Rumia Quest III: Hero of Shadow

[Raikaria]

>That's good! Having more people helps!
>Onwards!

> Indeed, although you're not quite sure why Alice has decided to tag along. Maybe it's in case Marisa goes mad again, or maybe she's like Daiyousei... curious.

> You arrive at the Northen Range. It is a barren, mountainous area, although none of the mountains are as large as Youkai Mountain.

> "We better be careful, unless any of us have been here before and know who lives here." Reimu said.

> "I'm afraid I don't know anything about this area except the legends of the Devas mistress." Genji said.

> "This isn't where I'd have expected Rika to come... probobly why no-one knows the location of her lab." Rikako commented.

> "I don't know why a human would live here... but something's messing with my dowsing." Nazrin said, pointing at the pendulm, which was hanging down to the ground, instead of pointing in a direction.  "It's not pulling me down, so it's not like she's underground. Something's... jamming it or something."

> "It's possible for something to scramble the signals which cause your dowsing to respond, I guess." Nitori said. "Be it natural, magical, or technological."

---

> Quest Updated: Meltdown!: You have arrived at the Northen Range; where Nazrin's dowsing stopped working for an unknown reason. It looks like you'll have to find the lab the hard way.

> [Optional] Quest Added: The Northen Range: Explore the Northen Range, who knows what might be here!

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Let's split up, gang!"
>"Wriggle, Mystia, Dai, let's go!"
>Pick a random direction and go that way.

[Raikaria]

>"Let's split up, gang!"
>"Wriggle, Mystia, Dai, let's go!"
>Pick a random direction and go that way.

> "Splitting up would be wise... but what if anyone's attacked?" Genji said.

> "Genji, we always split up. We always come back safe, or all manage to find our way." Reimu countered.

> "Hmm. Very well then. However I'm staying with you."

> "Of course. I can keep riding on your back!" Reimu said happily.

> You pick a direction, and you, Wriggle, Daiyousei and Mystcia all go that way. Nazrin decides to go with you guys as well, probobly because she feels most comfortable with Wriggle and Mystcia, as fellow animal-youkai.

> "So... does anyone here know what might be around?" Nazrin asked.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Nope!"
>Keep going.
>Wait.
>"Wriggle, can't you use bugs to search the area?"

[Raikaria]

>"Nope!"
>Keep going.
>Wait.
>"Wriggle, can't you use bugs to search the area?"

> "Oh." Nazrin said.

> "No, there... don't seem to be any insects here, or, if there are, they're ones of a kind I don't know yet." Wriggle said, sounding admittedly confused.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Couldn't you just call some of the ones you do know?"

[Raikaria]

>"Couldn't you just call some of the ones you do know?"

> "Bugs are not very fast, well, they are for their size. Not to mention it's hard for the little insects to fly in this snowfall." Wriggle said.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Okay. We'll just search ourselves."
>Search!

[Raikaria]

>"Okay. We'll just search ourselves."
>Search!

> You begin searching the area. You don't find anything of note for a while. In fact, there appears to be absolutely nothing here.

> It's too quiet...

> "Gooooooooooo baaaaaaaaaaaccccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkk." you hear on the winds.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooooo."

[Raikaria]

>"Nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnoooooooooooooooooooooooooo."

> There is no response from the voice on the wind.

> At least, immediately.

> "Gooooooo baaaaacccccckkkkkkkk or peeeerrrrrriiiiiiissssssssshhhhhhhhhh!" the voice whistles again. This time, it sounds a bit clearer... and dosen't sound female!

[Hanzo K.]

>"...Okay, that's kinda creepy."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Mystia, touch my ribbon. Don't take it of; just touch it."
>If she's able to touch it without problems: "If things get bad, then whoever's closest to me, take the ribbon off and hand it to me. I can touch it when it's not on my head, so I'll put it back on before I go crazy."

[Raikaria]

>"...Okay, that's kinda creepy."

> "Y-y-yeah." Wriggle said. She seemed a little scared... probobly because she couldn't kick whatever was causing this.

>"Mystia, touch my ribbon. Don't take it of; just touch it."
>If she's able to touch it without problems: "If things get bad, then whoever's closest to me, take the ribbon off and hand it to me. I can touch it when it's not on my head, so I'll put it back on before I go crazy."

> Mystica tries to touch the ribbon, but her hand is forced away.

> "Oh, after the Makai Incident, Miss Hijiri did some research! Apparently, the seal can only come off in times of great danger, and you'll instinctivly know when that is. Apparently Yukari wasn't evil enough to deny yourself self-defense, when all other options are used." Nazrin explained.

