Maidens of the Kaleidoscope
~Beyond the Border~ => Rumia's Party Games => Topic started by: Yonowaaru on April 29, 2012, 09:25:03 AM
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>You are Koishi Komeiji, sister to the most influential and feared Youkai of the underground, Satori Komeiji.
>Your sister is feared because she has the power to read minds, which comes with being a satori. She is also the mistress of the Palace of Earth Spirits, the place you call home.
>You yourself, even though you are a satori, have become unable to read minds at a very young age. You closed your Third Eye, the artifact given to the satori which gives them the ability to read minds and works similarly to a heart in humans. Due to closing it, however, you've become able to read people's subconcious; you can feel what people feel and act accordingly. Or not!
>Around the Ancient City, you've met a few people. There's Orin and Okuu, a Kassha and a Hell Raven who are Satori's pets, there's Yuugi, a very strong Oni and there's Reimu Hakurei, the Shrine Maiden you met while looking for the gods that granted Okuu the power of the Yatagarasu.
>Satori doesn't like you going out too much, because according to her:' Your powers are too great for those that live above'
>However, today, when you woke up and went to the dinner hall, you noticed Satori wasn't there, even though you're always the one who wakes up late.
>Therefor, you have decided to take the chance and go EXPLORE~! It's been months since you've met Reimu, and the Overworld is so big!
>INVENTORY
>A black hat with a cute yellow string bound around it x 1
>A navy-blue, closed Third Eye x 1
>QUESTS
>Explore the Overworld
>It's been ages since you've been out, and there's so much to do!
>Go on a shrine visit!
>You want to visit Reimu, to see how she's doing
>Going to the Pet Shop
>You're actually kind of jealous of Satori's many pets, while you don't have any!
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>Let's go to that pet shop first - it would be nice to have a companion in our travels!
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>You decide to go to the pet shop!
>... until you realize you have no clue where this pet shop would be. Where does sis get her pets anyways?
>While you're standing around in the dinner hall, Orin enters with a wheelcart full of delicious food. No, not corpses, you silly! Actual tasty meat!
>"Koishi-shama? What are you looking for? If it's Satori-shama, she left for urgent bushiness. She won't be returning for at least a week... Nyaa~! I'm already getting worried..."
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>Blink in surprise, "Oh? Thanks for letting me know, Orin~!!"
>Hug her to how our gratefulness!
>Smile, "Say, Orin, do you know where the pet shop may be, by any chance?"
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>"No problem, Koishi-shama!"
>You hug Orin, to her surprise. She happily accepts your hug and you feel like you've deepened your relationship once more.
>"Nya~? The pet shop? It?s around somewhere in the Ancient City. I can lead you if you want to, but they don?t sell youkai that can talk, like me or Okuu! Satori-shama beat me in a fight, then offered me a place to stay if I became her pet. I think that's the same for Okuu. Besides, Koishi-shama, do you even have money?"
>She might have a point there... You never really saw the need for money, so you're pretty much broke. Although sis might have some...
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>We're her sister, she wouldn't mind if we took a little bit of money, would she?
>Besides, doesn't Satori have a lot of money anyway?
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>She probably wouldn't mind, right? She's had the Palace built, so she must be loaded!
>You enter Satori's bedroom in search of money. One of Orin's underlings, a fairy in a zombie costume, is cleaning the room.
>Wow... Satori's room really is purple. It's almost the same colour as her hair!
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>Where would Satori keep her money?
>Would the zombie-fairy know?
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>Probably in some really obvious place, like under her pillow. She really isn't worried about burglars since she can even read minds in her sleep.
>She might know, but it'd be pretty hard to hide you stole the money when Satori returns.
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>How about we leave a little note saying "Borrowed some money - will give it back when I can".
>Commence the money search!
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>That might work! It's better than doing nothing, right?
>You commence the money search!
>Under the pillow... nothing.
>On her night stand... nothing.
>Under her bed... is a small box. Inside is a small nondescript book, along with a boatload of UC, Underground Currency! There's enough here to build a palace out of pets!
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>Let's take some!!
>Do we know how much pets would cost?
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If we don't, maybe Rin would know?
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>Let's take some!!
>Do we know how much pets would cost?
>You decide to take some! And by some, you mean a note of ten million UC, which has a weird person's face on it with a fruit basket for a hat.
>You have no idea, but the people selling them would know best, right?
If we don't, maybe Rin would know?
>Well, she might. She might also not. In other words, you haven't the faintest.
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>We can always go to the pet shop and check. If we don't have enough, we can come back.
>Let's go!
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>You have all the time you need!~
>You leave the mansion through the main hall, and after a short walk through the rose garden you pass under the great entrance arch Satori had built recently, you reach the main street of the ancient city.
>On the street itself, oni are wreaking havoc like usual. You feel a lot of people being excited in a back alley a few hundred meters from the entrance, while the pet shop Orin told you about is in one of the larger streets towards the left of the city. You also notice a large hole in the wall that certainly wasn't there yesterday.
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>Despite our curiosities, let's keep heading for the pet shop!
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>You decide to disregard all the happenings and head for the pet shop.
>Said pet shop is easily found in Lantern Alley, a street famous for its huge lanterns brought in from the Outside World.
>The fa?ade of the pet shop just says 'Pet Shop'. When you enter, you get surprised by the sound of a gong. The maker of this sound is a bulky female oni standing behind the counter. She notices you as you enter, and welcomes you with an astonishingly loud 'WELCOOOOOME!'
>The inside of the pet shop is way more impressive than the front. All kinds of animals (Small animals, like fiery birds, large-winged crows, toads and small creatures called tsuchinoko, but also larger ones like small alligators, hellhounds and green-eyed cats) can be seen in cages that are placed on shelves seemingly continuing all the way up to the ceiling of the underground.
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>Go over to the Oni at the counter.
>"Hello! I'd like to buy a pet, please... how much are they?"
