Nitori Quest - For Science, We March!

[Blitzer]

>Why would you want to make the river explode?
>Get everything in the present tense, no need to get confused by Time Travel Tense Trouble.

[FinnKaenbyou]

>Fucking time travel.
>Consider a way to make the river explode. After all, we only decided not to add Francium to water in the Science Shack, right?

> That sounds painful, and you decide not to.
> Maybe by the time you've collected enough Francium to do that it'll be the present day again.

>Why would you want to make the river explode?
>Get everything in the present tense, no need to get confused by Time Travel Tense Trouble.

>Your plot of esturaricide suddenly feels heinous and cruel. You apologise to the river for your actions. It seems understanding.
>You are out of the river. Cirno is in jail, and will be executed later. You need to get her out with a distraction. Your plan is to build a smoke bomb, but you need three ingredients: sulphur, saltpeter, and something to burn. Is that present tense-y enough for you? Because the parser went to a lot of effort to do it, and it doesn't feel appreciated.

[Solais]

>Pat the parser.

[Doll.S CUBE]

> What are you waiting there for, go get those ingredients.

[Kasu]

> Ponder where we could find saltpeter.
> Look around for some dry wood to burn.

[FinnKaenbyou]

>Pat the parser.

> It feels slightly better about itself now. It purrs lightly.

> Ponder where we could find saltpeter.
> Look around for some dry wood to burn.

> You might try a local farm? You'll find it, though it wil be in its...natural state.
(NOTE: Any resemblance to real life chemistry is purely coincidental.)
> You come across a campfire on your way back to the town, and take a few twigs. You should be able to rub them together for a nice flame.

> Received Firewood.

> You're back at the edge of Salem again. The apothecary is on one side of the town, and the farmlands are on the other. What do you do?

[Kasu]

> Head for the farmlands first.  There might be a better chance of not being seen out there, and the apothecary is probably closer to the village.

[Blitzer]

>Imagine what they might do to Cirno.

[Fightest]

> Look around for some dry wood to burn.

> Why are we doing this again? If we want to set off the gunpowder, flint + steel = spark is a far better combination.

[FinnKaenbyou]

> Why are we doing this again? If we want to set off the gunpowder, flint + steel = spark is a far better combination.

> Your grasp of chemistry is admittedly rather poor, so the above thought - logical as it is - doesn't come to you. Machines are easy, everything else less so.

>Imagine what they might do to Cirno.

> They'll likely try to hang her first. That won't produce any results, given the whole flying thing, so they'll just settle for burning her at the stake. That would prove...somewhat more effective.

> Head for the farmlands first.  There might be a better chance of not being seen out there, and the apothecary is probably closer to the village.

> You make your way to the farmlands. They cover a good segment of land, and they're sparsely guarded - you find a nice supply of, uh, fertiliser lying in a neat pile, but there's a single farmer looking in your direction. A few cows are standing behind him, looking rather bored with life in general but satisfied that for once it isn't them getting roasted.

> You pre-emptively borrow a pair of gloves to deal with this...fertiliser. Now, how to distract the guard?

[Hello Purvis]

>Is the farmer doing anything to make us think he's on the defensive/offensive?
>If not, wave to him.

[FinnKaenbyou]

>Is the farmer doing anything to make us think he's on the defensive/offensive?
>If not, wave to him.

> He's whistling something to himself. You are uncertain if 'Ee Ay Ee Ay Oh' is some sort of war song, but it doesn't look like it. You don't recognise him from the trial either, so as you wave to him he greets you with a friendly smile.
"Howdy, stranger! Whaddaya you doin' all the way out in Salem? We been havin' some tough times this year, what with the witches and the burnin'. The skies've been pretty mean ta me too - mah plants need a lil' rain to grow, but they just ain't deliverin'. At this rate I'm gunna be having one rough harvest...I'm thinkin' it's one o' them newfangled curse things the girls are throwin' around."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh tell me about it. They're really running it out of style up in town."
>Ponder suggesting irrigation from the river for his fields.

