Arisu Geas: An Extraction-Contraption Expedition

[E-Nazrin]

> You are Alice Margatroid, the Seven-Colored Puppeteer of the Forest of Magic, daughter of the Devil Goddess Shinki, and frankly, a bit of a bitch.



> You were born and raised in Makai, but immigrated to Gensokyo several years ago and have lived there on your own ever since. You have taken up puppeteering and dollmaking, and now own and masterfully control a small army of self-made dolls used both for combat and housework. You are fairly reclusive, usually preferring to stay at home with your dolls and a good book than being a social butterfly. Despite that, you have a few friends in Gensokyo, though you rarely seek them out. You have gotten involved in several major incidents in Gensokyo in the past. Your life's dream is to make an independent doll capable of moving and thinking on its own. You are moderately disturbed by the fanboys.


> Right - the fanboys. Probably the strangest of the strange things that have happened in Gensokyo since you arrived, the fanboys are a growing population of (usually) male humans from outside Gensokyo that know about Gensokyo and its major inhabitants thanks to some fantasy game in the outside world about the major incidents of the past several years. They tend to be well-informed about major figures in Gensokyo, but also carry a lot of disturbing or offensive misconceptions. This has made many in Gensokyo, including yourself, into celebrities, which was somewhat enjoyable until the stalking, crowds, and sexual proposals got out of hand. Thankfully, most of them are weaker than even fairies in a danmaku match, and tend to learn a little bit faster. Usually. They also brought in many other, less personal ideas, particularly about outer-world technology to try and implement in Gensokyo. Despite the number of science heresies they kept bringing up, a few of them managed to get very real results, and there were stirrings of very big changes in Gensokyo as of two or three months ago.


> This is about as far as you know about them, as you've spent that time secluded in your home, researching the next big lead for your independent doll project. A while after the fanboys first arrived in Gensokyo, one of them tried to explain the idea of 'AI' to you; artificial intelligence, a 'computer' mind supposedly capable of turning a human-sized mechanical doll into a fully independent 'android' - quite possibly the missing key to all of your previous attempts. You promptly blew the majority of your savings on acquiring books of related material from Rinnosuke and Patchouli (no mean feat!), and spent the past two or three months reading through the various books you could get on robots, AI, androids, mechanics, and tomes of obscure details of golem and enchantment magic. Ultimately, all you could get from them was a refined design for a mechanical doll, and the knowledge that there has been virtually no research done into information-processing magic similar to the 'computers' you heard about. This is actually very exciting, as it means that you're almost definitely on to something with the idea. Unfortunately, it also means that you'll need to start from scratch - unless you can get some of the fanboys to give you some detail on how it's supposed to work that isn't from a work of fiction. (That was embarrassing.)

> Having finally exhausted your resources at home, you have decided that today is the day to end your hiatus from the rest of Gensokyo and look for a way to make progress on this 'AI' - and perhaps see what's happened in Gensokyo in your absence. Some breakfast would be nice, too, since you ran out of food in the house a week or two ago.

> You are currently standing in the front room of your home, making your final preparations for the trip - you get the feeling this will be a long day, one way or another.

>_

[Hello Purvis]

>Do we get one of the kappa newspapers? Might be a good idea to look through one of those before heading out.

[Kilgamayan]

> Check chest for usual growths.
> How the bloody fuck did these perverts get into Gensokyo in the first place? What's the red-white doing? Shouldn't she be monitoring that tomfoolery?

[Pesco]

> tl;dr?

[E-Nazrin]

>Do we get one of the kappa newspapers? Might be a good idea to look through one of those before heading out.

>You generally don't bother with the newspaper - you're rarely interested in what's reported (especially the parts that are embellishments or outright lies anyway), and Marisa usually forwards the most interesting and important bits when she visits. Though, you haven't let her in to chat during your hiatus, either.

> Check chest for usual growths.
> How the bloody fuck did these perverts get into Gensokyo in the first place? What's the red-white doing? Shouldn't she be monitoring that tomfoolery?

>Modest, but present, if the pressure on your brasserie is any indication.

