Keine Quest (Part 6): Broken History (Complete)

[E-Nazrin]

>"Then I guess it's safer to assume that it was something about Maribel herself..."
>"Well, this is your element, Mugetsu. Where should we search next? Or how, for that matter."
>"... and where's a full moon?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Then I guess it's safer to assume that it was something about Maribel herself..."
>"Well, this is your element, Mugetsu. Where should we search next? Or how, for that matter."
>"... and where's a full moon?"

>"It may have been," Mugetsu says. "But although the weft and structure of this place is strange, it doesn't feel harmful to be here. I can't imagine this happened simply by inhabiting this space. But we entered it through Maribel directly. I don't know what would have happened by entering from Gensokyo."
>"We... could follow that fragment," she says meekly, looking away. "...if you want to. Or we could look for another. Or we could just wander and hope to find something important. I... I'd say what we should do if I knew it."
>Mugetsu frowns. "Oh, yes, you did ask about that." She bows her head a little. "I'm sorry, I've been... distracted."
>Mugetsu closes her eyes and her brow furrows tightly. "This dream... is rigid. It pushes against me. We are malleable within it, as is our place in it, but the structure around us resists. It has a sort of permanence. Still, it might not be impossible..."

[E-Nazrin]

>"How difficult do you think it would be for you? Do you... think there's any way we could help?"
>Is this Maribel's dream alone, now...? Or us as well?
>"Failing that, following that fragment gives us someone guaranteed to encounter. But if there's anything on the way, it isn't our only priority. If we find Maribel again..."

[DracoOmega]

>"How difficult do you think it would be for you? Do you... think there's any way we could help?"
>Is this Maribel's dream alone, now...? Or us as well?
>"Failing that, following that fragment gives us someone guaranteed to encounter. But if there's anything on the way, it isn't our only priority. If we find Maribel again..."

>"I don't... think so," Mugetsu says, still straining. "...there." She opens her eyes and draws in a deep breath.
>You... really have no idea. At the least, Mugetsu said that you wouldn't be able to drown if you disbelieved it. And Marisa is wearing different clothing than her waking self. So at least some part of it must react to your consciousness. You're not sure quite how, or how much.
>Mugetsu frowns. "Yes, I- I suppose you're right."

[E-Nazrin]

>Look up. Is there a moon? Believe there's a moon. Or that there will be now.

[DracoOmega]

>Look up. Is there a moon? Believe there's a moon. Or that there will be now.

>You look up, keeping your belief in the moon in your heart. Unfortunately, you can't really get a clear view of the sky through the canopy of trees. There was a moon out over the lake, and at the clearing earlier, although it was a sliver away from full. You have no idea if all of these landscapes are consistent with each other.

[E-Nazrin]

>How annoying. Oh well, if we get out of the woods we might find it.
>"Mugetsu, I know following... that fragment of Gengetsu is uncomfortable, but we're going to have to address it directly sooner or later. If you notice anything else on the way, then let me know. But let's get moving. Lead the way, could you?"

[DracoOmega]

>How annoying. Oh well, if we get out of the woods we might find it.
>"Mugetsu, I know following... that fragment of Gengetsu is uncomfortable, but we're going to have to address it directly sooner or later. If you notice anything else on the way, then let me know. But let's get moving. Lead the way, could you?"

>You frown in irritation at the trees. On the one hand, you don't feel any different. You normally don't need to see the moon to know that it's full. But this place doesn't really work exactly like the physical world, either...
>Mugetsu frowns and look away. "I... suppose you're right. I'm sorry. I don't want to run away from her, even if I... don't want to have to see her like that. Just... hold my hand again."

[E-Nazrin]

>Nod.
>"Thank you, Mugetsu."
>Take her hand.
>Kiss and make out. Conjure up Mokou for a threesome.

[DracoOmega]

>Nod.
>"Thank you, Mugetsu."
>Take her hand.
>Kiss and make out. Conjure up Mokou for a threesome.

