The Elements Of Gensokyo - Act One: Borderful Infestation Parasite

[Sampson]

Gale opened his mouth in protest to Kanako's claim, but closed it when he realized she was probably right.  I doubt her explanation would make the slightest amount of sense, anyway.  Science doesn't seem to exist here.  Although Utsuho did have the nuclear power symbol on her eye-thing.  Did she say anything about...

"I heard Utsuho say something about Kappa," said Gale.  "So I imagine they're related to her nuclear power in some way.  What can you tell me about them?"

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

(We're just waiting at the place where your group will indefinitely pass through, because Nanaya knows you're coming.)

[GuyYouMetOnline]

"They have been working on the reactor," Kanako said. "Voluntarily, I might add. After all, they are Gensokyo's top scientists. Although the outside world would still probably call a lot of their stuff 'magic', and there is most certainly a good amount of it that simply wouldn't work in the outside world. But let us save the conversation for later. There would seem to be people ahead of us, and they look very much as though they're waiting for something."

"They can't have known we'd be coming along this exact path," Aesera said, "but yes, I certainly agree with being cautious. I do think we should approach, though."

And so they did. And as they closed in, Aesera called out to them. "Well, hello there."

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

"Yo. Knew you would get here, although it took you longer then expected." Nanaya stepped forward, before hugging Kanako. "Good'ta see you, Kanako. Hope you and Byakuren have resolved your faith-issues. I don't want to see the two of you fight." Nanaya stepped back. Orin's confused, she had never seen them before, well, it's obvious, Nanaya went went underground before, but she knew Utsuho and Koishi due to their misadventures in the surface. Which included burning the Myouren Temple's kitchen a month back.

"Name's Nanaya. This here is Newan and Nazrin. Many Ns, I know." Nanaya slumps back on the tree as Newan and Nazrin exchange greetings with the rest of the newcomers. Kanako stands next to Nanaya. "I heard Rumia and Mima are training now. They've come to the shrine once before, and blew up some of the lake. Doesn't really matter, though, since Suwako fixed it." Kanako sighs. "I heard that they're following you too. Is that true?"

Nanaya nods. "They're off somewhere, but I'm sure they will reach back quickly. Or, go to Hakurei Shrine first. Iunno."

[Aya Squawkermaru]

Newan turned to Nanaya, "So, is there anyone else we're waiting for?"

He sighed, and stared at the ground. So many people... I've socialized more today than I ever did throughout all of college. This is getting tiring.

Then he noticed that Nazrin was cowering behind him. "Eh?"

"C-cat..." she whispered, trembling. "She's a cat..."

Oh, yeah. Nazrin's a mouse. Introducing herself to a cat must have been painful.

(OOC edit: Right, so YJ has given me temporary control over Nanaya for a bit, as she said she won't be able to post as much for a bit. She just told me to have us set off for the Hakurei shrine, but XinXin and Crow Cakes aren't with the group yet. So, I'm going to wait for the two of you to catch up to us before we leave.)

[Sampson]

Gale stared at the new arrivals.  Another human, it seemed.  And some sort of mouse who seemed rather afraid of Orin.  [/i]Cute.  Mice are still afraid of cats in this world.[/i]

Orin stared blankly at the mouse-girl.  "Uh...hello?  I'm Orin.  I work underground to haul...ahem, fuel for the Nuclear Furnace."  She went over to Gale and dragged him toward the rest of the group.  "And this here is Gale.  He came from some other world, like Aesera over there.  He and I did some light linking thingy and now we're traveling to see Reimu."

Orin squeezed Gale's arm.  Clearly, she wanted him to say something.

Sighing, he said, "Hello.  As Orin said, I'm Gale.  She also said everything that I could really say by now."

His thoughts returned to the kappa.  So...they're scientists?  But apparently they're "magical scientists."  Obviously.

