Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Beyond the Border~ => Rumia's Party Games => Topic started by: Chaore on May 12, 2011, 03:42:34 AM
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You are CHEN YAKUMO and god damn this is the best Vacation you have ever had and you are sure it won't possibly ever end. Along with your trusted companion bunny YUMIGAMI you are relaxing on the beach while MACKETTE enjoys what should be her natural habitat and THE ROC and RYUDAN proceed to wreck half the beach playing volleyball, you're not sure what SEPERATION is up to but it can't possiblohgodthey'reback.
YOU MEAN YOU ARE TOTALLY NOT AT A BEACH BUT IN A SPOOKY ATTIC AND OH GOD QUICK YUMIGAMI CLAW YOUR EYES OUT AND FUCK THROW SOME STATS AT THEM TO DISTRACT THEM JESUS CHRIST GUYS BOOK IT BACK NOW.
>Your current Quests are:
>The Oni Blues
Suika is in a bit of a funk, Yuugi wants you to help her out of it. You talked to her about fixing what SHE messed up. She seems to at least be drinking and partying the hell out.
>Pit to Negative Infinity
The vertical tunnel Parsee used to guard has gone oddly endless. You're not sure why this is... You've learned something absolutely fucking frightening is down there.
>Axe Crazy Marisa
Marisa is currently very very mad with you. In fact, She wants you dead. You probably should fix this. You think this may have something to do with the fact you killed Reimu. You should really do this at some point.
>Keine is a Bitch
Just throwing that out there.
>Green Parasites don't taste too good
There are some very odd curses flying around here. You've got one captured, and are having Patchy and Hina look into it.
>Everybody loves Flan
You've promised to find an umbrella or something related so Flandre can head out with you. Kogasa may have a few clues, but who would possibly know where shes at?
>Potted Yuka
Yuka is a sunflower. This is kind of detrimental to your plans. You're having Patchouli take a look at her.
>Solo Spoiler
Aya is out and about to her antics again, currently attempting to interview THE RAVEN. You're not sure how shes doing with that.
>Observations from the Inside
You've found a relatively undamaged part of the SDM, the observatory. Nue appears to be living there at the moment, and seems to be claiming someone from outside is behind this. You've confirmed she's absolutely correct from Byakuren's Notes, but... How does -she- know this?
>Findmucked
You kind of want your memories back now. You should probably get some definite proof on who got rid of them, and why.
>It's the end of the world as we know it...
Someones been fucking around with Gensokyo for a while now. You think its about time you made them pay, in full spades. You know a word connected to their name or identity somehow. 'CREATE'.
>Nazrin's Mice are Pure Evil
Seriously.
>Kogasa was Dead all along
Someone's been pretending to be Kogasa, and you've found her out. She's trapped you inside the Myouren temple with a bunch of phonies. You...should probably take care of her if you want outta here.
>WHERE IS THAT GOD DAMN TELESCOPE
SERIOUSLY. WHERE IS IT. You know someone is going to give it to you, but god damn when and who!
>Shrinkin' Genso
You need psychiatric help. That's really all there is to it. You should find a psychiatrist as such.
>Your inventory contains:
>Reisen's Old Clothing [Worn]
You're not sure how long Tewi had this hidden, but its not dirty or anything. It's Reisen's classic look.
>Familiar Pentagram [THE ROC]
A pentagram used to contain familiars, while it seems cruel, its actually the equivalent of a 5 star hotel in there.
>Familiar Topaz [YUMIGAMI]
An Topaz cut into a carrot shape, you're not sure how it is in there, but you're sure it must be perfectly comfortable.
>Frog Pin [Worn] [BROKEN]
A slightly Soggy Pin that Sanae treasured.
>SPACE Cape [Worn] [Unremovable]
Its a cape that appears to have space on the inside
>Broken Sword
Half a sword Meira used.
>Nyamune [Using]
Your trusty sword, it is a lot heavier than most other swords around here.
>Length Band
A band that goes to any length, so long as you can reach it.
>Red-Glass Mirror
A mirror completely turned red. It's not a good reflection for color, but good for just reflecting. Its handle is made of red-glass, hence the name.
>Silver Knives [Pair]
A pair of Silver Knives that Sakuya once used, besides the fact silver is a material well-known for its ability to conduct and counter magic, you think there isn't much magic in these anymore.
>Red Strip of Cloth [Important?]
A strip of Red cloth that Mackette's contract used to be in, you feel like you've seen it before...
>Knife Hilt [SEPERATION]
The knife hilt that used to house Seperation's blade, you can use it to call Seperation to your aid.
>Familiar Orb [MACKETTE]
A small crystalline orb, you're not sure if it is a proper container for a contract, but it seems to work well.
>Familiar Sculpture [RYUDAN]
A jade carving of a scale, You figure this one has to be a fancy palace inside, fit for a dragon.
>Higan Stone
A stone that will transport you across the Higan river from anywhere. Seems to vanish every now and then.
>Cybele Gem
A gem approximately the size and shape of a human eye, it is an amethyst with a hollow square inside. You don't imagine it was naturally made. There is a strong enchantment left inside of the gem.
>Familiar Combinae
You've heard of these, often considered a dark art as far as familiar-crafts go. It'll combine the traits of two items to summon or alter a familiar. The cost is usually heavy for the user, and you're not always guaranteed the familiar will HELP you.
>KOGASA TATARA [Broken]
It's well. Kogasa. More specifically, the umbrella that Kogasa 'evolved' from. Being broken, Kogasa is effectively dead.
>Flashlight
A regular flashlight, It's covered in Grue saliva and rather gross but it works.
>Byakuren's Notes
A book of notes from Byakuren herself who apparently learned of a lot of things before they happened. Yeah you don't really get it either.
>Key
A key you found in Byakuren's Study. Unknown what it goes to.
>Glass Piece (Circular)
Almost like some kinda lens. It's got some magic in it, You dunno what it does though.
Okay. Ahem. So. Now that that is over with...
You are CHEN YAKUMO, and you are currently investigating the MYOUREN TEMPLE, which has been taken over by evil baloon kogasas who have managed to blind you through ninja trickery with your Giant Rabbit Companion and you're locked in with no way out and there is still something in the attic and wow it's been a while we may need a fullscale recap here. Let's get to that.
You are CHEN YAKUMO and you are currently in Gensokyo, post THE INCIDENT, in which SHE, she being Yukari Yakumo who is now referred to as such out of your distaste for her, essentially killed off the major powerbase of Gensokyo. This includes almost the entirety of Chireiden, The Scarlet Devil Mansion, Moriya Shrine, Eientei, And so on. You, against your will by SHIKIGAMI POSSESSION, helped her, killing Hong Meiling, Reimu Hakurei, Byakuren Hijiri, others you don't particularly care to recall at the moment, and EATING Nazrin. In the following years, Gensokyo has declined with the loss of the Hakurei Shrinemaiden, causing the barrier to weaken and leak the magic of Gensokyo, making it harder to do almost everything, such as fly, something which now eludes most of Gensokyo's population. Organization fell into certain youkai banding together along racial lines and everyone openly fighting and using strength to get what they want. You, yourself, were left trapped in a CAVE to keep HER preoccupied, while the rest of the world thinks HER dead. These 24 hours is perhaps the only time you may have away from her for ages, and you've devoted it all to helping restore Gensokyo. Currently, you've done pretty well with your sucesses, freeing the Hakurei Shrine from an unexpected invader and reinstating a new shrinemaiden, convincing the humans to step out from the barrier covering their village and rejoin gensokyo proper, and solving some issues that have been haunting the populace. But you still have much to do, as now you've learned that THE INCIDENT may be part of a greater plot from the outside to harm gensokyo, though your source is shoddy, and much is still amiss in the land of Gensokyo, as in general a certain GREEN CURSE seems to be infecting and manipulating the populace...
