Nue Quest: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> "Alright, I appreciate your help.  Please tell the master that I stopped by and that I'll be back later.  Thank you."
> Unless she stops us, leave the shop.
> Fly towards the road to the east and the shrine.

>"Please come again," says Shuuei, as you leave.
>You take to the air and head eastward. It doesn't take you too long to find find the road, leading into an old forest near the edge of the mountains.

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> Fly up to the forest, then land and continue along the road on foot.
> What do we know about Reimu and Marisa?

[Hello Purvis]

> Fly up to the forest, then land and continue along the road on foot.
> What do we know about Reimu and Marisa?

>You land at the edge of the forest and continue in on foot.
>The forest is moderately thick, but nothing akin to the Forest of Magic; a fair amount of light seeps through the gaps in the canopy. You don't hear much faerie activity, but you're certain there has to be a few of them around. The path continues to stretch into the woods, swiftly becoming overgrown and difficult to recognize. Insect trills and birdsong fill the air.
>You're fairly aware of both of Gensokyo's main problem solvers, after taunting them a bit during the whole affair with Byakuren's unsealing, and your subsequent defeat at their hands. Reimu is a terror when angered, but otherwise seems to be a kind person. You think she is something of an idealist as far as people getting along are concerned, which may explain why she seems so aggressive and angry during incidents.
>Marisa is very much like a landslide or a speeding arrow. Don't get in her way when she has her eyes on a goal, she will simply overpower you and move on. Otherwise, she's a very relaxed and carefree person. She'd be a good thief, you think, if she could learn to be subtle. Then again, you can't really see someone with muscles like that ever be good at cat burgling.
>Lost in your thoughts, you soon reach the faded red torii that opens to the Hakurei Shrine. Peeking through it, you can see Reimu laying on the front porch of the shrine, with what looks like a tiny faerie buzzing around her.

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> Aww, how cute.
> But this is no time for a nap.  Even if she can't solve the problem, the villagers would probably like to see her and Marisa getting involved.
> Hail and approach the shrine

[Hello Purvis]

> Aww, how cute.
> But this is no time for a nap.  Even if she can't solve the problem, the villagers would probably like to see her and Marisa getting involved.
> Hail and approach the shrine

>Daaaw
>It would be a morale boost, you'd think, if Reimu got involved.
>You call out and approach the shrine. Glancing around, you see the grounds are overgrown and the small shrine itself is in kind of a shabby condition, thought still holding together. Some old walls seclude the place from the forest, but a couple of trees grow in the yard itself; there is a noisy family of birds in one of them. There is a fairly sizable pond behind it. Obvious exits are East 1, East 2, and West
>Reimu sits up and looks over. "Well, this is unexpected. I'm guessing it's not a good reason that brought you here."

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "I'm sorry if I woke you up, but this entire day has been unexpected, and unfortunately I'm not here just to visit."
> "Have you been out in the village yet today?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "I'm sorry if I woke you up, but this entire day has been unexpected, and unfortunately I'm not here just to visit."
> "Have you been out in the village yet today?"

>"I suppose it can't be helped," says Reimu as she stretches. The faerie nearly smacks into her arm. "And I didn't think you were. You're not the type to do social calls around here."
>"Don't go out that way much, no," Reimu says.
>"Oh, oh!" says the faerie, a tiny green-haired one with a green dress on. "Are we going to the noodle stand? I love the noodle stand, it's so copacetic!"

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

We forgot to ask KeiMo if they felt anything when the cash got replaced, damn.

> "Well there's been an incident that just came to light in the past few hours: all the money in Gensokyo has been replaced with gemstones."
> "I first noticed it at my bar underground and thought I may have been robbed, but I soon found out that it had affected the entire Ancient City, from Parsee to Satori and all the oni.  I came up to the surface and discovered that the situation was the same up here.  No one has any cash, just gems."
> "The only upside is that the gems that replaced the cash are equivalent in value, but no one is happy about this."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Well there's been an incident that just came to light in the past few hours: all the money in Gensokyo has been replaced with gemstones."
> "I first noticed it at my bar underground and thought I may have been robbed, but I soon found out that it had affected the entire Ancient City, from Parsee to Satori and all the oni.  I came up to the surface and discovered that the situation was the same up here.  No one has any cash, just gems."
> "The only upside is that the gems that replaced the cash are equivalent in value, but no one is happy about this."

