Keine Quest (Part 6): Broken History (Complete)

[Hello Purvis]

>Look around for a surface.
>Try to swim (or flail) toward it.

[DracoOmega]

>Look around for a surface.
>Try to swim (or flail) toward it.

>You quickly scan around you, trying not to panic. You spot the surface, about 15 feet above your head. At least this space seems to follow the laws of geometry you're familiar with. For the moment, anyway.
>You try to propel yourself towards the surface. While your arms and most of your body are free, your legs are still constricted, and moving them is difficult. Still, you fight with all your strength against the force dragging you downwards and seem to make some headway. But it's very slow. You win a couple more feet.
>The water is very cold, and your lungs are straining. You don't know if you can hold what little breath you have until you reach the surface at the rate you're moving.

[Hello Purvis]

>Shoot the arm, then swim.

[DracoOmega]

>Shoot the arm, then swim.

>You take aim at one of the formless things gripping your legs and fire. It wavers a little as the danmaku passes through it, but its grip strength decreases only slightly. Not nearly enough to break free, and barely enough to give you added momentum. Still, you continue to fight your way upwards, gaining several more feet.
>Your lungs are practically gasping for air, now. The exertion is taking its toll on you, and you're still nearly 10 feet underwater.

[Hello Purvis]

>Shoot at it some more, until it releases for real properly.
>Try to let rage and survival instincts overwhelm panic

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Shoot at it some more, until it releases for real properly.
>Try to let rage and survival instincts overwhelm panic

>You continue firing, pouring as much energy into it as you have to spare. Unfortunately, between attacking, dragging yourself towards the surface, and doing all you can not to breathe, that isn't much. You think its grip may have loosened a little more. You're not sure. In fact, the rational part of your mind feels barely aware any longer, so subsumed are you in the desperate struggle to surface. You need air. You need air more desperately than you ever have in your life. Your lungs burn in your chest.
>You try to let your instincts and your anger drive you and you see the surface drift slowly closer. One foot. Another. Tortuously slow. Too slow. When are you going to be able to breathe again?

[Hello Purvis]

>Keep going. As soon as we can get some air, we are blasting this thing so badly Mugetsu will feel it.|
>And if it knows what's good for it, it'll let go so it's not in strangling range right afterward.
>Rage is like strength...

[DracoOmega]

>Keep going. As soon as we can get some air, we are blasting this thing so badly Mugetsu will feel it.|
>And if it knows what's good for it, it'll let go so it's not in strangling range right afterward.
>Rage is like strength...

>You keep pushing, drawing upon your anger and frustration, and the lure of all the terrible and terribly satisfying things you're going to do to this thing once you reach the surface. And you are going to reach the surface. You're simply not going to give reality any other choice in the matter. C'mon, just a little further...
>You can feel your consciousness dimming. No matter how much will a person has, there are physical limits. You've been struggling for too long, with too little air when you started. Your chest burns; it feels like there's a void inside in, clawing at you. You rage on, but feel yourself slowing. Part of you dimly becomes aware of voices, distant and muted. They hardly seem to matter now. It's all getting so far away.
>"Love Sign!" Wait, is that-?
>"Master Spaaaaaark!"
>You feel a torrent of energy surge beneath you, water churning and blasting away from it. It passes perilously close to your legs; you feel the beam mere inches from them, and the spray of hot water in its wake almost scalds you. The creature releases its grip!

[Hello Purvis]

>Up!
>We'll rage about how it got lucky later.

[DracoOmega]

>Up!
>We'll rage about how it got lucky later.

>You rush for the surface, covering the remaining couple feet in a moment. With a surge of desperate triumph, you crest the surface and gasp for air. Never before in your life have you been this grateful to breathe. Your lungs still burn, and you're dizzy and weak, but you can breathe!
>You'll save your rage for when you're done feasting on this wonderful, joyous air.
>"Are... you ok?" Mugetsu voice comes from beside you. You hadn't even noticed her move towards you.

[Hello Purvis]

>"No."
>Breathe! Cough that water out.

[DracoOmega]

>"No."
>Breathe! Cough that water out.

>Mugetsu frowns, looking quite concerned.
>You keep breathing. Oh, how sweet it is! Fortunately, you didn't get much more water in your lungs than that initial splash. Wouldn't have been too much longer before that changed, though...
>You feel a little bitter. Still winded and worn out, but you're on the road to recovery.

[Hello Purvis]

>Look around.
>"Thanks..."
>Breathe
>"I saw Maribel. Talked to her."

