Keine Quest (Part 6): Broken History (Complete)

[Hello Purvis]

>If that's how she's going to be, resume flight and drag her back toward the door.
>"She tried to suffocate me. And she's lucky I don't return the favor. Instead I stabbed her in the leg until she cut it out."

[DracoOmega]

>If that's how she's going to be, resume flight and drag her back toward the door.
>"She tried to suffocate me. And she's lucky I don't return the favor. Instead I stabbed her in the leg until she cut it out."

>You resume flight and start to drag her towards the door. Unfortunately she is much heavier than Gruegetsu, being entirely substantial and not entirely docile. Your flight speed is impeded a fair bit, and your maneuverability significantly so. There are still quite a number of wisps between you and the door. They are mostly above you, but continuing to fire.
>"She..." Gruegetsu frowns. "Why would she try to do such a thing? Was I... that kind of a person, once? Please tell me I wasn't."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I don't know. We...really never met before today. But the way Mugetsu talks, I don't think so."
>Contemplate using Wingly Gengetsu as a shield and plowing through.

[DracoOmega]

>"I don't know. We...really never met before today. But the way Mugetsu talks, I don't think so."
>Contemplate using Wingly Gengetsu as a shield and plowing through.

>"I... hope not," she says. "After all this, I would hate to think I wasn't the sister I remembered. I have thought of nothing more than her, and how I have failed her for being here. I cannot accept that I would be that kind of person."
>She doesn't seem to be struggling a great deal, although it might take both hands to properly maneuver her as a shield, given her bulk. You don't think you could use her very effectively with just an arm on her leg, although she might block some incidental fire.

[Hello Purvis]

>"This is going to be a little hard. Hang on if you can."
>Remove horn from Wingly Gengetsu's leg. Try to slide it out, rather than rip it out.
>Fly up, grab her around the waist with our free arm. Then pull her around so she's  in front of us. Preferably facing away, and hold her round the waist.
>Proceed toward the door if this works.

[DracoOmega]

>"This is going to be a little hard. Hang on if you can."
>Remove horn from Wingly Gengetsu's leg. Try to slide it out, rather than rip it out.
>Fly up, grab her around the waist with our free arm. Then pull her around so she's  in front of us. Preferably facing away, and hold her round the waist.
>Proceed toward the door if this works.

>"I don't think I can do much to help myself hang on," she says, "But good luck with whatever you're trying."
>You pull your horn out from her leg as smoothly as you can. Still, it draws another howl from her and a gush of shadowy blood. She thrashes a little, but your hold on her remains firm.
>You fly up and put your arm around her waist, holding her tightly against you. She seems surprisingly pliant, although you really wish you could get her to stop crying out into your head.
>Holding Wingly Gengetsu as a sort of shield, you proceed towards the door. The wisps open fire on you as you pass. You're still a little faster than them, but not by a great deal at this point. You evade many of their shots simply by moving, and use Gengetsu to absorb some of the rest. She seems to quiet down a little after receiving a few of them. A bullet strikes your arm, and you feel your grip loosen for a moment before reasserting it.
>You pass under most of the wisps and they spread out behind you and to the sides, continuing to throw more fire in your direction.

[Hello Purvis]

>Keep gunning for that door.
>"Shut up or so help me I will shut you up!"

[DracoOmega]

>Keep gunning for that door.
>"Shut up or so help me I will shut you up!"

>You keep moving towards the door at best speed, while the wisps continue to pursue. While you're fast enough to outrun the wisps themselves, you're no longer fast enough to outrun their danmaku. However, you have enough mobility to shift out of the way of much of it, now that it's all behind you.
>Wingly Gengetsu makes no coherent response to this, although her enthusiasm seems to have waned, the more danmaku she took.
>As you approach the door, you can see Maribel watching you with a very concerned expression on her face, and peering past you, no doubt at the cloud of bullets trailing you.
>With another push you finally make it through the door and back into the hallway. Maribel shuts the door firmly behind you the moment you're inside.
>"Are you ok?" she asks, eying the new fragment of Gengetsu with a very uncomfortable expression.

[Hello Purvis]

>Sigh and nod toward Maribel. "Technically."
>Dump Wingly Gengetsu on the floor.
>Gently place Gruegetsu against the wall like before. "We're safe now..."
>Slump against the wall ourselves.
>Motion for Shadow Gengetsu to go commune with Wingly Gengetsu.

[DracoOmega]

>Sigh and nod toward Maribel. "Technically."
>Dump Wingly Gengetsu on the floor.
>Gently place Gruegetsu against the wall like before. "We're safe now..."
>Slump against the wall ourselves.
>Motion for Shadow Gengetsu to go commune with Wingly Gengetsu.

