINATED

Local youkai of darkness Rumia appeared before the Gensokyo Expedition Team this afternoon.

Rumia demanded the immediate surrender of one red-white shrine maiden to satiate her appetite for human flesh. Do note that top Gensokyo researchers warn that eating red-white shrine maidens can cause clogged arteries, cirrhosis of the liver, and erectile disfunction. Health experts suggest blue-white shrine maidens as part of a balanced diet.

A violent struggle immediately ensued. Local red-white shrine maiden Reimu Hakurei subdued Rumia with a binding circle while her associates administered physical punishment. The youkai of darkness retaliated with crippling magic, but was not able to overcome her opponents.

Upon defeat, Rumia was promised human flesh from the Scarlet Devil Mansion's kitchen. Local vampire Remilia Scarlet declined to comment.

FAMILIAR FIRE DEMON EXTINGUISHED, ONE CASUALTY

The Gensokyo Expedition Team's advance was further halted by a second magic seal that obstructed a portion of Floor 3. According to local magic expert Patchouli Knowledge, this "Chamomile Sigil" was linked to a nearby guardian.

The Expedition Team found the Chamomile Sigil's guardian on the 4th floor, and launched an assault. The Sigil's guardian returned fire with a raging inferno that ravaged the party's forces and melted one ice fairy.

Auxiliary forces quickly doused the flames and tended to the injured. After the initial wave, the intensity of the flames died down dramatically, with a periodic spike at fixed intervals. No further lives were lost.

Shiva was unavailable for comment.

~ Aya Shameimaru

Some brief notes:

Spoiler

The Small Tengu enemies are very annoying due to their high speed. You need at least 108 speed to keep up with them. I gave Sakuya some speed boost items, and she was able to sweep them with Soul Sculpture.

A pair of pretty easy bosses in this segment. Rumia has 3 main attacks. Moonlight Ray is mystic-elemental and single target, and only did ~100 damage to Meiling (whose MND isn't even that good). Dark Side of the Moon is somewhat dangerous, doing ~200 damage to all party members and possibly ignorming MND, but Rumia doesn't use it often. When she's low on health, she gets Demarcation, which does pitiful damage but lowers all stats of all characters. This tends to be only a slight inconvenience, as she's low enough on health that another round of attacks should finish her off anyway. She's also vulnerable to Spirit magic and paralysis.

The Chamomile Sigil guardian, Ifrit, has only one dangerous attack: Flowing Hellfire. It will always start the battle with it, and it'll use 3 other attacks before using it again. It'll easily 1-shot most weaker characters (so don't leave Cirno in like I did), but its other attacks are weak. Switch out weak characters just before each Flowing Hellfire, and switch them in right afterwards to cram in as much damage before the next big wave.