[Aya Squawkermaru]

Nazrin squeaked as Orin got closer to the pair, but Newan's eyes lit up. "We did a weird link thing, too. Anyway, more importantly, a Nuclear Furnace? Back in the outside world, we use Nuclear power for energy, but I've never heard of it being used for heat. Hmm, what element do you use? Wait, no, that's silly, you probably just use magic here. Unless the kappa had something to do with it... Maybe I could try powering the electrolysis device with that? Oh, sorry, I guess I'm rambling."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

Another one. There's definitely something significant here. "I'm Aesera," Aesera said, "and I have three questions. First, one for you, Nanaya: how did you know we'd be passing by here, and why are you waiting here for us? And the second one is for both you and Kanako: how do you two know each other?"

[Aya Squawkermaru]

(OOC: Darnit Guy

She didn't tell me how they met :ohdear:)

"Someone told me you'd come by, and I need to take you to the shrine," Nanaya answered, without missing a beat. "As for the last one, it's not really important right now."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

"Maybe not," Aesera said, "but maybe it is. I do think there are more important concerns, though, so here's a big one: the linking event that Newan described also happened with me and Kanako, and with Gale and Orin, too. Do you know of anyone else who has experienced such an event?"

[Aya Squawkermaru]

"Byakuren and I went through the same thing. She's heading to Makai with Shinki right now. For now, though, we have no way of knowing how many people were affected. But, apparently there should be more people with us now, so I guess when there shouldn't be that'll be everybody."

[CrowCakes]

(OOC: Hold on, where's everyone right now?)

"Weeeeeell, we'd join you, but..." Mystia hesitated in saying the next line, because of all the business she'd miss.

"But?" Vante questioned, "Geez, you're just like the businessmen from where I come from. Always worrying about the money.

"Oh, nevermind," Mystia said resignedly, "Fine, we're coming with you. Just give me time to close up and keep the stall, and we can get going."

After Alyssa asked her question, the night sparrow took a lamprey out of a bucket, wiggling it for good measure. "This," she explained, "is a lamprey. Kinda like an eel, but, uh, different. I don't know the specifics." Mystia put it back, and began packing the cooking equipment back into the cabinets in the stall.

"Oh! Speaking of which, where do you come from?" Vante asked Alyssa.

[XinXin]

"Alright then. We'll wait for her to pack up and then we'll set off for the Hakurei Shrine." Alice decided, Shanghai bouncing up as if responding to Alice's emotions. Alyssa stared at the lamprey with a certain amount of disgust. Gensokyo's cuisine must have been sourced from stories of China or something. It looked awful, despite its taste and smell. Vante's question broke her train of thought, and she paused for a bit when he asked it. She realised, to her relief, that he only asked for where she came from, not for more. Her aristocratic position was something she did not want to divulge unless necessary.

"I'm from England, London." Alyssa replied, with a refined edge to the way she spoke. "And you?"

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

(Around the lower part of Youkai Mountain, a few minutes trek in the forest behind the human village. If you guise meet up with us, I may or may not just skip to the part where we're all at Hakurei Shrine.)

[CrowCakes]

"Philippines, although I moved to Japan a year ago," Vante answered.

Mystia grabbed the handles of the cart and bolted in the direction of the marketplace. By the entrance, she parked her mobile stall, covering it with a large white cloth. When she got back, she was surprisingly not tired. Vante dismissed it as hyperactiveness.

"Okay, I'm done," Mystia stretched her arms and shook her wings. "Lead the way, magician."

Vante nearly expressed his confusion with a "What" and berated himself mentally. You're in a land where fantasy exists. Of course there are magicians, you idiot!

[Sampson]

Gale stared at the new arrivals as they chatted with Aesera.  Hm...a scientist...I wonder if he thinks this is all a dream, too...

He was content, for the time being, to simply watch them talk, and listen to their conversation.

[XinXin]

"I shall, then..." Alice stated, standing up from her seat. Marisa and Alyssa followed suit, as Shanghai and Hourai took their places alongside Alice yet again. Marisa sighed in boredom, stretching and wondering what Alice had to do with Mystia. Alyssa, on the other hand, was collecting herself as she was gradually exposed to this new world. It was a change of pace, and the world was mystical as the books she had read. Her face kept a calm look; she kept to herself as she examined the world around her.

