(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 6)

[Hello Purvis]

>Show him the blackened veins on our arms.
>"See?"

[DracoOmega]

>Show him the blackened veins on our arms.
>"See?"

>You pull back your sleeve and show him the blighted patch on your right arm. You see a flash of shock in his eyes, and he actually shirks away from you a little; the manner suggests it was almost unconscious.
>"It is, um... contagious?" he asks quietly.

[Hello Purvis]

>Shake head. "No, you'll be fine. But if I let this sword get away from me, it won't be. It's kind of why I was chasing you guys about the sword, I was hoping you could tell me something about the disease, too. Apparently it's an old, bad one. The Harvest Goddess, Minoriko, told me a bit about how it used to be a big problem."

[DracoOmega]

>Shake head. "No, you'll be fine. But if I let this sword get away from me, it won't be. It's kind of why I was chasing you guys about the sword, I was hoping you could tell me something about the disease, too. Apparently it's an old, bad one. The Harvest Goddess, Minoriko, told me a bit about how it used to be a big problem."

>He tries to look you in the face, though you can see his eyes being tugged back to the mark on your arm.
>"No, um, that's... way out of my area," he says pensively.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Never heard of anything like this in the past, huh?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Never heard of anything like this in the past, huh?"

>"I'm just an archaeology student..." he says.

[Oldmansour]

>"That's one of the reasons I was hoping to see your boss, professor Kamishirasawa. Kinda wish I'dve mentioned this to Sasha when she was in, might've convinced Keine to see me herself. I need to know everything I can about this sword, and the ones that made it, so I can find a cure for myself."

[DracoOmega]

>"That's one of the reasons I was hoping to see your boss, professor Kamishirasawa. Kinda wish I'dve mentioned this to Sasha when she was in, might've convinced Keine to see me herself. I need to know everything I can about this sword, and the ones that made it, so I can find a cure for myself."

>"That's, uh..." He shifts uncomfortably, his gaze wavering. "Well, we were hoping the sword might help tell us something. I, uh... I don't think we can tell you anything about it. Uh, well other than the inscription being Freelands Archaic, but we don't even know if they were a single culture or not. If we can translate it, maybe..."

[Oldmansour]

>Poor bastard got a bit more than he expected, it seems.
>"I assume you folks have found inscriptions like this before, though, right? About how long does it usually take to translate archaic into modern?"

[DracoOmega]

>Poor bastard got a bit more than he expected, it seems.
>"I assume you folks have found inscriptions like this before, though, right? About how long does it usually take to translate archaic into modern?"

>He does look significantly unsettled, though you suppose it isn't too surprising given that you just announced yourself as the carrier of a highly lethal disease, when he'd only been expecting the carrier of a highly interesting artifact.
>"Well, most have been more fragmentary," he say, "but yes. And, well... it varies. We still don't know all that much about the language. I think I heard the professor saying she didn't recognize some parts of the inscription, but I don't really know. I... can't actually read more than a couple words in the language," he adds sheepishly. "It's not really my primary field."

[Oldmansour]

>"We all have our specialties. But I don't suppose she mentioned any parts of it that WERE recognizable? I am a Seeker, finding things is what I do, but knowing which way to go at first is a bit of a help."

[DracoOmega]

>"We all have our specialties. But I don't suppose she mentioned any parts of it that WERE recognizable? I am a Seeker, finding things is what I do, but knowing which way to go at first is a bit of a help."

>He shakes his head. "I never really talked with her about it. She's been pretty busy."

[Hello Purvis]

So, do we insist on being taken to see Keine? Or follow another path?

Also: Comedy Option 4: Darkening of the veins suggests the disease has some kind of relation to blood. So we find us a fuckin' vampiyah, because who is going to know more about blood?

[Oldmansour]

As long as said vampire isn't one of the scarlets. We deserve better vampires to nibble on us.
That said, insisting to a student isn't gonna do us much good, I don't think. Especially since this one seems even more timid than Sasha. We might get the location out of him if we threaten him, but I really don't wanna do that. Plus, if this Keine's anything like the Zuniverse one, she won't take too kindly to us threatening one of her students. Still, that doesn't mean we can't get anything out of bozo here.

>"I assume she's one of, if not the, leading expert in the field?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I assume she's one of, if not the, leading expert in the field?"

>"Oh, absolutely," he replies. "It's just there hasn't been a lot to work with up to now. But this new dig, well... we're all really excited about it."

[Oldmansour]

>Nod. "I can tell."
>"But, I assume there are other experts in the field, as well. If not here on this island, then at the academy, maybe?"

[DracoOmega]

>Nod. "I can tell."
>"But, I assume there are other experts in the field, as well. If not here on this island, then at the academy, maybe?"

>"I'm... sure there are some," he says. "I'm not as up on it as you might think. Like I said, Freelands Archaic is a bit out of my specialty, but they were looking for students for the dig and, well..." His frowns deepens a little. "I'm sure some of the others at the Academy would know more than I do, anyway, but Professor Kamishirasawa is the best."

[Oldmansour]

>Yeah, that figures.
>"Well, go ahead and take your pictures, I need to do a little thinking."

[DracoOmega]

>Yeah, that figures.
>"Well, go ahead and take your pictures, I need to do a little thinking."

>He hesitates a moment. "Um... well... what are you going to do about the sword? Um, I mean I do need to actually be able to see it better than that... If I'm going to take some pictures of it, I mean."