>Maribel frowns at you again. "You're injured..."
>You unload Wingly Gengetsu unceremoniously on the floor. She seems barely conscious.
>You set Gruegetsu against the wall rather more gently than her counterparts. "I'm so sorry," she says. "For what we did to you. You'll say it's not my fault, but she's still a part of me; I'm still responsible for that."
>You slump against the wall and take a deep breath. Wow, your arms are more weary than you thought. They seem almost to float now that you've unburdened yourself. Also, much of the rest of you is sore. To say nothing of nearly passing out from lack of air, you took a took significant number of danmaku hits during that escapade. Determination drowned out most of the pain at the time, but now that you're resting it's catching up to you in a big hurry.
>You motion towards Shadow Gengetsu. It approaches Wingly Gengetsu with obvious trepidation. Something about this one scares it. It's not like the rest. Its mind is different than the others.

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'll get better. But if you could find me something to drink, I'd be very grateful."
>Smile at Shadow Gengetsu. "Don't worry. You're smarter than she is. And, she needs to see the things you've learned."

[DracoOmega]

>"I'll get better. But if you could find me something to drink, I'd be very grateful."
>Smile at Shadow Gengetsu. "Don't worry. You're smarter than she is. And, she needs to see the things you've learned."

>Maribel smiles. "Have a preference? I'm sure a place like this must keep a very well-stocked pantry."
>The shadow still hesitates, but then inches over towards it, reaching out to touch her. Wingly Gengetsu does not respond in any obvious way. You can distantly sense confusion from the shadow, and a little distress. It undulates less fluidly than before; stiffer, more abrupt.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Something cold, please."
>Observe.

[DracoOmega]

>"Something cold, please."
>Observe.

>Maribel nods. "I'm sure I can manage that," she says, opening a nearby door and stepping into it.
>You continue to observe the shadow. After a few moments it withdraws, seemingly more subdued than usual. It recognizes things. Things it could do. Places it used to live. But something is wrong with them. Something about this other scares it. Was this how it was supposed to be?
>A thin purple seam appears along the air in the middle of the corridor, a short distance to your right.

[Hello Purvis]

>"I don't think so. Mugetsu would never care so deeply about someone like that."
>Glance toward the seam. Frown deeply.

[DracoOmega]

>"I don't think so. Mugetsu would never care so deeply about someone like that."
>Glance toward the seam. Frown deeply.

>The shadow is still unsure. It... doesn't think it wants to be this way. You feel it pull back into its own thoughts.
>You look at the seam, and frown deeply in its direction. You're had more than enough bad encounters with them over the last few days. It had better not start to take over this space, too.
>The seam expands, widening into a rounded slit several feet across at its middle.

[Hello Purvis]

>Watch it some more. How close is it?

[DracoOmega]

>Watch it some more. How close is it?

>The crack is about 10 feet to your right. You continue to observe it.
>A moment later, three figures emerge from it. A young woman in a purple dress, her eyes closed and holding hands with a shorter woman in a blue maid's uniform. A familiar black-garbed magician brings up the rear.
>"Man, what happened here?" Marisa says, surveying your injuries and the various unusual looking beings surrounding you.

[Hello Purvis]

>Pause.
>"...Wait. Maribel....didn't you go to get me something to drink?"

[DracoOmega]

>Pause.
>"...Wait. Maribel....didn't you go to get me something to drink?"

>...wait, what?
>"Wha-" she begins, but is cut off by a voice calling out from the room to your left.
>"Sorry, sorry, it just took a moment to find everything! I'll be with you in a second."
>Maribel frowns. "What?"
>Marisa gives you an incredulous look. "Ok, what else have we missed?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh hell, don't tell me there's more than one Maribel, too..."
>Sigh.
>"Gengetsu, um, all of you. Meet Mugetsu."
>Gesture.
>"Everyone, these three are parts of Gengetsu. Mind the one with wings, she's a pain."

[DracoOmega]

>"Oh hell, don't tell me there's more than one Maribel, too..."
>Sigh.
>"Gengetsu, um, all of you. Meet Mugetsu."
>Gesture.
>"Everyone, these three are parts of Gengetsu. Mind the one with wings, she's a pain."

>"More than one-" Maribel starts. ...both of them. "What?!"
>You sigh. Wasn't this a big enough headache already?
>You introduce Mugetsu to the Gengetsus. By the look on her face, she isn't certain which thing she should be troubled about first: the unsettlingly formed fragments of her sister, the fact that one is currently bleeding shadowy blood on the ground, or the fact that there are two Maribels. She barely seems to notice your introduction, and Wingly Gengetsu makes no response at all. The shadow projects a mixture of excitement and confusion. There are more familiar people! One very familiar! But why does one of them seem exactly like that other being?
>"S- sister?" Gruegetsu speaks, her voice almost a whisper. "I- is that you?"
>"You... remember me?" Mugetsu says.
>"How could I ever, ever let myself forget?" she replies, shaking her head slowly. "I'm so sorry. So terribly, terribly sorry. I don't even have the words." Tears starts to flow down her cheeks. "I've failed you as a sister. Just look at me."
>"Don't... don't say that," Mugetsu says, taking a step towards her. "You're injured, that's all. We're going to fix things. I promise we will. So don't feel bad about anything." Her voice starts to choke up. "Please don't."
>"I don't deserve your sympathy," Gengetsu responds, strains of sorrow in her voice. "I left you to suffer. I wasn't strong enough to return to you. I still can't. I'm blind, I'm helpless. I'm useless to you."
>"I don't care!" Mugetsu cries and wraps her in a tight embrace. "I... d- don't care..." She starts to cry. "You're still my sister. And I love you..."