So you decided to go here and fuck around and get blinded. Great job there, Kitty!
Either way, you are currently in a maze in the middle of the Myouren Temple's attic, which is filled with Deadly NINJAGASA, which are kogasa decked out in Ninja gear. Including black eggs, as you learned the hard way of taking one right in the face. You kind of miss seeing, it made things way easier.
You are currently BLIND, but generally uninjured with your eye wounds covered up with that red cloth you got Mackette from. Your bunny companion YUMIGAMI is currently leading you around, but you're at a fork, What do you d-
>Listen! Do we hear anything in any particular direction?
>Take a sniff in the air. Any odors of note?
Oh right.
> You make use of your fully functional KITTY EARS to attempt to hear out if in any of the following paths (Left, right, or forward) there are any sounds. Unfortunately, the Ninjagasa seem to actually have the ninja thing down, and you can't really pinpoint which of the ways any small sounds are coming from. Worth a try, atleast!
> You take a sniff, but this entire place has the same musty-old attic smell. God damn.
Now then, WHAT DO YOU DO?
>
(Suggested reading before making commands is to read the old CHEN'S DAY OUT threads, which do a much better job of recalling the events. Being the events themselves.)
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Said events (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5365.750.html)
>"Let's go left."
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Said events (http://www.shrinemaiden.org/forum/index.php/topic,5365.750.html)
>"Let's go left."
"Right. I mean Left is the Right way and oh god damnit, lets just get going."
You both take the left path, which seems to curve around towards where the forward path would be, Yumigami stops you just before you reach there.
"'Ey, boss. There are two of those baloonbrellas, they're aiming what appears to be giant fireworks down the corridor. We're behind them though, What should we do with 'em?"
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>Quietly: "I trust you to get the drop on them."
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>Quietly: "I trust you to get the drop on them."
You feel Yumigami quietly nod before slipping away for a moment. You don't even hear him before he comes back. "Taken care of. It seems like they just disappear on impact, no matter how light. As did their fireworks, sadly."
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>"Well good! Let's keep going."
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>"Well good! Let's keep going."
Yumigami nods, and the two of you proceed. "Huh. That was a short maze. Looks like the end is up ahead- Don't see anyone there though."
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>Take some cautionary sniffs while proceeding.
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>Take some cautionary sniffs while proceeding.
Still smells like old attic in here, toots. Even your nose ain't penetrating that.
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>Then just proceed. Keep ears peeled, though.
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Omg it's back! :] :] :]
>If we split to humat/cat form, can we see from the separated cat form somehow? (We can do that, right?)
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>Then just proceed. Keep ears peeled, though.
You nod to Yumigami to proceed, but be pretty careful about it. You both move slowly, prepared for a possibly ambush.
>If we split to humat/cat form, can we see from the separated cat form somehow? (We can do that, right?)
You midway decide to see if splitting forms can allow you to see. Luckily, it appears your cat form isn't blinded- though your human form still is. It's also capable of seeing in the dark as well as you were before, so you're able to notice the two Ninjagasa ambushing you in time to warn Yumigami.
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>Cat-Chen: Pounce once! With all the clawful fury we can manage!
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>Cat-Chen: Pounce once! With all the clawful fury we can manage!
You attempt to pounce with your cat half, but well... You're not really used to the whole splitting thing and end up both pouncing.
Your human half ends up pounching the ninjagasa straight through a sword stroke, coming out on the other side completely unharmed.
You're really not sure how many times you're going to be saying 'you didn't expect that' today.
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>Kitty Half: Look around, assess the situation. Are the Kogasi still there? Has Yumegami done anything about them?
>Hominid Half: Mimic the gestures.
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> "It'd be nice if I got my eyesight back soon."
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>Kitty Half: Look around, assess the situation. Are the Kogasi still there? Has Yumegami done anything about them?
>Hominid Half: Mimic the gestures.
Your cat spies the other ninjagasa taken care of already, Yumigami hasn't appeared to notice you just passed through a sword and bodyslammed a ninjagasa.
You attempt to mimic gestures but you can't recall which gestures!
> "It'd be nice if I got my eyesight back soon."
"I'll say, I'm not particularly used to being a guide bunny."
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>Proceed!
>Cat-Chen: Keep a lookout.
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> Even without our eyesight, get ready just in case something else pops out.
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>Proceed!
>Cat-Chen: Keep a lookout.
> Even without our eyesight, get ready just in case something else pops out.
You continue to the door without any further issues.
Now that you're here, you can actually kind of feel something terrible is on the other side of this door. Something familiar, and yet... not familiar at all.
This is of course clearly rambling. It's not like there'll be a boss fight on the other side of this door or anything, that'd be ridiculous. This isn't an RPG.
None the less, Are you prepared to open this door?
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>"Do you feel that?"
>Put an ear to the door, can we hear anything inside?
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> "Well this'll probably suck."
> Psyche ourselves up mentally.
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>"Do you feel that?"
>Put an ear to the door, can we hear anything inside?
"...Kinda. Boss, whatever is on the other side is...radiating some sort of magic. I don't think even Youkai normally are capable of that."
> "Well this'll probably suck."
> Psyche ourselves up mentally.
You psyche yourself the hell up. This is going to be something. Something bad.
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> "Hey, how dark is it Yumigami?"
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> "Hey, how dark is it Yumigami?"
"Pretty damn dark. I don't exactly have great night vision though, so..."
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> "Damn. Okay then. Guess we'll just have to go for it then."
> Assuming no objections from other voices, head forth!
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>Move out~
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> "Damn. Okay then. Guess we'll just have to go for it then."
> Assuming no objections from other voices, head forth!
>Move out~
You head inside the room. Your cat half is instantly assailed by GREEN. The entire room is glowing a sickly shade of green, exactly the same as the curse you collected earlier.
The source appears to be some blonde...girl in the middle of the room. You can barely make out colors, but you know she is NO ONE YOU HAVE MET BEFORE. Her clothes are torn to be almost indistinguishable scraps of cloth that cover her, and... there are strings of curses leaking out from her all over the room. She's staring right at you, with a look mixing annoyance and pain.
You don't think you can just back out now, and the moment you think about it, you notice the ninjagasa army barreling down the maze towards the door.
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>Close the door.
>"So, um, what's going on here?"
>Inventory
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>Close the door.
>"So, um, what's going on here?"
>Inventory
You shut the door rather hurriedly. Luckily, Ninjagasa have one true enemy. DOORS.
You then proceed to ask her what's going on in here. She answers within some kind of pained scream. You...can't really make out what she's saying.
>Your inventory contains:
>Reisen's Old Clothing [Worn]
You're not sure how long Tewi had this hidden, but its not dirty or anything. It's Reisen's classic look.
>Familiar Pentagram [THE ROC]
A pentagram used to contain familiars, while it seems cruel, its actually the equivalent of a 5 star hotel in there.
>Familiar Topaz [YUMIGAMI]
An Topaz cut into a carrot shape, you're not sure how it is in there, but you're sure it must be perfectly comfortable.
>Frog Pin [Worn] [BROKEN]
A slightly Soggy Pin that Sanae treasured.
