Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Beyond the Border~ => Rumia's Party Games => Topic started by: FinnKaenbyou on July 16, 2010, 12:30:55 AM
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>You are Nitori Kawashiro, kappa engineer extraordinaire! In your tiny self-proclaimed Science Shack, you make daily progress toward a revolutionary invention that will enawe all of Gensokyo. You haven't quite figured out what this invention IS yet, but recent progress suggests it probably has something to do with large, volatile explosions. You make a mental note to devote time in the future to studying an easy way to cure burn wounds.
>Character Skills:
Engineer: You're one of Gensokyo's greatest mechancial experts, though your danmaku is somewhat lacking. You can take apart and reassemble most mechancial/electronical objects with ease. Determining their use, however, is a deep magic that is usually beyond you.
Kappa: As a member of a water-faring race, you can stay submerged several hundred times longer than any human. You also swim like a fish, faster than you would walk or fly.
'Upgrading': You carry around a variety of metallic bits and bobs at all times, and can at any point use them in order to modify a weapon or item in your possession. The results of this modification are either ineffective or...interesting, but you won't be sure what you get until the modification is complete.
Inventory:
Bits And Bobs - You keep these in the various pockets of your dress. There seems to almost be an endless supply of them.
Extending Arm - Your first real invention, you came up with the mechanism for this when you were only twelve years old. Depressingly, you've yet to do better.
Optic Camoflague (Damaged) - This should logically give you the ability to turn invisible, but since your last test went awry it's been giving off unnerving buzzing sounds. You haven't had the nerve to try using it since.
Quests:
- Change The World (Incomplete)
You're sure you're onto something with this invention...you just aren't sure WHAT yet.
- Fission Mailed (Incomplete)
Your last experiment did a number on your Optic Camo belt. You'd like to get that seen to shortly.
>Command?
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> Examine the damage to the optical camo.
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>Break the fourth wall.
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> Examine the damage to the optical camo.
>You hastily take the belt apart, and find that some of the inner circuitry has managed to fuse together. As it is, you aren't quite sure what would happen if you turned it on, but it'll take hours to repair properly.
>Break the fourth wall.
>Do you have to? The shack's walls have already suffered enough from your escapades, and it seems unfair to pick on them even more.
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> Don't turn it on. If it does explode or something that means it'll take even longer to make a new one.
> Scrounge up some good circuits.
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> Check chest for usual growths
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> Don't turn it on. If it does explode or something that means it'll take even longer to make a new one.
> Scrounge up some good circuits.
> You regret expressing the command in the negative. The words 'turn it on' hang in your head, tempting.
> You find a box full of circuitry, but you frown as you realise that you don't have any spares around. The Optic Camo runs on a pretty rare set of boards that apparently came from outside Gensokyo...they belonged to some reptile that was rather solid, apparently. Your only choices are to repair the circuit painstakingly by hand, or to throw some gears at it and hope for the best.
> Check chest for usual growths
> Yup, still there. You're not exactly the best endowed of Gensokyo's residents, though you'd like to think you're right up there. Some people keeping insisting it's an optical illusion thanks to the keychain, but it's these people who you're forced to demonstrate the Extending Arm to.
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> Repair circuits by hand.
> While doing so, contemplate making Rocket Arms.
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>Contemplate overthrowing Lord Tenma
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> Repair circuits by hand.
> While doing so, contemplate making Rocket Arms.
> You get started on what looks set to be a dull and mundane task, with the absolute highest level of focus required. You can't even turn away for an instant as you tweak with the device. Not a moment of hesitation-
But wait, wouldn't it be great to have Rocket Arms? You could just mess with the Extending Arm blueprint a little, and it'd be a lot more threatening. You'd need a safe to store them in, though-
Click.
Ah. As you look back down, you realise that your hands slipped while you went off into your daydream. The various clicking and buzzing effects from before have stopped, but you get the awkward feeling that something in the belt might be slightly different from the original concept. You're not sure if you can salvage it from this state, either...
> Optic Camoflague (Damaged) is now Optic Camoflague (Broken?)
> Rocket Arms added to Potential Recipe List.
>Contemplate overthrowing Lord Tenma
> The thought of rebellion passes in an instant. No-one can overthrow a ruler so filled with mascularity.
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>Consider relations to other people of note.
>Say to hell with the damn camouflage device and go for a walk.
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> Contemplate finding test subjects for optic camouflage.
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>Try to test the optic camouflage in a safe manner, to see how it currently functions. Put the belt on something else, and try to activate it from a safe distance. Faulty devices seem to be prone to doing various unpleasant things, after all...
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> Check supply of local currency. Stock up on some cucumbers.
> Add quest: Shave head
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>Consider relations to other people of note.
>Say to hell with the damn camouflage device and go for a walk.
>SCIENCE is, for the most part, not a social activity. As a result, you can't say you have many friends - in fact, the number of people who know you by name is probably in the single digits. The most notable of them are Momiji, a local sentry for the tengu who you play shogi with on a regular basis, and Marisa, a human witch who took a particular interest to your work.
>You decide to take the malfunctioning(?) belt with you as you take a step outside of the Science Shack. You built it at the foot of the Mountain of Youkai, right next to where your old house was. You remember swearing shortly after your 'eviction' that you would never drop a block of francium into water again.
> Contemplate finding test subjects for optic camouflage.
>Try to test the optic camouflage in a safe manner, to see how it currently functions. Put the belt on something else, and try to activate it from a safe distance. Faulty devices seem to be prone to doing various unpleasant things, after all...
> The belt only works effectively on humanoid subjects, so you would have to find a person to test it on. If worst comes to worst, you may need to find a fairy to trick into using it, but Momiji is probably a good bet at this point. Remote activation shouldn't be too difficult, either.
> Check supply of local currency. Stock up on some cucumbers.
> Add quest: Shave head
> Regrettably, your funding is miniscule. You survive on a day to day basis by collecting change that has been thrown into the nearby river to feed your cucumber habit.
> You already completed that quest once, and your hair still hasn't quite recovered. There's a reason you never take your cap off.
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>Consider if Momiji would normally be open for Shoji right now.
>Contemplate an engine that is powered by controlled explosions, which would turn a flywheel, which could be hooked up to dang near anything.
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>Consider if Momiji would normally be open for Shoji right now.
>Contemplate an engine that is powered by controlled explosions, which would turn a flywheel, which could be hooked up to dang near anything.
> You look down to your wrist for a moment, until you remember that you still haven't got the mechanics down on that handheld watch yet. Looking up to the sky you see that it's around noon, so Momiji will probably be taking her lunch break around now.
> Your eyes glitter with anticipation as a new invention crosses your mind, but the impracticality of that sort of device keeps it as merely a dream...for now.
> Perpetual Detonation Engine added to Recipe List.
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>Head Momijiward! We shall crush her in Shoji
and foment rebellion against Lord Tenma
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>Head Momijiward! We shall crush her in Shoji and foment rebellion against Lord Tenma
> You begin on the walk towards the Youkai Mountain proper. It only takes you a few minutes to reach the foot of the mountain, where a large waterfall hits the start of the river. It's one hell of a climb up from here, though, but thankfully like every other member of Gensokyo gravity is merely optional and you fly upward.
> Momiji sees you coming long before you reach her - unsurprising, given her heritage as a white wolf tengu. Your relationship with her is as thus - you put out an application for an assistant to help with creating a telescope, mainly to create something to match the sight of the white wolves. As usual, you failed, but in that time you and Momiji played a good deal together and became good friends. (You also managed to convince her to play enough money matches that you made back the money you paid her for the job.)
> By the time you finish making it up the mountain, Momiji already has the board set up completely. She's taken Black, of course, but she needs all the help she can get.
"Afternoon, Nitori. Today's almost been too good a day for me, so getting crushed by you will be a nice downer so I can get back to reality."
> You mutter something about rebellion. Fortunately, Momiji's hearing isn't as good as her sight, or she'd likely have killed you on the spot.
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>"Really, what happened?"
>Have a seat at the board. Commence crushing when turns comes.
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>"Really, what happened?"
>Have a seat at the board. Commence crushing when turns comes.
> "You wouldn't believe it, but Aya hasn't even pestered me once today. I think she's been too busy with that Hatate girl to bother with me. Good riddance, I say."
> Momiji is a defensive player, but her structures are far from perfect. She winces visibly as you begin making cracks in her defenses.
> "Still, what's up? We played yesterday, and we usually only play once a week. Feeling low, and need a little confidence boost at my expense?"
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>"Unmotivated. I had a great idea while trying to fix up my camouflage device, and...kinda killed it. Now I'm just trying to get myself proper inspired. And maybe find some good parts. Has Hatate been behaving?"
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>"Unmotivated. I had a great idea while trying to fix up my camouflage device, and...kinda killed it. Now I'm just trying to get myself proper inspired. And maybe find some good parts. Has Hatate been behaving?"
> "Let me guess. The Rocket Arms again? If the idea keeps coming to you, you should just build the thing already.
Not sure where you could go round here for parts - we leave all the mechanical stuff to you kappa, so yeah.
Hatate? Haven't seen her. She stays locked up in her house most of the day, and Aya's been busy staking her out. I wonder sometimes if either of them actually need to eat."
> The game turns further and further in your favour. You see the consideration of surrender enter Momi's eyes, but her tengu pride forces her to fight on to the bitter end.
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>The greatest mercy she can be afford, then, is a swift and honorable end.
>"Yeah, it was the rocket arms. And as soon as I figure out all the little specifics...Oh, anything been up at the shrine?"
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>The greatest mercy she can be afford, then, is a swift and honorable end.
>"Yeah, it was the rocket arms. And as soon as I figure out all the little specifics...Oh, anything been up at the shrine?"
> Momiji's ears droop slightly as you declare checkmate. Her eyes, though, still seem lively enough.
> "The shrine? Well, their little priestess just came back from her alien-hunting expedition. Apparently got some nice pictures, but never really been my sort of division. Yasaka's been busy working out various odds and ends with their nuclear project, and Moriya...I can never tell what Moriya's doing. Whenever I see her, the googly eyes on that hat always throw me off, and by the time I look again she's gone. Weird."
> Momiji looks to the sky as you finish clearing up the board.
> "Huh, only a few minutes of break left. Anything else you want to do quickly before I get back to work?"
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>"Not unless you have something in mind."
>Consider knowledge of the nuclear project.
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>"Not unless you have something in mind."
>Consider knowledge of the nuclear project.
> "Can't say I do. Well, back to work, I guess...not that there's ever anything to see around here." Momiji leaves, returning to her post and leaving you to yourself.
> Of course you know about the Moriya Shrine's nuclear project! Never mind that you had first-hand (well, technically second-hand since Marisa took you there) experience of the insides of the machine - or rather, the bird-brain running it. For all her technological know-how, you can't help but worry that somewhere down the line she'll make a boo-boo and accidentally wipe half of Gensokyo off the map.
After the hot springs incident, access to the Hell of Blazing Fires has been severely restricted - the only people given entry are the higher-ups from the Moriya Shrine and the residents of the Palace of the Earth Spirits. You've tried several times to be given a chance to examine Okuu, but you didn't receive so much as a polite 'no' in return.
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>Consider what is actually enforcing those restrictions, aside from Nakker/Red White said so. Not that the latter wouldn't be enough on its own.
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>Consider what is actually enforcing those restrictions, aside from Nakker/Red White said so. Not that the latter wouldn't be enough on its own.
> To get in, you would likely have to go through the palace itself, and they're still as unkeen on visitors as usual. Even if you were to get past them, Okuu would be less than keen on the idea, and would probably reduce you to a neat little pile of ash. Maybe if you used your Optic Camo-oh wait.
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>Consider ways to bypass these problems by working out an agreement with Okuu directly about how to help with it - an engineer on call in case anything goes wrong would probably be useful for her, after all.
>Is there any way to communicate with her, at least indirectly?
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>Consider ways to bypass these problems by working out an agreement with Okuu directly about how to help with it - an engineer on call in case anything goes wrong would probably be useful for her, after all.
>Is there any way to communicate with her, at least indirectly?
> As far as you're aware, the Moriya Shrine is in charge of the engineering. You'd have to take it up with them, mainly because if they don't tell Okuu that a visitor is coming she'll immediately fry them assuming they're an intruder.
> No, but you make a mental note to put time later into a device that could do exactly that. The gap youkai came up with a magical equivalent a while back, but science should be able to match that.
> Telephone added to Recipe List.
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>Consider how safe it would be to make a visit to the shrine about this.
>Regret not asking Momiji about plausible test subjects/victims for the malfunctioning optical camo device.
>Did we ever pick apart the optic camo and make a detailed blueprint of it? Being able to make more given the right materials would be pretty damn awesome. If nothing else, that's worth doing if it's managed to get beyond repair.
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>Consider how safe it would be to make a visit to the shrine about this.
>Regret not asking Momiji about plausible test subjects/victims for the malfunctioning optical camo device.
>Did we ever pick apart the optic camo and make a detailed blueprint of it? Being able to make more given the right materials would be pretty damn awesome. If nothing else, that's worth doing if it's managed to get beyond repair.
>Safe, yes. Likely to meet success, less so. For all your genius you've yet to make any great contributions, so you're still something of an unknown. Maybe if you show them the Optic Camo-goddammit, not again.
>You sigh, wondering if anyone would be watching her at her post. If you're desperate you could probably find another five minutes or so, but that's it.
>You have a blueprint, but this stuff is nightmarish to make by hand. Repairing it from mild damage is one thing, but building it from scratch is another. You don't want to give up on this belt yet, either.
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>Still, a very good thing to have. Especially if someone else happens to want one, or there's time to make a backup just in case. Also, it's something to refer back to in checking for what might be wrong with the current half-broken one.
>How vulnerable are the Moriyas to bribery?
>Lacking anything better to do, head back to work on fixing the camo based on the blueprint - or at least seeing how it's been changed in order to be able to reproduce it if SCIENCE! of what it can do now results in something awesome.
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>Still, a very good thing to have. Especially if someone else happens to want one, or there's time to make a backup just in case. Also, it's something to refer back to in checking for what might be wrong with the current half-broken one.
>How vulnerable are the Moriyas to bribery?
>Lacking anything better to do, head back to work on fixing the camo based on the blueprint - or at least seeing how it's been changed in order to be able to reproduce it if SCIENCE! of what it can do now results in something awesome.
> Noted. You'll keep that in mind for later.
> Considering that almost every youkai on the mountain offers them gratuitous donations? Not very.
> You make your way back to the Science Shack and start analysing the new form of the belt. After a few minutes of analysis, you find that this is a combination of circuits that hasn't been documented anywhere, and its immediate use is as a result unknown. But you get the feeling that maybe, just maybe, you're on to something with this. All the best discoveries are accidental, after all! Now, how to test it...
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> Consider using Cirno as a guinea pig.
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> Consider using Cirno as a guinea pig.
>This is an intruiging idea. It's not a long walk to the Misty Lake from here, and she's likely easy to dupe.
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>She'll also recover readily enough even if this kills her. There is very little to consider wrong with this plan, aside from the possibility of the belt exploding or something.
>Assuming that doesn't seem very likely, head to the lake to find the nineball.
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>She'll also recover readily enough even if this kills her. There is very little to consider wrong with this plan, aside from the possibility of the belt exploding or something.
>Assuming that doesn't seem very likely, head to the lake to find the nineball.
>You take another little trek, and it's only a few minutes before you make it to the lake. A little part of you wishes that you had someone to talk to, but your inner scientist insists that you should stand alone.
>As you reach the lake, you meet a fairy, but it isn't Cirno. She seems more powerful than most of her kind, though, and for a fairy she seems pretty...big.
"Oh, a kappa? Sorry, you probably won't find anything in this lake - there have been plenty of other plunderers recently. Actually, weren't you the one who showed up a week ago and left content with a few copper coins...?"
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>If that's true, give her a little bow and say, "I have simple needs."
>If not, "I think that was someone else."
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>If that's true, give her a little bow and say, "I have simple needs."
>Regrettably, it is. Daiyousei looks at you in pity.
"Well, I don't think there's any more remains for you to survive off of. Is there anything else you need?
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> Inquire about Cirno's whereabouts.
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> "Hm? Cirno? Just a minute, I'll go find her for you if you want."
Daiyousei flies off to some other part of the lake. You can hear a conversation going on in the distance, but you only pick up the occasional tidbit.
"...Now please...put the frog down..."
"No way! It...and then I...the strongest!"
"Someone's asking...you..."
"REALLY?!"
> You hear something smash into a million pieces in the distance roughly half a second before Cirno blasts towards you. By the time she realises she's going too fast it's too late to stop, and her attempt to brake simply results in you colliding with her stomach rather than her face. That's going to cost you precious brain cells.
"Ah, sorry 'bout that. When you're the strongest sometimes it's hard to hold back, y'know? So whaddaya want?"
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>Probably a little late to consider this, but we CAN beat Cirno senseless if she tries to steal the belt, right?
>"I made something neat that I thought you might like to try out!"
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>Probably a little late to consider this, but we CAN beat Cirno senseless if she tries to steal the belt, right?
>"I made something neat that I thought you might like to try out!"
>It's certainly an option.
>"Really?! It's a spellcard, right!? Something so incredibly powerful that only the STRONGEST IN GENSOKYO can possibly control it! Lemme see!"
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> "Er... It isn't a spellcard, but its still something cool that I thought you might want to try out. Its supposed to make you invisible."
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> "Er... It isn't a spellcard, but its still something cool that I thought you might want to try out. Its supposed to make you invisible."
> "Invisible?! That's like invincible but with less letters! It's streamlined, it's gotta be better! ...Not like I need help, 'cause I'm invincible already, but I wanna try it anyway!"
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> "I was right to have come to you then."
> Give the belt to Cirno and if need be, help her put it on.
> Tell her how to start it.
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>Keep your distance in case things fuck up badly.
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> "I was right to have come to you then."
> Give the belt to Cirno and if need be, help her put it on.
> Tell her how to start it.
> Cirno takes the belt and immediately determines its purpose, tying it around her head. You hold in the urge to laugh, but it'll work anyway. You pull out a little remote control so you can turn it on yourself...>Keep your distance in case things fuck up badly.
>...but not before stepping back a few paces.
>"Alright. With this, I won't just be the strongest...I'll be the strongestest!"
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>Hit it.
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> Eat Cirno.
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>Hit it.
>You push da button, and the belt starts to shine.
"Wow! This is so coo-"
Cirno's cry of amazement is cut short as suddenly a flash of light engulfs everything. When you open your eyes you find the belt lying on the ground, but the ice fairy is nowhere to be seen. You poke at the space she had been before to check if she's simply invisible, but there's no sign of her.
> Eat Cirno.
> You can't eat her, you have sensitive teeth. That and, well, she's just vanished.
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> Eat Daiyousei instead.
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> "That wasn't supposed to happen..."
> Attempt to comfort Daiyousei as she is most likely tweaking balls right now.
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> Eat Daiyousei instead.
>"Waah?! Cirno is...where'd she go?! Where'd she-aaaah!"
Daiyousei is pulled out of her panic by you clamping your teeth into her head. She promptly flies into the distance, terrified.
> "That wasn't supposed to happen..."
> Attempt to comfort Daiyousei as she is most likely tweaking balls right now.
>By the time you snap out of your sudden hunger, she's too far away to hear you, and likely too frightened to care.
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> Pick up the belt.
> Ponder what the hell happened to Cirno.
> Pray that Reimu doesn't catch wind of this.
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> Pick up the belt.
> Ponder what the hell happened to Cirno.
> Pray that Reimu doesn't catch wind of this.
> You take the belt and put it back in your inventory.
> Cirno is gone, that's for sure. Whether you just obliterated her to the last atom or managed to send her somewhere else, you aren't sure yet.
> You suddenly have a mental image of Daiyousei flying to the Hakurei Shrine and telling her that there's now a rabid kappa on the loose. Crap, this is what happens when you go without breakfast...
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>If she was obliterated, she's probably going to recover. Fairy immortality and all that.
>Find Cirno and/or Daiyousei.
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>If she was obliterated, she's probably going to recover. Fairy immortality and all that.
>Find Cirno and/or Daiyousei.
>You wait...and wait...and wait. Cirno doesn't return.
>Daiyousei flew across the lake, and you're relatively sure she's on the way to the Hakurei shrine. You can follow her, but she'll likely be coming back with a pissed off shrine maiden in tow.
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>That probably warrants an apology or explanation. Uhoh.
>Would the camo normally work on a non-living or non-sentient object/being as well? If so, try it on a rock/tree and see if the response is any different. Follow the fairy to explain! Is there any real way to calm down Reimu after something like that, or would she understand the sacrifices that must be made by stupid immortals in the name of SCIENCE!?
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>Quests.
>Inventory.
>If you see Reimu, run the hell away.
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>If you see Reimu, run the hell away.
> Don't do this. Its a proven fact that running away agitates the Hakurei shrine maiden.
> If we see her, explain the situation.
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>That probably warrants an apology or explanation. Uhoh.
>Would the camo normally work on a non-living or non-sentient object/being as well? If so, try it on a rock/tree and see if the response is any different. Follow the fairy to explain! Is there any real way to calm down Reimu after something like that, or would she understand the sacrifices that must be made by stupid immortals in the name of SCIENCE!?
> The camo only works on humanoid objects, unfortunately. It's a person or bust.
> You start flying off in Daiyousei's direction, and after a few minutes you can pick up a conversation...
"Really, it was so scary! She tricked my friend and made her disappear, and then she tried to bite my head off!"
"Huh. I never did trust that kappa girl anyway...she always seemed that little bit too friendly."
They're about a hundred feet away from here. Run, or stay?
>Quests.
>Inventory.
>If you see Reimu, run the hell away.
>Quests:
- Change The World (Incomplete)
You're sure you're onto something with this invention...you just aren't sure WHAT yet.
- Fission Mailed v.2 (Incomplete?)
It's not Optic Camo anymore, but your belt is doing something else for sure.
- The Strongest Needle In The Haystack (Incomplete)
Cirno has been missing since your little experiment, and Reimu probably won't be too pleased with you until you figure out what happened and fix it.
Inventory:
- Bits and Bobs: Your upgrading equipment.
- Exteending Aarm: Your greatest work. Any rumours that you hug it at night are totally unfounded.
- Optic Camoflague (Broken?): It's new. It's unheard of. It's...what exactly is this thing doing?
>Reimu is approaching! You poke your head out to try and talk to her, and immediately a homing amulet flies towards your face!
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> FFFFFFFFF-
> FACE THE MUSIC! ITS THE ONLY THING KEEPING US FROM A VERY PAINFUL DEATH.
> Attempt to get Reimu to stop throwing amulets at you and explain the situation.
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> FFFFFFFFF-
> FACE THE MUSIC! ITS THE ONLY THING KEEPING US FROM A VERY PAINFUL DEATH.
> Attempt to get Reimu to stop throwing amulets at you and explain the situation.
>You start shouting at Reimu in the midst of her attempts to kill you. Understandably you paraphrase the situation as succinctly as possible given the circumstances, but you'd like to think you just about got the point across.
Not that Reimu cares.
"You aren't paying any attention, are you? I've beaten the crap outta youkai for doing things a lot less dangerous than accidentally making a fairy disappear. If you want me to stop, then clean up your own damn mess for a change rather than expecting ME to do it!"
The barrage grows more intense...unless you have some sort of secret weapon primed, this is probably your cue to make like a good kappa and run from the presence of humans.
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> "I WAS PLANNING TO DO THAT, I JUST HAD TO MAKE SURE YOU DIDN'T KILL ME FIRST!"
> Run if the barrage keeps up.
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> "I WAS PLANNING TO DO THAT, I JUST HAD TO MAKE SURE YOU DIDN'T KILL ME FIRST!"
> Run if the barrage keeps up.
>"WELL YOU HAVEN'T FIXED IT YET, HAVE YOU?!"
> You decide that discretion is the better part of va-oh who are you kidding, you run because you don't want to die. By the time you lose Reimu you're back at the Mountain of Youkai. Is this enough of an emergency to call on Momiji for help, or can you deal with this yourself?
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>Prepare an /Assault Mode in case things get bad.
>Ehh, Momiji will probably be beaten to a pulp.
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> Probably for the best to leave her out of it. Nearly every being in Gensokyo has had their ass to them handed by Reimu anyway.
> Back to the workshop! We have a belt to examine!
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>Prepare an /Assault Mode in case things get bad.
>Ehh, Momiji will probably be beaten to a pulp.
>You're not sure what you have in terms of an assault mode. Maybe if you finally get around to those rocket arms...if you tweak the Extending Arm, you might be able to pull something off here.
> Probably for the best to leave her out of it. Nearly every being in Gensokyo has had their ass handed them to Reimu anyway.
> Back to the workshop! We have a belt to examine!
> You charge back into the Shack, again. Now you have a vague idea of what this thing does, your analysis bears a little more fruit...it looks like the Optic Camo has been transformed into some sort of teleportation device. Where does it go? You have no idea, but you figure out a way to tweak it so you can take it with you post-teleportation.
> There's a knocking on the door. "C'mon! You thought I wasn't gonna look in here?!" Reimu sounds pissed...but that's nothing new. Wha do?
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>"If you would just leave me alone, I can get around to fixing Cirno's disappearance."
>Figure out a way to use the Optic Camo to teleport out of here.
>Consider Hannibal Lecturing Reimu Nah, you're no good at those.
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>Would having or making a back door/alternative exit to the shack be a better option than succumbing to SCIENCE?
>Put the belt on for now, in case it'd be good to make a hasty exit.
>"Well, I'm pretty sure she was only teleported somewhere, rather than hurt. I can try and find her and save you the trouble, but that would be a lot more difficult if I were filled with needles."
>Just how painful is getting beat up by Reimu? Taking our lumps might be a fair price to pay if Dai's going to be that insistent about it.
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>"If you would just leave me alone, I can get around to fixing Cirno's disappearance."
>Figure out a way to use the Optic Camo to teleport out of here.
>Consider Hannibal Lecturing Reimu Nah, you're no good at those.
>"Peaceful solutions?! Did you forget who you're dealing with?!"
>It should be easy enough to use the Camo to escape. The only problem is you don't have any control over your location...it could theoretically be anywhere. Maybe even any TIME.
>It doesn't help she's more or less immune to all forms of morality.
>Would having or making a back door/alternative exit to the shack be a better option than succumbing to SCIENCE?
>Put the belt on for now, in case it'd be good to make a hasty exit.
>"Well, I'm pretty sure she was only teleported somewhere, rather than hurt. I can try and find her and save you the trouble, but that would be a lot more difficult if I were filled with needles."
>Just how painful is getting beat up by Reimu? Taking our lumps might be a fair price to pay if Dai's going to be that insistent about it.
>You never thought of that, actually. Something to keep in mind when you're not being threatened.
>You wear the belt. One button press and it'll take you...somewhere.
>"Hey, you're a youkai, and you're causing trouble. Unless you solve the problem before I get my chance, it's my job to put you in your place."
>Studies have shown that a beating from Reimu Hakurei rates at least a 7.5 on the Kawashiro Pain-O-Meter, with higher levels occuring depending on how angry the miko is at the time. And she doesn't look happy now, so you might want to do something if you want to maintain control of all your limbs.
-
>Quickly
retrieve arms from backpack collect and salvage any gadgets and blueprints Reimu might be tempted to lay waste to if she got in here without being able to beat you up. If spiteful property destruction isn't her style, then don't bother.
>Methods to quickly and quietly 'make'/force a back exit to the shack without alerting Reimu! What's it made out of and what do we have for demolitions?
-
> Consider creating a second teleportation belt to give Cirno so she can make her way back.
-
>Quickly retrieve arms from backpack collect and salvage any gadgets and blueprints Reimu might be tempted to lay waste to if she got in here without being able to beat you up. If spiteful property destruction isn't her style, then don't bother.
>Methods to quickly and quietly 'make'/force a back exit to the shack without alerting Reimu! What's it made out of and what do we have for demolitions?
>You only have one arm in your backpack. Reimu won't trash the place unless she needs to, though.
>The shack is made of wood, but all you have around that survived the last experiment are the blueprints and your current inventory! Wha do?!
> Consider creating a second teleportation belt to give Cirno so she can make her way back.
> If you couldn't make an optic camo belt you probably can't make a second teleportation belt, but from what you can tell holding hands should be enough to bring you both back together.
-
> Only one option then. Time to teleport.
-
> Only one option then. Time to teleport.
>You take a moment to grieve that you had the perfect opening to FINALLY make those Rocket Arms, but bygones are bygones. You reach down to the remote, and nervously press the switch.
The belt shines, then flashes. You can even hear Reimu grunt as it blinds her through the holes in the wall.
Then, in an instant, you're gone.
You're standing up, but the flash has still dazed you a little. There's a voice ringing in your ears.
"...lo? Are you alright?"
You've never heard this voice before. It sounds comforting, but...a little unnerving. There's a holier-than-thou edge to it.
-
> Blink to clear your vision.
> "What?"
-
> Blink to clear your vision.
> "What?"
> Your eyes just about clear up, and you can see straight enough now. You've emerged in some sort of field, and you must have been standing here for a while before someone found you. The woman talking to you looks religious, but she isn't a shrine maiden...some other religion, it seems.
"You haven't been...cursed, have you? Oh, our town is facing dark days, child. Fear not, for none here shall laugh at your accusations, and she who has scorned you will face God's wrath by our hand!"
She is old and ragged, but her eyes burn with righteous indignation.
-
>Wonder if it would be a good idea to teleport again.
>"Um... I think I'm alright, I'm just lost..."
-
>Wonder if it would be a good idea to teleport again.
>"Um... I think I'm alright, I'm just lost..."
>The woman promptly grabs you by the arm.
"Oh, you can't leave! It's unsafe outside! Why, only this morning they found a witch disguised as a child. Her guard was down, then, and they found her with her demonic wings hanging out of her back! She was even screaming about how she was the mightiest as she was hauled away to a jail cell. She's to be trialled this evening, but the case is hardly one worth considering. Please, child, I beg of you. Stay here in Salem until this wave of abhorrence recedes, for your own good..."
-
> "Wings?"
> Facepalm.
> "Was she talking about being the strongest?"
-
> "Wings?"
> Facepalm.
> "Was she talking about being the strongest?"
> "Yes, frightening things, they were. Made of pure ice, like from the ninth circle! I had to cross myself after I saw them.
Strongest? Mightiest? Are they not the same? And...don't tell me you know of this demon!?"
She seems taken aback by this latest development.
-
>Uhoh.
