MarisaStory: A Certain Magical Internet

[E-Nazrin]

>Did the Kusunagi have any special properties that we were aware of? When did we lose it? And where did we originally... acquire it, anyway?
>Going east at the previous intersection isn't likely to bypass this guy, is it? He's on the move anyway... we shouldn't waste too much time.

[Third Eye Lem]

>Did the Kusunagi have any special properties that we were aware of? When did we lose it? And where did we originally... acquire it, anyway?

> From what Rinnosuke could tell you, it was used to conjure up winds by its original owner. However, he didn't know much else besides the fact that "it makes a great watermelon slicer!"
> As for how you got it...You're not entirely sure. You've been saving up scrap metal to eventually turn into gold once you figure out how to steal Patchy's Philosopher's Stone. After months of keeping the scrap heap around, Alice said you should get rid of it, and wouldn't leave you alone until you did so. The Kusunagi was amongst the scraps, so as far as you know, some careless swordsman threw it away without realizing what it was.
> ...Now you wonder how this Samurai managed to reconstruct the Kusunagi. Rinnosuke used a part of the sword to repair your Mini-Hekkero a long time ago, so he may have since scrapped it instead of trying to repair it, unless...Gah, you don't have time to think about this!

>Going east at the previous intersection isn't likely to bypass this guy, is it? He's on the move anyway... we shouldn't waste too much time.

> You have no idea what the Samurai's thinking, or even if they noticed you, but for now you're pretty much out of sight, out of mind. For now you should focus on getting to the room where Alice is being held.

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>Guess we don't really need a SORD... right now...
>Do we have an easy way to set up a small alert if he/someone tries to follow us if we go north to try and bypass the samurai?
>Head north and set that up once we're out of sight if kusunagi kid doesn't challenge us. Hopefully we can get around him without it becoming a chase or something.

[Third Eye Lem]

>Guess we don't really need a SORD... right now...

> Psh, who needs swords?! It's not like it's part of a vital quest or something.

>Do we have an easy way to set up a small alert if he/someone tries to follow us if we go north to try and bypass the samurai?

> Yes, it's called "listening."
> On a less sarcastic note, you could have Mokou or Maple act as lookout as you try to escape.

>Head north and set that up once we're out of sight if kusunagi kid doesn't challenge us. Hopefully we can get around him without it becoming a chase or something.

> You beckon Mokou to guard duty, seeing as she's immortal and all. You quickly run to the NORTH hall, Mokou following you soon after. You raise an eyebrow, wondering if you've been spotted; Mokou replies with a thumb's up. You're safe for now.
> So far you're near the NW corner, what now?

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>Enough sidestepping, head east to reach our main goal down here. Watch out for any southern corridors the samurai might wander through... or any other threats now that we're so deep into this mess.

[Third Eye Lem]

>Enough sidestepping, head east to reach our main goal down here. Watch out for any southern corridors the samurai might wander through... or any other threats now that we're so deep into this mess.

> EAST it is. Maple and Mokou act as lookout and decoy respectively, but the Samurai doesn't notice you. Or maybe they have noticed you and they're just waiting for an opportunity to cut you in half. Gotta love that paranoia.

> You see a door in the SW corner of the room you suspect Alice is being held in. Unfortunately, it's got one of those key card locks on the handle. How will you open it?

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>How durable is it, and how durable is the wall next to it?
>What about the hinges, or however else the door's supposed to open?

[Third Eye Lem]

>How durable is it, and how durable is the wall next to it?
>What about the hinges, or however else the door's supposed to open?

> It's your typical military-grade heavy metal door. The walls of the lower basement's rooms are made of concrete and steel. Your best bet for breaking open this door is slicing through the hinges and knocking it over.

[E-Nazrin]

>No real way to see through it or knock and realistically expect to hear a response, right?
>For shits and giggles, scan a blank spellcard.

[Third Eye Lem]

>No real way to see through it or knock and realistically expect to hear a response, right?

> You're not even sure if anyone's in there. There is a window in the door, but it's closed by a metal shutter.

>For shits and giggles, scan a blank spellcard.

> You take out a blank card and swipe it through the key card reader. Nothing happens, not even an error beep. If only you could use this as some sort of fake key card...

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>There's no reason to believe we could guess at the spellcardy password for this, right Mokou?
>Get to work on the hinges. Try not to get crushed.