> The wind gets stronger. "Leave this place!" you hear. The voice sounds much closer now. "This is our refuge, our home... we do not welcome outsiders!"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"We're looking for someone named Rika!"
>Which of us is fastest? Whoever that is, tell them to go get the others.

[Raikaria]

>"We're looking for someone named Rika!"
>Which of us is fastest? Whoever that is, tell them to go get the others.

> There is no answer.

> It's either Mystcia or Nazrin. You don't know how quick Nazrin is, but you guess abird is faster in the air than a mouse, so you sent Mystcia off.

> Suddenly, something materialises in front of you. A...floating head? It looks like the head of a bald old man, and looks almost as if made of black clouds.

> "Huh? That looks like Unzan." Nazrin says. "Is this where his kind live?"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Hi!"

[Raikaria]

>"Hi!"

> "You are tresspassing in the land of the Nyuudou. Leave this mountain, or face our wrath." the black cloud-face said.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Oh, we don't want to trespass. We're just looking for someone. Is there a human in these mountains anywhere? If she's not here, we'll leave. She stole something, and it's really really important that we get it back."
>"Nazrin, are you sensing the stolen sun-thing in the mountains, or do you think it's further on?"

[Raikaria]

>"Oh, we don't want to trespass. We're just looking for someone. Is there a human in these mountains anywhere? If she's not here, we'll leave. She stole something, and it's really really important that we get it back."
>"Nazrin, are you sensing the stolen sun-thing in the mountains, or do you think it's further on?"

> "We would be aware if there was a human on the mountains we live on. We cannot not speak for the others in the range, but there are few but the Nyuudou in this direction, and those who are not Nyuudou are those who we owe much to." the Nyuudou said, adding, "And we owe nothing to humanity."

> "No, my dowsing pendulmn's still playing up. I'm sure it's somewhere in these mountains, it's probobly that this Rika girl is doing something that's stopping me pinpointing it... or there's some metal or something in the mountains." Nazrin said.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Okay. We'll go look other places in the range. Bye!"
>Head off. Go in the direction Mystia went; we need to let her know what happened and that there isn't a fight or anything.

[Raikaria]

>"Okay. We'll go look other places in the range. Bye!"
>Head off. Go in the direction Mystia went; we need to let her know what happened and that there isn't a fight or anything.

> "We wish you luck on your endevors." the Nyuudou said as you left.

> You head in the direction Mystcia went. You shortly find her back where you started, not having a clue which direction the others were in. She's pretty thankful when you show up unharmed, since that means she dosen't have to pick a direction to go in and possibly get lost.

> Still, now you know at least one area dosen't have Rika in it.

[Hanzo K.]

>"So, where do we look now? There was a big bald guy made out of clouds! Clouds Mysty! He was made of clouds! Isn't that awesome?"
>"He looked kinda like a stormcloud. I don't like rain much. He was pretty nice though, if a bit creepy at first."

[Raikaria]

>"So, where do we look now? There was a big bald guy made out of clouds! Clouds Mysty! He was made of clouds! Isn't that awesome?"
>"He looked kinda like a stormcloud. I don't like rain much. He was pretty nice though, if a bit creepy at first."

> "Yeah... he was just some grouchy guy who wanted us off his land! Like Reimu dosen't like Cirno freezing her dontation box!" Wriggle added.

> "Or Meiling if the faries of the lake try and sneak into the Scarlet Mansion." Daiyousei further contributed.

> "Uuhh.... how about that way? It's the way the pendulem was pointing before it messed up." Nazrin said.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "Alright then, lead the way Naz!"

[Raikaria]

>Nod. "Alright then, lead the way Naz!"

> You follow Nazrin. After a significant amount of boring mountains with nothing worth mentioning, you find one with a pretty large cave in it.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Hey, let's look in there!"
>Enter!

[Raikaria]

>"Hey, let's look in there!"
>Enter!

> You go into the cave, and it's not long before it becomes obvious even to you that this is not a normal cave.

> Mainly because it's lit up. And it appears to be metal on the walls.

[Hanzo K.]

>Knock on the walls a little. "Wow...Hey guys, this isn't a normal cave, is it? Think someone should go find the others?"

[Raikaria]

>Knock on the walls a little. "Wow...Hey guys, this isn't a normal cave, is it? Think someone should go find the others?"

> "No, this is certainly not normal." Nazrin said.

> "Wonder who did this..." Mystcia said, touching the walls.