>Things got rather chaotic after they first started arriving, yes. Apparently Yukari was bringing them in as youkai food since, as outsiders to Gensokyo, they were technically not protected by the Spellcard rules. The main incident squad beat her up to remedy that part, but it doesn't seem like she stopped bringing them in...

> tl;dr?

>what no this isn't fanboy chat quest

[Kilgamayan]

> Mentally compare chest to Patchouli and Nitori.

[E-Nazrin]

> Mentally compare chest to Patchouli and Nitori.

>You've never seen Patchouli outside of her usual loose nightgown, so you have very little idea what her bust size would be. All you're certain of is that they're not completely gigantic. Yukari wouldn't be able to hide in that, at the very least.
>Nitori... Nitori is the kappa Marisa worked with underground a while back, right? You're not sure you've met her at all. You only visited the kappa village a few times a few years ago to get help with the first mechanical doll you attempted, and Marisa never tried to introduce you to her.

>_

[Hello Purvis]

>What sort of anti-fanboy measures do we have in place?
>What is the status of our doll horde?

[Kilgamayan]

> Hmm. Not entirely unacceptable, but still, better safe than sorry.
> Recall known potential methods of altering physical appearance, in terms of body build. Has there even been magical research done into this kind of thing, that we're aware of?

[E-Nazrin]

>What sort of anti-fanboy measures do we have in place?

>Little more than keeping the entrances locked and a few protective wards you've always had to keep the fairies out. The fairies themselves are also a good deterrent, given how weak the fanboys usually are. And you've probably got some sort of reputation among them after beating up the first dozen or so to visit and try and molest you. You only had to chase off a handful during your hiatus, and simply having a spear-wielding doll greet them at the window did the trick for most of them.

>What is the status of our doll horde?

>Present and accounted for. Shanghai hovers by your shoulder as usual, and the rest are in storage, ready to be summoned when needed. You usually only keep one or two out when you aren't fighting - magical means or not, coordinating many at once takes some concentration.

> Hmm. Not entirely unacceptable, but still, better safe than sorry.
> Recall known potential methods of altering physical appearance, in terms of body build. Has there even been magical research done into this kind of thing, that we're aware of?

>You begin considering enhancements to your current physical condition. You're really not very impressive for a youkai, in that sense...
>Magical methods to influence this are outside of your sphere of knowledge, sadly - enchantments on living beings is generally a different field than enchanting dolls and the like. You expect it's possible, and there's probably someone that could help you out, but you're not sure where to start with that. Marisa or Patchouli might be able to point you in the right direction.

[Pesco]

> Set up a team of New England dolls in ground mode. Let those fanboys taste shotgun.

[Kilgamayan]

> Mental note: visit Patchouli and inquire about magical physical alteration. Marisa might also know offhand, so we should ask her too if we run into her first, but Patchouli's bound to have research materials we can borrow.

[Hello Purvis]

>Quests
>Inventory
>Skills
>Hemospectrum

[E-Nazrin]

> Set up a team of New England dolls in ground mode. Let those fanboys taste shotgun.

>New what now?

> Mental note: visit Patchouli and inquire about magical physical alteration. Marisa might also know offhand, so we should ask her too if we run into her first, but Patchouli's bound to have research materials we can borrow.

>You start planning out your route for the day. Marisa, the Mansion, or the Human Village were the main places you had in mind, anyway.

>Quests
>Inventory
>Skills
>Hemospectrum

>Aw fuck here we go

>Your current Quests are:

&Artificial Independence
& If there's one good thing the fanboys have done, it's giving you the promising new 'AI' lead for your independent doll research. If nothing else, it means information processing magic might be key. But where to go from there?

&Rainbow Wizard Needs Food Badly
& As a youkai magician, you technically don't need to eat, but going too long without having something still tends to make concentrating a little difficult. The week it's been since you ran out of food in your house is definitely 'too long.'

>Current Points of Interest include:

&Neo Olde Gensokyo
& Fanboys. Everywhere. Running virtually unchecked for two months. Who knows what horrors they may have wrought? Finding out would probably be a good idea.