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>You head over to the counter, where the burly oni is watching you with a friendly smile
>She suddenly seems to notice something as you come closer
>"My, my! Aren't you little Koishi-sama, the sister of the Palace of the Earth Spirits? You are very welcome indeed."
>"How much? Well, it really depends on what you like. Different prices for different creatures, of course. Though... with Koishi-sama here, we could make an arrangement..."
>The oni seems to be thinking intently on something, even closing her eyes. Well, yours is as well...
>Speaking of your eye, it seems to be telling you this oni is a very mischievous one; you might want to be careful with this one.
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>"Arrangement? What kind of arrangement?"
>Keep on guard. No fishy happenings are going to go down on our watch.
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>"Truth be told, business seems to be going down. 't seems like these days, no one enjoys a small animal anymore. They all want bigger, badder, and more fireproof."
>"That's where you come in, little miss. If you could walk around the city and spread a little fame for me, I'll gladly give you one of these critters here fer free. How's that for a deal?"
>You keep your guard up. Don't want to get in trouble now Satori's gone...
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>"You mean advertising..? Well..."
>Apologetic and sweet smile time!
>"I actually have stuff to do, so I can't really spare much time..."
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>"No, no, not advertising!"
>The oni waves her arms profusedly. It's quite an amazing sight.
>"Just walk around with one of these cute little creatures, nothing else I ask of you. We're the only pet shop in town, so people will know it's mine."
>"Could you do an old lady in a pinch a favour, my dearest and most adorable Koishi-shama~?"
>Now this is just plain emotional blackmailing. Which, unfortunately, doesn't work on people like you who can read the subconcious and realize she's completely faking it.
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>Smile awkwardly.
>"Like I said, I don't have any time! I have urgent business and this is a pit-stop before I depart to complete said business."
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>The oni seems to be disappointed, but finally gets back to business.
>"All right then. So, which one strikes you fancy? Koishi-sama's urgent business must be important, so I'll make this quick!"
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>Let's have a look around at the animals!
>"Which one do you think suits me best? I was thinking a fiery bird or a hellhound..."
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>You take another look around the huge room
-All the way at the top, there are all kinds of birds in cages, Bluebirds, birds with flaming feathers, birds with icy feathers, rainbow-coloured birds and even stained-glass coloured birds.
-Lower down, there all all kinds of small animals: ferrets, hamsters, guinea pigs and also a small creature that looks like a ferret that seems to create lightning!
-All the way at the bottom, there are the bigger cages, with bigger animals: pitchblack hellhounds with blazing red eyes, cats with green eyes and a huge toad with warts bigger than your eye!
>"An animal that fits Koishi-sama, huh? I always figured you were a cat person myself... But of course, that's all up to you!"
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>Decisions, decisions...
>Let's have a closer look the rainbow-coloured bird - just how big is it?
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>Decisions that will decide a lot of things, or not? Who will say?
>The rainbow-coloured bird is all the way at the top of the shop, but it seems really small; only a little bigger than your eye.
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>Hmm... we probably need something a bit bigger - we need to keep track of it.
>How big are those fire-winged birds and the ice-winged birds?
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>It would really be bad if you lost your pet on the day you got it.
>Those are a lot bigger. They wingspan is about the length of both your arms combined. Not that carrying fire or ice on your arm would be a good idea...
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>Maybe ice would be the better idea - we could always put on a thick coat if it got too cold.
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>You wonder if ice would be the better choice. It's spring right now, so it probably wouldn't be too cold and you've wanted to wear that new coat for a while now...
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>If we do get that ice-bird, would it survive in the summer? Or would it melt?
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>You don't know whether the ice-bird would survive, so you ask the owner.
>"That one, up there? Are you kidding me? That's not the problem: it leaves behind a trace of ice wherever it goes. One time, the ice got so cold it melted through the cage and it came dripping down... It was horrible.. But being Koishi-sama, you could probably handle it..."
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>What about that ferret-thing that had the lightning? That was kinda interesting too.
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>The ferret-like thing, on a closer look, looks more like a flying squirrel. It's kind of flat, beige-coloured and has lightning coming out of its skin.
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>Awww!
>Oh, so many choices...
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>It really is cute, huh.
>So many choices, so many creatures to choose.
>"So, mistress, have you managed to pick one of these lovely creatures? I'm sure they'll all come in handy during your travels!"
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>"Oooh...they're all so cute! I don't know which one!"
>....Think we could get away with all three? Big sis has Okuu and Orin anyhow!
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>"You don't have to hold back! I won't mind it at all if you buy multiple!"
>You feel like the woman is holding back her laughter.
>You have the money and Satori probably won't mind another pet or five... right?
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>Ask if there is a unique kind of pet .
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>"A unique kind of pet, huh? I do have something, but I'm afraid it's not quite a pet. Wait a second, I'll get it for you."
>The shopkeepster walks into the back room and comes back after a while with... an egg. It's almost as high as your legs, and has navy-blue stripes running around it like waves, just like your eye.
>"I figured there was going to be a day I parted with this. A particularily adventurous friend of mine retrieved this from the rocky shores of the Subterrenean Sea, just outside the city. I always thought them stripes reminded me of something... that must've been that eye of yours, miss Koishi."
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>"Huh?"
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>"Can't you see it? They're they exact same colour! My instinct tells me there's some reason that's the case. And oni never lie!"
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>Blink.
>"Uh, okay... it looks pretty, anyway. So, you have no idea what's in it?"
>Is there any way of telling?
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>"Thank you! Unfortunately, I have no idea. It was found by the shore, so it might be a sea creature, but who can say. A little mystery can spice up your life, though!"
>You concentrate on the egg, and feel.. something inside it. It is at least sentient and gives off a modest, yet ferocious feel. This is only your eye speaking, though, so you're not sure how accurate it is.
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>Seems interesting enough.
>"How much is it?"
