Yukari Quest!

[Momijibot]

Yukari's gaps are powered by love and magic, and this quest is lacking love and magic. Hence, the time increase

(don't worry about it-we'll get the correct answer next update. Rest easy, Dormio)

[BT]

I wasn't serious,  by the way. It was fun mentioning the possibility of that, though.

[Dormio Ergo Sum]

Also, how did portal time go from 50 minutes to 30 minutes after a 30 minute wait, then to 45 minutes after a chat? Time is being distorted?? Or I guess our situation's just getting worse?

~*~Magic~*~ (oops, quarter of an hour, not three quarters)

>"Well, what's done is done; we'll simply have to make sure it doesn't happen again. And believe me, I'll make sure it won't~"

>Sigh a little.

>"If you come across the cowards, point them out. If they wish to leave no mark to trace, then they shall have no marks on their graves."

>"Indeed. I will not fall victim to such tactics again."
>You give a small sigh.
>"If I am to meet them again, there will be no need for a grave."

>"I do wonder if you've heard anything from the direction of Youkai Mountain? The maiden who worked at the mountain shrine, who for some reason now works at the Hakurei Shrine, mentioned it. Can you shed any light on that?"

>"I have heard very little regarding the Youkai Mountain. Few people enter or leave that place anymore."

>"Incidentally, it appears that the shopkeeper Rinnosuke is using magic which can harm another through a doll on a youkai by the name of Alice-Regardless of what we know, we should keep this in mind."

>"The puppeteer, being harmed by a doll?"
>"I will make sure to keep note of this."

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"Do you have any idea what may have happened at the mountain? When I spoke with Sanae at Reimu's shrine, she mentioned that Moriya shrine 'is no more,' and while the tengu are apparently still there, the kappa have vanished. I'm not sure what sort of events would lead to that conclusion."
>"Ah, have you heard from Yuyuko or Suika at all?"
>Is it obvious by sight through her clothes that Ran's arm is missing?
>At full power, would we have been able to come up with a cure/solution for that on our own?

[Dormio Ergo Sum]

>"Do you have any idea what may have happened at the mountain? When I spoke with Sanae at Reimu's shrine, she mentioned that Moriya shrine 'is no more,' and while the tengu are apparently still there, the kappa have vanished. I'm not sure what sort of events would lead to that conclusion."
>"Ah, have you heard from Yuyuko or Suika at all?"
>Is it obvious by sight through her clothes that Ran's arm is missing?
>At full power, would we have been able to come up with a cure/solution for that on our own?

>"There have been rumors that certain figures, namely the gods, have disappeared. I do not know how much truth is in these statements."
>"Though, if the Moriya shrine is no more..."
>"I have heard that the kappa have fled."
>"Neither lady Saigyouji, nor Suika have come to visit this place."
>It is rather obvious, considering how Ran has tied up the sleeve where her arm ends.
>It is highly unlikely.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"Her gods vanishing would certainly explain Sanae's apparent despair... though that still leaves why they vanished, and what the kappa fled from, unanswered. A visit may be prudent at some point."
>"Have there been any rumors regarding the oni, or Hakugyokurou?"
>"What has been taken from Mayohiga?"
>And implicitly, what would still be left to our memory, especially valuables of either sentimental or practical purpose?
>"... and Ran, what happened to the arm that you lost? I suspect it would be easier to reattach than replace, if possible."
>Where is Mayohiga in Gensokyo? What locations would be nearby that are easy to visit without gap travel; in case it's worth keeping that in our pocket for the moment.

[Dormio Ergo Sum]

>"Her gods vanishing would certainly explain Sanae's apparent despair... though that still leaves why they vanished, and what the kappa fled from, unanswered. A visit may be prudent at some point."
>"Have there been any rumors regarding the oni, or Hakugyokurou?"
>"What has been taken from Mayohiga?"
>And implicitly, what would still be left to our memory, especially valuables of either sentimental or practical purpose?
>"... and Ran, what happened to the arm that you lost? I suspect it would be easier to reattach than replace, if possible."
>Where is Mayohiga in Gensokyo? What locations would be nearby that are easy to visit without gap travel; in case it's worth keeping that in our pocket for the moment.