[FinnKaenbyou]

>"Oh tell me about it. They're really running it out of style up in town."
>Ponder suggesting irrigation from the river for his fields.

> "Yeah, I was hearin' 'bout some witch they caught there. Didn't sound too threatenin' - hell ah thought she sounded dang stupid, actually."
Silently, you are grateful that Cirno isn't around to hear this, or you'd quickly find yourself talking to a block of ice.

> "The river? Well, it'd get things runnin', but it's a helluva walk there 'n' back. 'n' mah only good bucket has a goshdang hole in it."

[Kasu]

> Do we have the materials to patch up the hole?  If so, suggest repairing the bucket for some fertilizer.

[FinnKaenbyou]

> Do we have the materials to patch up the hole?  If so, suggest repairing the bucket for some fertilizer.

>You have a metal plate among your bits and bobs you could use, though it's something sort of ahead of this time period. Regardless, you make the offer, fix up the hole, and hastily throw the fertiliser into the container so you don't have to stay in contact with it for any longer than necessary.
"That's mighty fine of ya, darlin'! Thanks a bunch!"

>Smoke Bomb is now 1/3 complete.

> Next is the apothecary, and scanning it from the outside it's an eerie looking place. You can see the store's owner through the window - a frail, bent over woman with only one good eye and grey hair running amok over her face. All her ingredients are on the shelf behind her, though, so you're not exactly overflowing with options here in terms of getting some sulphur.

[Fightest]

> Your grasp of chemistry is admittedly rather poor, so the above thought - logical as it is - doesn't come to you. Machines are easy, everything else less so.

> So be it... Parser. We're a machinist, so we're well-acquainted with electricity. We must be able to make a sparker from random stuff we have in our possessions, surely we carry a battery or two?
> Alternatively, find some quartz, probably also locatable at the ye olde Apothecary - it's piezoelectric, so we can make sparks off that with a rudimentary device.

[Kasu]

> Walk into the store.
> Wait.  Was she with the crowd at our trial?
> If not, as with the farmer, ask the lady if she needs something fixed in return for the sulphur.
> If so, try to find something to disguise ourself without looking too suspicious.

[FinnKaenbyou]

> So be it... Parser. We're a machinist, so we're well-acquainted with electricity. We must be able to make a sparker from random stuff we have in our possessions, surely we carry a battery or two?

> The parser wishes that it had been programmed with the same super-powered knowledge of chemistry that the players have. As such, it has no choice but to Dan Brown you due to its inability to keep up. Apologies.
> You rummage around your pockets and find a sparker. You throw away the firewood, slapping yourself across the face for coming up with such a silly idea.

> Walk into the store.
> Wait.  Was she with the crowd at our trial?
> If not, as with the farmer, ask the lady if she needs something fixed in return for the sulphur.
> If so, try to find something to disguise ourself without looking too suspicious.

> No. It doesn't look like she gets out of the store much with health like that.
> "I'm a businesswoman, wench. If you don't have the money, you don't get the sulphur."

[Blitzer]

>Walk out of the store.
>Consider stealing sulphur.

[FinnKaenbyou]

>Walk out of the store.
>Consider stealing sulphur.

>You make the consideration. It is a good consideration.

You carefully set the rocket arm to 'stun'.

[Fightest]

> Sacrifices have to be made for science. Especially if those sacrificed are that rude.
> Does the rocket arm have a silencer as well as that stun setting?

[FinnKaenbyou]

> Sacrifices have to be made for science. Especially if those sacrificed are that rude.
> Does the rocket arm have a silencer as well as that stun setting?

> You walk back into the shop. The woman with one eye glares at you again, while you smile like an idiot. She barely has the time to ask why you came back in before you pull out the rocket arm, aim it at her, and let loose.