&Magical Makeover
& You're considering looking into some personal enchantments to improve your... appearance. But you don't know anything about how to do that offhand - maybe one of the other magicians can help?

>Inventory

>Your Inventory contains:

& ?6,500
& Blue Dress (Worn as clothing)
& Frilly Pink Ascot (Worn as clothing)
& White Caplet (Worn as clothing)
& Red Hairband (Worn as clothing)
& Steel-Toed Boots (Worn as footwear)
& Grimoire of Alice (Held)
& Puppeteer Fingerguards
& Doll Brigade
& Puppeteer Sign 「Maiden's Bunraku」
& Darkness Sign 「Foggy London Dolls」
& Curse 「Hanged Hourai Dolls」
& Magic Sign 「Artful Sacrifice」

>You could probably find more around the house, but you're comfortable leaving with this.

>Skills

>Skills:

&Premiere Puppeteer
& You are unmatched in your ability to puppeteer many dolls at once, for all sorts of purposes. Still, you have your limits - more than a dozen at once becomes difficult normally, or even less if under manual control.

&Dextrosity Grandmaster
& You have incredible fine motor control, able to manipulate even tiny and clumsy objects with great precision.

&Substantial Seamsorcerer
& You've made plenty of clothes over the years, both for your dolls and to make some money. Thread and needle, knitting, or embroidery - it's all but second nature by now.

&Effectual Danmakufu
& You're not a true master at danmaku combat, with or without your dolls, but you can more than hold your own.

&Voodoo Tenderfoot
& You've dabbled in voodoo and curses, but haven't practiced it too much. Still, you can turn a straw doll and a lock of hair into plenty of discomfort.

>Hemospectrum

>You are not a troll
>Your blood is red. It'd be just weird otherwise. Right?

[Hello Purvis]

>Head outside.
>Contemplate Shanghai, and her abilities and limitations.

[Pesco]

> Give Hourai more attention

[E-Nazrin]

>Contemplate Shanghai, and her abilities and limitations.

>Shanghai is one of your first, favorite, and most powerful dolls. You usually keep her 'out' and alongside you to represent your powers and ability with the best of your work. In combat, she is your most powerful conduit for magical lasers, and well above average for most other purposes. Except for explosions.
> Part of this comes from her origins - Shanghai was the first doll you made all on your own back in Makai, with magically-infused wood from that world. It's not something easily reproduced, so you've taken good care of her - she's one of the few dolls you own without gunpowder inside to use as an explosive.

> Give Hourai more attention

>Hourai is... a half-failed attempt to reproduce Shanghai's power by enchanting a doll made of cursed wood. It worked in that Hourai is almost as powerful as Shanghai, but she's also less... presentable. You rarely hesitate to bring her out in a real fight, but she doesn't make the best first impression.

>Head outside.

>You walk out the front door, and into the grassy clearing in the Forest of Magic that serves as your front yard.
>It's a fine early-fall morning, the leaves on the trees still changing color - few have fallen so far. The summer heat is gone, and it's a little chilly for the morning, but overall it's quite nice out.

>Marisa's house is in the woods to the east, past Korindou. The Scarlet Devil Mansion is roughly southish, and the Human Village is to the southeast.

>Where to?

[Hello Purvis]

>Head toward Kourindou. Maybe there's more to be found on the subject at hand.

[E-Nazrin]

>Head toward Kourindou. Maybe there's more to be found on the subject at hand.

>Would you like to travel above or below the canopy? The local fairies have mostly learned to leave you alone either way, but it's been a while since they had a reminder. You might attract some unwanted attention from above.

[Hello Purvis]

>Let's stay on the ground for now. There's no hurry.

[E-Nazrin]

>Let's stay on the ground for now. There's no hurry.

>You decide to play it safe for now, and work your way through the underbrush to Korindou. Briefly conjured swords for Shanghai help clear the path you usually use, now slightly overgrown from lack of use, but the trip is uneventful.