The forests around were much like the ones before, nothing new. The group trudged along, on their way to the Hakurei Shrine to find answers, except for Marisa who was just finding things to pass time on.

OOC: If you don't have anything else to do, you can just skip to Youkai Mountain in your next post Crow!

[Orphea.Russ]

"Would you prefer I call you 'girl' or 'person'?"
"Ahah. Very funny. I would prefer if you call me Rhiseza, as is my name."
"I suppose I can do that. Anything -else-?"
"Yeah. Where are we going?"
"To the surface, of course."
"Right..."
Silence fell, as Rhiseza knew not what to say or ask.
Guess I should just hope this goes smoothly.
Not that it will, now that I've said that.

[Sonae]

Overcome with shock and fear, Ranna just stared forward, eyes wide and body shaking. Within a moment she realized the traumatic vision had come to an end. She sighed in relief between a breathe and tried to relax herself by convinicng her mind that she was just dreaming. She sat up and glanced around at her surroundings.
"They all look the same....", Ranna said in her head. She began to feel a panic inside her soul, and began to try rationalize the Situation.
"Okay, so I just stopped to gaze at the waterfall, and i fell off a cliff.", Ranna paused "......Nah there's no way..."
"After that, I was....swallowed by giant squids that live below the earth's surface." Ranna stopped and thought about what she had said. "....That's too farfecthed...."
Ranna sighed, "Then everything thing faded to black...."  She paused and looked up towards the sky for a moment, then continued.
"And now...." She said as she looked around making sure nothing was close by. "Here I am..." She finished.
Ranna rose to her feet and sighed heavily. "But where exactly is here..."
Just as Ranna was about to let out another deep sigh, a rustling sound came from the bushes behind her.
Ranna instantly froze, waiting for the creature to make another move. With lt's second movement came a low hissing noise. Ranna felt her heart begin to race. She knew she had only one option, so she took it and run. She ran and rana and ran, never once looking back at the path she has taken.

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

(Current Gensokyo Time: 4:59pm. Current World Time According to Maribel and Renko: 6:59pm.


---Rhiseza's Scenario

Youmu leads you down a long flight of stairs, slowly descending, you notice all the white-blobs all around the area. It's cold too, but not cold enough to make you start shivering. Eventually, after about five minutes of walking, you finally reach the bottom of the stairs. Youmu grabs hold of your arm, for apparently, no reason. Her emotionless face doesn't tell you why too. She mumbles. "Prepare yourself."

All of a sudden, you feel gravity reverse, as if you were in space, and- Your train of thought is disrupted as you feel a blunt pain on your head. What's this? You're upside down. Youmu too, but she jumps and spins you around. Now you're on flat ground in the middle of the sky? You're standing among the clouds. Youmu grabs your arm tighter and throws you into the air. You open your mouth the scream, but no sound comes out from it.

You fall. Down. The clouds swiftly race past you, as Youmu leads the way, you see the green ground approaching closer, closer... Closer...

Bang! You hear. You're surposed to die, right? Right!? You open your eyes, to see yourself being held up from the ground by Youmu. She gently lets you on your feet again.

"The surface. Youkai Mountain to be exact. We're around the middle of it. Come, let us make haste." With that, Youmu starts walking.



---Ranna's Scenario
(LOW HISSING NOISE AND RUSTLING? IT HAS TO BE... TEWI!)

As you run and run, the wind blows on your face, making you shiver, even though it's not even evening, around 4, you think. Your constant running wears down your body, your spirit, your mentality. There's something approaching you. You can just feel it. Something dark and mysterious. Something not to be triffled with. You let loose a scream, and start running even faster, for your life. With adrenaline pulsing through your veins, your stamina still up high in the skies, you run like hell. But, it doesn't take long for you to colapse onto the soft, fuzzy grass bellow you. Your eyes close. Your strength drained out of you.

The last thing you see is a bright beam of light, and wings. Fire. It's hot.