>You nod and thank Mugetsu.
>"I'm sorry..." she says quietly.
>You take her hand while Marisa takes her other. She steps forward beneath the bough that Gengetsu vanished under, and you follow with her, brushing the leaves away from your face as you pass through them. Strangely, the trees ahead seem thinner than they were, closer together. The underbrush denser. You can see scattered patches of moonlight pooling brightly through gaps in the foliage. This is definitely not what was ahead of you moments ago. In fact, it reminds you distinctly of the grove where you first encountered Maribel and Gengetsu.
>You can hear someone running quickly, and the sound of frightened cries a short distance away from you.

>Deciding that now is the entirely most appropriate time to get physical, you start to make out with Mugetsu and conjure up Mokou to join in on the fun. She looks at you and frowns. "What, after all this time and the real me still gets nothin'?"
>Marisa rolls her eyes. "Oh, get a room, people. Or did you forget I was even still here?"

[E-Nazrin]

>Okay, foursome
>Deja vu.
>"Deja vu."
>Head for the voice!
>"Maribel?! Hang on!"

[DracoOmega]

>Okay, foursome
>Deja vu.
>"Deja vu."
>Head for the voice!
>"Maribel?! Hang on!"

>Marisa grins. "Heh. Well they don't call me the magician of love for nothin'."
>That makes what? The fourth time you've been here? First, while falling asleep, and now while actually asleep.
>"Yes," Mugetsu says. "It does look like that place."
>You quickly head in the direction of the voice, calling out to Maribel.
>"I get the feeling I'm missing something," Marisa says, as she runs alongside you.
>"This is where my sister and Maribel first met," Mugetsu says. "Or a memory of it."
>After a little bit, you catch sight of a human figure dashing wildly through the trees, her arms before her face as an awkward shield against onrushing branches. A pair of winged shadowy figures are chasing her, swooping deftly in and around the branches and each other, though they never seem to quite catch up. They look like the creature you and Rumia fought in the fissure, though their form is a little more irregular and indefinite.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Marisa, Mugetsu, hold those things off. I'll try to calm Maribel down."
>Approach Maribel. "Maribel! There you are!"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Marisa, Mugetsu, hold those things off. I'll try to calm Maribel down."
>Approach Maribel. "Maribel! There you are!"

>"Got it!" Marisa says, jetting after them with an almost reckless disregard for colliding with the scenery. Mugetsu nods and follows at a more moderate pace, while you angle after Maribel.
>"Yo, ugly!" Marisa calls out. "Catch!" A barrage of green energy bolts flies out from her hand towards the shadows. Most of them impact against the intervening trees, rattling leaves and sending a few smaller branches flying. The shadows' acrobatics cause them to evade most of the rest, although this seems less a deliberate attempt to dodge so much as irregular movement. Marisa shifts to a better angle, closing the distance between them, while trying to interpose herself between them and Maribel. She launches another volley. Several bolts pass through the shadows, disrupting their form momentarily, but they otherwise seem to take no notice of her.
>You call out to Maribel, still a few dozen feet away. You're gaining on her, but not very quickly.
>"Why are you chasing me?!" she cries.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Because I want to help you! Don't you remember me from by the river?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Because I want to help you! Don't you remember me from by the river?"

>"What are you talking about?" she calls back, sounding terribly winded.
>Marisa continues to fire upon the shadows, scoring more hits now that she's closer, although she still has more ground to cover before she can block off their pursuit of Maribel.
>Mugetsu also starts to fire from the rear, sending converging rays of blue needles streaking towards them. At her speed, it doesn't seem there's much chance of her intercepting them,  merely keeping pace with them.
>The shadows flicker under the assault, but still do not break off their pursuit.

[Hello Purvis]

>"You don't remember me? I'm Keine! I'm a friend! Please stop running, and if I do anything to hurt you can punch me as hard as you want, okay?"

[DracoOmega]

>"You don't remember me? I'm Keine! I'm a friend! Please stop running, and if I do anything to hurt you can punch me as hard as you want, okay?"