>SPACE Cape [Worn] [Unremovable]
Its a cape that appears to have space on the inside
>Broken Sword
Half a sword Meira used.
>Nyamune [Using]
Your trusty sword, it is a lot heavier than most other swords around here.
>Length Band
A band that goes to any length, so long as you can reach it.
>Red-Glass Mirror
A mirror completely turned red. It's not a good reflection for color, but good for just reflecting. Its handle is made of red-glass, hence the name.
>Silver Knives [Pair]
A pair of Silver Knives that Sakuya once used, besides the fact silver is a material well-known for its ability to conduct and counter magic, you think there isn't much magic in these anymore.
>Red Strip of Cloth [Important?]
A strip of Red cloth that Mackette's contract used to be in, you feel like you've seen it before...
>Knife Hilt [SEPERATION]
The knife hilt that used to house Seperation's blade, you can use it to call Seperation to your aid.
>Familiar Orb [MACKETTE]
A small crystalline orb, you're not sure if it is a proper container for a contract, but it seems to work well.
>Familiar Sculpture [RYUDAN]
A jade carving of a scale, You figure this one has to be a fancy palace inside, fit for a dragon.
>Higan Stone
A stone that will transport you across the Higan river from anywhere. Seems to vanish every now and then.
>Cybele Gem
A gem approximately the size and shape of a human eye, it is an amethyst with a hollow square inside. You don't imagine it was naturally made. There is a strong enchantment left inside of the gem.
>Familiar Combinae
You've heard of these, often considered a dark art as far as familiar-crafts go. It'll combine the traits of two items to summon or alter a familiar. The cost is usually heavy for the user, and you're not always guaranteed the familiar will HELP you.
>KOGASA TATARA [Broken]
It's well. Kogasa. More specifically, the umbrella that Kogasa 'evolved' from. Being broken, Kogasa is effectively dead.
>Flashlight
A regular flashlight, It's covered in Grue saliva and rather gross but it works.
>Byakuren's Notes
A book of notes from Byakuren herself who apparently learned of a lot of things before they happened. Yeah you don't really get it either.
>Key
A key you found in Byakuren's Study. Unknown what it goes to.
>Glass Piece (Circular)
Almost like some kinda lens. It's got some magic in it, You dunno what it does though.
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> Is there anything else of note in the room?
> "This was... unexpected."
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> Is there anything else of note in the room?
> "This was... unexpected."
Besides the CURSE-LINED GLOWING GIRL WITH CRAZY INSIDE A PAINFILLED SCREAM VOICE? No, Not really. Kind of empty.
You state how unexpected it was. The glowing girl doesn't respond, choosing instead to just...stare at you.
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>"Can you hear me?"
>Quickly add: "Just nod!"
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>"Can you hear me?"
>Quickly add: "Just nod!"
She tries to say something again, her voice distorted within her own pained scream. Pausing a moment later to just nod.
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>"Um...would it help if I cut those thingies holding you up?"
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>"Um...would it help if I cut those thingies holding you up?"
She looks confused for a few moments, before kind of...shrugging, as best you can hanging from curse wires.
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>"Yumigami, you can see her better than me, I think. Does she seem dangerous?"
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>"Yumigami, you can see her better than me, I think. Does she seem dangerous?"
"...she is kinda right there boss. Also, more confused at the moment. I...don't think she SHOULD be particularly capable of doing anything strung up like that though..."
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> Does she resemble anyone we know?
> "Did you get here after Gensokyo went to hell?"
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> Does she resemble anyone we know?
> "Did you get here after Gensokyo went to hell?"
but you know she is NO ONE YOU HAVE MET BEFORE.
Nope!
She looks confused again, before nodding slowly.
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> "Hm..."
> Try cautiously touching one of the strands with Cat-Chen.
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> "Hm..."
> Try cautiously touching one of the strands with Cat-Chen.
Curiously, you attempt to touch one of the strands with your cat half.
Reacting to your touch, all the strands glow vibrantly and the girl starts screaming and the strands begin whipping everywhere, the one your cat half just touched knocking her...you...it... on it's back.
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>Did it hurt us?
>Once Cat Chen recovers, have a closer look at the girl, and determine how the strands are attached to her.
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>Did it hurt us?
>Once Cat Chen recovers, have a closer look at the girl, and determine how the strands are attached to her.
Well it hurt your cat half but not you you- Oww! okay, yeah one just knocked your human self on it's ass too. She's going nuts and flailing them everywhere and they're glowing rather brightly.
You look at the flailing mess of a girl. The strands seem to be primarily attached to her back, however 2 are attached to her shoulders and three line each of her arms. There is also one in the back of her neck. It kind of creates a probably uncomfortable and kinda disturbing hanging pose.
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>How are they connected to the walls and such?
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>How are they connected to the walls and such?
They're stuck straight in. just kinda go in and stay stuck. Well, before she started swinging them. Now they're kinda tearing through the wall.
You're not sure how she is staying strung up with the strings moving like that. Magic, Likely!
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>Does the wriggling and pain seem to be stopping at all?
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>Does the wriggling and pain seem to be stopping at all?
It's getting worse actually. She's just screaming and whipping the strands around wildly in your direction.
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>"Cut that out!"
>Put a hand on Nyamune. Can we cooperate with our kitty self enough to use is decently?
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>"Cut that out!"
>Put a hand on Nyamune. Can we cooperate with our kitty self enough to use is decently?
You yell at her to cut it out, but she just screams louder and starts the thrash more accurately towards you.
You reach for Nyamune. You're... not exactly certain, It still feels kind of like moving your body while watching a video of you moving instead of out of your own eyes, but you're receiving it like you're seeing it so...
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>Try to get away from those tendrils, see if they follow us.
>If they do, slash them!
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>Try to get away from those tendrils, see if they follow us.
>If they do, slash them!
You attempt to get away from them but they're not going away, so you take a somewhat clumsy chop at them and for a brief moment, she screams louder.
Then she just stops. Completely. The strands just stop moving and hang where they are.
The something bursts out of the floor, The force sending your cat half to the ground, though your human half stays up only because you jumped back on a reflex. Yumigami goes down as well.
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> Try and get a look at it with Kitty-Chen.
> "G-guys? What just happened?"
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> Try and get a look at it with Kitty-Chen.
> "G-guys? What just happened?"
You try and get Kitty Chen to here feet, and get a good look at what just burst through the flo- Oh holy fuck.
A Giant Kogasa head just burst through the floor.
"Apparently the balloons over inflated."
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> "God DAMMIT. I'm never coming back here again!"
> Try and get a safe distance away.
> Can we still see or hear curse girl?
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> "God DAMMIT. I'm never coming back here again!"
> Try and get a safe distance away.
> Can we still see or hear curse girl?
"I'm with you on that! This is ridiculous!"
You back away as the giant Kogasa roars a loud 'Urameshiya~'. Curse girl is behind her, but she isn't screaming anymore.
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>Do we feel moderately confident in the current situation that if we whipped one of our knives at the Kogasa, it would hit?
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>Do we feel moderately confident in the current situation that if we whipped one of our knives at the Kogasa, it would hit?
You do. That is one massive Kogasa head. You don't think it'd be possible to miss it.
You're almost about to just throw it, but you remember curse girl's strands are possibly still active. She could knock the knife out of the air.
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>Does it seem likely that she would try this?
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>Does it seem likely that she would try this?
You...don't know, honestly. She was pretty clearly trying to hit you with the strands a minute ago, but it doesn't seem like she's particularly evil. On the other hand, this curse made even Kisume rampage- She may take it's side if the curse is responsible for the kogasa invasion.