>You summarize, and begin to explain when you noticed it, but Reimu holds up a hand. Then she stands, and heads into the shrine.
>"Oh my," says the faerie, "I  just love it when she does that! It's so hot!"
>"Someone is going to need Eirin's attention," comes Reimu's voice from inside, sounding quite conversational. "I hope it's not Eirin, or she's going to have to find a way to treat herself while unconscious."
>"It's about to get dangerous!" says the faerie, orbiting around you too quickly to bother trying to follow.
>Reimu returns a moment later, carrying her gohei. The faerie squeals and flies around Reimu again.
>"Please continue, Nue." says Reimu calmly. Her face still seems to be quite placid, but her eyes are a little frightening.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck

[Rin Kagamine]

> Nudge our trident.  "I'm with you on that."
> "Anyway, I first noticed it at my bar underground and thought I may have been robbed, but I soon found out that it had affected the entire Ancient City, from Parsee to Satori and all the oni.  I came up to the surface and discovered that the situation was the same up here.  No one has any cash, just gems.  The only upside is that the gems that replaced the cash are equivalent in value, but no one is happy about this."
> "I asked around a bit in the village and found out that it happened suddenly only a few hours ago.  Until then it had been business as usual.  Most of the villagers and in the square now while Byakuren is trying to keep them calm."

Don't know if I want to mention our cards getting lifted or not.
@Kilga: You think she's gonna fight us?

[Hello Purvis]

> Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck

>This may have been a terrible idea.

> Nudge our trident.  "I'm with you on that."
> "Anyway, I first noticed it at my bar underground and thought I may have been robbed, but I soon found out that it had affected the entire Ancient City, from Parsee to Satori and all the oni.  I came up to the surface and discovered that the situation was the same up here.  No one has any cash, just gems.  The only upside is that the gems that replaced the cash are equivalent in value, but no one is happy about this."
> "I asked around a bit in the village and found out that it happened suddenly only a few hours ago.  Until then it had been business as usual.  Most of the villagers and in the square now while Byakuren is trying to keep them calm."

>Reimu nods as you explain. "So, it seems this has happened everywhere. Curious. and Byakuren is in the village dealing with people, you say?"

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> More importantly, is our trident lethal or can it be used in danmaku battles?

> Come to think of it, has she ever actually solved anything anyway?
> "Yeah, the oni were really pissed earlier, and I'd like to solve this mystery quickly.  I was wondering why you and Marisa weren't already out trying to solve this, figured I'd go ahead and let you know that something was wrong.  Has anyone told Marisa yet?  I'll get on that!"
> Fly off in any direction that isn't towards Marisa's place.

Not that it'd matter if we're missing our cards. 

Purvis when will you let Reimu find love?  It would help her so much!

Bahhhhhhhhhhh

[Rin Kagamine]

Idea vomit:

huge bitch bluh bluh  There's like a 99% chance she's going to attack us so we either have to run or fight run.  We've got our normal shots still, but if the trident can be used for danmaku I feel like it could make a useful diversion should she pursue us.  Far as running goes, I think we'd probably have to bank on speed and maneuverability to try and lose her.  Dropping our bust to normal should be a given, I'm also leaning towards shrinking down in size to become a harder target to hit.  Additionally, Marisa's south-ish and the village is to the west, so I think as far away from those directions as possible.  The last thing we need is the villagers to see Reimu chasing us when we're trying to help.

Um what else.  Thought about dumping some gems but that would definitely end badly.  Running with that stupid fairy would be be harder than running from Reimu solo she's she's small and also possibly fast.  She's annoying as piss though and trying to take her out would mean shooting at Reimu meaning bad end. 

Gonna keep thinking about this, we've got some time.

