Remilia Quest

[Hanzo K.]

>We should remedy that sometime, when things have cooled down. So let's peruse the spears.
>After all, nobility like ourselves is bound to have a wide variety of types to choose from. From the Ochstan(Oxtongue) Spear, to a Hunting Lance.

[Oldmansour]

>We should remedy that sometime, when things have cooled down. So let's peruse the spears.
>After all, nobility like ourselves is bound to have a wide variety of types to choose from. From the Ochstan(Oxtongue) Spear, to a Hunting Lance.

>You might think that, but the selection before you is rather limited. After all, it is but one weapons' locker, can't have everything in here.
>There are a half dozen simple short spears, a quartet of simple long spears, and a curved-bladed glaive that you would feel confidant in wielding. The glaive is a bit exotic, perhaps not something you'd want to use in a serious battle without more practice, but it's more flashy than the other options.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Battle's likely to be danmaku-based, anyways.
>Take the glaive.

[Oldmansour]

>Battle's likely to be danmaku-based, anyways.
>Take the glaive.

>Seems to be the way things go in Gensokyo.
>You heft the glaive, and feel a slight tingling sensation when your fingers fall upon it. A faintly magical tingle. You consider why this would be, and something tugs at your memory, but the details elude you.

[Hanzo K.]

>We should take it to Patchouli before we go then, she should be able to jog our memory. Or at the very least, she'll be able to remind us what it does.

[Oldmansour]

>We should take it to Patchouli before we go then, she should be able to jog our memory. Or at the very least, she'll be able to remind us what it does.

>Patchouli IS your go-to girl for magic.

[Hanzo K.]

>Well then, what are we waiting for, a formal invitation? Let's go find Patchouli again!

[Oldmansour]

>Well then, what are we waiting for, a formal invitation? Let's go find Patchouli again!

>Taking up the leather-bound clamps for the glaive so you can carry it on your back, you strap the weapon on and depart the weapon's locker, heading back towards the library.
>In the Grand Hallway, however, you find Wriggle, on her hands and knees, pressing her ear against the floor. A pair of fairy maids have joined her.

[Hanzo K.]

>Walk over with an ear out for things.
>"And just what, pray tell, are you three listening for?" Be sure to have a little of our aura visible around us as we do so, it wouldn't do to not show off while we're wearing our finest.

[Oldmansour]

>Walk over with an ear out for things.
>"And just what, pray tell, are you three listening for?" Be sure to have a little of our aura visible around us as we do so, it wouldn't do to not show off while we're wearing our finest.

>Surrounding yourself with a rather simple dark red aura, you stride over towards the gathering of listeners.
>Wriggle raises her head slightly to look at you. "I'm not sure, they're being sneaky. But I think you've got termites."
>"Termites!" the red-haired fairy echoes.
>"What's a termite?" her blonde companion asks.
>"The little nibblers that eat wood."
>"That's bad!" the blonde cries, flitting backwards away from the floor.

[Hanzo K.]

>Frown. "That is something bad. Judging from earlier events, I believe that you can do something about that though, no? After all, You utilized those ants while I was chasing down Rei earlier tonight. Which implies you have an ability related to insects, no?"

[Oldmansour]

>Frown. "That is something bad. Judging from earlier events, I believe that you can do something about that though, no? After all, You utilized those ants while I was chasing down Rei earlier tonight. Which implies you have an ability related to insects, no?"

>Wriggle nods. "Termites can be a little tricky, though. They have a sort of a hive mind, not unlike ants, but it's harder to penetrate. Probably because of the long life of the termite queen."
>"Still, I shouldn't be having this much trouble..." She presses her ear to the ground again. "They're... avoiding me. I can't quite get a grip on their minds."

[Hanzo K.]

>"...Could they be possessed? I wonder..."
>Fistpalm. "Ah, what do termites react to the worst? Heat? Cold? I believe that could be achieved with Patchouli's help."

[Oldmansour]

>"...Could they be possessed? I wonder..."
>Fistpalm. "Ah, what do termites react to the worst? Heat? Cold? I believe that could be achieved with Patchouli's help."