[DracoOmega]

>Look around.
>"Thanks..."
>Breathe
>"I saw Maribel. Talked to her."

>You look around. If you had to guess, you'd say you were above the Misty Lake's doppelganger. It and the surrounding terrain are strongly reminiscent of it, but not quite right. ...is that even the Scarlet Devil Mansion you see in the distance? Or a not-entirely-accurate approximation of it, anyway. Mugetsu is hovering beside you, and Marisa is some feet off, the last of her Master Spark dissipating amid the churning waters.
>"I'm sorry we didn't arrive sooner," Mugetsu says. "You wandered off. It took some time to find you again."
>You take in another breath. You're not sure you're ever going to get tired of doing that, now.
>"Did you?" Mugetsu asks. "That might have been some part of her, perhaps. What did she say to you?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"She seemed rather coherent. Told me her name, we talked briefly about what she was doing, and about the Outside world before that thing attacked me."
>Breathe
>"Mugetsu, I might have to strangle your sister just a little bit if we put her back together."

[DracoOmega]

>"She seemed rather coherent. Told me her name, we talked briefly about what she was doing, and about the Outside world before that thing attacked me."
>Breathe
>"Mugetsu, I might have to strangle your sister just a little bit if we put her back together."

>Mugetsu nods. "She wanders around inside here, much like any dreamer would. She seeks discovery. She seeks this place, in fact. Such as she remembers it. I never spoke with her while I was inside, and I made sure she never saw me. I doubt she would remember you, if she awakens."
>Mugetsu frowns distressingly at you. "Why would you-" she glances down at the settling water. "...oh. That wasn't her, you know. ...as such."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Then what was it?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Then what was it?"

>"Most of what's in here is Maribel's creation," Mugetsu says. "This place... holds a fear of strange creatures in the night for her. Perhaps even like the being you fought in that fissure. This was a manifestation of these fears, I think. This place is an amalgam of her memories and imagination and things even stranger. You might even find something here that looks exactly like Gengetsu, simply because Maribel remembers her. But it would not be her."

[Hello Purvis]

>"All I know is that when it first came for Maribel, danmaku didn't seem to bother it. Then once it started ti drown me, it seemed to react to it. Do you know why?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"All I know is that when it first came for Maribel, danmaku didn't seem to bother it. Then once it started ti drown me, it seemed to react to it. Do you know why?"

>"I'm not sure," she says, then frowns. "...you realize that you don't really need to breathe here, right?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Evidence suggests otherwise."

[DracoOmega]

>"Evidence suggests otherwise."

>"That's only because you believed you were drowning," she says. "Don't forget that this is still a dream."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Can I drown you, then?"
>Shake head.
>"Sorry. Let's just find Maribel and knock some sense into her."

[DracoOmega]

>"Can I drown you, then?"
>Shake head.
>"Sorry. Let's just find Maribel and knock some sense into her."

>Mugetsu gives you a perplexed expression. "I can't drown in a place like this."
>You try to dispel such thoughts, as irritated as you may feel at the time.
>"I'm... not sure that would help us. What are you hoping she can do, even if we can reach her? To her, this probably feels like a normal dream. Were she to awaken, she might not even realize anything had happened."

[E-Nazrin]

>"And if she woke up, would that free Gengetsu?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"If she awakens, couldn't we tell her something has happened? More to the point, if she awakens, wouldn't it be a significant step toward getting her out of that coma?"

[DracoOmega]

>"And if she woke up, would that free Gengetsu?"

>"I'd think the opposite," Mugetsu says. "She shouldn't be able to wake up while my sister or myself is still inside."

>"If she awakens, couldn't we tell her something has happened? More to the point, if she awakens, wouldn't it be a significant step toward getting her out of that coma?"

>Mugetsu tilts her head to the side. "If she does wake up, then everything will already be fixed, won't it?"
>"But if you are referring to her being aware she's still dreaming... I don't know that it would matter. She can't simply force us out, even if she understood. But I suppose you could try to reach her if you wish."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Given this is Maribel's dream, wouldn't it be best to get her on our side? I'm sure the two of you together would be able to straighten out some of the problems here."

[DracoOmega]

>"Given this is Maribel's dream, wouldn't it be best to get her on our side? I'm sure the two of you together would be able to straighten out some of the problems here."

>"I'm... not used to trying to announce my presence to the dreamer. But if you feel it would be best, we can try."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I think it would be best to try to get her on our side and try to tame this place, rather than letting it run wild as it has."