Keine Quest (Part 2): Broken History

[DracoOmega]

>Consider a different possibility. Rather than remove the ward, remove what makes the ward effective. That is, reach back and arrange so that there was never a bamboo forest here.

>That... might be a way around the ward. But devouring something that large is daunting to say the least. The human village is the largest thing you have ever concealed in that way, and it had a clearly defined and localized history. And was much, much smaller. The forest here could well be ancient, and there was no ordering to its existence. Still, you try.
>There is no forest here. There was never a forest here. Seeds found no purchase here. Growth did not flourish here. This land is empty and has always been empty. You still feel like your connection to history is fainter and vague, but you think you feel something respond. You keep pushing.

>After a while - it's hard to tell how long - you become vaguely aware of a voice. "...the hell did you do?"

[Kasu]

> "What?"
> Observe the surrounding area.

[DracoOmega]

> "What?"
> Observe the surrounding area.

>You slowly come back to your senses. Looking around, there seems to be practically no trees at all for 50 or more feet from you. Even the ground seems kind of barren.
>"I said, what the hell did you just do?" Mokou repeats.
>Rumia is looking around in wide-eyed wonder.

[Hello Purvis]

>"A shortcut...which seems to have failed me. Simply put, I tried to make a brief change in history to establish that there was never a bamboo forest here. That is, nothing to prevent us from seeing and approaching Eientei. But, I couldn't get the scale I needed..."
>Sigh.

[DracoOmega]

>"A shortcut...which seems to have failed me. Simply put, I tried to make a brief change in history to establish that there was never a bamboo forest here. That is, nothing to prevent us from seeing and approaching Eientei. But, I couldn't get the scale I needed..."

>"You... you changed history? What the-" Mokou trails off and looks around for a while. "Damn... so, like, it this all gone for good, or can you put it back again? For that matter," she eyes you a little warily, "what else can you change?"

>Sigh.

>You let out a much needed sigh. You were really hoping for more than that... But at least you managed some of it. That's encouraging.... right?

[Hello Purvis]

>"Just for a while. And, I was trying to remove the ward itself, but it seems that the Princess has applied her manipulation of eternity to it, it has no beginning for me to touch..."
>Ponder for a moment. It may not have a beginning, but would it have a point of origin, from which it stretches both forward and backward into history, that could be negated?

[DracoOmega]

>"Just for a while. And, I was trying to remove the ward itself, but it seems that the Princess has applied her manipulation of eternity to it, it has no beginning for me to touch..."

>"Aw, dammit! Son of a-" Mokou kicks up a tuft of earth.

>Ponder for a moment. It may not have a beginning, but would it have a point of origin, from which it stretches both forward and backward into history, that could be negated?

>You didn't sense any such thing when you were trying to consume it. Perhaps there is a trick to it, but you might need Kaguya's help to figure it out. And, needless to say, that isn't terribly useful at the moment....

[Hello Purvis]

>"I suppose we have to do it the hard way, then. Well, one of two hard ways."
>"Have you tried attacking from above to flush them out?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I suppose we have to do it the hard way, then. Well, one of two hard ways."
>"Have you tried attacking from above to flush them out?"

>"Like I said, stuff that goes down below the canopy in there doesn't land where you think it should. I could fly right over Eientei and drop everything I had on it, and I'd probably just leave a crater half a mile away."
>"Was that one of the hard ways? What's the other?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"We go underground, and force our way up until the mansion. For this, I am going to need your help."
>Produce the compassmajigger
>"I can use this to mark a point in the world, and it shall always point toward it. Can you fly over where Eientei should be, and mark it? We'll need it to find the proper place underground. Failing that, can you mark a point that you know is an exact distance from Eientei?"

[DracoOmega]

>"We go underground, and force our way up until the mansion. For this, I am going to need your help."
>Produce the compassmajigger
>"I can use this to mark a point in the world, and it shall always point toward it. Can you fly over where Eientei should be, and mark it? We'll need it to find the proper place underground. Failing that, can you mark a point that you know is an exact distance from Eientei?"

>"Underground? Well, that should be interesting." She eyes the seeking stone with some interest. "And I can get it pretty damn close to Eientei. That's not a problem. Mightn't be smack dab on top of it, but close enough to count, I figure."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Underground? Well, that should be interesting." She eyes the seeking stone with some interest. "And I can get it pretty damn close to Eientei. That's not a problem. Mightn't be smack dab on top of it, but close enough to count, I figure."

>"The more on top of it, the better. We want to get inside the mansion proper. Then, even if the ward is in effect, at the least we can flush them out."
>Show her what Patchy told us about using it.

[DracoOmega]

>"The more on top of it, the better. We want to get inside the mansion proper. Then, even if the ward is in effect, at the least we can flush them out."

