[Day: 4] [Time: A few hours before dawn] [Weather: Light snow]
>Rub head slightly. "I was planning on explaining that part..." Turn to Alice. "What Marisa said there is correct, though I'm not certain why this is the case. Don't worry, Marisa seemed a bit freaked as well when she saw it the first time." Grin, then return to watching the dolls go about their tasks.
[2] The dolls look like they're done with what they were doing.
>Look to Haruko. "This sounds like a good opportunity. If she's busy fighting, and the one she's fighting is strong...we should be able to stand a chance of escaping if we stay low! I'll leave it up to you, but I think I know what your answer will be."
>>If she wants to go, get out of the basement and ask Akyuu which way the temple is, then head that direction with Haru in tow, being sure not to draw attention to us.
>>If she doesn't for some reason, simply nod and acknowledge her decision, even if I may not agree with it entirely.
>Either way, she needs to have some sort of shield, so I will be needed near her. And also continue to try to recharge the Yatagarasu. I could need that power now more than ever if things go awry...
[6] "This [...] be."
"Of course it is! We deserve this chance, especially after all that has happened!"
You feel a surge of power within you, running through your blood and veins.
"The temple is to the northwest of the village. It's very close, so don't go out too far. Whatever you do, stay away from the fight, and use your best judgment."
You grab Haruko in your arms and leap into the sky, heading straight for the nearby temple. You take a quick glance behind you, and it seems like Reimu and Yukari are being pushed towards the opposite direction...
...You arrive at the temple, where the guard lets you in immediately after you show her the girl in your hands. Patorikku is in the main room, along with a woman in a white doctor's apron. She appears have just finished bandaging up the wounds on the arm of a woman in her late 30s. Haruko leaps towards her and kneels down, tears dropping from her eyes like rain...
BGM: It's not longer when they cry. It's when YOU cry!!!(0:00)
"Mom... Mooom~ Are you okay? ARE YOU OKAY?!"
"Don't be too loud, she's just gone through a complicated surgery."
"Will she be okay?"
"She should be... She still has a pulse, after all."
"Please... Please tell me she'll make it... Oh god..."
"She will, child. I've
never failed on a human before..."
(0:40)
The woman's eyelids slowly open, revealing a comforting gaze at the crying girl.
"Ha... Haruko... Is that you?"
The girl drops to her mother's lap and hugs her tightly. For a good half-minute or so, the entire temple is dead silent, save for occasional sniffling. All its residents stop whatever they were doing to pay their condolences to the emotional reunion of a broken family.
(1:21)
"Mom... It's okay. I'm here. I'm safe...
We're safe."
"I'm sorry, honey. I'm sorry I let your father continue his trips to the shrine. I'm sorry I didn't tell the police when he left... I'm sorry I encouraged him in the beginning..."
"It's gone... It's all gone... She got rid of it, and he's gone... Forever..."
(1:40)
"Haruko, honey... You still have me... We're still a family, and we'll be a family forever. These brave men took the pain so you'd make it, and if anything, it's an act of goodwill from the heavens above."
"Yeah. You're right. We're together, and nothing will ever tear us apart again."
(1:59)
The woman stands up, still hugging her daughter.
"I'm sorry I almost got myself killed. I just wanted to save the only thing he left behind. Was that too much to ask of her? Was that too much to ask?"
(2:19)
"No... Nothing's ever too much... You did your best, and that's what matters in the end. What's gone is gone, the past can never be changed. But from now on, we'll stay together, no matter what."
Haruko and her mother turn to you and look you straight in the eyes:
(2:40)
"Thank... you..."
>Wrap the cut up
[2](+1) The cloth fits loosely around the cuts, but at least they provide the protection you need.
"Cheez, you sure you know what you're doing? I'm getting the slightest vibe that this Reimu person can kill us both in an instant, and wouldn't you know it, magnetic interference ain't got shit on that shield. Oh yeah, and how is this sofa flying? What ARE you exactly, anyway - if you don't mind me asking?"
> Welp, you are WAAAY out of your own league! Cover's blown to all hell though, so you might as well try your Transmit move to hopefully at least stagger this Reimu chick when/if she stops looking right at you. That barrier may be made of some voodoo mumbo-jumbo, but I doubt that she is herself. The other one just seems... like a bad person to target altogether, and the purple monk-looking one seems to be on your side.
> Wish that you had more options and abilities at your disposal to actually be useful, since it turns out that magnets DON'T solve everything.
> Try to ask anyone relevant nearby what "spell cards" are over all the havoc. Was this on a page of the textbook you didn't get to? Would this be on the test? Is this the test it's on right now unfolding before you?
> Awe at the colorful spectacle unfolding before you. Ponder how these colorful lights are being generated. It might be some sort of manipulation of waves in the air to create and project condensed globs of waves within the visible spectrum... but then they'd be lasers. And this all looks to be dangerous - are these plasma cannons? Have they figured out man-portable rapid fire plasma cannon technology in this realm? If they have, then HOLY SH!T. Either we are way behind, or they are way farther ahead than you originally thought. Halo predicted this technology existing several centuries from this one, as did just about every other sci-fi series ever, but here we are, and here it is: real-life plasma weaponry. Wow. Make a note to figure out where you can get your hands on this stuff. Stealing should be totally okay in this case, because come on; most people would kill for this.