>"I can't say for sure, but I don't think so. If one of the Sins possessed the colony queen, I'd be able to sense the Sins' thoughts throughout the drones, and I'm not. If I didn't know better, I'd say it was because of this place. Different colonies do react a bit different to their surroundings, and I've never talked to any insects that lived in a vampire's home."
>Wriggle frowns in concern as you inquire into termites' weakness. "Let me work at this a bit longer yet. My pride would never let me live it down if I didn't get to the bottom of this."
>"No!" the blonde fairy cries, dropping from the ceiling and squarely onto your shoulders. "You should blow them all up!"

[Hanzo K.]

>.....Sigh exasperatedly. Fairies... We'll develop recurring migraines at this rate.
>Bat-a-port to a still nearby spot without the fairy. "My plan was to force them out of hiding, so that we could find out just what is going on with them."

[Oldmansour]

>.....Sigh exasperatedly. Fairies... We'll develop recurring migraines at this rate.
>Bat-a-port to a still nearby spot without the fairy. "My plan was to force them out of hiding, so that we could find out just what is going on with them."

>You keep telling yourself you'll get used to them. Maybe if you say it often enough, it'll be true...
>The blonde fairy lets out a yelp as you dissolve into your swarm form again, falling the ground with an audible thump. You resolidify a few feet away as her friend snickers.
>"Well, they're not 'hiding'... They're just not responding to me. YET." She adds with emphasis. "Besides, I'd like to pinpoint where they are exactly, first. Forcing them to surface might not do me much good if I don't know WHERE they surface."

[Hanzo K.]

>Smirk. "That's the beauty of it. With Patche's magic, we can control where they surface. Leave a single location that lacks their weaknesses, and the flood the rest of the area with it, and they'll soon take refuge there. A rather simple tactic, elementary warfare stratagems really. But I suppose pinpointing their leader would aid us in that regard then."
>Fistpalm. "Perhaps we could herd them into this very room. As there are already termites here, the others would instinctively follow to where their kin are unharmed, no?"

[Oldmansour]

>Smirk. "That's the beauty of it. With Patche's magic, we can control where they surface. Leave a single location that lacks their weaknesses, and the flood the rest of the area with it, and they'll soon take refuge there. A rather simple tactic, elementary warfare stratagems really. But I suppose pinpointing their leader would aid us in that regard then."
>Fistpalm. "Perhaps we could herd them into this very room. As there are already termites here, the others would instinctively follow to where their kin are unharmed, no?"

>"Actually, they're not HERE, they're over there, somewhere." Wriggle points towards the eastern wall.
>"Shoot there, shoot THERE!" the blondy fairy cries. "Oh, never mind, I'll do it myself!" she declares, picking herself up off the wall and discharging red globe danmaku one after another at the offending wall. The other fairy snickers again.

[Hanzo K.]

>Sigh, then walk over to the blonde fairy and apply a sharp dope slap.
>"Do refrain from doing such things. I'm already starting to get a headache as it is."
>Then look back to Wriggle. "So, the eastern wall is it?"
>What do we know to be on the other side of that wall?

[Oldmansour]

>Sigh, then walk over to the blonde fairy and apply a sharp dope slap.
>"Do refrain from doing such things. I'm already starting to get a headache as it is."
>Then look back to Wriggle. "So, the eastern wall is it?"
>What do we know to be on the other side of that wall?

>You go upside the head of the very blonde fairy, prompting a sharp yelp from the little thing as her danmaku sputters out. The wall remains undamaged, of course. One fairy's danmaku could never damage any property, let alone yours, unless she spent an hour or more at it.
>"But what about the wood nibblers?!" she cries, almost despairing. Her redhaired comrade snickers.
>Beyond that portion of the wall.... A pair of spare bedrooms, a linen closet, a janitorial station Sakuya set up (both of those being a bit overstocked at the moment, Sakuya having moved a number of supplies from the damaged west end into those rooms.) a washroom, and a small dining room, for casual entertainment of guests.
>Oh, and one of the karaoke boxes.

[Hanzo K.]

>Apply another one. "We'll get to that soon enough, now be quiet. Before I put you on Playtime Duty."
>"Well, that was where Sakuya moved most of the supplies from the west wing after it was damaged. Perhaps they got over there in that fashion. There's a small dining area, a pair of spare bedrooms, a Karaoke Box, a linen closet, and a janitorial station left by Sakuya. They could be in any of those rooms, so we should investigate."
>Let's take them to the spare bedrooms first.