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>You decide this will be a nice thing to bring.
>"It's 250.000 UC. A bit on the pricy side, I realise that, but this really is a unique... creature."
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>How much cash did we bring.
>Nod, "Yeah, this is certainly unique... I wonder what's inside~.."
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>You stole.. ahum, brought a single note of 10 million UC.
>"I'm actually kind of interested as well... If you manage to hatch it, can you show me what comes out?"
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>Agree to obtain the egg.
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>You pay for the egg, and the bulky oni lady hands you it
>You now have 9 million and 750.000 UC left.
>You got a wavy navy blue egg x 1!
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>Yay!
>Wait. can we even carry this thing?!
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>You can: it's only the size of both your hands. It is however going to pose a problem to take it with you on your travels. You do have a travel bag, but it's back at home.
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>Well, we can just carry it with us as we sneak back to get the bag!
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>Of course you can!
>With the egg in both your hands, you exit the store, hearing the bulky oni say "Come again!" as you leave.
>Without much hassle, you walk back to the Palace. In the back of the garden, in her private shot practice range, you think you spot Okuu.
>Entering through the main entrance, you go to your room and grab your travel bag, which is the same green-with-roses pattern as your skirt. You got it from Satori at your last birthday.
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>Alright, let's stash the egg in the travel bag, but we should put some soft things in there before and after the egg. Like clothing and stuff, so that way it'll be comfortable!
>Once we've done that, let's go visit Okuu at the range!
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>Size of the bag?
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>Size of the bag?
>The bag is a little bigger than the egg, and quite a lot higher as well. You could probably fit some more things in here once you find them.
>Alright, let's stash the egg in the travel bag, but we should put some soft things in there before and after the egg. Like clothing and stuff, so that way it'll be comfortable!
>Once we've done that, let's go visit Okuu at the range!
>Clothing to keep the li'l critter warm, a few cushions from your bed, and you put the egg in your travel bag. It fits fairly nicely!
>You got a green rose-patterned travelbag x 1!
>After you've finished packing, you head out to see Okuu.
>Okuu is practicing her shot once again, it seems. The practice range was built around a month ago, and the area around it has kind of... grown used to Okuu's attacks. The ground looks like some kind of grey cheese with lots of holes. Okuu doesn't seem to care much, though, as she just flies above it, but Satori got kind of angry because the garden used to be so pretty and green over here...
>Because of the loud banging noises of her danmaku, Okuu doesn't seem to notice you approaching.
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>Let's fly up, get behind her, and give 'er a big hug! "Hiya Okuu~! What'cha doing?"
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>You approach her from behind, and surprise her with a big, friendly hug when she's not firing.
>At first, she is totally overwhelmed, but then she looks back and sees your face, and answers to your hugging.
>After a while, the two of you break up and Okuu asks you:
>"Hi, Koishi-sama! It's been a while, huh! How have you been? And what's that big bag you're carrying"
>Your eye tells you she's rushing her words for a reason; she seems to be hiding something, or at least trying to.
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>"A big bag."
>"What'cha up to?"
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>"Aah!" she responds in exasperation. She really is a birdbrain...
>"Just what it looks like, practicing my shot at these targets here. Nothing special at all!" she answers, and shoot a small sun-bullet at the target in front of her to show you.
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>"Well, just don't cause trouble okay~?"
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>"I promise I won't cause any more trouble, Koishi-sama!"
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>Let's hug her again!
>"Y'know, your wings make you real fluffy~"
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She's so cute! Let's give her another hug for good measure
EDIT: Never mind.
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>Let's hug her again!
>"Y'know, your wings make you real fluffy~"
>You hug her once again, for no apparent reason other than your desires!
>"K-Koishi-sama, that's mean! They're really t-t-tickly, y'know!"
She's so cute! Let's give her another hug for good measure
EDIT: Never mind.
Another hug? Is this Koishi's Quest for Eternal Hugginess?
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>Aww... sad-face...
>"It's mean? Sorry~... it's just they're so feathery!!"
>Should we hang around, or get going? It would be best not to hang around in case Satori comes back and notices that she is now down some money. Awkward!
>Besides, we have an adventure to do!
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>You pout strongly.
>"N-no, that's not how I meant it. Koishi-sama isn't mean. Koishi-sama definitely isn't mean!"
>Satori won't be returning for another week according to Orin, but of course there's adventure out there!
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>Grin, "I knew I wasn't~ don't worry~!"
>Sigh, "Well, I best get going... adventures to be had... bags to carry... I'll go and say bye to Orin, then I'll be off~!"
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>Let's give her one more hug before going off to find Orin, just for good measure.
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>Grin, "I knew I wasn't~ don't worry~!"
>Sigh, "Well, I best get going... adventures to be had... bags to carry... I'll go and say bye to Orin, then I'll be off~!"
>Utsuho just sighs, relieved for some reason.
>"Adventures! That sounds amazing! Good luck, and take back a souvenir!"
>Let's give her one more hug before going off to find Orin, just for good measure.
>You give her one more hug, then set off to find Orin in the Palace.
>Orin is easily found; she's eating in the dining room.
>When she notices you, she asks:"Ah, Koishi-shama, you're back! Did you manage to find a nice pet?"
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>Sigh sorta. "Not really, but I think I'll find one when I'm traveling around! I remembered that if you're traveling, you gotta carry a travel bag! So I came back to pick it up."
>Indicate the packed bag.
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>"You'll ... find one? Well, good luck with that."
>When you finish talking and point at the bag, she realises:"Oh, you've travelling? I'll have to watch the Palace myself, then? Well, it's not like I can't handle that much myself. Good travellings, then!"
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>Grin. "It's gonna be an adventure~!"
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>"An adventure, huh? I'd sure like to join you one day! Call me next time when Satori is around, will ya? We'll visit the hot springs!" Orin answers
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>Giggle. "Every day's an adventure when you're traveling~!"
