Keine Quest (Part 5): Broken History

[DracoOmega]

> Head over to the car.

>You and Ran step out of Reimu's car and walk over towards Marisa's. As she walks, you see Reimu pull a small device out of her pocket and idly point it back at her car. You hear a clicking sound, and the car beeps twice. Must everything in this world beep at you?
>The front door of the silver car opens, and Marisa steps out. The effect is much the same as when you first saw Reimu. It is unmistakably her, but you might easily have missed her in a crowd. She's wearing a black vest over a form-fitting white shirt with some sort of logo on it, and two-tone black pants. She looks towards your group with a grin on her face, and gives Reimu a flick of the wrist in lieu of a wave. "Yo!" You can practically feel Reimu's vaguely disapproving frown from here.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Marisa, it's a pleasure. Um, I hope you recognize either of us?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Marisa, it's a pleasure. Um, I hope you recognize either of us?"

>Marisa takes a closer look at you. "Eh, might've seen you around once or twice." She turns to Ran. "I know I've never seen you before. What's this about, anyway? Reimu says you can come and go between here and Gensokyo?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Kind of. Maybe Ran should explain it?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Kind of. Maybe Ran should explain it?"

>Ran nods. "Essentially, the phenomenon that transported you two from Gensokyo applied such force that it left impressions in the contour of space around it. I was able to trace a path along these contours and open up a small transit between here and there. Unfortunately, the trip is... less than pleasant."
>"And what did you go to all that trouble for?" Marisa asks. "I kinda doubt a pair of youkai came here to rescue us, or anything, did ya?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"If things go according to my hopes, you'll never have been sent here to begin with."

[DracoOmega]

>"If things go according to my hopes, you'll never have been sent here to begin with."

>Marisa raises an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
>Reimu shakes her head. "Time travel," she says wearily. "Apparently she remembers us spending the last seven years in Gensokyo, however that's supposed to work."
>"No kidding?" Marisa says. "And, uh, I still don't really get it." She grins sheepishly.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Whatever sent you here didn't do it from the present, it did it from seven years ago. Literally, the change only took place a few days ago"

[DracoOmega]

>"Whatever sent you here didn't do it from the present, it did it from seven years ago. Literally, the change only took place a few days ago"

>Marisa frowns. "That... doesn't really help it make more sense, you know."

[Hello Purvis]

>"No, but it might give you an idea what to expect."
>"Shall we head in?"

[DracoOmega]

>"No, but it might give you an idea what to expect."
>"Shall we head in?"

>"How the heck can something have happened seven years ago, but only a few days ago?"
>Reimu sighs and shakes her head. "Look, let's just give up on trying to understand that for the moment. Either way, there's something weird and possibly dangerous in that hospital. Whoever did all this. You still remember how to shoot things, right?"
>Marisa's frown turns into a grin. "Of course I do! My magic's not just for show, you know."
>"Yes it is," Reimu says, her expression flat. "Shows are exactly what your magic's been about for years now."
>"Hey," Marisa responds, looking a little hurt. "the only reason fireworks don't hurt is because I'm not aiming them at anyone."
>Reimu shakes her head and heads towards the hospital. "Let's just get this over with."

[Hello Purvis]

>Head inside.

[DracoOmega]

>Head inside.

>You head towards the main doors of the hospital and step inside. You enter into a large area, full of people and chairs. There are several counters people seem to be lining up behind, and you see a few corridors heading off to other parts of the hospital.
>"Lead the way," Reimu says. "Oh, and try to be at least a little discrete about that glowing stone thing."

[Hello Purvis]

>Is the lodestone small enough to be concealed by our hand?
>Regardless, pocket it for now, and go in the general direction it indicated until we finds some stairs.

[DracoOmega]

>Is the lodestone small enough to be concealed by our hand?
>Regardless, pocket it for now, and go in the general direction it indicated until we finds some stairs.

>It is about an inch and a half in diameter, so it should be possible to conceal it.
>You put the attuned lodestone in your pocket and head along the corridor that most closely matches its path. You quickly discover that the corridors are rather labyrinthine, branching and turning fairly frequently. To the builder's credit, there are signs at every intersection, but most of the places they direct you towards are inscrutable. Ultrasound? X-ray? EKG? It's taken very little time in Kyoto to grasp the shear breadth of the things you don't know. As someone who's prided themselves on their literacy and education, it's... more than a little disheartening. No sign yet of stairs, though.
>"You said it was on the second floor, right?" Reimu says, stopping. "Let's just take the elevator." She presses a button built into the wall next to a metal door of some sort and waits next to it.

[Doll.S CUBE]

> "Eh, what exactly are we waiting for?"

[DracoOmega]

> "Eh, what exactly are we waiting for?"

>"Uh, the elevator?" Marisa says.
>Reimu puts a hand to her head. "Right, right, sorry... Look, just think of it as another way up, ok?"
>The doors in front of you slide open, revealing a very small and apparently empty room. For whatever reason, Reimu and Marisa step inside it.
>"C'mon," Reimu says. "Get inside."