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>Fling that dagger. It's not a good idea to leave superfluous Kogasi around.
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>Fling that dagger. It's not a good idea to leave superfluous Kogasi around.
You fling that sunnova bitch at the giant Kogasa, and curse girl doesn't attempt to block to your relief.
Unfortunately, not to your relief, it bounces off the kogasazilla's forehead.
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>Does it react at all?
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>Does it react at all?
It shot a particularly nasty glare at you, but it seems to be having a bit of trouble reacting otherwise- You think it may not be able to get much more than it's head through the floor.
...Where the hell did this thing come from, anyway?!
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> Does it look like we might be able to get a good hit in with Nyamune if it's only the head?
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> Does it look like we might be able to get a good hit in with Nyamune if it's only the head?
You could! I mean, it's just a head, what can a head do?
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>Are we reasonably confident we can manipulate ourselves through the tendrils to do so?
>If so, go for it! Try not to be too slow!
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>Are we reasonably confident we can manipulate ourselves through the tendrils to do so?
>If so, go for it! Try not to be too slow!
You rush towards the Kogasa head, Nyamune in tow and holy shit it's spitting fire at you.
Heatless fire you are able to run through with no issues, apparently. You get within striking range and just cut the thing- And it vanishes as if never there, hole and all.
You have no idea what the fuck.
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>So, there is just blank wall there?
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>So, there is just blank wall there?
Curse Girl is still strung up there, but the floor is back to normal and there is no longer any evidence of the Kogasazilla.
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>How is curse girl doing?
So, we're in this deep. Shall we try chopping through a strand?
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>How is curse girl doing?
Still fine. Staring at you confused, with the hint of pain still on her face. The strands are still glowing, but are only writhing around her side of the room at the moment.
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So, we're in this deep. Shall we try chopping through a strand?
I say we go for it. We don't really have much else to work with right now anyway.
> Slice through a strand with Nyamune.
> Brace for counterattack.
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I say we go for it. We don't really have much else to work with right now anyway.
> Slice through a strand with Nyamune.
> Brace for counterattack.
You move quickly and make a jump to try and slice off more of the strand you cut earlier- And manage to cut it much closer towards the curse girl. All the strands glow again and the look of pain on her face tightens, but she doesn't scream this time.
You get out of the way as another strand swipes down at where you were, as this time, stalactites form and fall around the room.
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>Try to find a place where there aren't any, and hide!
>Keep an eye on the ceiling, lest more appear.
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> It's going to take so much self-restraint not to raze this place to the ground after we find that bloody telescope.
> Frown.
> "Things just keep getting better don't they... I hope we're at least making some progress."
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>Try to find a place where there aren't any, and hide!
>Keep an eye on the ceiling, lest more appear.
They seem to be everywhere, but you come up with a plan, waiting for one of them to crash down ahead of the rest, you pick up your cat-half and dash for cover where it was. Luckily, no more seem to appear quite yet.
Yumigami just sits there and yawns while a few plunk down and break themselves on him, not even hurting him.
> It's going to take so much self-restraint not to raze this place to the ground after we find that bloody telescope.
> Frown.
> "Things just keep getting better don't they... I hope we're at least making some progress."
Seriously. All you want is a god damn Telescope, and here you are dealing with all of this.
Yumigami shrugs. "Hard to tell. I don't know if cutting the strands has particularly done anything...
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>"Well, let's find out!"
>Do it again.
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>"Well, let's find out!"
>Do it again.
You leap for another strand now that the rain of spikes has stopped for the moment, it reacts part-way but you cut a good chunk of it still. Curse girl screams again, and this time, fire begins to pour out of the walls. Smoke quickly starts flooding the room.
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> Crap.
> Is the doorway blocked by flames? If not, get outta that room!
-
>Kitty Chen: Glance toward the floor, do there seem to be any remains of the stalactite shower that we need to worry about tripping over.
-
> Crap.
> Is the doorway blocked by flames? If not, get outta that room!
Not by flames, but you're pretty sure the horde of Kogasa are still waiting for you outside that door.
>Kitty Chen: Glance toward the floor, do there seem to be any remains of the stalactite shower that we need to worry about tripping over.
No, in fact, all remains of the stalactites are completely gone. Odd.
-
>Are we feeling proper heat from the flames?
>In fact, do things seem to be burning properly?
-
>Are we feeling proper heat from the flames?
>In fact, do things seem to be burning properly?
Come to think of it...
You stick your human half's hand in the fire. It doesn't hurt, at all. You're only feeling the heat through your cat half...
What's going on here?
-
> Look around. Do the flames seem to be burning the surroundings at all?
> Is there even smoke?
-
> Look around. Do the flames seem to be burning the surroundings at all?
> Is there even smoke?
Certainly looks like the fire is wrecking the place, and like there is smoke...come to think of it, you can't smell it from your human half, though.
-
>Work our way out. But don't be too panicked about it. And try to cut another tendril of the way out if we can.
-
>Work our way out. But don't be too panicked about it. And try to cut another tendril of the way out if we can.
You get yourself towards the door, carefully... but stop to take a swipe at a tendril that got too near. Everything seems to just...flash for a second from your cat half's side, and all the fire is gone.
That's...one hazard down, you guess.
-
>Well, we're married to this now, aren't we? Continue to cut the cursed person down.
-
>Well, we're married to this now, aren't we? Continue to cut the cursed person down.
You're not sure if you'd like to say you're married to her quite yet, but you're certainly not one to stop here, so you attempt to go after another tendril.
You succeed, of sorts- You pass through a spinning blade that went for you as you took your chop, but it grazes your cat half that you're still holding. It seems whatever is going on can still hurt it, at least.
She lets out another brief scream once the tendrils glow after the cut again, this one actually disorienting you with how loud it is.
-
>How many are left?
-
>How many are left?
Well you're pretty sure you managed to get one arm loose, so there should be around... 12 or so left, Shouldn't be hard if you go for a bunch grouped up in one place, like her arm, and cut them at once.
You then look up and...why does she suddenly have 50 or so strands flowing out of her?
-
>Examine the strands for a moment, and be ready to move if they come after us.
-
>Examine the strands for a moment, and be ready to move if they come after us.
You pause and examine them... No, there's a good deal most of those aren't real. They're all centered around the locations of where the strands you remember were there before were, so this is some kind of tricking with duplicating the image of those strands.
You have a bad feeling those extra strands can hurt your cathalf and maybe yumigami, though.
-
> Cut a couple more strands and dodge as need be.
-
> Cut a couple more strands and dodge as need be.
You jump in for the strands, protecting your cat half with your own body, which seems to work, for the most part. You slice through a few strands...and they vanish among being cut, unlike real strands. You need to take a leap back after you clear what you think may be the right side to a strands due to a mass of the strands coming at once, as you're not sure you can protect your cat half from those.
You need a faster way to cut these strands.
-
> "Yumigami! I'm gonna unsummon you for a bit!"
> Unsummon Yumigami and get Mackette into the fray. Nothing can cut as well as a land shark~
-
> "Yumigami! I'm gonna unsummon you for a bit!"
> Unsummon Yumigami and get Mackette into the fray. Nothing can cut as well as a land shark~
You switch Yumigami with Mackette. She asks what you want her to cut. You tell her to go for the strands.
She obliges easily, leaping and slicing what you imagine was a real strand in an incredibly accurate steel fin strike. The extra strands shatter out as the curse girl screams again.
