Reimu Quest (Part 6)

[Hello Purvis]

>To the river!

[日巫子]

>To the river!

> You dive below the waves.  The candle goes out instantly, despite your best efforts to protect it.  It's dark and cold in these waters, but every now and then you see a faint glimmer of light.  A little blob that looks like it has flippers careens past you, glowing like a light bulb.  You see more of these creatures below, and more shapes of things you don't recognize.

> _

[O4rfish]

>Isn't the Sanzu River dangerous to be swimming in? Why are we swimming?

[日巫子]

>Isn't the Sanzu River dangerous to be swimming in? Why are we swimming?

> You're technically swimming over the Sanzu River, or where it should be.  You're not even near the ground, so you should be safe.

> _

[Sect]

> Well, grabbing one of them lantern fish doesn't sound like a great idea unless we have a bag or something to put them in. Let's go ahead and summon a small, weak danmaku bullet to illuminate the surrounding area: it'll drain us, but without Patchouli's familiars it's all we have.
> ... Did we remember to change into that swimsuit before diving in?

[日巫子]

> Well, grabbing one of them lantern fish doesn't sound like a great idea unless we have a bag or something to put them in. Let's go ahead and summon a small, weak danmaku bullet to illuminate the surrounding area: it'll drain us, but without Patchouli's familiars it's all we have.
> ... Did we remember to change into that swimsuit before diving in?

> You have nothing to contain the little fish things in, so you charge up a weak stream of danmaku.  It lights up the path in front of you and reveals the Sanzu River, far below.  There are more lights the further down you go, and although the danmaku's making you tired, it's all you have to show you the way.
> You forgot to change, but it's too late now.  The swimsuit won't keep you warm after you get out, anyway.

> _

[Sect]

> Mrr. It'll be annoying to have to wait for our clothes to dry. Oh well.
> Float along above the Sanzu and keep an eye out for anything weird or that lazy reaper.

[日巫子]

> Mrr. It'll be annoying to have to wait for our clothes to dry. Oh well.
> Float along above the Sanzu and keep an eye out for anything weird or that lazy reaper.

> If only you had a way to dry your clothes instantly, then this wouldn't be a problem.
> You swim along and look for anything suspicious.  You're meters above the river itself, and seeing that it still has its own water is a surreal experience.  Some boats are docked on the riverbank, surrounded by lights.  The shining fish you encountered earlier were giving off a golden glow, but the lights you see down there are silver and white.

> _

[O4rfish]

>Go towards the light!

[日巫子]

>Go towards the light!

> You follow the light.
> You swim deeper and deeper until you're just meters from the ground.  Fish of all shapes and sizes surround you, giving clarity to your surroundings.  The lights on the riverbank are souls, the kind you'd see floating around Hakugyokurou.  A red-headed woman is swimming around them, herding them into groups with gentle nudges of the handle end of her scythe.  Bubbles come out of her mouth in a stream and you see that there are runes drawn all up her arms.

> _

[Sect]

> Runes? Wonder what they're for: it's not like a shinigami needs to breathe, right?
> Form a tiny tiny danmaku bullet and fire it away from the shinigami and the souls, but within her eyesight. That should get us her attention.

[日巫子]

> Runes? Wonder what they're for: it's not like a shinigami needs to breathe, right?
> Form a tiny tiny danmaku bullet and fire it away from the shinigami and the souls, but within her eyesight. That should get us her attention.

> You really don't know.
> You get the shinigami's attention with some well-placed danmaku.  She opens her mouth in surprise, looks over, and then swims over.  A few of the souls follow her, and she waves for them to go back to the boat.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Wave.
>"Wow. I figured you'd be on the surface."

[日巫子]

>Wave.
>"Wow. I figured you'd be on the surface."

> The shinigami waves back. 
> "Of the ocean?  It's not like the river can just elevate with the water level," she says.  "Check these babies out, they keep me from floating away while I'm working."
> She shows you the runes on their arms.  They look really complicated.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Nice. Where'd you get those?"

[日巫子]

>"Nice. Where'd you get those?"

> Some higher-ups drew them for me," says the shinigami.  "Back at Higan."

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Neat. So...um, any familiar faces come by since all this?"

[日巫子]

>"Neat. So...um, any familiar faces come by since all this?"

> She shakes her head.  "It's just been me.  Who would be underwater like this, anyway?"

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Gesture toward the ghosts.

[日巫子]

>Gesture toward the ghosts.

> The shinigami looks over at the ghosts.
> "Nah.  Nobody I know among those ones," she says with a shake of her head.  "So what are you doing here?  Ready for a lift?"

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"I was kinda hoping you'd have some idea where the hell Yukari is hiding. Or maybe some word from up top about what happened?"

[日巫子]

>"I was kinda hoping you'd have some idea where the hell Yukari is hiding. Or maybe some word from up top about what happened?"

> "No one's entirely sure what's happened," she says.  "We've been getting an influx of souls with death dates a few thousand years of the future, and the Yama is running herself ragged trying to figure out why.  No time to go looking for the Sukima youkai."

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Now that...is new information. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that hole in the sky, would you?"

[日巫子]

>"Now that...is new information. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that hole in the sky, would you?"

> She shakes her head.  "I've been underwater all day."

> _

[O4rfish]

>"So they died in the future and came back to now for the river crossing, or they died now when they were supposed to have lived much longer?"

[日巫子]

>"So they died in the future and came back to now for the river crossing, or they died now when they were supposed to have lived much longer?"

> "The first one," she says.  "A death date is your time of death, and not even a lot of youkai could live for that long into the future...probably."
> She shrugs.  "The point is, they should be crossing the river in their own time.  But who am I to deny a ghost a boat ride?"

> _

[O4rfish]

>"That is really weird. Do they have any good information about the future?"

[Sect]

> "Like lottery numbers?"
> What? We could use the cash.

[日巫子]

>"That is really weird. Do they have any good information about the future?"

> "Like lottery numbers?"
> What? We could use the cash.

> The shinigami bursts into laughter.  Bubbles stream from her mouth and nose.
> "Ahaha!  No, nothing like that.  Only the Yama is privy to that information."

> _

[O4rfish]

>"How about the causes of death?"