>"I... think I may have seen her before, once... but it was not in my power to stop." Fairies respawn, after all.
>Note to self: Do not sleep, lest the belt be stolen.
-
> Attempt to escape when the lady isn't looking. We gotta get to Cirno even if she DOES respawn.
-
> Attempt to escape when the lady isn't looking. We gotta get to Cirno even if she DOES respawn.
>That, or find a way into tricking them into allowing you physical contact with Cirno during the 'trial.' At which point the both of you vanish off to... wherever else the belt would send you.
>... do we have any idea how that would work? Does it teleport to a static location? Relative to the current one? Toggle from one place to another? Uhoh...
-
>"I... think I may have seen her before, once... but it was not in my power to stop." Fairies respawn, after all.
> The problem with this logic is that she'll respawn exactly where she was before, and they'll likely keep killing her or imprisoning her. Not the best resolution.
> Attempt to escape when the lady isn't looking. We gotta get to Cirno even if she DOES respawn.
> She doesn't seem keen on letting you go - even right now she's hauling you along into Salem Town, heading in the direction of the church. You'll have to distract her if you want to escape.
>That, or find a way into tricking them into allowing you physical contact with Cirno during the 'trial.' At which point the both of you vanish off to... wherever else the belt would send you.
>... do we have any idea how that would work? Does it teleport to a static location? Relative to the current one? Toggle from one place to another? Uhoh...
> That could be difficult, unless you claim to be in allegiance with her. That would make things...much worse, actually.
> You've yet to figure out how to control the location the belt takes you to. Your best chance is probably to find someone at some point who knows how to work it, and get them to set it to Gensokyo for you.
-
> Make ourselves scarce.
-
> Contemplate odds of someone knowing how to set a location on something you created by accident.
-
> Make ourselves scarce.
> "W-Wait! Where are you going?!"
You break away from the nun, but quickly come to a worrying realisation - you have no idea where you are, or indeed where anything is.
> Contemplate odds of someone knowing how to set a location on something you created by accident.
> Get far enough into the future, and anything is possible. That or Yukari will bail you out if you screw up too hard, but a true scientist strives for self-reliance at all times.
-
> Stay in the forest close to the town.
> Try to pinpoint Cirno's whereabouts.
-
> Stay in the forest close to the town.
> Try to pinpoint Cirno's whereabouts.
> You aren't quite sure how you knew there was a forest, but luckily enough there is! You promptly run inside for cover just in case the old nun goes out of her way to follow you.
> There are a lot of buildings in this town - Saylum, did she call it? You can see one of them aptly labelled as the jail, but it's heavily guarded. Another building nearby is a courthouse, presumably where this trial is going to be held.
> Behind you, you hear the faint sound of people humming.
-
> Carefully and cautiously look behind us.
-
> Carefully and cautiously look behind us.
> You see a group of women, dressed in black robes that remind you a little of Marisa back home, engaging in some sort of ritual. You'd rather not know what died to make that blood-drawn circle they're standing in...
-
> Ignore for now.
> Is there a way to get into the jail that isn't guarded?
> Recipe List.
-
> Ignore for now.
> Is there a way to get into the jail that isn't guarded?
> Recipe List.
> You could try blowing through the back wall, but again that would need some sort of explosive or something.
> Recipe List:
Rocket Arms - You swear you will make these one day. The concept is just so...beautiful. (Extending Arm + Bits and Bobs?)
Perpetual Detonation Engine - Because energy from explosion is awwwww yeah. (No obvious recipe)
Telephone - Yukari, eat your heart out. Science can do that long-distance-talking-newfangled-shit as well. (No obvious recipe)
-
> Try combining Extending Arms with the Bits and Bobs.
-
> Try combining Extending Arms with the Bits and Bobs.
You sit down in your little corner and start working on the upgrade. By upgrade, you really mean 'throw around various pieces of circuitry until something really cool happens', but you manage to achieve something more often than not.
After a few minutes of tweaking, you give the Extending Arm a little test fire. It blasts forward, with the glove giving out a beautiful trail of flame. The sheer science of your discovery is enough to bring tears to your eyes. It's...glorious.
> Extending Arm has been upgraded to Rocket Arm! It's now strong enough to do serious damage to buildings and people, though you're really not the type to hurt other people unless absolutely necessary. What now?
-
> Bust into the jail cell via Rocket Arm.
> Liberate Cirno.
> Skedaddle.
-
> Bust into the jail cell via Rocket Arm.
> Liberate Cirno.
> Skedaddle.
> You get behind the prison easily enough, but it's quite a large place, presumable with a few cells. You'll need to find some way to figure out which one Cirno's behind - you obviously aren't going to get two shots at this.
> You can hear people coming behind the jail, and they won't be happy to see you attempt a breakin. Think fast.
-
> Back into the bushes if time allows.
> If the front becomes unguarded because of these people, sneak around and enter from there.
-
> Back into the bushes if time allows.
> If the front becomes unguarded because of these people, sneak around and enter from there.
> You don't have time for that! And the front is still guarded! You've got one chance at this, or you're gonna get caught alongside all those witches from earlier...!
-
>How many times can you use your Rocket Arm?
-
>Do the cells have windows?
>Are we certain the cult of the damned knows we're here and are coming for us? Or just coming in this direction?
>_
-
>Do the cells have windows?
>Are we certain the cult of the damned knows we're here and are coming for us? Or just coming in this direction?
> Yes, but they're so high up you can't see the contents inside.
> They don't know you're here, but they're on their way to apprehending the witch circle you saw earlier. Finding you will not make you very popular.
>How many times can you use your Rocket Arm?
The only limit is time, which you currently don't have a lot of.
(You guys get some time to think over your plan, because I need to sleep. =_=)
-
Suggestion: Take flight, check them windows, smash the right one.
-
(Yaay insomnia! Don't worry, I'm REALLY leaving after this >_>)
Suggestion: Take flight, check them windows, smash the right one.
> You slap yourself for not thinking of that, and start flying. Unfortunately, the windows are so small you can't get a good enough angle to make out particular residents in any of the cells.
-
> We're in the air, so hide out on the roof.
-
(guess who lied)
> We're in the air, so hide out on the roof.
> You use the roof as cover, and sure enough you're out of sight. In the distance, a bell rings, signally the turn of the hour. Someone shouts.
"Bring us the witch!"
A small crowd enters the jail, and a few seconds later they emerge again. In their midst is Cirno, with her hands stuck together with several Chinese finger traps. She shoves into the guards as they haul her into the courtroom, still shouting.
"Get offa me, dammit! I'm the strongest in Gensokyo, and on top of that I'm invisible now! Lemme go!"
-
>divebomb Cirno before they can get too far away and warp outta here with her!
-
>divebomb Cirno before they can get too far away and warp outta here with her!
>You leap down towards the crowd in a brilliant dive. Half a dozen voices cry out at once, screaming 'She's with the witch!'
>Regrettably, it's only now that you get around to performing this (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php?topic=6605.msg382847#msg382847) command and realising that there's no way in hell things are going to be this easy. The crowd all reach for pieces of paper at once and cry out in unison.
"Holy Sign [Demon Smite]!"
> You take a moment to ponder how spellcards made it here, but by then the humans have gathered enough power to use the card properly and knock you away in midair. Suddenly you realise that if they could capture Cirno, they'd have no trouble capturing you.
You hit the ground hard, and the world fades to black...
>...When you wake up, your hands have been tied behind your back, and you sit in a defendant's chair. The judge is looking down on you ominously.
"Young lady, I should not need to tell you why you are here. You stand accused of assisting the witch Chier Noh in her acts against our great and loving God. How do you plead?"
-
>Prepare Hannibal Lecture. Even if you suck at those. After all, the voices in your head have internet.
>"Against your great and loving God? Do you assume that people are either for you or against you?"
-
> Do we still have the belt?
> Where is Cirno?
> If yes for first and Cirno is located make plan to get out of their.
-
>Prepare Hannibal Lecture. Even if you suck at those. After all, the voices in your head have internet.
>"Against your great and loving God? Do you assume that people are either for you or against you?"
> Are you seriously going to try and hannibal lecture a judge in a court of law? In a witch hunt, no less?
> "Not guilty."
-
>Prepare Hannibal Lecture. Even if you suck at those. After all, the voices in your head have internet.
>"Against your great and loving God? Do you assume that people are either for you or against you?"
"You would question our scriptures, child?! Does Exodus 22:18 not read 'Suffer not a witch to live'?!"
Yeah, that was probably a bad idea.
> Do we still have the belt?
> Where is Cirno?
> If yes for first and Cirno is located make plan to get out of their.
> You still have the belt - they didn't see any reason to take it from you - but Cirno is nowhere to be seen. By now she's likely already been sentenced.
> "Not guilty."
> "She lies!" cries a voice in the crowd. Everyone turns, to the sight of a teenage girl who you're sure was attending that circle earlier.
"I saw her, whispering curses in the ears of my mother this morning! Look! Look at what her gaze does to me!"
The girl flails around almost unnaturally in an act of possession. The crowd erupts in cries of fear and disgust.
"Well, it seems that there is little to discuss here. Child, we are not an unforgiving church, and will give you one last attempt to prove your innocence. Do you accept?"
-
>Stand and point dramatically!
>"HER! It is her! This girl whispered curses against me! She has compelled me with her foul imprecations to the work of her dark mistress, Shinki! Did you not hear the awful words she had just put into my mouth with her foul curses moments ago?"
-
> Think these people are a bunch of morons
(Sorry I just had to, I mean this is kinda....really...stupid)
-
> Think these people are a bunch of morons
(Sorry I just had to, I mean this is kinda....really...stupid)
> Morons or no, they are in control here. Being self-righteous will get us killed. Playing on their paranoia, however...
>Stand and point dramatically!
>"HER! It is her! This girl whispered curses against me! She has compelled me with her foul imprecations to the work of her dark mistress, Shinki! Did you not hear the awful words she had just put into my mouth with her foul curses moments ago?"
> Should work in our favour.
> Keep pointing fingers.
> "We all know that faith in our Lord keeps us from sin! Only a faithless, sinful heart like hers could possibly be possessed by evil spirits!"
> Hmm... If we keep this up, we're going to convict someone else to a gruesome death. That'll need to be solved once we're in the clear.
-
>Stand and point dramatically!
>"HER! It is her! This girl whispered curses against me! She has compelled me with her foul imprecations to the work of her dark mistress, Shinki! Did you not hear the awful words she had just put into my mouth with her foul curses moments ago?"
> "Silence, child! You would accuse Abbie O'Malley, whose family has dwelt within our town for five generations?! Why would we trust your word over hers? And why is it you refer to the devil by a name we do not know? Guilty, guilty!!"
The girl offers you a smirk of triumph as she returns to her seat.
> Think these people are a bunch of morons
(Sorry I just had to, I mean this is kinda....really...stupid)
> (The actual Salem Witch Trials weren't much better, to be frank. Admittedly I'm not being COMPLETELY accurate, but.)
> "Child, how do you wish to be judged? There are multiple tests you can use to prove your innocence - we can search your body for witchmarks, test your weight against one of our bibles, or see if the sacred waters of our river will hold you. If you are innocent of witchcraft, you have nothing to fear, correct?"
-
(Yeah, the Witch Trials in Salem were...something. And often just a cover for other things)
>"Living among you? And how do you think she wormed her way into your town and inflicted the evil she obviously did? And blaming a simple traveler? Can you think of a more perfect cover? What, I ask you, is more likely to infect this place? A foul rot hiding among you for ages, or a traveler who knows you not? And why do I know that name? BECAUSE SHE TOLD IT TO ME!"
-
> Oh, wait, we have sweet magical powers. We can use those to skew the competition in our favour.
> "Of course, I have nothing to hide. What do these trials that you spoke of entail?"
-
> Wait. We have manipulation over water don't we? Go for the river trial.
-
>"Living among you? And how do you think she wormed her way into your town and inflicted the evil she obviously did? And blaming a simple traveler? Can you think of a more perfect cover? What, I ask you, is more likely to infect this place? A foul rot hiding among you for ages, or a traveler who knows you not? And why do I know that name? BECAUSE SHE TOLD IT TO ME!"
"But Abbie is the daughter of Reverend O'Malley! You would accuse the child whose father brings down God's righteous hand upon the wicked? The greatest blasphemy!!"
> Oh, wait, we have sweet magical powers. We can use those to skew the competition in our favour.
> "Of course, I have nothing to hide. What do these trials that you spoke of entail?"
"The first of the trials shall place you on a scale against the Holy Bible. If you outweigh it, you are free to go; if not, you will be sentenced to a swift and holy death. Next is the witchmark test - your body will be searched for the dark, black marks that the devil leaves on his followers. If they are pricked and do not bleed, you are guilty.
Finally, there is the test of the river. You will be bound to a chair and thrown into the river. If you float, you are guilty, as the sacred water will have rejected your tainted blood; if you sink, your name will be posthumously cleared of the accusation."
-
>"Is she the reverend's daughter? Or does she merely take the appearance of the Reverend's daughter? Where better to hide than those that would avoid accusation."
-
>"Is she the reverend's daughter? Or does she merely take the appearance of the Reverend's daughter? Where better to hide than those that would avoid accusation."
> That one, at least, is enough to make the jury think. Abbie's face takes on a little ounce of concern, but she promptly nudges one of her nearby companions. The girl then proceeds to flail around wildly!
"Oh, Lord, help me! That girl, the one in the defendant's chair! She's calling on her spirits to possess me in order to smite Abbie! Please, people of the court, hear my plea!"
This time, unsurprisingly, less people are impressed. Abbie is surrounded by an angry mob...
"Hm. Perhaps Abbie's claims are to be...examined, but it remains that you attempted to free a since-convicted witch from her trial. Unless you can recite the Lord's Prayer here and now, I would have you choose your test of innocence."
> You've never heard of this Lord's Prayer, so you should probably get a-choosin'.
-
>Arses. Oh well, once everyone is under suspicion, the witch hunt ends all the faster.
>Ponder what a Holy Bible might be, and how much it'd weigh. Is it a kind of herd animal?
-
>Consider your choices. Which one of them would be the best for you to survive?
> Are you seriously going to try and hannibal lecture a judge in a court of law? In a witch hunt, no less?
>Well, at least save it if you happen to teleport away from here in front of a group of people.
-
>Ponder what a Holy Bible might be, and how much it'd weigh. Is it a kind of herd animal?
> You take a moment to imagine what this Holy Bible could possibly look like. Your mind paints on image of an overgrown bird on two legs, with various holes poking out of its chest. You hold back the urge to giggle in the midst of the courtroom.
>Consider your choices. Which one of them would be the best for you to survive?
> You aren't certain how much a Holy Bible weighs, but you get the awkward feeling it's a test that's very easy to rig.
> You don't know about these witchmarks either, but you have some burn marks from an earlier experiment that might be damning. No mere needle will make a youkai bleed, after all.
> The river test seems promising - after all, drowning is hardly much of a risk for you - but the main problem is that after you've been thrown in it might be rather difficult getting back out of the chair.
-
> The river test seems to be the best in order to get out of here. After all, we still need to find Cirno.
-
> The river test seems to be the best in order to get out of here. After all, we still need to find Cirno.
> You tell the judge that you'll prove your innocence through the waters. He seems surprised by your decision, since it's easily the deadliest of the tests, but eventually calls for the guards to escort you to the nearby river. You're kept under close watch at all times, so it looks like you've got no way to avoid this.
> There's already a chair waiting for you when you get there, and you're quickly tied to it. A priest offers you last rites, and you tilt your head in confusion because you aren't sure why right gets preference over left. There's a moment of silence, until the guards do both of you a service and throw you in.
> You sink, unsurprisingly, given that your pockets are still lined with all sorts of gadgets. A few minutes pass, and above you you can overhear the crowd letting out ahs. The priest says that God should have mercy on your soul. Which God? Kanako? Suwako? Shinki?
> Anyway, they disperse shortly afterward, presumably to deal with the false claims of Abbey O'Malley. Now you just need to figure out a way out of these ropes. Unless you're here for several hours, air is hardly going to be a problem.
-
> Test the rope to see how well its tied.
> Try to sever the rope on any rocks lining the riverbed.
-
>Can we used the extending arms?
>Try using them to break any weak points in the chain or simply untie us if possible.
>If we cannot break or untie the chain, and extending arms are usable, use them to use any waterproofed gadgets we could cut the rope with.
>If arms are usable, but noting else works, use arms to drag us out of the river.
-
>Can we used the extending arms?
> How do you use the arms (rocket arms, as they are now) with tied hands? You make a note to find a way to do that some point in the future.
> Test the rope to see how well its tied.
> Try to sever the rope on any rocks lining the riverbed.
> Say what you will about their sanity, but these people are damn good at tying ropes.
> There are some rocks you should be able to work with nearby. You shimmy the chair over and start wearing them away. This might take a while, so now's your chance to start thinking about your next plan...odds are the people of Salem won't be too pleased to see you still among the living, and Cirno's 'execution' will be short at hand.
-
> Do we have anything that could expel a smokescreen? If we don't, do we have the means to make one?
> If we can obtain one, set it off right before Cirno's sentence is carried out and grab her and teleport.
-
>If you can't use a smokesceren, analyze the situaton and think of some kind of a distraction.
> If we can obtain one, set it off right before Cirno's sentence is carried out and grab her and teleport.
>Come up with a speech that tells these nineballs the reason they suck while you are teleporting. That is, say the speech as you are teleporting.
>Well, if this happens, anyway.
-
> Do we have anything that could expel a smokescreen? If we don't, do we have the means to make one?
> If we can obtain one, set it off right before Cirno's sentence is carried out and grab her and teleport.
> Nothing on your person, but likely some nearby houses - or even the forest - would have some worthwhile materials.
>analyze the situaton and think of some kind of a distraction.
> You can come up with a variety of possible distractions, but only a few won't result in fatalities - fireworks, impromptu music performances, abuse of rocket arms...most of these would require additional materials, but they shouldn't be hard to find.
> The ropes start to snap behind your back. Halfway there.
-
>What kind of impromptu music performances?
-
>What kind of impromptu music performances?
> You have access to one song, supposedly from outside the border. Within it, a suave-sounding man tells the listener that he is no stranger to love and that both of you know the rules.
-
>Go with the smokescreen, and keep the music performance as Plan B.
>Now, what would you need to build a smokescreen?
-
>Now, what would you need to bu8ild a smokescreen?
> You wouldn't need much. Some firewood to make the smoke, something small to compress and hold it in (you can make that yourself, no problem), and probably an hour or so of preparation. They won't hang her that quickly, surely.
-
>Make something you can hold the smoke in.
-
>Ponder the possibility of claiming the sacred river refused to drown you, and it was a miracle. Sanae gets all kinds of mileage out of miracles, after all.
-
>Make something you can hold the smoke in.
> Make someth... listen to yourself speak, man! Don't heap all the work on the parser!
> Good old sulphur + saltpeter + fire haven't sent people wrong before, let's go with that. How's our chemistry? Suphur we can nick from ye olde apothecary, saltpeter's gonna require a little more effort.
> The result gives off smoke like crazy, and will be quite easy to store and activate. Let's work on that, shall we?
-
> As for the container, try to create a cylinder that will pop open when it impacts a hard surface.
-
>Make something you can hold the smoke in.
>You do as much the instant you finish with those goddamn ropes and haul yourself out of the river. You're soaking wet, but that's hardly something out of the ordinary for you. A few minutes of tinkering with your bits and bobs - thank Kanako that they're rustproof - and you have yourself an empty Smoke Bomb.
> Received 1 Smoke Bomb (Empty).
>Ponder the possibility of claiming the sacred river refused to drown you, and it was a miracle. Sanae gets all kinds of mileage out of miracles, after all.
> You worry that if you claim to bring miracles into account, the people here will treat you as some sort of messiah to their religion. Problematic, given that you know absolutely nothing about said faith.
> Good old sulphur + saltpeter + fire haven't sent people wrong before, let's go with that. How's our chemistry? Suphur we can nick from ye olde apothecary, saltpeter's gonna require a little more effort.
> Sulphur you can most certainly steal, and after some observation there's a nice little apothecary hanging on the edge of the town. You know that potassium nitrate gets used in fertilisers, and there's a lot of farmland around here. Of course, given the current time and era, you get the feeling you'll have to settle for, uh, natural fertiliser.
-
>Let's just get out of this river first.
-
>Let's just get out of this river first.
>You do as much the instant you finish with those goddamn ropes and haul yourself out of the river.
> You take a moment to get your bearings. This time travel madness appears to have puzzled you in terms of what you have and haven't already done. You drain the water from your boots while your head clears.
-
>Fucking time travel.
>Consider a way to make the river explode. After all, we only decided not to add Francium to water in the Science Shack, right?
-
>Why would you want to make the river explode?
>Get everything in the present tense, no need to get confused by Time Travel Tense Trouble. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TimeTravelTenseTrouble)
-
>Fucking time travel.
>Consider a way to make the river explode. After all, we only decided not to add Francium to water in the Science Shack, right?
> That sounds painful, and you decide not to.
> Maybe by the time you've collected enough Francium to do that it'll be the present day again.
>Why would you want to make the river explode?
>Get everything in the present tense, no need to get confused by Time Travel Tense Trouble. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TimeTravelTenseTrouble)
>Your plot of esturaricide suddenly feels heinous and cruel. You apologise to the river for your actions. It seems understanding.
>You are out of the river. Cirno is in jail, and will be executed later. You need to get her out with a distraction. Your plan is to build a smoke bomb, but you need three ingredients: sulphur, saltpeter, and something to burn. Is that present tense-y enough for you? Because the parser went to a lot of effort to do it, and it doesn't feel appreciated.
-
>Pat the parser.
-
> What are you waiting there for, go get those ingredients.
-
> Ponder where we could find saltpeter.
> Look around for some dry wood to burn.
-
>Pat the parser.
> It feels slightly better about itself now. It purrs lightly.
> Ponder where we could find saltpeter.
> Look around for some dry wood to burn.
> You might try a local farm? You'll find it, though it wil be in its...natural state.
(NOTE: Any resemblance to real life chemistry is purely coincidental.)
> You come across a campfire on your way back to the town, and take a few twigs. You should be able to rub them together for a nice flame.
> Received Firewood.
> You're back at the edge of Salem again. The apothecary is on one side of the town, and the farmlands are on the other. What do you do?
-
> Head for the farmlands first. There might be a better chance of not being seen out there, and the apothecary is probably closer to the village.
-
>Imagine what they might do to Cirno.
-
> Look around for some dry wood to burn.
> Why are we doing this again? If we want to set off the gunpowder, flint + steel = spark is a far better combination.
-
> Why are we doing this again? If we want to set off the gunpowder, flint + steel = spark is a far better combination.
> Your grasp of chemistry is admittedly rather poor, so the above thought - logical as it is - doesn't come to you. Machines are easy, everything else less so.
>Imagine what they might do to Cirno.
> They'll likely try to hang her first. That won't produce any results, given the whole flying thing, so they'll just settle for burning her at the stake. That would prove...somewhat more effective.
> Head for the farmlands first. There might be a better chance of not being seen out there, and the apothecary is probably closer to the village.
> You make your way to the farmlands. They cover a good segment of land, and they're sparsely guarded - you find a nice supply of, uh, fertiliser lying in a neat pile, but there's a single farmer looking in your direction. A few cows are standing behind him, looking rather bored with life in general but satisfied that for once it isn't them getting roasted.
> You pre-emptively borrow a pair of gloves to deal with this...fertiliser. Now, how to distract the guard?
-
>Is the farmer doing anything to make us think he's on the defensive/offensive?
>If not, wave to him.
-
>Is the farmer doing anything to make us think he's on the defensive/offensive?
>If not, wave to him.
> He's whistling something to himself. You are uncertain if 'Ee Ay Ee Ay Oh' is some sort of war song, but it doesn't look like it. You don't recognise him from the trial either, so as you wave to him he greets you with a friendly smile.
"Howdy, stranger! Whaddaya you doin' all the way out in Salem? We been havin' some tough times this year, what with the witches and the burnin'. The skies've been pretty mean ta me too - mah plants need a lil' rain to grow, but they just ain't deliverin'. At this rate I'm gunna be having one rough harvest...I'm thinkin' it's one o' them newfangled curse things the girls are throwin' around."
-
>"Oh tell me about it. They're really running it out of style up in town."
>Ponder suggesting irrigation from the river for his fields.
-
>"Oh tell me about it. They're really running it out of style up in town."
>Ponder suggesting irrigation from the river for his fields.
> "Yeah, I was hearin' 'bout some witch they caught there. Didn't sound too threatenin' - hell ah thought she sounded dang stupid, actually."
Silently, you are grateful that Cirno isn't around to hear this, or you'd quickly find yourself talking to a block of ice.
> "The river? Well, it'd get things runnin', but it's a helluva walk there 'n' back. 'n' mah only good bucket has a goshdang hole in it."
-
> Do we have the materials to patch up the hole? If so, suggest repairing the bucket for some fertilizer.
-
> Do we have the materials to patch up the hole? If so, suggest repairing the bucket for some fertilizer.
>You have a metal plate among your bits and bobs you could use, though it's something sort of ahead of this time period. Regardless, you make the offer, fix up the hole, and hastily throw the fertiliser into the container so you don't have to stay in contact with it for any longer than necessary.
"That's mighty fine of ya, darlin'! Thanks a bunch!"
>Smoke Bomb is now 1/3 complete.
> Next is the apothecary, and scanning it from the outside it's an eerie looking place. You can see the store's owner through the window - a frail, bent over woman with only one good eye and grey hair running amok over her face. All her ingredients are on the shelf behind her, though, so you're not exactly overflowing with options here in terms of getting some sulphur.
-
> Your grasp of chemistry is admittedly rather poor, so the above thought - logical as it is - doesn't come to you. Machines are easy, everything else less so.
> So be it... Parser. We're a machinist, so we're well-acquainted with electricity. We must be able to make a sparker from random stuff we have in our possessions, surely we carry a battery or two?
> Alternatively, find some quartz, probably also locatable at the ye olde Apothecary - it's piezoelectric, so we can make sparks off that with a rudimentary device.
-
> Walk into the store.
> Wait. Was she with the crowd at our trial?
> If not, as with the farmer, ask the lady if she needs something fixed in return for the sulphur.
> If so, try to find something to disguise ourself without looking too suspicious.
-
> So be it... Parser. We're a machinist, so we're well-acquainted with electricity. We must be able to make a sparker from random stuff we have in our possessions, surely we carry a battery or two?
> The parser wishes that it had been programmed with the same super-powered knowledge of chemistry that the players have. As such, it has no choice but to Dan Brown (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DanBrowned) you due to its inability to keep up. Apologies.
> You rummage around your pockets and find a sparker. You throw away the firewood, slapping yourself across the face for coming up with such a silly idea.
> Walk into the store.
> Wait. Was she with the crowd at our trial?
> If not, as with the farmer, ask the lady if she needs something fixed in return for the sulphur.
> If so, try to find something to disguise ourself without looking too suspicious.
> No. It doesn't look like she gets out of the store much with health like that.
> "I'm a businesswoman, wench. If you don't have the money, you don't get the sulphur."
-
>Walk out of the store.
>Consider stealing sulphur.
-
>Walk out of the store.
>Consider stealing sulphur.
>You make the consideration. It is a good consideration.
You carefully set the rocket arm to 'stun'.
-
> Sacrifices have to be made for science. Especially if those sacrificed are that rude.
> Does the rocket arm have a silencer as well as that stun setting?
-
> Sacrifices have to be made for science. Especially if those sacrificed are that rude.
> Does the rocket arm have a silencer as well as that stun setting?
> You walk back into the shop. The woman with one eye glares at you again, while you smile like an idiot. She barely has the time to ask why you came back in before you pull out the rocket arm, aim it at her, and let loose.
Poor woman. At least her teeth were already missing, so you can't be held responsible for that. You 'borrow' some sulphur without bothering to pay, since strangely there's no-one standing on the other side of the counter. You hope she doesn't mind the footprints on her counter when she wakes up.
> Received Sulphur.
>Regrettably, there is no silencer, but you were lucky that no-one was around. Everyone seems to be gathering in the centre of town for...a reason you probably don't need to guess. Better hurry up with that smoke bomb.
-
> We have all the materials correct? Find a nice secluded place and assemble the smoke bomb.
-
> We have all the materials correct? Find a nice secluded place and assemble the smoke bomb.
> You run into an abandoned back alley and take out the container you made earlier. You jam the fertiliser and sulphur inside, before putting the sparker to the suplhur and setting it alight. You quickly jam the lid back onto it - you've got maybe five minutes before the smoke inside ends up expanding too far and causing the whole thing to burst.
> Received Smoke Bomb.
-
> Quickly head for the execution.
-
> Quickly head for the execution.
> You dart to the town square, seeing what looks like Salem's entire population standing around the gallows. Cirno is standing at the noose, still caught in the finger traps, as the hangman places the hood on her head.
"Hey! What're you doing, stopping people from seeing my awesome face?! Get this thing off me!"
A priest reads Cirno her last rites as the hangman walks to the lever. He pauses for a moment, almost feeling his blood freeze in the witch's presence.
The lever is pulled. The trapdoor opens.
> Cirno stays where she is, her wings fluttering slightly.
> The crowd erupts into bedlam. Cirno, unable to see, tilts her head.
"Huh? What's everyone freaking out about?"
The hangman is initially shocked by this development, but he looks set to settle for the second-best option and reaches down for a torch.
-
> Chuck the smoke bomb into the crowd.
> Quickly fly for Cirno, grab her, and teleport.
-
> Chuck the smoke bomb into the crowd.
> Quickly fly for Cirno, grab her, and teleport.
> You lodge the bomb onto the end of the rocket arm, and fire it through a hole in the crowd at the gallows. The container snaps easily, filling the whole square with a hazy smoke. Amidst the coughing and choking you fly above the crowd, darting towards Cirno and wrapping your arms around her.
"O-Oh...Mr. Hangman, I understand you like me, but...is now the time?"
You don't have time to listen to her ramblings now, and now you finally have your opening you turn the belt on again. As if the smoke wasn't bad enough, now the poor people of Salem are blinded as well.
The story of the foul witch Chier Noh would be remembered by all who lived within Salem, and brought the infamous Witch Trials to their highest peak. Nice Job Breaking It, Kappa. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NiceJobBreakingItHero) Then again, if this is how time was meant to go anyway there's nothing to feel guilty about, because the timeline wouldn't remain stable if you HADN'T done it, and besides that Reimu would've beaten you up anyway oh look you're home.