>"Do you plan on leaving soon?"
>"I have heard nothing about either, though the entrance to Hakugyokurou has disappeared."
>"Nothing of importance. Several of the buildings have been looted, but none of them contained anything of value."
>Everything in your home appears to have been untouched.
>"It decayed a long time ago."
>Mayohiga is located at the edge of Gensokyo, next to Hakugyokurou. Mayohiga is a rather isolated place.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>About the arm, "Unfortunate." Give her a look. "But we will find a way."
>"And given the circumstances, I do think I want to actively catch up on things. What I have heard about Reimu's behavior has been worrying... and one way or another this situation needs fixing."
>What do we have at home that may be useful for our adventures today? Tools, weapons, magical items, etc?
>How far is it to Hakugyokurou's entrance 'manually?'

Note that we need to let them know about the current gap limitation sooner or later.

[Dormio Ergo Sum]

>About the arm, "Unfortunate." Give her a look. "But we will find a way."
>"And given the circumstances, I do think I want to actively catch up on things. What I have heard about Reimu's behavior has been worrying... and one way or another this situation needs fixing."
>What do we have at home that may be useful for our adventures today? Tools, weapons, magical items, etc?
>How far is it to Hakugyokurou's entrance 'manually?'

>"It matters not if my arm is not restored. It will serve as a reminder of my failures."
>"You will be leaving, then?"
>You have several strange objects from the outside world in your possession, including metallic weapons from the outside world.
>It should take around ten minutes at most to travel to Hakugyokurou's entrance.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"Perhaps not immediately, especially while still waiting out that apparent once-an-hour recovery between being able to create gaps that I seem to have developed."
>Scowl. "Whoever's responsible for this, I swear..."
>"How frequent have raid attempts on Mayohiga been? It may be worth having at least one of you along should I need assistance."
>Rinnosuke would be interested in some of those outer world items, wouldn't he? What would we be able to spare at the moment, and where are they stored in the house to see whatever might be left?
>Of course, it's doubtful he'd find any of them to be enough for Alice's freedom...
>Have we ever compared how well those outer-world weapons match up against danmaku and spellcards?

[Wolfsbane706]

>Ask about the Scarlet Devil Mansion again.  Anyone capable of defeating everyone there is certain to be powerful, and we should steer clear of them for now.

[Dormio Ergo Sum]

>"Perhaps not immediately, especially while still waiting out that apparent once-an-hour recovery between being able to create gaps that I seem to have developed."
>Scowl. "Whoever's responsible for this, I swear..."
>"How frequent have raid attempts on Mayohiga been? It may be worth having at least one of you along should I need assistance."
>Rinnosuke would be interested in some of those outer world items, wouldn't he? What would we be able to spare at the moment, and where are they stored in the house to see whatever might be left?
>Of course, it's doubtful he'd find any of them to be enough for Alice's freedom...
>Have we ever compared how well those outer-world weapons match up against danmaku and spellcards?

>"Recovery? Has something happened to your abilities?"
>"They have been decreasing in frequency. The last attempt, where I lost my arm, was held several months ago."
>In the past, you have supplied Rinnosuke with many objects from the outside world.
>What can you spare at the moment?
>Your possessions are scattered about the house, in the room you are currently in, there are several instruments.
>The value of an actual person is rather high.
>You have tested one of the weapons, Rinnosuke identified it as a 'Revolver'. It appears to use and fire 'bullets' which travel much faster than danmaku, as well as dealing much more damage. If you recall correctly, you should have five bullets remaining for this weapon.

>Ask about the Scarlet Devil Mansion again.  Anyone capable of defeating everyone there is certain to be powerful, and we should steer clear of them for now.

>"I do not know anything other than that the red-white was involved in some manner."

>_

[BT]

> Take any Spell Cards inside the house with us.
> Take any valuable object (or objects that look valuable) we have from the outside world with us, assuming it's not too heavy.
> Take the revolver. Fuck yeah.
> "Yes, I'll be leaving soon, there's no doubt about that. Too many things have happened, some directly linked to my well-being. I can't possibly stand aside and not look into this."
> "I wonder, though, if you could be a valuable aid in this."
> We could tell Ran to investigate some places. That leaves Chen and our possessions unguarded, though, so I wonder how good of an idea that is.