"H-Hey! Ya' Okie' Ther' man?" You hear, before your slip into unconsciousness. After an hour, you wake to find yourself in a room of a house. Where are you?(The same room where CrowCakes/Vante once was)

[Orphea.Russ]

She hurries after Youmu after taking a moment to get her bearings again.
"Would you tell me what exactly that was, please? And what's Youkai Mountain? For that matter, where are we even going?"

(... I'm expecting to be told to shut up any time now, ehe. >>)

[CrowCakes]

(OOC: XinXin, is it okay for you to be the one to write the next part instead? I can't think of what to write anymore besides this.

BTW, Sonae, there's my a bamboo stick in the room you're in. You can take it and use it as a weapon.)

Before Mystia could take off, Vante came up from behind her and grasped her right shoulder tightly. "Um, Mystia, I can't, you know... fly. How big of a problem is that?" he asked.

Mystia's jaw slacked. She hadn't considered that at all. "Oh, it's big. Really big."

When Mystia refused to speak anymore, Vante suggested a way. "If I hold on to you-"

"No. Out of the question," the night sparrow immediately cut the human off. That would certainly hurt once she had finished flying for the day, with all the stress rushing in and all.

"Oh, come on! If you can drive a fully loaded cart by running and without breaking a sweat, then carrying a human shouldn't be so hard," Vante retorted, "And, besides, we're already way behind." In reality, there was no alternative to it.

Mystia carefully considered this for a while. "Fine," she said with as much calm she could muster, "but there's only one place you can grab on to, and that would be my legs." Apparently, she had done this before, with disastrous results. It was best not to them mention any further.

Vante did not object. Once the night sparrow had gotten off the ground, he clutched the limbs, but his hands' grip slipped until it anchored on her feet. Mystia barely overcame the weight on her, but was able to fly forward at a slow speed. She was obviously struggling.

"Be thankful I'm a youkai, otherwise I wouldn't be able to lift you," she reminded the human, "And, um, whatever you do, don't look up. I won't be flying so high."

Vante nodded, training his eyes on the view below. His grip began to shake. They flew forward, catching up with the other three.

[Sonae]

Ranna slowly opened her drowsy eyes, a low moan escaping through her lips. Her vision was blurred as she attempted to get to a seated position, the result was her falling back onto the futon. Her gaze reset to the ceiling. She raised her right hand, resting it on her forehead. Warm... she thought, ...but it doesn't seem like i have a fever...
As her vision cleared and sharpened, she blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the room that was only lit by the sun which shone into the room with a slightly paler light than she'd remember the sun having. She tried once more to sit up, this time, succeeding. For a moment she just looked straight ahead. She blinked then took in her surroundings.
"Where am I..." she mumbled aloud. After a moment she regained her composure and her gaze sharpened. Her dull and clueless expression vanished, being replaced with a cold and serious face. She examined the room very carefully, then her eyes widened slightly, and a slight gasp escaped her lungs.
"Where's my bag...!"
Ranna lept to her feet. A slight jolt of pain climbed up her leg and she looked down with a hint of surprise on her face. She looked down, but there was nothing there, then she caught a glimpse of a shadow on the futon where it shouldn't be. She bent down and felt where the shadow was. What...there's...something here... Ranna lifted the futon to find a rod of bamboo under it. She picked it up with her empty hand and examined it. She let go of the futon letting it flop onto the floor. Ranna stood back up, still with her gaze fixated on the pole.
"Why is something like this under the futon..." She mumbled to no one in particular. In the next moment she snapped back into the present. Ranna heard the faint sound of footsteps approaching the room. She quickly hid from view of the doorframe, and readied herself with the bamboo stick in hand. As she saw a shadow come through the opened door she held her breath. One....Two.....and...Go!
Ranna leapt out of the shadows and gracefully swung the stick towards the figure, stopping just before hitting it.

((Hope this post is okay :x and lol I planned to use the stick whether permission was given by you or not. Seeing as I was and still am going to return it to you when I reach the team. Also my character is a little more hostile and defensive than what I've seen so far from everyones characters, Which could likely be a nice edition to the team))

((Edit))

All of a sudden, you feel gravity reverse, as if you were in space, and- Your train of thought is disrupted as you feel a blunt pain on your head. What's this? You're upside down.

