Keine Quest (Part 3): Broken History

[Hello Purvis]

>"I think I may be in the position to learn the most in a short amount of time, so yes, I'll go."
>"Ran, once I'm there, is there anything I can do to establish a stronger connection?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I think I may be in the position to learn the most in a short amount of time, so yes, I'll go."
>"Ran, once I'm there, is there anything I can do to establish a stronger connection?"

>Ran nods. "If you think it's best."
>"Be damn careful, you hear?" Mokou says.
>"And I don't think there's anything you can do from the other side that would help with this," Ran replies. "The portal key cannot create new paths, only open ones already in place. Short of finding a better connection on our end, we'd probably need Yukari's help to improve on this. Or whoever did this in the first place..."

[Hello Purvis]

>"That's a shame, I was hoping we could make the other route less bumpy at the same time."
>Nod to Mokou. "I will. And, if you'd be willing, I'd like you to stay nearby, just in case I have to make a quick escape and something follows."

[DracoOmega]

>"That's a shame, I was hoping we could make the other route less bumpy at the same time."
>Nod to Mokou. "I will. And, if you'd be willing, I'd like you to stay nearby, just in case I have to make a quick escape and something follows."

>"Well, that much may be possible, actually," Ran says. "It's less that the other route itself is flawed, but that it's... tangled among a bunch of others. It's possible I might be able to get a clearer picture of it, given some time and work."
>"You got it," Mokou says.

[Hello Purvis]

>Start toward the fissure location.
>"Is there something I could do to assist with it on the other side?"

[DracoOmega]

>Start toward the fissure location.
>"Is there something I could do to assist with it on the other side?"

>You head off towards the fissure
>"I don't think so. Well, aside from finding something obviously connected to this whole incident. I'm just hoping you'll see something over there that'll make this all make a lot more sense."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Likewise. Is there anything at all you can tell me about the other side?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Likewise. Is there anything at all you can tell me about the other side?"

>Ran shakes her head. "Not other than that it bears a great many similarities to here."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I suppose I'll just have to find out."
>Onward.

[DracoOmega]

>"I suppose I'll just have to find out."
>Onward.

>Ran sighs. "I really wish I could tell you more. I'm sorry."
>After a short while, you arrive back at the fissure. Ran takes out the portal key.
>"Are you... ready to leave?" she says.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Just tell me what to do, and how to get back."

[DracoOmega]

>"Just tell me what to do, and how to get back."

>"Once I lock this to a particular path, it should be straightforward. On the other side, simply hold this out to the air and activate it to reopen the passageway. Like so."
>Ran holds the butterfly out on her palm and closes her eyes. You can see the wings of it start to move; slowly at first, then more rapidly. A purple seam appears in the air in front of you, then widens.
>Ran opens her eyes and hands you the portal key.
>"Good luck in there," she says.

[Hello Purvis]

>Take the key.
>"I'll do my best. Mokou, keep an eye out for anything weird."
>Step through.

[DracoOmega]

>Take the key.
>"I'll do my best. Mokou, keep an eye out for anything weird."
>Step through.

>You accept the portal key. It feels warm to the touch.
>"Anything weird, huh?" Mokou says. "Other than pretty much everything else I've seen tonight, I guess."
>With a deep breath, you step into the gap.

>It is a strange and very unnatural sensation, moving in the space between worlds. You lose all sense of time and place. It feels like you are running and tumbling and flying, all at once. You quickly start to grow dizzy. If this was the option that wasn't bumpy, you really hate to imagine what the other path would have been like. You feel yourself being pulled on from different directions, and hear sounds you don't know how to understand. And then the world around stops not making sense, as you feel your face unceremoniously collide with dirt. You can taste grass in your mouth. At least you're out of... whatever that was, though.

[Hello Purvis]

>Sit up.
>Spit out the grass.
>Look around.
>Try not to throw up.

[DracoOmega]

>Sit up.
>Spit out the grass.
>Look around.
>Try not to throw up.

>You pull yourself to your feet and spit the grass out of your mouth, then take a look around. You are in a small field, sheltered by many tall and stately trees. You can also see a few trails, winding their way between the trees. They look groomed, although the area still has a wilderness quality to it. You don't see signs of any people, or anything else notable, at the moment.

>Fortunately, while you feel a bit unsteady and disoriented, you don't think you're currently at risk of decorating the ground with your last meal.

[Hello Purvis]

>Check time of day, moon status, and presence of horns and tail.

[DracoOmega]

>Check time of day, moon status, and presence of horns and tail.

>You look up at the moon. It's... waxing gibbous. Once you get your bearings, it's easy enough to tell that you're not in hakutaku form, even without reaching for the obvious physical signs of it. It seems to be evening, but earlier than when you left. Perhaps 8 o'clock.

[Hello Purvis]

>Examine the trails.
>Do we see any signs of animals?

[DracoOmega]

>Examine the trails.
>Do we see any signs of animals?

>The trails are made of finely crushed stone, and wide enough for two to three people to walk abreast. There's one near you running north and south. You see it intersect with another trail heading west, some distance to the north.
>You think you may be able to hear a bird or two, but no other animal signs are clearly evident.

[Hello Purvis]

>Look around. Can we see any sign of the portal we used to get here?

[DracoOmega]

>Look around. Can we see any sign of the portal we used to get here?

>You don't see it. You assume it closed behind you. You could probably open it again if you wanted to, though.

[Hello Purvis]

>Take some time to memorize what this area looks like, then follow the nearest path to elsewhere.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Take some time to memorize what this area looks like, then follow the nearest path to elsewhere.

>You look around and try to memorize your location. You think there's a moderately distinctive tree in your vicinity you can use for a reference point. Satisfied that you can find your way back here, you take the nearest path and walk for a distance.
>The scenery is quite pleasant, you have to admit, the large trees looming protectively over the path. After a little while, you see a pair of people come into view in the distance, one male, one female. They appear to be walking casually and speaking with each other.

[Hello Purvis]

>Assess their species and clothing. Do we stick out terribly?

[DracoOmega]

>Assess their species and clothing. Do we stick out terribly?

>They appear to be human as far as you can tell. The both appear to be wearing short-sleeved shirts and pants of a style you're unfamiliar with. Your dress is rather more elaborate, but you don't know if it would seem out of place to them or not.

[Kasu]

> Keep walking.
> Attempt to listen to a snippet of their conversation when we pass them.
> If they greet us, greet them back.

[DracoOmega]

> Keep walking.
> Attempt to listen to a snippet of their conversation when we pass them.
> If they greet us, greet them back.

>You continue walking down the trail and try to see if you can inconspicuously listen in on what they're saying. Unfortunately, they grow quiet as they approach you, so you can't hear much. You think you catch something about an upcoming election, but you don't recognize any of the names or other details.
>You think they give you a bit of an odd look as you walk by, but otherwise make no notice of your presence.

[Kasu]

> Consider the possibility that we're probably wearing something abnormal in this universe.
> What did the pants look like?

[DracoOmega]

> Consider the possibility that we're probably wearing something abnormal in this universe.
> What did the pants look like?

>It might be possible, but you don't really know what counts as normal. Two people aren't a lot of data points
>They were deep blue, with a pronounced grain to them, and seemed fairly form-fitting