[Kilgamayan]

I don't think she'll fight us, no. We're not the ones responsible. But she's still an angry Reimu who had her cash taken. >_>

[Rin Kagamine]

Oh absolutely, but I think she's probably thinking we're guilty already and we really have no clues to tell her besides "Ran experienced something that was like possibly feeling something"

Only one way to find out though, and that'd be to keep acting like we don't expect her to start shooting us

[Hello Purvis]

> More importantly, is our trident lethal or can it be used in danmaku battles?

>Yes. Or rather it is both, but you can use it in a nonlethal way, akin to how some other people work swordplay into their styles.

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "She's trying to at any rate.  There was lots of grumbling and muttering, but people seem more confused that upset right now.  The oni were downright furious and were fixing to riot.  The devas seem to be on the case but the oni don't see the gems as anything more than regular rocks."
> "So far I've only talked with Ichirin and Ran.  Ichirin only heard about it after the market ground to a halt, while Ran was in the thick of it.  Ran said that no one could recall actually seeing anything happening, she reported that she had a strange feeling.  She described it as feeling a spiderweb on your face very briefly, only that she never actually felt anything.  According to her it's not proper magic, much more indirect."
> "She also gave the schoolteacher a rather cold look after that point.  Is there something going on between the two of them?"

Still don't know if I want to share that we lost the cards.

[Hello Purvis]

> "She's trying to at any rate.  There was lots of grumbling and muttering, but people seem more confused that upset right now.  The oni were downright furious and were fixing to riot.  The devas seem to be on the case but the oni don't see the gems as anything more than regular rocks."
> "So far I've only talked with Ichirin and Ran.  Ichirin only heard about it after the market ground to a halt, while Ran was in the thick of it.  Ran said that no one could recall actually seeing anything happening, she reported that she had a strange feeling.  She described it as feeling a spiderweb on your face very briefly, only that she never actually felt anything.  According to her it's not proper magic, much more indirect."
> "She also gave the schoolteacher a rather cold look after that point.  Is there something going on between the two of them?"

>Reimu listens.
>"Hmm. There may be a need to visit town after all." says Reimu.

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "I think a visit might be reassuring to the villagers.  When no one mentioned seeing you or Marisa I decided to come by and see if you two knew about the situation yet.  I came by your place since it was closer, so I'm thinking of going to Marisa's after this and getting her up to speed as well."
> "After that I'm a little unsure of what to do next.  Ran said that she could even detect high-level magic and she couldn't figure this out. Is there anyone in Gensokyo that can detect changes in reality?  For that matter, can anyone cause them?"
> "Something else I find concerning is that Satori kept her money in her room and it was somehow taken without her knowing anyone was there.  Has there ever been anyone that she couldn't detect?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "I think a visit might be reassuring to the villagers.  When no one mentioned seeing you or Marisa I decided to come by and see if you two knew about the situation yet.  I came by your place since it was closer, so I'm thinking of going to Marisa's after this and getting her up to speed as well."
> "After that I'm a little unsure of what to do next.  Ran said that she could even detect high-level magic and she couldn't figure this out. Is there anyone in Gensokyo that can detect changes in reality?  For that matter, can anyone cause them?"
> "Something else I find concerning is that Satori kept her money in her room and it was somehow taken without her knowing anyone was there.  Has there ever been anyone that she couldn't detect?"

>"There's no need to alert Marisa," says Reimu. "I'm sure she'll appreciate a day off. And...I don't know who I would ask. Anyone I could think of might well be a culprit. And, I think perhaps her sister could keep from being detected by her."

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> "Alright, I'll leave Marisa alone then.  And Satori has a sister?  That's something I didn't know.  I'll have to go back and ask her about that later, seems like it's probably a big piece of this puzzle."

I think we're done with her for now

[Hello Purvis]

> "Alright, I'll leave Marisa alone then.  And Satori has a sister?  That's something I didn't know.  I'll have to go back and ask her about that later, seems like it's probably a big piece of this puzzle."

>"Is that so?" says Reimu. "Why do you suspect Koishi?"

>_

[Fightest]

> "Alright, I'll leave Marisa alone then.  And Satori has a sister?  That's something I didn't know.  I'll have to go back and ask her about that later, seems like it's probably a big piece of this puzzle."

