Keine Quest - Harvest

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "Yes, I found out more information about the Mima that it mentioned. You recall Marisa Kirisame, yes? Well, In her youth, Marisa had summoned this Mima person, and that person ended up serving as her mentor and teacher."
>"You see, Gensokyo's top magicians have all gone missing, including her. So this Mima is our best lead so far in finding them."

[IdiotsOpposite]

>Nod. "Yes, I found out more information about the Mima that it mentioned. You recall Marisa Kirisame, yes? Well, In her youth, Marisa had summoned this Mima person, and that person ended up serving as her mentor and teacher."
>"You see, Gensokyo's top magicians have all gone missing, including her. So this Mima is our best lead so far in finding them."

Yuugi smiles a bit, but not much. "A mystery like that... you should get Suika to join in. She'd never come out and say it, but the girl loves mysteries." It appears that in Yuugi's state of preoccupation, she hasn't noticed Suika's presence yet. "But how exactly do you plan to summon her? From what you've told me, all you know is that the pillar is involved somehow."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, I brought my latin books to see about translating more of the pillar, to find out how. And if worst comes to worst, I could try and figure out how to get Parsee unbound from that bridge of hers for the time. Since she's been around since the 5th century, she would likely know more about it."
>Nod. "But I'll have to wait until after everything's settled down, so the fight can resolve, and the dead be buried."
>Look over to Suika. "You can stay with Yuugi for now, the rest of us will pick you two up when things have settled down."
>Then look to Reimu. "Well, I know you aren't too keen on it, but let's pay a visit to Satori."

[IdiotsOpposite]

>"Well, I brought my latin books to see about translating more of the pillar, to find out how. And if worst comes to worst, I could try and figure out how to get Parsee unbound from that bridge of hers for the time. Since she's been around since the 5th century, she would likely know more about it."

"I thought you said it was an ancestor of hers? If that's the actual Parsee you were talking about... damn, I want to know HER secret to longevity, eh?"

>Nod. "But I'll have to wait until after everything's settled down, so the fight can resolve, and the dead be buried."
>Look over to Suika. "You can stay with Yuugi for now, the rest of us will pick you two up when things have settled down."

Suika nods, and the two of them wander back into the crowd watching the fight.

>Then look to Reimu. "Well, I know you aren't too keen on it, but let's pay a visit to Satori."

Reimu sighs. "I guess it will come to that, won't it... well, might as well go." Meanwhile, Mokou pokes you in the arm. "Do you need me around this time? I'd sort of like to watch the fight, myself."

Of course Okuu is enthusiastically coming with you.

[Hanzo K.]

>"In hindsight, I should have accounted for linguistic drift."
>Nod to Mokou. "Alright, we'll go on ahead. bring those two back with you once everything's cleaned up and such."
>Let's head to Satori's!

[IdiotsOpposite]

>"In hindsight, I should have accounted for linguistic drift."
>Nod to Mokou. "Alright, we'll go on ahead. bring those two back with you once everything's cleaned up and such."
>Let's head to Satori's!

The three of you head to Chireiden, where you see a cat-eared girl leaning against the gate, idly directing a zombie fairy to perform little acrobatics. When she sees you, Orin smiles.

"Satori-sama decided to have me wait for you at the gate this time. To prevent... mishaps." Okuu even manages to look guilty. "Surprised to see you here again so soon, though, Keine. Miss us already?" Orin gives a small playful smile as she speaks. Reimu leans in to you and whispers, "Mishaps? Could you explain a bit?"

[Hanzo K.]

>Look to Reimu. "When I was here the other day, Utsuho was a little...'excitable', to say the least. But I was able to defuse that without having to resort to danmaku."
>Then back to Orin. "I actually came to inform Satori of my findings, in addition to some events going on aboveground that have a possible connection to the Deva's Pillar down here. Shall we go in so I can bring her up to speed?"

[IdiotsOpposite]

>Look to Reimu. "When I was here the other day, Utsuho was a little...'excitable', to say the least. But I was able to defuse that without having to resort to danmaku."

Reimu nods in understanding. "I see... I want the full story later, though."

>Then back to Orin. "I actually came to inform Satori of my findings, in addition to some events going on aboveground that have a possible connection to the Deva's Pillar down here. Shall we go in so I can bring her up to speed?"

Orin rubs the back of her head and laughs a bit. "I'd love to, but Satori-sama still needs a little more time before she's ready for guests. Us Underground types sleep later than you humans do. I can at least take you inside, though."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, there wasn't really much to talk about. Mokou was looking to meet her anyways, so I simply stated the truth, that we were looking to meet her. She calmed down pretty quickly after that."
>If Utsuho is vulnerable to headpats, maybe Orin is too...We'll have to ask Satori about that later.
>Nod to Orin. "That's quite alright, From how Utsuho reacted when i woke her earlier, it seemed to be earlier than she was used to...Well, unless she's always so groggy by default."
>Come to think of it, what do we know about Orin's abilities, beyond the fact that she's a common nuisance that carries off corpses?