> The Shack's looking a little shakier than it was last time you were here. Apparently Reimu got a little tired of waiting for you and kicked it once or twice. A third kick could spell disaster, so you carefully tiptoe out the front door, ice fairy in tow.
"CIRNO!"
Daiyousei pulls the hood off Cirno's head and immediately goes in for a hug, which of course she can't respond to due to those goddamn finger traps. You decide to leave them for her to solve herself as Daiyousei leads her back to the lake, practically attached to her.
"About damn time. Nice to know that once in a while you youkai are mature enough to clean up your own mess."
Reimu grumbles as she sees you resolve your own troubles, before heading back to the shrine. It looks like you've just about managed to resolve the incident, but this new technology fascinates you. It can take you anywhere, anytime...the potential is limitless, though the danger is as well. If one of your journeys took you to someone who could explain it - maybe even help you control it - it'd be one of the greatest inventions Gensokyo's ever seen. Imagine the cucumbers you could buy with those royalties!
You'd like to at least have a trustworthy companion before you try anything with it again, though.
-
>Kick back.
-
>Kick back.
> You decide that for now you'll leave the time travel nonsense for another day. You've earned a break, so you sit down in your Science Shack and lie back. Your hand reaches down for the bag where you keep your plentiful supply of cucumbers.
You come up empty handed.
Apparently, Reimu didn't leave without taking something from you. Your stomach rumbles in protest, but a quick scan of your pockets shows that you are indeed stone cold broke.
> New Quest: Make It, Make Money
Find some way to fund your cucumber habit following your shack being plundered.
-
>Consider Rocket-Fisted moneymaking opportunities.
-
>Consider Rocket-Fisted moneymaking opportunities.
> You wonder momentarily if there are any bounties available. The Human Village would be the place to go for that, and as a Kappa you have a decent chance of not being immediately destroyed by the Village's guardian.
-
>It's as good a place as any! Besides, the hunams should be pleased to have one of their old allies drop in.
-
>It's as good a place as any! Besides, the hunams should be pleased to have one of their old allies drop in.
>It's a good long walk to the human village, so you set off there with haste. It's evening, now, and you can tell things are getting a little dark. Actually, scratch that. Really dark. You see a little grill of sorts in front of you, and not much else, but if you rummage through your bag you should be able to find a pair of night-vision goggles that'll see you through.
-
>Get them goggles on.
>Wave to the Stand mistress
-
>Get them goggles on.
>Wave to the Stand mistress
>The world turns to various shades of green. The shade reminds you of cucumbers. Your stomach rumbles again.
> You wave to the Stand mistress. She is currently battering an eel while screaming something along the lines of 'ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA', and seems too focused on the job to pay attention to you. Only after you've moved on do you hear a vague cry of 'Hey, aren't you blind or something?!'
> The Human Village still has its gates open by the time you get there. The list of bounties should be in the City Hall, but there are a few other buildings of note: the local school whose science course needs a dramatic updating, the infamous child historian who may need some help scribing, and a shady looking rabbit in the back alley carrying around a few coins. Where to?
-
> Keep the school job in mind, but head for City Hall.
-
> Wait, who's the rabbit? Is it anyone we know?
-
> Wait, who's the rabbit? Is it anyone we know?
> You make out a muttering along the lines of 'usausausa'.
> Keep the school job in mind, but head for City Hall.
> Hm. Getting this new curriculum through Keine's skull would be a nightmare, anyway. With all that history she dotes over, she's basically stuck in the past 24/7.
The main entrance to City Hall is open, and you walk in without a care. It's sort of disappointing to see that no-one has greeted you on behalf of the humans...maybe it's not obvious enough that you're a kappa?
The list of bounties is hanging on the wall in the main lobby, but it's rather low on offers. There's only two bounties that haven't already been claimed:
WANTED: Kogasa Tatara
Race: Karakasa
Crime: Disturbance of the peace through immature pranks
Reward for capture - 10,000 Yen
WANTED: Tewi Inaba
Race: Rabbit youkai
Crime: Illegal gambling
Reward for capture - 25,000 Yen
-
>Ponder what we know about both of these felons.
-
> Ponder if the rabbit we passed was Tewi
-
>Ponder what we know about both of these felons.
> You're unfamiliar with the first name, but you're aware of the fact that villagers have been complaining about a youkai who spends her time looking for ways to surprise them. Keine is concerned that eventually she'll target a member of the elderly, and the shock will be enough to do them in.
The second name is somewhat more iconic. Tewi Inaba is perhaps one of Gensokyo's most known and most feared youkai - not for the damage she would do to your body, but to your wallet. Under the guise of many an innocent-looking deal or game she had robbed Gensokyo blind, but when the police came around she had an incredible knack for either not being there or having someone around to plead her innocence. For long enough to let her escape, anyway.
> Ponder if the rabbit we passed was Tewi
The face certainly matches the picture on the wanted poster, albeit missing the nifty-looking hat she was wearing.
-
> Go catch that rabbit
-
>Consider knowledges of Tewi's capabilities.
-
> Is their anyone we can ask about the bounties?
> If so "Umm, if I gave info that helped capture a bounty, would that alone get me any reward?"
-
>Consider knowledges of Tewi's capabilities.
> She's good at lying. She can run pretty damn fast. As far as you're aware, that's about it.
> Is their anyone we can ask about the bounties?
> If so "Umm, if I gave info that helped capture a bounty, would that alone get me any reward?"
> The board clearly states that bounties will only be awarded in the event of capture.
> Go catch that rabbit
> You grab your hunting wifle and make an effaht to be vewwy vewwy qwiet.
Tewi is still where she was before, messing with a few coins in her hand. "Hey," she says as you approach, "feel like tryin' your luck at a little game? Nothing serious, just a little fun - unless you're lookin' to up the stakes."
-
Tewi is still where she was before, messing with a few coins in her hand. "Hey," she says as you approach, "feel like tryin' your luck at a little game? Nothing serious, just a little fun - unless you're lookin' to up the stakes."
> Hmm...we do need funding for our projects. Some sacrifices have to be made.
> "Well okay maybe one game wouldn't hur- FOR SCIENCE!"
> Introduce Tewi to our little friend, Mr. Rocket Arm. Make sure the two meet as quickly as possible.
-
>Seize Tewi
to satisfy the Cie'th Stone.
>If she retaliates,
> Introduce Tewi to our little friend, Mr. Rocket Arm. Make sure the two meet as quickly as possible.
-
> No no, don't do what the above said, she's very tricky so we'd need the element of surprise on her
-
> Two people say to attack, one says don't. Majority rules.
> Introduce Tewi to our little friend, Mr. Rocket Arm. Make sure the two meet as quickly as possible.
> You know, it's amazing. The arm fires perfectly, but a miraculous turn of the wind sends it twisting away from Tewi and causes it to instead crash into the wall behind her. The rabbit simply glances at your weapon as it retracts, unfazed by her lucky escape.
"Oh. Bounty, huh? Don't bother, you're not gonna get anywhere. I dunno, I seen to have this uncanny ability to not take a hit, y'know? Really, you've got better chances just playing a game with me for 20,000 yen. Hell, I won't even ask you to bet money - you can ante up that nice little rocket arm of yours."
-
> Don't, we love our Rocket arms, we'd never ever EVER bet or sell them.
> Hmmm, Tewi seems to have luck on her side, go after Kogasa instead
> Add Quest: Black Cat Crossing - Find a way to nullify luck, you'll show Tewi for even suggesting the bet in the first place
-
>
Have everybody in Gensokyo ignore Tewi long enough to break her. Then Hanniballize her. Nah, as if you could do that.
>Do you have a single idea where Kogasa could be?
-
> Don't, we love our Rocket arms, we'd never ever EVER bet or sell them.
> Hmmm, Tewi seems to have luck on her side, go after Kogasa instead
> Add Quest: Black Cat Crossing - Find a way to nullify luck, you'll show Tewi for even suggesting the bet in the first place
> Of course you won't accept that rabbit's offer! You would never part with your beloved SCIENCE.
> You politely refuse Tewi's offer of a game and make your way out. You make a note to meet someone later who might be able to undo Tewi's fortune.
> Kogasa will be a little harder to find, mainly because unlike Tewi you didn't see her on the way in. Maybe you should talk to some people? Or should you just fly upwards - where you'd logically find a karakasa - and hope for the best?
-
> Fly upward first, examine surrounding, do you spot a flying parasol, if not head back to the ground and talk to some people about Kogasa's where abouts
-
> We're not done with Tewi yet.
> This voice learned this one on the internet: go find some cloth, roll it up, whack Tewi over the head with it until she accedes. Don't need much luck or lack thereof for that to happen.
-
> Her luck not only effects us but the environment as well, I mean our Rocket Arm missed her because of a breeze, A BREEZE, so we need to nullify that luck first
-
> We're not done with Tewi yet.
> This voice learned this one on the internet: go find some cloth, roll it up, whack Tewi over the head with it until she accedes. Don't need much luck or lack thereof for that to happen.
>This.
-
> Okay we'll try that but note she's also very cunning and quick
> Prepare Rocket Arms as back up
-
> We're not done with Tewi yet.
> This voice learned this one on the internet: go find some cloth, roll it up, whack Tewi over the head with it until she accedes. Don't need much luck or lack thereof for that to happen.
> By the time you go back to the alleyway, Tewi has conveniently moved on. Damn, she's good.
> Fly upward first, examine surrounding, do you spot a flying parasol, if not head back to the ground and talk to some people about Kogasa's where abouts
> With no sign of Tewi, you instead fly upwards in search of that karakasa girl. As you rise above the clouds you examine your surroundings carefully, but there doesn't seem to be anyone oh god something just grabbed your leg.
"Urameshiya~!"
-
> With no sign of Tewi, you instead fly upwards in search of that karakasa girl. As you rise above the clouds you examine your surroundings carefully, but there doesn't seem to be anyone oh god something just grabbed your leg.
"Urameshiya~!"
> "FOR SCIENCE!"
> Rocket Arm. Leg-grabber. Now.
-
> Actually who much Rocket Arms do we have?
-
> Actually who much Rocket Arms do we have?
> Just one, but it comes back to you.
> "FOR SCIENCE!"
> Rocket Arm. Leg-grabber. Now.
> Your instincts do all the work for you, and in a matter of seconds your rocket arm has collided with the girl's head.
"Uu-!"
Kogasa gives out a little cry of shock as the glove smacks her in the face, before passing out. You're sort of glad you aren't her right now - she'll probably fall right out the sky and hit the ground like a rock. Maybe not fatal, but DAMN it would hurt.
...Wait. She hasn't let go of your leg, and you can't support this sort of weight while flying. In fact, you aren't even flying anymore - Kogasa's heavy enough to pull you down with her, and you start on a crash course for the ground below.
DO SOMETHING
-
> Grab hold of Rocket Arm, use Rocket as lift to supplement your flying
-
> Grab hold of Rocket Arm, use Rocket as lift to supplement your flying
> You fire the arm at the ground, and the recoil pulls you upward. For about 10 seconds - before it hits the ground, gets jammed, and starts pulling you down even faster as it attempts to retract.
DO SOMETHING ELSE
-
> I meant use it like an actual rocket!
> Try to get Kogasa and the Rocket Arm off you
-
> I meant use it like an actual rocket!
> If you had pointed it upwards, the recoil would have just sent you down anyway. The parser was generous enough to pick the lesser of two evils, and is offended by your lack of gratitude. >:<
> Try to get Kogasa and the Rocket Arm off you
> Letting go of the Arm is easy, and you fall straight down slightly slower than it is now. Kogasa is another matter - she's clamped her arms around your leg, and unless you wake her up she isn't letting go.
-
>Can we fly horizontally, and soften our fall via application of another force? And possibly hit a pond.
-
> I actually meant hold onto the part that goes upward, but oh well, sorry I offended you, Parser, I'm not good at describing my thoughts
> Is there a any soft landing we could glide to?
-
>Can we fly horizontally, and soften our fall via application of another force? And possibly hit a pond.
>Your (read: the parser's) knowledge of physics states that the downward force will remain constant wherever you land, though you admit that you could definitely find a softer landing spot. Hopefully no-one will notice the rocket arm standing upright out of the ground.
Looking around quickly, there isn't a pond in sight, and indeed a lot of the scenery below you consists of various buildings from the human village. At this rate, it'd probably take all your effort to avoid colliding with a human home, and you REALLY don't want to piss off your former allies.
> I actually meant hold onto the part that goes upward, but oh well, sorry I offended you, Parser, I'm not good at describing my thoughts
> What's in your hand? I have it. It's a parser, containing instructions for the CYOA you love.
Look again. The parser is now Parsee, and she's jealous of you for being so carefree about hurting people's feelings.
-
(huh???)
> Sigh, take the fall like a kappa, that is, not very well but have to anyway, try not to damage anything in the Village
-
>Hmmm. Hootmans tend to have livestock, from which they get their tasty beeves. Livestock need hay...
>Look for a haystack or hay wagon to aim for.
>Failing that, a compost heap =[
-
>Hmmm. Hootmans tend to have livestock, from which they get their tasty beeves. Livestock need hay...
>Look for a haystack or hay wagon to aim for.
>Failing that, a compost heap =[
> You feel strangely like an assassin as you see a haystack in the distance and aim yourself towards it, karakasa still in tow. You hit the hay pretty hard, but a lot less harder than you'd have hit ordinary ground.
A nearby horse whinnies in horror as its food gains a new topping. You trudge out of the hay, feeling straws clinging to yourself in places you didn't know existed, as you pull the still-unconscious Kogasa out as well.
-
> Do we have anything to tie her up with? If so tie her feet and hands and take and tie umbrella for good measure, if not just take the umbrella
-
> Do we have anything to tie her up with? If so tie her feet and hands and take and tie umbrella for good measure, if not just take the umbrella
> She's still unconscious, but to be safe you tie her up with a cable you happened to have handy. The umbrella seems almost attached to her arm - you yank at it, but you can't get it out of her hand.
With some effort, you haul the unconscious youkai to the hall. A muscular looking guard watches you enter in surprise, taking Kogasa off your hands. He looks to a woman at a nearby desk, who seems rather flustered as she takes out the 10,000 yen reward and hands it to you.
You can taste those cucumbers already.
As you walk out, however, you suddenly realise something is missing from the scenery outside the hall. The missing item is given away by the large fist-shaped hole in the ground - your rocket arm was jammed here. In fact, it was here when you walked into the hall, so where did it...wait, is that a note?
'I figured you'd be fun to play with, so I decided we're going to have a game. I've already taken your entry fee. Meet me outside the village at noon tomorrow. ~Tewi Inaba'
...Son of a BITCH.
> Lost Rocket Arm, gained 10,000 Yen.
> New Quest: Un-Armed! (Get back your Rocket Arm by any means necessary.)
-
> Okay, now we definitely need to find a way to neutralize Tewi's luck, can we think of anyone that could help?
-
> Okay, now we definitely need to find a way to neutralize Tewi's luck, can we think of anyone that could help?
> You remember stories of the army of Nagashi-bina that's apparently centred in a forest near the Mountain of Youkai. Maybe with a few favours you could get their trust and help put a serious downer on Tewi's winning streak.
-
(Nagashi-bina?)
> Okay, lets fly there
-
(Nagashi-bina?)
Hina.
> Make a note that if this works, split the bounty with the Nagashi-bina.
-
>Do you think you could create another weapon?
-
> Make a note that if this works, split the bounty with the Nagashi-bina.
> You hope that curse gods have a use for the currency of mere mortals. You don't exactly have many souls lying around.
>Do you think you could create another weapon?
> With the various trinkets you have sitting around, you can probably make an accessory or something, but you'd need to have a good idea what to make before you started.
> Okay, lets fly there
> You set off for the Youkai Forest. It's a long trip, so you suppose if there's anything you want to try tinkering with now is the time.
-
>Inventory
-
>Inventory
> Bits And Bobs - You know what these are by now
> Faulty Optic Camo - Now apparently capable of teleportation through time and space. Too bad you have no idea how the hell to control it.
> 10,000 Yen - Oh, money. So beautiful. Maybe you could visit one of the human stores and buy something if you want to tinker - or there's that weird place run by the half-youkai in the glasses that you'll pass on the way there anyway.
-
> Time skip to Youkai Mountain
-
> Time skip to Youkai Mountain
> Why would you need a time skip? You're already here.
> You trek into the forest, hoping that these curse gods are relatively easy to find. The path gets dark fast, and after a few minutes you realise you've lost track of which way you came in. There are various paths to take - to the NORTH, SOUTH, EAST and WEST - but none of them seem any more useful than the others...
-
>Can you go up?
>West
-
>Can you go up?
>You can fly upward, but from above all you can really see is a set of trees so it won't help you in finding the curse god.
>West
>Obvious Exits are NORTH, SOUTH, EAST and WEST. You hear footsteps coming from somewhere...
-
>Where are the footsteps coming from?
>If you can tell, follow footsteps.
>If you can't stay.
-
>Where are the footsteps coming from?
>If you can tell, follow footsteps.
>If you can't stay.
> Unfortunately, no. You decide to wait around in the hope that the footsteps come to you, and thankfully they grow louder over time. There's something erratic about them, though - the sound doesn't seem right for someone walking. It gets two steps closer, then one back, then two closer...
"Twirl, twirl~"
The reason for this soon becomes evident, as a youkai with long green hair and a bright red ribbon passes by you doing some sort of pirouette. She's not very good, though, stumbling and stepping on the ground every so often but continuing on unfazed. She seems too absorbed in her own dance practice to notice you.
-
> "Um... Are you the nagashi-bina?"
-
> "Um... Are you the nagashi-bina?"
> "Twirl, twi-oh! Hello, there!"
The girl stops in her tracks as you call for her. She takes a few seconds to cope with her new-found dizziness.
"Are you lost? You must've been in here for a long time. You haven't gone blue in the face, but you're certainly blue everywhere else. Taking that many wrong turns...someone must have placed a terrible curse on you. A scorned lover - no! A furious father ashamed of not keeping up the family occupation! Why, you must have been planning to throw yourself in the river in shame - I can see your pockets, stuffed full with rocks!
...Am I even remotely close?"
-
>"Nope! But good guesses. Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with someone who's too lucky for their own good."
-
>"Nope! But good guesses. Actually, I was wondering if you could help me with someone who's too lucky for their own good."
>"Aw. I'm always wrong when I make those sort of guesses.
But...you want me to help you curse someone? I dunno, that sounds kinda mean...and it's time I could be spending doing my job. Maybe if you helped me out with something, I'd be willing to offer my services?
Ah, I'm Hina, by the way. Hina Kagiyama. Pleased to meet you."
She bows to you, still stumbling a little.
-
>"I am the Great Nitori, the pleasure is mine."
>Curtsy!
>"And don't worry, she's a little jerk anyways."
-
>"I am the Great Nitori, the pleasure is mine."
>Curtsy!
>"And don't worry, she's a little jerk anyways."
>"So great, I've never heard of you? Wow."
Yeah, you can make out the sarcasm in that one. You ARE great, though, you just haven't managed to get everyone else to realise it yet.
>"Well, if she's a jerk that makes me feel a little better, but I still don't intend to work for free. Let's see...my ribbon is starting to get a little frayed. Any way you could get hold of a replacement? Something that looks similar will do."
That ribbon is pretty long and ornate. You'd probably need to visit either a store or someone who dabbles in them a lot. It looks almost like the sort of thing you would find on a doll...
-
>Oh goddamnit, we're gonna have to go to Alice, aren't we?
>...Screw it, try Kourindou first. "And that's all you want? Just a ribbon?"
>If she doesn't want halfsies~
-
>Oh goddamnit, we're gonna have to go to Alice, aren't we?
>...Screw it, try Kourindou first. "And that's all you want? Just a ribbon?"
>If she doesn't want halfsies~
> "Well, I'd like it to be like this one...it's um, pretty. I know it's sorta long and ornate, so they're hard to come across, but..."
You stifle a laugh when you realise you nearly wasted 5,000 Yen in payment here.
-
>"Deal!"
>Offer handshake. Or kappa-cultural deal sealing equivalent.
-
>"Deal!"
>Offer handshake. Or kappa-cultural deal sealing equivalent.
> The kappa equivalent in general is to offer a single bolt to one another as a sign of honesty. You do this with Hina, and receive a puzzled look.
"Eh? This, um, isn't a ribbon...but thanks anyway...?"
-
>"It's a good bolt. Won't let you down. Just like I won't."
>Confident nod.
>...Sucker.
>"Be back in a bit, hopefully."
>To Kourindou!
-
>"It's a good bolt. Won't let you down. Just like I won't."
>Confident nod.
>...Sucker.
>"Be back in a bit, hopefully."
>To Kourindou!
> "Um...okay." Hina is slightly flustered, but smiles as you depart.
> Kourindou is a little trek from the forest, but fortunately it's open 24/7. You wonder if the owner ever sleeps - maybe he has some sort of foreign food that keeps him awake all night? Something that comes in a bean and is best served really hot.
The owner, Rinnosuke Morichika, is glancing at a book as you enter. His eyes widen in shock as you enter, and he quickly shoves it under the desk. You vaguely saw a glimpse of the letters 'Suk_____' on the title, but that was it.
"Ah, welcome to Kourindou. Apologies, I'm not used to getting customers this late at night. How may I help you?"
-
>"I need ribbon, my good man. Red lacy kind."
-
>"I need ribbon, my good man. Red lacy kind."
> "Hm? Ribbon? That's...an unusual request."
Rinnosuke is puzzled by your order. He looks at you, noting the blue hue that makes up the entirety of your attire, and mentally adds a red ribbon to it. He winces.
"Well, um, I suppose I've got some ribbon I could offer you, but it's absolutely top-dollar. Getting enough for a ribbon would be...15,000 Yen, just about. Don't blame me, I'm just saying what the magic tells me. This stuff used to belong to emperors and all, so selling it cheap would be screwing myself over.
That and, well, I don't get a lot of business, and I have to cover the costs somehow..."
You notice his eyes glancing between you and whatever book he has behind the counter now and again. You are slightly concerned.
-
> "You seem to be slightly on edge about something... Ah well. Can I see the ribbon real quick to see if its what I'm looking for? The person who requested it wanted one with some certain visual aspects."
-
> "You seem to be slightly on edge about something... Ah well. Can I see the ribbon real quick to see if its what I'm looking for? The person who requested it wanted one with some certain visual aspects."
> He goes a little red at the accusation, but pretends to ignore it.
"Sure. Don't try anything funny, though - I can lock the door from here if I want."
Rinnosuke heads off into the back to retrieve the ribbon. He'll be away for a couple of minutes, so now's your chance to take a closer look around the place.
-
>Make sure he's gone for reals.
>Glance at that title.
-
>Make sure he's gone for reals.
>Glance at that title.
> You pull a face in Rinnosuke's general direction. There's no response.
Your scientific experiment has returned results.
> You look behind the counter, catching the title of the book the owner had been glancing at. It's apparently something called 'Sukumizu Monthly', featuring a girl on the cover wearing a dark blue swimsuit. You recognise the design - it's incredibly similar to what you call the Second Skin, a common piece of kappa clothing known for being incredibly streamlined in water. In fact, like most kappa, you wear one underneath your clothing in case of emergencies. That glance he gave you earlier flashes in your mind again.
> Your level of disturbance has increased to Considerable Concern.
> "Ah, here's the ribbon. I hope this is what you're looking fo-"
Rinnosuke walks back into the room at the precise moment, catching you glancing at what is effectively his porn stash. His face turns bright red.
"...Oh. Oh, shit. A-Anyway, that'll be 15,000 Yen, so if you don't have the money, you should probably leave. And not mention what you saw here, because after all you have nothing to gain from telling people about it and shit shit shit..."
-
>"I dunno, I could tell people how you're charging a whole lot of money for a length of ribbon during my trip to the store today."
-
>"I dunno, I could tell people how you're charging a whole lot of money for a length of ribbon during my trip to the store today."
> "Is anyone going to hold me responsible for putting crazy prices on items that no-one's ever gonna buy anyway!? ...OK, maybe I shouldn't have said that out loud, but still! There isn't some Ribbon Union ready to complain or anything!"
-
> Check the ribbon. Is it what we need?
-
> Check the ribbon. Is it what we need?
> If anything, it's even better than Hina's. You're not much of a fashion guru, but even you know she'll love it to bits.
-
>"No, of course not. But, people are going to ask me, "Nitori, tell us about how he overcharged you. What happened?" And then I'd have to tell the story."
-
>"No, of course not. But, people are going to ask me, "Nitori, tell us about how he overcharged you. What happened?" And then I'd have to tell the story."
>"I...but...you..."
The combination of awkwardness and blackmail looks like it's starting to get to him. Rinnosuke's hand reaches for his glasses, trying to shuffle them into place but only serving to shake them around more.
"Look, I really think we should just put this behind us, okay? I-I'll even give you a discount for your kindness, 20% off, so we'll just make it 12,000 Yen. Please, really..."
-
>"It's dusty. I'm supposed to pay that kind of price for something dusty?"
-
>"It's dusty. I'm supposed to pay that kind of price for something dusty?"
> "A-Aah!"
There isn't any dust. You're aware of that, but if the kappa are good at anything it's negotiation. Though usually the term has inverted commas around it.
Rinnosuke looks at the ribbon, and his eyes start playing tricks on him. He starts blowing at the ribbon, panicking.
"O-Okay, then, another bonus! 50% off! 7,500 Yen! Special Offer, Limited Time Only, While Stocks Last! Please, you've gotta take this! I have a lot of kappa customers, and if they found out about what happened here I'll be ruined!"
-
>"Find out about what? That you go the distance to please your customers?"
>Count out 7500 Yens and pay up.
>"Got any cucumbers in stock?"
-
>"Find out about what? That you go the distance to please your customers?"
>Count out 7500 Yens and pay up.
>"Got any cucumbers in stock?"
>"No, about the swi-oh. Uh. Yeah. Good point. Never mind. You can, uh, feel free to tell your friends about that. Sure."
>You make the purchase. Lost 7,500 Yen, recieved Exquisite Ribbon.
>"Actually, yeah, I've got a box of them that are about to expire. They'll still be edible for a couple of days, though. 1,000 Yen for the box, about two dozen in all."
He doesn't look set to charge an absurd price for THESE after what you've put him through...
-
>Consider the wisdom of seducing Rinnosuke in the future, on top of the blackmail.
-
>Buy the cucumbers. Cucumbers. Delicious cucumbers.
>Quests
-
> After buying the cucumbers Thank Rinnosuke for the business and go find Hina
-
>Consider the wisdom of seducing Rinnosuke in the future, on top of the blackmail.
> So much free stuff, at the mere cost of your decency. You note this as a last resort.
>Buy the cucumbers. Cucumbers. Delicious cucumbers.
>Quests
> Lost 1,000 Yen, gained Cucumber x 24.
> After buying the cucumbers Thank Rinnosuke for the business and go find Hina
> You make a note to emphasise the word business. Rinnosuke shivers as you exit.
> Hina is about as troublesome to find this time as she was before, but as she twirls past you decide to make the point a little more obvious by holding a foot out in front of her. Being the well-brought-up kappa you are, you help Hina to her feet after her tragic trip.
"Ah, hello again. That was rather fast, actually. Did you manage to find one?"
You hold out the Exquisite Ribbon in all its glory. Though she does her best to hide it, you can make out the squeal caught in Hina's throat.
"Ohmygodohmygodohmygodit'ssobeautiful!"
She snatches it out of your hand, quickly replacing the one in her hair. For a few seconds her hair hangs long down her back; personally, you think her hair looks best without a ribbon at all, but that's not your place to speak.
"...Ahem. Thank you, I really appreciate this gift. In fact, I'll let you have the old one on top of everything else."
Hina hands you her old hair ribbon. Energy pulses through it - the power of some of the curses Hina has absorbed. You're unsure of its efficiency as a weapon, though.
"Now, to help you out..."
Hina reaches into a pocket. You're mildly surprised her dress has pockets, but you run with it. After some searching she pulls out an apple, which to your perspective looks rather ordinary.
"This apple is cursed. In fact, you could say it's something of a Bad Apple. Have your little jerk take a bite of this and her luck is sure to go down the drain."
This you should be able to work with better. You gratefully accept the gift from Hina and leave the forest. Above you, the sun rises - you still have a little time before you need to meet Tewi outside the village at noon.
> Received Cursed Ribbon and Bad Apple.
> Quests:
Change The World (Incomplete) - YOU MUST BE TEH BESTEST SCIENCER
Make It, Make Money (Complete) - It's your twinkiiiiiiiiiiiiie- uh, I mean cucumber.
Un-Armed! (Incomplete) - Tewi has your magnum opus held hostage. Get it back!
- Black Cat Crossing (Complete) - Having satisfied the curse god, you now have a method of keeping Tewi's power in check.
-
>Have a celebratory cucumber
-
> Have four Celebratory cucumbers, you deserve it
> Think of a way to make a weapon out of the Ribbon
> Go back to the workshop, we have to prepare for the showdown
-
>Have a celebratory cucumber
> Good idea.> Have four Celebratory cucumbers, you deserve it
> BETTER idea. Awww yeah, that almost-entirely-made-of-water goodness. (Lost 4 Cucumbers, but Hunger is now 0%.)
> Think of a way to make a weapon out of the Ribbon
> Go back to the workshop, we have to prepare for the showdown
> Back at the Shack (it's not a workshop, and you're offended with yourself for calling it that), you rack your brain for a strategy involving this ribbon. Wearing it would probably screw the user over in terms of fortune, but it's a lot easier to offer someone food than clothing. Unless you could find some way to fire it...wait.
Wait.
OH GOD THAT'S GENIUS
> It takes a few hours of extensive tweaking and construction, but you think you've figured it out. You now have in front of you a small handgun that fires little strips of Hina's ribbon. You obviously only have one set of ammo, currently loaded into the gun, but as is it should be enough for maybe 20 shots. One shot should be enough to make someone considerably unfortunate at the very least, though this is DEFINITELY not a weapon designed for stealth.
All this weapon needs now is a sufficiently cool name. What will you dub your newest masterpiece?
-
> BLACK CAT shall be the name
> What time is it?
-
>Vera. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ICallItVera)
-
>The Bad Luck Boyar.
-
> BLACK CAT shall be the name
> You consider this, but are concerned that the Yakumo family may file a lawsuit.
>The Bad Luck Boyar.
>The parser looks up the word Boyar, and is thoroughly puzzled by your decision.
>Vera. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ICallItVera)
>The parser is familiar with your naming choice, and accepts the name. You kiss Vera. She's beautiful, almost as beautiful as your missing rocket arm. (You call it Rocky now, when no-one's looking.)