>"If I stop, they'll catch me!" she cries. "They never stop chasing me!"
>"They're not gonna be in any shape to chase anyone in a few moments!" Marisa calls back. She's nearly reached the small gap between Maribel and her pursuers, both her and Mugetsu continuing to fire upon the shadows; you think parts of their outlines are growing frayed and misty.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Exactly, we're taking care of these things! And you could help us, but you need to stop and listen to me, okay?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Exactly, we're taking care of these things! And you could help us, but you need to stop and listen to me, okay?"

>"No, no, you don't understand!" she says, not breaking strike. "I can't stop here!"
>Marisa slips between Maribel and the shadows, another volley of green bolts in her wake. She spins about.
>"Magic Sign! Stardust Reverie!"
>A ring of familiars spirals away from her, then start a wide orbit around Marisa, leaving dense trails of stars in their wake. The shadows swoop past the outer ring before the field is drawn but a thick wall of stars closes behind them, and wraps around them and Marisa from all sides. You can't even see inside it clearly.
>"Try chasing someone through that!" she cries. "You've got your opponent right here."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Maribel, you can stop anywhere, but you have to listen to me, alright? We're risking ourselves for you, but we need your help to make it worthwhile, please stop!"

[DracoOmega]

>"Maribel, you can stop anywhere, but you have to listen to me, alright? We're risking ourselves for you, but we need your help to make it worthwhile, please stop!"

>"No, I can't!" She cries. "I have to keep running!"
>"She probably can't understand you," Mugetsu says, moving towards you. "She's not conscious of her surroundings. To her, this is just a nightmare and she's running to escape it."
>You hear shots being fired from inside Marisa's danmaku field, while the familiars continue to spiral around, making the perimeter of stars even denser.
>"Hey! I didn't mean that literally!" Marisa cries as the shadows burst through the wall of stars, their forms flicking violently as dozens and dozens of danmaku pass through their bodies. One continues its pursuit, slower, but still steady, its outline wavering as it moves. Several parts of its form seems to be missing. The other shadow drifts forward at little more than a crawl, the edges of its form shedding wisps of void into the air.

[Hello Purvis]

>"If you stop, they won't get you! Or don't you want to see Renko again?"
>How close are we?

[DracoOmega]

>"If you stop, they won't get you! Or don't you want to see Renko again?"
>How close are we?

>"Renko?" she says "How do you know Renko?"
>You're slowly catching up with her. She's probably about eight or nine feet away now. You'd have a definite advantage on open terrain, but all the trees make it difficult to reach good flight speed.
>"Oh, that's it!" Marisa yells. The stars around her scatter and dissolve as she bursts out of the field after the mobile shadow. "Stop moving already!"
>She makes a gesture with her hand, and two spinning orbs flicker into existence beside her. Blue beams surge from the orbs, cutting arcs though the shadow's form. Void swells in to fill the gaps as the lasers sweep through it, but the shadow's cohesion seems to be failing.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Because I've met her! She's really afraid for you right now! She cried, damn it!"

[DracoOmega]

>"Because I've met her! She's really afraid for you right now! She cried, damn it!"

>"She's..." Maribel seems to slow a little. "I don't know you. What are you doing here? What's going on?"
>Marisa fires another barrage of green bolts to accompany her lasers. The shadow contorts as they tear through it, and it is unable to seal the paths the lasers cut through it. Bits of it drift apart and then scatter into mist.
>"That's more like it!" Marisa says, rounding on the remaining shadow and finishing it off in a similar manner.

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm here because she asked me to help you! Now will you stop running, please?"
>Okay it's not strictly a lie...

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm here because she asked me to help you! Now will you stop running, please?"
>Okay it's not strictly a lie...

>"If I stop running they'll catch me!" she says.
>It feels close enough to the truth to you.
>Marisa shakes her head, and closes on Maribel. "They're all gone now, y'know. You can stop running. Nothin's gonna catch up to you but us."
>"But..." Maribel slows a little bit more, and glances back over her shoulder.

[Hello Purvis]

>"It's like I told you, we're here to help."

[DracoOmega]

>"It's like I told you, we're here to help."

>Maribel stops and turns around, frowning. "I don't understand."