Maribel Quest Latterly - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

>Marvel!
>"What... is it?"

>You marvel! Not only did you do it, you matched the one your teacher made!
>"That's a little tiny bit of starlight," she says. "Doesn't look like much now, but when it's dark, it'll keep you from tripping over things. It's part of a general class of thingamajiggers call familiars. You know about those?"

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"That's the first I've heard of it, but I'm interested... what can they do?"
>Huh, how did Renko's ability work again? Did it have something to do with the stars?

[Hello Purvis]

>"That's the first I've heard of it, but I'm interested... what can they do?"
>Huh, how did Renko's ability work again? Did it have something to do with the stars?

>"Not surprising. They're kinda danmaku helpers. You can use 'em to fire off more bullets from a distance, and they can soak up a few shots for you. But, you gotta set them up to do that first. These ones, they're just gonna make light, you gotta prime 'em while making danmaku. But that gets outside real spells and more into the personally kind of magic like Reimu uses. See, real spells, like that one, it doesn't matter who you are, it works right. If you have the power to cast it and do it right, it'll work the same way every time. Practicing means you get better at casting it right, not that it gets more powerful. But stuff like Reimu's barriers and danmaku? You can do it right every time, but practice means you get better at it, until you hit your limit. See? And when you prime these little guys," she pokes at your light ball, "you're sorta doing both. See?"
>You notice Tokiko has finished with her meal, and is kneeling down and sitting on her heels, listening, a few yards way.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"How do you prime them? Could you show me?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"How do you prime them? Could you show me?"

>"Sure," she says. "First, get rid of that one, just think "Go away" at it and it'll stop. Then, summon up another one, but while your casting the spell, work up some danmaku, too. But don't shoot it, just put it in the familiar when you finish the spell, add it to that little rush you felt. And there you go."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Ok, I'll give it a try."
>Think 'Go away' at the familiar
>Repeat the incantation and hand gesture from before. When we feel the power building, also try to conjure and hold some danmaku and then mentally place them inside the familiar

[E-Nazrin]

>Dismiss the familiar.
>Look over at Tokiko.
>"We're messing with some danmaku stuff. I'm still new at this, so if I accidentally fire near you, I'm not trying to hurt you, okay? Just a mistake."
>Give it a shot. Try to 'aim' it at an unoccupied area.

[Hello Purvis]

>Dismiss the familiar.
>Look over at Tokiko.
>"We're messing with some danmaku stuff. I'm still new at this, so if I accidentally fire near you, I'm not trying to hurt you, okay? Just a mistake."
>Give it a shot. Try to 'aim' it at an unoccupied area.

>"Ok, I'll give it a try."
>Think 'Go away' at the familiar
>Repeat the incantation and hand gesture from before. When we feel the power building, also try to conjure and hold some danmaku and then mentally place them inside the familiar

>You follow Marisa's instructions, and the familiar goes away.
>Tokiko nods. "Okay."
>You then follow Marisa's directions. It takes a couple tries; first you mess up the pronunciation, and then you try to invoke your danmaku too late and miss the chance, ruining the whole spell.
>Then you time it correctly, and you feel the rush of the spell flow through you, mingling with the sensation of latent danmaku and drawing it out. The wisp of light doesn't look any different, but you can feel an intrinsic difference to it.
>"There you go," says Marisa. "Kind of a pain to put both together, isn't it? Have it shoot somewhere. You can move it around just like you aim danmaku, too."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Try moving the familiar around
>Then try shooting from it. Aim at a direction as far away from Tokiko as possible

[E-Nazrin]

>Try moving the familiar around
>Then try shooting from it. Aim at a direction as far away from Tokiko as possible

>And away from Marisa/her house/her training equipment.

[Hello Purvis]

>Try moving the familiar around
>Then try shooting from it. Aim at a direction as far away from Tokiko as possible

>And away from Marisa/her house/her training equipment.

>The familiar doesn't really want to move much for you, but you manage to send it moving slowly forward.
>Shooting from it is odd, to say the least. You build up it up within yourself, then suddenly it is gone, and the familiar unleashes a few bullets. They fly toward the woods, away from anything notable.
>"There you go," Marisa says. "Now. Familiars seem great and all, right? And for a while they got really popular. But there's some downsides to them, too. You got to pour a bit of yourself into them. The more you pour in, the less you have to work with personally. It's tricky to get the right combination that'll make having familiars worth having around. And if you pour too much of yourself into them, and they get destroyed, you won't be able to make 'em again until you rest up a bit. There's been a few folks who get all their familiars broke, and then they're defenseless. No only that, when they pop, they wipe out all the shots near them. But, if you can use 'em right, you can really beef up your offense and defense with them. But you're gonna have to kind of feel that out on your own."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Did it seem to take any less effort to fire those bullets using the familiar?
>Try seeing if we can fire some from it and from ourselves at the same time
>If that works, does it seem like more total firepower than we could have gotten out of just ourself, with no familiar active?

[Hello Purvis]

>Did it seem to take any less effort to fire those bullets using the familiar?
>Try seeing if we can fire some from it and from ourselves at the same time
>If that works, does it seem like more total firepower than we could have gotten out of just ourself, with no familiar active?

>It was about the same.
>You try to do this, and manage to get two tiny streams of shots going at once! Progress!
>No, you think it's slightly less. Maybe you just need more practice?