> Obtained Vera.
> Converted Cursed Ribbon into 20 rounds of Vera ammo.
> What time is it?
> It's now roughly 11 in the morning.
-
> Head to the meeting spot, hide
Black Cat Vera within easy reach, just in case she doesn't take apple
-
> How does bad luck work? We should know that Tewi is much like a Cicilian, and the one thing to know when confronting a Cicilian is that doing so is a blunder only slightly less well-known than engaging in a land war in Asia. Can we build up an immunity to bad luck by shooting ourselves in the foot, literally, with Vera?
-
>Will Tewi's natural good luck affect Vera before she hits?
>Observe Vera ammo. Can it be retrieved and reused after use? (Right, as if that's going to be likely.)
(In Gensokyo, trope names you(r weapon)!)
-
>Recognize critical flaw in "Vera" plan: Hitting Tewi the first time.
>Ponder how to trick a trickster, and what traps Tewi probably has in store for the meeting.
-
> We still have the cursed apple you know
-
> We still have the cursed apple you know
>Now we just need a way to get her to actually partake of it. Sicilian, life and death on the line, so on.
-
> How does bad luck work? We should know that Tewi is much like a Cicilian, and the one thing to know when confronting a Cicilian is that doing so is a blunder only slightly less well-known than engaging in a land war in Asia. Can we build up an immunity to bad luck by shooting ourselves in the foot, literally, with Vera?
> Bad luck, in terms of this curse, simply means that Murphy's Law grows much more prominent. There is no concept of resistance to misfortune; firing at yourself will produce the same bad luck no matter how many times you endure it.
>Will Tewi's natural good luck affect Vera before she hits?
>Observe Vera ammo. Can it be retrieved and reused after use? (Right, as if that's going to be likely.)
(In Gensokyo, trope names you(r weapon)!)
>The curse allows Vera's 'bullets' to negate Tewi's natural fortune, so they will fly as normal.
>Regrettably, the bullets cannot be reused. After releasing their curse, they're reduced to simple pieces of ribbon.
>Recognize critical flaw in "Vera" plan: Hitting Tewi the first time.
>Ponder how to trick a trickster, and what traps Tewi probably has in store for the meeting.
> You slap yourself in the forehead.
> Perhaps the best tactic would be to play the fool, and trick her into taking the apple under a guise of friendship.
> Head to the meeting spot, hide Black Cat Vera within easy reach, just in case she doesn't take apple
> The sun hangs right above you as you make it to the outpost just outside the Human Village. The stand from last night is here, though now it's closed; a picture of a fishing rod hangs on the front, as if the owner wanted to say 'GONE FISHING' but didn't have the literacy to do so.
> Tewi is fashionably late, given that she has almost nothing to lose in this venture from where she stands. Your prized Rocky Rocket Arm is strapped to her waist comfortably. My God, is that a spill!? DID SHE SPILL A DRINK ON YOUR PRECIOUS ROCKY?! THAT DOES IT, THERE WILL BE BLOOD.
"Somehow, I knew that'd be enough to get your attention. You fish-people really love your contraptions, don't ya?"
Tewi smirks. You want to knock those teeth right out her mouth, but patience...
"Anyway. Not in the mood for makin' things too complicated here. I figure we oughta play a little game o' chance."
She pulls out two coins; one is marked on both sides, the other is marked on only one.
"I let you pick one of these coins at random, and we flip it. If the side on the bottom is marked, I score a point; otherwise you score a point. If the unmarked side is on top it doesn't count and we do it again.
Really, it's a 1 in 2 chance - either the side on the bottom is unmarked or it isn't. Sounds fair, don't you think?"
-
>"Unless it's weighted, anyways."
-
>"Unless it's weighted, anyways."
> "Alright, then. First to 10 points seem fair to you?"
-
> "Anyway. Not in the mood for makin' things too complicated here. I figure we oughta play a little game o' chance."
She pulls out two coins; one is marked on both sides, the other is marked on only one.
"I let you pick one of these coins at random, and we flip it. If the side on the bottom is marked, I score a point; otherwise you score a point. If the unmarked side is on top it doesn't count and we do it again.
Really, it's a 1 in 2 chance - either the side on the bottom is unmarked or it isn't. Sounds fair, don't you think?"
> "How about we make things fair? You said it's a 1 in 2 chance, right? Then we reverse the stakes, the winner gets this nice apple, and the loser gets the Rocket Arm."
> "Oh, and define the victory condition."
-
> "How about we make things fair? You said it's a 1 in 2 chance, right? Then we reverse the stakes, the winner gets this nice apple, and the loser gets the Rocket Arm."
> "Oh, and define the victory condition."
> "If it's 1 in 2, no reason to change. 'sides, I'm the one setting the rules here. If I want, I could just walk away and take your nice little doohickey with me, y'know? Rules stay as they are.
Like I said, if the bottom side of the coin is marked, I score a point. If it's unmarked, you score a point. First to 10 points is the winner. If you win, I give you back your little thingamajig. You lose...well, I figure you musta made SOME money from taking out that karakasa, so I'll help myself to that. And that belt of yours, too. Looks pretty sweet."
Tewi refuses to change the offer, but her eyes focus on the apple for a moment.
"Anyway. That's the game. Are we playing, or not?"
-
>"One condition. We use a third party coin."
-
> "How about a practice game first, so that I could observe whether it's rigged or not, we both offer something....I don't know, something mundane, I'll offer this apple, how about it?"
-
> "How about a practice game first, so that I could observe whether it's rigged or not, we both offer something....I don't know, something mundane, I'll offer this apple, how about it?"
> "Huh. Sounds like a good deal. I was hungry, anyway. I don't have anything like that, so let's just go with 1,000 Yen. First to five for the practice game, then."
Tewi starts the game. The first three points go Tewi, you, Tewi; indeed, it seems like you're consistently doing slightly worse than Tewi, though not far enough to be blatantly rigged. The game ends with Tewi scoring 5 points, and you only reaching 3.
"Heh. Looks like luck is smiling on me today."
Tewi smirks, snatching the apple from your grip.
"Yeah, this'll make up for not getting breakfast this morning...dammit, Reisen, just because I had a little fun with your savings doesn't mean you should stop cooking for me."
She takes a large bite out of it to start, looking satisfied by the taste. She seems completely unaware of the effects, and continues to chomp at it.
"...Anyway...munch, munch...you happy? This seem fair enough to you?"
-
>"Yeah, that'll do."
>Let her finish the apple. Then deck her in the face.
-
>"Yeah, that'll do."
>Let her finish the apple. Then deck her in the face.
>OKAY THAT FUCKING DOES IT
IT
IS
ON
> Without anything that really constitutes a weapon, you go for good ol' fisticuffs. Danmaku's for long range combat.
Tewi, of course, is surprised by the sudden turn of events as she swallows the last bite of the apple. The game was rigged, obviously - the odds of you winning were 1 in 3 every time, but that's irrelevant now. Now the prankster's taken the bait, it's time to let it rip.
For all her surprise, though, Tewi looks rather nonchalant. She sidesteps, waiting for you to fall hilariously to the floor, but not only do you stay standing but her foot slips on what looks like solid ground. She barely has time to register shock before she hits the hard earth face-first.
"What the hell!?"
Tewi gets to her feet, and now she looks pissed. She pulls out your Rocket Arm and stretches it.
"OK, girlie, spit it out. What the hell did you do to me, and how do I get rid of it? Answer quick, or your prize whatsitsname gets snapped!"
-
> QUICKLY! TACKLE HER BEFORE ROCKY GETS SNAPPED!
-
> How sturdy is Rocky?
-
>In midtackle: "IMMA FUCK YA FACE, BITCH!"
-
> How sturdy is Rocky?
>Not so sturdy. Hell, Tewi would have undoubtedly torn it apart if she hadn't managed to sneeze at the worst possible time, dropping the arm and stopping herself from dodging the tackle.
FACE
IS
FUCKED
You now have Tewi caught in your grasp, and every attempt she makes to do anything to you fails hilariously. Punches swing around and catch her in the face; kicks bring around sudden cases of pins and needles. Beneath you, the rabbit utters words that you weren't allowed to say until you left home. What now?
-
>Laugh. Oh yes. Long and hard.
>Pick up Rocky, trust the curse to keep Tewi from getting away.
>Once rocky is correctly installed, lead or drag Tewi to the village.
-
> Beat Tewi Unconscious, then retrieve Rocky, afterwards turn in Tewi for Reward, what happens after is not your business but be prepared for revenge from her when Tewi escape
> In fact, can we make something to restrain her until her term is up?
-
>Naw, no brutalizing. We don't need to get all of Eientei on our ass.
-
>Consider patting Tewi on the head and calling her a good girl.
-
>Naw, no brutalizing. We don't need to get all of Eientei on our ass.
> Aww, how about we kneecap her with Vera? Just in case, y'know?
-
>Kick her. Not hard.
>"This is your repentance for being a dirty, good-for-nothing cheater. And being a useless, worthless, and pathetic person in general. And for stealing my Rocket Arm. And for spiiling a drink on it."
>Restrain her with something, or knock her unconscious with as little force as possible.
-
>Laugh. Oh yes. Long and hard.
> You practiced this one from watching those movies from Kourindou. Ohohohoho~
>Pick up Rocky, trust the curse to keep Tewi from getting away.
> You take a moment to collect Rocky from the floor. Tewi tries to make a break for it, but predictably trips on a conveniently placed...well, nothing. She just sort of falls. You can't help but laugh.
> Retrieved Rocky. Quest: Un-Armed! Complete!
>Consider patting Tewi on the head and calling her a good girl.
>That is a ridiculous idea and you refuse to give it any further consideration.
...But those ears...so tempting. It's like she WANTS you to pet her.
>Kick her. Not hard.
>"This is your repentance for being a dirty, good-for-nothing cheater. And being a useless, worthless, and pathetic person in general. And for stealing my Rocket Arm. And for spiiling a drink on it."
>Restrain her with something, or knock her unconscious with as little force as possible.
>"Ow." Through a strange stroke of luck, you manage to hit Tewi in the exact spot where she fell and bruised herself earlier. CRITICAL HIT!
"I can tell you...ow...at least half of those are untrue."
You take another moment to find something to tie Tewi up with, well aware that her odds of escape are zero. Doesn't stop her from trying, though, and sure enough this attempt proceeds to knock her out cold. How nice of her to save you the trouble.
-
>Drag her to Humania. We have a reward to collect.
-
>Cash in on "good girl" plan in front of the sheriff.
-
>Drag her to Humania. We have a reward to collect.
>Oh God soooooo many cucumbers aaaaaaaaah
>Cash in on "good girl" plan in front of the sheriff.
>There's a good little manipulative bitch. Who's a good little manipulative bitch? You are.
The sheriff eyes you uncertainly for a moment as you relieve the urge you've been holding in for the whole trip, but he eventually relieves you of the unconscious rabbit.
> Received 25,000 Yen.
> "Thank you, ma'am. You've done this village two great services now."
"Actually..."
Another voice emerges from the doorway, and turning around you see a young child wielding a brush.
"Would it be alright if I made that three?"
-
>Have a victory cucumber
>"Mmmmaybe. What do you have in mind?"
>Consider and discard inquiring if we're supposed to help her find a lost dolly. Little girls can sometimes rock your face in these parts.
-
>Have a victory cucumber
>"Mmmmaybe. What do you have in mind?"
>Consider and discard inquiring if we're supposed to help her find a lost dolly. Little girls can sometimes rock your face in these parts.
> Awwww yeah.
> The girl notices the disapproval in your expression and pouts.
"Ah, perhaps I should have introduced myself beforehand to avoid this sort of misunderstanding. I am Hieda no Akyu, the latest child of Miare. It's a long story, but I work as the chronicler of this human village."
Ah, the child historian. She isn't aware of it, but her friend Yukari made her existence well known to the youkai of Gensokyo. She's convinced that her heritage - a photographic memory, in combination with reincarnation - is a well-kept secret, but you've heard of her beforehand. She's surprised to see that her name is enough to earn your trust.
"So. From what I've been able to tell, you're a kappa, right? For all of my work, the kappa civilisation is one that has a habit of keeping its matters to itself. Would it be possible for you to help me prepare a piece on it? There will be payment, of course."
...Hm. An interesting offer, but there's a problem. You haven't been home for years now, so if you want to give a genuine article you'd need to head there yourself and reimmerse yourself in the everyday kappa lifestyle...should you accept, or just get back to your normal SCIENCY exploits?
-
>Consider relations with other kappa. Are we on good terms, as far as we know?
>Would they be down with us spreading information about them, or would this get us branded as a race traitor?
>"What kind of compensation?"
-
>Consider relations with other kappa. Are we on good terms, as far as we know?
>Would they be down with us spreading information about them, or would this get us branded as a race traitor?
>"What kind of compensation?"
>You are something of an unknown at best. Of the kappa that do recognise your name, most consider you either a hopeless dreamer or a clueless wannabe.
>Kappa aren't secretive so much as they are reclusive. They don't see any reason to interact with the rest of Gensokyo, so they don't. There's no heretic laws against telling other races about the kappa - they just generally don't see a point, and they're usually too busy working with their own technologies to care what people think about them.
>"Besides listing your name as a much-valued contributor? I believe I know a few farmers in the village who could offer you a constant supply of cucumbers if you do a good job."
-
> "I'm in" say this as calmly as possible
> In our head, cheer as best as we can
-
>Then begin to consider the best ways to de-estrange ourselves from kappadom.
-
>And ways to make it easier to take notes/record interviews for the report. If there were a way to replay whatever you've seen for her...
-
> "I'm in" say this as calmly as possible
> In our head, cheer as best as we can
> You hope that Akyu doesn't hear you mutter 'yaaaaaaay~' beneath your breath.
>Then begin to consider the best ways to de-estrange ourselves from kappadom.
>Re-entry shouldn't be particularly difficult. The city of the kappa is hardly a secret, it's just that it's designed so that races other than the kappa can't usually reach it. It's built into a wall of the Mountain of Youkai, and the only point of entrance is through an underground reservoir. It's something of a trek - a good half-hour swim - but it does its job in terms of keeping out troublemakers.
>And ways to make it easier to take notes/record interviews for the report. If there were a way to replay whatever you've seen for her...
> Akyu hands you a notepad. Thank God, it's waterproof. You're gonna need that for the way in. You came up with another handy tool for such an occasion - you call it the Perfectly Elegant Nonspill Companion for the Invention of Literature. That's a bit of a mouthful, so you just call it a pencil.
> Received Notepad.
> New Quest! Akyu's Homework Chronicle
Get the historian some good information about the city of the kappa.
> You wonder if there's anything you could need from any of the local stores before you head 'home'.
-
>Surely SCIENCE! can provide more convenient recording methods than a mere pencil! I mean, you even have to write it down yourself!
>What local stores are there, and what would be good to earn a little trust from the other kappa? Well, aside from cucumbers, of course.
-
> Think about the possibility of visiting Kourindou too see if their is anything interesting we could buy, we could spend our money for SCIENCE!, since we're gonna get a free source of cucumbers
-
>Surely SCIENCE! can provide more convenient recording methods than a mere pencil! I mean, you even have to write it down yourself!
>What local stores are there, and what would be good to earn a little trust from the other kappa? Well, aside from cucumbers, of course.
> Sometimes the best sign of genius is simplicity.
> There are some basic stores around here - grocers, blacksmiths, the usual. What the kapp would really, appreciate, though, is some new inventions and machines to tinker with, and again Kourindou is probably the best place to go for that. Whether Rinnosuke will want to see you again following your previous encounter....might be iffy, but you won't know if you don't try.
-
> Go to Kourindou
-
>How easy would it be to get a camera like Aya's...?
>What other stuff did Rinnosuke have last time, or were we a bit too distracted to get a good inventory of the stuff there?
>Speaking of which: Inventory
-
>How easy would it be to get a camera like Aya's...?
>What other stuff did Rinnosuke have last time, or were we a bit too distracted to get a good inventory of the stuff there?
>Speaking of which: Inventory
> Pretty much impossible, unfortunately. Cameras are something of a tengu treasure - good luck finding one that's even remotely cheap.
> He had a whole pile of cool mechanical crap around there, but you admittedly had no idea what any of it did.
> Inventory:
Bits And Bobs
Faulty Optic Camo
26,500 Yen
Vera (20 rounds)
Rocket Arm
Cucumber x 19
> Go to Kourindou
> "Aaah. It's, uh, you."
Rinnosuke is much more on-guard this time around - rest assured the magazine from last night will be making no appearances today.
"So, uh. Was there a problem with the ribbon? You don't want a refund, do you? Please tell me you don't want a refund."
-
>"No, not at all, it was quite satisfactory. But if you're offering..."
-
>"No, not at all, it was quite satisfactory. But if you're offering..."
"Oh, no no no no no! If you enjoyed it then that's fine."
Awkward silence.
"...Soooooooo...what do you want? You aren't here to just stare at me, are you?"
-
>"I'm just kiddin'. Hina loved it. Nearly spun herself into a climax. So, I'm looking to go infogathering, for science and sociology. What've you got to help a sister out?"
-
>"I'm just kiddin'. Hina loved it. Nearly spun herself into a climax. So, I'm looking to go infogathering, for science and sociology. What've you got to help a sister out?"
>"That's, uh...more information than I could have cared for."
Rinnosuke coughs and adjusts his glasses.
"So, uh. Infogathering? I have this quirky device from beyond the border, actually..."
He goes into the back and pulls out a handheld device.
"I call this the Portable Drawing Automaton - or PDA for short. Imagine a notepad, minus all the paper and pencil nonsense. There's even a voice recognition program, though it doesn't seem very co-operative most of the time. Since you're...uh...a valued customer, I'll go ahead and cut the price right down to 20,000 Yen. This is cutting edge tech, after all - even the kappa would want to catch sight of this. Sound good?"
-
>"Let's do this."
>Buy that sucker.
-
>But ask to test it out first to make sure.
>Consider testing the voice function with a jab about Rinnosuke's embarrassing fetish.
-
>But ask to test it out first to make sure.
>Consider testing the voice function with a jab about Rinnosuke's embarrassing fetish.
> "Sure, just say anything you feel like..."
> You decide to skip the consideration stage entirely and get right to it.
'Wouldn't you like to know what I'm wearing under this dress?'
Of course, Rinnosuke's face turns ashen white. The PDA beeps, and as he hands it to you the message is perfectly reconstructed. Maybe it just responds well to your voice.
You're about to start on more testing before Rinnosuke decides to throw in a nice little bargain. 15,000 Yen later, the PDA is yours.
> Received PDA.
"Ah. It's a shame you didn't come earlier. I had another piece of technology you might've liked, but I went and sold it this morning. Odds are you'll come across it soon enough, but...maybe you oughta just go now. As in right now. Bye."
-
>"You have a lot of interesting things here, Mister Rinnosuke. I think I'll have to stop by every once in a while!"
>Give him a big smile, then wave and leave with the PDA.
>Gloat once out of sight.
-
> Start heading back towards our shack, if we want to bring this thing with us to kappa town we need to make this water proof
-
>"You have a lot of interesting things here, Mister Rinnosuke. I think I'll have to stop by every once in a while!"
>Give him a big smile, then wave and leave with the PDA.
>Gloat once out of sight.
> You savour the fear in that man's eyes, like a trailer on the verge on flattening a deer. Except instead of an instant, the moment lasts forever.
> Start heading back towards our shack, if we want to bring this thing with us to kappa town we need to make this water proof
> This shouldn't take much tweaking. A little film over the exterior, something sensitive so it doesn't disable the touchpad, and your PDA is now dive-ready.
-
>Test it out a little bit after waterproofing, especially the voice recording thing.
-
> On the way back, brainstorm possible new ideas, like an upgrade for Rocky
> In fact, did we water-proof Rocky and Blackcat Vera?
-
>Test it out a little bit after waterproofing, especially the voice recording thing.
>You can't really come up with anything clever to say...
'FOOOOOOOOR SCIENCE!'
Eh, it'll do. Unfortunately the elongated syllable somehow made it come out as '4 Science', but it's still legible. Another attempt, with you singing into it, produces 'Cap Upper Cap Upper Nitre E'...yeah, this thing might be a little more argumentative now. Should still be fine as long as you're clear, but if anyone else uses it, expect gibberish.
> On the way back, brainstorm possible new ideas, like an upgrade for Rocky
> In fact, did we water-proof Rocky and Blackcat Vera?
> This implies that there is any upgrade better than a rocket. Which is, of course, ridiculous.
> All inventions of your own creation are waterproof by design. The PDA only needed special checking because it wasn't yours.
-
> How about a Electric Rocket Arm
-
> How about a Electric Rocket Arm
> Electricity. On a weapon that will frequently get wet.
...
BRILLIANT
> Rocket Arm has been upgraded to Rocky The Shocker, and can now send an optional electric current across its length to the fist.
-
>Into the river! It's time to hit up the Kappadrome.
-
>Into the river! It's time to hit up the Kappadrome.
> You finish up your final preparations. It's go time.
> There's only one river in the mountain that links to the reservoir, and it's completely unmarked. You only know where to enter thanks to memory, and it's a secret that no-one shares. As you are on the verge of diving in, though, you pause for a moment. It feels as if you're being watched...but a quick glance behind you shows no sign of a stalker. You shrug, not bothering to look further - it isn't as if anyone could follow you, anyway.
Thankfully, the path through the reservoir is just about straight - this would have been too much detail for you to remember. You've been away for so long...hell, you never once considered going back until this offer came up. It was a harder choice than you're willing to admit, but who could possibly turn down a lifetime's supply of cucumbers?
No-one will recognise you. No-one has any reason to. Regardless, you decide not to bring up your surname when you travel around the city. Nitori will do. Your last name will just be a hassle here.
> After a good half hour of swimming, you're all too relieved to make it to the other end of the reservoir. You pull yourself out of the water, taking a little time to sit down and catch your breath. The passageway serves two purposes at once - it makes it impossible for other youkai to get in, but it also makes leaving and entering for the kappa a real hassle to the point where most people just stay in the city all their lives.
It doesn't have a name to the rest of Gensokyo, but among the kappa the city is known as Kuromizu. Built by the combined efforts of many generations, the city is more technologically advanced than any other in Gensokyo, and compared with the outside world it isn't too shabby either. Where Kuromizu has the edge, though, is in how it uses the water magic of its residents to fill in the gaps; elevators are run by flooding and emptying chambers beneath the lift, for example, and anyone who can conjure water from nothing can easily create a perpetual hydroelectric engine. (That's a full-time paid job, though, and boring as hell, so it's not exactly one that the kappa brag about.)
The gender imbalance of Gensokyo is as present as ever here. Only the female kappa are ever graced with the water magic that runs the city, and thus the men are typically reduced to manual labour, or studying technology on its own without the magical get-out clauses the kappa rely on. From the moment you were born you were taught to appreciate being a woman, but it never really worked on you; you were too busy with your first experiments to care for femininity, or indeed anything else your parents insisted you live up to...
> You're about to start making your way into the city properly when you hear two clicks from your sides.
"State your name and business, stranger."
"Yeah, or else."
Oh, great, the guards. You forgot about them. Kuromizu had a small but well-trained police force called the Sea Serpents, whose main goal was to stop any youkai who may have found a way through the reservoir. The rest of Gensokyo favoured fancy danmaku; the Sea Serpents were perfectly content with filling a target with lead. Currently, two of their number have their weapons primed on you, both female (unsurprisingly) and each wearing a special-order Second Skin. The taller one is looking down on you with disdain, while the younger girl takes a moment to stick her tongue out at you. You would like to not get shot any time soon, so now is probably time to start talking.
-
>"I'm Nitori. Geez. Can't I come home without getting into trouble?"
-
>"I'm Nitori. Geez. Can't I come home without getting into trouble?"
> "Nitori? Nitori who?"
The sterner guard seems unimpressed by your story. Her companion, though, takes this moment to walk over and bonk her in the forehead.
"Come on, Janna. There's an easy way to check if she's with us, remember?"
The girl then quickly grabs at the bottom of your dress, and unceremonially flips it upward. You don't have time to cover yourself before she makes out what's underneath.
"See? She's a kappa. Why else would she be wearing that?"
Janna frowns.
"Seriously...the first visitor we've had in weeks, and it's just another kappa visiting. This job gets so freaking dull. Sanna, you have to agree with me, right?"
"Well, it's time I get to spend with you, so it's not a total loss."
Sanna places a hand on Janna's shoulder (with some effort - she's about a head shorter). The context is, of course, completely lost on her stoic companion.
"Anyway," Janna starts, causing her companion to pout, "apologies for being so aggressive...withdrawal symptoms, if you will. We haven't have a crime to punish or an intruder to catch in months. So, what brought a land-dweller like you back to Kuromizu?"
-
>"Visiting some friends."
-
>"Visiting some friends."
> "Huh. Strange reason, but I guess it makes sense."
Janna shrugs, more than happy to see you go in all honesty. You think you annoy her a little. Sanna, at least, has the decency to wave you goodbye as you make your way into Kuromizu.
And what a city it is - buildings you need to fly upwards to see the top of, running electricity in every home, and a carefully kept artificial farm in order to feed the masses. It is, without a doubt, the greatest triumph of kappa technology.
You intend to go one better someday.
For interviews for Akyu's book, it's probably best to go to one of the Time-Outs. They're basically the kappa equivalent of human bars, places where workers spend their time off the job to drown their sorrows in cucumber juice (read: slightly flavoured water). Then again, you might learn more talking to someone on the job, in which case you could try going to the Electric Fountain and talking to the poor sap who has to work that. No doubt she'd appreciate the company.
-
>Let's go make some poor sap's day brighter. Karma and all that.
-
>Let's go make some poor sap's day brighter. Karma and all that.
> You get a few awkward stares as you travel through the city. Mainly because you aren't one of the familiar folk - newcomers are almost unheard of here. The fastest way to the Fountain would be through the old palace district, but you decide to take a detour around it instead.
>The Electric Fountain is exactly what it sounds like - through manipulation of water through various channels, it produces the electrical power which all of Kuromizu runs from. It's kept in check by one unfortunate Conductor, whose duty is to produce the water currents that power it. There's a small backup generator which allows her to take occasional breaks, but beyond that it's typically work work work.
Sure enough, as you make it to the Fountain you can see that the Conductor is less than cheerful. Her hands wave around in the air, moving the tides in front of her, but she is so focused on her job that she doesn't notice your presence.
-
>"Hey, got a bit?"
-
>"Hey, got a bit?"
> "Yes, ma'am. Everything is under control. All quotas are being met-"
She drones on in a monotone for a while before she realises that you aren't her superior. She flinches visibly, and the fountain wavers.
"Gah! Stay calm, Kammi, stay calm!"
After a few seconds of intense focus, she manages to bring the currents under control again. She turns towards you, now looking rather grouchy.
"Nice work, Miss Good Samaritan. If I hadn't brought that back under control, the boss would've had my head! And do I know you?"
-
>"Sorry about that. Just wondering how you were doing."
>Could we assist?
-
>"Sorry about that. Just wondering how you were doing."
>Could we assist?
>"I was doing fine, thank you. At least until SOMEONE decided to put me off my job, anyway."
>It doesn't look like very complicated magic, but you do what you can to help. Eventually Kammi notices that you're taking over momentarily and stands back, letting you manipulate the fountain.
"...Well, guess that's one way of paying me back. Thanks, I guess."
Like all kappa, her hair is a shade of blue, though hers is much darker than yours. It's longer as well, running down to her shoulders. She sits down beside the fountain, relieved that she can finally relax for a moment.
"Anyway, what exactly did you want from me?"
-
>"Just talk a little bit. Been away for a long time, was hoping to catch up on things."
>Keep the fountain going.
-
>"Just talk a little bit. Been away for a long time, was hoping to catch up on things."
>Keep the fountain going.
>"What, you're a land-dweller? No wonder I didn't recognise you, then. Well, honestly, not much has changed. Sorta disappointing, what with the folks at the academy always bragging about how they're on the verge of some monumental discovery that'll change life for all of us forever or some shit like that.
Still no sign of a successor to the throne, either. The old man's been dead for generations, but the servants are still screaming about how there's some prince or princess or whatever ready to take the throne. Except the one heir went AWOL ages back, so it's just sorta been a proper government for years. They're decent enough, nothing revolutionary, and nowadays this place pretty much runs itself.
Or rather, I pretty much have to run it...geez, I can't wait till my shift ends. These next 4 hours can't fly by soon enough..."
-
>How much of this did we know about? In particular, the AWOL heir.
-
> "Can you tell me about the history of this place, I'm kinda documenting all this"
-
>How much of this did we know about? In particular, the AWOL heir.
>You were aware of that. In fact, it was probably the last big event to happen in Kuromizu before your departure.
> "Can you tell me about the history of this place, I'm kinda documenting all this"
> "Huh? Well, sure. Honestly, you must've been up there for a while if you don't remember your basic history.
Okay, so, a few hundred years back, there was a bunch of kappa living around the mountain, all following up their own little experiments. One guy in particular - really, if you don't know his name, then you clearly aren't a kappa - figured out a way to create electricity through water currents. It was an idea he took to all the kappa around him, and suddenly it became clear they could create enough electric power simply through the magic of the kappa to run a city for the entire race to survive in. Of course the inventor himself couldn't help out much, being a man, but in thanks they made him the first king of Kuromizu.
Fast forward a few generations, and through various discoveries and revolutions the city evolved to what it is today. Of course that meant the Electric Fountain here had to get more intricate, and my job had to get a hell of a lot harder, so it's not all fan-freaking-tastic. Same pay as my mom got, too. A disgrace, if you ask me, though maybe you shouldn't put that in your documentation."
-
> Record EVERYTHING filling it with what you know as well
-
>"So, all the old haunts still around?"
>What were the old haunts?
-
>"So, all the old haunts still around?"
>What were the old haunts?
>"Yeah, just about. They kept the library open, which is more than I expected. You remember the library, right? Now it's filled with all these crazy sci-fi comics from outside the border. Students are picking up some of the ideas in them for genuine study. It's crazy.
There's the arcade, too. Still the same old, boring games as usual. I wish someone would invent a game where there were, y'know, a bunch of toys stuck in a box, and you had to reach down with a crane to try and grab them. Why has no-one invented a machine that can do that yet?
And, uh...oh, yeah, the Time-Outs are still running. 'course, in the evening you may as well start calling them Knock-Outs, 'cause that's when they start adding alcohol to the cucumber juice. And you should know damn well that we kappa aren't as good with our spirits as some other youkai..."
