Keine Quest (Part 2): Broken History

[E-Nazrin]

>"That sounds like some sort of teleportation... but I'm not sure how."
>"How can we see the mansion from above? Throwing something at it that way might show more of how it works... but it'd give us away rather thoroughly, and we should really have a plan first."

[Hello Purvis]

>"While I doubt it's going to break the spell, let's pick a marker and try walking backwards from it. I want to see it disappear."
>Go through with this plan if Mokou doesn't object.

[DracoOmega]

>"That sounds like some sort of teleportation... but I'm not sure how."

>"You and me both."

>"How can we see the mansion from above? Throwing something at it that way might show more of how it works... but it'd give us away rather thoroughly, and we should really have a plan first."

>"You can't actually see the place from above the trees. The forest is way too dense and tall for that. But I know more or less where it is by memory. And it would have to be a damn bright thing to see it fall all the way down to wherever it is that it goes."

>"While I doubt it's going to break the spell, let's pick a marker and try walking backwards from it. I want to see it disappear."
>Go through with this plan if Mokou doesn't object.

>"Sure, why not. I've tried stupider things before."
>Mokou ties off another marker similar to the first, then you face towards it and try walking backwards. A few feet, and everything looks normal. The marker recedes into the distance as it should. Then another couple steps and you stumble against some foliage behind you and nearly fall. When you catch yourself and look again, the marker no longer seems to be there. Or, indeed, the entire tree it was tied to.

[E-Nazrin]

>"Bah, I tripped and lost sight of it! Let's try that again, properly..."
>"... perhaps we could find a way to see through the trees? Or make somewhere to see, if we have to try a frontal assault. But they're probably prepared for that."
>sideways glance
>"Or have you tried that already?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Alright, new plan... You keep watch ahead, Mokou, and Rumia and I will watch from behind."

[DracoOmega]

>"Bah, I tripped and lost sight of it! Let's try that again, properly..."
>"... perhaps we could find a way to see through the trees? Or make somewhere to see, if we have to try a frontal assault. But they're probably prepared for that."
>sideways glance
>"Or have you tried that already?"

>"Are you suggesting we try chopping down every tree in front of us for a mile from here to there, or something?"

>"Alright, new plan... You keep watch ahead, Mokou, and Rumia and I will watch from behind."

>"Ok, that's probably a bit smarter. I'll try to keep you from running into or over anything. Just move slowly."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Let me know if you feel things change, Mokou."
>Execute plan. Move slowly. Make sure Rumia keeps pace. Count out steps if needs be.
>Should the marker move close to out of sight. Call for a halt, pick a new geological feature to watch, and then proceed.

[E-Nazrin]

>"I'm really not sure. Lighting up the canopy might improve visibility, though. Or at least get their attention."
>Follow through with the plan! Slow and careful.

[DracoOmega]

>"Let me know if you feel things change, Mokou."
>Execute plan. Move slowly. Make sure Rumia keeps pace. Count out steps if needs be.
>Should the marker move close to out of sight. Call for a halt, pick a new geological feature to watch, and then proceed.

>"Sure," she replies.
>You place a new marker (since the old one is who-knows-where now) and follow the plan. It's awkward going, and Mokou has to gesture for you to stop and adjust position a couple times. Really, navigation ability in here is bad enough moving forward. After a little while, the marker is pretty close to being lost behind some other trees you're moving past. You don't see any obvious geological features to focus on, other than other trees. None of them are terribly obviously distinctive looking, though.

>"I'm really not sure. Lighting up the canopy might improve visibility, though. Or at least get their attention."

>"Lighting it up how?"

[E-Nazrin]

>"I was thinking fire, but..."
>... would there be portable versions of those bright lights from the human village?
>"Do you think we've gotten turned around? It's almost out of sight, but I don't want to look away. But I'm not sure if a string of markers would be any more effective than a line in the dirt..."
>"... another crazy idea... have you ever tried to get in with your eyes closed? If there's some sort of illusion involved in this, visual distractions might be leading us astray."

[DracoOmega]

>"I was thinking fire, but..."

>"Yeah.... no. I start throwing fires down from above the canopy, and soon the whole damn place'll be on fire."

>... would there be portable versions of those bright lights from the human village?

>You honestly have no idea. Sanae mentioned that there were a bunch of more advanced things they were working on, and that some of them weren't in general use in the village, yet. Whether or not this included portable lights is anyone's guess.

>"Do you think we've gotten turned around? It's almost out of sight, but I don't want to look away. But I'm not sure if a string of markers would be any more effective than a line in the dirt..."

>"Couldn't tell you if we're turned around or not right now, sorry. I know this place pretty well, but most of it's still just bamboo, and even I can't use that to navigate by. We walk around for a bit more, I can probably find a rock or something I recognize. But that's not much good to you at the moment."