[DracoOmega]

>We need more practice with everything. That's the rule of the day, it seems.

>"Well, thanks a lot for that, Marisa. Even if I can't get a lot of benefit out of a familiar in combat yet, I'm sure the light will come in handy. And hey, it's all a learning experience, anyway."

>How long was the incantation? Plausible enough to have memorized, soon enough?

[Hello Purvis]

>We need more practice with everything. That's the rule of the day, it seems.

>"Well, thanks a lot for that, Marisa. Even if I can't get a lot of benefit out of a familiar in combat yet, I'm sure the light will come in handy. And hey, it's all a learning experience, anyway."

>How long was the incantation? Plausible enough to have memorized, soon enough?

>That it does. Learning how to break what you considered scientific axioms is hard.
>"Yeah, you'll do alright, if you're pulling off these things on your first day."
>Twelve syllables. It'd probably help to keep that slip of paper around.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Twelve syllables is plenty memorizable given a little time, though
>"Yeah, it's been.... quite an experience so far, let me tell you. I'm sure it's hard for someone who's always lived in Gensokyo to really understand just how... well, amazing all this is. Everything around here."
>"So, any other pointers? Not that this isn't enough for now, or anything, and I'm really grateful. Just saying."

[Hello Purvis]

>Twelve syllables is plenty memorizable given a little time, though
>"Yeah, it's been.... quite an experience so far, let me tell you. I'm sure it's hard for someone who's always lived in Gensokyo to really understand just how... well, amazing all this is. Everything around here."
>"So, any other pointers? Not that this isn't enough for now, or anything, and I'm really grateful. Just saying."

>You think you can handle it.
>Marisa nods. "Well, you've not gotten eaten yet, and managed to keep off Yuka's worst side, so you're doing pretty well so far. As long as you don't go around trying to make enemies, you ought to be fine. You have a place to stay, right?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Yeah. In the Palace of the Earth Spirits. That's where I woke up to Gensokyo this morning, actually."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah. In the Palace of the Earth Spirits. That's where I woke up to Gensokyo this morning, actually."

>"Kinda dangerous down there, but it sounds like you have friends down there," she says with a nod. "You'll do okay."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Here's hoping, anyway. Utsuho is actually one of the few people I remember from before I woke up here. I still haven't gotten to see her since she... well, she was human, last I saw her, anyway."

>"Oh, another question, before I go. Do you have any idea where I could find a geode?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Here's hoping, anyway. Utsuho is actually one of the few people I remember from before I woke up here. I still haven't gotten to see her since she... well, she was human, last I saw her, anyway."

>"Oh, another question, before I go. Do you have any idea where I could find a geode?"

>"Utsuho? Human? I'm pretty sure youkai can't become humans."
>"Patchouli might have one."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Yes, well... you know, the whole dream thing. I guess you could say I met her there."

>"I think Keine might have mentioned Patchouli. She lives in some mansion south of here, right?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yes, well... you know, the whole dream thing. I guess you could say I met her there."

>"I think Keine might have mentioned Patchouli. She lives in some mansion south of here, right?"

>"Oh, right," she says. "I don't remember who I met an-wait, actually that's really weird." She looks at you. "How come someone from outside is involved with the dream?"
>She nods, seeming a bit lost in thought now.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, as near as I can figure from what a couple people told me, Gensokyo was somehow transported to the outside world. And I traveled to there while it was outside. Uh, to the place that everyone here dreamed about. And then when it was returned, I was dragged along with it. As for why almost no one really remembers it, I don't really understand.... Keine said something about how none of it really happened. Except for the parts that did..."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, as near as I can figure from what a couple people told me, Gensokyo was somehow transported to the outside world. And I traveled to there while it was outside. Uh, to the place that everyone here dreamed about. And then when it was returned, I was dragged along with it. As for why almost no one really remembers it, I don't really understand.... Keine said something about how none of it really happened. Except for the parts that did..."

>"If Keine's involved," says Marisa slowly, "That means she's been toying with history."
>She stands up. You see Tokiko visibly startle from the corner of your eye.
>"Keine and I need to have a talk. If you want to get into the mansion, tell the guard to tell Patchy you're with me. That'll get you to her, at least, if she's not busy."
>Before you can reply, Marisa starts toward the path to the road.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Uh, thanks again for everything!"

>Go over to Tokiko
>"Are you alright? She wasn't really that scary, was she?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Uh, thanks again for everything!"

>Go over to Tokiko
>"Are you alright? She wasn't really that scary, was she?"

>"Thanks for the mushrooms," she says back.
>You walk over to Tokiko, as she stands up.
>"She is that scary!" Tokiko says. "But I guess she's nice, too. Maybe she's more like a snake than a wolf after all..."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"She seems like she means well, even if she's kind of imposing looking. Reimu spoke pretty highly of her on the whole, too."

>"Was the sandwich any good?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"She seems like she means well, even if she's kind of imposing looking. Reimu spoke pretty highly of her on the whole, too."

>"Was the sandwich any good?"

>"I suppose. But I don't think I want to be around her much, the way she was toward the end."
>She nods. "I didn't know all those things were food!"

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"Yeah, that spooked me a little too. But she didn't get angry with us, since we were still nice to her, even if what I said got her worried."
>What else do we know about that mansion?