[6] As soon as Reimu takes off after Byakuren, you find the nearest metallic object, a gas-burning street lamp, and send it flying towards the shrine maiden at speeds approaching that of light. To the untrained eye, it's as if she suddenly changed course and crashed straight into the roof of someone's house. Yukari flies off after her, shooting daggers behind her to keep Byakuren away. It seems that the tide of battle has turned in your favor, so you land gracefully and approach the crowd. An elderly woman replies to your question:
"Spell cards, huh? You mean those things they're fighting with up there? They're a way to memorize and organize one's best danmaku attacks. Most of us can't even summon a tiny ball of light to brighten our surroundings in the dark, but if you're one of those people who have weird powers or something, feel free to make some cards for your moves. All you have to do is name them, determine the steps to reproduce it, and write it down on any ol' piece of paper!"
Just for fun, you reach into your pockets and notice that there are a few index cards there. Before you ask yourself (or anyone nearby) any questions, you deem that some sort of god has acted upon your wishes.
>Think of five attacks, each with a name, description, and pattern.
>Give as much of a smile as possible. "Heh, some repairs sound nice... Try to keep yourself safe, tho. Technology seems to be a trigger for red/white disasters nowadays."
[3](+1) "Hey! Come back here!"
The boy ignores his mother's plead and runs through the crowd...
...Once he's free, he continues down the path until the two of you reach a shabby-looking warehouse. He knocks on the metal door, and a girl quickly pulls him inside. Even in the dim room, you're able to make out her features despite the black-and-white infrared view you see. She appears to be wearing a light-colored vest and a bow above the collar, and her dark hair is split into two braids.
HUMAN: FRIENDLYThe boy hands what's left of you to her, who studies the bundle of charred wiring and melted connectors dangling from your "neck". She mumbles to herself as she tries to make out the faded lettering on the wires:
"R-S-2-3-2... S-E-R-I-A-L... C-O-N-N-E..."
She suddenly turns to the boy and asks in an excited voice:
"Where did you find this thing?! Do you have any idea what this is?! This is the head of a robot!!! It's probably something from a few years ago, but IT'S A ROBOT!!! I bet it even has an automatically-adapting A.I.!"
She looks back into your eyes and speaks in a quiet voice:
"Can you hear me? Do you want me to fix you? Wait, no, not just
fix... Do you want to become Gensokyo's STRONGEST WEAPON?!"
HUMAN: FRIENDLY / EXCITEDThreat level: Low> "Peacefully"... Right... In any case, you're kind of stuck here until this all blows over. Converse with a few of the other temple's residents to pass the time, but keep near Akina.
[5] BONUS: Your next roll gets 1 added to it.
As you wait, you manage to gather the following information about the overall situation:
- The Myouren Temple serves as a sanctuary for humans and youkai (you were already told that earlier)
- The woman you talked to is known as Byakuren Hijiri (and you probably knew that as well)
- She's one of the few people in Gensokyo that can stand a fair chance against Reimu
- The Watsuki family is being hunted due to the husband's efforts in moving Gensokyoan society towards that of the Outside World
- The temple had a say in what would happen to the family and those that supported it, but whether its decision was truly theirs is questionable
(read an unmatched sock's scenario for what happens next)
>"Well gee, thanks for being cryptic."
>"Is it too much for a straight answer? What the heck did the dad do?"
>Get out of there. You've died twice and nearly died too many times to count.
>Take refuge in the mahjong parlor
[5] BONUS: Your next roll gets 1 added to it.
Yukari doesn't seem to be one to ask in hopes of getting a straight, non-convoluted answer. She just looks at you with an extremely creepy smile before flying off after the monk. You take that as a threat, so you quickly make way to the crowded mahjong parlor. The only light comes from the torches lining the street, and if the people hiding here were actually trying to hide, they'd be doing that in a very poor way. Every now and then, you can hear yelling and scuffling around you.
>"Er... well, Kappa... What I'm doing is trying to figure out what I'm doing. And talk things out, but that part was a dead end.
"And... the sofa here is jet-powered, obviously, and I'm just a guy who doesn't know how he made that happen yet. I've only been around about half a day or so, but from what I can gather it's pretty easy for people to do some really special things here. I mean, look at you. Warping, telepathy... Heck, you even died or something a little while ago, right? And here you are. There's something special going on here.
"...But speaking of dying... you're right, this might not be the best time to chat with Reimu. Let's, um..."
>Mmm. That's real pretty, but... Yeah, even if Sofabot can survive that night sky, I can hardly tell what's what in there, so there's not a point. And with that last bit about Gensokyo's destruction... Better try not to act too rash with something like that at stake. Just back off for now.
>In fact, lower Sofabot and hover closer to the village streets to see if I can glean any information on what exactly is putting Gensokyo at risk here. Pay special attention to villagers with interesting hair, because those ones are always important.
[1](+1) The villagers are either too scared or too mesmerized by the battle unfolding above you to care about your questions.
