Keine Quest (Part 2): Broken History

[Hello Purvis]

>Have another look around before leaving. See if we can find a loose rock that's obviously been damaged to take with us, in case it caught anything.

[DracoOmega]

>Yank it out once the sliver seems to be in danger of closing around the lattice.

>You quickly pull the lattice out, as the silver closes around it. Fortunately, the part of the lattice that 'vanished' into it seems fully intact. You wonder what might have happened to it if you'd left it there for a moment longer, though. If the terrain around you is any reflection, it might just have chopped it in half. You're glad you don't have to explain that one to Patchouli.

>Suddenly, a shadowy tendril bursts from the sliver, and grabs onto your arm! It feels a great deal more solid than it looks.

[Kasu]

> Try to force it to let go with some danmaku.

[DracoOmega]

> Try to force it to let go with some danmaku.

>You launch a quick burst of danmaku at it. They pass right through it, although the form seems to waver when they connect, and you feel its grip weaken a little.
>You swear you can hear whispering, but cannot make out any words

[Hello Purvis]

>Try to jerk arm free, again.
>"Let go of me, damn it!"

[DracoOmega]

>Try to jerk arm free, again.
>"Let go of me, damn it!"

>You give your arm a firm pull, and succeed in yanking it a foot or so backwards. The shadowy form comes with it, though. It actually looks a bit like an arm, gripping yours, but fuzzy and indistinct. And then the sliver it was emerging from vanishes, and the arm dissipates into thin air.

>"W-w-what was that?" Rumia asks meekly, her attention evidently attracted in your direction by your yelling.

[Kasu]

> "I have absolutely no clue...  Lets get back to the Mansion..."
> Head for the SDM.

[DracoOmega]

> "I have absolutely no clue...  Lets get back to the Mansion..."
> Head for the SDM.

>You decide that putting as much distance between this place and... whatever that was is probably the smartest idea. You start to ascend out of the chasm. A moment later, you feel something grab your left ankle, bringing your flight to an awkward and abrupt halt. Then something clamps onto your right arm. You hear Rumia squeal.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Keep the lights on, Rumia! It's about to get violent!"
>Jerk our leg upward, and try to free it, while blasting the other with out free hand. If things get hairy, summon some familiars.

[DracoOmega]

>"Keep the lights on, Rumia! It's about to get violent!"
>Jerk our leg upward, and try to free it, while blasting the other with out free hand. If things get hairy, summon some familiars.

>Rumia nods at you, but the expression on her face makes you think she's not sure what she just agreed to.
>You pull your leg as hard as you can, and it moves a little, although you're not really gaining any height. You turn to your right, and see your arm gripped by a shadowy arm similar to the first, emerging from a new sliver next to you. You launch a few shots at it, and it wavers, slipping off a little. You think you can see another shadowy protection reaching out towards you from a sliver a couple feet from your head.
>You can hear the whispering, again, sounding like several confused voices talking over each other.

[Hello Purvis]

>Jerk arm free, and if that works, try to twist away in midair to put stress against the hand's grip and away from that sliver near our head, then jerk against where the thumb and fingers meet to free our leg.

[DracoOmega]

>Jerk arm free, and if that works, try to twist away in midair to put stress against the hand's grip and away from that sliver near our head, then jerk against where the thumb and fingers meet to free our leg.

>You try to jerk your arm free, and manage to break its grip a little. The fingers seem to grasp at you as you pull your arm away, and you feel the brush against your arm again. It moves to reach out again.
>You twist away from the silver near your head. You can still see it reaching out towards you, but you've put another foot or two between yourself and it. You hope it can't reach that far. Unfortunately, you have no idea whether twisting succeed in putting any stress on the grip of the hand around your leg, being somewhat intangible as it is. It feels like it's holding on as firmly as ever.
>You jerk on your leg again, and manage to move it, but the grip holds firm. A second hand emerges from that sliver, and grabs onto a higher point on the same leg.