> Record EVERYTHING filling it with what you know as well
> You honestly expected more to have changed, but apparently Kuromizu has come to a standstill in your absence. Well, it makes your job easier, at least.
You can go to one of the nearby Time-Outs to talk to another worker off duty, or you could call it a day, say this is enough and go back to Akyu.
-
>Let Kammi have her job back. "Thanks for for filling me in."
>Hit up a Time Out.
-
>Let Kammi have her job back. "Thanks for for filling me in."
>Hit up a Time Out.
> You get to writing all of this down as Kammi takes the wheel again.
"Thanks for talking to me, I guess. It was almost worth getting distracted and almost cutting off power to the entire city."
You get the awkward feeling that's as close as this girl ever gets to a compliment as you leave her to get back to work.
Time Outs are pretty casual affairs, coming in a lot of flavours. Just on this street you've got The Wave, which is unique in that the place is almost entirely underwater; the Turk, a Time-Out that literally runs itself - the entire thing is mechanical, without so much as a bartender; and the Apothecary, a somewhat more mystical place to relax when your shift ends. Where to?
-
>Hit up the Apothecary. Sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic, so lets see what the competition is doing and get a leg up on 'em.
-
>Hit up the Apothecary. Sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic, so lets see what the competition is doing and get a leg up on 'em.
>This place always makes you feel a little jealous. Even as you enter, you can see the bartender showing off, merely glancing at a bottle of cucumber juice and willing its contents to fly through the air and into the waiting glass of her customer. You could pull that off with science, no problem. Well, as long as you had several high power, very precise fans, a lot of electricity, and several weeks to tweak.
The Apothecary's walls are designed to look like the night sky - and they literally begin to glisten when night falls. Not that anyone would be able to tell the difference between night and day down here if it were for the watches everyone seemed to have hold of. There isn't as much activity as in some of the other Time-Outs - the Apothecary gets by on its unique, spiritual atmosphere, which feels almost separate from the rest of life in Kuromizu.
There are plenty of people sitting around and chatting, drinking all the while. It's still the afternoon, so they should be sober. The bartender stands at the counter, half a dozen bottles behind her waiting to be willed open.
-
>Have a look around. We know anyone here?
-
>Have a look around. We know anyone here?
> You were hardly the pinnacle of social brilliance when you were last here. You spent your days tinkering in your home made lab, ignoring your father's orders to go out and make some appearances in front of the rest of the world. He was sort of stuck up like that.
You don't really know anyone here, and as a corollary no-one really knows you.
-
>Access crowd in general, then, while moving toward a seat that allows a good view. Not too fast, though.
-
>Access crowd in general, then, while moving toward a seat that allows a good view. Not too fast, though.
>Kappa, unfortunately, aren't very used to interaction outside their typical social circles. Unless you give them some good reason to pay attenton to you, they'll just spend time with the friends they already know.
-
>Oh well. Have a seat. Order something cheap, and eavesdrop.
>Idly check over quality of notes so far.
-
>Oh well. Have a seat. Order something cheap, and eavesdrop.
>Idly check over quality of notes so far.
>You mumble your order to the bartender. You don't have the nerve to watch as she works her magic again and offers you a glass of cucumber juice. It costs 500 Yen, but you can afford it.
>Sitting down, you look over your PDA ramblings. There's a large pile of junk from Kammi's conversation, though you had the foresight to write down a legible translation soon afterward. This should give Akyu some stuff to work with, at least, but you might work harder just in case she's offering extra credit. Besides, you haven't been here in ages.
>Your eavesdropping doesn't turn up much - students blabbing about their projects, husbands wishing they could get out of the kitchen more often, the usual.
-
>Record a bit of that, too, local flavor and all.
>Nurse drink!
>Contemplate a system of delivery tubes that could bring drink from the bar to the tables.
-
>Record a bit of that, too, local flavor and all.
>Nurse drink!
>Contemplate a system of delivery tubes that could bring drink from the bar to the tables.
>'For example, I heard an intruiging tale about a young physics major who wanted to use the energy from the kappa's much-valued nuclear project to cook food. Maybe the radioactive fallout has unforeseen nutritional values...?'
>It's like a cucumber in a drink. None of the crunchiness, but all of the flavour. Aww yeeeah.
>No need - they already have a system like that down at The Turk. If you'd only been born a generation earlier...
-
>Consider a fountain-style delivery system that sends drink into a funnel, which would be positioned over the glass.
-
>Consider a fountain-style delivery system that sends drink into a funnel, which would be positioned over the glass.
>You actually tried a system like this out once in your shack. It took weeks for the walls to dry.
-
>Consider burning down The Turk >=[
>Enjoy beverage and time off our feet.
-
>Consider burning down The Turk >=[
>Enjoy beverage and time off our feet.
>Burning metal is hard.
>You take a moment to bask in the atmosphere of the Apothecary, losing yourself in the mood. You remember the good old days when you would sneak out here and hang out with other girls your age. Of course, your father was furious about it, but he was furious about everything...
Hm? What was that? Sounded like some sort of commotion outside the Time-Out...
-
>Try to identify the commotion.
-
>Try to identify the commotion.
>You finish your drink and start making your way outside. A few people are glancing at the doorway, but no-one else seems to be making a move.
As you leave the Apothecary, you start making out voices...
"Hey, lemme go! I didn't do anything wrong, did I?!"
You can see the two girls from earlier, Janna and Sanna, hauling someone down the street. From this far away, all you can make out is a streak of black hair on the girl being pulled along. This is monumental - a genuine intruder in Kuromizu?!
"Yeah, yeah, take it to the court. I'm sure spies like you get great sentences. What would you say, Sanna, 50 years?"
"50? More like 100!"
"100?! B-But I'm not even gonna live that long!"
The voices fade into the distance as the trio move towards Kuromizu's jail. Was that...was that a human?
-
>Follow, see if we know this person!
-
> Check the person out
-
>Follow, see if we know this person!
>Of the one or two humans you know, she didn't seem familiar. Only Reimu had that shade of black hair, and you know she could probably pummel the entire police force singlehandedly, so it can't be her.
>The Sea Serpents have enough of a head start on you that they're well into the prison before you can catch up. After handing the prisoner over to their companions, they promptly stand at the entrance to stop any potential intruders.
"Nothing to see here...Kneetree, wasn't it?"
"Nitori."
"Oh yeah. Thanks, Sanna."
"...Ignore her. Yeah, there's nothing to worry about in here. We got things aaaaall under control. No human spy's gonna make it past us, right?"
-
>"Sorry I missed the takedown, it looked like you did a bang-up job. Maybe I know who the spy is, though? So we can figure out who sent her and stuff."
-
>"Sorry I missed the takedown, it looked like you did a bang-up job. Maybe I know who the spy is, though? So we can figure out who sent her and stuff."
> "You're not trying to suggest you're in contact with human spies, are you?"
Janna glares at you...
-
>"Well I can't know they're spies until they start spying! I wanna see if anyone I know just stabbed me in the back:"
-
>"Well I can't know they're spies until they start spying! I wanna see if anyone I know just stabbed me in the back:"
> Another awkward silence. Eventually, Janna shrugs.
"I suppose it can hardly hurt. She's in a containment cell, now, and anything she had of any threat's been confiscated. Apparently human technology's getting more advanced - they figured out air compression, which is really bad for our security..."
She mutters to herself as she gives way, allowing you to enter. It isn't hard to find the cells - or maybe tank would be a more accurate term. Kappa imprisonment is rather cruel, usually - prisoners are locked inside the tanks, which are flooded frequently in order to stop the suspect from getting a good night's sleep. Obviously that's a process which they can't really use on this criminal, simply because they want to keep her alive long enough for a trial.
She's sitting on the floor of the tank, stripped of everything she'd been wearing and given a tatty-looking Second Skin for the sake of decency. The face seems vaguely familiar - not one you could put a name to, but this girl was a resident of the Human Village. She looks up at you, not crying, just looking generally pissed.
"I'm guessing you're the one they paid to lure me in, right? Can't let anyone else get a hand on this technology, no, everything's gotta belong to the kappa. What's that? Ambition? To hell with that, Kai, you're a human, you aren't ALLOWED to get into science! Just go be a farmer like your old man, or be a good housewife...so what are you gonna do now? That arm mechanism sticking outta your backpack doesn't look too friendly...don't I get a trial or something?"
-
>"Well crap, you really are a spy."
-
>"Well crap, you really are a spy."
> "A spy? When did I say I was a spy?! I just wanted to see what the kappa city was like, right?! Since when was curiosity a crime? I went to so much effort to plan it, too. Had to get hold of that weird tank think from the half-youkai's store, then I had to wait for someone to show me the way in - thanks for that, by the way - and what do I get for my hard work? Two guns pointed at my face. Yeah, you kappa really are good with your hospitality, aren't you?"
-
>"Didn't you just talk about hording all the science for ourselves? Geez, make your own."
-
>"Didn't you just talk about hording all the science for ourselves? Geez, make your own."
>"I did! You think that tank was in working order when it came to Gensokyo?! Like hell it was! I had to take the mechanism apart, figure out what made it tick, and put the whole thing back together! I got it working and figured that I may as well come here to try and take my studying a little further, and what happens? You go and rob me of my work! That's what I mean about you guys hoarding everyone's stuff!"
Now it sounds like she's getting thoroughly vexxed.
-
>Frown.
>"Well, it's not hoarding. It's just they couldn't let you keep it. Do your jails let the prisoners keep weird things?"
-
>Frown.
>"Well, it's not hoarding. It's just they couldn't let you keep it. Do your jails let the prisoners keep weird things?"
>Your mood shifts to Disapproval.
>"Since when does a tank of air count as a 'weird thing'? How exactly am I gonna hurt anyone with that? Gimme one way?"
You can think of twelve, off the top of your head, but she probably doesn't expect a straight answer.
"So...what's going to happen to me now? I didn't kill anyone, and I didn't come here to steal anything from you guys. I just wanted to do some research, that's all. I mean, you guys are my idols - everyone else cheats and throws around spells, but you do things the hard way so everyone else has it easier. That always seemed so cool to me, so I tried to get into it...but, well, being a farmer's daughter isn't the best way to make it as a scientist of any sort. This was my first big break, and...it didn't really turn out too well."
-
> "Anyway, enough about that, so you say you remade the device, hmmm, how about this, I get you out of here and you become my assistance, I don't really have to much kinship with my fellow kappas"
(some tell me if this is a bad idea)
-
It's not a bad endpoint, but we need to work toward.
>"I might be able to do something for you. Because...alright, if you're telling the truth, they're going too far."
>Ponder the legal process, here, as we know it.
-
It's not a bad endpoint, but we need to work toward.
>"I might be able to do something for you. Because...alright, if you're telling the truth, they're going too far."
>Ponder the legal process, here, as we know it.
>Wait, the kappa have a legal process? You don't really have much knowledge of it, because kappa crime is almost unheard of. Given the way she's been taken in, though, it's likely to be draconian. She'll get a trial, and summarily an execution. Salem flashes in your mind for an instant. You can't imagine she would receive anything along the lines of a defense attorney, either. You could try taking control of that and doing something about your rather horrendous court record, or you could try doing things the hard way and busting her out here and now (but then getting her out of Kuromizu alive is another matter).
-
>"Oh what the hell. I'll help. You owe me for this, got it?"
>We don't want to get in trouble with the mother culture. Let's take the legal route.
-
> Are we actually good at the legal process? If our only experience is with Salem, then were screwed
> Could the belt be used for an escape?
-
> Are we actually good at the legal process? If our only experience is with Salem, then were screwed
> Could the belt be used for an escape?
> Unfortunately, Salem was the only time you've ever seen the inside of a courtroom. So yeah, you're on a 0% win record. Things can only get better from here, though!
> Potentially, but from your experience with it the machine will take you to a random place in time/space, and then take you back where you started from. In other words, all it will let you do is go to a world where you're totally out of place, which really isn't that much of an escape unless you somehow get REEEEEEEEEEALLY lucky and end up today and just outside of your shack. That will probably never happen, though, so it's kinda a no-go.
-
> Can we try a break out without being caught? Cause we might comeback someday and it be no good if were wanted
-
>On the other hand, the belt might make a possible way to escape pursuers, if pressed. Sure, you pop back in the same place, but after some time has passed, they're unlikely to be looking at the exact spot you disappeared from when you came back.
>Who would be the person to talk to about what's likely to happen to the prisoner? Even if it's a mock trial, someone must be calling the shots.
-
> Can we try a break out without being caught? Cause we might comeback someday and it be no good if were wanted
> There's one exit, and Sanna and Janna are guarding it. They're still armed, so your odds are slim at best.
>On the other hand, the belt might make a possible way to escape pursuers, if pressed. Sure, you pop back in the same place, but after some time has passed, they're unlikely to be looking at the exact spot you disappeared from when you came back.
>Who would be the person to talk to about what's likely to happen to the prisoner? Even if it's a mock trial, someone must be calling the shots.
> This seems slightly more viable, though you still have the problem of getting Kai out of the tank first.
> The police force is pretty stretched here. Most likely, the guards outside will be in charge of the trial as well, and it'll be done in the next few hours for the sake of haste. They're the two to talk to.
-
>Go talk to the guards
>"Well, I've never met her before, at least. What's she supposed to have been spying on, anyway? Where'd you catch her?"
-
>Go talk to the guards
>"Well, I've never met her before, at least. What's she supposed to have been spying on, anyway? Where'd you catch her?"
>"She's a human, going outta her way to come here. If that's not spying, I dunno what is."
"Yeah, we caught her at the entrance and gave her the usual 'name and business' deal. Then she just burst away and ran for the Electric Fountain. Honestly she should count herself lucky we didn't shoot her right then."
"You'd almost think she was scared of those guns and ran for her life. Human spies really don't have a lot of nerve, do they?"
-
> "I really think she was scared of those guns"
-
>"How does it count as spying if you get stopped at the front gate? What could she have possibly spied on in that length of time?"
-
> "I really think she was scared of those guns"
>"Well, we don't want to take the risk. Trial's gonna start as soon as they get the paperwork done in there, and we're in charge."
"Yeah, and unless someone with real standing talks us out of it, then we're gonna give her the good old electric chair!"
>"How does it count as spying if you get stopped at the front gate? What could she have possibly spied on in that length of time?"
>"Why else would she come to Kuromizu? She's a human, and this isn't a human city."
-
>"You ever consider she might just have been coming to admire all our greatness? How are we supposed to keep the reputation for scientific genius that we deserve if no humans can go back to the outside world to tell everyone how amazing it was here?"
-
>"You ever consider she might just have been coming to admire all our greatness? How are we supposed to keep the reputation for scientific genius that we deserve if no humans can go back to the outside world to tell everyone how amazing it was here?"
>That seems like enough to stun them momentarily. But eventually, Janna pulls herself back into phase.
"Well, that may be true. But what do we stand to lose if we trust her, and then she's really a spy? She could steal our technology, sabotage the Electric Fountain, bring Kuromizu to its knees! Is that worth it?!"
"Yeah! We need to play it safe around here! We totally aren't just desperate to actually prosecute a criminal for a change!"
"...Sanna, stop talking."
"Aww..."
This is getting awkward. You have one last resort you can turn to, but you reeeeeally don't want to go for that unless every other option is out the window. Do you try talking to them more, start on a Dramatic Escape (TM), or use the Last Resort?
-
>"You know, there's other kinds of prosecution besides the chair. Like...say...indentured servitude."
-
>"You know, there's other kinds of prosecution besides the chair. Like...say...indentured servitude."
"Hey! My teeth are fine, thank you very much!"
"Sanna, she just means have her as a slave."
"Oh. Well, wouldn't that put her in dangerous reach of our technology anyway? She'd have to be watched 24/7, and some unlucky master would have to take the blame if she went wild..."
-
>"Well, what if she was indentured outside of Kuromizu? That way she gets to spread word about us AND has to deal with the terrible punishment of never being able to see this city again? I mean, really, is there any way to be more cruel to someone?"
-
>"Well, what if she was indentured outside of Kuromizu? That way she gets to spread word about us AND has to deal with the terrible punishment of never being able to see this city again? I mean, really, is there any way to be more cruel to someone?"
>"...Huh. That does seem like a fitting punishment, actually. Stop her from ever visiting the city that she apparently loves so much...I like it."
Janna grins.
"Except, well, we'd need someone to take her as a servant. You're not offering yourself up for the job, are you?"
-
>"Well, I have to head back out that way again, now, sadly, so I'd be in a perfect position to enact her punishment."
-
>"And I need someone to clean the Science Shack, anyways."
-
> "Also an assistant would be nice"
-
>"Well...we can't do that! You're just an ordinary kappa! We can't give you a servant, can we!?"
"Yeah, we can't do that! Sorry, but she's gotta go!"
You were afraid of this. You can still force the issue with that one fact you'd rather keep quiet about, or you can do your damnedest to just screw the system and break Kai out...
-
>And what is this one fact that we'd rather keep quiet about, pray tell?
-
>And what is this one fact that we'd rather keep quiet about, pray tell?
>You reach into the backpack, into the bottommost compartment, literally under everything else inside. The royal emblem is still chillingly cold to the touch.
-
>If we pull that card, would they likely make it hard for us to leave, again?
-
>If we pull that card, would they likely make it hard for us to leave, again?
>You wield enough clout to silence a pair of police officers, that's for sure.
-
>There's a little more that can be done before resorting to anything too dangerous socially.
>"Then, I don't suppose there's anything I could do to earn enough trust for that position so that she doesn't have to die?"
>"I mean - it might not be the best thing for kappa to go and kill the first human to try and visit the city. We're trying to be a bit more friendly than most, right?"
>"But she doesn't have to go unpunished... I'm not sure how comfortable she is even WEARING that Second Skin. If public embarrassment would be a more fitting punishment..."
-
>There's a little more that can be done before resorting to anything too dangerous socially.
>"Then, I don't suppose there's anything I could do to earn enough trust for that position so that she doesn't have to die?"
>"I mean - it might not be the best thing for kappa to go and kill the first human to try and visit the city. We're trying to be a bit more friendly than most, right?"
>"But she doesn't have to go unpunished... I'm not sure how comfortable she is even WEARING that Second Skin. If public embarrassment would be a more fitting punishment..."
> "Not in the next six hours. Which is as long as I'm willing to wait before handing out some spy-justice."
"We'd have been more willing to listen if her first action wasn't to run straight for the Electric Fountain. Seriously, how much guts does it take to say your name and business? While, uh, you have two guns pointed at your head. That doesn't change anything!"
"Embarrassment? What embarrassment? It's not like it's anything we haven't seen before. Unless you go and make her work at The Wave, but...the guys there creep me out as well. Even spies don't deserve the sorta treatment they'd give her..."
-
> "Look just let me talk to your superior, I'm sure I can get her to agree with me"
-
> "Look just let me talk to your superior, I'm sure I can get her to agree with me"
They ARE the superiors.
>"That was more a suggestion than anything. I'd just prefer she not end up dead for admiring kappa so much. Something non-fatal but immediate to teach her a lesson before going into servitude would probably suit both of us."
>"Perhaps we can hang her upside down for a few years hours?"
-
>"That was more a suggestion than anything. I'd just prefer she not end up dead for admiring kappa so much. Something non-fatal but immediate to teach her a lesson before going into servitude would probably suit both of us."
>"Perhaps we can hang her upside down for a few years hours?"
> "Well, I guess I need some work on my hand-to-hand...wait, no, that'd probably take her head off. That's a no-go."
"Wouldn't the rush of blood to the head do some pretty bad things to her? I'm not sure, I never really majored in human anatomy..."
This is taking too long. You need to figure out a way to resolve this quickly, before someone catches on to-
"WAIT!"
...your presence.
"Just a moment! Guards! Guards! Do you realise who you're talking to?!"
Janna and Sanna stand at attention, stunned by the panic filling the voice of the woman behind them. It's another member of the Sea Serpents, but a difference in her emblems signifies a higher rank. Both of them call out in shock.
""C-Commander Mayu?!""
The tallest of the three soldiers, Mayu immediately grabs you and turns you around to look her in the eyes. There's a frightening severity in those eyes, but within seconds they're starting to water up.
"It's...it's you...all of these years, we waited, hoping you'd come back..."
Suddenly, she wraps her arms around you in a loving embrace. She had been your bodyguard, the best of the best; you should have known that she'd enter the police force after your disappearance. You curse yourself for not thinking that far ahead.
"Princess Kawashiro...you're home again. We have a queen at last."
-
>"God damnit."
-
> "oh..uh..I don't know what your talking about, my name is Mitori Kukanba"
> Try to get out of the hug
>"God damnit."
> Say this if they don't believe us
-
>Think: "...What. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FlatWhat)"
>Inventory
-
>Think: "...What. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FlatWhat)"
>Inventory
> Internally, you wish ZUN had kept his plots more structured so that twists like this couldn't show up.
> Inventory:
Bits And Bobs
Faulty Optic Camo
11,000 Yen
PDA
Notepad (w/pencil)
Vera (20 rounds)
Rocky The Shocker
Cucumber x 19
Royal Symbol (Hidden/In denial)
> "oh..uh..I don't know what your talking about, my name is Mitori Kukanba"
> Try to get out of the hug
> "Aw, now isn't the time for silly games, Nitori! You think I'd forget an adoooorable face like yours?!"
Apparently, Mayu's professionalism just went to pieces, as she's now hugging you like a kid would squeeze a teddy bear. You vaguely remember her doing this to you when no-one was looking before your escape, but apparently the relief now is enough to make her do it in public.
Janna and Sanna are simply watching on in stunned silence. They'd never seen their commander display so much...personality.
> Unfortunately, the grip of the commander of a top-class police force is rather solid. You can't even pull your arms up far enough to reach your inventory from here, so...
>"God damnit."
> You slump in Mayu's grip, muttering to yourself.
"What are you doing in this quarter of the city?! Your father would have been ashamed to see his daughter speaking with criminals!"
Was there anything your father wasn't ashamed of when it came to you? Wasn't that, you know, why you left in the first place?
-
> "Ugh, what I'm trying to do is help this person in jail who got too curious for her own good"
> "Can you let me out of the hug now, it's kinda uncomfortable"
-
>"You're crushing my cucumbers!"
>Have a consolation cucumber, should we escape this steely trap.
-
> "Ugh, what I'm trying to do is help this person in jail who got too curious for her own good"
> "Can you let me out of the hug now, it's kinda uncomfortable"
> "What's that? You mean you asked them to let her out, and they didn't comply?!"
Mayu breaks off the hug and immediately turns to her subordinates. They cower visibly.
"I never expected you two to be so impudent! Disobeying the orders of the princess?!"
"Uh, but, commander, we didn't know she was-"
"Just do it!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
The two soldiers quickly run back into the jail to release Kai and return her belongings.
"You'll have to keep her alongside you. Some people might not be so trusting of a human walking around Kuromizu all by herself."
>"You're crushing my cucumbers!"
>Have a consolation cucumber, should we escape this steely trap.
>"Oh, is that what you call them? They're pretty big, actually - you're a full grown woman now, Nitori!"
You aren't quite sure what you're celebrating, but you quaff a potion down a cucumber regardless.
"Now, then, we need to make some arrangements! We always believed you'd come back some day after you'd seen the world, so we kept your room for you. And then there'll be the coronation and handing power to you...oh, you'll make a spectacular queen, I'm sure of it!"
-
>Well shit. Now we need a way out of this.
>"Hey. You heard about what they found underground, right?"
-
>Well shit. Now we need a way out of this.
>"Hey. You heard about what they found underground, right?"
>"What, you mean the nuclear project? Of course we know about it! You think Yasaka would go through with a project like that without a kappa advisor? Sorry, I know you want to have something cool to surprise me with when you've been gone so long, but that's old news around here nowadays."
-
>"No, not the nuclear project. I'm talking about the city outside where it happened? You know about it?"
-
>"No, not the nuclear project. I'm talking about the city outside where it happened? You know about it?"
> "Nitori, I'm not your geography teacher. We have another woman for that, remember?
Anyway, what about this city?"
-
>"It's where the oni went. I think, once I'm queen, we're gonna declare war on it. Finish the job and stuff."
-
>"It's where the oni went. I think, once I'm queen, we're gonna declare war on it. Finish the job and stuff."
>"...Uh. You do have advisors and all who I don't think would approve of that...maybe we oughta give you a little time to get back into the swing of things before we let you take a shot at ruling. Too much of that fresh air must've clouded your mind a little."
By now, Sanna and Janna are finally finished, and they bring out Kai to you. They gave her back her clothing, though the still-skeptical Janna is holding onto the tank she'd carried in for safe keeping.
"The hell did you manage to do?! They were gonna kill me, I know it, and all of a sudden they say I'm free to go as long as I stay with you!"
This is getting more and more complicated by the minute...all the cucumbers in the world aren't worth this hassle.
"Anyway! Janna, Sanna, escort the princess back to her chambers."
-
>"What was that?" Focus a stern look on Mayu. "Are you saying you don't approve? Are you trying to rescind against the regal word? Is this, dare I say, an attempt at rebellion?"
-
>"What was that?" Focus a stern look on Mayu. "Are you saying you don't approve? Are you trying to rescind against the regal word? Is this, dare I say, an attempt at rebellion?"
> "It'd be a rebellion if you were queen, but you aren't a queen until you're coronated. Until then, you're still a princess, and I'm meant to make sure you don't get out again. We've already lost enough faith from the people without you trying to take us to war. Let's just start off small, okay?"
Sanna and Janna lock arms with you at once, with Mayu holding Kai and following from behind. It's a friendly looking gesture, but it doesn't feel like there's any kindness behind it...
-
>"No, this sounds exactly like a coup. And we can't have blood spilled over little things kind regency. You win. I'll just exile myself. You're governor general or lord protector or whatever you like now. C'mon...uh...human. Sorry, forgot your name."
>Make to leave!
>_
-
>"No, this sounds exactly like a coup. And we can't have blood spilled over little things kind regency. You win. I'll just exile myself. You're governor general or lord protector or whatever you like now. C'mon...uh...human. Sorry, forgot your name."
>Make to leave!
>_
>"It's Kai! Kai Kirishima!"
>You'd love to do that, but Sanna and Janna have you held pretty tight. Apparently they're well aware that you didn't want to be here before, and they're making an effort to stop you getting out again.
"Don't worry, Nitori. You'll get used to the status in time. I know you and your father had your fallings out, but it isn't fair to put your petty arguments ahead of the good of Kuromizu, is it?"
-
>"Thus abdicating."
>Glance at the guards. "You guys realize if you force me to take power against my will, first thing I'm doing is putting you on eternal fountain duty, right? At least until I can think of something worse."
-
>Backup plan: What is the purpose behind having this queen? A symbol of leadership and tradition? Bureaucratic nonsense? Have the interm regents actually been doing a bad job?
>How much would it hurt/how difficult would it be to sit through accepting this 'queen' bullshit, then justify going right back to what you were doing before? There's good reasons for it - doing your own research for magic-independent technology shows more respect for the male part of the population than might be typical. Diplomatically, having such a significant representative of the kappa out among humans shows real dedication to the idea of actually being friendly with them, rather than lip service. You might not be the ideal standard of a ruler, but you could lead by example as an ideal kappa. Regular visits or developing some way to speak with the city from afar can allow acting as a public symbol even while living away.
-
> Does the name Kirishima ring any bells?
-
>"Thus abdicating."
>Glance at the guards. "You guys realize if you force me to take power against my will, first thing I'm doing is putting you on eternal fountain duty, right? At least until I can think of something worse."
>"Oh, that sort of ordering around isn't your duty. That's for your advisors to decide, you know?"
>Backup plan: What is the purpose behind having this queen? A symbol of leadership and tradition? Bureaucratic nonsense? Have the interm regents actually been doing a bad job?
>How much would it hurt/how difficult would it be to sit through accepting this 'queen' bullshit, then justify going right back to what you were doing before? There's good reasons for it - doing your own research for magic-independent technology shows more respect for the male part of the population than might be typical. Diplomatically, having such a significant representative of the kappa out among humans shows real dedication to the idea of actually being friendly with them, rather than lip service. You might not be the ideal standard of a ruler, but you could lead by example as an ideal kappa. Regular visits or developing some way to speak with the city from afar can allow acting as a public symbol even while living away.
>You are, for all intends and purposes, a figurehead. Your father was a much loved ruler of Kuromizu, doing his best to act regal and mighty in order to give the rest of the kappa something to look up to. He never made any of the actual decisions, though - that was left to his board of advisors, all trained in their departments and far more fit for making decisions than he was. Still, he received the credit and gained the praise, and when he finally passed on it was hoped that his daughter would live up to the expectations of the masses.
At least, until she ran away from her supposed 'duties'. You told him that the system as it was now was a sham - the first king of Kuromizu, Ichinose Kawashiro, was a monarch in the traditional fashion, making all the choices and ruling the city himself. Now things had evolved to the point where you were nothing more than a pretty face. What a disgrace to the blood of your ancestors - the once proud inventors, reduced to glorified mascots.
Of course, your father wouldn't listen, and before he could force you down you made the decision to leave yourself. You cut all ties with Kuromizu, living as a simple engineer on your own and surviving on simple commissions. It was a far cry from the comfort and bliss of the palace, but it was freedom. You never had a chance to say goodbye to your father, but you have yet to regret it.
Put simply - they don't intend to make the same mistake twice with you.
> Does the name Kirishima ring any bells?
> You recall Kirishima being a farmer at the Human Village who sold you cucumbers once or twice. He occasionally rambled on about his daughter refusing to come out of her room, but he'd never said exactly why. A look of shame would slip onto his face as the point was dropped.
-
>To the guards "Tell yourself that. Because I got a long memory, and am gonna have whole lot of people wanting my official favor. Not gonna be hard to make your lives hell if you don't let go of me. Right. Now."
>Do we still have our stuff?
-
>To the guards "Tell yourself that. Because I got a long memory, and am gonna have whole lot of people wanting my official favor. Not gonna be hard to make your lives hell if you don't let go of me. Right. Now."
>Do we still have our stuff?
>"One person being pissed at us is better than having the whole Council on our asses because we let you go. Lesser of two evils, kid."
>You still have everything, but Janna and Sanna have your hands preoccupied. They obviously won't have the nerve to shoot you if things get serious, but they're probably clever enough to use Kai as a potential hostage...
The palace is coming into view now. Still as brilliant architecturally as it ever was, no matter how much you hate what lies inside of it.