-
>Try to help out, and stay out of the way of those tendrils and such.
-
>Try to help out, and stay out of the way of those tendrils and such.
You pre-empt whatever she's going to pull out next and cut another tendril along with Mackette. Only about 9 more left, you think...
-
> Continue hacking, slashing, and dodging.
> Wonder why this girl is even here.
-
> Continue hacking, slashing, and dodging.
> Wonder why this girl is even here.
You keep at it, you're not even letting her do whatever she is doing anymore. You get her down to the last one before she makes you pause with another scream.
...why -is- she here? I mean, she's probably behind all the illusions in the place, given what she's been doing while you were cutting her down, but why is she strung up by that curse again, who strung her up here, and why the hell is she hanging around here of all places? You don't know why anyone would even come here...
-
> Unpause.
> Slash the last strand! Before more materialize!
> Brace for any anything that may occur with the slashing.
-
> Unpause.
> Slash the last strand! Before more materialize!
> Brace for any anything that may occur with the slashing.
You and mackette cut the final strand. Everything seems to pause for a moment, before you unpause it. And with a final, -normal- cry, she falls to the ground face first, and the remaining pieces of the strands fall off her body and stop glowing, the ends that were attached to her only leaving what seem like some kind of teeth marks.
You brace for anything to happen for a bit, before deciding it doesn't seem like anything else is going to happen.
-
> Look around with Kitty-Chen. Everything good?
> Recall Mackette and get Yumigami back out.
> Check on Curse-Girl.
-
> Look around with Kitty-Chen. Everything good?
> Recall Mackette and get Yumigami back out.
> Check on Curse-Girl.
You take a final look around. The remaining strands honestly look kinda gross in this form, like black sludge, but they don't seem to be doing anything detached from her. You switch Mackette out for Yumigami and check on Curse-Girl. She appears to be fine, if unconcious. Her clothes are totally ruined though. The marks where the strands attached to her are nothing serious as well, should clear up fine. Now that you're closer, you can tell she's not human. Or a youkai. She's probably a ghost or something like that.
-
> "Hmmm..."
> Look around the room. Is there anything new?
-
> "Hmmm..."
> Look around the room. Is there anything new?
Nothing really, it seems like everything is as when you entered.
...oh, wait. One of the curse tentacles seems to be twitching now. Worrying. You should probably try and do something about that.
-
> Go up to the tentacle and examine it.
> If nothing happens, stab it.
-
>Rather, be very ready to give it the slashies if it tries to come at us.
-
> Go up to the tentacle and examine it.
> If nothing happens, stab it.
>Rather, be very ready to give it the slashies if it tries to come at us.
It tries to wriggle away, so you cut it in half.
Doesn't really stop a few of the rest though, as they all gather at one spot, before wriggling through the floor to escape somewhere else.
You hope you don't end up seeing those again...
-
> Try waking Curse-Girl up.
-
> Try waking Curse-Girl up.
You shake her a bit, but she's out pretty cold. You can't imagine from how she was screaming that was anything but pretty exhausting for her.
-
> Well... Are there any new doorways or anything?
-
> Well... Are there any new doorways or anything?
Not really. Infact, the room seems to be even blander than before.
-
> Were there any other rooms off of the maze room that we haven't checked yet?
-
> Were there any other rooms off of the maze room that we haven't checked yet?
Not that you could see, though the bigger issues may be the ninjagasa right outside the door in that regard.
-
> "So... Have any ideas about what to do now Yumigami?"
-
> "So... Have any ideas about what to do now Yumigami?"
"Nope. Only way outta here is through that door.
...Actually, you could hop on my back and we can just try and charge straight through the mass on the other side. You can carry the girl as well, I guess."
-
> "Better than nothing."
> Grab the girl and Kitty-Chen and hop on Yumigami's back.
-
> "Better than nothing."
> Grab the girl and Kitty-Chen and hop on Yumigami's back.
You mount your giant enemy rabbit and prepare to bust the fuck through this door.
You bust through the door. Nothing is on the other side. Not even the maze. What the hell?
-
> "Oh God dammit. Can't anything stay in one place in this bloody temple?!"
> Stay on the bunny and look around cautiously.
-
> "Oh God dammit. Can't anything stay in one place in this bloody temple?!"
> Stay on the bunny and look around cautiously.
You keep on Yumigami and look around. Actually, the room is now... Fuck, it's the entire attic. The wall is gone too. Everything...is normal now?
-
> Dismount the bunny and ask him to carry Curse-Girl.
> Head downstairs if there's nothing of note.
> Look out for Kogasi.
-
> Dismount the bunny and ask him to carry Curse-Girl.
> Head downstairs if there's nothing of note.
> Look out for Kogasi.
You dismount and have him take care of the girl, and head downstairs. No Kogasa anywhere.
Infact, upon further exploration, the blood is gone too.
-
> Aaaaaand here comes the paranoia.
> Are there any places in the Temple we still haven't thoroughly checked?
-
> Aaaaaand here comes the paranoia.
> Are there any places in the Temple we still haven't thoroughly checked?
There are few, you pretty much combed the entire bottom floor when you were down here.
-
>Have a look through some of the other nearby rooms that had weird illusion stuffs.
-
>Have a look through some of the other nearby rooms that had weird illusion stuffs.
You go through the other rooms. The blood and related are gone there as well, you check Byakuren's room as well, even though what happened there was unrelated to the Kogasi...huh?
There's a telescope on the bed now. You're certain that wasn't there before.
-
> Get the telescope. We can finally leave!
-
> Get the telescope. We can finally leave!
You get the telescope. Hold it over your head in sheer joy as a tune plays in the background.
YOU CAN FINALLY LEAVE.
-
> Head back to the entrance to the temple.
> Pray that we aren't accosted by more illusions and Kogasi.
> Curse-Girl is still with us correct?
-
> Head back to the entrance to the temple.
> Pray that we aren't accosted by more illusions and Kogasi.
> Curse-Girl is still with us correct?
You head back to the entrance, Curse-Girl still in tow.
There is literally no more obstacles in your way, bar maybe whatever was on this door before.
-
> Get to the entrance and attempt to exit the temple.
-
> Get to the entrance and attempt to exit the temple.
You attempt to exit the temple.
Your attempt is an overwhelming success, no more laser burn you field around the door as well, apparently.
-
> FINALLY.
> So... what did we need the telescope for again?
-
> FINALLY.
> So... what did we need the telescope for again?
You express jubilation at your freedom, then promptly forget to recall why you got this telescope in the first place.
Wonderful.
-
> Examine telescope.
> Consider the possibility of Curse-Girl being able to help us with all of the curse nonsense that has been going around.
-
>In fact, let's have a closer look at her now.
>Well, as much of a look as possible given the circumstances...
>Try to recall who can help us with our ocular problems.
>In fact, it's been awhile. Recall the various relationships we've made, and how long we have until She is anticipated to waken.
-
> Examine telescope.
> Consider the possibility of Curse-Girl being able to help us with all of the curse nonsense that has been going around.
You examine the telescope. It's kinda old and rustyish, but it seems like it'll work fine.
You can't really see through it as Kitty-Chen though.
You wonder if curse-girl could help, I mean she was attached to that curse for god knows how long, maybe she knows more about it?
>In fact, let's have a closer look at her now.
>Well, as much of a look as possible given the circumstances...
>Try to recall who can help us with our ocular problems.
>In fact, it's been awhile. Recall the various relationships we've made, and how long we have until She is anticipated to waken.