>Nod. "But that sounds like a great idea! We should all go to the hot springs sometime!"
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>"I suppose so" Orin answers. "I'll talk it over with Satori when she gets back, okay?"
>Orin then stuffs herself with a chunk of meat, which makes you realise... you haven't had breakfast yet. You knew you were forgetting something...
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Breakfast sounds great! What do we usually have, though?
Oh, and hug Orin. Because we can.
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>You usually have meat, like most youkai. You prefer it with a lot of spices, something most other people (including even Orin and Okuu) do not seem to appreciate the taste of. Your favorite sauce, Tabasco, which you buy from Kourindou, is already on the table.
>You also hug Orin. You really are a nice person, aren't you?
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>We have a lot of UC... so maybe we could pick up some 'provisions' from the city?
>OR, alternatively, we could just have a nice breakfast!
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>Choices, choices! But what will you decide?
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>Into the city! We have to get supplies for our adventure anyways; might as well get something for breakfast while we're there.
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Let's take the Tabasco with us, though. So that we can spice up whatever we get in the city!
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>Into the city! We have to get supplies for our adventure anyways; might as well get something for breakfast while we're there.
Let's take the Tabasco with us, though. So that we can spice up whatever we get in the city!
>You head on out into the city, after putting the bottle of Tabasco in your bag.
>Heading out through the garden, you once again notice the glaring hole in the wall around it. You also notice a bunch of rowdy oni a bit down the street, standing in front of each other as if they're gonna start a fight. And... reading their subconcious, that seems to be a good guess.
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>Avoid it. We're going on an adventure, and the last thing we need is to be in the centre of a fight between Oni.
>Let's keep on going!
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>You don't want to get in a fight if you can avoid it! Adventure is out there!
>You pass along the main streets of Ancient City, entering the outskirts of the city. This part of the Underground isn't heavily inhabited: the only houses here are a small stone shrine at the end of a side road, and a main road that leads towards the Lethe; one of the rivers that flows through the underground. You're pretty sure someone lives down at the bridge as well.
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>Well, at least it's quiet...
>So, where's that supplies shop we ought to visit?
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>Oh, right. Supplies. You might've slightly gotten ahead of yourself.
>Luckily, there's a general store fairly nearby which you have visited before. You find it in a side alley, then head on inside.
>The owner of the store is an old man. You're fairly sure he's not an oni, but you don't know what he is.
>The store itself has all kinds of stuff; groceries, dried food, bread and all kinds of assorted stuff. It also has some seemingly magic objects, but you haven't really ever used it so you wouldn't know what to do with them.
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>Right... let's get some stuff that will last us some time, like dried food, bread and other staples.
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>You buy some general stuff that'll last you a while, including a few packets of dried plums, tomatoes, raisins, as well as some bread as well as a canteen to hold some water.
>You paid the friendly old man 1500 UC for those supplies.
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>Hey hey hey! What about dried meats?! We can't forget those!
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>Oh, right! Dried meat is important as well. You gotta get your irons and stuff!
>Some dried bat meat and some meat of the huge rats that live in the Underground go into your bag as well.
>This costs you an additional 500 UC. Your bag is now 3/4 of the way full.
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I think we're ready for now, so I vote we head out.
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Same, let's get rolling!
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>It's probably pointless checking, but how is that egg holding up?
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>It's probably pointless checking, but how is that egg holding up?
>You take a quick look at the egg. Unfortunately, nothing seems to be happening quite yet. You're not sure what's supposed to happen for it to hatch; perhaps it needs a specific something?
>With all your preparations finished, you head out for adventure!
>And with that, you once again find yourself at the crossroads you were before. A signposts says:
>SILENT SHRINE: 2000 M EAST; LETHE BRIDGE: 4000 M NORTH; ANCIENT CITY: 500 M SOUTH
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All for checking out the Silent Shrine guys?
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That sounds like fun. The name sounds mysterious and adventure-packed. :3
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>You decide to go for adventure, and head towards the onimously named Silent Shrine!
>The road leading to the shrine is rocky; it doesn't seem to be used very much. You've heard stories about this shrine going out of use because of a new shrine started right in the smackdab middle of town. Since people are lazy of nature, everyone started going there (if they even went in the first place; oni worshipping gods seems odd to begin with), this shrine became ran-down and left aside.
>Whatever the history of the shrine, it might be interesting to visit.
>After a while, you reach the shrine's huge stone steps. The shrine itself is quite awe-inspiring, being a giant skyscraper-like construct hacked out of the Underground's side wall; huge, gaping holes run across the wall that seem to be windows with rooms beyond them. You can't see the entrance from here; however, with your eye, you feel an aura of enmity from the top of the stairs.
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>"Whoa...This place is pretty cool-looking!"
>Let's look around and explore the place, carefully though.
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>Let's try and be quiet, though. If anybody's here, we don't want to disturb them.
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>"Whoa...This place is pretty cool-looking!"
>Let's look around and explore the place, carefully though.
>Let's try and be quiet, though. If anybody's here, we don't want to disturb them.
>You express your impressions of the shrine out loud for some reason, as if speaking to the egg.
>You start walking up the stairs, looking around carefully for anything out of the ordinary. Along the old stone stairs, stone lanterns are placed. Most of them seem to either be lit or have charcoal remaining inside. The stairs themselves seem remarkably clean as well.
>As you reach the top of the stairs, the aura of enmity strongens, until it suddenly disappears.
>You can now fully view the shrine. In front of the entrance, there is a pool of water, with a circle of statues inside it. The statues are ones of Izanami, Izanagi, Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi in a circle around a statue of a woman with a flame in one hand and a katana in the other. A stake has seems to be impaled through her head.
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>Oh.. what a... nice... statue...
>Let's see if the shrine is open.
>>If it is, enter and look for any sign of someone [remaining polite, of course].
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>That's slightly... disturbing.