[E-Nazrin]

>Pause in confusion for a moment.
>Head inside.
>Whisper, "Some sort of teleporter or something?"
>While it'd be nice to learn about these outside-world shenanigans, we don't want to attract attention by being loud about it.

[DracoOmega]

>Pause in confusion for a moment.
>Head inside.
>Whisper, "Some sort of teleporter or something?"
>While it'd be nice to learn about these outside-world shenanigans, we don't want to attract attention by being loud about it.

>You pause and stare at the tiny room. All it looks like you would be able to accomplish in there is essentially shut yourself in a closet with 3 other people. And, to be fair, the person you'd most happily share a closet with is not currently among them.
>You step into the room, nonetheless.
>Marisa starts to snicker, when you inquire whether this is a teleporter of some sort. Reimu throws her a look. "It goes up," she says. "It's a mechanical thing."
>You really don't want to stand out any more than you already do. Although, if there wasn't an incident in need of solving at the moment, you think you'd very much like to park yourself in a library and read. Surely those still exist, right?

>Reimu presses another button labeled '2' among a panel of them on the wall. The button lights up and the doors close. Shortly thereafter you're stuck by a sudden sensation of vertigo, and another a few moments later. The doors re-open. The corridor outside is... not the same as it was a moment ago. Reimu and Marisa step out.
>"Which way now?" Reimu asks.

[E-Nazrin]

>"What just..."
>Think better of it.
>"Nevermind. And..."
>Check the lodestone by touch if feasible, and direct.

[DracoOmega]

>"What just..."
>Think better of it.
>"Nevermind. And..."
>Check the lodestone by touch if feasible, and direct.

>You express your confusion over what just happened. Marisa shakes her head and gives you a pat across the back. "Don't worry about it," she says. "I remember how it was."
>You need to let the lodestone hang freely in the air for it to point in the right direction. The force applied isn't great enough for it to direct itself otherwise. However, you shield it with your hand and observe its direction. You do seem to be on the right floor. You lead off towards where it's pointing, and the others follow.
>You navigate along the corridors, and past a few more desks that people are manning. You eventually reach an area that is quite a bit less crowded than the rest of the hospital.
>You are in a hallway lined with nondescript doors, each bearing a room number and little else. Judging by the lodestones's movement, you're very close. A few of the doors are open, and glancing in, you see small rooms with beds and some other equipment you don't recognize. A few of the beds are occupied. In one room, you see a pair of people sitting on a chair, conversing with the person in the bed. Eventually, you reach a door that the lodestone points directly towards. You're fairly certain it contains what you've come here to find. Whatever it is.

[E-Nazrin]

>"This should be the place."
>Examine the door.
>Put away the lodestone for now. No need to attract attention.

[Hello Purvis]

>If there are any windows in it, look in.

[DracoOmega]

>"This should be the place."
>Examine the door.
>Put away the lodestone for now. No need to attract attention.

>"Yeah," Reimu says, looking around. "I can't say I really like where this is going."
>The door is painted light blue, with a brushed metal doorknob. It is featureless except for a small plate bearing a number in sequence with the other rooms in this corridor.
>You put the lodestone back in your pocket.

>If there are any windows in it, look in.

>There are no windows.

[E-Nazrin]

>"I'm guessing we're reasonably allowed in here?"
>Try the doorknob.

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm guessing we're reasonably allowed in here?"
>Try the doorknob.

>Marisa glances around her. "I, uh, don't really think so," she says in a hushed tone. "I mean, visitors are supposed to be friends and family, and that. It's just that no one here knows for sure that we're not."
>Reimu takes a deep breath and shakes her head.
>You try the doorknob. It doesn't appear to be locked.

[E-Nazrin]

>Crack knuckles.
>"All right, let's do this!"
>"LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENKINS!!!"
>Burst through wall like kool-aid man.

[Hello Purvis]

>Walk inside.
>Prepare to bust up some green torsos
>Be ready for dangers and sneak attacks and such.

[DracoOmega]

>Crack knuckles.
>"All right, let's do this!"
>"LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENKINS!!!"
>Burst through wall like kool-aid man.

>You crack your knuckles and utter a conspicuous battlecry at the top of your lungs.
>"What the hell are you doing!?" Reimu says, in a hushed voice. Marisa cringes.
>Ignoring the rest of your teammates, you charge at the wall with all your might! You have sustained a concussion! Soon, the nurses arrive and cart you off to an adjacent room.

>Walk inside.
>Prepare to bust up some green torsos
>Be ready for dangers and sneak attacks and such.

>You tentatively open the door and step inside the room, keeping an eye out for ambushes or other dangers.
>You prepare to unleash the culmination of your frustration on a variety of unlikely hued people

>Stepping into the room, you see no assailants, no traps lying in wait. No supernatural beings or other sources of obvious magic. There is a bed, partially screened by a curtain and a chair pulled up next to it. You can see a silhouette of someone lying in the bed through the curtain, but can't see any features from here. There are a few pieces of equipment, and storage cupboards. None of it strikes you as especially out of place, or different than any of the other rooms you've walked past.

[E-Nazrin]

>Glance at the others.
>Double-check whether the stone actually points at the person on the bed.
>Approach carefully.