>Maribel emerges from the door beside you with a tall glass of ice water in her hands. She stares into her own mirror made flesh, and it stares back at her. They are either content to be silent out of respect to Mugetsu or too dumbstruck to speak.

[Hello Purvis]

>Take water and drink.
>Softly. "Thanks. I needed that."
>Let the Getsus get themselves sorted out.

[DracoOmega]

>Take water and drink.
>Softly. "Thanks. I needed that."
>Let the Getsus get themselves sorted out.

>You accept the glass of water. Or rather reach out and take it from Maribel's hand. She seems to have forgotten entirely that she was holding it.
>She turns vaguely to you as you take it from her. "Oh, uh, yes, no problem." She turns back to her doppelganger.
>You leave the Getsus alone for the moment. They're mostly crying; Mugetsu more loudly, but you hear restrained sobs issue from her sister as well.

>"So are you..." the Maribel next to you says.
>"You?" the other Maribel replies. Your Maribel nods slowly. "I, uh, don't know. I mean we can't be-"
>"Can we?"
>"But if you-" they say as one, then stop
>"Then whose dream is it?" your Maribel says.
>"I thought it was mine."
>"Me, too."
>"It isn't?"
>"Isn't it?"
>"But that-"
>"But I changed things," your Maribel interrupts. "I've made rooms in this place. I made the glass of water that she's drinking."
>"I made the moon full," the other Maribel replies. "And I-"
>"But she said..." Your Maribel turns to you. "You said I did it and didn't remember."

>Marisa walks over to you, rubbing her head. "Like I needed any more headaches in here. So, uh, you have any idea why there's two of them?"

[Kasu]

> Finish the water.
> "Well...  I hope it doesn't get this complicated but right now it almost seem like there might be one Maribel for every Gengetsu."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm pretty sure there's at least three of them."
>Try to let some of the pain go away.
>"So, did you guys find anything interesting?"

[DracoOmega]

> Finish the water.
> "Well...  I hope it doesn't get this complicated but right now it almost seem like there might be one Maribel for every Gengetsu."

>You finish up the water quickly. It is very refreshing and satisfying given what you've just been through. How long has it been since you drank anything? Do you even need to drink anything in this place? You decide that you probably don't, but that it still feels good, just the same.
>"That would be..." your Maribel says.
>"But how many-" the other Maribel jumps in.
>"That's five, you said?"
>"Five!?"
>"Oh boy," Marisa says, frowning.

>"I'm pretty sure there's at least three of them."
>Try to let some of the pain go away.
>"So, did you guys find anything interesting?"

>"Three?" both Maribels say almost in unison, then turn back to each other, frowning.
>While you feel a bit battered, you think you'll be functional enough after a little more rest. You wouldn't want a give a repeat performance any time soon, but at least you might have backup this time.
>"Spent almost the whole time looking for you, if you can believe it," Marisa says. "Mugetsu barely got us away from that freaky purple hole in space before it ate us. Can't say I'd have liked to have found out what the inside of that thing was like. Apparently this place is kinda like a maze to her, still. We spent a while just jumping back and forth. After that, Mugetsu took some time to try and guide Maribel about how to open space like that without tearing the whole world apart around us. Y'know, when she had time to focus and  nothing black and creepy was trying to pounce on her."

[Hello Purvis]

>Chuckle at the antics of the Maribai.
>"In our case, I met this little shadowy Gengetsu. She's very pleasant, and has a curious trait of being able to read the thoughts of those that touch her. She's enriched herself by communing with this Maribel, while she and this Gengentsu-"
>Gesture toward Gruegetsu, "Have both benefited from it. This one with the wings puts her off, so she hasn't done much with it. This Maribel has been helping me hunt down things. Getting into isolated parts of the dream, I think."

[DracoOmega]

>Chuckle at the antics of the Maribai.
>"In our case, I met this little shadowy Gengetsu. She's very pleasant, and has a curious trait of being able to read the thoughts of those that touch her. She's enriched herself by communing with this Maribel, while she and this Gengentsu-"
>Gesture toward Gruegetsu, "Have both benefited from it. This one with the wings puts her off, so she hasn't done much with it. This Maribel has been helping me hunt down things. Getting into isolated parts of the dream, I think."

>You chuckle at Maribel. Both of them. For once, at least alternate versions of someone aren't trying to kill you in some fashion. Although it occurs to you that you'll probably be unable to tell them apart if they move.
>Marisa nods along to your explanation. "Make sense. About Maribel, I mean. Mugetsu said she'd be able to navigate this place better than her, once she figured out how to let herself. And at least you've been having some success, although I don't suppose you've got any ideas about how to get them back together yet?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Not yet. As for Maribel. Well...I'm not even sure what the difference between them is. Maybe Gengetsu can help with that?"
>Glance toward Shadow Gengetsu. "Want to go speak with the other Maribel? I'm sure she won't mind."