Reisen Quest Furthermore: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> "Well, I asked her about these earlier, but with this new development of floating I think it could warrant another look.  Maybe not to the point of excluding other research though, but I appreciate that offer."
> "Shall I go ask her now?"

>"As you wish," says Remilia. "You need not call upon my favor right now. Save it for tomorrow, or next century. We do not forget our debts. And don't be shy about it, ask anything. The worst we can do is decline."
>"Yes, go and talk with her. Oh, before you leave, shall we beckon you when the ghost princess comes? There won't be much for you to do except enjoy the banquet, but the look on her face will be priceless!"

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "Oh yes, please do.  I would love to see what happens, thank you.  Well, excuse me."
> Head for the library.

[Hello Purvis]

> "Oh yes, please do.  I would love to see what happens, thank you.  Well, excuse me."
> Head for the library.

>"I'll send Sakuya after you when she comes."
>You leave Remilia's Chambers, and return to the foyer. You see Sakuya directing a few dozen maids, as they move artworks about. The most notable task is shifting a large statue onto a card. Sakuya herself seems to simply be directing, while holding and idly petting the Young Basset Hound.
>You return to the Library, closing the doors behind you quickly to seal out the bedlam outside. As you approach Patchouli's table, you note that Koakuma is laying down atop one of the bookshelves, out of sight of Patchouli and apparently napping.
>"You figured it out," says Patchouli as she looks up at you. "Well done. And another of the set on top of that. Excellent work. Have you spoken to Eirin for me, yet?"

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "I suppose I did, but I'm not quite sure of what this means now.  My power's been raised, but to what extent, and for how long?"
> Tell her what we discussed with Eirin.

[Hello Purvis]

> "I suppose I did, but I'm not quite sure of what this means now.  My power's been raised, but to what extent, and for how long?"
> Tell her what we discussed with Eirin.

>Patchouli stares at them for a bit. "Hmmm. Yes, they are definitely resonating with each other and with you. Interesting. I expect you already know the blue one seems to have light-based magic. Please don't use it around Remilia or Flandre. As near as I can tell, they seem to have bonded with you. This isn't terribly surprising, its a standard aspect of powerful objects; it makes the transfer of power more efficient. I daresay you've gotten quite a bargain from Rinnosuke, indeed. Where did you find the second stone?
>You tell her what Eirin has said. "Good, good," says Patchouli. "Hopefully we'll be able to make some headway on that research."

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "I got the other one from Hakugyokurou in exchange for Youmu's sword.  How many others do you think there are?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Two others," says Patchouli. "That much I can read clearly. What was Yuyuko doing with it, I wonder? And...why did she give it to you? Or rather, that particular item, rather than something else?"

>_

[Kasu]

> "Who knows..."
> "Also, would it be wrong to assume that every major noble household in Gensokyo has one of these gems?  Because Hakugyoukurou had a gem, as did you...  So maybe Eientei and the Palace of the Earth Spirits has one too?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Who knows..."
> "Also, would it be wrong to assume that every major noble household in Gensokyo has one of these gems?  Because Hakugyoukurou had a gem, as did you...  So maybe Eientei and the Palace of the Earth Spirits has one too?"

>"I'm surprised you didn't ask."
>"We didn't have one, I would most certainly know about such a thing. I think you said you bought that red one from Kourindou? You may be onto something regardless, though. But it does raise a question, if they did have them, why wouldn't they have used them? Given Eientei's efforts to seal away the moon, I would imagine your master would have used such a tool to protect the princess. As for the Palace of the Earth Spirits? Well...I cannot say about them. Satori certainly wasn't expecting to be visited, so I suppose it could be argued that she didn't have time to prepare it."

>_

[Kasu]

> "Hm..."
> "Say...  Do the gems react when in close proximity to one another?  That would definitely help search for them."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I would say you know that better than I do, but it seems logical. Objects such as this tend to long to be together."
>Unfortunately, you didn't really check while at Hakugyokurou. You think they may have reacted a bit when you brought them out to deal with the apparition, but you were too busy dealing with the apparition to have really examined the phenomena.

>_

[Kasu]

> "Ah..."
> "If you'll excuse me, I have other things to attend to for now."
> Bid Patchouli farewell.
> Head for Komachi's dock.

[Hello Purvis]

> "Ah..."
> "If you'll excuse me, I have other things to attend to for now."
> Bid Patchouli farewell.
> Head for Komachi's dock.

>"Before you go," says Patchouli, "There is something I'd like you to do to help me help you. Ran Yakumo borrowed a few books from me, some months ago. There is a line of research I had considered about the Red Gem beforehand, but could not follow as Ran had one of the resources I need. Given you've found two of them now, it seems prudent to investigate it further. You need not do so, of course. But it may help me answer some of the questions we both have."

>_

[Kasu]

> "Okay.  I'll look into it then."
> Bid Patchouli farewell.
> Head for the Yakumo's instead.