((I see wat you did ther...or think i do...))

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

---Rhiseza's Scenario SHORT POSTS WILL BE GIVEN SHORT ANSWERS

SHUT UP NOW GTFO

I mean uhh...

"Don't talk while we're walking. We can't afford to waste time, you know?" Youmu steadily increases her pace as you fall behind her. As you catch up, you notice a group of people gathered quite some distance bellow you. You tell this to Youmu, and all she just does is sighs.

"Let's go then." Youmu agrees to your pleas of taking you there, and you arrive near the group. You notice that there are three humans, and three-not-so-humans.




---Ranna's Scenario

"Woah woah." The white haired woman grabs the bamboo stick before you could even stop it above her head. It starts to get hot. "Ya' a enthusiastic littl' one. Iunno why, but ya' just like that other one that arrived a littl' earlier. My name's Fujiwara no Mokou. Ya' caretaka of the day." Mokou pulls down the bamboo stick from your hand. You're really confused. I mean, white hair? And it's so dayum long. Also, she has weird pieces of paper on her hair, overalls, and one as a big ribbon.

"Sit, right ere'" Mokou leads you to a wooden chair, before you nod and sit on it. Mokou stands, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "So, how'd ya' get here? And why'd you faint all of a sudden when you reached my store?" You cock your head to the side. Oh, yeah, so thats why you blacked out.

[Sonae]

Ranna is left speechless for a second. "Uh...I uh..." Ranna mumbled. She thought back to what had happened. She closed her eyes, and took a deep, relaxing breath. She opened her eyes.
"I don't know if you'll believe this...but this is what happened..." Ranna said slowly, taking another deep breath before continuing.
"I was running away. Far away. From a place I despised" Ranna said with a tinge of bitterness in her voice. " I came to an abandonned road, and something urged me to go along it. After a while of following the old road, I came across a magnificent waterfall. It captivated me...How the water sparkled in the afternoon sun, how the water sounded so pleasant, how the breeze felt so relaxing...." Ranna paused for a moment, took another breath, then continued, her voice showing slight signs of fear as she recalled the event, "...I closed my eyes...then the next thing I knew...I was falling, off the cliff and into the water below...except...it wasn't water......a mass of tentacles radiated in the darkness....pulling me ever closer...." Ranna was now shaking slightly, her complexion had turned pale. "...but I just kept falling...falling and falling and falling...Then...there was light" She took another breath to calm herself, "And the next thing I knew I was in this Bamboo grove..." Ranna stopped and looked at Mokou. "Where am I?"

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

(UHH. I'll post like tomorrow. Or something. Haha.)

[XinXin]

Alyssa looked into the distance as she rode alongside Marisa's broom. There was a cooling breeze that came as they flew, making the flight quite enjoyable. Eventually, the group could see Youkai Mountain in the distance.

"We're almost there-ze!" Marisa yelled in excitement. Perhaps she expected something interesting to happen, another one of the incients.

OOC: YJ, could you combine our groups? I don't have a clear idea of the situation at the moment, so yeah.

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

(Ok, so Basically, Rhiseza and Youmu are currently with the rest of the group. XinXin and CrowCakes will reach Youkai Mountain at the same time as I Kaguya-Timehax Ranna. After that, everyone makes a post, and I skip to the Hakurei Shrine. Where the fun really begins. Also, I don't know if I'll be posting tomorrow. I have school work, or if I choose to skip school, I'll be going to a convention with my bro.)

---Ranna's Scenario

"Uhh. So you're just like that guy from earlier. It's kay. So, anyway. Name's Mokou, as I said before, and dis' is Gensokyo." Mokou extends her hand out towards you. You shake it. "I'm guessin' that you're from da outside, then. Well, I dunno bout' them blackness, light and tentacles, but sure doesn't sound like Yukari to scare people as she drags em' ere'." Mokou pulls out a small book, and shows you what appears to be a man. "Dis' da' guy that came here earlier. He's from da outside too. Ya know him?" Mokou sighs as she gives the book to you before stuffing her hands in her pockets.