-
> Try to break out of their hold and go grab Kai, then activate the belt, maybe we'll get lucky and find someone who is knowledgeable about it. At the very least you can use it again later and come back at a different time when they all go wild searching for you
-
>Do we need out hands to activate Rocky the Shocker?
-
> Try to break out of their hold and go grab Kai, then activate the belt, maybe we'll get lucky and find someone who is knowledgeable about it. At the very least you can use it again later and come back at a different time when they all go wild searching for you
>They're trained police officers. The closest you usually get to exercise is turning screws. Good luck.
Also, Mayu is still holding onto Kai, so unless you want to take her with you as well then right now it's a no-go.
>Do we need out hands to activate Rocky the Shocker?
>Regrettably, yes.
>You enter the palace proper. Immediately a butler walks forward to accomodate you.
"Good day, madams. We heard about your discovery some thirty minutes ago. We're disappointed to find that it took you so long to recover the princess."
Mayu, still holding Kai, moves in front and bows her head.
"My apologies, Sir Hiro. She was...difficult."
"I should imagine so. No worries, it's a phase she will grow out of. Escort her to her room, girls...and who's this little runt?"
Hiro looks down at Kai, sneering visibly. Kai returns the gesture.
"It's a long story. At this point, she's effectively the princess's servant."
"Hmm. Well, take them both there for now. We'll work through the other issues in time. Perhaps a little...discipline is necessary."
With that, he orders the Serpents to lead you up to your old chambers. You're rather disturbed by how fresh the room is in your memory - the same perfectly plastered walls, impossibly fluffy bedding, and your own little pool in the corner. Of course the nuts and bolts you managed to smuggle in here have been removed - the lab was no place for a princess, after all.
You and Kai are released, and the Serpents wordlessly take their leave. The door back out closes with a distinct locking sound. You remembered there being windows in this room, but it looks like they planned ahead enough to cover them with walls in order to prevent another escape.
"...OK. Now that I'm done getting manhandled, can you please tell me what the hell's going on?! Since when were you a princess?!"
-
(Some else explain this, I can't)
> Note to self: Make Rocky the Shocker activate by mental or vocal command
-
>"Well, since always by birth. Since, like, fifteen minutes ago as far as everyone else is concerned. Right, let's get the hell out of here."
>Are there windows? If so, go gaze from them. And assess their removability via tools, or breakability.
-
>Recall where the windows WERE, and whether they've simply been plastered over or if the walls have been replaced entirely. Edges may be a weakness in the seal.
-
>"Well, since always by birth. Since, like, fifteen minutes ago as far as everyone else is concerned. Right, let's get the hell out of here."
>Are there windows? If so, go gaze from them. And assess their removability via tools, or breakability.
>"Sounds like your family must've been real jerks if this is how they treat you."
Good news: There are windows. Bad news: There are now walls behind them, made of what looks like solid brick. You could take it down with Rocky, but it'd take a few shots, and the noise would undoubtedly attract attention. They really thought ahead.
> Note to self: Make Rocky the Shocker activate by mental or vocal command
You'll need to take some time at the shack to examine the circuits in the PDA to replicate the voice recognition. Another time.
Kai is fumbling around in her pockets for something she can offer to help. Unfortunately, she isn't very well equipped for various reasons - all she has on her right now are a few screwdrivers, some bolts, and blueprints for inventions that either already exist or are blatantly absurd.
You like her already.
"Dammit, this is like one of those closed room puzzles. I suck at these."
-
>"Hmmm."
>Consider bits and bobs. Consider Rocky the Shocker.
>Consider using the shocker bits to generate more power.
>Consider how well we can fly with a human in hand.
-
>inventory
>Explosives knowledge.
>Consider whether the room would remain locked if you were found vanished.
>How likely is it that someone's peeping on the room to keep an eye on us?
>Contemplate molestation.
-
> How did we escape last time?
-
>"Hmmm."
>Consider bits and bobs. Consider Rocky the Shocker.
>Consider using the shocker bits to generate more power.
>Consider how well we can fly with a human in hand.
>Contrary to what you learned from the human show Tool Time, it's not always possible to add more power to everything. The walls blocking the windows look doubly reinforced, anyway - you'd need a huge powerup to get through them.
You should still be able to fly with ease, even holding Kai. She isn't exactly heavy, and magic makes these things a little easier.
>inventory
>Explosives knowledge.
>Consider whether the room would remain locked if you were found vanished.
>How likely is it that someone's peeping on the room to keep an eye on us?
>Contemplate molestation.
> Inventory:
Bits And Bobs
Faulty Optic Camo
11,000 Yen
PDA
Notepad (w/pencil)
Vera (20 rounds)
Rocky The Shocker
Cucumber x 18
Royal Symbol
> Fire makes things go boom. Unfortunately, nothing around here looks like it's usable for detonation.
> No-one is looking at you right now, not even a camera; if you used the belt to disappear, no-one would notice for a while which would probably defeat the point.
> You wonder if she's still wearing the Second Skin under all those clothes. You bite your lip.
> How did we escape last time?
> Through the window. They caught on.
-
> No-one is looking at you right now, not even a camera; if you used the belt to disappear, no-one would notice for a while which would probably defeat the point.
>Depends on how long we spend elsewhere and how the time aspect of this thing works out. If we manage to end up somewhere to hide out for a week, people are going to be deeply confused. At least we'd have the element of surprise next time, even if the room is occupied - and maybe some better gear, given the time and materials to dick around with stuff. Kai's completely unarmed at the moment.
>Granted, last time didn't end up all that safe, so it's a risk.
>search room for anything useful.
>"Closed room puzzles?"
-
>Depends on how long we spend elsewhere and how the time aspect of this thing works out. If we manage to end up somewhere to hide out for a week, people are going to be deeply confused. At least we'd have the element of surprise next time, even if the room is occupied - and maybe some better gear, given the time and materials to dick around with stuff. Kai's completely unarmed at the moment.
>Granted, last time didn't end up all that safe, so it's a risk.
>search room for anything useful.
>"Closed room puzzles?"
> You assume that in terms of the passage of time, the amount of time you spend in Not Gensokyo is equal to the time that passes in Gensokyo in your absence based on your time in Salem. It's plausible, though you'd have to hope that you ended up somewhere which wouldn't kill Kai...
> The floor tiles on the pool bottom look less sturdy than the walls. If you recall correctly, one of the store rooms is underneath here. You can hope it isn't guarded and try to break through the floor, though you get the feeling several gallons of gushing water isn't very silent. Worth considering.
> The ceiling looks a little fragile, too. You've never been to the floor above; it's the attic, where you were never meant to go as a child. Not that it stopped you from trying, of course. If you can make it to the roof, it should be easy going from there, but if you break open the ceiling at the wrong place and bring something down on you...yeah.
> Everything here reeks of fluff and shininess. This is no place for a scientist, and as such you find nothing of worth.
"Yeah. Those riddles where some murder's happened and you have to figure out how the killer made his escape. Any ideas?"
-
>"I'm thinking..."
>Hover up around the ceiling. Knock on it to get an idea where heavy things are.
-
>Is Vera only capable of giving bad luck to people? Or can it also work on inanimate objects?
-
> Possibility of shooting Rocky from an angle at the ceiling so that stuff doesn't fall on you
-
> ...
> ...
> This voice leaves for a bit and everyone gets delusions of grandeur!
> Jeeze.
> First we'll need to dismantle Rocky, as heartbreaking as it may be, but sacrifices must be made. Subtly attach leads from Rocky's electric capacitor to the palms of our hands so that we can shock someone if we grab them.
> We have then two options, one of which is the oldest trick in the book - the Injured Prisoner. Start lying around convulsing and have Kai call for help. Someone is bound to show up, and check on us. We can then grab'n'shock them and get ourselves a hostage.
> Option two is the Assassin - nobody knows Vera doesn't shoot actual bullets, so modify her to look even more like a real gun, give to Kai, call for help as Kai threatens us. Once again, someone is bound to show up.
> Oh yeah. Check for monitoring (heh, moNITORIng) equipment. Disable it.
-
> We can never dismantle Rocky, how dare we even think it
-
>"I'm thinking..."
>Hover up around the ceiling. Knock on it to get an idea where heavy things are.
> The ceiling is rather thick, but you find a spot that should be relatively safe to fire through.
"Showoff. I'll figure out a way to fly like that someday, just you wait."
>Is Vera only capable of giving bad luck to people? Or can it also work on inanimate objects?
>You aren't quite should how things like chairs could be unlucky. You assume that all it can do is curse an object, and as a result curse whoever touches it next.
> Possibility of shooting Rocky from an angle at the ceiling so that stuff doesn't fall on you
> Definitely worth playing it safe with this, yes.
> ...
> ...
> This voice leaves for a bit and everyone gets delusions of grandeur!
> Jeeze.
> The parser apologises for the poorly-handled twist and asks that you remain calm.
> First we'll need to dismantle Rocky, as heartbreaking as it may be, but sacrifices must be made. Subtly attach leads from Rocky's electric capacitor to the palms of our hands so that we can shock someone if we grab them.
> We have then two options, one of which is the oldest trick in the book - the Injured Prisoner. Start lying around convulsing and have Kai call for help. Someone is bound to show up, and check on us. We can then grab'n'shock them and get ourselves a hostage.
> Option two is the Assassin - nobody knows Vera doesn't shoot actual bullets, so modify her to look even more like a real gun, give to Kai, call for help as Kai threatens us. Once again, someone is bound to show up.
> Oh yeah. Check for monitoring (heh, moNITORIng) equipment. Disable it.
> Besides the fact you REALLY don't want to take apart Rocky, placing electric capacitors on damp hands (as yours almost always are) is more or less begging for electrocution. The other two options seem viable, though.
> There is a single camera hanging on the distant wall. Disabling it might stop people noticing your escape plans from earlier, though - are you sure you want to go through with it?
-
> The parser apologises for the poorly-handled twist and asks that you remain calm.
> It's not the twist - that's been Chechov's Gun'd and presented in an appropriate manner. It's the other voices' inability to handle a single human girl intruder jeeze.
> Besides the fact you REALLY don't want to take apart Rocky
> Rocky knows as well as us that sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the greater good of SCIENCE! *sniff* Rocky would forgive us.
placing electric capacitors on damp hands (as yours almost always are) is more or less begging for electrocution.
> SACRIFICE. FOR. SCIENCE. Plus, how else are we supposed to take a hostage?
-
>Consider what useful bitlets might be salvaged from the camera.
-
> Rocky knows as well as us that sometimes, sacrifices must be made for the greater good of SCIENCE! *sniff* Rocky would forgive us.
> SACRIFICE. FOR. SCIENCE. Plus, how else are we supposed to take a hostage?
> But would you forgive yourself? Would your dreams be haunted endlessly by those metallic joints creaking in the night, spelling out your name in dying squeaks? You shiver for a moment. Kai looks confused.
> You still have Vera, which should render a subject helpless (albeit in an entirely different matter).
>Consider what useful bitlets might be salvaged from the camera.
>You aren't convinced you'll get much more from the camera than is already on your person. Perhaps if you took the recording hardware you could make your own camera further down the line, but you can't come up with any other uses for it.
-
>Disabling the camera might also be a good way to get someone to open the door and investigate. At which point Vera could ensure that their efforts to stop us or close it again fail hilariously.
>Were there any windows near the immediate outside of the door we could flee through if we could get outside?
-
>Disabling the camera might also be a good way to get someone to open the door and investigate. At which point Vera could ensure that their efforts to stop us or close it again fail hilariously.
>Were there any windows near the immediate outside of the door we could flee through if we could get outside?
> The cogs in your brain are turning. A plan is forming, and it's beautiful.
> Nothing immediately outside the door, but there should be a few windows just down the corridor.
-
> Quickly disassemble the camera and pocket any interesting bits.
-
> Quickly disassemble the camera and pocket any interesting bits.
> You float up to the camera, eying it head on. You wish there was a way to stare at whoever was watching you from the other side, but one-way communication is a jerk like that.
Ok. This sort of work requires a steady hand and a keen eye. Careful...careful...
"Hey, what're you doing up there?"
Kai's words are just enough to break your concentration, and you grab blindly at the camera, pulling it off in its entirety. You hear a light beeping coming from its spot in the wall as you pocket it to take apart properly later (preferrably when there aren't guards headed your way).
"Uh...Oops. You should've told me to shut up, though."
> Received Wall-Mounted Camera (minus wall).
> Footsteps start to make their way down the corridor. How do you plan to take out the oncoming guards?
-
>"Kai, go get behind something. Out of sight."
>Get behind the door, such that you will also be out of sight when it opens
>When someone pokes out around the edge of the door, shoot the visible part of them with Vera
-
>Get Rocky in on that business, too. If we can save ammo, all the better.
-
>"Kai, go get behind something. Out of sight."
>Get behind the door, such that you will also be out of sight when it opens
>When someone pokes out around the edge of the door, shoot the visible part of them with Vera
> If an opportunity comes up, grab Kai and head for one of the hallway windows.
-
>"Kai, go get behind something. Out of sight."
>Get behind the door, such that you will also be out of sight when it opens
>When someone pokes out around the edge of the door, shoot the visible part of them with Vera
"Got it!"
Kai slides behind the bed. There's more than enough space for her to crouch down behind it out of sight. The footsteps get louder.
"...just because we HAPPENED to be around..."
You can make out a familiar voice as the guards come closer.
"...getting paid extra for this, so don't complain..."
Actually, two familiar faces. Looks like you'll get some nice payback with this little escape...
>Janna and Sanna burst into the room one after the other. Both of them immediately scan the room, seeing no obvious sign of either of you. They walk forward into the room outright, ready to look behind the bed and find the waiting Kai.
That's your opening...!
You fire one round of Vera at Sanna's back. The impact doesn't register to her (I mean come on, it's a piece of ribbon), but the sound of the gun firing is another thing entirely.
"What the he-"
By the time she's turned around, there's a rocket-propelled, electro-charged fist three inches from her face.
The sound of the impact makes your heart flutter slightly.
"Oof!"
Sanna collides with her partner violently, sending the two spiralling into the wall. They slump down, with Sanna lying on top. Kai takes this as her cue, vaulting the bed and making for the open door.
"H-Hey, wait!"
Sanna pulls out her gun and aims at Kai; Janna can't take a shot given that she's being sat on at this point. She fires half a dozen shots at Kai, each time convinced she's landed a fatal shot; every time, the bullet uselessly lodges itself into the opposite wall.
"Dammit dammit dammit!"
You can hear their cries of frustration as you close the door behind Kai, bursting down the corridor towards the windows. They haven't been walled over, thankfully, but they're locked tight. You hear Sanna trying and failing to stand up in the room, so you can assume the Serpents won't trouble you for a while.
-
>Can we bust the lock on the windows?
-
>Give the windows the shocker, unless it's obvious it won't work.
-
>Can we bust the lock on the windows?
>If you're willing to take a few minutes to screw with the lock, yes. The Serpents are down, but you aren't sure if anyone else is coming.
>Give the windows the shocker, unless it's obvious it won't work.
>This plan, on the other hand, is quick and effective, if not particularly quiet. This is hardly the time for stealth, though, and you quickly make short work of the glass.
You love firing Rocky so much. It's so empowering.
"One thing I'm not sure about," Kai notes, looking irritated. "This is great and all, but how do I get back out the reservoir? They took my pride and glory from me, and I have no idea where that girl put it..."
She looks like she would have liked a chance to dish out some revenge on the Serpents herself. Her fist shakes in the air passionately.
-
>"When did they take it from you? Maybe it's at the jail?"
-
>Ask the bad-luck Serpent where Kai's gear is; bad luck extends to slipping on important secrets, of course!
>Have Rocky ready in case the other one's recovered.
-
>"When did they take it from you? Maybe it's at the jail?"
>"Good guess, but they probably locked it away somewhere. We'd need the key for whatever they locked it in."
>Ask the bad-luck Serpent where Kai's gear is; bad luck extends to slipping on important secrets, of course!
>Have Rocky ready in case the other one's recovered.
>Nothing to worry about - you poke your head back into the room, and find that if anything the two guards are in an even more awkward position than before. A misplaced attempt to stand up from Sanna conveniently disarmed her partner of her weapon, so now the two are probably stuck like this for a few hours until Vera's effects wear off.
>You quickly get to interrogating Sanna about the missing gear. She puts on an expression of courage.
"Heh...that's right, you can't get your human friend without it, can you! Well, I'm not saying a word! That things locked up safe and sound, and you'll never know...where..."
Sanna's heroism comes to an abrupt end when her eyes catch something lying on the floor, literally at your feet. Looking down, you find a small key labelled 'SEA-SERPENT ARMS LOCKER'.
"Uh, you shouldn't bother with that! I-It's a trick! It opens a fake box with a deathtrap inside, so we can't have the princess open it-"
"Sanna, you moron! Do you honestly think she's going to fall for that!?"
Thank goodness, you were worried for a second there. You thank the Serpents for their help as you leave the room again. They don't return the gesture.
> Received Locker Key.
-
> Hooray for bad luck!
> Do we know where the locker is located?
-
> Hooray for bad luck!
> Do we know where the locker is located?
> It's safe to assume somewhere in the jail you found Kai. It might take a little rummaging, but it shouldn't be that well hidden.
-
> Break out through a window with Rocky and head for the jail.
-
>Be sure to gather up Kai before flying off.
-
>And grab the lost gun(s) the Serpents dropped.
-
>And grab the lost gun(s) the Serpents dropped.
> They won't be needing these, surely. And Kai needs something for self-defense, anyway. You pick up the pistol Janna dropped earlier - Sanna is clinging to hers, even if her aim is now nonexistent.
"H-Hey! Those are official Sea-Serpent property! You can't just-"
You can't hear them, laa laa laa laa laa.
> Received Pistol.
> Break out through a window with Rocky and head for the jail.
>Be sure to gather up Kai before flying off.
>Ah, the beautiful sound of shattering glass. You make your way out of the window, making sure not to stab either of you with broken-off shards.
The trip to the jail is thankfully eventless. Along with Kai's tank - you'll need to take some time to examine that, it's an interesting piece of work - you find an array of more powerful weaponry. Rifles, shotguns, and even the odd tazer are stacked inside. You wonder how much of this has seen any actual use, and whether or not to take any of it for added security.
> Received Scuba Gear.
Of course, people see your escape through the windows of Kuromizu's enormous buildings, but the distinct lack of a police force comes back to bite them in the ass. You just took out two of their most trained agents - they don't really have much else to throw at you.
On the other hand, the metal plate hanging in front of the door of the reservoir is much more problematic.
"Gah, stupid kappa! Why do you guys have an invention for everything?!"
Kai kicks the plate with a resounding echo before hobbling away with a sore foot. This is far too solid for even Rocky to handle. You have no doubt that Hiro set off the security system to keep you inside, and now the remnants of the Serpent force are probably headed your way. You've got two choices now; get to Hiro and make him deactivate the security, or force an override by cutting the power.
-
> Quickly head to the fountain if it's nearby.
-
>Consider what we know about Hiro, first.
-
> Quickly head to the fountain if it's nearby.
> It's only a few minutes walk from here. Obviously, you don't have time to walk, so...
>Consider what we know about Hiro, first.
> He's the chief advisor of the council that runs Kuromizu. For lack of a better term, he's the city's true 'king', making all the real hard decisions. You never liked him, and the feeling was mutual, but you were still expected to agree with him on every point by your father. No good queen, after all, is argumentative with her servants.
You'd really like to head back to the palace and beat his face in, but that's the definite hard route. You'd have to go through the rest of the Serpents, whatever guards the palace has, and Hiro himself.
-
>Ponder punching him in the face to establish royalty anyways, even if we're not gonna use it.
>It'd be better than getting poor wossname in trouble, and Vera needs to curse someone. How many serpents are we likely to encounter as far as we know?
-
>Ponder punching him in the face to establish royalty anyways, even if we're not gonna use it.
>It'd be better than getting poor wossname in trouble, and Vera needs to curse someone. How many serpents are we likely to encounter as far as we know?
>You ponder. It makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
>They're a VERY small force. There are maybe a dozen in all of Kuromizu, and since they're likely to come at you from all directions there'll probably only be one or two between you and the palace.
(In the distance, Kammi has the odd feeling that her name isn't as memorable as she would like it to be.)
-
(It's the double ms what do it.)
>"Ah what the hell, let's go beat up the Chief advisor until he stops this nonsense."
>Hiro-ward!
>Was Hiro actually bad at his job, or is he just really inconvenient for us?
-
(It's the double ms what do it.)
>"Ah what the hell, let's go beat up the Chief advisor until he stops this nonsense."
>Hiro-ward!
>Was Hiro actually bad at his job, or is he just really inconvenient for us?
> He wasn't bad at his job, no. It was just his job in general that annoyed you, given that he was meant to tell you how to run the country 24/7 rather than giving the queen the actual right to rule. And when you refused to work with him - well, he didn't like that, and he installed that camera in your room just so you wouldn't get any funny ideas. Not that he actually expected you to have the guts to break out...
> "Well, as long as that plan doesn't get me shot, guess I've gotta go with it." Kai doesn't know this Hiro guy that well, but she knows enough to be comfortable with beating him senseless.
The fastest path back to the palace is past the fountain. Sure enough, Kammi is there, still staring at the flowing water, unaware of what's unfolding around her.
"Oh, it's you again. Did you forget something I said to you last time, or are you here to admit you're a spy sent by the boss to check up on my work...ethic?"
By the time she's finished with her snarky comment, though, she's aware that something's wrong. There are three other exits from the Fountain, and each one is being guarded by a Serpent. All three of them are looking in your direction, and blocking the path to the palace is none other than Commander Mayu.
"Nitori, calm down. This isn't going to be worth all the trouble. Don't worry, we know you had a rough time up on land, so just come back to your room with me and we'll take this one step at a time."
Mayu's speech loses a good deal of its effect given that her companions both have guns pointed at you.
-
>What do we know about kappa guns? Do we feel comfortable enough with our shot-dodging to get around them.
>"Put those stupid guns away, or do you want people knowing you're the person who ordered the missing princess shot?"
-
> "The hell you talking about? I freakin' love it out there! I get to do whatever and I don't have the responsibility of ruling this place!"
-
>What do we know about kappa guns? Do we feel comfortable enough with our shot-dodging to get around them.
>"Put those stupid guns away, or do you want people knowing you're the person who ordered the missing princess shot?"
> You, yes. Kai, not so much, and you aren't fast enough to maintain dodging speed while carrying her.
"If people saw me as the person who let the missing princess flee, it wouldn't be much better. Now, calm down so nobody has to get hurt."
> "The hell you talking about? I freakin' love it out there! I get to do whatever and I don't have the responsibility of ruling this place!"
> "Don't talk like that, Nitori! You're a princess! These are duties you were born into! Stop acting like a child and take some responsibility for your father's legacy!
Do you realise how much trouble you've caused us? Not only did we have no heir, we had no family line! You are the last of the Kawashiro family! Well...besides..."
Mayu pauses, but catches herself. You're confused - you were an only child from birth, and you never had aunts or uncles...
"B-But that's irrelevant! What I'm saying is that unless you come back right now, the royal family is going to collapse! So get over here right now before I have to do something I'll regret, Nitori!"
-
>"Wouldn't mean a thing if it did vanish, Mayu. The royal family doesn't do anything. Trust me, I know, I've been there. Hiro's the real power here and the lot of us are better off for it. There wasn't even a problem until people overreacted about Kai here, which is all I really care about."
-
> "Whoa whoa whoa. Hold up for a second. I'm the only one left except for who?"
-
> Analyze Battlefield
> Assess situation for best path to Hiro
> Prepare Rocky the Shocker
-
>"And man, if Hiro's actually the other surviving member of the royal family, but can't rule just 'cause he's a guy, then he has my blessings."
>"Feel free to call me your figurehead ruler if you must, but I'm not interested in living as just a pretty face in the palace."
-
>"Wouldn't mean a thing if it did vanish, Mayu. The royal family doesn't do anything. Trust me, I know, I've been there. Hiro's the real power here and the lot of us are better off for it. There wasn't even a problem until people overreacted about Kai here, which is all I really care about."
>"You think things were just hunky-dory without you? The palace has come up with excuse after excuse as to why you haven't been around for the coronation. They've said you've been ill, been kidnapped, went missing - if it were to turn out that you didn't WANT the throne, then all of kappa society would be rocked. Suddenly, the monarchy, their role models, they're gone! There's too much risk in forcing that change on them!"
> "Whoa whoa whoa. Hold up for a second. I'm the only one left except for who?"
>Mayu bites her lip.
"I...I can't say! But what I can tell you is that you're the only available heir, and if it isn't you it's no-one!"
>"And man, if Hiro's actually the other surviving member of the royal family, but can't rule just 'cause he's a guy, then he has my blessings."
>"Feel free to call me your figurehead ruler if you must, but I'm not interested in living as just a pretty face in the palace."
>"Of course not! You would have recognised him if he was your uncle, wouldn't you? He's an ordinary man who worked his way to greatness, but he'll never match a woman who was BORN great!"
> Analyze Battlefield
> Assess situation for best path to Hiro
> Prepare Rocky the Shocker
> You are standing at the southern entrance to the Electric Fountain. Armed Serpents are guarding the East and West exits. Mayu is guarding the north exit. Kammi is at her post just in front of you, looking rather concerned. She's turned on the backup-generator with a switch located at her side and subsequently ducked beneath the fountain to avoid any crossfire. The artificial lighting hanging above you makes you entirely visible.
Taking the east/west exit would be a detour long enough to allow Mayu to regroup at the palace entrance anyway, so you'll have to go through her inevitably. East and West Serpents are armed, but won't shoot as long as you're between them and Kai. Unfortunately, there's no way you can protect her from both Serpents like this if you leave your spot at the southern entrance.
> They're powerless to react, but Mayu murmurs something into an earpiece. You get the feeling reinforcements might be coming in from behind, so you'll have to make this short if you want to avoid capture.
-
>"Guess society is just going to have to live with it, because I'm not coming back. I'll set the damn palace on fire first."
>Quietly to Kai, try not to move lips much "I'm going to drop you. Fall on the ground, lay there, don't be a threat unless they come for you. Got it? Then defend yourself. Try to kneecap 'em. Ready?"
>Drop her like a bad habit, move out of the way of the guns, and rive Mayu a faceful of Rocky the Shocker.
-
>"Guess society is just going to have to live with it, because I'm not coming back. I'll set the damn palace on fire first."
>Quietly to Kai, try not to move lips much "I'm going to drop you. Fall on the ground, lay there, don't be a threat unless they come for you. Got it? Then defend yourself. Try to kneecap 'em. Ready?"
>Drop her like a bad habit, move out of the way of the guns, and rive Mayu a faceful of Rocky the Shocker.
>Mayu sighs.
"I didn't want it to come to this, Nitori. If we have to use your human friend as a target, then we will-"
DROP DAT CHICK
"!?"
Mayu is only aware of the plan by the time Kai has fallen out of sight. By then, there's a glove rocketing towards her face, and the commander takes a megaton punch to the forehead.
"Gah-"
Mayu is knocked backwards into the staircase behind her, slamming her head into the concrete. She's out cold, with a few bruises and cuts from the impact, but she's still alive.
East and West guards are now notably confused, murmuring into their earpieces for reinforcements.
"Sir Hiro. Permission to use force to retrieve the princess."
"Denied. Kawashiro must not be harmed - for every mark you leave on her, you drop down a rank."
West grimaces as her request is rejected, settling for running for the hidden Kai. Sliding behind the fountain, though, all she can see is a frightened looking Kammi.
"...What the...?"
She drops her guard for the briefest of moments, and that's Kai's cue to pounce out from behind and shoot the gun out of West's hand with disturbing accuracy. The gun falls into the fountain with a plop.
A moment of silence. Beneath you, the backup generator runs out of power.
The lights black out, leaving both East and West bewildered. You don't even need to tell Kai that it's your opening, and you run for the northern exit while the Serpents are unable to see you.
"YOU THERE! GET THE POWER BACK ONLINE!"
"Dammit, don't act like this is my fault! How was I meant to keep doing my job when people were pointing freaking guns at me?!"
By the time the lighting is back on, the pair of you are long gone.
> The palace is mercifully unguarded. Better yet, you know exactly where Hiro's room is in the palace - second floor, just next to the attic entrance. There's a convenient window for you to enter through, so the only question is 'does he expect you to come from outside?'
-
> Can Rocky the Shocker break down walls?
-
>Give Kai a thumbs up. She's gonna be a hella assistance.
>Which way would get us to Hiro fastest, the window or the palace?
-
> Can Rocky the Shocker break down walls?
> Oh, yes it can. Strange question, but you certainly don't have anything devious in mind when you ask it. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BlatantLies)
>Give Kai a thumbs up. She's gonna be a hella assistance.
>Which way would get us to Hiro fastest, the window or the palace?
>She smirks. She seems to have enjoyed the opportunity to prove herself to you.
>The window, assuming he hasn't boobytrapped it or it's actually a metal plate disguised as a window.
-
>The window it is!
>Lead in with Rocky for Smashing, keep Vera ready for follow ups.
>Do be prepared to be sniped at from the window.
-
>Will he get more warning if you come from the inside, or the outside?
>Breaking IN through a window would be a somewhat unexpected change of pace for us either way, so it's not a bad idea. Unless he's anticipated us knowing where he is and moved to stay out of danger...
-
> Break through the wall, now that's unexpected
-
> Break through the wall, now that's unexpected
>That's just wasting public money =[
-
>That's just wasting public money =[
> Your just testing for structural weakness, its a public service, besides they can afford it
-
>It involves a good deal of mental strife, and a far-from-unanimous decision from the voices in your head, but eventually you decide to simply do things the easy way and use the window. One little shot from your good friend Rocky, and the glass is toast-
SMASH.
But...so is Rocky. Smashing the window activated a mechanism to drop a weight from the ceiling down onto the intruder. If you'd tried to step in yourself you'd be a pancake by now; as is, you'll have to settle for your greatest working being a damaged mess.
You resist the urge to cry.
> Rocky is now damaged and cannot be used until you return to the Shack.
Upon seeing his trap fail, Hiro stares at the glove in amazement. He didn't actually expect anyone to use it, much less the princess - he wouldn't have resorted to lethal force otherwise. He runs for the door, only remembering that he locked it after you've made your way in. You leave Kai to hide in a side-alley - she's armed, so if anyone passes by she should be able to look after herself.
"Gah! You again! Why do you try over and over to deny your heritage! This is your palace, Nitori! Your city! Why do you want nothing of it?! We need you, especially after-"
He stops again. A single drop of sweat slips down his brow. Unlike the Serpents, he's a man of mental capacity and little else. You could drop him in a fight no problem, and you're both aware of that.