Poor woman. At least her teeth were already missing, so you can't be held responsible for that. You 'borrow' some sulphur without bothering to pay, since strangely there's no-one standing on the other side of the counter. You hope she doesn't mind the footprints on her counter when she wakes up.

> Received Sulphur.

>Regrettably, there is no silencer, but you were lucky that no-one was around. Everyone seems to be gathering in the centre of town for...a reason you probably don't need to guess. Better hurry up with that smoke bomb.

[Kasu]

> We have all the materials correct?  Find a nice secluded place and assemble the smoke bomb.

[FinnKaenbyou]

> We have all the materials correct?  Find a nice secluded place and assemble the smoke bomb.

> You run into an abandoned back alley and take out the container you made earlier. You jam the fertiliser and sulphur inside, before putting the sparker to the suplhur and setting it alight. You quickly jam the lid back onto it - you've got maybe five minutes before the smoke inside ends up expanding too far and causing the whole thing to burst.

> Received Smoke Bomb.

[Kasu]

> Quickly head for the execution.

[FinnKaenbyou]

> Quickly head for the execution.

> You dart to the town square, seeing what looks like Salem's entire population standing around the gallows. Cirno is standing at the noose, still caught in the finger traps, as the hangman places the hood on her head.
"Hey! What're you doing, stopping people from seeing my awesome face?! Get this thing off me!"
A priest reads Cirno her last rites as the hangman walks to the lever. He pauses for a moment, almost feeling his blood freeze in the witch's presence.
The lever is pulled. The trapdoor opens.

> Cirno stays where she is, her wings fluttering slightly.

> The crowd erupts into bedlam. Cirno, unable to see, tilts her head.
"Huh? What's everyone freaking out about?"
The hangman is initially shocked by this development, but he looks set to settle for the second-best option and reaches down for a torch.

[Kasu]

> Chuck the smoke bomb into the crowd.
> Quickly fly for Cirno, grab her, and teleport.

[FinnKaenbyou]

> Chuck the smoke bomb into the crowd.
> Quickly fly for Cirno, grab her, and teleport.

> You lodge the bomb onto the end of the rocket arm, and fire it through a hole in the crowd at the gallows. The container snaps easily, filling the whole square with a hazy smoke. Amidst the coughing and choking you fly above the crowd, darting towards Cirno and wrapping your arms around her.
"O-Oh...Mr. Hangman, I understand you like me, but...is now the time?"
You don't have time to listen to her ramblings now, and now you finally have your opening you turn the belt on again. As if the smoke wasn't bad enough, now the poor people of Salem are blinded as well.
The story of the foul witch Chier Noh would be remembered by all who lived within Salem, and brought the infamous Witch Trials to their highest peak. Nice Job Breaking It, Kappa. Then again, if this is how time was meant to go anyway there's nothing to feel guilty about, because the timeline wouldn't remain stable if you HADN'T done it, and besides that Reimu would've beaten you up anyway oh look you're home.

> The Shack's looking a little shakier than it was last time you were here. Apparently Reimu got a little tired of waiting for you and kicked it once or twice. A third kick could spell disaster, so you carefully tiptoe out the front door, ice fairy in tow.
"CIRNO!"
Daiyousei pulls the hood off Cirno's head and immediately goes in for a hug, which of course she can't respond to due to those goddamn finger traps. You decide to leave them for her to solve herself as Daiyousei leads her back to the lake, practically attached to her.
"About damn time. Nice to know that once in a while you youkai are mature enough to clean up your own mess."
Reimu grumbles as she sees you resolve your own troubles, before heading back to the shrine. It looks like you've just about managed to resolve the incident, but this new technology fascinates you. It can take you anywhere, anytime...the potential is limitless, though the danger is as well. If one of your journeys took you to someone who could explain it - maybe even help you control it - it'd be one of the greatest inventions Gensokyo's ever seen. Imagine the cucumbers you could buy with those royalties!
You'd like to at least have a trustworthy companion before you try anything with it again, though.

[Hello Purvis]

>Kick back.