>"Got it." she says. Then she starts laughing. "'Y'know, if this works, it'll be hilarious. I can just see the look on Kaguya's face as we come tearing through the floorboards. Bet she thinks she so safe and cozy there. I don't even care how much of a long shot this is. It'll be worth trying just for the chance to see her reaction."

>Show her what Patchy told us about using it.

>Like many simple single-function magical tools, it can be activated by a simple infusion of magical energy. It's practically instinctual for any trained magic user. Mokou nods.

[Hello Purvis]

>Hand it over.
>Wait for results.

[DracoOmega]

>Hand it over.
>Wait for results.

>You hand Mokou the seeking stone and she flies off, soon passing out of sight. You wait patiently for a quite a few minutes. After a little while, Rumia starts skipping around the clearing while humming to herself, evidently satisfied that it would be impossible to get lost in here. Eventually, Mokou returns, and hands the stone back to you. It is very clearly pointing towards something in the air, east-northeast of here.
>"I made it as close as I can get it," she says. "Even I can't tell for sure above all those trees, sorry."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Then it's time for the next step, we scout out underground. I am not sure if you'd usually want to stay up around this time, Mokou, but if you'd like to accompany us, you'd be welcome."

[DracoOmega]

>"Then it's time for the next step, we scout out underground. I am not sure if you'd usually want to stay up around this time, Mokou, but if you'd like to accompany us, you'd be welcome."

>"Uh, well... normally I'd say no. But I just can't pass up the chance to pull this one off. So I guess you're stuck with me, for now." She gives you a little sidelong glance. "Although, uh, maybe that's not such a bad thing?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm glad you agree."
>Take her by the arm again, and begin flying toward the crater where Utsuho came from.

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm glad you agree."
>Take her by the arm again, and begin flying toward the crater where Utsuho came from.

>You take Mokou's arm in your own again, and set off towards the crater. You note with a smile that she didn't tense up the same way this time.
>The location you were given for your destination is quite a ways away, so you decide to try and enjoy the trip. This comes easier than you'd expected. Mokou is basically silent, but you find her presence comforting. In the forest, you were focused on solving a problem in front of you. Now, you're just flying peacefully beneath the night sky. Sure, so many things are still wrong and there are plenty more problems yet to solve, but the night sky is clear, the air is crisp and fresh, and you are holding arms with someone who is almost the person who you love.
>You fly past the sea of bamboo beneath you, past the rolling grasslands beyond it. You see the village pass by in the distance, and the lake, even more distantly.
>"Hey," Mokou eventually asks. "I'm sure you have a plan and all for this, but how are are we supposed to get back up through all that rock?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I am hoping we can find something from Patchouli to make it happen painlessly, or something down below. Failing that...we use some of the Mansion's wealth to hire a team of oni to dig us a tunnel."

[DracoOmega]

>"I am hoping we can find something from Patchouli to make it happen painlessly, or something down below. Failing that...we use some of the Mansion's wealth to hire a team of oni to dig us a tunnel."

>"That last one might take a while," she laughs. "Then again, they are oni... Man, haven't seen one of their kind in centuries."

[E-Nazrin]

>"Of course, if everything else falls through, making trouble doesn't require very controlled demolitions..."

[DracoOmega]

>"Of course, if everything else falls through, making trouble doesn't require very controlled demolitions..."

>"Hey, blasting a hole is the easy part. Making it not all fall down on top of you when you're done is the hard bit. And immortal or not, I don't want 50 fuckin' tons of rock my head. Hell, being immortal just makes it worse. At least then you wouldn't have to suffer for a century or two before someone stumbled by and dug you out."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Quite. I'm hoping for better, but it appears miners will be our main option. Perhaps we can entice them with looting Eientei?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Quite. I'm hoping for better, but it appears miners will be our main option. Perhaps we can entice them with looting Eientei?"

>She considers this for a moment. "Do oni even loot things?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I think it comes under conquest. But yeah, it's an iffy question."

[DracoOmega]

>"I think it comes under conquest. But yeah, it's an iffy question."

>"Well, we'll figure something out. Better idea than any I've had yet, anyway."
>"So, do you know the place down there, any? You've known a lot of things so far that surprised me."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I hope I know the place, but it's with knowledge from my world. If we're especially unlucky, Utsuho turned the whole place into slag..."

[DracoOmega]

>"I hope I know the place, but it's with knowledge from my world. If we're especially unlucky, Utsuho turned the whole place into slag..."

>"Who's Utsuho? And could she actually do that?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"The Hell Raven, who made the crater I'm hoping to use to get down there. And yes, she probably could, if she caught them before they could stop her."