>The shrine is open. That is to say, there is no door, only an entryway which consists of an empty doorway.
>Before you can take another step, however, you are greeted by a pair of katanas crossing eachother just short of your throat.
>A humble, yet resolute voice speaks to you:" Halt! Who are you, and what is your business here at the Shrine of Acala?"
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>Pause
>"...Who's Acala?"
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"And who're you?"
Remember to ask in a carefree curious manner.
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>Pause
>"...Who's Acala?"
>You stop moving for a second
>"Fool! You come here not knowing even the name of the great unmovable one? You might know him better as Fudou-Myouou; the steadfast king of wisdom. His fire shall burn away all of your earthly desires, and you shall become pure and reach Nirvana!"
"And who're you?"
Remember to ask in a carefree curious manner.
>You ask the person's name frivolously. You feel her determination waver, if only for a second.
>"My... name? I have none. I am but the attendant of Fudou-Myouou and the priestess of his shrine."
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>Okay, we can be diplomatic and well-mannered here. Don't lose our cool.
>"I'm sorry. I was just on an adventure, and I came to visit... sorry if I disturbed or bothered you..!"
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>You can talk your way out of this, can't you?
>Otherwise... you might have to resort to... more drastic measures.
>"Adventure? Visit? This is a shrine, unenlightened one! What kind of adventure did you expect to find here?"
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>"Well, with a name like 'Silent Shrine' on the signpost over at the crossroads, I thought this place was abandoned. So I figured I'd explore, see what's here, and stuff. Abandoned places make for great adventures y'know!"
>Smile cheerfully. "Because you never know what you'll find! Ancient texts, old weapons, or even kinda-creepy-but-neat statues!"
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>"Silent Shrine? Those blasphemous oni, forgetting even their roots..."
>The woman slowly retracts her swords and walks around to face you.
>When she does, however, your eye detects a great amount of fear overflowing from her.
>"You... are a satori, are you not? A mind-reader?" the woman asks fearfully.
>Now that she is in front of you, you can finally see your assailant. To your surprise, the woman bears a striking resemblance to the central statue; she wears the same clothing that look like shrine maiden's clothes especially made for swordfighting and she also has an iron... object impaled into her head, with a single drop of blood hanging from the far end.
-
>Blink a few times. "Well yeah, but I don't like that mindreading business, big sis was hated for it back in the old days. And I didn't want to end up in the same problem, so I closed mine."
>Grin. "But since I can't read minds anymore, I can read the subconscious now~! ...You're a bit scared, huh?
-
"Do you have a sacred fire? I've read about those.."
-
>Blink a few times. "Well yeah, but I don't like that mindreading business, big sis was hated for it back in the old days. And I didn't want to end up in the same problem, so I closed mine."
>Grin. "But since I can't read minds anymore, I can read the subconscious now~! ...You're a bit scared, huh?
>"You closed your eye... and it allowed you to read one's subconscious? How... unusual."
>The woman tries to stay stoic, but the wavering of her subconscious is as clear as blue skies to you.
"Do you have a sacred fire? I've read about those.."
>"A sacred fire? But of course we do; it is but the sacred treasure kept in this temple. But for you to know about that... It really is strange, to be forgotten by oni but to be remembered by satori. It really has been some while since I last spoke to a living being.
-
>Blink a few times, then stare at the spike. "I read that they're pretty standard fare for shrines. But I guess the ones aboveground might not have them? I was gonna head up there later anyways~!"
-
>You blink a few times, then stare at the spike. The drip of blood slowly disconnects from the spike, then drops to the ground. Spooky.
>"Do not mistake Fudou-Myouou's sacred flame for a mere fire burning in a shrine aboveground, young satori. This flame is the Flame of Wisdom; gifted to us by the Five Lords of Wisdom themselves at the start of the universe. Since then, His attendants have been keeping it burning. It is a sacred task that is only gifted to purehearted and strongwilled individuals and I will not allow you to continue making fun of it."
>The woman (Priestess? Attendant? Spike-lady?) readies her two swords as a warning.
-
>"Ah!"
>Make her not see us.
-
>A slight yelp escapes from your mouth. The woman stands before you, unfazed and still in fighting stance.
>And how were you expecting to do such a thing?
-
>Our power over the subconscious, of course!
-
>Your powers being those of the subconscious, not those of the five senses, you can't actually 'make her not see you'. You can, however, do something like make her turn around or have her put away her swords, but you doubt that'll work with a strong-willed person like her.
-
Making people not see her is something Koishi is able to do. Sensory perception, especially sight, is a function of the subconscious mind. It's the subconscious mind that recieves input from the senses and interprets it. Koishi's ability to keep from being seen, then, works by removing herself from that subconscious interpretation.
Also, I'm pretty sure that the 'not being seen' aspect of Koishi's ability is, in fact, canon, and not just a common interpretation of her ability.
-
Making people not notice her is an aspect of Koishi's ability. Her information still enters their optic nerve.
-
Sorry about that, it seems like I misread some information before starting this project. And now, to start from Guy's input:
>To defend yourself, you attempt to misinform the woman's subconscious so she does not see you. However, it doesn't seem to work, and instead only makes her angry.
>"What is it you're trying, satori? Your powers over the subconscious will not defeat my iron will!"
-
>"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! You just scared me with your... pointy... swords..."
>Let's slowly but surely make our way to the exit. It's not going to be nice if we're impaled on those swords.
-
>"You fear me, satori? I mean, hmpf, of course you would fear me! You cannot even hope to best me in battle!"
>Oh dear... Now you've completely scared her and she's just trying to bluff you into thinking she is stronger...
>Either way, you slowly start inching your way to the stairs. The woman doesn't seem to notice quite yet.
-
>Look at the statue that had the spike in it's head, then look at the woman.
>Then back to the statue again, then back to the woman again.
>Beat.
>"That statue looks like you, is it you? You must be real important to have your statue up there with the big cheese!"
