Keine Quest (Part 4): Broken History

[MysTeariousYukari]

> "Well, whether or not she can get this situation resolved I am more then thankful that she is willing to try. You also have my thanks, for telling her for me, it makes solving this possible."

[Hello Purvis]

>"There's no way we could really have a good effect without her help. Thank you, Komachi."
>Check the sky, how long do we think we have til sunset starts looming?

[DracoOmega]

> "Well, whether or not she can get this situation resolved I am more then thankful that she is willing to try. You also have my thanks, for telling her for me, it makes solving this possible."

>"There's no way we could really have a good effect without her help. Thank you, Komachi."

>"Eh, don't worry about it," Komachi shrugs. "All I did was deliver a message. Shiki's the one doing all the hard stuff. ...about the same as usual. For what it's worth, I hope she can straighten things out."

>Check the sky, how long do we think we have til sunset starts looming?

>Probably another three hours or so

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, what now Mokou? I'd kind of like to tell Orin and Satori about this. But...going through that hole again? No thanks."

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, what now Mokou? I'd kind of like to tell Orin and Satori about this. But...going through that hole again? No thanks."

>"That makes two of us," she replies, grimacing. "Suppose there's still the well at Eientei. Bet Kaguya'd just love people using her house as an entrance to the underground." Mokou snickers. "But... pretty sure we wouldn't get all the way down there and back again before sunset."
>"Well, if you two don't need me for anything else," Komachi says, "I ought to head off again. Never a shortage of work around here..."

[MysTeariousYukari]

> "Very well then Komachi. And thanks again, even if all you did was deliver a message, you still have helped greatly."
> Think back, do we know of how Reimu and Marisa gained access to the Underground when they stopped Utsuho in our world?

[DracoOmega]

> "Very well then Komachi. And thanks again, even if all you did was deliver a message, you still have helped greatly."
> Think back, do we know of how Reimu and Marisa gained access to the Underground when they stopped Utsuho in our world?

>"Sure thing," Komachi nods, and heads back towards the boat, gathering up a few more spirits along the way.
>You have a rough idea of where the entrance is, in the hills south of the Forest of Magic.

[Hello Purvis]

>Do we have a rough idea of how to get to the city from there? Given how twisty the caves get?

[DracoOmega]

>Do we have a rough idea of how to get to the city from there? Given how twisty the caves get?

>You're not sure how maze-like it is down that way; you've never traveled it in person. To be perfectly frank though, you're not certain you'd know exactly how to backtrack from the Eientei entrance, either. Suika took you along a lot of twists and turns following the seeking stone.

[Hello Purvis]

>Do we have any idea how long the main entrance would take?

[DracoOmega]

>Do we have any idea how long the main entrance would take?

>It would probably shave some time off the other route, but there's a very real risk of still not being back here in time for sundown, especially if you end up getting turned around down there.

[MysTeariousYukari]

> It's worth a try to take the main entrance!
> Besides, Orin and Satori would want an update about Utsuho, and they would love to hear that they should be able to see Utsuho again soon.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Don't think we could reliably find our way through any of the other ways unless we got lucky and found a guide..."

[DracoOmega]

> It's worth a try to take the main entrance!
> Besides, Orin and Satori would want an update about Utsuho, and they would love to hear that they should be able to see Utsuho again soon.

>You decide that it's probably worth attempting the likely shortest route. Hopefully there's enough time for it.
>They would certainly like to hear what you have to say. Hopefully you really will be able to promise that they'll see her again soon.

>"Don't think we could reliably find our way through any of the other ways unless we got lucky and found a guide..."

>"Yeah, maybe..." Mokou says.

[Hello Purvis]

>Do we have any idea where Alice lives, aside from somewhere in the forest?
>If so, would her place be along the way to the main entrance to the underground? It might be worth asking her about some of the events of the past few years, and see if we can get a beeline on Marisa. And maybe directions for underground.