You get a closer look at her. Yeah, there's no way she's a normal youkai or human- Given she's more tangible than regular ghosts, you'd say she's probably a poltergeist. She's got blonde hair, and her clothes are kinda torn up. She looks to be younger than your current form.
You could probably see if Sanae could spare a miracle or two, but besides that you'll have to wait for them to grow back on their own. The only real doctor who could grow back -eyes- was Eirin, and she's up in space. She uh...probably could do something, being HER, but you'd really rather hope she not notice you got blinded.
As for relationships, You're on good terms with Wriggle and Cirno, having a bit of a history, and you are on good enough terms with Patchouli to have gotten some help with magic-related shenanigans. You've helped Yamame and Kisume with some underground related and curse shenanigans, earning their trust. The fairies owe you big time, having fixed the lake's coloring problem. You've become friends with the new mistress of the SDM, Flandre, and are probably the only friend she has had in a while. You've earned the Cow Bitch's trust for having saved her from herself, okay fine a curse, and understood her woes in regards to the human village's council. You're on Mokou's level, enough that you can call her in to help with landsharks, atleast. You've gotten Tewi to lend you a pair of Reisen's old clothes, but you don't think she'll listen to you much. You helped Shikeiki stop being an adorable kitty, but you think she'd call that favor square given what she let you see in her mirror. You've struck a good chord with Suika, and have the trust of Yuugi, if her asking for your help is worth anything. You tried to help Aya get her scoop, and that's probably worth a lot in her book. You've also entertained Nue's conspiracy of an outside source. And Byakuren atleast posthumously doesn't really blame you for having killed her. You think.
On the other hand, Marisa wants to kill you rather badly at the moment and likely will if she sees you again, You've embarrassed Meira fully and led to her being thrown in jail, The Tengu in general are probably looking for a chance to kill you since you've been in their village because they're xenophobic freaks, The human village has all reasons to not trust you and are also all bastards, Minoriko kicked you in the face while her sister watched, and you've personally killed Meiling, Reimu, Byakuren, Parsee, and eaten Nazrin live in the past.
There is also Her. You loathe Yukari Yakumo, but you are currently contracted to her as her shikigami, giving you passive abilities and the strength from being connected to the strongest bitch in Gensokyo.
-
> Our life kinda sucks right now doesn't it?
> Well, not much we can do just standing here. Head back to the SDM for now.
-
> Our life kinda sucks right now doesn't it?
> Well, not much we can do just standing here. Head back to the SDM for now.
You're inclined to agree it does. You head back towards the SDM- Nue, Flandre, and Patchouli and Hina are all here. Flandre is probably asleep though, and you don't really have anything to say to Nue. Maybe Patchouli has finally had some luck with that curse... actually, maybe bringing curse girl to her could help.
-
> Head for the library.
> "You guys have any luck with the curse thing yet?"
-
> Head for the library.
> "You guys have any luck with the curse thing yet?"
You head into the library and ask about the curse research. Hina shakes her head, remaining quiet. Patchouli continues...simply staring a the curse in a bottle. You think she's trying to kill it with her mind.
You think. She could just be staring at it. But she looks kind of aggravated.
-
> "I think I may have found someone who might provide more answers."
> Present Curse-Girl.
-
> "I think I may have found someone who might provide more answers."
> Present Curse-Girl.
Patchouli immediately turns around and falls out of her chair trying to turn around while still in her chair out of shock. "WHAT."
-
>"I found her in the Myouren shrine. It was...well, you can see."
>Gesture toward eyes
-
>"I found her in the Myouren shrine. It was...well, you can see."
>Gesture toward eyes
You draw attention to your eyes after explaining where you found her. Patchouli simply nods, while Hina takes a second before gasping. "Oh dear! Your eyes!".
Patchouli frowns. "I'm afraid I can't help with that, incase you were hoping- Rebuilding the human body is something I've been working on, given my current state... but eyes are simply too complex for me. I'm lucky my body's are in surprisingly good shape.
Further though, what does she have to do with this curse? Don't tell me you think she was the cause of it?"
-
>"I'm not sure if she was the cause or a focus of it or a victim or what..."
-
>"I'm not sure if she was the cause or a focus of it or a victim or what..."
Patchouli frowns. "I see, how is she connected to this curse then?"
-
>"Physically. There were these kind of tentacles that were holding her, like she was in the center of a spider web. I started cutting 'em, and things went crazy. There were hallucinations and all kinds of things."
-
>"Physically. There were these kind of tentacles that were holding her, like she was in the center of a spider web. I started cutting 'em, and things went crazy. There were hallucinations and all kinds of things."
Patchouli raises an eyebrow quizically, before nodding. "I see... That's interesting. Given the nature of these curses, and previous encounters, I think the hallucinations might've been an exaggerated form of her own power, and the curses forced her to defend herself.
Or she really is behind all this, which would be interesting."
-
> "Who knows. If you want to speak to her though you're gonna have to wait 'til she regains consciousness."
-
> "Who knows. If you want to speak to her though you're gonna have to wait 'til she regains consciousness."
Patchouli nods. "I'll get Devil to get something to lay her on, then. How long ago did she get knocked out?"
-
>"Well, I came right here from the temple."
>How long was it? Express that with the proper modifier of "not too long ago," "A little bit ago," and so on.
-
>"Well, I came right here from the temple."
>How long was it? Express that with the proper modifier of "not too long ago," "A little bit ago," and so on.
Not all that long. Despite the relative distance of the Myouren temple, Yumigami and you are able to move fairly quickly. Slowed down a bit because of having to make sure curse girl doesn't fall off, but not more than a half hour at most.
Gensokyo is kind of small, really.
-
>"Maybe half an hour, a bit more?"
-
>"Maybe half an hour, a bit more?"
Patchouli nods, as Devil brings in a couch to put her down on. "Hmm. She's deep in there then. How hard did you go on her?"
-
>"Well, I cut those curse tendrils. But I didn't do anything to her."
-
>"Well, I cut those curse tendrils. But I didn't do anything to her."
Patchouli nods silently, as Hina speaks up. "Certain brands of Curses can be rather painful to be host to- And even worse to be suddenly severed from. She may have took severe trauma from being freed. But...Given the past encounters, I'm surprised, It didn't seem to be that kind of a curse... Is it because there was so many of them?"
-
"I dunno. You're the expert. There were a bunch of them, though. Probably a dozen or more."
-
"I dunno. You're the expert. There were a bunch of them, though. Probably a dozen or more."
Hina nods, looking perplexed. "Yes... I suppose I've just never seen a curse quite like this one. I suppose it's harmful tendencies are probably miniscule, but multiplied by groups, for the moment."
-
>"Can you do anything about it?"
-
>"Can you do anything about it?"
Hina examines her quickly before shaking her head. "I'm afraid not- She seems to be free of any more curses, so the damage that remains is mostly physical and mental. It may be best just to let her rest and hope she wakes up soon."
-
>"Right, okay..."
>Oh god, Rest. How long do we think we have until SHE starts to stir?
-
>"Right, okay..."
>Oh god, Rest. How long do we think we have until SHE starts to stir?
You don't know. You imagine maybe until it gets dark, if this is following the usual pattern. You nervously glance outside. It's still rather sunny, at least.
-
>Review the plan for getting back there.
>"Um, how long til sunset?"
-
>Review the plan for getting back there.
>"Um, how long til sunset?"
It shouldn't be hard. It's on the outskirts of Gensokyo, so if you just go towards the barrier in the south eastern direction, you'll find it.