-
>Keep Vera handy.
>Smile a Yuuka smile.
>"I don't really mind the city, Hiro. But I do mind you."
-
> See, we should have used the wall as an entrance
> "Look, I don't care about that, just open the exit outta here and you might not get hurt"
> Keep your hands on Blackcat Vera just in case
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> See, we should have used the wall as an entrance
> "Look, I don't care about that, just open the exit outta here and you might not get hurt"
> Keep your hands on Blackcat Vera just in case
>None of this.
>"Let's talk civics. Now, this going to go down one of two ways. And I'm a kind and loving woman, so I'll even let you pick!"
>"The first way is that the Kawashiro Dynasty is reborn. Right here, right now. Full authoritative power back in the monarch's hands, advisers do just that, advising and busywork. And those ones I don't like, they disappear."
>"The second way? The dynasty is discarded and you, yes you!, get to be Matrician. ...Patrician. No more working from the shadows. You step up and take credit for what you've done, and lead this city for real. And I? I fade into the shadows, the lovely and wonderful ex princess genius who made it all possible."
>"How's it gonna be, Hiro? How's it gonna be?"
-
>Keep Vera handy.
>Smile a Yuuka smile.
>"I don't really mind the city, Hiro. But I do mind you."
>"Why me?! I was just doing my job, wasn't I? Perhaps if I was out in the public, claiming the fame, then you could have a reason to be angry. But I do not - in fact, I willingly stand in the shadows and let the respect fall upon you! I have been a faithful servant to the Kawashiro family - both to my father, and to you!
Who had to explain your disappearance? Me! As if our troubles from before weren't enough, you running away was the straw that could have broken Kuromizu's back! Perhaps I was heavy-handed in my methods, but the stakes were high enough to validate it!"
"The first way is that the Kawashiro Dynasty is reborn. Right here, right now. Full authoritative power back in the monarch's hands, advisers do just that, advising and busywork. And those ones I don't like, they disappear."
> "Princess, I heard the story of your intention to declare war on the oni, and it means you're either a liar or a threat to our security if you are to rule. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt by assuming that it's the former and you're just giving me that option as a joke."
>"The second way? The dynasty is discarded and you, yes you!, get to be Matrician. ...Patrician. No more working from the shadows. You step up and take credit for what you've done, and lead this city for real. And I? I fade into the shadows, the lovely and wonderful ex princess genius who made it all possible."
>Hiro looks thoroughly conflicted.
"...I...I don't know if I can do that."
His stance seems to lighten.
"I'm...I'm not going to lie to you, Nitori. I'm not a likable person. If the city were to find out about this...well, there would be an uproar. We would have been caught in a lie that lasted generations. There would be riots, violence, even murder as the masses felt a need to right this wrong. The Serpents are trained to deal with those riots, but there are only so many. I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to see these streets run with the blood of our people.
I understand that you hate me. Perhaps you have every right to. But you have to understand there are greater forces than you at work here, and there isn't much you can do but accept it and play your part."
He looks away, pondering.
"...To think it came to this...after you arrived, we thought that our problems had been solved, but your rebellion was never part of the plan. If only she..."
He stops mid-sentence.
-
> "If only she...Who is she?"
-
>"Naw, this won't be so bad. I'll even help you out. I'll get coronated, make a nice big speech about how I couldn't rule this place if my life depended on it, talk you up a bit, hand over the reigns, retire, and whammo!"
>"And yeah. If I got some bastard sister or something, I'm gonna be really pissed and probably curse you up out of spite."
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>"Naw, this won't be so bad. I'll even help you out. I'll get coronated, make a nice big speech about how I couldn't rule this place if my life depended on it, talk you up a bit, hand over the reigns, retire, and whammo!"
>"And yeah. If I got some bastard sister or something, I'm gonna be really pissed and probably curse you up out of spite."
> "It wouldn't be the same. The Kawashiro name means more than you think - to the people, you're a family of charismatic geniuses who singlehandedly run Kuromizu. If that facade were to disappear, then..."
> "If only she...Who is she?"
> Hiro gulps.
"Gah, I've said too much...part of the agreement with your reign would be that information that you didn't need to know would be kept in the dark. This is one of those stories that was never meant to reach your ears. It's...complicated, and I don't know if words would be enough to explain it."
He holds out a key.
"Take this. It's the key to the attic. It should explain matters more clearly than I could."
-
> Very cautiously take the key
> Gather up the remains of Rocky (sniff) the Shocker
-
> "I swear to Gods, if this turns out like the Scarlet Devil Mansion crap and I have a sister up there I didn't even know I will be all kinds of pissed."
> Head for the attic.
-
>"I'm telling you, we gotta do it. The facade's gotta come down. And the sooner, the better. Don't worry, I can make it work. At least they got the charismatic part of the deal right."
>"And call off the guards, I'm sick of taking 'em down."
>To the attic!
-
> Very cautiously take the key
> Gather up the remains of Rocky (sniff) the Shocker
> "Believe me, or not. All I have is my word now."
> Received Attic Key.
> Alas, poor Rocky. This will take some repair work once you get home...maybe you can use the experience to teach Kai the ropes.
>"I'm telling you, we gotta do it. The facade's gotta come down. And the sooner, the better. Don't worry, I can make it work. At least they got the charismatic part of the deal right."
>"And call off the guards, I'm sick of taking 'em down."
>"Perhaps that is your opinion. But we of the council are very used to the old ways, very comfortable with them. A change would be potentially catastrophic - who would children look up to without the Kawashiro family as role models? Perhaps you would be a figurehead ruler, but if you were to think outside yourself then you would understand. You may still be too immature."
Hiro nods at your request, murmuring into his own earpiece. "Call off the search, Commander. ...Commander? Then who am I talking to? Just...just stop it. Retreat and return to base. Your work is done here. ...There, satisfied?"
> "I swear to Gods, if this turns out like the Scarlet Devil Mansion crap and I have a sister up there I didn't even know I will be all kinds of pissed."
> Head for the attic.
> "If only we had had that option to turn to..."
> You're a little nervous about leaving him alone, but your curiosity is too far piqued to leave this unresolved now. You head upstairs and open the trapdoor to the attic, uncertain what to expect when you enter. You were told on pain of spanking never to enter, and you never did figure out a way in. Now that you can look at last, you wonder if this sort of secret is worth uncovering.
To hell with it, you decide. It's this or rot on a throne for the rest of your life. You poke your head through the trapdoor, ready for just about anything.
You expected more than this. The attic is almost entirely empty - not a soul inside, just a single stand on the other side. A beautiful, elegantly made dress is standing there. You recognise the design - it's the dress that a princess is meant to wear during her coronation. You saw yours several times before, a wondrous shade of blue, but you were never allowed to so much as touch it.
This one is different, though. It isn't yours, it isn't blue - it's red.
As you come closer, you find a note attached to the front of the dress. You recognise the handwriting; it's your father's. You haven't seen this in a long time, but your heart skips a beat as you read it.
To my dearest Mitori,
Not a day passes when your absence does not rend my heart. Rest assured, when we find the bastard who did this to you, I will do everything in my power to avenge you.
Fear not, though, for coincidence has given us a single ray of light in these dark times. An unplanned conception, due only weeks before your end. It will take some effort, but rest assured I will not your fate befall her. She must not know - no-one must. The truth would frighten her, horrify her, cause her to fear that she would be next.
But still, Mitori, she is so beautiful. She is the yin to your yang, but she is beautiful. If only you could see her now.
If only you could meet Nitori yourself.
-
> "The hell...?"
> Take the note to Hiro and demand details.
-
>"'Agreement?' I don't like the sound of that, Hiro. Being unlikable can be worked on, but backroom deals that look like they're for your own power, well... trust isn't as easy to earn back, I think."
>"Which is why I would like you to come along with me for this little investigation. I'm sure your words will help explain when I'm there, even if they're not enough on their own."
>Bring Hiro to the attic. If he's this conniving, we need our eyes on him at all times.
Fuck.
>Touch the clothes. Fuck the rules, woman!
>Look inside, see if something left of this 'Mitori' person has been left here.
>Take the note as evidence to throw in peoples' face if Hiro acts up.
-
>"Oh dammit, dad! What the fuck!"
>Vow to make a grave-kicking device.
>Back to Hiro.
>"You. Explain. Or Curses."
-
>Touch the clothes. Fuck the rules, woman!
>Look inside, see if something left of this 'Mitori' person has been left here.
>Take the note as evidence to throw in peoples' face if Hiro acts up.
>It's soft. Immaculate, even, some of the finest crafting you've ever seen. Fit for a queen, most definitely.
>Besides the note, there's no sign of anything.
>You take the note as a safety precaution.
>"Oh dammit, dad! What the fuck!"
>Vow to make a grave-kicking device.
>Back to Hiro.
>"You. Explain. Or Curses."
>You wonder momentarily if the dead can still feel pain as you make your way back to Hiro. He seems resigned, now, and makes no attempt to escape his fate. He sees the note in your hand.
"I see you are more likely to listen to me now. That tells the story as it is, but perhaps some clarification is in order."
He sighed, bringing up memories that he'd held back for years and clearly not enjoying it.
"Years before you were born, King Tachimura had a daughter. She was Princess Mitori Kawashiro, and as with all royal births her existence was to be kept a secret until her coronation. All the servants of the palace and members of the council were sworn to secrecy.
Mitori was a wonderful child - curious, intelligent, outgoing. Her father loved her, and so did everyone who looked after her - her smile had a brightness that was almost contagious. She would all too often slip out of the palace and walk among the people, making the most of her anonymity and bringing cheer to the people of Kuromizu in her own little way.
She was slowly led into the duties she would take on as queen. She understood, and was willing to be a beacon of hope for the people. Indeed, bringing smiles to her fellow kappa was a duty she was very much devoted to. Still, even on the days before her impending coronation as the next queen, she would engage in her frolics throughout the city.
It was one of these trips that caused everything to fall apart. The servants were aware of her walks, but she always returned home at a decent hour. Until that one night, when even as Kuromizu sank into slumber there was no sign of Mitori. Come morning, she still hadn't emerged, and within the palace there was pandemonium. The Serpents were called in, search parties were formed, everything that we could do to find her we did.
But we were too late. They found her in a forgotten back alley in Kuromizu, her throat slit open and her heart long since stopped. It was the first time anyone had seen a look of horror on her face, but it was not an expression they would want to remember.
...Not an expression that I would want to remember."
Hiro pauses, starting to get emotional. He takes a deep breath before continuing.
"The search for the killer began immediately, but there was nothing to follow - no prints, no marks, no traces of the murderer's existence whatsoever. This was clearly no random killing - someone was aware of the princess's existence and ordered her murder as an attempt to end the Kawashiro line. After a thorough investigation, all we could find was a mole - a low-ranking member of the council who in his last moments confessed that he was responsible for the death of Mitori Kawashiro. Those were his last words before he bit down on a pill filled with some obscure poison and took his own life. He was afraid of discovery, but moreso afraid of being caught confessing. A pitiful man, but even with his confession we were unable to track the guilty party. With some effort we found the killer - an underground assassin for hire, who'd been the bane of Kuromizu for months - but even after interrogation he confessed that he was in the dark, with no idea who his target had actually been. Nor did he know the identity of his employer - he just received a considerable payment and did what came naturally to him.
So in the end, we were powerless. We could do nothing to avenge Mitori. None of us slept for days without soaking our beds in tears. An innocent girl had died because we hadn't considered the dangers that could have been waiting for her. And now the throne of Kuromizu was once again without an heir, so the killer may well have succeeded in their plan.
At least, until you arrived, Nitori.
Your birth was a second chance for all of us. A chance to repent for past mistakes. We had all involved swear that Mitori Kawashiro had never existed, all for your sake. We played it safe. We kept you under guard in the palace so no-one could reach you. Perhaps we were heavy-handed, but you have to understand that we were afraid. Every time I looked at you I would see your sister's eyes, that same glint, that same beauty. You were different, though; we pressed your duties on you too harshly, maybe. You rebelled, you ran away. In attempting to protect you, we'd given you your reason to leave.
Shortly afterwards, King Tachimura passed away. It became necessary to explain your absence under any guise that seemed believable, but over the years doubt started to grow within the people. We were on the verge of being revealed regardless, only for you to come right back to us. That's why we were so desperate - without you, everything falls apart."
Hiro finally stops, looking at you with the utmost severity.
"So in short, Nitori, that is it. You are the last in the Kawashiro line. The only girl who could possibly replace you is dead, and unless you find some way to bring back the dead or prevent her death from ever happening, she isn't coming back. We need you here, Nitori. Kuromizu needs you."
-
>Painful silence.
>...
>...Punch 'em in the dick!
>"That's for lying to me!"
>"And you know what? I could save her. Because I'm a damned genius. And you know what? I won't. Because this whole facade needs to crumble. And you need to have more faith in your people. They've gone without for years, and life's fine. They don't care anymore."
-
>Also, he's quite possibly an idiot. Why not just ask Keine, for crissakes?
-
>Recall the fact that you have a time travel belt. just gotta figure out the space travel part.
-
>Painful silence.
>...
>...Punch 'em in the dick!
>"That's for lying to me!"
>"And you know what? I could save her. Because I'm a damned genius. And you know what? I won't. Because this whole facade needs to crumble. And you need to have more faith in your people. They've gone without for years, and life's fine. They don't care anymore."
>Hiro is caught off guard, and proceeds to roll along the floor in pain.
"Kh...do we not owe her at least that much? Mitori died because someone wanted this system to be destroyed, for the Kawashiro line to stop. If we were to concede, then that would just be giving in, so I...refuse. I will not let Mitori Kawashiro die in vain. Either Kuromizu will have a monarch of the Kawashiro family, or I will die making it so.
And I'd ask that you stopped with your empty boasting. No scientist has ever found a way to revert time. Perhaps magic can grant immortality, but it cannot bring back what's been lost. We can't go to outsiders, either - if the outside world were to find out about our strife, it would only be another weapon for enemies to use against us."
>Recall the fact that you have a time travel belt. just gotta figure out the space travel part.
>Suddenly, you realise that you may have been right after all. If you figure out this belt, then you will change the world after all...just not the way you had intended to.
-
>Of course we knew about the belt!
>"So you're gonna keep it up for pride? Okay prove it. I want the advisors disbanded. We're going for option A."
>"...Oh, that war thing was kinda a fib. I was hoping to make 'em think twice."
-
>Of course we knew about the belt!
>"So you're gonna keep it up for pride? Okay prove it. I want the advisors disbanded. We're going for option A."
>"...Oh, that war thing was kinda a fib. I was hoping to make 'em think twice."
"You cannot run this country yourself, Nitori. You can try, but your knowledge only reaches so far - you will make mistakes, the sort of slip-ups that people believe the Kawashiro family to be above. They will lose faith in you, and from then on anything could happen.
And...perhaps I am stubborn. Perhaps I'm not willing to let bygones be bygones. But Mitori Kawashiro died because someone wanted to take this system apart. Call me favouritist if you want, but not even your word will shake my beliefs about that. Our system will stay, and either you will abide with it or abandon us to let Kuromizu burn. It's your decision, but don't expect me to budge an inch from where I stand."
-
>"About how difficult would it be to pass off another kappa as me? Someone more... suited to the position. I wouldn't be surprised if it's happened before..."
-
>"About how difficult would it be to pass off another kappa as me? Someone more... suited to the position. I wouldn't be surprised if it's happened before..."
>"That would involve giving the monarchy to a kappa outwith the royal line. I have pledged my loyalty to the Kawashiro family, and for as long as I draw breath I will not see it taken from them."
-
>"There's this thing called adoption....."
-
>"Fine. I've got an idea. Something that'll give you your damn stupid royalty. But I don't want any backtalk, got it? Give me the best lab you have. For myself. Got it? I don't want any kind of disturbance I didn't call for. And in the meantime, I want a replica made of Mitori's dead body. Good enough to fool every last one of you. I mean flawless. Got it?"
-
>"There's this thing called adoption....."
>"The blood is sacred. People are convinced the Kawashiro family is naturally gifted, blessed. Stepping outside the family would destroy that bloodline irrevocably."
>"Fine. I've got an idea. Something that'll give you your damn stupid royalty. But I don't want any backtalk, got it? Give me the best lab you have. For myself. Got it? I don't want any kind of disturbance I didn't call for. And in the meantime, I want a replica made of Mitori's dead body. Good enough to fool every last one of you. I mean flawless. Got it?"
>"So you can what? Create a machine to rule on in her name? I won't have Kuromizu ruled by a soulless automaton."
-
>"I'm a genius, you dimwit. I told you I could save her. You gonna call me a liar now? Arrange the lab already. And some cucumber juice."
-
>"I'm a genius, you dimwit. I told you I could save her. You gonna call me a liar now? Arrange the lab already. And some cucumber juice."
> "Also the transcripts of the assassins' interrogations."
> Pause a bit.
> "Darn it, might as well - also bring some of those court decisions you need ratified by a monarch."
> "And go find a girl with a gun hiding out in an alley back there and tell her she can come out now. Be careful, though, she's been instructed to go for the knees."
-
> It is time for SCIENCE!
> Once the preparations have been made, head for the lab.
-
>"I'm a genius, you dimwit. I told you I could save her. You gonna call me a liar now? Arrange the lab already. And some cucumber juice."
> "...I suppose if it will keep you inside Kuromizu, then I've got no reason to turn you down."
Hiro gets to his feet, straightening his tie as he heads for the door.
"It will take a little time to get together everything you asked for, but I'll see what I can do. I need to go make some calls. Our scientists have already tried and failed, but...maybe the Kawashiro blood will give you the edge you need."
As he reaches the door, though, he turns back with a venomous glare.
"However, I hope that you aren't lying to me. If I find that you've created a machine to rule in your sister's place...I will make you queen, so help me Yasaka, even if I have to chain you to the throne to do it. I've put too much of my life into this family to let things fall apart here."
With that, he closes the door, leaving you to yourself for a moment.
A few minutes later, you hear a gunshot.
"Dammit, I missed!"
Kai doesn't bother with subtlety given that she's already given her location away. In the alley, you can hear two other voices as well.
"What is this?! I thought Sir Hiro told us the hunt was over!"
"Not again! Hasn't that bad luck worn off by now?"
Pinned down by two Serpents, Kai looks rather flustered. She looks up to you and shouts.
"Hey! Princess! How long is it gonna take you to beat that guy up? I could use some backup down here!"
-
>"It's alright, I got him! They're with me now! And I'm Nitori, damn it!"
>Make some basic plans. We gotta attune this thing to one point in time and space...
-
> This voice politely questions why its inputs were ignored.
-
> This voice politely questions why its inputs were ignored.
> The parser combined your requests with the requests for a lab, cucumber juice etc. All of these will be supplied at once when Hiro returns. You will receive your transcripts in due time, though the parser needs a clarification as to which court orders you want ratified.
>"It's alright, I got him! They're with me now! And I'm Nitori, damn it!"
>Make some basic plans. We gotta attune this thing to one point in time and space...
>"Huh? Did I miss something?"
Janna and Sanna step out when they realise Kai is letting her guard down, and get enough of an opening to grab her again.
"Hey! I can walk up there, y'know!"
The Serpents aren't listening, and proceed to haul Kai through the palace into Hiro's room, placing her in front of you. They proceed to stand in the doorway, not particularly keen on talking to you after what you did to them earlier.
>OK, you need to examine this belt more carefully now. You've been spending time on-and-off thinking about the circuitry, but you're still drawing a bit of a blank. Perhaps some time in the lab will give you more insight; you produce a quick blueprint and look it over while you wait for Hiro to return.
"Hey, what're you looking over, princess? Some sorta escape plan?"
-
>Give SannaJ a look. "You be good to her, we're about to make all your wildest dreams come true."
>"The next time you call me Princess, I'm demoting you from favored lab assistant to cucumber culler. And vaguely, yes."
>Contemplate blueprints
>Can we do any onsite repairs to Rocky whilst waiting?
-
>Give SannaJ a look. "You be good to her, we're about to make all your wildest dreams come true."
>"The next time you call me Princess, I'm demoting you from favored lab assistant to cucumber culler. And vaguely, yes."
>Contemplate blueprints
>Can we do any onsite repairs to Rocky whilst waiting?
>"Really!? You mean I'm gonna get promoted to Commander?!"
"Hey, that isn't funny, Sanna. You know that I'm the one who deserves that promotion."
"But she just sai-"
"Who was falling over herself in the middle of combat half an hour ago?"
"...Uuu..."
They seem clueless; maybe they weren't in service when the Mitori incident happened. Mayu knew, but maybe she was the only one.
>You'll have to wait until you get to the lab to repair Rocky. It's too badly damaged to solve by hand.
> "OK, OK, I get it. Nitori it is."
> The contemplation turns up about as much as usual in terms of results. Kai looks over your shoulder, furrowing her eyebrows.
"That's, uh, a pretty complicated circuit. Not really following what's going on here."
You don't mention to her that your understanding of it isn't much better, instead maintaining your typical aura of knowledge.
"This segment here looks sort of screwed up. What's it doing?"
Kai points to one area on the circuit board, with wires flaying around in all different directions. You assumed that it was the segment responsible for the entire time travel incident, so you didn't tweak with it for risk of depowering the machine entirely. It's too complicated a mesh of wires for you to accurately recreate.
"Sorta reminds me of an octopus, with all those arms coming out the middle."
An octopus? What sort of analogies did this girl come up wi-
Wait.
Wait.
The middle.
Oh god, she probably doesn't even have a clue what she's talking about, but she's onto something.
"Huh? You figure something out?"
You don't respond - you're busy frantically pulling off the belt, throwing it onto a nearby table, and opening it up to examine its insides. You look at the mesh of wires Kai's attention had been focused on.
They all pass through one point. If the power is dependent on the resistances of the wires here, then by shifting this focal point...
Shit. You've done it. You've done it. You honestly want to hug Kai right now, but first you want to get to this lab and try things yourself. You have specifics to work out before you can declare this an outright success.
Hiro returns ten minutes later, handing you a set of files. "Hopefully, this should cover everything you need to know about the incident. The interviews with the killer, the details we could track of the crime, everything. And your...other request will be ready within the hour. Just...don't let me see her. Not again. It was bad enough once."
He leads you through the palace again. "And as for a lab...well, we have the very best to offer you. It may be somewhat ancient, but for the sake of dignity we've kept the equipment up to date."
He leads you into the basement. After you get over the realisation that the place even HAS a basement, you find yourself being guided into...oh, wow. You could have sworn you'd seen this place in your dreams as the perfect laboratory - with every piece of equipment, every modern technology you could ever hope for. Hiro allows himself a small smile.
"Welcome to the workplace of Ichinose Kawashiro."
-
>Okay, now Kai gets a hug.
>Also squee.
>"Ahem. Let's get to work."
>Proceed. Read through the court records while concocting a good reasonably safe way to test the Camotime Device.
-
>Okay, now Kai gets a hug.
>Also squee.
>"Ahem. Let's get to work."
>Proceed. Read through the court records while concocting a good reasonably safe way to test the Camotime Device.
>Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeokay you'd better stop that now. Kai is giving you a pretty awkward glare.
>The records are, in general, rather unhelpful in terms of providing information. There's only one record that holds anything of interest; an interrogation with the hired killer, who after refusing to give his name was referred to simply as K.
Transcript of Interrogation of Prisoner #2254, Codename: K
Officer In Service: Mayu Fukuhara
Mayu: Good afternoon, K.
K: Hello again, ma'am.
Mayu: Do you have to keep up the politeness routine?
K: It's not a facade, ma'am. A killer has to be graceful and polite. Otherwise clients become irritated, and no-one likes an angry employer.
Mayu: Funny you should bring that up. I wanted to talk to you about your employer today.
K: I've told you a dozen times, already, I've got no idea who it was.
Mayu: There's no way that they could possibly have left no traces of the contact. They must have given you a name to work with, or sent an advisor, or something.
K: Can't say too well. I got all of that second-hand, remember? Only person I talked to in person was Councillor Haiji. How is he, by the way?
Mayu: He's dead.
K: Can't say I'm too surprised. From what I could tell he was horrified of who he was working for. Makes sense he'd rather die than snitch.
Mayu: Did he tell you anything more useful than that?
K: Hmm...I guess there was one time that he talked about it. He was shaking like a leaf, kinda hilarious how pitiful he was, actually. He was only saying one thing that I guess could help you, though.
Mayu: Say it.
K: Ah, you seem eager. Well, I'm not about to let my chips down easy, so if you want me to talk you'll need to lighten my sentence a li-
Mayu: Done.
K: ...What has you so desperate, ma'am?
Mayu: Your target...her parents are rich and influencial. They're desperate to apprehend whoever planned this.
K: Hm, is that so. Well, I can only tell you this much: there was one phrase that I saw Haiji muttering to himself whenever he got really worried. He'd just sit and whisper it beneath his breath...'we started it, we started it, we started it'...
-INTERROGATION CUT SHORT DUE TO OTHER SCHEDULING, END TRANSCRIPT-
> Received Interrogation Transcript.
> You begin tweaking the belt, trying to figure out how to properly prepare it. From what you can tell, shifting the focal point left or right determines how far back/forward in time you go, while moving it up or down changes the distance from your starting location you're sent. It's rather far down right now, which is why it took you out of the border last time, but this time you pull it all the way up so that you'll arrive in roughly the same place you left.
A few seconds later, you're setting the time variable to take you thirty seconds in the past...only to find another girl suddenly appearing in the room alongside you, wearing exactly the same belt. In fact, it IS you.
"Wow. This thing really works. It...really works! I did it! I DID IT!"
She sits around for a short while, dancing, before realising where she is and pressing the button again to jump Back to the Future (TM). You are slightly afraid that if you don't perform this test as well you'll fall victim to a time paradox, but you're not sure if it's worth the social humiliation.
-
> Time paradoxes are horrible things. Do the test to ensure it doesn't happen.
> After the test, mull over what the phrase in the transcript might mean.
-
> Time paradoxes are horrible things. Do the test to ensure it doesn't happen.
> After the test, mull over what the phrase in the transcript might mean.
> You cast aside your dignity for a moment, before taking your before-future-now-present self and activating the device. You emerge exactly thirty minutes ago, and suddenly there's an incredible urge to dance on the spot and celebrate your success. Your before-present-now-past self stares at you, unimpressed, and a little part of you dies inside as you go Back to the Before-Future-Now-Present.
Time travel is confusion.
> 'We started it...' This was coming from a councillor, a member of Kuromizu's undercover government. Was the attack part of a revenge plan for some earlier misgiving?
You don't even realise how long you've been working on fine-tweaking the Optic Chrono when there's another knock on the door.
"Princess...we've brought it."
Janna and Sanna enter, wheeling along a disturbingly accurate body. You'd rather not know the methods they went through to create this, but you're rather confident it will work. The body would have been cremated after a quick inspection found nothing of note, so any misgivings would hopefully be forgotten.
That face...it's a little comforting now, knowing that if you succeed she'd never have screamed like that. You take a moment to ponder if you're actually in control here, or if some god up above is running the shots with your time travel and you're just following orders you aren't even aware of.
Your head hurts again.
-
> Examine the body.
> Do any last minute adjustments and preparations.
> Consider bringing a firearm.
> Consider bringing Kai.
-
>We have Vera. It'll be all we need.
>Bringing Kai might complicate things. Leave her here for now.
-
> Examine the body.
> Do any last minute adjustments and preparations.
> Consider bringing a firearm.
> Consider bringing Kai.
> It is, for all intents and purposes, a believable and lifelike replica. A mark on her throat has been made to look exactly like the fatal knife wound.
You had expectations when you heard about her, but you're still surprised at how different she is from you. The yin from your yang, indeed - a bright red dress with an accessory shaped strangely like a lock. You remember having a fondness for keys in your youth, and bite your lip.
> You need to decide where and when you want to go. You have an estimated time for when the crime took place, and a definite location, so you need to decide how far before the crime you want to be prepared before heading out to the alley where she was found.
> You decide Vera is more than enough. Harming K in the past could invoke another ugly time paradox - you'll have to convince him that he killed Mitori, without actually letting him kill Mitori. Vera's probably the best for that.
> "Aw, man. Guess I'll take some time to figure out how some of your kappa technology works, then."
Kai walks off to dissect some innocent machines on the other side of the room, muttering the occasional 'ooh' and 'ah'.
-
>"Don't worry, Kai, I'll have this dealt with."
>Ponder, then look over the reports to find out exactly how the crime was done, and how long the assassin was laying in wait.
-
>"Don't worry, Kai, I'll have this dealt with."
>Ponder, then look over the reports to find out exactly how the crime was done, and how long the assassin was laying in wait.
>'Culprit K followed victim through back alleys and confronted her for roughly a minute before the fatal blow was delivered. K has various bruises and cuts that correlate with a brawl.'
-
>About ten minutes beforehand should be good enough.
>Do we have it calibrated to take us to that alley, or do we need we walk there?
-
>About ten minutes beforehand should be good enough.
>Do we have it calibrated to take us to that alley, or do we need we walk there?
> You can only calibrate it as 'distance from starting point', unfortunately, so you'll need to be there in person unless you want to risk being in the entirely wrong place.. The Serpents should be able to order people away so they don't see incriminating information - like, say, the body you'll have to haul around.
-
>Let's do that, then. Hie over to the alley with the body; wrapped up in a blanket.
-
>Current Quest
>Consider what would happen if you succeed. Any time paradoxes?
-
>Hopefully, leaving the corpse behind and capping the shit out of the killer with Vera will cause the killer enough bad luck he'll get blamed for it even if he didn't actually do it, and will leave time relatively intact.
>Does the Mitori doll have proper blood we can dip the dagger in, or do we need to arrange this ourselves?
-
>Briefly wonder if we're K.
>Or if it'd be possible to orchestrate the 'assassination' through more subtle means...
-
>Current Quest
>Consider what would happen if you succeed. Any time paradoxes?
>What Once Went Wrong: Use your new invention to prevent the death of Mitori Kawashiro.
Akyu's Homework Chronicle: Deliver your notes on Kuromizu to the Human Village's historian.
> Simply stopping the murder is likely to invoke a time paradox and is therefore the least viable option. You must convince the world that the murder happened - up to and including the 'murderer' himself - while either ordering Mitori to go into hiding until the present or cutting the middleman and bringing her straight into the future.
>Briefly wonder if we're K.
>Or if it'd be possible to orchestrate the 'assassination' through more subtle means...