[IdiotsOpposite]

>"Well, there wasn't really much to talk about. Mokou was looking to meet her anyways, so I simply stated the truth, that we were looking to meet her. She calmed down pretty quickly after that."

Reimu nods. "I see. That must have been stressful.l

>If Utsuho is vulnerable to headpats, maybe Orin is too...We'll have to ask Satori about that later.

You make a mental note to ask Satori... wait, she probably already knows about it now.

>Nod to Orin. "That's quite alright, From how Utsuho reacted when i woke her earlier, it seemed to be earlier than she was used to...Well, unless she's always so groggy by default."

Orin laughs. "Oh, I could tell you some stories..." at which point Okuu cuts in with "but you're not going to, right Orin?" which only elicits another laugh. "Of course not, Okuu."

>Come to think of it, what do we know about Orin's abilities, beyond the fact that she's a common nuisance that carries off corpses?

You know she's fast, but she never really sticks around to fight, so you can't say much about her combat abilities. To be honest, you don't know much about Orin herself beyond your limited experiences with her.

[Hanzo K.]

>Well, she works with the dead, so perhaps she knows something about spirits?
>"So, it seems we just wait for everyone to get their things in order, and then we can get to business."

[IdiotsOpposite]

>Well, she works with the dead, so perhaps she knows something about spirits?

It's very likely. You do recall reading in Akyu's book that she deals with the vengeful spirits of Hell, but... you already know how sketchy Akyu's information has been here.

>"So, it seems we just wait for everyone to get their things in order, and then we can get to business."

Orin nods, opening the front door and leading you to the same sitting room where you met Satori before. There is of course a conspicuous absence of Satori right now, but Orin starts to make some tea anyway. She moves stiffly, so you can tell she's not used to hosting like this.

[Hanzo K.]

>Chuckle warmly, in that parental tone we use when teaching.
>"Loosen up dear, aren't we associates of a sort? Just relax, and let it flow naturally."

[IdiotsOpposite]

>Chuckle warmly, in that parental tone we use when teaching.
>"Loosen up dear, aren't we associates of a sort? Just relax, and let it flow naturally."

Orin sighs. "I should, but... we don't get many visitors, so when it comes to hosting... how do I put this?" She suddenly turns and flashes you a fanged grin, eyes closed. "I have no idea what I'm doing.". She starts passing out cups full of blazeberry tea. It's not
nearly as good as the tea you had last time, but the blazeberries fortunately still make it a good drink. "So where's the fiery girl you had last time?" Orin says in an attempt at conversation.

[Hanzo K.]

>"She's with Yuugi and Suika, they're out watching a fight at the Deva Pillar. Which is partially why I came here. I can't conduct my investigation when there's a crowd of Oni standing around there watching two other Oni going at it."
>Grin. "Well, that and I came to understand that Reimu and Satori started off on the wrong foot."

[IdiotsOpposite]

>"She's with Yuugi and Suika, they're out watching a fight at the Deva Pillar. Which is partially why I came here. I can't conduct my investigation when there's a crowd of Oni standing around there watching two other Oni going at it."

The catgirl frowns. "Jeez, again? That's gotta be the twentieth time this year. And I thought those things were
supposed to be rare."

>Grin. "Well, that and I came to understand that Reimu and Satori started off on the wrong foot."

Orin grins right back at you. "Yeah, I remember that. Satori-sama actually got pretty riled up." "I did not," you hear a voice from the door. Satori calmly steps into the room, taking her usual seat at the head of the table. She looks a little more tired than usual. "However, I do accept your apology, Reimu. And don't pretend you weren't going to give one." Reimu handled, she turns to Orin. "Next time, you need to let the tea steep longer, and actually use hotter water. That and you mustn't be so awkward..." Satori stops upon seeing Orin's expression, which seems to be some combination between sad and guilty. The satori smiles. "You still did admirably, Orin. Come here." The two share a small embrace, which ends with Orin, in cat form, lying in Satori's lap. Orin handled, she turns to you.

"It is good to see you again so soon, Keine. I'm guessing... yes, I had figured it would be about the pillar. The news of missing magicians is troublesome, though."

(Mindhax powers go!)

[Hanzo K.]

>Chuckle. "Well, at least it saves me the trouble of explaining everything in detail."
>Nod. "But the tea was rather nice. Not quite as good as yesterday's, but she just needs practice."

[IdiotsOpposite]

>Chuckle. "Well, at least it saves me the trouble of explaining everything in detail."
>Nod. "But the tea was rather nice. Not quite as good as yesterday's, but she just needs practice."