[Oldmansour]

>"Oh, right, that. Sorry."
>"Well, I can put it down, I think, but if I understand the way the power in this thing works, I have to stay in contact with it for it to do its thing. Trust me, you don't wanna see me if things go south. But I'll try minimum contact, say, a finger on the tip of the pommel, or something. Will that work for you?"
>What dowe know about cameras in general?

[DracoOmega]

>"Oh, right, that. Sorry."
>"Well, I can put it down, I think, but if I understand the way the power in this thing works, I have to stay in contact with it for it to do its thing. Trust me, you don't wanna see me if things go south. But I'll try minimum contact, say, a finger on the tip of the pommel, or something. Will that work for you?"

>"Um, well, I guess..." he says warily, looking at where the sword hangs at your side.

>What dowe know about cameras in general?

>They are Kappa technology, used for taking photographs of objects. You're not closely acquainted with their workings, though you know that most require specialized film which subsequently needs to be developed before the photos can be seen, although you've heard that this is unnecessary in some of the more advanced models. They're rather uncommon in this part of the world, though this is not the first you've seen. This example is both larger and more solid looking than previous ones; you wouldn't be surprised if it was designed with durability in mind, perhaps for field work in rough conditions.

[Oldmansour]

>Pull the sword from its scabbard, but not too quickly, no need to alarm the nerd with the camera.
>Give him a moment to appraise it, then set it down on the cloth.
>Try to accomodate his shutterbugging as best we can, while leaving at least part of one hand on the blade.
>"Thinking about this sword, though. Does the grand academy have a.... religious studies section? I was told this sword might be connected to an old faith, and that its power is as much faith-based as magic, if not moreso."

[DracoOmega]

>Pull the sword from its scabbard, but not too quickly, no need to alarm the nerd with the camera.
>Give him a moment to appraise it, then set it down on the cloth.
>Try to accomodate his shutterbugging as best we can, while leaving at least part of one hand on the blade.

>You gently unsheathe Kumokirimaru. Rather than alarm him, this seems to momentarily distract him from his worries as he closely watches the sword come into full view. You give him a moment to get a good look at it then put it down on the cloth, keeping a minimal amount of contact with the weapon. Takeshi takes up the camera again and frames a shot, apparently trying to keep you out of the picture as best he can. His discomfort is obvious, but he nonetheless applies himself to the task diligently, taking numerous photos from different distances and angles. He says little, other than occasionally asking if you could shift your hand to another part of the weapon, so as to give him a clearer view of some detail or another. You oblige him as best you can.

>"Thinking about this sword, though. Does the grand academy have a.... religious studies section? I was told this sword might be connected to an old faith, and that its power is as much faith-based as magic, if not moreso."

>"Of course," he replies, then frowns. "Well... of an academic sort, anyway. History, social significance, that sort of thing. We don't actually teach faith arts there. Not sure how well the magicians would take it if someone tried."

[Oldmansour]

>Did Marisa ever mention any sort of friction between religion and the arcane?
>If not, "Magicians and churchies not on the same page?"

[DracoOmega]

>Did Marisa ever mention any sort of friction between religion and the arcane?
>If not, "Magicians and churchies not on the same page?"

>Not particularly; certainly she never seemed to have any issue with religious people, though she wasn't very religious herself. But you're not sure how much contact she actually maintained with magicians' circles; in a strange way, she almost didn't seem the type - too much of a free spirit. Or a loose cannon, to be less polite about it.
>He frowns slightly. "Well, it's just... not really an academic discipline, you know? A lot of it's supposed to work through intuition or something like that. Magic is rigorous and scholarly and follows the same principles whether you believe in it or not. Or at least that's what they say; I'm certainly no magician. Besides, shrines and temples and that all have their own traditions. The Academy's not really the place for it."

[Oldmansour]

>"Then if I were to look for an expert on matters of faith, I'd be better served asking about the city proper, not just the academy grounds. And of course the academy itself is the place to go for matters of the magical world."

[DracoOmega]

>"Then if I were to look for an expert on matters of faith, I'd be better served asking about the city proper, not just the academy grounds. And of course the academy itself is the place to go for matters of the magical world."

>"Well, like I said, people have tried to study and classify it, and certainly lots has been written about it. But if you're looking for someone who can work it, I doubt you'll find them there." Then he shrugs. "Then again, we get all kinds."

[Oldmansour]

>"I'll bet."
>"Don't suppose you'd know who'd be the go-to guy in the field of magic at the academy? Yeah, I know, it's not your specialty, but every place as big as the academy has a few bigwigs around that everyone knows. We Seekers sure do."

[DracoOmega]

>"I'll bet."
>"Don't suppose you'd know who'd be the go-to guy in the field of magic at the academy? Yeah, I know, it's not your specialty, but every place as big as the academy has a few bigwigs around that everyone knows. We Seekers sure do."

>"I'm... not sure the bigwigs and the go-to guys would be the same people," he says a little hesitantly. "I mean, magic is what the Academy was founded on and the headmistress is a magician of considerable reputation. I've heard people call her a walking library. But she's also a bit... stiff. And she's the headmistress, too, so I'm not sure she'd want to sit and field questions from a stranger. Uh, no offense intended; she just seems a bit like that kind of person."
>He pauses and shakes his head. "I don't really know that end of the Academy well enough to say who'd be a good person to speak with about that, sorry. But I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find if you went around and asked there, yourself. I'm sure someone would be happy to answer a few questions."

[Oldmansour]

>Nod slowly.
>"Something to think about, then. Gotta assess my options here."
>Wait for him to finish his photo shoot.