>"... another crazy idea... have you ever tried to get in with your eyes closed? If there's some sort of illusion involved in this, visual distractions might be leading us astray."

>"Huh... It's a thought. Be lucky if you don't break your face trying it, though."

[Hello Purvis]

>"And, set up another marker, please. I need to keep my eye on this one."

[DracoOmega]

>"And, set up another marker, please. I need to keep my eye on this one."

>"Sure." You hear another bit of bamboo snap. "Done."

[Hello Purvis]

>Glance toward it, then toward the old marker.
>Assuming both are there, proceed.
>"Maybe this would work better if I drew a line in the dirt."

[DracoOmega]

>Glance toward it, then toward the old marker.
>Assuming both are there, proceed.

>Both of them appear to be there.
>Do you intend to proceed by just following the second marker? If you move much further, the first will get obscured from sight.

>"Maybe this would work better if I drew a line in the dirt."

>"Well, if you've got something to dig it with," Mokou says. "Ground's pretty hard here, in places. And what exactly are you hoping for with it, anyway? I said I tried the whole line bit."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, but you weren't watching it. You were moving ahead. Then you looked back and it was cut off. "
>Watch both as long as possible.

[DracoOmega]

>"Yeah, but you weren't watching it. You were moving ahead. Then you looked back and it was cut off. "

>"Yeah, I suppose. You hoping to see it vanish while you're looking at it, or something?"

>Watch both as long as possible.

>You watch the first marker for a few more steps, before it goes out of sight. This would be easier if it were possible to go more straight, but moving around clusters of bamboo is just a fact of life, here. After another dozen or so feet, it looks like the second marker will get obscured behind something again, soon.

[Hello Purvis]

>"That's exactly what I'm hoping to see."
>Ponder if a thick length of bamboo would be enough to make a good mark.

[DracoOmega]

>"That's exactly what I'm hoping to see."

>"And, let's say you do. How does that help us?"

>Ponder if a thick length of bamboo would be enough to make a good mark.

>It probably could. But there's a fair bit of underbrush a lot of the time, and it would probably take a fair bit of elbow grease to leave a trail that would be visible at any distance.

[Hello Purvis]

>"It helps me understand this place a little better. The better I can understand it, the more likely I can deal with it. Do you have a knife? Something we could cut down and sharpen some bamboo with?"

[DracoOmega]

>"It helps me understand this place a little better. The better I can understand it, the more likely I can deal with it. Do you have a knife? Something we could cut down and sharpen some bamboo with?"

>"Uh, not on me. But I could still get you down a piece you could mark with if you want."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I need something to get it sharp enough to break the soil easily."

[DracoOmega]

>"I need something to get it sharp enough to break the soil easily."

>"Hmm... dunno. I can shear it off at an angle. Probably should be good enough. Maybe."

[Hello Purvis]

>"If you would?"

[DracoOmega]

>"If you would?"

>"Sure." You can't really see what Mokou is doing without turning around, but you hear some rustling, followed by a crackling noise, and what you assume is a tree falling over. Then a little more crackling. "Here," she says, and hands you a length of bamboo about four feet long. One edge is angled to a point, while the other is basically flat. Both ends are seared, and some bits of charcoal fall off them as you take hold of it.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Very nicely done."
>Get to drawing that line in the dirt.

[DracoOmega]

>"Very nicely done."

>"It's no big deal."

>Get to drawing that line in the dirt.

>You test the stick on the dirt. Part of it crumbles away when you do this, but the rest of it seems sturdy enough, and at least a little sharp. It still takes a fair bit of effort to mark the line, but it's doable. At least for a little distance. You really, really don't want to have to do that all the way to Eientei....

[Hello Purvis]

>The way things are going, it likely won't go that far.
>"Let's carry on. Let me know if you detect any shifts, Mokou."

[DracoOmega]

>The way things are going, it likely won't go that far.
>"Let's carry on. Let me know if you detect any shifts, Mokou."

>Perhaps not....
>"I let you know if I see anything I recognize."

>You continue the same procedure as before, only with more manual labor. Thankfully the ground is more yielding in some places than it was where you started. Nothing looks the slightest bit amiss with your trail, or anything else you can detect, although parts of the trail eventually become obscured as you get further away. A couple more minutes pass uneventfully.
>"Dammit," Mokou suddenly grumbles. "Ok, we're now about 15 minutes on the other side of Eientei."

[Hello Purvis]

>Perhaps not....
>"I let you know if I see anything I recognize."

>You continue the same procedure as before, only with more manual labor. Thankfully the ground is more yielding in some places than it was where you started. Nothing looks the slightest bit amiss with your trail, or anything else you can detect, although parts of the trail eventually become obscured as you get further away. A couple more minutes pass uneventfully.
>"Dammit," Mokou suddenly grumbles. "Ok, we're now about 15 minutes on the other side of Eientei."

>"Stop."
>Once she does, examine the line. Is it broken at all within sight?