Keine Quest (Part 3): Broken History

[Hello Purvis]

>Make way back to the gate. We're just going to worry the others unnecessarily at this point.
>Peruse the paper along the way if lighting permits.

[DracoOmega]

>Make way back to the gate. We're just going to worry the others unnecessarily at this point.
>Peruse the paper along the way if lighting permits.

>You follow the trails back to the place that you arrived at, looking at the paper as you go.
>There is a lot of information in it you only partially understand. There is talk of local and regional politics; evidently the upcoming election is big news at the moment. There's also some concerns about something called a 'stock market'. The coverage also seems significantly more international than similar publications you've read previously. Perhaps their technology makes remote information gathering more practical? There are reports of flooding in rural China, and allegations of corruption in a major American corporation. No signs of any magic or paranormal activity, though.

>You soon find yourself back at the spot where you first arrived at this place.

[Hello Purvis]

>Have a final look around.
>If nothing presents itself as unusual, back through the portal.

[DracoOmega]

>Have a final look around.
>If nothing presents itself as unusual, back through the portal.

>You have a last look around; you see nothing or note, and fortunately no people, either.
>You take out the portal key and activate it. The butterfly's wings start to glow and the gap reopens with a slight tearing sound. Taking a deep breath, you step through.
>You wouldn't go as far as to say that the journey was more pleasant this time, but at least it wasn't unexpected. After an indeterminate length of time between pinched and pulled between worlds, you stumble out on the other side. This time you manage to catch your balance before you collide with the ground; fortunate, considering you're standing on uneven rocks rather than grass on this end.

>Rumia charges at you as you emerge, throwing her arms around your torso. "Yaaay! Quiz lady's ok!"
>"Well shit," Mokou says, standing up. "Was starting to worry. What'd you find?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Return Rumia's hug. "That's alright, I'm okay..."
>Look to Mokou. "It leads to Kyoto. I am almost certain it is the wrong place entirely..."

[DracoOmega]

>Return Rumia's hug. "That's alright, I'm okay..."
>Look to Mokou. "It leads to Kyoto. I am almost certain it is the wrong place entirely..."

>You return Rumia's hug. She smiles back at you.
>"Kyoto?!" Mokou says. "What the hell?"

[Kasu]

> "Well at least I have a better understanding of what lies outside the border now."

[DracoOmega]

> "Well at least I have a better understanding of what lies outside the border now."

>"Did you find anything that might explain any of this?" Mokou asks, gesturing to the fissure around you.

[Kasu]

> "Not really.  I don't know if the outside world has anything to do with it, though I was only there for awhile."
> Do we have the paper?
> If so:  "I brought this back if you want a look at it."

[Hello Purvis]

>"As I said, I am almost certain we've been misdirected. I saw no signs of anything like that at all, nor any mention in the paper about something that could be construed as such."

[DracoOmega]

> "Not really.  I don't know if the outside world has anything to do with it, though I was only there for awhile."
> Do we have the paper?
> If so:  "I brought this back if you want a look at it."

>"Huh. Guess it was too much to hope for that the youkai might just be waiting on the other side."
>You do still have the paper. You hand it to Mokou, who glances through it.
>"Well, ain't that something. The outside world... been a hell of a long time. Not that people there have changed much; still bitching about the same things."

>"As I said, I am almost certain we've been misdirected. I saw no signs of anything like that at all, nor any mention in the paper about something that could be construed as such."

>"You think someone tried to toss you in the wrong direction or something? That even possible?" She shrugs. "Hell if I know."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Let's go report back to Ran and Patchouli, then call it a night. Unless they've had a breakthrough, there's not much else to do."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Let's go report back to Ran and Patchouli, then call it a night. Unless they've had a breakthrough, there's not much else to do."

"Sure," Mokou says. "Let's hope they have. I really thought we were onto something..."

[Hello Purvis]

>Toward that mansion one more time. Ponder if we should have gotten a present to try and make Meiling's night a little better.

[DracoOmega]

>Toward that mansion one more time. Ponder if we should have gotten a present to try and make Meiling's night a little better.

>You head back towards the mansion again. You honestly feel a little sorry for Meiling, after all this, but have no idea what a suitable present would be.

>She sighs heavily as you arrive. "Just go on in... I can't even be bothered to complain any more." She opens the gate for you.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Thank you, Meiling. At least it's better than a night where nothing happens, right?"
>Into the library!

[DracoOmega]

>"Thank you, Meiling. At least it's better than a night where nothing happens, right?"
>Into the library!

>"Yeah, probably..." she replies, leaning back against the wall.

