Reimu Quest (Part 8)

[Hello Purvis]

>Pitch a sigh.
>Which was did we go to get to Sanae's Hakurei-Free Wonder Hell?

[日巫子]

>Pitch a sigh.
>Which was did we go to get to Sanae's Hakurei-Free Wonder Hell?

> Oh for god's sake.
> You're pretty sure you're already in Sanae's world.  You still can't believe that she left out your family.  Is there really no one who knows them?
> The last time you came here, you were sleeping in the Palace.  However, it looks like this place can be accessed anywhere.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Which direction did we go from this plain, rather, so we can go the other way instead.

[日巫子]

>Which direction did we go from this plain, rather, so we can go the other way instead.

> You can't remember the exact direction you went, but it was in the direction of Kikuri's shrine.  From the road that passes the forest it's located in, you'd have to just go the way opposite the town.  That would mean following the road further into the forest...you think.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Oh well.
>Pick a direction at random and head that way.

[日巫子]

>Oh well.
>Pick a direction at random and head that way.

> You decide to just wander through the field, and into the forest.
> It's broad daylight, so the sun shining through the trees' branches provide more than enough light.  Having headed in the direction, you don't see the path you followed the first time you were here.  It's just an ordinary forest, wherever you look.  Cicadas' cries only waver when the wind blows, pushing against your back and blowing your sleeves in front of you.  The air is sweet and clean, just as a forest should smell.  Everything seems vibrant, like there was rain recently, but it's not muddy or humid in here.
> After some meandering around, you come into a clearing with tall grass.  You remember this place, too.  You're sure you went in a different direction, but maybe you looped back.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh well."
>Keep going forward.

[日巫子]

>"Oh well."
>Keep going forward.

> You keep walking on through the clearing.  After a few minutes of climbing over branches and through bushes, you find yourself at the edge of a pond.  The shrine is in sight.
> The water near your feet bubbles as a school of koi fish gather to where you are, poking their fishy mouths out of the water to make kissy faces at you.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"Oh, hi guys."
>Kneel down and pet them.
>While doing so, look around for ways to proceed and points of interest.

[日巫子]

>"Oh, hi guys."
>Kneel down and pet them.
>While doing so, look around for ways to proceed and points of interest.

> You kneel down at the water's edge and pet the koi fish.  They respond by giving your hand tiny fish kisses.
> You look around.  The most interesting thing within eyesight right now is the back of the shrine, and the yard.  Across the pond, you see the exact spot you pinched Sanae to wake her up from the dream.  Now, it's just you.  You and these fish.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Contemplate ways we have not gone before.

[日巫子]

>Contemplate ways we have not gone before.

> You have gone down the road towards the town near the shrine, but you haven't gone in the opposite direction yet, away from civilization.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Let's follow the road the way we haven't gone yet, then.

[日巫子]

>Let's follow the road the way we haven't gone yet, then.

> Leaving the fish behind, you circle around the shrine and leave through the gate.  You follow the path through the forest for a while until you've made it back to the road made of the strange black stone.  You take a left from there and start walking along.
> For a long time, the scenery remains the same: the trees part above to reveal a strip of the blue, blue sky.  Twigs snap and bushes rustle even when there's no wind, and once in a while a bird flies out from a tree.  After much walking, you see more mountains in the distance.  The road leads to them; more specifically, to a hole in the mountainside.  As you get closer, you realize you can't see through it.  It's pitch black.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Light it up with some danmaku and proceed.

[日巫子]

>Light it up with some danmaku and proceed.

> You summon danmaku and enter the tunnel.  The floor, walls, and ceiling are rounded and smooth, stretching into what feels like oblivion.  Your footsteps echo--you swear it sounds like you have two sets of them--as you delve deep into the mountain.  Unlike previous paths you have taken, this one remains straight the entire time you're on it.
> Then, you catch a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel.  It's a dull, blue light.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Proceed.
>Once we're out, let's fly along this road.

[日巫子]

>Proceed.
>Once we're out, let's fly along this road.

> You go forth towards the light.  However, what it leads you towards is not a road.
> The ground beneath you slowly transitions to a darker material.  You haven't lost your footing, but it doesn't look like you're standing on anything, either.  A pinprick of light is visible to your left.  Then, below you.  They're stars.  Thousands of tiny little dots of light surround you.  At the mouth of the tunnel, the darkness and the stars spill out into an endless sky.  It's just sky.  There's no ground visible, and no end in sight.  Far off, you see a glass sphere bigger than anything you have ever seen.  There's another sphere in it, but the way the starlight dances off it, you can't quite make out what it is.
> It's so vast.  You have no idea what this is.  You're starting to feel sick.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Does it seem like we could that sphere via flight in anything like a timely manner?

[日巫子]

>Does it seem like we could that sphere via flight in anything like a timely manner?

> Absolutely not.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Is there any random small debris in the tunnel?
>If so, pick some up and toss it into the sky.

[O4rfish]

>Does this remind us of when we first encountered Kikuri?

[日巫子]

>Does this remind us of when we first encountered Kikuri?

> No.  Back then, you were a naive child who had stumbled your way through the caverns without really knowing what you were doing.  The very first time you saw Kikuri, you were intimidated and in awe, maybe a little scared, but you were hyped up enough from your last win to take her on.  This feels different.  This sphere doesn't look like something that's alive.  When you look at it, you feel overwhelmed.

>Is there any random small debris in the tunnel?
>If so, pick some up and toss it into the sky.

> There is nothing to throw.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>"...Nuts to this."
>Fly back through that tunnel, and return to where we first turned off from the path leading to the shrine.

[日巫子]

>"...Nuts to this."
>Fly back through that tunnel, and return to where we first turned off from the path leading to the shrine.

> You're not willing to put up with this, so you go back the way you came.  After some flying, you return to the entrance to the woods, with the stairs leading to the path leading to the shrine.
> When you land, you hear a snapping sound, but you haven't stepped on anything.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Look toward the sound.

[日巫子]

>Look toward the sound.

> You look to your left, and see a momentary rustle in the bushes.

> _

[O4rfish]

>"Kogasa?"

[日巫子]

>"Kogasa?"

> You get no response.  The bushes have already stopped rustling, too.

> _

[Hello Purvis]

>Go investigate the bushes. Be prepared for surprises.