"Sunset? Should be around six hours from now."
Getting back to the cave should take less than half an hour. You've got time.
-
Hmmm... Can you think of what to do next Purvis? I'm thinking we should visit Kourindou again just to see if Rinnosuke is finally back. What do you think?
-
Could do. Problem is I've forgotten most of the things what were going on.
-
Could do. Problem is I've forgotten most of the things what were going on.
It's pretty much the same deal over here. :ohdear:
-
>What do the gruesome twosome seem to be up to now?
-
>What do the gruesome twosome seem to be up to now?
Assuming you mean Patchouli and Hina, Hina is helping Demon move in a couch, while Patchouli is curiously looking over Curse Girl...
-
>Observe for a bit. Well, as well as we can given circumstances.
-
How hungry are we?
-
>Observe for a bit. Well, as well as we can given circumstances.
You observe them for a bit. You learn Hina is not very strong at all, and that Demon could theoretically benchpress a couch. The thought counts.
You watch Patchy for a bit before she calls you over. "Chen? Can you answer me something?"
How hungry are we?
After that trip down memory lane, as well as entering the same room...that... happened in. Not very.
HER power makes eating completely optional, anyway.
-
>"I can try."
-
>"I can try."
Patchouli nods, frowning and pointing to the marks left when the tentacles detached from Curse Girl. "Do you happen to know where these came from?"
-
>"That's where the tentacles were attached to her."
-
>"That's where the tentacles were attached to her."
Patchouli nods, frowning. "I was afraid of that... What in the world?"
-
>"Huh?"
-
>"Huh?"
"Chen, When Hina said physical, she normally meant things like physical damage caused by magic... Not that they physically tore their possessed apart. If what you said is right, from these marks... Those tentacles were physically hooked into her flesh. Curses...Curses don't normally do things like this. What exactly is this?"
-
>Frown
>"Well it sure looked like the curse to me."
-
>Frown
>"Well it sure looked like the curse to me."
You frown. Your almost certain it was, it felt -exactly- like that curse in the bottle...
"I believe you when you say that... But if it is the same thing, What the hell are we dealing with here, Chen?"
-
>"Why do you asking me? You're the one who knows about these kinds of things! Why do you think I brought her here?"
-
>"Why do you asking me? You're the one who knows about these kinds of things! Why do you think I brought her here?"
Patchy sighs. "Sorry. You're right. It's good you did though... I think I need to reorganize my research to accompany this kind of information. But Chen, this is something I fear is completely worse than what we expected before. I'm not even sure who could possibly create something like... this."
-
>"All I know is that it made a bunch of weird and terrible illusions all over the shrine. And a bunch of them looked like Kogasa, which was really weird."
-
>"All I know is that it made a bunch of weird and terrible illusions all over the shrine. And a bunch of them looked like Kogasa, which was really weird."
Patchouli raises a brow. "Kogasa? Really? That's an odd choice. Not like, Shou or Byakuren or something?"
-
>"Yeah her. Also...um...I found this."
>Show her the broken umbrella.
>"I don't suppose you could mend it? I know it probably won't do anything, but..."
-
>"Yeah her. Also...um...I found this."
>Show her the broken umbrella.
>"I don't suppose you could mend it? I know it probably won't do anything, but..."
Patchouli frowns, nodding. "I... See. I'll mend it, Sure. But...yes, Her soul has probably already crossed the river."
-
>"It'd make her happy."
-
>"It'd make her happy."
Patchy nods solemnly. "I suppose it would..."
-
>Offer her the umbrella parts.
-
>Offer her the umbrella parts.
Patchy takes them and sets aside some space to work on mending them on her desk.
-
>Go have a seat somewhere and rest. Not like there's much to do now.
>Actually...
>"Um, can you recommend anyone I could see about my eyes?"
-
>Go have a seat somewhere and rest. Not like there's much to do now.
>Actually...
>"Um, can you recommend anyone I could see about my eyes?"
"...Not entirely, for a quick fix, I can't really think of anyone able to heal -eyes-. Perhaps a miracle but..." Patchouli frowns. "I don't know how much faith is required to fix eyes, and troubling Sanae with that..."
-
How bad are our eyes?
-
How bad are our eyes?
You just got a bunch of very painful small glass shards in them. They're pretty much torn to all hell and you're blind at the moment. Fixing them through standard Youkai regeneration will take a very long time.
-
> "I wounder if I should just take them out.."
> "Thanks, Dr. Patchy."
-
> "I wounder if I should just take them out.."
> "Thanks, Dr. Patchy."
You muse that to yourself.
It'd take even longer to fix your eyes if you did that. Why the christ would you think that.
You thank Patchouli regardless. "Not an issue."
-
> "So have you two found anything at all since the last visit? Even something extremely minor?"
-
> "So have you two found anything at all since the last visit? Even something extremely minor?"
Patchouli grumbles, shaking her head. "Unfortunately, no. To say neither I nor Hina have seen anything vaguely resembling this would be false, we've seen many things LIKE it... But it just shares so many traits, it's like some sort of Omni-Curse..."
-
> Bloody curses.
> "Well... Just throwing this out there, but what if it isn't a curse at all and instead it's something masquerading as a curse?"
-
> Bloody curses.
> "Well... Just throwing this out there, but what if it isn't a curse at all and instead it's something masquerading as a curse?"
Patchouli blinks. "That... I haven't considered that, actually..."
-
>"Yeah, it might be more parasite than curse."
-
>"Yeah, it might be more parasite than curse."
Patchy nods thoughtfully. "Yes... The only thing is it's genuinely curse-like in build... But maybe... No, Nevermind, I'll consider it Chen, Thanks. A new perspective is always good."
-
>"Glad I could help."
-
>"Glad I could help."
Patchy nods, turning to stare bewildered at the curse in a jar for a moment again.
Hina and Devil finish moving Curse Girl to the couch, and she still hasn't woken up quite yet.
You still have things to do, so you might want to consider leaving, unless you have any more questions.
-
So, I'm thinking Rinnosuke is most likely to have some eye cream onhand of anyone.
-
So, I'm thinking Rinnosuke is most likely to have some eye cream onhand of anyone.
Worth a try. Who knows, he might even be there this time.
> Bid everyone farewell and head to Kourindou.
-
> Bid everyone farewell and head to Kourindou.
You arrive at Kourindou again, Tokiko is still there, but Rinnosuke has also appeared to finally return to the shop, the two both bid you welcome.
-
>"Hi,"
>Survey the wares.
-
>"Hi,"
>Survey the wares.
You cut to surveying the wares.
Kourindou has in Stock:
>Deck of Tricks
>Green Star
>Penguin Puppet
>Hero's Cloak
>Phoenix Gem
>Celtic Knot Pendant
>Steam-powered Sword
>Tiger Plushie
>Card [FAMILIAR?]
>Wedding Dress
>Special Ops Suit
>TANK
>Gem From The Other World
You have 2 Credits left. Rinnosuke is back, so things may not be worth the same... But he'll probably know more than Tokiko.
-
>"Um, do you have anything for messed up eyes?"
-
>"Um, do you have anything for messed up eyes?"
Rinnosuke shakes his head. "Not to the extent I am supposing yours are, if you're wearing bandages over them."
-
>"Darn."
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>"Darn."
Rinnosuke nods. "Yeah, such things aren't easy to come across".
-
>"Don't suppose you'd have any leads?"
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>"Don't suppose you'd have any leads?"