-
>"You only realized that just now? That is the way all attendants of the Great Unmoving One look, satori. Those who look most alike of our people were made into attendants, but that is a long time ago. Nowadays, I believe I am one of few left in Japan."
-
>"...So the statue IS you? Wow, that's a big ego then huh? But y'know, the Ego is a part of the subconscious too, along with the Id and Superego!"
>Beat.
>"Don't ask me how I know that, it's kinda complicated, and related to my power."
-
>"It is not me, myself, this being here. I am merely the attendant; I dress in a way similar to his Steadfastness to closen the distance between me and him. But never mind that; your power really is curious, young one. You possess a lot of mental strength, yet you do not exert any kind of magical power or footprint at all. It's as if you're... not really there, as if.. if I were to close my eyes, or look back, I would not even feel you were there anymore. You have somehow achieved a total state of mu, in a way I cannot comprehend. It is quite frustrating, to know a being as young as you could achieve that before me. How is it that you came across that negative power?"
-
>Blink. "Oh that? I just sealed my third eye, which is the source of a satori's powers, and poof~! I don't really know all the details, but I don't really care about that~!"
>Hold up our eye to show her that it's closed.
-
>"You... don't care?" The woman shows an expressions which lies somewhere between wonder and irritation, which quickly fades into her usual stoic non-smiling non-frowning face.
>"Either way, if it is treasure or such trove you are looking for, you will not find any here. The only things here are me and the holy fire; all that once was here was stolen in the Taoist-Buddhist war ages ago. Next to that, I have my duties to attend to. It was a pleasure, miss satori."
>With those words, the woman turns her back on you and walks into the shrine.
-
>"Huh. Well, it was nice talking to you! Maybe I'll visit again sometime~!"
>Start to head out, then look back. "Oh yeah! I'm Koishi! But I don't blame you if you forget, that happens sometimes."
>Let's roll! back to the crossroads!
Unless anyone else has more input though.
-
>Upon you mentioning your name, the woman turns and responds:"I shall not forget your name quite that easily I'm afraid, my little pebble. Until we meet again." She then continues her way into the shrine.
>With nothing much left to do here, you return to the crossroads.
>SILENT SHRINE: 2000 M EAST; LETHE BRIDGE: 4000 M NORTH; ANCIENT CITY: 500 M SOUTH.
>You also discover a small ridge leading up the cavern wall to the northeast, extending quite a way upwards. You wonder where it leads~
-
Visit the Silent Shrine! It sounds mysterious.
Let's go along the ridge! I mean, it looks like fun!
-
Agreed, to the ridge!
-
>You decide to follow the ridge upwards, to adventure!
>The ridge slowly leads upwards, spiralling across the cavern wall, then heads southwards, towards the main direction of the Ancient City.
>The city really looks beautiful from up here~. All the lanterns lighting up the streets bustling with oni, and the Palace in the back, with the huge stained glass windows and the lush garden teeming with underground life. The ridge seems to be continuing from here as well, all the way to the wall next to the palace, where you can almost discern a tunnel or something.
-
Oooooh. The city's really pretty! Let's look out at it for a bit.
-
>Then, onwards along the ridge~!
-
>You peer at the city in its magnificent lighting once more. Almost none of the houses are bigger than 1 story high; there are a lot of houses with a roof terrace, though. From here, you can spot your favourite restaurant in town, Sandra's Spicy Soups, which, obviously, sells mostly spicy soups. Their roof terrace is visible from here, and you can see some people sitting on the roof as well.
>You can also see a slight bit of the shrine from here. There's no real way to distinguish the pool, but the shrine is carved out of the rock wall so you can see just how far up it extends. It seems like you've come up a fair way yourself as well, since all the people down there look like little ants hurrying and scurrying along the roads.
>But enough looking at the city, there's adventure to be found!
>You continue along the ridge, which goes all the way across the cavern wall and then walk into a small tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, there's a metallic door with a small horizontal hole only big enough for ones eyes, so it's probably to look through. Next to the door is some kind of weird mechanism. It has all the letters on it, as well as another button with a red C and a green button with OK
on it. You've never seen something like it before.
-
>Type a rude word and hit 'OK'.
-
>You type in 'POO' and hit 'OK'. A small screen above the mechanism suddenly displays 'ACCESS DENIED'
-
>Aha! So it's a code...
>Our subconscious reading and manipulation wouldn't come in handy here, though, would it?
-
>Type in 'Swordfish', it always works in the books we've read!
>Type in 'Zeeky Boogy Doog'. Surely this can't go wrong!
-
>Also try 'password'.
-
>Aha! So it's a code...
>Our subconscious reading and manipulation wouldn't come in handy here, though, would it?
>It seems to be some kind of code, yes... But what would the correct word be? Would it even be a word?
>Unfortunately, only sentient beings have a subconscious. And since this door simply doesn't seem to have a brain, it's no dice.
>Type in 'Swordfish', it always works in the books we've read!
>Type in 'Zeeky Boogy Doog'. Surely this can't go wrong!
>You type in 'Swordfish', but it doesn't seem to work this specific machine. So long, knowledge gained from all those books..."
>You grab your IPhone from your bag and take a look at it to see what this 'Zeeky Boogy Doog is. You spend the next half hour watching a demented cartoon about H-bombs and evil scientist guys.
>When it ends, you try putting in 'Zeeky Boogy Doog' in the machine. Every single bomb in the world exploded. Way to go, hero!>Also try 'password'.
>Finally, you try to put in the word 'Password'. After a lot of dingling and dangling with weird beepy noises, the screen flashes green and says 'ACCESS GRANTED'. The door opens, to lead to a metallic hallway ending with a ladder leading upwards. It looks really futuristic, with all kinds of weird doohickeys on the walls which seem to be lamps.
-
>Well, that was a little too simple.
>Who cares? Let's head inside!!