>You enter the mansion and head towards the library. You see Ran and Patchouli engaged in a spirited debate, while Chen fidgets in a nearby chair, her tails twitching back and forth. Ran turns to you as you approach.
>"So you're back," she says, "and looking none the worse for wear. What have you discovered?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I have. It leads to the outside world. The city of Kyoto, to be exact."
>Show them the newspaper.
>"I am almost certain we've been misled."

[DracoOmega]

>"I have. It leads to the outside world. The city of Kyoto, to be exact."
>Show them the newspaper.
>"I am almost certain we've been misled."

>"Kyoto?" Ran says, taking the newspaper and looking at it.
>"The outside world?" Patchouli muses. "What power would still exist there now that's capable of this?"
>Ran scans through the newspaper. "This does seem to suggest your assessment is correct. But... I don't see how it would be possible to have been misled there. I'm certain I followed a path that was left over from the original incident. You may not have arrived at the precise geographical point of origin, but it couldn't have put you on the wrong plane entirely. I doubt it could even put you far enough away to be in a different city."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I've seen no evidence of youkai activity there, and if there was anything like the thing Rumia and I fought, then almost certainly would have been noticed. It simply would not be coherent enough to hide itself effectively."

[DracoOmega]

>"I've seen no evidence of youkai activity there, and if there was anything like the thing Rumia and I fought, then almost certainly would have been noticed. It simply would not be coherent enough to hide itself effectively."

>"Well... Kyoto is a large city," Ran says. "And as limited in cognition as you describe that creature, I doubt it can have been the ultimate cause. Perhaps it was a side-effect? Or something released from the space between spaces? Regardless, some of what was taken from Gensokyo must have ended up there. The degree of subtlety required to misdirect things in the way you suggest... well, the brute force that was applied to do this in the first place suggests whoever it is would be utterly incapable of that."

[Hello Purvis]

>"The fact that it attacked more or less the same way as the youkai I saw before is too much of a coincidence, I think, for it be something like an unrelated thing in the space between spaces. Though, it may well be a related thing from there. I didn't see any signs of the missing areas, but as you mentioned, it is a large area, and I was hesitant to scout from the air."

[DracoOmega]

>"The fact that it attacked more or less the same way as the youkai I saw before is too much of a coincidence, I think, for it be something like an unrelated thing in the space between spaces. Though, it may well be a related thing from there. I didn't see any signs of the missing areas, but as you mentioned, it is a large area, and I was hesitant to scout from the air."

>Ran nods. "I agree it's almost certainly related, but as a symptom or related phenomenon, not a cause. The youkai you encountered in the forest was capable of coherent speech. At the very least, I guess it's reassuring that Kyoto isn't also suffering similar issues that we are."
>"Perhaps the shadow creature was a projection of the instigating youkai?" Patchouli offers. "Some sort of magical construct, with limited intellect. Perhaps a guardian left to prevent someone else from crossing through?"
>"As for signs of the missing areas," Ran continues, "keep in mind that the original geographic terminus was unfocused. That was part of the reason it took additional effort to triangulate a straight course. They almost certainly did not all arrive at the same place."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Perhaps so, but if how many hundreds of square meters of forest just appeared out of nowhere, would it not be mentioned in the newspaper? Especially for a place like that, it would be a huge event."

[DracoOmega]

>"Perhaps so, but if how many hundreds of square meters of forest just appeared out of nowhere, would it not be mentioned in the newspaper? Especially for a place like that, it would be a huge event."

>Ran nods. "Assuming it happened within a populated area... Still, if it only took place a few hours ago, would it have already made the news?"

[MysTeariousYukari]

> "Hard to say, but when something is amiss, doubting a humans ability to spread information quickly is not wise."
> The moon's phase was nothing near Full, was it? If so, mention this.

[DracoOmega]

> "Hard to say, but when something is amiss, doubting a humans ability to spread information quickly is not wise."
> The moon's phase was nothing near Full, was it? If so, mention this.

>"This is also true," Ran agrees. "The outside world has ways of disseminating information that can be quite a bit faster than our own."
>The moon was a few days away from full. Certainly it was not the same as here. You say as much.
>Ran considers this. "I suppose this isn't entirely implausible. If the ultimate origin of this was further ahead of our own time, the fact that you should travel to someplace where the phase of the moon was different also follows."
>Patchouli frowns, and opens her mouth to say something, but stop herself before she does.

[Hello Purvis]

>Frown.
>Check the paper for a date. Hope calendars haven't shifted too much.

[MysTeariousYukari]

> "Something the matter Patchouli? You look as if you have something to say?"

[DracoOmega]

>Frown.
>Check the paper for a date. Hope calendars haven't shifted too much.

>You take the newspaper back from Ran and have a look at the date. It reads "July 22nd, 2021"

> "Something the matter Patchouli? You look as if you have something to say?"

>"I have made my position on time travel clear, I think. It would be best if I said no more."