>Unless you spent several years in Kuromizu Prison and are also male, you are probably not K.
>Subtle is to vague a word for the parser to fully comprehend. Come again?
>Does the Mitori doll have proper blood we can dip the dagger in, or do we need to arrange this ourselves?
>Blood is the one thing you don't have - the appropriate marks are on the body, but that's all you have.
The murder weapon was an immaculately sharp blade, sharp enough to only catch a few traces of blood. There was no obvious need to identify the blood given the circumstances, though.
>Let's do that, then. Hie over to the alley with the body; wrapped up in a blanket.
>You have Janna and Sanna accompany you to the alley in question. It's a desolate dead end, nothing of note here. The place seems almost unnecessary. Maybe if it had never been built, things would have gone differently, but that's too much of a time paradox to really be worth considering now.
There's a single cut flower lying on the ground. It must have been beautiful once, but it's long since wilted. A silent memorial from a grieving father?
"Anyway. You'd better go and do...whatever it is you're doing. Man, I hate when the higher-ups don't fill us in."
"Eh. I'm used to not knowing where I'm going and what I'm doing it for, Janna."
You double-check the settings one last time, making sure everything is immaculate before taking a deep breath and activating the belt. There's a familiar bright flash, and after a few seconds clearing your eyes, the world around you has changed completely.
It's now evening, and a dimmer light is hanging over Kuromizu. You're holding the covered body in one hand, ready to drop it when the time calls for it. You still have a little time before things get serious, so now is the time to make any necessary preparations to the crime scene.
-
>Step one: Place the body, then cover it again.
>Step two: Look for a good spot to hide, and snipe with Vera. Should this not present itself, just a good spot to hide and step out speedily.
-
>Subtle is to vague a word for the parser to fully comprehend. Come again?
Orchestrating the entire murder scheme from the beginning would be thoroughly hilarious and neatly removes the issue of finding out who hates the Kawashiro line, since they don't actually exist if that happens. Problems include generating really fucked up paradox-avoiding logic, the time taken, and the huge risks of getting caught.
-
Orchestrating the entire murder scheme from the beginning would be thoroughly hilarious and neatly removes the issue of finding out who hates the Kawashiro line, since they don't actually exist if that happens. Problems include generating really fucked up paradox-avoiding logic, the time taken, and the huge risks of getting caught.
> It would also involve all sorts of hijinks with Councillor Haiji's suicide. So...yeah.
>Step one: Place the body, then cover it again.
>Step two: Look for a good spot to hide, and snipe with Vera. Should this not present itself, just a good spot to hide and step out speedily.
> You lay the body down on the ground, carefully placing the blanket over it so nothing is visible. You hide behind a small pile of crates, listening out for someone approaching.
It takes a few minutes, but a whistling noise starts to become audible. There's a little nervousness held within it.
"Oh, dear. I don't think I've been in this part of the city before..."
Her steps are moving towards and away from you, as she walks down different streets and alleys until finally she comes into view. It's only now you see how accurate the body copy was - the girl walking down towards you looks like a perfect match. She's smiling, though it's an uncharacteristically nervous one.
"...Ah. A dead end. Oh well, guess I'd better start again..."
She turns around. From here you can only make out where she's standing, but further down the alley someone must be staring at her.
"Oh. Um, hello. Could you possibly help me get back to the main street? I'm, ah, slightly lost..."
As the man approaches, Mitori instinctively takes a step backward. She's not naive enough to miss the aggression in his gait. It's going to still be a while before K comes into shooting range, and by then he'll likely be charging Mitori head-on. You might miss a moving target, but jumping out now might cause him to go for you instead...
-
>Can't risk Mitori, and if he comes from us, instead...
>Jump out now. Fire if we feel we can do so without hitting Mitori.
-
>Can't risk Mitori, and if he comes from us, instead...
>Jump out now. Fire if we feel we can do so without hitting Mitori.
> Too hell with subtlety. A life's at stake here.
> You leap out from behind the boxes, aiming Vera at your target as quickly as you can. K is taken back slightly, and the knife he had been concealing behind his back comes out without a need to be concealed anymore.
Vera fires. The shot was perfect, you know it, there's no way he'll be able to move quickly enough to avoid it-
*thwip*
Unless he's skilled enough to, uh, cut the strip of ribbon before it reaches him. Which he apparently is. Uh-oh.
"Exactly what sort of weapon was that, ma'am? I can't believe you've survived in these alleys long if that's what you call a weapon."
He's smiling as he steps closer, brandishing his knife eagerly. Its blade glints for an instant, the light above reflecting from it momentarily. All the while, Mitori is watching on wide-eyed, without a clue what's going on.
One shot might be too easy for him to dodge. Several could be better, but you'd have to burn through your Vera ammo pretty quickly. Unless you have any other ideas - all you have in the environment that could help you is the pile of boxes nearby - it might be a choice between that and getting diced.
-
>Well crap.
>"That was pretty skillful, K. I am seriously impressed."
-
> Is Mitori still in his range of attack?
> Inventory.
> Consider how we could use the boxes to our advantage.
-
>Well crap.
>"That was pretty skillful, K. I am seriously impressed."
"Thank you for the compliment, ma'am. I see you've already started to learn that a good compliment goes a long way. A pleasant surprise, though it'll just make it a shame when I have to cut you down."
> Is Mitori still in his range of attack?
> Inventory.
> Consider how we could use the boxes to our advantage.
> Currently, you're between him and Mitori, so he'll be reaching her over your dead body. This is much more viable than you would like to admit.
>Inventory:
Bits And Bobs
Optic Chrono
11,000 Yen
PDA
Notepad (w/pencil)
Vera (18 rounds)
Rocky The Shocker (Damaged)
Cucumber x 18
Royal Symbol
Wall-Mounted Camera
Pistol (Given to Kai)
Scuba Gear (Given to Kai)
>It looks like the boxes are made out of rather brittle wood. They would probably break into several tiny pieces if broken.
-
>Fire at his legs, low enough he won't be able to easily slice the shot without going into an odd position. If he dodges.
>When he tries to move or counter, grab a big handful of bits and bobs, and fling 'em into his face. As he reacts to that, shoot again.
-
>Do you think the cut ammo is still cursed?
-
>Consider bluffing as an allied associate testing his skills?
-
>Recall K's motivation to kill Mitori.
-
>Recall K's motivation to kill Mitori.
He was hired by parties unknown, apparently linked to someone in the regency.
-
>Do you think the cut ammo is still cursed?
>Given that he's yet to trip over something and knock himself out, you'd have to say no.
>Recall K's motivation to kill Mitori.
>He was hired by councillor Haiji, who himself was working for an as yet unknown group.
>Consider bluffing as an allied associate testing his skills?
>'I won't fall for that, ma'am. Maybe you're still new here, but taking someone as an ally means at some point you'll turn your back on them. And that's a great place to put a knife, if you know what I mean."
>Fire at his legs, low enough he won't be able to easily slice the shot without going into an odd position. If he dodges.
>When he tries to move or counter, grab a big handful of bits and bobs, and fling 'em into his face. As he reacts to that, shoot again.
>He doesn't know your weapon, but he knows that getting hit by it is Not Good (TM). He jumps into the air to dodge your shot from Vera, and you thank your lucky stars that he can't change his trajectory in midair.
You reach for a handful of metal bolts and other nonsense, and fling it at K's face.
"Quite the cheapskate, aren't you-!"
K raises a hand to shield his face from the incoming makeshift bullets, losing sight of you for a moment. You pull out Vera again and let off a quick shot, catching him in the arm while he isn't looking. As he lands - with a painful-sounding crack of his knees - he doesn't seem aware that you've managed to catch him with the curse.
"Certainly new to this if that's what you call an attack. I'd give you some pointers if you weren't in my way."
-
>"Sorry about that. But when outclassed, you have to do your best, you know?"
>One more time, in the torso.
-
>
Is it really necessary to shoot him again? Can't be too careful.
>Insert link to Trade Snark. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TradeSnark)
>Consider saying you are stronger than gods. (Which (http://touhou.wikia.com/wiki/Shizuha_Aki) is (http://touhou.wikia.com/wiki/Minoriko_Aki) true. (http://touhou.wikia.com/wiki/Hina_Kagiyama))
-
>We get like one shot to do this right. We need him as cursed as possible, so he'll get blamed for a murder he didn't actually commit and the changes to time are minimal. Otherwise we're going to be messing with the timestream for ages and it'll never get fixed.
>We gotta unload the whole thing into him; and maybe steal Hina's panties later to get new ammo.
-
>Is it really necessary to shoot him again? Can't be too careful.
>Insert link to Trade Snark. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TradeSnark)
>Consider saying you are stronger than gods. (Which (http://touhou.wikia.com/wiki/Shizuha_Aki) is (http://touhou.wikia.com/wiki/Minoriko_Aki) true. (http://touhou.wikia.com/wiki/Hina_Kagiyama))
>He smiles at your confidence, if nothing else. "I've never seen a god try to kill anyone with metal bolts before, I suppose."
>No time for half-measures with this. Time is not something you want to screw with and then get wrong, so you need to make this count. You aim Vera straight at K, firing until you hear a satisying click.
K attempts to parry these shots like he did the earlier ones, but for some reason his slices are consistently off the mark. In fact, they grow moreso as time goes on, until with the last slash he manages to catch himself on the other arm. A few drops of blood make their way onto the knife.
"...I'm beginning to wonder if you have a death wish. Ribbons as bullets? I can't see how that would achieve anything at all."
-
>Is Vera out of ammo?
>If not, keep up the music.
>If so, just give him some of them danmakus in the face. No need to give him an explanation and risk his story being more plausible.
-
>Smile.
>"You have no idea..."
>Wonder how extremely terrible his luck must be now.
-
>Is Vera out of ammo?
>If not, keep up the music.
>If so, just give him some of them danmakus in the face. No need to give him an explanation and risk his story being more plausible.
>The music has ended not with a bang, but with a click.
>Danmaku in this small an area might be risky. Mainly because most of your attacks hit 360 degrees, and Mitori is still standing behind you. So...yeah.
>Smile.
>"You have no idea..."
>Wonder how extremely terrible his luck must be now.
>If this guy was standing outside right now, he'd be prime bait for a passing lightning bolt or meteorite. That's how bad his luck is right now.
K preps the knife again, almost dropping it out of a newfound clumsiness.
"My apologies for the, ahem, handicap, but I only saw it fit to give you one last fair fight."
You know he's talking out of his ass to save face. You can do whatever you want to him now.
-
>There's a classic move that one such as ourselves have likely wanted to try.
>Gather star power.
>Uppercut!
-
> Just tell him what we did to him, he doesn't seem like a bad guy (For an assassin), just professional
-
>We don't need him using "I was cursed and framed!" as a defense.
>Tell him nothing. It's what he gets for killing people.
-
>There's a classic move that one such as ourselves have likely wanted to try.
>Gather star power.
>Uppercut!
We can do better than this.
>Koryuken!
-
>Koryuken!
>Your attack is hilariously easy to read, carries almost no force and will leave you a sitting duck to counterattack if you happen to miss. K is well aware of all these facts, and proceeds to sidestep it.
Or at least tries to, until his leg conveniently manages to catch on an almost invisible wire underneath him.
"?!"
Your fist connects with K's jaw, and as luck would just so happen to have it he's a glass jaw. He stands upright for a moment, eyes staring dazed into the distance, before falling to the floor and hitting his head against the edge of one of those wooden boxes. Man, with his luck, the blow probably gave him short-term memory-loss, and when he wakes up and finds a dead body he'll just assume he did his job.
You feel a strong urge to cry out for your father. Overdramatically.
"A-Ahh..."
Mitori lets out a little whine of awe as the fight comes to an end. She looks terrified - not just because of K wanting to kill her, but because you look so familiar...she can't place where, but...
"Um...thank you. But...what's going on, exactly? All I did was take a wrong turn, and..."
-
>"Okay. Listen to me, if you want to get out of this okay. I'm going to give you a series of really arcane and weird instructions, and I need you to follow them to the letter, otherwise things will be messy for everyone. I swear I will explain later, and it will all make sense, and you'll be way happier for it. Okay?"
>Presuming she agrees. "I need to you cut your hand on that knife of his, so that it's got some blood on it. Trust me, this is super important and it will make sense later."
-
>"Okay. Listen to me, if you want to get out of this okay. I'm going to give you a series of really arcane and weird instructions, and I need you to follow them to the letter, otherwise things will be messy for everyone. I swear I will explain later, and it will all make sense, and you'll be way happier for it. Okay?"
>"B-But...who are you?"
She still looks pretty nervous, stuttering on her words as her brain runs on overdrive. This whole incident seems to have shaken her - given the way you had been talking with K, it's very possible in her mind that you're another competing assassin who wants to kill her as well.
-
>"Well...I came from the future to stop this murder. Do it, or else, we'll have a time paradox."
>Go to dizzy.pestermom.com to grab a "TIME PARADOX" screen.
-
> "I promise this will all make some kind of sense later, but you have to listen to what I say right now. Don't worry. You can trust me."
-
> Oh Hiro is gonna be so confused when we explain this to him, hehe
> "Look trust me, I'm not gonna kill you, I promise" Is there a secret Royalty promise thing? If so, do one
-
>"I'm your sister from the future trying to make it so you never actually died."
>reveal the body double.
>"Just in case the regency decides to test whether mister assassin actually got YOUR blood on the knife, I'd like to play it safe and make that the case. Though I'm not sure they did... or will, rather. Damn time travel."
-
>Mitori raises an eyebrow at all of your statements. If anything, all you've managed to do so far is make her even more confused, and showing her the body double at this point in time hasn't helped with anything. If you could prove your royalty to her with some sort of evidence, that would probably convince her that you could be trusted.
-
>Reveal the Royal Symbol.
-
> Pull out the insignia.
> "See? I can be trusted."
-
>Sigh.
>"Fine. Look."
>Show her the stupid royal crest.
>Inventory. We have any other evidence?
-
>"Now do it, I want to get out of here ASAP, before things get nasty."
>Put away seal.
-
>OK, the parser gets it, show her the Symbol. You don't need to repeat yourself, it heard you the first time.
>"Ah! That's..."
Mitori takes a moment to examine the crest. She prods at it, feeling the genuine gold that it's constructed of. She looks at you, then the crest, then back to you.
"Then...you're my..."
She gulps. For a few seconds, silence.
"...Okay, this is probably the most ridiculous thing I've ever done in my life, but I'll trust you. I don't recognise you, but if all your talk of time travel is true than that's to be expected."
You offer her K's knife and she pulls down a sleeve on her dress. Her hand wavers, and it takes a lot of effort on her part, but she makes a small cut along her arm and allows the knife to soak in some of the blood.
"Ow...alright, hopefully that should be enough. What now...?"
-
>"Now we set up the crime scene."
>Do so.
>"Then, I give you a hug, tell you time travel is a bitch, and we jump forward a few years to make you queen."
>Proceed, barring any good reason not to.
-
>During hug, whisper, "You owe me big."
-
> "Well then! Here's hoping I still get born later on."
> Go back to our time if the scene is all set up.
-
>So, are we/am I having Mitori hide out until the present, or bringing her with us/me to our time?
-
>She's coming with us. Way less history altering that way.
-
>"Now we set up the crime scene."
>Do so.
>"Then, I give you a hug, tell you time travel is a bitch, and we jump forward a few years to make you queen."
>Proceed, barring any good reason not to.
>You enact the scene as accurately as you can; setting up K's body with the knife, leaving the double uncovered for all to see, and picking up the fallen ammunition. You scrap it, given that it no longer has any particular use.
>There's something endearing as you hug Mitori. It's a weird feeling, considering you only learned she existed an hour ago, but it's comforting. She is a little uncomfortable to start with, eventually she eases into it and hugs you back.
>During hug, whisper, "You owe me big."
>"Thank you. If you weren't already a member of royalty, I'd have you knighted for this."
You feel slightly ill. Lady Kawashiro just sounds so wrong to you.
> "Well then! Here's hoping I still get born later on."
> Go back to our time if the scene is all set up.
>Still wrapping your arms around Mitori, you hit the switch on the belt. The two of you are engulfed in a familiar flash...
and before you know it you're back in Kuromizu, having swapped your fake princess for a real one.
"...Incredible. You actually figured out how to travel through time..."
Mitori pauses for a moment in sheer wonder, before her grip around your waist tightens.
"Oh, Nitori, you're such a genius!"
You feel the faint urge to pass out as Mitori continues her bear hug, until a nervous cough in the background breaks the silence. She lets go just before you start to suffocate.
"Pardon the intrusion on this lovely scene, but who exactly is this?"
Janna is eyeing up Mitori in confusion.
-
>"This my my no longer dead sister, Janna. And your new boss."
>Look to Mitori.
>...Ponder if we could get away with nicknaming her Meaty.
>"Okay, this is the short version. You're about...what, two decades into the future. You were supposed to have died back there. Then I came along, and they tried to foist the whole dynasty on me, and I'm not having that. Mind you, I'd be the best damn queen they ever had, but it's not for me."
>Pause.
>"This is a whole lot to dump on you, I know. But really, you were supposed to have died back there. That's why I left that fake body, bloodied up the knife, and all that. To keep things like they were supposed to be. Otherwise...well, I might not have been born, for starters."
>"Anyways, you kinda understand where I'm coming from, right? I don't blame you if you don't want to buy some of it..."
>Pause again. Oh shit, someone has to tell her Dad's dead...
-
>How did Dad die anyways?
-
> Think of the possibility that everything we did, a future we did it too thus giving us our situation, making so that we have to do it the same way and giving the past us the same situation where she has to do everything we did to solve the problem, thus giving the same situation to her past self.....uhgggg, time travels confusing.
-
>"This my my no longer dead sister, Janna. And your new boss."
>Look to Mitori.
>...Ponder if we could get away with nicknaming her Meaty.
>"Okay, this is the short version. You're about...what, two decades into the future. You were supposed to have died back there. Then I came along, and they tried to foist the whole dynasty on me, and I'm not having that. Mind you, I'd be the best damn queen they ever had, but it's not for me."
>Pause.
>"This is a whole lot to dump on you, I know. But really, you were supposed to have died back there. That's why I left that fake body, bloodied up the knife, and all that. To keep things like they were supposed to be. Otherwise...well, I might not have been born, for starters."
>"Anyways, you kinda understand where I'm coming from, right? I don't blame you if you don't want to buy some of it..."
>Pause again. Oh shit, someone has to tell her Dad's dead...
>Janna doesn't respond, simply staring at Mitori. And staring. And staring.
Sanna waves a hand in front of her face. No response.
"Wow. I think you broke her."
>Nicknaming the queen of Kuromizu 'Meaty' is unlikely to bode well. Then again, since you're still a member of the royal family you're hardly going to get arrested for it...
>"You're right, this IS a lot to tell me. But I suppose after all of that I'm not really in any state to disagree with you, am I?"
Mitori looks a little disoriented as she comes to a realisation.
"Oh, no, that means that Father must have been waiting for me all this time! He knows about all of this, right? I wouldn't want him to spend years thinking that I had...you know."
>How did Dad die anyways?
>Technically, he died of illness brought around by old age, but it was no secret among the servants that he'd been a different man since Mitori's 'death'. You had been his one pillar of strength, and when you disappeared his body just saw no reason to keep on going.
> Think of the possibility that everything we did, a future we did it too thus giving us our situation, making so that we have to do it the same way and giving the past us the same situation where she has to do everything we did to solve the problem, thus giving the same situation to her past self.....uhgggg, time travels confusing.
> You file this situation in a mental folder labelled Weird Time Shit.
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>"Well...Not all of it. Um, you see. There's kind of a reason they're trying to force me onto the throne..."
>Give her a hug if she needs it. "Sorry."
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>"Well...Not all of it. Um, you see. There's kind of a reason they're trying to force me onto the throne..."
>Give her a hug if she needs it. "Sorry."
> "...Ah. You mean he...and he didn't know...and I never got to say goodbye...?"
Mitori is unsurprisingly shaken by this, and is more than willing to let you hug her for comfort. You hear sniffles in her breath, but she manages to hold back the urge to wail as tears slip down her face.
"I-I'm sorry...I should have been ready for this, I know, but still. It's so sudden, and...he was telling me to get ready for it all this time, and it still catches me off guard. We can't...use that belt of yours again, can we? Just so he doesn't pass on thinking that I've been murdered..."
It's an unnecessary detour that risks screwing up the timeline, but it looks like it'd help her come to terms if you go through with it.
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>"I have to think about it. And we wouldn't be able to do it right now. I need to calibrate the thing. And... find out when his last time alone was. We'll put it on the list, alright Meaty?"
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>"I have to think about it. And we wouldn't be able to do it right now. I need to calibrate the thing. And... find out when his last time alone was. We'll put it on the list, alright Meaty?"
>She sniffles a little. "Alright. I would really appreciate it. ...And you probably shouldn't call me Meaty, at least not in public."
Janna is still standing frozen in place. Sanna is making the most of the occasion by prodding her in various areas of the face.
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>"Eh. The public will adjust. They got a lot of adjusting to do. You'll help with that, because you owe be big. Let's get back to the palace so everyone can fawn over you and shower me with praise."
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>"Eh. The public will adjust. They got a lot of adjusting to do. You'll help with that, because you owe be big. Let's get back to the palace so everyone can fawn over you and shower me with praise."
>"Y-Yes. Let's go."
After pulling Janna out of stasis at last, you guide Mitori back to the palace. Hiro is waiting for you at the entrance, and his eyes turn first to you, flooded with concern.
Then they catch Mitori, and they're watering almost instantly.
"Oh, Mitori...!"
Considering his age, he's incredibly spry as he runs out from the palace entrance and embraces Mitori in a hug. He's crying tears of joy, prompting a slight giggle from Sanna.
"Ah...Hiro-kun...I...I can't breathe..."
From that warning, Hiro suddenly realises what he's doing and pulls back.
"Ah, forgive me, forgive me, it's just that it's been so long and we thought you'd been dead all this time and...oh, it's just so good to see you again."
Mitori smiles at the old man. You understand what they meant about that smile - you feel a little warm just looking at it.
"Hey, you're back! And you brought your sister too!"
Kai emerges from inside the palace as well, currently fiddling with what used to be a microscope. You have no idea what she's doing to it now, and frankly you aren't sure if you want to know.
"So, how'd it go? Any giant rifts in the timestream we need to worry about?"
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>"If I did everything right, no. The killer should think that he killed Mitori."
>No updates for two days?
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>"Because I'm a genius."
>Sage nod. Get our Ryder strut on.
>"Ain't that right, Hiro? So what's next?"
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>"If I did everything right, no. The killer should think that he killed Mitori."
>No updates for two days?
>Your computer must be really slow if it takes two days to process one action. Perhaps you should clear your cache.
>"Oh, thank you. I...I don't know what to say. I didn't honestly believe you when you said you could bring her back, but...."
>Hiro is struggling with his emotions, barely able to speak. He looks overjoyed.
>"Because I'm a genius."
>Sage nod. Get our Ryder strut on.
>"Ain't that right, Hiro? So what's next?"
>You perform a dance that most would consider below royalty. Not that you care.
"C-Certainly. Now that I have proof of your ability, I...I can't disagree with you. You've prevented a murder and saved the heir to the Kawashiro throne, and for that I'm truly thankful.
It's a shame, though, that the forces who ordered the murder haven't been caught...they covered their tracks exceedingly well by frightening Haiji into suicide. Where else can we look for clues?"
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> "Who knows? Maybe the document's contents have been written a tad differently in this timeline? Although it would also help if Mitori noticed anything even slightly odd that may have been happening in the Castle."
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> Explain the possibility of Mitori never having be murdered in the first place and that a past version of yourself saved her too. And the past version of her and the past version of he......tell him this might possibly be a time loop.
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>"Personally? I think they'll probably do something when Meaty manifests out of nowhere."
>"Hey, Hiro, when you got some time, I need to asking you something private...about things."
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> Explain the possibility of Mitori never having be murdered in the first place and that a past version of yourself saved her too. And the past version of her and the past version of he......tell him this might possibly be a time loop.
>If there is a time loop, hope that it's stable. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Republican_primary,_2008)
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> "Who knows? Maybe the document's contents have been written a tad differently in this timeline? Although it would also help if Mitori noticed anything even slightly odd that may have been happening in the Castle."
> Stable timelines mean everything is still exactly the same as you left it. Fortunately the Timey Wimey Ball isn't that Timey Wimey.
"Ah, me? Well, Councillor Haiji was acting a little strange around me. He'd ask me every so often if I regretted what my father had done. I had no idea what he was talking about, so I just smiled and walked away, but he seemed really concerned about it..."
> Explain the possibility of Mitori never having be murdered in the first place and that a past version of yourself saved her too. And the past version of her and the past version of he......tell him this might possibly be a time loop.
> "Ah, I think I'll do without the explanation. I was never a physicist, sorry. All that matters is that Mitori's alive now, right?"
>"Personally? I think they'll probably do something when Meaty manifests out of nowhere."
>"Hey, Hiro, when you got some time, I need to asking you something private...about things."
>"Is it a good idea to leave it that late? If they find out about her again they'll certainly attempt something much more open, but at the same time it puts Mitori in that much more danger.
Oh, me? Well, if you want, we could go aside and have a chat together...I'm sure your human friend can help keep the princess company."
Mitori is curiously watching Kai tweak with the microscope, offering the occasional suggestion. They look like they'll be entertained by that thing for a while.
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> "She was always alive you know, she was just in the future, present, whatever"
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>Take Hiro aside.
>"Okay, so, the plan went perfect. Just one little snag. Mitori...kinda just lost her father out of nowhere. And, yeah, that's a bit much. I was wondering...um, could you tell me about his last moments, what you know? I'm kind of thinking about...you know, popping in one last time. Giving him the good news, all that. Figure it'd make him feel a bit better about things."
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> "She was always alive you know, she was just in the future, present, whatever"
> Hiro doesn't look like he's following. Apparently not everyone is built for understanding time travel.
>Take Hiro aside.
>"Okay, so, the plan went perfect. Just one little snag. Mitori...kinda just lost her father out of nowhere. And, yeah, that's a bit much. I was wondering...um, could you tell me about his last moments, what you know? I'm kind of thinking about...you know, popping in one last time. Giving him the good news, all that. Figure it'd make him feel a bit better about things."
>"...Ah. True, that is something of a problem. Well, I recall that King Tachimura locked himself away in his room in his final days. He refused visitors, only letting a doctor in every few hours to check if he was still alive. With both of his daughters gone, he wanted nothing to do with the world any more...a sad case, unfortunately."
Hiro offers you the time of the King's death for your use later.
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>Grin.
>"Hiro, I take back most of the things I said about you. Anyways, I think I'll hang around for a little while. At least enough to see Meaty through the coronation. Well...maybe not hang around, got to make sure faeries don't raid the Science Shack, but overall I'll be here."
>Contemplate how much adjustment the Camoutime Device will need to pull this off.
>Observe Meaty and Kai's antics, to make sure they don't decapitate each other.
>Enjoy a victory cucumber.
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> Enjoy five victory cucumbers, you just mastered time you know.
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>Wonder how to gloat about this to Sakuya.
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>Grin.
>"Hiro, I take back most of the things I said about you. Anyways, I think I'll hang around for a little while. At least enough to see Meaty through the coronation. Well...maybe not hang around, got to make sure faeries don't raid the Science Shack, but overall I'll be here."
>Contemplate how much adjustment the Camoutime Device will need to pull this off.
>Observe Meaty and Kai's antics, to make sure they don't decapitate each other.
>Enjoy a victory cucumber.
>"Alright. ...Thank you again for all you've done."
>This should require only simple calibrations, along with being in Tachimura's room when you activate it.
>Kai has decided she's going to recalibrate the microscope so that instead of making small things look larger, it will make large things look smaller. Mitori is too polite to point out the obvious lack of practicality.
>Aww yeah.
> Enjoy five victory cucumbers, you just mastered time you know.
>Awwwwwwwwww yeah.
>Wonder how to gloat about this to Sakuya.
>Hey, she might be so impressed she lets you show it to Flandre! This is an idea you should totally not follow up on.
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> Get with the tinkering of the Time belt.
> Name the Time belt the DeLorean Tardis Ashley Timey Chrono.
> Also add quest: Mastery of Time and Space: Now that we mastered time, we must master space so that we can be called the Master of Time and Space and possibly The Doctor.
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>Name the time belt Dialga.
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> Get with the tinkering of the Time belt.
> Name the Time belt the DeLorean Tardis Ashley Timey Chrono.
> Also add quest: Mastery of Time and Space: Now that we mastered time, we must master space so that we can be called the Master of Time and Space and possibly The Doctor.
>Optic Chronoflague seems like a nice way to sound less like you're talking to some silent guy with a sword.
>As you work on setting the belt to take you back to your father's deathbed, you take a moment to ponder whether it would be possible to master space as well as time. You try not to let anyone overhear your maniacal laughter.
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> Finish up setting the belt.
> "Anything else before I go?"
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> Finish up setting the belt.
> "Anything else before I go?"
> "Ah...I would be careful if you make this endeavour to speak with the king. His heart in particular was weak in his later years, and too much of a shock may end his life before you have a chance to truly speak to him. Still, I wish you luck in your future endeavours."
Kai looks like she's finished her tweaking now (couldn't she just have flipped the inner lens?) and Mitori offers her a round of applause. They look like they've had all the fun they can get from that thing.
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>"Meaty, C'mere," gesture her over, and into someplace where we can talk privately.
>"Okay, so. I got this thing all set up to go visit dad not too long before he shuffles off. Just let me know when you're ready. Trick is, we can't just rush the old coot, or we'll pop his heart before we even had a chance to say anything. Alright? So we gotta play this right. Keep out of sight until I get him ready, he at least knows I'm still around and could have snuck inside. Got me?"
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>"Meaty, C'mere," gesture her over, and into someplace where we can talk privately.
>"Okay, so. I got this thing all set up to go visit dad not too long before he shuffles off. Just let me know when you're ready. Trick is, we can't just rush the old coot, or we'll pop his heart before we even had a chance to say anything. Alright? So we gotta play this right. Keep out of sight until I get him ready, he at least knows I'm still around and could have snuck inside. Got me?"
>"Ah, okay. I'll just stand outside and way for some sort of cue from you, right?"
She seems nervous, but at the same time eager.
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>Nod. "Maybe wear a veil or something, too."
>Find a good position to warp in, where we think there will be no guards and no one is likely to see us. Let Mitori get ready, then quantum jump right into where we need to be.