>At least, until reaching Korindou itself. You usually remember it as essentially a large, run-down home cluttered inside and out with artifacts from the outside world, with little care given to the lawn or the half-overgrown 'road' supposedly leading from the store to the Human Village. Much of this has changed.
>The road to Korindou is now properly cleared, and footprints in the dirt suggest that it actually sees regular use. Korindou itself also looks much more tidy, in general. The lawn is neatly trimmed, littered only with a neatly organized display of larger objects for sale, and with a small arrangement of faded flowers by the front door. The door is also... very different. It looks like, for some insane reason, it's now basically a large glass window on hinges, with a paper sign hanging on the inside reading "Hello, we're OPEN." And you're pretty sure the paint on the rest of the house wasn't nearly as fresh the last time you visited.

>_

[Hello Purvis]

>Frown.
>Look around. Does it seem like there are people around?

[Doll.S CUBE]

> Head inside and observe the store. Be sure to greet Rinnosuke too.

> How are the others taking to the appearance of the fanboys?

[E-Nazrin]

>Frown.
>Look around. Does it seem like there are people around?

>How disturbing.
>It doesn't look like there's anyone else around at the moment, at least outside of the shop. You think you can see movement inside, though.

> How are the others taking to the appearance of the fanboys?

>It varies, from what little you've seen. Most of the people in the Human Village seemed rather annoyed about their antics once the initial novelty wore off, but others have taken to them differently. The kappa were very eager to mess with some of the technological and engineering ideas, and brought a fair number of them away from the village to help with the work for that, but you didn't see any of the results before your hiatus. You know you've overheard fanboys talking about adventuring to the Underground, and even to Higan or Hakugyokurou, but you have no idea how successful these excursions might have been.
>On an individual level, Gensokyo's major players have taken to them differently, as well: Marisa's always been eager to have fun with them and make use of the offensive 'memes' they spout - you've gotten into numerous danmaku matches with her over the use of the word 'tsundere.' Reimu didn't mind too much as long as no one annoyed her personally. Patchouli seemed more amused by them than anything. You mostly find them creepy perverted stalkers.

> Head inside and observe the store. Be sure to greet Rinnosuke too.

>You put your concerns aside and enter Korindou, pulling the door's handle down and pushing on the window to let yourself in. A bell tingles from above your head as the door opens, which is also new.

>The inside of Korindou is drastically different. Where there was little distinction between living space and shop space before, now there's a clear distinction: An open, carpeted-floor room with shelves of roughly organized, price-tagged items makes up the main shop space, separated from the back rooms (and presumably Rinnosuke's living space) by a painted white counter.

>Even more interesting are the two unfamiliar young men that look up at you as you enter, one sitting at the counter and holding a small book, the other lazily polishing a brass statue in the corner. Rinnosuke is nowhere to be seen.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Okay. You have 30 seconds to explain before I burn this place to the ground."
>"29..."

[E-Nazrin]

>"Okay. You have 30 seconds to explain before I burn this place to the ground."

>Their eyes widen in alarm, even more than when you had simply entered the store.
>"Are you..." the one polishing the statue starts starts,

>"29..."

>, before being interrupted by the other panicking and shouting "We work for Rinnosuke! I, he's out right now!"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm pretty sure you're lying, because this doesn't a thing like Kourindou. Also: 25..."

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"I'm pretty sure you're lying, because this doesn't a thing like Kourindou. Also: 25..."

>"W-We remodeled last month!" the fanboy behind the counter cries, eyes darting between you and Shanghai in obvious fear, "Rinnosuke wanted to have the, uh, outworlders help out with the shop now that he has way too much stuff from out there!"

>The other fanboy frowns at the exchange, and stands up.

[Hello Purvis]

>Does this sound at all like something Rinnosuke would do?

[E-Nazrin]

>Does this sound at all like something Rinnosuke would do?

>... maybe? He always did seem half-hearted about the shopkeeper part of owning Korindou, more interested in philosophy than sales, and a little laid-back about a lot of things - he rarely raises a fuss about personal debts unless you're trying to make a big purchase. You had to pay off close to a year's worth of earlier minor debts before he started letting you buy research books before your hiatus. Not that those 'science-fiction' novels were particularly useful...