[Oldmansour]

>Apply another one. "We'll get to that soon enough, now be quiet. Before I put you on Playtime Duty."
>"Well, that was where Sakuya moved most of the supplies from the west wing after it was damaged. Perhaps they got over there in that fashion. There's a small dining area, a pair of spare bedrooms, a Karaoke Box, a linen closet, and a janitorial station left by Sakuya. They could be in any of those rooms, so we should investigate."
>Let's take them to the spare bedrooms first.

>Whacking the fairy again yields a somewhat satisfying sound, both from her head and from her mouth. The redhead snickers again.
>Wriggle nods and gets back to her feet. The other fairy, the redhead, remains where she is as Wriggle heads for the nearest door in that wall, but asks you, "Pickin' bugs over head maid, boss?"

[Hanzo K.]

>Sigh. "I'm taking care of a little issue while I'm here. A fairy like you two wouldn't be able to understand. It's just practical to settle one's affairs before progressing with a potentially risky effort. 500 years have been a very good teacher in those regards."
>Does the fairy seem at all off? Like those who have been possessed?

[Oldmansour]

>Sigh. "I'm taking care of a little issue while I'm here. A fairy like you two wouldn't be able to understand. It's just practical to settle one's affairs before progressing with a potentially risky effort. 500 years have been a very good teacher in those regards."
>Does the fairy seem at all off? Like those who have been possessed?

>You don't think the fairy understands fully, but the blonde one starts flying around you again. "Yeah, we'll find the nibblers and make them go away!"
>Not from what you know of your staff. Some of them are fond of Sakuya, in their own ways, especially Honey Braids, and this redhead here may want her back more than some others. Even if she has an odd way of expressing it.

[Hanzo K.]

>Smirk. "Besides, it will make Sakuya's job easier that way."
>Now, let's go investigate the Spare Bedrooms.

[Oldmansour]

>Smirk. "Besides, it will make Sakuya's job easier that way."
>Now, let's go investigate the Spare Bedrooms.

>"If she comes back." the redhead adds, still unmoving.
>Wriggle has already gone through the door, so you and the blonde maid follow behind her. You find her currently standing outside one of the spare bedrooms, pressing her head against the door.

[Hanzo K.]

>Let's keep our ears on the ready as well, as our hearing surpasses most any creature. "Anything?"
>"...Perhaps the reason why they're avoiding you could be because the queen may have become a youkai herself?"
>This merits looking into, as we may have found a new means of getting back at the Cobalt Countess. Provided her domicile is mostly wood.

[Oldmansour]

>Let's keep our ears on the ready as well, as our hearing surpasses most any creature. "Anything?"
>"...Perhaps the reason why they're avoiding you could be because the queen may have become a youkai herself?"
>This merits looking into, as we may have found a new means of getting back at the Cobalt Countess. Provided her domicile is mostly wood.

>Your own exquisite hearing reveals nothing out of the ordinary.
>Wriggle points her finger furthur down the hallway. "That way. I think the next... No, two rooms down." Which would be the small dining room.
>The insect youkai pulls her head back and shakes her head. "I wouldn't think so. Youkai or not, I should be able to sense the Queen's mind acting." Her antennae twitch once. "Then again, I've never met a termite youkai before..."
>You consider the merits of termite-based warfare. It'd be original, if nothing else.

[Hanzo K.]

>Nod. "Alright then, shall we be off to investigate there then?"
>To the small dining room!

[Oldmansour]

>Nod. "Alright then, shall we be off to investigate there then?"
>To the small dining room!

>Wriggle nods and takes off alongside you.
>As you reach for the handle of the door, Wriggle nods sharply. "Got 'em. They're coming up through a small gap in the floor of that room. I still can't totally read their minds or instincts, but I think they're coming in from outside." She points off in an easterly direction. "Their tunnel network must extend under the mansion."
>The blonde fairy maid, at this point, lets out a rather piercing yelp. "Shovels, we need shovels!!" she yells, and immediately makes a beeline for the Grand Corridor, obviously in search of said digging instrument.