[Kasu]

> Keep firing danmaku at the arms while simultaneously trying to twist out of their grip.

[Hello Purvis]

>As well, keep tugging against the weak point in their grip where the thumb and fingers meet.

[DracoOmega]

> Keep firing danmaku at the arms while simultaneously trying to twist out of their grip.

>As well, keep tugging against the weak point in their grip where the thumb and fingers meet.

>You launch more danmaku towards the arms on your leg, while trying to pull to pull out of their grip. It's somewhat difficult to concentrate much firepower on them, with your leg in the way, but you do land a couple shots and feel them loosen. Unfortunately, with two of them grappling the same limb, you don't succeed in shaking either of them off. One slides a bit lower and your leg as you pull, but the other one grasps higher, toward your thigh. You can see a larger form beginning to emerge from the sliver, but it's too shadowy to make out any details.
>You feel the arm to your right grasp against your wrist, but you manage to slip out before it can get a hold of you.
>The whispering is louder, now. Among the jumble of words, you think you can make out a "who" and a "where"

[Hello Purvis]

>That 's it. Summon some familiars, it's time to give some proper irateness.
>"Let us go."
>Once the familiars materialize, arrange them around in a tight vertical circle and open fire. Try to hit the the arms and send some shots flying through the slivers. Also try not to hit Rumia.

[DracoOmega]

>That 's it. Summon some familiars, it's time to give some proper irateness.
>"Let us go."
>Once the familiars materialize, arrange them around in a tight vertical circle and open fire. Try to hit the the arms and send some shots flying through the slivers. Also try not to hit Rumia.

>You quickly summon a ring of familiars and open fire all around you. Both the arm grasping at your wrist and the one reaching towards your head quiver under the barrage and stop advancing. Some of your shots graze by the slivers, and one or two may even have entered, although you're not sure if they accomplished anything by doing so. You can't leverage the familiars quite as well against the arms grappling you, but still succeed in spraying a few bullets at them. They waver, and you start to slip away. There's definitely something larger emerging from that sliver. It looks vaguely like a... head? It's hard to tell, given that its wavering shadowy form seems to lack all definition. Frankly, you're not even sure how something that large is coming out of something that small. Maybe it's slipping through while intangible, and only gaining form outside?

>You hear Rumia yelp, although it sounds more like being startled and being hit. You can't really crane to see her effectively at the moment.

[Hello Purvis]

>If grips are wavering, tug free.
>To the head: "Leave us be."

[DracoOmega]

>If grips are wavering, tug free.
>To the head: "Leave us be."

>You try to communicate, but if it understands you, if makes no sign of acknowledgment.
>While its grip is wavering under your assault you try to pull your legs out of its grasp, and the one on your thigh slips off, although the other still remains around your ankle. The head seems to move and... look at you? And then you hear something. It does not feel like words, exactly, yet you somehow get the sense of something being communicated. Fear, confusion?
>A great shadow swells from the sliver, filling out the area behind the head with inky blackness

[Hello Purvis]

>It wants fear and confusion, it may have it.
>Fire upon it.

[DracoOmega]

>It wants fear and confusion, it may have it.
>Fire upon it.

>You decide to unleash your full firepower upon the being, now that there's enough of it to target fully. The form shivers and ripples as your bullets sear through it. You feel a shriek in your mind, and stagger, nearly dropping your fire in response. But its grip on your foot is gone!
>Then the great shadow behind it shifts and spreads into... are those wings? You barely have time to react before a spray of blue danmaku flies from them towards you.

[Hello Purvis]

>Back away, and move up!
>If we feel we can do it without hitting Rumia, keep the fire on it. If not, just play defensive for now.

[DracoOmega]

>Back away, and move up!
>If we feel we can do it without hitting Rumia, keep the fire on it. If not, just play defensive for now.

