Rumia Quest VI: Succession [Complete]

[Hanzo K.]

>"Oh yeah, smashed it good."
>Let's slip out of another shadow fully, then grin. "Like the new look? Got a little 'upgrade' from Shinki, one that's meant to suppress the old me even more. Oh, here's somethin' interestin' for ya Dai. Remember that weird woman I told you about that ended up getting all corrupted by the Makaiheart? The one that ended up becoming the old me? Turns out she was somethin' called a 'Valkyrie', the equivalent of a Sprite from Yumemi's world. One difference though, they were major jerks, smashing up anything that went even remotely against nature."

[Raikaria]

>"Oh yeah, smashed it good."
>Let's slip out of another shadow fully, then grin. "Like the new look? Got a little 'upgrade' from Shinki, one that's meant to suppress the old me even more. Oh, here's somethin' interestin' for ya Dai. Remember that weird woman I told you about that ended up getting all corrupted by the Makaiheart? The one that ended up becoming the old me? Turns out she was somethin' called a 'Valkyrie', the equivalent of a Sprite from Yumemi's world. One difference though, they were major jerks, smashing up anything that went even remotely against nature."

> "I recall Patchouli reading about some armored person who showed up in Gensokyo at one point, and demanded to fight Yukari. It was a good 300 years ago. She just got gapped away. Maybe that was one of them." Daiyouisei says, as she and Cirno fly towards the gate.

> "Upgrade? Well eye'm still the strongest!" Cirno says.

[Hanzo K.]

>"300 years ago...Might not fit the timeframe then, Shinki said it was a good 8,700 or so Makai Years ago I think. And they vanished from Yumemi's World a good 8000 Yumemi-World Years ago."
>Then grin. "We'll have to see who's gotten stronger sometime then, Cirno. I got a new Sword too y'know."
>Let's go along to the Mansion as well! Sakuya should be back by now after all.

[Raikaria]

>"300 years ago...Might not fit the timeframe then, Shinki said it was a good 8,700 or so Makai Years ago I think. And they vanished from Yumemi's World a good 8000 Yumemi-World Years ago."
>Then grin. "We'll have to see who's gotten stronger sometime then, Cirno. I got a new Sword too y'know."
>Let's go along to the Mansion as well! Sakuya should be back by now after all.

> "Well, there's multiple timelines, and it was Yukari involved." Daiyouisei says.

> "I've been practicing too!" Cirno says happily. "But those nasty shadow thingys are kinda more important. I get a bad feeling around them. Like they shouldn't be here."

> You return to the mansion, and, indeed, Sakuya is there, as is, somewhat surprisingly, Koakuma.

[Hanzo K.]

>Since Koa's a Makaian too, does that mean that we can feel her presence, and she can feel ours?
>"So, what'd she find out?"

[Raikaria]

>Since Koa's a Makaian too, does that mean that we can feel her presence, and she can feel ours?
>"So, what'd she find out?"

> You cannot feel Koakuma's presence. You guess it's because she's only a lesser demon, she's just not strong enough, either that, or you're not as connected to her as to Alice or Shinki.

> "Well, apparently, around 234 years ago, a Celestial unleashed a plan for doimination of this world, and the Celestial plains. She tapped into dark magic, and unleashed many shades, demons of darkness, to prey on and inflict terror in the people below. She planned to win using fear alone. However, Yukari found out who was behind the incident, and followed it up, after proving to the Celestials it was one of their own behind it, they worked together to construct the Tomb of Bhava-Agra, the Hinanawi clan being the ones who created the magical stones which made the prison." Koakuma explains.

> "And that part poses a problem. The Hinanawi Clan... Tenshi, the Celestial who caused the Scarlet Weather Incident, and demolished the Hakurei Shrine, and made several earthquakes. If she is linked to the creation of the seal, she may be the cause of it weakening... be it intentional or not." Sakuya says. "Or, she and her family could be the key to repairing the seal."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Hmm....so just more troublemakers to knock down, eh? Well, I can knock her down easily enough if need-be, I have a secret weapon just for the likes of her. I really don't wanna use it, but I probably have no choice."

[Raikaria]

>"Hmm....so just more troublemakers to knock down, eh? Well, I can knock her down easily enough if need-be, I have a secret weapon just for the likes of her. I really don't wanna use it, but I probably have no choice."

> "The thing is we don't know if Tenshi is involved. She may not even be aware of what is happening down below, or it could be another member of her clan responsible for the Tomb." Koakuma says.

> The lesser demon looks worried.

> "There's also... difficulties, in getting into 'Heaven', or, specifically, Bahva-Agra. After all, it's not a place where one can just... go." Koakuma says. "The last recorded time, was during the Scarlet Mist Incident, where Tenshi opened a path from the peak of Youkai Mountain so others could come and try to stop her."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Wasn't hers Scarlet Weather? Scarlet Mist was Remilia's."
>"We need to get Tenshi's attention somehow, then."
>"Also, Iku said it was because Yukari died that the seal's weakening."