[Third Eye Lem]

>There's no reason to believe we could guess at the spellcardy password for this, right Mokou?

> Mokou just shakes her head. Given the lack of time you have, trying to crack the code wouldn't be worth it.

>Get to work on the hinges. Try not to get crushed.

> You and Mokou start cutting apart the hinge. Even the best Lunarian metals can't withstand intense, concentrated heat rays.
> Maple keeps watch, though she doesn't stay calm for long--you can hear those footprints again, and the humming of that Samurai's voice...Is...Is it humming "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow?" Are they trying to mock us?
> The footsteps are getting louder. The door's almost open. However, you aren't sure if you'll all be able to get in before the Samurai catches you.
> Mokou, seemingly aware of this, engraves a simple message into the floor with her finger...

Code: [Select]

I'll hold them off.
> Maple opens her mouth to object, but stops herself and nods. After all, if anyone's gonna sacrifice themselves to an elite warrior, it might as be one that's immortal, right?
> The door tips forward as the last hinge finally comes undone. Mokou catches it, and Maple slips in, followed by yourself (while secretly thanking Medicine for having a small stature).

> Why thank you, dear. I'm flattered!

> You tumble to the floor, confused. Was that Mini-Medi's voice you heard in your head just now? You lift up your hat to check on your chibi charge. Poor thing is fast asleep. Must have been tired out from all the excitement.
> *CLUNK*
> You turn around to see the door slammed back into place, and a faint sizzling noise...Is Mokou welding the door back into place?!
> "M-M-Marisa-chan...Wh-What're all these?"
> You turn to the interior of the room, now. In front of you lay rows upon rows of towering capsules, each containing some random poor soul (most of them are inaba) who seems to be suck in a catatonic state while suspended in a sea-green liquid. Each capsule has a control panel connected to each one, perhaps to monitor their vital signs. Before you have a chance to investigate further, a voice distracts you.
> "Rikako, you don't need to slam the door every time you enter. It's bad for your stress and and the door frame.
> You recognize that voice...It's older, yes, but there's no mistaking it...A familiar red-headed individual crosses your vision as you try to pinpoint the source of the voice.
> "So what's the deal with--" YUMEMI OKAZAKI looks up at you as she speaks, before gasping and almost tripping over as she stumbles away from you. "M-Marisa?! The heck are you doing here?!"

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>Well, fuck. Hopefully Mokou's sealing it so sordbutt can't pursue... right?
>How much did we see of that exchange with Rika...?
>"I could ask the same, ze. What's up with the rabbits?"
>Stay ready for a brawl.
>Inventory.

[Third Eye Lem]

>Well, fuck. Hopefully Mokou's sealing it so sordbutt can't pursue... right?

> That seems to be the case. Sadly, you are not a mind-reader, but considering she's immortal and you aren't, it's not hard to draw the conclusion.

>How much did we see of that exchange with Rika...?

> A little. All you know is that Alice confronted Rika; the rest of the details are fuzzy. Stupid non-dream-related blackouts.

>"I could ask the same, ze. What's up with the rabbits?"
>Stay ready for a brawl.
>Inventory.

> "I just...it's not what you think! I was forced to do this!" Yumemi blurts out while cringing. You ask her what the heck she was forced to do, but the good professor's a little too fearful of you to answer right now. You'll have to be delicate about this...Or you can just clobber her with your staff until she talks either way works.
> Since you have a moment, you decide to do a quick inventory check... (E) indicates an equipped item.