"If you need a quick fix... Well, No, not really. No ones really as good as the old doctor. I don't know if they'd be able to do much. As for divine intervention... well, something has apparently gone on at the Hakurei Shrine since I was out, and there is that one rumor..."
-
>"That one rumor? Is it something other than the Shrine?"
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>"That one rumor? Is it something other than the Shrine?"
Rinnosuke nods. "Yes, Every now and then I keep hearing about some Empress Goddess or whatever."
-
>"Huh. What've you heard about her?"
-
>"Huh. What've you heard about her?"
"Not much. just that she lives in a lake she made herself or somewhat and controls a horde of amphibious Youkai, also some Kappa that left the mountain. Pretty sure its a hoax though."
-
>"Why's that?"
-
>"Why's that?"
"It's mostly a hunch really- But faith-based beings rarely appear out of nowhere. It's possible but I don't think it's happened, there'd be more taking note than such a small group as amphibious Youkai- It's more likely someone has gotten a bit high on power leading Youkai.
That said though, for such a small group, very few seem to think it prudent to try and attack the Aquatic Youkai, whoever this 'goddess' is, they're strong."
-
>"Where's she at, anyways? Has she been causing trouble or something?"
-
>"Where's she at, anyways? Has she been causing trouble or something?"
Rinnosuke shakes his head, "Not really, I don't know exactly where she made her lake, you'd have to search or ask someone, sorry."
-
>"Well, who'd you hear about it from?"
-
>"Well, who'd you hear about it from?"
Rinnosuke shrugged. "Few sources, a few of the amphibious youkai that stopped by the shop, Also a few grumbling Best Youkai- Some of them got in over there heads trying to lead small raiding parties of people who didn't consider them worth avoiding."
-
>"I'm surprised those raiders didn't say where they went. Did they at least hint where she isn't?"
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>"I'm surprised those raiders didn't say where they went. Did they at least hint where she isn't?"
"I didn't ask. People are chatty, but they don't tell me everything on their own... Yeah, It's away from the youkai mountain though, that particular group lives pretty close to the mountain and they complained about the walk."
-
>"Huh. Maybe I'll look into it. Hey, where were you, anyways?"
-
>"Huh. Maybe I'll look into it. Hey, where were you, anyways?"
"Nowhere. I think you've actually been there, I heard you were around with one of the boxes from there."
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>"What were you doing poking around there? It's dangerous!"
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>"What were you doing poking around there? It's dangerous!"
"How to put it... It's my domain, if you will. I'm safer than anyone else around there. And it's where I get most of my stuck from, after all."
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>"You say that now, but you don't know what's there! You'll surely die if you go there too much! So don't go there anymore!"
>He may have held her off once, but there's no way he could deal with a second round!
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>"You say that now, but you don't know what's there! You'll surely die if you go there too much! So don't go there anymore!"
>He may have held her off once, but there's no way he could deal with a second round!
Rinnosuke raises a brow. "Well, If you think so. I'll take your warning to heart."
-
>"Good, thanks. It's just that nobody should be there right now. It's very bad."
>Can we think of any place away from Youkai Mountain that may match where this Empress Goddess is supposed to be?
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>"Good, thanks. It's just that nobody should be there right now. It's very bad."
>Can we think of any place away from Youkai Mountain that may match where this Empress Goddess is supposed to be?
Not entirely. Really, you think you'd notice a lake just suddenly popping up...
-
>Did Wriggle mention anything about lakes showing up, back when we were asking her about current events?
>"How long ago did you hear about this, anyways? The Goddess, I mean."
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>Did Wriggle mention anything about lakes showing up, back when we were asking her about current events?
>"How long ago did you hear about this, anyways? The Goddess, I mean."
Not really. You wonder if that means she forgot, or that it wasn't so recent...
"A few years back."
Oh.
-
>"Oh. So...nothing recent on that front at all?"
-
>"Oh. So...nothing recent on that front at all?"
Rinnosuke nods. "Nothing really recent, I think people just started leaving that route alone."
-
>Nod.
>"Um, so, what were you locking for out there?"
-
>Nod.
>"Um, so, what were you locking for out there?"
"Stuff- Actually, if you go down the path to 'nowhere' you arrive at a 'breach'.
It's literally a breach in the Hakurei barrier, but not only through that, also through most of existence. It generally serves a purpose of ejecting things that are no longer needed into a field it's around.
That's where I get a good deal of my goods."
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> "Breach huh..."
> Might be able to find some answers there.
-
> "Breach huh..."
> Might be able to find some answers there.
It is intriguing... Perhaps this is how the supposed outside intruder got his influence in?
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>"Did you always get your stuff from there? Even before...you know?"
-
>"Did you always get your stuff from there? Even before...you know?"
Rinnosuke nods. "Yeah. That breach has probably been open even before my time... I think it may just be some kind of odd natural occurrence."
-
>"It hasn't changed, has it?"
-
>"It hasn't changed, has it?"
"...well. I swear it's gotten bigger as time goes on. It's kind of worrying, actually. But measuring... I don't really have PROOF it's getting larger. It's probably just me perceiving it as larger as time goes on..."
-
>"Mmm. Maybe. I dunno. Um, you don't think anyone has come through it, do you?"
-
>"Mmm. Maybe. I dunno. Um, you don't think anyone has come through it, do you?"
Rinnosuke frowns before shaking his head. "No, I don't think so atleast... Though I don't know if I'd see any difference if they did."
-
>"No weird footprints or anything, then?"
-
>"No weird footprints or anything, then?"
Rinnosuke nods. "Certainly none of seen, nope. And since I'm looking for stuff on the ground most of the time..."
-
> "Huh. Nothing different regarding the surrounding area either?"
> Not really a lot to work with if someone DID come through.
-
> "Huh. Nothing different regarding the surrounding area either?"
> Not really a lot to work with if someone DID come through.
Rinnosuke shakes his head. "Nothing really seemed different. Only difference I noticed was someone opened the empty boxes coming back. I'm going to hazard a guess that was you."
That's true. You wouldn't know what they looked like or anything...
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> Did we, in fact, open those boxes?
-
> Did we, in fact, open those boxes?
You did. Earlier today.
They had nothing in them. God damn schrodinger boxes.
One served well as a hat though!
-
> "Yeah it was me. One of 'em made a nice hat for a bit though."
> Grin.
-
> "Yeah it was me. One of 'em made a nice hat for a bit though."
> Grin.
Rinnosuke chuckles. "I suppose it would make do in a pinch."
-
>Wait, step back. What's going on right now?
-
>Wait, step back. What's going on right now?
You idly step back for some reason.
At the moment, you are talking with Rinnosuke Morichika, owner of Kourindou and discussing a mysterious tear that apparently exists near the edge of Gensokyo. It's also near the cave Yukari Yakumo and yourself occupy when Yukari isn't napping like she currently is. She doesn't nap very often by the way.
On a grander scale, you are currently taking advantage of the time you have while Yukari Yakumo does not need to be occupied, less she get to work on killing people again, to try and fix some of the problems that have occured during her last rampage. You have already fixed the problem of the lack of a Hakurei Shrine Maiden, who you've left in capable hands, and while it is out of your hands to say she will once again lead in installing the spell card system and returning 'peace', you believe you've left her capable allies to push that to happen.
There is however, a greater problem you are currently dealing with. That is, a mysterious 'curse', that might not even be a proper curse, that seems to be working to cause havoc and destruction around Gensokyo. At that, you've found small 'leads' that the incident that ravaged Gensokyo long ago might have been the cause of another, and not simply the work of Yukari Yakumo like you believe.