"He did somethin' great for me, and I wanna repay him, I guess." You feel something ruffle in your pocket, emitting some strange light and heat.

[Sonae]

Ranna listens to Mokou with a hint of confusion expressing itself on her face. "Gensokyo...I've never heard of any place like that before..." She pauses and thinks for a bit before asking another question, "Gensokyo is still in Japan right? It's not like I've been transported to another planet or something right?" she asks in a worried tone.
As she listens to the rest of Mokou's explaination she titls her head to the side slightly and a confused expression appears on her face. "Yukari? Who's that?" she asks.
Ranna looks at the bookm Mokou handed to her and shakes her head slowly, "No...I haven't seen anyone like that before......wait" Ranna examines the picture again. "...That stick...it's the bamboo one i found under the futon." Ranna twitches a bit, as if she's remembered something important, and looks towards Mokou, "Where's my bag? The one I was carrying with me when i got here" Just as Ranna asks Mokou about her bag she twitches again, though not as obvious as the last time. She looks around then speaks again. "Um...Mokou...If you happen to know where my bag is could you please retrieve it for me?" She asks politely. As Mokou turns her back to the girl, she quickly digs into her pocket and fishes out the note. Ranna opens it and reads it in her head.

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

The Note Reads: The Burning Phoenix dances with the Dragon. A celestial pair the two make, having forged with the will of a mortal. The fire shall guide your journey, while the Arrow of the Dragon will make the path clear.(Note that this Achievement is of Lunatic Difficulty)

You don't quite understand the what the note's saying. Actually, no, you don't understand it at all. What Phoenix? What Dragon? What Arrow? Well, judging from how in god's name you fell down into this Gensokyo, maybe Phoenixes and Dragons do exist. It all depends, as you haven't seen one yet. The note in your hand glows blue, and you drop it. As Mokou grabs your bag and comes back to you, the note wafts in the gentle wind blowing in from the open window, flying to her. Mokou silently bends down, and picks the note on the floor. Her eyes glance over the words. She extends her hand with the note, but stops, pulling it back to her as she stares at the note.

You open your mouth to question what she's doing, but before words could start flying out of your mouth, the note glows, brighter and brighter in a blue and red flame, mixing around Mokou's hands. She stares into the note, as if intoxicated by it, unable to let go, addicted by the swirling flames. You let loose a scream as the fires expand from Mokou's body towards you. Cornered at a wall, you're unable to do anything, but accept your fate. But fate, has other plans for you. The blue and red fires spin, turn, twist around you, distorting the space of the house. The floor bellow you seems to become darker, before plunging down at an incredible speed. You're floating now, moving your body violently, as the house itself seems to break into dust, and the entire bamboo grove around it seems to burst into blue and red flames.

The flames connect with Mokou, each one of their fiery tongues connected to her back, and then you see it. Wings. An eagle's wings. A phoenix. Blue and red flames burst all around you and her. Unconsciously, you walk closer to Mokou, and touch her. You feel something connect the two of you, something... merging...

Snap! Mokou drops the note, the world returns to normal. She stares at you in fear, confusion, and anger.

Your Spiritual and Chaotic Connections have been made. Fujuwara no Mokou is your chosen Touhou. The death of one would mean the death of two. (Achievement Unlocked!
The Bird of Eternity(EASY))

You hear a knocking on the door. Mokou swiftly turns and opens the door, walking out of you. You're stunned, completely silent and unmoving. Soon enough, Darkness overtakes you. You wake up surrounded by weird people you have never seen, and Mokou. Your bag's on your chest, and that bamboo rod thing is in your gripped right hand.

Welcome to Youkai Mountain. Everyone needed has arrived.


(Also, I forgot to give Orphea a Achievement, so...

Achievement Unlocked!: Ghost Busters!(EASY)

Right, so everyone, make a post, and I'll skip to Hakurei Shrine.)