Keine Quest (Part 3): Broken History

[DracoOmega]

>Smile. It's good to have made a difference.
>"We're going to think of something, I'm sure. I have no doubt, before this is done, you have thanked me enough to that you'll keep a ledger so that you may be properly paid back for them. For now...shall we head off to Scarlet Devil Mansion? Patchouli will be very interested in all of this."

>It really is. At least there's something you can look to after all the events of the night and say 'Here's why it was worth it.'
>"Well, I think we're in this together now," Ran says. "Whatever it takes. And I can accompany you where you think best. If you'll just permit me a moment to do something here first."
>Ran stands up and walks some distance away from you, then reaches into her pocket and pulls something out. You see a brief purple glow, and then she puts it away and returns.

[Hello Purvis]

>"What was that?"

[DracoOmega]

>"What was that?"

>"This?" Ran reaches into her pocket and takes out a small glass butterfly, with wings of purple and blue. "You can think of this as a sort of portal key, I suppose. It can open and stabilize existing folds in the fabric of space. In layman's terms, it can reopen a latent gap. Yukari created it as something of a convenience for myself, or to be used in case of emergency. Though this has been seven years in the making, I think our current situation qualifies as the latter. Note that it can only push where a connection between two locations already exists, before you get any crazy ideas of how to utilize it."

>"In any event, these fissures were created by some power that resembles Yukari's own, and the residual energy in them suggests they may still be loosely connected to an end point. Your encounter with the shadow youkai strongly supports this. This key may be able to open a stable gap along this connection long enough for someone to pass through. Unfortunately, the technique used to create these fissures came closer to shredding space, rather than opening a clean path through it. If there was even a strong enough connection here to reopen, I don't know that I'd consider it safe to follow."

>"However, if I can essentially sample a few more active locations, I may be able to triangulate a mean point of origin."

[Kasu]

> "That...  Could really help us solve this thing."

[DracoOmega]

> "That...  Could really help us solve this thing."

>"I hope so," Ran agrees. "Assuming that whoever did this isn't simply gapping them into nothingness, or some reality we can't exist in. The shadow creature is a rather worrisome angle."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I can show you a few other places."
>Is the bit of forest that disappeared or the former Shrine site on the way to Scarlet Devil Mansion?

[DracoOmega]

>"I can show you a few other places."
>Is the bit of forest that disappeared or the former Shrine site on the way to Scarlet Devil Mansion?

>Ran nods
>Neither of them is on the way. The patch of forest is relatively close to the mansion, however. The shrine is a fair bit further away.

[Hello Purvis]

>"When you're ready, I can show you one of them on the way to the mansion."

[DracoOmega]

>"When you're ready, I can show you one of them on the way to the mansion."

>"Very well. I'm done what I needed to do here. Let's be off."

[Hello Purvis]

>Let's be off.
>Roll with the crew down to the forest crater yet again.
>Let Ran do her thing, stay near Rumia so she doesn't get too bothered.

[DracoOmega]

>Let's be off.
>Roll with the crew down to the forest crater yet again.
>Let Ran do her thing, stay near Rumia so she doesn't get too bothered.

>The group of you set off for the forest crater once again. Each time you return here, you seem to bring more people in tow. At the very least, you feel pretty comfortable that if a shadow creature like that appeared again, it would last all of two seconds with this much firepower in the same location.

>When you arrive, Ran takes a step into the fissure and looks around at the tiny slivers, still winking in and out of existence across it. "There is... still quite of spatial instability here. Although I'm rather amazed that anything could step out of something that small and transient. Still, it should be fairly easy to get a read of the place."
>Ran holds the butterfly out on her palm. You see its wings start to flap slightly and it glows faintly. You think the slivers become more active in her general vicinity. After a few moments, it stops glowing and she puts it away.
>"The path is still partially open here, but... it feels like it's going to dozens of different destinations, all twisted together."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Any idea at all where they lead?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Any idea at all where they lead?"

>Ran shakes her head. "I'm afraid I can't tell without actually setting foot into them. That's why I want to have a point of comparison; see if I can find a common current among them all. Otherwise...."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"With that done, let's continue on."
>Do so once people wrap things up, onwards to SDM.

[DracoOmega]

>Nod.
>"With that done, let's continue on."
>Do so once people wrap things up, onwards to SDM.

>"Very well," Ran says.
>You gather everyone together and head back towards the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

>Meiling looks at your group curiously as you approach.
>"Y'know, just because Patchy said you're allowed in doesn't mean you get to drag half of Gensokyo inside with you."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Think of it as the opportunity to defend half of Gensokyo. But, if you feel the need to clear it with her, I can wait."