I think we're done with her for now

Hold up.

First, I doubt Koishi is that important in this incident. Nothing concrete to prove either way, though, it's just a hunch.

Second, why would Reimu attack us? Unless she's a psychopath, which would be a new development for me, at which point why did we even come here?

> "Out of curiousity, what's your plan? Regarding this whole mess that you've just learned about, that is."

[Rin Kagamine]

> "Well, it seems strange to me.  Someone took Satori's money without her detecting anyone.  If she can't detect her sister, then it seems to me that her sister or someone with a similar power might be responsible.  Then again, Ran did say that she suspects indirect magic.  I just know oni these days, so all I can say for sure is that I want to find who did this so I can get my damn money back!"
> Exhale.  "I don't know who to suspect since I'm kinda new to this whole investigation thing, but I figure that it's worth talking to as many people as possible, even if they turn into dead ends.  I can't really suspect Satori's sister since I imagine she would have mentioned her if she was to be considered a suspect."
> Sigh.
> "All I wanted to do today was run my bar like normal, now I'm trying to solve a mystery I have no idea about."

[Rin Kagamine]

Hold up.

First, I doubt Koishi is that important in this incident. Nothing concrete to prove either way, though, it's just a hunch.

Second, why would Reimu attack us? Unless she's a psychopath, which would be a new development for me, at which point why did we even come here?

Yeah, I doubt Koishi's involved either, I went more with the flow than picking my words more carefully.

As to why, I didn't like her eyes in that scene and I wanted to be prepared.  Gensokyo hath no fury like a shrine maiden deprived of money for tea.

[Kilgamayan]

Reimu did go all Nanoha on Iku, but it's entirely possible she learned her lesson about jumping to conclusions from that incident. Either way, she is a worry in so far as being a youkai around angry Reimu is always a worry, but we've been helpful and, more importantly, not obnoxious or obviously responsible, so I think that will stay her hand.

For the record, I think Ran glancing at Keine is a reference to the resolution to OkQ, because Yukari has since learned what the shit went down so it's entirely possible Ran knows as well. This is far more speculation than any other reference I've made to past quests, though, and I would not bank on it. It's entirely possible Keine's shenanigans are just inherently "not normal magic". Given what she can do, it wouldn't surprise me.

Also, for as much as this shouldn't be a worry because I expect to be home from work before Purvis gets back, there is one small bit of flavor fun I want to have before we leave Reimu. The Koishi question obviously needs answering first, though.

[Rin Kagamine]

I threw out the Ran looking at Keine because I was using that entire posts to hedge bets against Nue in case Reimu was still sizing up whether or not to attack.  I remember full well the end of OQ, but Nue doesn't even know Keine's name (seriously we never learned it).

Far as Koishi, I've got my response posted already, it seems to me like something someone in Nue's position might say.  Was kind of hoping the exchange would result in something like "No one's seen her in ages" but I digress.  Personally I think the culprit is a completely outside force/character.

Going to bed now, have Saturday class tomorrow so I won't be in for good until the night shift again.

[Solais]

Well, maybe it would be time to find some magicians? Maybe they can feel these stuff better. After all, there's now a whole circle of it.

[Kilgamayan]

> What do we know of Tenshi's hangouts, aside from the fact that she's from Bhava-Agra?

Vic: I agree with the idea of an OC being responsible, and I could see Ran's glare being or not being significant. The idea I coughed up was simple speculation.

Solais: Byakuren's a part of that circle and she's as bewildered as anyone else. To be honest I initially suspected them (which would have tied in neatly to my SA pregame plot theory given Eirin is a part of it) and was sort of expecting an emotional skyscraper battle between Byakuren and Nue over all of it but after seeing Byakuren's reaction I'm not thinking that way any more. I suppose a part of the group could be responsible, but I don't believe Marisa would have gone along with it (and I have some doubts about Maribel as well), and I have a hard time thinking that the remainder of the group would not only be able to do it without Marisa and Byakuren but actually go ahead and do it without telling them or being noticed by them. Eirin's good but she's not really a true magician and none of the rest of the circle stack up nearly that well.