[Momijibot]

>"At this point, I truly shouldn't be surprised about red-white in this turn of events-in a world so alien to the one I knew, Reimu could be an incident instigator."
>"But if Reimu were to...Is she taxing the people? She always did have a penchant for donations, after all..."

[Dormio Ergo Sum]

> Take any Spell Cards inside the house with us.
> Take any valuable object (or objects that look valuable) we have from the outside world with us, assuming it's not too heavy.
> Take the revolver. Fuck yeah.
> "Yes, I'll be leaving soon, there's no doubt about that. Too many things have happened, some directly linked to my well-being. I can't possibly stand aside and not look into this."
> "I wonder, though, if you could be a valuable aid in this."
> We could tell Ran to investigate some places. That leaves Chen and our possessions unguarded, though, so I wonder how good of an idea that is.

>You head to your own room to collect your spellcards. You place these inside your dress.
>You also pocket the revolver and several pieces of jewellery from the outside world before returning to Ran.
>"I see."
>Chen tugs at your sleeve. "Will you be back soon, master?"
>"I will carry out any order you give me to the best of my ability."
>You consider sending out to investigate on your behalf. It would speed up the process considerably, though where would you send her?
>The issue of a possible attack on Mayohiga is one that you need to be wary of as well.

>"At this point, I truly shouldn't be surprised about red-white in this turn of events-in a world so alien to the one I knew, Reimu could be an incident instigator."
>"But if Reimu were to...Is she taxing the people? She always did have a penchant for donations, after all..."

>"The few rumors I have heard about the red-white were not very favorable."
>"I have heard a rumor to that extent, yes. Again, I am unsure of the validity of this."

>_

[BT]

> "I might need a nice, long rest after all this is over~"
> Wait for portal to recharge. In the meantime, take a break and relax, it might help us heal.

All in favor of returning for Alice?

[Dormio Ergo Sum]

> "I might need a nice, long rest after all this is over~"
> Wait for portal to recharge. Rest a little in the meantime, it might help us heal.

>"A rest is a rather nice thing to look forward to."
>You retire to your room for the time being, and after having taken a short break, you feel as though you could open up another gap.

>_

[Kasu]

Returning to Alice sounds good as long as we keep the gap we have to get her out.

Also, I think we should send Ran to investigate Youkai Mountain.  What do you guys think?

[BT]

I think getting Alice back would be easier than you'd think. I already have a cool idea planned out with some of the things we have now... And I think leaving a portal open is kind of risky.

Regarding Ran going to Youkai Mountain, that's actually the first thought I had when I was thinking about exploring with her, but you can practically tell something bad will happen if we leave Chen alone at home, so I'm not too keen on this at all. Maybe, since we already took most of the valuables, it's not that bad of an idea to send both of them to the mountain? It's not like a robbery would be that huge of a blow now.

[Wolfsbane706]

I think it'd be best if we took Chen along with us.  Less likely she'll get into trouble that way.

[BT]

That's an option, I guess. Also, isn't it a long walk to the mountain? Or, in that sense, to anywhere else? I don't think it'd be a very smart idea to send someone there without a gap. We'll go to the mountain when we're done with Alice.

We can take Chen, take both or take none. I think any option is acceptable.

[E-Nazrin]

I don't think taking the revolver is a good idea, especially if it's not easily concealed: Relying on that so quickly and easily will make us look crazy and desperate, especially when under normal conditions we'd be able to danmaku with the best of them. And with only five shots, there's no WAY we're going to be able to muscle things back to normal with that.

Keep it in mind, but it would probably be best to keep it here to avoid discovery of our desperation/lack of power/ruthlessness and the temptation to use it or threaten to use it lightly.

As for which shikigami to bring along... that's difficult. We may actually not want to bring anyone. Ran with a missing arm would be a big red flag to people about our situation, and her presence elsewhere a signal to any prospective raiders that Mayohiga's defenses are lowered - I'm not sure how well Chen can defend the place on her own. As for bringing Chen, she might be a liability if she starts getting emotional or saying things we aren't looking to share, and I'm not sure how much she'd help in a fight at the scope we're likely to have to deal with.

