Keine Quest (Part 5): Broken History

[Hello Purvis]

>"Why the frown, Ran?"
>Presuming her answer isn't worrisome, head through.

[DracoOmega]

>"Why the frown, Ran?"
>Presuming her answer isn't worrisome, head through.

>Ran frowns. "I wasn't frowning..."
>You step into the gap and take another entirely unpleasant trip back to Gensokyo on the space contortion express. Your exit flings you face-first into the lumpy, rocky, and very hard ground with a jaw-protesting clunk. On the bright side, at least you know which way is up this time. You hear Ran groan somewhere to your left.

[Hello Purvis]

>Massage jaw.
>Groan.

[DracoOmega]

>Massage jaw.
>Groan.

>You massage your jaw. Oww... it's tender.
>You suspect there is little you could do to prevent yourself from groaning now in any event, so you decide to indulge yourself fully. That is the worst transportation mechanism there has even been conceived. ...and you're probably going to have to go through it again, aren't you? You groan again.
>"Are... you ok?" Ran's voice sounds rather pained as well, although you hear her walking.

[E-Nazrin]

>"I'm alright. Just irritated. Reimu must be rubbing off on me."
>Get up and look around.

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm alright. Just irritated. Reimu must be rubbing off on me."
>Get up and look around.

>"Well," Ran says, her tone light, "let's hope some of her efficiency at resolving incidents rubbed off as well, shall we?"
>You pull yourself to your feet and look around. You are in the same fissure you departed from, although perhaps a few dozen feet away from where you left. You see Ran reseat her hat properly on her head, and brush some dirt off her robe, but otherwise she looks fine. There is nothing else remarkable around you.

[Hello Purvis]

>Stand up and dust self off.
>"Let's go get Mokou, then we'll check that grove once more."

[DracoOmega]

>Stand up and dust self off.
>"Let's go get Mokou, then we'll check that grove once more."

>You're already standing, but you dust yourself off a little.
>"Yes, let's," Ran says, heading off towards the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

[Hello Purvis]

>Follow along.

[DracoOmega]

>Follow along.

>You follow after Ran and soon arrive back at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. As you approach, you catch sight of Mokou sitting with her back against the outer wall, facing in your direction. She waves as you approach and stands up.
>"Still in one piece," she nods. "What'd you find?"

[E-Nazrin]

>"Reimu, Marisa, a stolen phone book, and Yukari's comatose human twin."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Reimu and Marisa are alive and well there, and there is a girl who looks just like Yukari, has been put into a coma, and may be the key to this whole mess. So in short, things got even more complicated. But we think we know who that winged youkai was with the sleep attacks. Reimu thinks she is Gengetsu."

[DracoOmega]

>"Reimu, Marisa, a stolen phone book, and Yukari's comatose human twin."

>Mokou stares at you blankly for a moment. "Her what!?"

>"Reimu and Marisa are alive and well there, and there is a girl who looks just like Yukari, has been put into a coma, and may be the key to this whole mess. So in short, things got even more complicated. But we think we know who that winged youkai was with the sleep attacks. Reimu thinks she is Gengetsu."

>"More complicated." She rubs her head. "Great. Sure, why not. It's good those two are ok, but... what's that girl have to do with this? Or this Gengetsu person for that matter."

[Hello Purvis]

>"This person, Maribel, seems to have some connection to Yukari. And when she dreams, she comes here from the outside. And, we think, Gengetsu put her to sleep while she was dreaming here, which is...a problem. This said, we're going  try to find Gengetsu and fix things. Or beat her up, then fix things."
>Did Patchouli make any mentions of knowing about dream magic back when we theorized on what that youkai was doing.

[DracoOmega]

>"This person, Maribel, seems to have some connection to Yukari. And when she dreams, she comes here from the outside. And, we think, Gengetsu put her to sleep while she was dreaming here, which is...a problem. This said, we're going  try to find Gengetsu and fix things. Or beat her up, then fix things."
>Did Patchouli make any mentions of knowing about dream magic back when we theorized on what that youkai was doing.