-
>The person who made this must be a simpleton, but that doesn't really matter, does it? You head towards adventure!
>You climb on the ladder, and arrive in an amazing area. It seems to be a really, really high cavern, with a hole leading towards the overworld at the top. Six golden-coloured walkways lead to the middle of the room, where they converge into a star. The ladder you just went up lead you to the end of one of those six bridges. Under the walkways, there is a lake of magma, and the walls are covered with oddly shaped lamps which are basically long strings going over and under eachother with yellow lights fitted upon them, along with lines with purple lights that make long, straight lines.
>On the other side of the room, a metal door opens to reveal a person in blue clothing with a green hat. She seems to have a necklace with a key on it. When she notices you, her face contorts and she looks frightened.
-
>"Geh?! Someone here!?"
>Invisible time!
-
>"Geh?! Someone here!?" a girlish voice mirrors you.
>You try to manipulate the subconscious of the girl to not see you. Surprisingly enough, the girl disappears herself! She fires crisscrossing bullets of water at faster and slower speeds towards you.
-
>Let's mirror her with our heart bullets!
-
>You mirror her with some random heart bullets. Fortunately, she's a lot worse at dodging than you are, and she gets hit after a few seconds. Her shots only aim in one direction, so you can easily dodge them by going behind her.
>After the smoke from the danmaku clears, you see the girl lying down, a little beaten up.
>"What's up with all this? First Kanako gets angry at me, and then I get randomly ambushed by a thief? Just my luck..."
-
>"Thief? I am no thief! I am Koishi Komeiji, Satori Adventurer!"
>Be sure to be sufficiently over-exaggerated and dramatic like that one guy in the comics!
-
>Grin widely.
>"So, what is this place~? And who are you~?"
-
>"Thief? I am no thief! I am Koishi Komeiji, Satori Adventurer!"
>Be sure to be sufficiently over-exaggerated and dramatic like that one guy in the comics!
>You boast greatly about yourself, while striking an amazing pose! However, since you're still invisible to her, it's fairly useless.
>"Just a thief, huh... Wait, Satori? Komeiji? You're her sister? Where are you, either way?"
>Grin widely.
>"So, what is this place~? And who are you~?"
>"This place? Satori didn't tell you, huh? This is the Underground Geyser Center, a great joint venture of the mountain gods, the kappa and the denizens of Hell in order to create nuclear power.
I heard you went over to Kanako's Shrine last winter, so you probably know the gist of it."
>"Oh, and me? I'm Nitori Kawashiro, Kappa Inventor Extraordinaire! Or, y'know, something like that"
-
>...Oh. Drat. We can't be dramatic while invisible! May as well fix that.
>"Wow....I didn't expect to find it here though. I always thought it'd be deeper in, closer to where Okuu works and all."
-
>"Or maybe that would be dangerous..."
>Grin widely again, "So what are you doing now?"
-
>...Oh. Drat. We can't be dramatic while invisible! May as well fix that.
>"Wow....I didn't expect to find it here though. I always thought it'd be deeper in, closer to where Okuu works and all."
>You decide to reveal yourself to Nitori in order to be more dramatic!
>"Oh, it really was you, Komeiji-san? Is Koishi fine? I don't really like honorifics, to be honest."
>"Well, that's basically aaaaall the way under here. The mountain gods built a small passage into the magma from the Ancient City from where Utsuho heats the magma to corpse-burning temperatures. We also placed a tomamak there, an apparatus that helps me figure out how exactly nuclear fusion worked. I could experiment on Utsuho herself, but miss Satori nor you would probably like that. Besides, if she really would be working here, this place would basically melt.
>"Or maybe that would be dangerous..."
>Grin widely again, "So what are you doing now?"
>You grin widely, which Nitori now can finally see.
>"I was actually kind of trying to find out what was going wrong with the tomamak experiments before you broke in here and ambushed me. How did you get in here, anyways? Did Okuu leave the door open again? Actually, how did you even find the door in the first place? It was supposed to be magically camouflaged; Marisa promised me no oni would be able to see through it! Darn that ignorant brat, not even realizing the seriousness of these experiments!"
-
>Blink a few times. "Eh? I wasn't supposed to see it? Huh. You should've probably used something better than just 'password' too y'know. Like Swordfish!"
-
>"Or 'antidisestablishmentarianism'!"
-
"Or zeekyboogydoog!"
-
>Blink a few times. "Eh? I wasn't supposed to see it? Huh. You should've probably used something better than just 'password' too y'know. Like Swordfish!"
>"Or 'antidisestablishmentarianism'!"
"Or zeekyboogydoog!"
>"Eh? Eeh? EEH!? It was that easy? That Marisa, telling me she installed the PERFECT password, only turning out to be an airhead. Well, I'll have to do something about that later. Either way, what are you doing here, Koishi?"
-
>"Adventuring."
-
>"I wanna go up."
-
>"Adventuring."
>"I see, adventuring! And so you randomly stumbled onto this place..?"
>Nitori suddenly jerks her head upwards.
>"Oh, darnit, I haven't the time for this! Kanako's gonna have my head if I don't do something about that tokamak soon..."
>"I wanna go up."
>"Well, then I'd say go up! You can fly, right? I'm sorry, we don't have any stairs here since no one who can't fly ever comes here anyways. I'll be busy fixing this thing before Gensokyo in engulfed in a nuclear explosion, so... It was nice meeting you, Koishi! We'll talk some more later, when I have time, all right?"
>Nitori then flees into the door on the other side of the room, leaving you alone on the walkways.
-
>"Huh."
>Go up.
-
Maybe we should refer her to Okuu? She seems like she could help with Nitori's little problem!
-
>Before doing any of the above commands: "Hey, if you need help, go ask Okuu!"
-
>And to add to it, let's use our power to give her a little subconscious nudge towards considering Okuu's help.
-
Maybe we should refer her to Okuu? She seems like she could help with Nitori's little problem!