[Raikaria]

>"Wasn't hers Scarlet Weather? Scarlet Mist was Remilia's."
>"We need to get Tenshi's attention somehow, then."
>"Also, Iku said it was because Yukari died that the seal's weakening."

> The demon pouts. "So much Scarlet. I get confused. Why does everything have to do with scarlet?"

> "Or any Celestial. I doubt only a troublemaker can descend from Heaven. Celestials are known to show up on earth to confuse people when they're bored." Sakuya says.

> "Maybe. However, Tenshi might be able to fix it, if the Tomb was built by her family."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Yeah, that's what I thought. That's why I want to find her."
>"That messenger, Iku, went towards Eientei. Maybe she can take us to Tenshi. I don't know if I can get to Eientei in time to catch up with her, though. Sakuya, you probably can, right? Stopping time would help with that, I'd think. Any chance you could go find her?"
>If Sakuya says no: "Right. I'd better move, then. Dai, give me a speed boost, willya?"

[Raikaria]

>"Yeah, that's what I thought. That's why I want to find her."
>"That messenger, Iku, went towards Eientei. Maybe she can take us to Tenshi. I don't know if I can get to Eientei in time to catch up with her, though. Sakuya, you probably can, right? Stopping time would help with that, I'd think. Any chance you could go find her?"
>If Sakuya says no: "Right. I'd better move, then. Dai, give me a speed boost, willya?"

> "Makes sense." Koakuma remarks.

> "It depends, I guess, if she gets lost in the forest. Does she even know that way?" Sakuya says, before adding, "I imagine she'd have started at Youkai Mountain, seeing as that's where she came from last time, so it would be reasonable for her to loop around the major areas of Gensokyo. Now, you met her outside the hman village, and she's heading for Eientei... and hadn't come here yet..."

> Sakuya thinks.

> "OK she's not moving in a logical way. Else she'd have either already been here or been to Eientei already. Anyway, let me know when you're ready... moving during time stops for extended periods can be hard to adjust to, especially since we basically have to stop every few seconds, due to limits of my own power." Sakuya says.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Ah, she hasn't shown up here because I told her I'd handle warning you guys. I was heading here to begin with, so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. Remilia and Flan already know, right? Someone should tell them to be on guard before we go."

[Raikaria]

>"Ah, she hasn't shown up here because I told her I'd handle warning you guys. I was heading here to begin with, so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone. Remilia and Flan already know, right? Someone should tell them to be on guard before we go."

> "No, no, that's not what I mean. From Youkai Mountain, the two most plausible routes would be to the Forest of Magic, then here, then towards the Hakurei Shrine, or to Eientei and to the Human Village from there. There's no point going to the Human Village, and then Eneintei, if she planned to come here, if she actually knew where she was going, or cared about efficiency, which I imagine she would, if she's warning people." Sakuya says.

> "Maybe she's just covering the most densely populated areas first?" Meiling says.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Well, either way, we should probably get going. Meiling, you can tell Remi and the others, okay?"

[Raikaria]

>"Well, either way, we should probably get going. Meiling, you can tell Remi and the others, okay?"

> "No, I gotta guard the gate in case more come!" Meiling says, before she points over her shoulder at Koakuma. "She can."

> "No-one tells me what to do but Patchy!" Koakuma protests.

> "She'll just tell you to do it anyway. Maybe if you showed some initiative she'd actually teach you something..." Meiling retorts.

> The demon pulls a face and flies inside.

> "Eye wana come to!" Cirno declares, predictably.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"No. You'll just pick a fight with someone."
>"Sakuya, now! Before she complains!"

[Hanzo K.]

>"If we see any Shades, we'll take 'em out on the way! I might be able to figure out how to turn her own trick against her somehow."
>Let's get going!

[Raikaria]

>"No. You'll just pick a fight with someone."
>"Sakuya, now! Before she complains!"

> "B---"

> Sakuya is already pulling you through space while time is frozen. It feels really strange.

> About five seconds later you stop inside the Dusk Forest.

> "Sorry, need to recharge, I can only stop truly time for a few seconds at a time, unless it's in a small area, which is useless for travel purposes. Overloads the watch otherwise."

>"If we see any Shades, we'll take 'em out on the way! I might be able to figure out how to turn her own trick against her somehow."
>Let's get going!

> You cannot see any shades here, however, you note it is now almost night-time.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Right, let's go as quickly as you can, then."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Y'know guys, I bet there's a way to turn Enkura's shades against her. Keine said that they're essentially the same as me, so maybe they'd accept me as a better leader than her. Like how Cirno and Dai are to the Lake Fairies."

[Raikaria]

>"Right, let's go as quickly as you can, then."

> "It's not a limitation of myself, just space fights against time stops. Anyway, the clock has reset, I presume we'll need to stop four more times." Sakuya says, before you travel again. This time, you stop on the other side of the Dusk Forest, and scare away some fairies.

>"Y'know guys, I bet there's a way to turn Enkura's shades against her. Keine said that they're essentially the same as me, so maybe they'd accept me as a better leader than her. Like how Cirno and Dai are to the Lake Fairies."