[DracoOmega]

>"Think of it as the opportunity to defend half of Gensokyo. But, if you feel the need to clear it with her, I can wait."

>Meiling scowls at you. "Look, I'm not falling for that kind of line again. And even she doesn't call all the shots. Why don't you just go in by yourself and save us both the trouble?"
>"I'm content to wait outside, if it would be less problematic," Ran says.
>"See?" Meiling says, smirking. "She gets it."

[Hello Purvis]

>"You're the one I need to go inside, Ran. Patchouli has been helping us with this problem, and the two of you together stand the best chance of unraveling things so that we can solve this. Really, were it not for her, I doubt I would have found you tonight."
>Look back to Mokou and Rumia. "I hate to ask this again, but would you wait for me one more time? I'll do my best to be quick."

[DracoOmega]

>"You're the one I need to go inside, Ran. Patchouli has been helping us with this problem, and the two of you together stand the best chance of unraveling things so that we can solve this. Really, were it not for her, I doubt I would have found you tonight."
>Look back to Mokou and Rumia. "I hate to ask this again, but would you wait for me one more time? I'll do my best to be quick."

>"Well, I suppose in that case..." Ran says.
>Mokou shrugs. "No worries. I've got no place else worth being at the moment, anyway."
>Meiling gives a resigned sigh. "Ok, fine. Just go...." She opens the gate.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Thank you, Mokou. Hopefully Meiling will be good company."
>Head in. "Thank you, Meiling."
>To the Library.

[DracoOmega]

>"Thank you, Mokou. Hopefully Meiling will be good company."
>Head in. "Thank you, Meiling."
>To the Library.

>Mokou rolls her eyes at your comment.
>"Yeah, yeah..." Meiling says, idly waving you forward.
>You and Ran walk into the mansion and head towards the library. Patchouli is unsurprisingly unmoved since you last saw her. You can only hope she's invested in a comfortable chair. The map is still spread out on the desk in front of her, and a new stack of books has appeared next to it. She's currently sitting back, a large tome open before her face.
>"You seem to be rotating traveling companions tonight," she says, without having apparently looked up from her book.

[Hello Purvis]

>"I left a few at the gate to mollify Meling. Anyways, it seems that the location you sent me to is where Yukari lived. I believe Ran can explain what happened there better than I can."

[DracoOmega]

>"I left a few at the gate to mollify Meling. Anyways, it seems that the location you sent me to is where Yukari lived. I believe Ran can explain what happened there better than I can."

>"Really?" Patchouli says. "I suppose she fared little better than the shrine maiden did?"
>"Not exactly so," Ran says, and proceeds to give a brief recap of the information she related to you earlier, about the initial incident, the barrier, and Yukari freezing the border between past and present. Patchouli puts her book down shortly after Ran begins, her brow furrowed in focused attention and analysis. And more than a little displeasure, you think
>"From the future?" Patchouli says, eventually. "That is... Well, I will spare you the full litany of my reservations regarding that explanation, for both our sakes. In any event, what do you intend to do about it? And, more to the point, what are you hoping I can contribute? I suspect you would not be back here otherwise."

[Hello Purvis]

>"My hope is that two heads will serve to be better than one on this issue. Ran has a learned a great deal about the nature of borders and barriers from Yukari, and has personal experience with the incident. My hope is that the two of you would be able able to make more progress in studying and understanding this problem than either of you alone."

[DracoOmega]

>"My hope is that two heads will serve to be better than one on this issue. Ran has a learned a great deal about the nature of borders and barriers from Yukari, and has personal experience with the incident. My hope is that the two of you would be able able to make more progress in studying and understanding this problem than either of you alone."

>"Does that mean your plan is to hope we come up with one?" Patchouli says, raising an eyebrow.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Largely."

[DracoOmega]

>"Largely."

>"I still think our best option at this point is to find a stable way through those gaps," Ran says. "If we can figure out who caused them, we may be many steps closer to finding a solution."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"That does seem our best course."
>What time is it, roughly?

[DracoOmega]

>Nod.
>"That does seem our best course."
>What time is it, roughly?

>"And for that," Ran continues, "it would be best if I could get measurements from as many active locations as possible."
>Judging by the light on your way here, it's still no later than 4-ish. ...which is odd, now that you stop and think about it. With all the travelling you've done, it really ought to be dawn by now.

[Hello Purvis]

>It's been a busy night.
>"Might I have a copy of that map?"