• ONE (1) Classic Purple Witch Dress (E) -- A dress you used to wear in the era before the Spell Card Rules were set. It's cute, but you've since grown out of it as a human, you only keep it as a keepsake. Good thing it fits Medicine's body! You'll have wash this thoroughly later to get all the poison particles out.
• ONE (1) Classic Purple Witch Hat (E) -- No matter what color it is, you'll never be without your good old witchy hat. Again, this is too small for you now, but you'll most likely never throw it away unless it gets burned or something. How do you keep your clothes in such good condition, anyways? Mini-Medicine likes sleeping under this hat.
• ONE (1) Radiant Staff (E) -- The unusual fusion of your Slightly-Used Broom, the Radiant Tablet and three spell cards (your Milky Way, Mokou's Flying Phoenix and Medicine's Deadly Mists). This device combines the power of the three spell cards used for a variety of powerful attacks (see your current set-up here). Permanently bound to your soul. If you were to change bodies, this item would follow you.
• ONE (1) Deck Of Spell Cards -- Your standby deck of spell cards, which use your Magic Missile/Magic Napalm attacks (and a few random spells you thought up when you had some downtime based on your comrades' abilities). Always reliable!
• ONE (1) Spirit Card: Unmoving Earth -- A gift given to you from Maple not too long ago. While this looks like the spell cards your accustomed to, its markings and energy are way different. You can't seem to use it like a typical spell card at the moment (IE, as an attack or magic spell), so you're not entirely sure what to do with it. It seems to resonate with the Radiant Staff, though...
• ONE (1) Mini Medicine Doll (E) -- Medicine's eternal companion and wiseacre. She takes on the mannerisms and speech of whomever's soul is inhabiting her body at the time. Currently, she's dormant. Permanently bound to you.
• ONE (1) Medicine's Garments -- Medicine's outfit. Why you're still carrying this around, you have no idea. It smells strongly of Suzuran.
• ONE (1) Mummified Sunhat -- An eerie hat you found after waking up from a sleep-induced flashback. It's cold to the touch and sends chills down your spine. You're 90% sure it's cursed or something, but for whatever reason you can't drop or otherwise get rid of this item now.
• ONE (1) Pocket Diary -- Exactly what it says on the tin; you've been keeping track of this INCIDENT since you started playing GUILDIES! today, and you have no intention of stopping now. Just don't let Aya get her claws on this.
• ONE (1) Quest Log -- It's a huge log that has a lot of words carved into it. You're not sure why you have this, but it seems to keep track of your accomplishments and current events. Is this what people used before Twitter came along? Permanently bound to your mind. It ain't goin' anywhere.

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>How have our experiences with Yumemi been in the past?
>Clobber her with the Quest Log

[Third Eye Lem]

>Clobber her with the Quest Log

> The sheer mass of the Quest Log crushes Yumemi to death. BAD END due to DESTINY PARADOX.

>How have our experiences with Yumemi been in the past?

> You were a bit skeptical at first, to be frank. However, you wanted to study her tactics and see if her claims of science and magic were true, so you participated in her Dim.Dream "tournament" to confirm this. While Yumemi was far from any sort of goddess, she was nice enough to construct the sentient, self-reconstructing warhead Mimi-chan for you (and Ruukuto for Reimu). You haven't seen Yumemi since then, though you do converse via snail mail/email sometimes; your relationship was pretty neutral until this point. Now, you're not sure if you should feel pity or anger for someone as respected* as Miss Strawberry Crisis.

_{* Depends on who you ask.}

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>Well, if she's been amicable enough in the past... let's try playing nice first.
>"I ain't looking to fight ya, ze. I just want to find Alice and Medicine and clean up this mess. Care ta point me in the right direction?"
>Where would Alice and the Hakkero be from here, now that we're probably closer?

[Third Eye Lem]

Yes, I've been busy as of late, forgive me.

>Well, if she's been amicable enough in the past... let's try playing nice first.
>"I ain't looking to fight ya, ze. I just want to find Alice and Medicine and clean up this mess. Care ta point me in the right direction?"

> Yumemi nods and does just that, pointing in the direction of the tubes. You ask her what the heck she means when you hear Maple speak up.
> "Uhhh, Mari...Over here," Maple says in a tone of horrifying discovery. You go over to her and find a rather (subjectively) disturbing sight...Both Alice and Medicine are in these tubes as well (fully clothed of course), and appear to be in a state of suspended animation. You ask Yumemi what the hell they're doing in those tubes...Politely, of course.
> "...Everyone here is a test subject for a matter-to-data experiment," Yumemi explains in a shaky tone. "We're trying to find a way to access the digital plane."

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>"With Guildies or otherwise, ze? I'm guessin' that's why people keep going comatose..."
>Glare at Medicine's stolen body. So close, and yet so far...
>Wouldn't be surprising if this had something to do with our weird-ass dreams and memory blips, too...

[Third Eye Lem]

>"With Guildies or otherwise, ze? I'm guessin' that's why people keep going comatose..."