> "From what I could gather from Patchouli, the shades are bound to her, like Koakuma is to Patchouli. Shades are summoned in a similar way to familiars, although unlike familiars, who are summoned based on the strength of the summoner, and have their inherent strength. Koakuma, if summoned by someone stronger than Patchouli, would be just as strong, but a weaker mage may be unable to summon her at all. A Shade's power is relative to the one who summoned it, and like a Shikigami, is stronger if it's closer to it's master. Consider them a mix of Shikigami and Familiar."

[Hanzo K.]

>"Hmm...I wonder if there's a way for me to use something similar? Maybe there's a way to magically create a breed of Shade that's more Fairy-like in nature, instead of the feral beast they're currently known as."
>Then chuckle a bit. "Sheesh, Shinki's rubbin' off on me already. Why is it that folks connected to her somehow end up wanting to create a form of life? I mean, there's Alice and those dolls of hers after all."
>Nod. "Whenever you're ready to go."

[Raikaria]

>"Hmm...I wonder if there's a way for me to use something similar? Maybe there's a way to magically create a breed of Shade that's more Fairy-like in nature, instead of the feral beast they're currently known as."
>Then chuckle a bit. "Sheesh, Shinki's rubbin' off on me already. Why is it that folks connected to her somehow end up wanting to create a form of life? I mean, there's Alice and those dolls of hers after all."
>Nod. "Whenever you're ready to go."

> "I wouldn't be surprised, but I wouldn't advise it. Maybe a familiar, but you're not a magician, so that might be difficult. Most can only call forth small spirits." Sakuya says.

> "Ugh, Margatroid... she's frustrating." Sakuya says, before you travel again. You wind up in one of the plains of Gensokyo.

> "Hmm, maybe I was mistaken about how much you would slow me down. We'll get to the forest next jump." Sakuya says.

[Hanzo K.]

>"She's a bit on the anti-social side, but no more so than say, Patchouli. It just takes time to get 'er to warm up to ya. Look at how she's warmed up to Marisa, and then there's the fact that she seems to have warmed up to me. It was startin' up even before I got this little boost from Shinki, that boost just made it a bit more doable."
>"Hmm...something to look into at least. Most powerful Youkai have some sort of Magic they go for after all, like Remi and her Blood Magic, so I guess in my case it'd be Shadow Magic. Y'think Patchouli's got books on that? I figure it's something nice to work towards that'll kill plenty of time."

[Raikaria]

>"She's a bit on the anti-social side, but no more so than say, Patchouli. It just takes time to get 'er to warm up to ya. Look at how she's warmed up to Marisa, and then there's the fact that she seems to have warmed up to me. It was startin' up even before I got this little boost from Shinki, that boost just made it a bit more doable."
>"Hmm...something to look into at least. Most powerful Youkai have some sort of Magic they go for after all, like Remi and her Blood Magic, so I guess in my case it'd be Shadow Magic. Y'think Patchouli's got books on that? I figure it's something nice to work towards that'll kill plenty of time."

> "Me and Margatroid have had our disagreements." Sakuya comments.

> "Patchouli's Grimoires are primarily on her writings on elemental magic. I would assume the only ones in Gensokyo who may know Shadow Magic are Seiga and Byakuren, if only from her stay in Makai." Sakuya states.

> "Are you ready?"

[Hanzo K.]

>"Wait...Grimoires...Aha! Maybe if I read that collection of Grimoires that Byakuren wrote while in Makai! I think I still have one with me!"
>Beat.
>Sweatdrop. "That's gonna be a lot of reading. There's at least 500 or so to the collection."
>Nod. "But yeah, let's go."

[Raikaria]

>"Wait...Grimoires...Aha! Maybe if I read that collection of Grimoires that Byakuren wrote while in Makai! I think I still have one with me!"
>Beat.
>Sweatdrop. "That's gonna be a lot of reading. There's at least 500 or so to the collection."
>Nod. "But yeah, let's go."

> "Yes, but this isn't the time for reading." Sakuya says sternly.

> Well, the 500 was an estimate based on if she wrote one every two years.

> Sakuya grabs your hand once more, and you end up in the middle of the Bambo Forest, right in front of Tewi.


Leader of the Earth Rabbits
Tewi Inaba

> The rabbit looks surprised, and then puffs out proudly.

> "No visitors today. Sorry, we're on full Mokou alert today." Tewi says.

[Hanzo K.]

>"Sorry, but there's trouble brewin', and it ain't Mokou-related. Well, she's involved yeah, but she's workin' to put an end to the trouble brewin'."

[Raikaria]

>"Sorry, but there's trouble brewin', and it ain't Mokou-related. Well, she's involved yeah, but she's workin' to put an end to the trouble brewin'."

> "We are not accepting visitors. Everyone's on Mokouwatch, and Mokou has a history of sending people as assassins first to soften Kaguya up. Today is the 2nd most violent day of the year for Mokou, the other being Turn-down Day."