Satori smiles, idly stroking Orin. "It is as you say. As I'm sure Orin mentioned, we don't get visitors often, so she doesn't get much opportunity to practice. Hopefully that will change soon."

She then sighs. "The two oni will be a little bit longer. Neither one is particularly durable for an oni, but.. they are still oni. I hope you understand." Turning to Okuu, she smiles once more. "Okuu, I know the relaxation is nice, but don't you think you should check on the reactor while you're here?" Okuu gives her a blank look for a long moment before rushing out the door, shouting "Right away, Satori-sama!" as she goes.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Quite alright, I do need Reimu to preserve as much energy as possible after all, should this not go as planned."

[IdiotsOpposite]

>"Quite alright, I do need Reimu to preserve as much energy as possible after all, should this not go as planned."

Satori nods, and closes her eyes for a moment. When she opens them again, she smiles. "Seems the battle will be over sooner than I thought. We may as well be on our way now. One of them's already dying."

[Hanzo K.]

>Sigh. "A sad thing, death. Not everyone can bypass it like Mokou, Kaguya, or a fairy."
>Nod. "But yes, let's make our way there then, they should be cleared out by the time we arrive."
>Once everyone's set, and the tea's been finished, let's roll.

[IdiotsOpposite]

>Sigh. "A sad thing, death. Not everyone can bypass it like Mokou, Kaguya, or a fairy."
>Nod. "But yes, let's make our way there then, they should be cleared out by the time we arrive."
>Once everyone's set, and the tea's been finished, let's roll.

Everyone gets ready, and you roll.

Once you get to the Deva Pillar, it's mostly empty, save for the two oni and Mokou. The first thing you notice is that some more words have started glowing on the pillar. The second thing you notice is that Reimu's busily putting seals all around it.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Investigate and translate.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Let me guess, seals to contain it if something goes wrong?"

[IdiotsOpposite]

>"Let me guess, seals to contain it if something goes wrong?"

Reimu nods without speaking, placing more seals around the pillar. She's going to have this thing locked down tight.

>Investigate and translate.

Translating on the fly, you get something like this:

"For the summoning of Mima to be complete, thou requirest the unification of body, mind, and spirit. This requires three ingredients: the energy of life must be splattered on the pillar, then filled with the spiritual energy of a maiden of the shrine, directed by a master of the mind and heart. If done correctly, the summoning will complete and Mima shall appear in her glory, amen."

How nice, it's essentially an instruction manual.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, looks like the book was correct, the pillar is indeed a summoning means, as I suspected."
>"It requires these things to summon Mima. 'The unification of body, mind, and spirit.'."
>"And the ritual, roughly translated, flows something like this. 'the energy of life must be splattered on the pillar, then filled with the spiritual energy of a maiden of the shrine, directed by a master of the mind and heart'."
>Look to Reimu. "We already have a shrine maiden."
>Look to Satori. "And Satori fits the bill of 'a master of the mind and heart', due to her abilities."
>"I can only assume that 'the energy of life' may well mean blood."

>"At any rate, Mima seems to be our best lead on finding the missing magicians."

[IdiotsOpposite]

>"Well, looks like the book was correct, the pillar is indeed a summoning means, as I suspected."
>"It requires these things to summon Mima. 'The unification of body, mind, and spirit.'."
>"And the ritual, roughly translated, flows something like this. 'the energy of life must be splattered on the pillar, then filled with the spiritual energy of a maiden of the shrine, directed by a master of the mind and heart'."
>Look to Reimu. "We already have a shrine maiden."
>Look to Satori. "And Satori fits the bill of 'a master of the mind and heart', due to her abilities."
>"I can only assume that 'the energy of life' may well mean blood."

Reimu's staring at you for a moment, considering before shouting out: "Wait, what do you mean directed!? I'm not comfortable with that!"

>"At any rate, Mima seems to be our best lead on finding the missing magicians."

Satori nods, kneeling down for a moment. "Blood, a shrine maiden, and a satori. What an odd ritual... so who's blood shall we spill?"

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, that would normally mean a sacrifice, but that usually means someone would have to die..."

[IdiotsOpposite]

>"Well, that would normally mean a sacrifice, but that usually means someone would have to die..."

Mokou steps up, putting her hand on your shoulder. "Allow me, then. We all know my track record with dying." She gives you a grin as she steps forward to the pillar, where you notice a small raised platform. It doesn't stand out, which is why you probably didn't notice it before. Looking over, you see Satori calmly explaining to Reimu what she'll have to do, and Reimu not-so-calmly protesting. Apparently it involves a domination of some sort. You have to admit you'd have a hard time agreeing to it too.

[Hanzo K.]

>Look over to Reimu. "Would you rather be the one to keep tabs on the village with Kanako then? So Sanae can do this, and get one over on you? You do want to find Marisa, don't you?"
>That little barb oughta get her to do it.