Alternatively, we could just take both and leave those silly material possessions to the wolves for now. Once we're back up to power, it won't be that difficult to gap them back into our possession, will it? That, or just set up a way to keep the most important things safe while we deal with things. That in mind:

>How well-concealed is the revolver in our clothing, and does it impede our movement in any way/cause our clothing to look strange?
>Would Reimu's barriers be effective against the revolver's shots?
>How good is Chen in a fight, and at keeping a poker face during tense conversations?
>Do we know how Ran managed to limit the areas that Marisa could raid?
>If not, do we have any way to seal off feasible non-gap access to Mayohiga for a while?

We should ask Ran about how effective the last-line for-the-valuables defenses for Mayohiga are and how well they'd hold up without her here.

Also, I don't find going back for Alice a priority - Yuyuko is far more likely to help us, and right nearby to boot. Checking on the entrance to Hakugyokurou before leaving might be worthwhile, if nothing else.

[Dormio Ergo Sum]

>How well-concealed is the revolver in our clothing, and does it impede our movement in any way/cause our clothing to look strange?
>Would Reimu's barriers be effective against the revolver's shots?
>How good is Chen in a fight, and at keeping a poker face during tense conversations?
>Do we know how Ran managed to limit the areas that Marisa could raid?
>If not, do we have any way to seal off feasible non-gap access to Mayohiga for a while?

>It should not affect your appearance as long as you do not engage in any rigorous movement.
>You have not tested this, however you imagine that they would not be effective. Whether or not Reimu could raise any barrier fast enough to react to the revolver, on the other hand...
>If the need arises, Chen is able to hold her own in most fights. Whether or not she can keep her emotions in check is a different story.
>You do not.
>Mayohiga is a rather large place, and to seal off access without altering the boundaries would be near impossible.

>_

[BT]

If Yuyuko is close, then of course, that's a great idea.

Also, remember that Yukari and pretty much everyone in Gensokyo doesn't know what the revolver does, except for Rinnosuke, which opens some fun possibilities. I guess they could GUESS what it does based on how it looks? Who knows.

[E-Nazrin]

Hakugyuokurou's entrance is ten minutes away. :V

Still don't like the idea of the gun's presence being noticeable if we get into a spat without wanting to use it, though... even if others don't know what it's for, the offhand appearance isn't very threatening, and people would know to be suspicious of any strange item Yukari's carrying around. Hm... although... if we bring a shikigami along and have a purse or something with various things that we can hand off or temporarily discard for a fight without giving a good idea of what kind of thing (bulky metal object) we're carrying around...

>Do we have any purses, handbags, or the like?
>What are Ran and Chen probably up to now, assuming things aren't that much different from how they used to be?

[Dormio Ergo Sum]

>Do we have any purses, handbags, or the like?
>What are Ran and Chen probably up to now, assuming things aren't that much different from how they used to be?

>You have a few small bags from the outside world, though you've never had much use for them before.
>Under normal circumstances, Ran would usually be teaching Chen general etiquette and the like or maintaining Mayohiga. Chen would prefer to play around Mayohiga.

>_

[Momijibot]

>Waitwaitwaitwaitwait.
>We have a gun?
>Since when?

[Dormio Ergo Sum]

>Waitwaitwaitwaitwait.
>We have a gun?
>Since when?

>You still need to organize the thoughts in your head.
>You believe that the revolver in your possession is a type of gun.
>You have had the revolver in your possession for several years but you have never used it outside of the one test shot with Rinnosuke.

>_

[BT]

Time to get a move on.

> Take a fashionable bag. Put jewelry and revolver inside.
> "Well, I'll be going now. I'll be back later."
> Leave for Hakugyuokurou's entrance, not taking anyone with us unless anyone objects.

[E-Nazrin]

>No, don't leave yet.
>Instead, "Ran, Chen. I think I'll investigate on my own for now. But, both of you come here for a moment."
>Engage family hug. "... thank you for waiting for me."