> Yumeko perks up at that. "Oh, that computer game everybunny here is playing?" Her expression softens into a sad look on her face as she sighs. "I should have realized that sooner, but...I guess that's why I got roped into this, to keep me quiet. And now I'm tending to this test tube garden..."

>Wouldn't be surprising if this had something to do with our weird-ass dreams and memory blips, too...

> Before the professor sinks into an emo-fueled rant, you tell her about the dreams and memory problems you've been having as of late.
> "Really now?" Yumeko says with a raised eyebrow. "How curious...I wonder how that would have come about? So many theories, but...You know me, I don't like charging forth without a straight answer."

>Glare at Medicine's stolen body. So close, and yet so far...

> "I would love to study this more," Yumeko says as you look at Medicine's body. "But I'm guessing you just want your body back at this point...Or would you rather have your friend Alice first?"

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>"Think I'd rather make sure Alice is alright first, ze. 'specially since this doesn't seem like a good time to pummel Medicine, if ya even have a way to switch me back right now."
>"... has this matter-to-data stuff been harming the physical bodies any, ze?"

[Third Eye Lem]

>"Think I'd rather make sure Alice is alright first, ze. 'specially since this doesn't seem like a good time to pummel Medicine, if ya even have a way to switch me back right now."

> Yumeko nods. "Fair enough. I'll get to releasing her..."
> *WHAM.* You hear a thud against one of the doors.
> "...It seems our resident mercenary is having a field day outside. Lovely..." Yumeko quips before attempting to release Alice from her pipe prison.

>"... has this matter-to-data stuff been harming the physical bodies any, ze?"

> Yumeko shakes her head. "Aside from potential atrophy if a subject is left in the digital space too long, there haven't been any potential side effects...That have been documented, at least."

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>"The samurai, I'm guessin'? Anything I should know about 'em if we need to back up Mokou, ze?"
>Let's not alarm Alice on release.

[Third Eye Lem]

>"The samurai, I'm guessin'? Anything I should know about 'em if we need to back up Mokou, ze?"

> "Other than the fact she's an unstoppable powerhouse? No, not really," Yumemi quips as she undoes the final lock on Alice's containment.

>Let's not alarm Alice on release.

> Funny you should use that word, because an alarm is exactly what goes off the instant Yumemi hits the enter key.

Code: [Select]

UNAUTHORIZED TAMPERING DETECTED. COMMENCING EMERGENCY CONSCIOUSNESS UPLOAD PROCESS.
> "DAMN YOU, RIKA!" Yumemi shouts as she looks up at Alice's tube, which is glowing. "She put in a safety measure just in case...Poor Alice is about to be uploaded to the digital space!"
> "C-Can't we just...Unplug it, or something?" Maple asks.
> "That won't work, the pods each have their own power supply...However," Yumemi muses as a countdown appears on the console of Alice's tube. "If we can force an emergency shutdown, that'll stop the process immediately." She then turns to you and Maple. "Anything you have that can gum up the works of this thing?"

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>Damnit, every time!
>"Gum up like blow up, ze, or mud or poison or what?"
>Or maybe just a stick... how indestructible is our Radiant Staff?
>Does rockfairy have any bright ideas?

[Third Eye Lem]

>"Gum up like blow up, ze, or mud or poison or what?"

> "Anything! Spray some fairy dust into it or something if you have to!" Yumemi blurts out, panicking.

>Does rockfairy have any bright ideas?

> She might, but right now, Maple perks up to respond to the professor: "E-Excuse me, fairy dust isn't that easy to make...Mari, maybe you can focus your poison dust into the machine, it has an air vent in there somewhere, doesn't it?"
> Yumemi perks up at that. "The air vents...That might work, but we have to work fast," she says as she looks at the control panel, reading 45 seconds and counting.

>Or maybe just a stick... how indestructible is our Radiant Staff?

> You're not sure. It's pretty hefty, but you haven't actually taken the time to see how much pressure it can take. Not that you'd want to right now, but it's something to keep in mind.

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>"I don't wanna poison Alice if that's all she'll be able to breathe, ze! Maple, please!"
>Give her two seconds. If she doesn't get on the jamming with something less dangerous, try and gum it up with whatever syrupy-but-mostly-harmless gunk we can. Would cough syrup count?

[Third Eye Lem]

>"I don't wanna poison Alice if that's all she'll be able to breathe, ze! Maple, please!"
>Give her two seconds. If she doesn't get on the jamming with something less dangerous, try and gum it up with whatever syrupy-but-mostly-harmless gunk we can. Would cough syrup count?