>"She comes here in her dreams?" Mokou screws up her face. "Well, not gonna argue. Doesn't make any less sense than half the rest of this. But if we can find her, I'm more than willing to show her just how many bad days she's caused."
>She simply made a comment that sleep-inducing magic was difficult and uncommon, as well as outside her specialty.

[Hello Purvis]

>We've bothered Patchouli enough.
>"Let's go find her then."

[DracoOmega]

>We've bothered Patchouli enough.
>"Let's go find her then."

>She would certain tell you as much. At length, no doubt.
>Mokou nods. "Great. Back to that grove, then?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yep."
>Do so!
>Once nearby; "Let me know if you sense anything, Ran."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Yep."
>Do so!
>Once nearby; "Let me know if you sense anything, Ran."

>Mokou stretches. "Well, let's get to it."
>You take off and fly back to the grove where this all began, landing on the outskirts.
>Ran pauses and concentrates, then shakes her head. "Nothing at the moment, sorry."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Let me know if you do, I don't have anything to assist me this time."
>Enter.

[DracoOmega]

>"Let me know if you do, I don't have anything to assist me this time."
>Enter.

>"I'll be as attentive as I can," Ran says.
>The group of you step into the grove, weaving between the trees and around the underbrush. As you proceed, you keep your eyes alert for any physical sign of Gengetsu's or anyone else's presence; you see Mokou and Ran glancing around similarly. Sadly, the grove seems quiet and unoccupied. Although visibility is poor, you see no signs of motion, nor traces of anyone's presence. Moreover, you feel as wide awake as when you entered, with no signs of this changing anytime soon. You walk for a few more minutes, when Ran tilts her head to the side.
>"I... think I felt something," she says. "I can't be sure. It was very brief."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Alright. Keep mentioning it when you do feel something."
>Head further in, toward where we first saw Maribel.

[DracoOmega]

>"Alright. Keep mentioning it when you do feel something."
>Head further in, toward where we first saw Maribel.

>"I will," Ran says, still peering off in the distance.
>You continue deeper into the trees. It's difficult to tell where you first saw Maribel. The grove is relatively featureless, and you weren't paying very much attention to the configuration of the trees around you at the time. Still, you think you've arrived in the general area. You walk a few loops around the vicinity, but see no signs of her or anything else.
>"I think something's following us," Ran says. "Like last time, but... more distant. It's very faint. I'd not even be certain it was anything at all if not for past experience here."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod to Ran, then say to both of them: "I'll call out, be ready if she tries something."
>Loudly: "Gengetsu, is that you?"

[DracoOmega]

>Nod to Ran, then say to both of them: "I'll call out, be ready if she tries something."
>Loudly: "Gengetsu, is that you?"

>"Got it," Mokou says, tensing herself and glancing defensively at her surroundings. Ran nods.
>You call out to Gengetsu. There is no reply.
>"I think it reacted to that," Ran says. "It flickered, almost. But nothing more than that."

[Hello Purvis]

>Louder. "Gengetsu, we just want to talk!"
>Okay, that's a lie. But we'll at least start that way.

[DracoOmega]

>Louder. "Gengetsu, we just want to talk!"
>Okay, that's a lie. But we'll at least start that way.

>You call out even louder. You still receive no response.
>Aren't lies by omission great?
>"I'm almost certain it's reacting to your words," Ran says. "But it's still not approaching. I couldn't even tell you exactly where it is."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Gengetsu, we know what you did to Maribel, please come out here so we can talk about things."

[DracoOmega]

>"Gengetsu, we know what you did to Maribel, please come out here so we can talk about things."

>Again, silence greets your remark.
>"...I think it's doing something," Ran says, although this time you need no informing of that activity, as you very suddenly feel a peaceful weariness brush against your consciousness.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Mokou, get the fires ready..."
>Shout, "Gengetsu cut that out right now, I am getting sick and tired of it!"