[DracoOmega]

>Do we have any idea where Alice lives, aside from somewhere in the forest?
>If so, would her place be along the way to the main entrance to the underground? It might be worth asking her about some of the events of the past few years, and see if we can get a beeline on Marisa. And maybe directions for underground.

>Unfortunately you don't have any better idea than that.
>Nevertheless, you're fairly certain it's also not on the way. The entrance to the underground is south of the bulk of the forest, and you're currently on the southernmost edge of Gensokyo.

[Hello Purvis]

>Toward the main entrance, then.

[DracoOmega]

>Toward the main entrance, then.

>You and Mokou head out for the underground, leaving the Sanzu behind, and flying over the forests and grasslands that surround it. Eventually the terrain grows rougher as you enter the hilly area where the entrance is located. The tree cover makes searching for the precise location rather more time-consuming than you would have liked, but eventually Mokou calls out that she's spotted something. Flying down to investigate, you see a large opening into the side of one of the hills, well-concealed by the trees. The path inside has a pronounced downward slope.
>"I guess this is what we're looking for," Mokou says.

[Kasu]

> "Only one way to find out."
> Head inside.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Be ready with those marker talismans again."

[MysTeariousYukari]

> "As some reckless human once said, or rather shouted, Leroy Jenkins."
> If Mokou asks, just Hand Wave it.

XD Gotta have some comedy now and then, so why not :3

[DracoOmega]

> "Only one way to find out."
> Head inside.

>"Pretty much," Mokou nods.
>You head into the cavern, following the bumpy floor downward. The tunnel is roughly straight, although the walls are uneven. The tunnel itself slowly widens as you progress, and stalactites start to descend from the ceiling. After a little while, the passage curves to your right. You can see a small tunnel branch off to your left, while the main one appears to continue in front of you.

>"Be ready with those marker talismans again."

>"Got it," Mokou nods. "Not planning to get lost down here. Even if there's no pissed off dead things shooting at us this time."

> "As some reckless human once said, or rather shouted, Leroy Jenkins."
> If Mokou asks, just Hand Wave it.

>"Huh," Mokou says. "Never heard of him."

[Hello Purvis]

>Check the branches for signs of civilization.

[DracoOmega]

>Check the branches for signs of civilization.

>Neither seem to have any signs of habitation, but you're not especially deep yet.

[Hello Purvis]

>Ignore the branches and carry on.

[DracoOmega]

>Ignore the branches and carry on.

>You carry on down the main tunnel. Soon, you start to hear the sound of running water in the distance; at first, just a faint trickle, but eventually you discern what you think is more than one source. After a time, the tunnel starts to flatten out and widen; stalagmites protrude from the ground here, many of them large enough to conceal a person behind, and some of them rising all the way to the ceiling. You can see a couple tiny stream of water, issuing from the rock and then flowing along the incline of the tunnel, narrow channels carved in their wake. Soon you spot a more vigorously flowing stream, emerging from a very narrow tunnel to your right; far too narrow to walk through.
>The tunnel narrows again, and twists to the right. There are a series of small pools along pathway that you're forced to navigate around, possibly fed by slow drips from the cavern ceiling over many years. The larger stream from earlier runs along the right of this section of the tunnel, swelled from several smaller streams along the way. At several points, water issues from gaps in the rock in a sort of waterfall, tumbling towards this river. Some of them are fairly vigorous; there must be a large place for this to drain into eventually, or the entire cavern should have been flooded by now.
>You hear a sudden splash to your right!

[Hello Purvis]

>Look right!

[DracoOmega]

>Look right!

>You turn to your right just in time to see a wooden bucket barreling towards your head, barely inches away! A spray of water from the falls scatters in its path.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Aaah!"
>Throw self back!

[DracoOmega]

>"Aaah!"
>Throw self back!

>With a yelp, you leap backwards. The bucket sails unnervingly close to your head just the same, water splashing across your face. You hear a heavy thud on the rock behind you.