[Hello Purvis]

> "Okay.  I'll look into it then."
> Bid Patchouli farewell.
> Head for the Yakumo's instead.

>You bid Patchouli farewell and leave Scarlet Devil Mansion. Heading north, you circumnavigate the lake and head back into the Forest of Magic. The wolf, who has not moved from where he left you, falls into step behind you again. The two of you pass through through the forest, then reach the Kourindou intersection and head east. He stops about a dozen yards from the Yakumo househould, and sits down on a snow free spot on the ground.
>You stand in front of a smallish house beside a fenced-off garden, all quite picturesquely covered in snow. Obvious exits are east, west, and north.

>_

[Chaore]

>We probably should've asked what Patchy needed, ya know.

[Serela]

>We probably should've asked what Patchy needed, ya know.

>She needs back the books she borrowed, that's all~
>Knock on the door

[Hello Purvis]

>You knock in the door. There is no answer.
>You knock again. Once more, no answer.
>Frowning, you give a good long knock the third time. You think you hear some motion inside, and stop moments before the door opens. A bleary-eyed and disheveled Ran stands at the doorway, trying to say something through a yawn. She blinks at you, then blinks again. Then suddenly she grabs you by the shoulders. "Where?!" she says in a low raspy voice, her face mask of fury and her fingers starting to dig into your shoulders. "Where did you find them!?"

>_

[Kasu]

> "Wha-what?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Wha-what?"

>She steps outside, forcing you back from the house, and pulls the door mostly closed with her tails.
>"Those jewels!" Ran says, less quiet and raspy now. "How did you-! Where did you-?! Agh!"

>_

[Serela]

>"Ahh, I bought one from Kourindou and then Yuyuko gave me another when I gave her Youmu's sword back! Oh, and they helped me fight off some strange spectral thing trying to grab my head..."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Ahh, I bought one from Kourindou and then Yuyuko gave me another when I gave her Youmu's sword back! Oh, and they helped me fight off some strange spectral thing trying to grab my head..."

>Ran's jaw drops. "You, you...bought one? You bought one!? In a store?!"  She lets go go your shoulders, and slams a palm to her forehead with considerable force. She looks to you again. "You're joking, aren't you? Please tell me you're joking. They were in one of Eientei's lost storerooms, right? Right?"

>_

[Serela]

>"No... I wasn't. Although, that's a good idea, I should check there too!"

[Hello Purvis]

>"No... I wasn't. Although, that's a good idea, I should check there too!"

>"We've been hunting for those for months, you know..." Ran says. "Months. Without a trace. Then all of a sudden, you just waltz in with two of them... Sometimes I think the universe hates me, Reisen."

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "Since you seem to know a lot about them, I think we need to have a talk about them."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Since you seem to know a lot about them, I think we need to have a talk about them."

>Ran nods, slumping into her robes. Then she waves you inside. "Do keep it down. Chen is asleep."
>Heading inside, you see things are more or less as they were when you left. You note that one of the curtains on the north side of the house has been pushed aside, to reveal an unmade futon. Ran has a seat at the kotatsu. "Well, what do you know so far?" she asks through another yawn.

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "Firstly, what are they and where are they from?"
> "Secondly, what exactly is it that they do and how long do the effects last?"
> "Thirdly, who else is looking for them?"  Describe our spectral encounter that led to us using the gems in the first place.

[Hello Purvis]

> "Firstly, what are they and where are they from?"
> "Secondly, what exactly is it that they do and how long do the effects last?"
> "Thirdly, who else is looking for them?"  Describe our spectral encounter that led to us using the gems in the first place.

>"I'm not entirely sure," says Ran. "My primary knowledge of them comes from Yukari, and some reading that I've done. As far as I know, they're old artifacts, old even for youkai. I suspect they may have been made in a time when Yukari was quite young, from someplace outside Gensokyo. I'm not sure how they came to be here, I suppose the same way anything ends up here.
>"My main knowledge of them comes from Yukari's experience. Some centuries ago, six or seven of them, a human managed to find them somehow. This was back in the bad old days, and she used them to defend the human town from youkai and made enough of an impression that even Yukari took notice of her. She also used her power to take control of the town, and ruled it as a queen. I can't find many details on her reign, but it seems to have been a mixed bag. Regardless, she was quite dangerous. When she passed on, the gems were lost. It seems her heir didn't use them, or perhaps could not use them. Then were lost after that. From what I've been able to gather, her daughter took it upon herself to hide the gems away. It's been something of a passion of mine to try and find them while Yukari is sleeping and doesn't need me around."
>She sighs. "As for what they do, Yukari told me that could invoke many kinds of deadly magic, blending their powers together in curious ways to make even greater spells. Given that their original user lived to a ripe age, I imagine they may last for at least a human lifetime. I don't know if anyone else even knows they exist. Well, it seems Yuyuko had some idea. I don't think anyone else knows of them."

>_

[Chaore]

> "I think they're somewhat aware. Somewhat. It could just be me, but..."

[Kasu]

> Try to link the spectral being we saw to the gems.