> Cough syrup? Probably not. As far as you know, it's not exactly poisonous...At least in regular doses. Still, you run this idea by Maple, but she shakes her head. "It's probably out of your expertise. We need something else..." Maple thinks for a moment before she gasps and says, "MUD!"
> "Excuse me?" Yumemi asks.
> "Just trust me on this! Stand back, you two!" Maple flies down to the vent at the base of the tube, and sends a stream of mud into the machine with her earth magic. "This should be thick enough to stop the machine, but dense enough to not cause Alice harm!"
> "Brilliant!" Yumemi cheers. "I hope it works..."
> The mud goes in just as the timer ticks to 30 seconds. You watch as the timer continues to tick down, and the machine reacts to Maple's tampering by flashing warning screen after warning screen. Eventually...

Code: [Select]

CONSCIOUSNESS UPLOAD FAILED. REASON: GRIEVOUS MECHANICAL ERROR (COOLING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION)
SCANNING NOW FOR MENTAL INTEGRITY OF SUBJECT...
10%...30%..50%...70%...90%...
SCAN COMPLETE. NO ANOMALIES DETECTED. PLEASE REMOVE SUBJECT FROM VESSEL AND CONTACT MAINTENANCE IMMEDIATELY.
ENTERING STANDBY MODE...

> At this point, the tube powers down, and Alice's body returns to its normal state of suspended animation. You can't help but cheer a little at this, your friend is safe for now. Yumemi immediately proceeds to carefully drain the tube of fluid and remove Alice's body.
> "Come now, wake up dear," Yumemi says gently as she pats Alice's face. It takes a while, but the demon/mage begins to come to after a few coughs and gasps.
> "W-What...? Urgh, did I drown or something...?" Alice moans as she opens her eyes, laying them upon you and Maple. "Mari...? What's going on?"

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>Restrain sigh of relief at that working. Good fairy.
>"I saved your butt at Eientei again, ze~ Though we probably got some more problems to take care of before getting back at Medicine."
>Point out the doll and start explaining the situation. We're probably going to have a samurai to deal with shortly.
>Give Alice a chance to mention anything she managed to find out before whatever the hell happened.

[Third Eye Lem]

>Restrain sigh of relief at that working. Good fairy.

> Maple sees the relief on your face and smiles a bit.

>"I saved your butt at Eientei again, ze~ Though we probably got some more problems to take care of before getting back at Medicine."

> "...I can see that," Alice says, taking a look around. "Who's this?" she adds, looking at Yumemi perplexedly.

>Point out the doll and start explaining the situation. We're probably going to have a samurai to deal with shortly.
>Give Alice a chance to mention anything she managed to find out before whatever the hell happened.

> Which doll--oh right, the one on your head. You tell Alice what happened since you left the house.
> "I should have known better...Sorry," Alice says, hanging her head. You say it's no biggie, we'll have her free shortly...Right, professor?
> Yumemi sweatdrops. "That's gonna take some time...Whenever an emergency shutdown like this occurs, the rest of the tubes enter stasis as well to keep the subjects intact. I'll have to reboot the system to get Medicine free...But on the plus side, when I do reboot the system, it'll give me a chance to bypass Rikako's security measures."
> "...Speaking of her," Alice asks as you help her to her feet, "Why on earth is she doing this in the first place? And why are you helping her?"
> "I was forced to," Yumemi replies, her voice wavering a bit. "Rika kidnapped poor Chiyuri-chan and said she'd kill her if I didn't help...I hope she's still alive, I can't stand the thought of...!"
> "Ma'am, please!" Alice does her best to keep the professor from breaking down, but it doesn't help that much. "Who is this Chiyuri anyways?"
> You explain on Yumemi's behalf that Chiyuri is one of Yumemi's students, and their purpose for visiting Gensokyo all those years ago.
> "So that's where you got that talking missile...Eheh, well then," Alice turns back to Yumemi, whom is still sobbing. Alice offers the professor a (somehow still dry) hankerchief to dry her tears. "Listen...If she's the one responsible for this incident we're investigating, we're going to have to stop her...But we can't do that unless you help us."
> Yumemi sniffs, looking at you and Alice. "I don't know...Can you?"

> _