>You quickly dash backwards and ascend. Unfortunately, the bullets were launched at such close range without warning that you are unable to evade them all. Several collide painfully with your leg and lower torso. You wince.

>You think Rumia is still further up and behind you, and thus safely out of your way if you keep your fire directed forward. More of your shots spray through the form, causing it to waver, and eliciting another cry of pain and confusion in your mind. Then the form seems to draw itself out of the sliver entirely.
>It definitely appears humanoid, or rather like the blurry silhouette of one. Looking at it makes you feel like your eyes are out of focus. Its outline seems to shift unpredictably, becoming more and less defined, although the overall shape remains constant. A torrent of half-perceived words seems to appear in your mind "how... why... what are you...". Then it shifts its wings and another cloud of bullets fly at you.

[Hello Purvis]

>Stop the fire, and dodge back, try to analyze the pattern and slip between it if it seems feasible. If not, ascend again.
>"Leave us alone!"

[DracoOmega]

>Stop the fire, and dodge back, try to analyze the pattern and slip between it if it seems feasible. If not, ascend again.

>The cloud resembles something like a spray of shrapnel. It is all flying in straight lines, but at significantly varying velocities, and on the whole, quite quickly. You decide that you would almost certainly clip something if you tried to fly through it, and move upwards instead. You narrowly slip above the quickest front, while the bulk of the cloud still passes underneath you.
>The figure raises a hand towards you and a single line of rapid-moving bullets flies from it directly towards you.

>"Leave us alone!"

>Words surge into your consciousness again, significantly interfering with your concentration. You're not sure if it understands you or not.

[Hello Purvis]

>Move a bit to the right, be wary of exploding bullets or other tricks.
>"Go away!"
>Fire on it some more if we don't feel too pressured to dodge something.

[DracoOmega]

>Move a bit to the right, be wary of exploding bullets or other tricks.

>You shift away from the barrage but the figure's fire shifts to follow you. You keep moving right.

>Fire on it some more if we don't feel too pressured to dodge something.

>You start firing again, and this time the figure actually makes an attempt to evade your shots. It seems to react sluggishly, and still gets hit by several of them, but most of them pass it by.

>"Go away!"

>You get a sense of confusion in your mind in response. You think that whatever it is, is only vaguely aware of you, or perhaps even itself. It waves its wings, and several dense clusters of bullets fly from them. Not all of them even seem to be heading towards you, nor are they moving quickly. It is still continuing the frontal barrage.

[Kasu]

> Consider a tactical retreat.

[Hello Purvis]

>If keeping right will keep us from getting hit, cease fire and do so. Otherwise, ascend or descend, whichever is most likely to gt us out of the way.
>If we can keep going right, take potshots at it when the opportunity presents itself.
>"Don't give me that, you came after us first!"
>Also, do not retreat until we're sure Rumia's safe, at the least.

[DracoOmega]

> Consider a tactical retreat.

>Although you don't really know that thing's capabilities, so far it seems quite a bit slower than you, and there's no fire that would currently prevent you from retreating. Whether or not it would, or even could follow, you don't know.

>If keeping right will keep us from getting hit, cease fire and do so. Otherwise, ascend or descend, whichever is most likely to gt us out of the way.

>Keeping right should continue to evade the frontal fire. Only one of the clusters seems to be heading that direction, and it should be possible to navigate around it. Several other clusters are flying off to your left, or towards some of the walls of the chasm.

>If we can keep going right, take potshots at it when the opportunity presents itself.
>"Don't give me that, you came after us first!"

>You fire some more shots towards it. It evades many of them, but several others score direct hits. Its frontal fire falters for a moment, creating a gap in the stream. You feel another rush of emotions in your mind: pain, confusion, fear, a sense of being trapped

>Also, do not retreat until we're sure Rumia's safe, at the least.

>You take a moment to look towards Rumia. She seems to have shaken her fear a little, and has started to fly downward, herself, a wave of yellow shots preceding her.