>Before doing any of the above commands: "Hey, if you need help, go ask Okuu!"
>And to add to it, let's use our power to give her a little subconscious nudge towards considering Okuu's help.
>You yell after her to ask Okuu for help, and nudge her mind a little into the right direction. She hears you, and seems to consider it for a moment before heading off the way you came from first.>"Huh."
>Go up.
>You head on up after that. You go up, and up, and up, and...
>You've reached the surface! Looking up, there's the wide open sky, which you haven't seen for ages. It really looks amazing!
>The area around you is fairly boring; there's just a large mountain behind with all kinds of rocks littering it, and a path leading up the mountain.
-
>We've been to the mountain before. Let's go somewhere new!
>Rise into the air and look around. Can we see any interesting-looking places?
-
>Look for a building of some sort.
-
>Not just buildings; most grand adventures take place mostly outside. Not all, but most.
-
>We've been to the mountain before. Let's go somewhere new!
>Rise into the air and look around. Can we see any interesting-looking places?
>Now that you think about it, that's true! The shrine that you went to before probably was on this mountain as well, since it's the biggest one around here. You came aboveground from a different place though...
>You rise up about 10 meters in the air to look around.
>Look for a building of some sort.
>Not just buildings; most grand adventures take place mostly outside. Not all, but most.
>You decide to look for all kinds of special-looking things.
>A small bit further up the mountain, you can see some of those giant poles with ropes tied around them. What were they called again? Obashiranawa?
>A small way down the mountain, there's a fairly large pond with huge lily pads.
>All the way down the mountain, there's a very large lake with an island. A scarlet red mansion, even bigger than the Palace of the Earth Spirits, is placed there.
>Looking a little more to the south, you can see a red shrine gate. Could that be where Reimu lives?
-
>The mansion might be a good place to explore.
>Look all around us; what all can we see?
-
>It might be an interesting place, yes. But there's much more around there, right?
>You take another look around Gensokyou.
>A bit further down the mountain behind you is a forest of red and orange trees. It looks fairly gloomy.
>To your left, there's a huge forest of green evergreens. It is really dense, and looks like a natural labyrinth.
>All the way beyond the lake, beyond the mansion, there's some kind of different forest, made out of large sticks. You're not sure what they are.
>If you listen carefully, you can hear water crashing down somewhere nearby. It might be the river leading down from the lake.
-
>Let's check out the weird stick forest. Something strange like that has to be a good place for an adventure.
-
I agree with the stick forest. Let's do some random acrobatics on the way there too. I mean, we're carefree aren't we?
-
>What are we waiting for, a formal invitation? let's go!
-
>Let's check out the weird stick forest. Something strange like that has to be a good place for an adventure.
I agree with the stick forest. Let's do some random acrobatics on the way there too. I mean, we're carefree aren't we?
>What are we waiting for, a formal invitation? let's go!
>Strange stick forest, here we come!
>It's quite a ways from here, though. You fly a long while, over the great lake and the red mansion, and finally reach the weird stick forest.
>Reaching the forest, it looks like even more of a maze than the other forest. The weird, plantlike sticks are almost five meters high and are crisscrossing all over eachother. However, there does seem to be some kind of path leading inside.
-
>Let's follow the path and admire the scenery~!
-
>Try not to get lost.
-
>Let's follow the path and admire the scenery~!
>Try not to get lost.
>You enter the forest, following the winding path through the dense sticks, which have leaves sticking out as well. They seem to be useful as weapons as well!
>After a while, you reach a split in the path. There's a path to the right, another to the left, one straight ahead, and the one you came from. Oh, and another one to the right. And another one to the left. Wait, there's another one straight ahead? Where did you come from in the first place anyways?
>You seem to have lost your way. From somewhere yet nowhere in particular, you hear someone laughing.
-
>Try to fly up.
-
>No, don't fly up yet.
>If we can hear someone laughing, then that means someone's nearby. Can we sense a mind nearby? If so, remove ourself from the person's sight.
-
>Try to fly up.
>No, don't fly up yet.
>If we can hear someone laughing, then that means someone's nearby. Can we sense a mind nearby? If so, remove ourself from the person's sight.
>You think about flying upwards, but then decide to seek out the person nearby first.
>You can easily sense someone around here, but that person's moving from stick to stick in rapid succession. Concentrating on the voice, you can see a small shadow hopping from tree to tree, laughing all the while. You, however, have the power over the subconscious and the person stays close enough to manipulate her so she cannot see you.
>"Hey hey hey, no fun, this ain't no fun! Where'd the weird eyeball-for-a-heart lady suddenly go-go-went? Can she turn invisible? Awesome! Teach me, teach me, eyeball-lady! You're still here right, right?"
>Turning invisible isn't really that handy when the person's already aware you are there, it seems.
-
>Oh, so she's neutral... for now.
>Fade back into sight and seek them out.
-
>Let's give her a subconscious impulse to actually stay in one place long enough for us to find her too.
-
>Oh, so she's neutral... for now.
>Fade back into sight and seek them out.
>Let's give her a subconscious impulse to actually stay in one place long enough for us to find her too.
>She doesn't seem to want to attack you; is she just hyper or something?
>You fade back into sight, and give her a subconscious nudge to show herself.
>She stops somewhere between the trees. You can't see her that well, but... does she have rabbit ears?
>"Oh, there you are, there you are! That's a neat-o trick, miss eyeball-lady! How'd ya do that? Tell me, tell me!?"
-
>Smile in a somewhat cheerfully blank way. "It's my power~! And you stopping so you could find me was also my power too~!"
-
>Make a mental note to bring a light source while going into dark places.
-
>Smile in a somewhat cheerfully blank way. "It's my power~! And you stopping so you could find me was also my power too~!"
>"Oh, oh really, you've got some amazing powers then! Me, all I can do is find clovers with four leaves and find my way out of the bamboo forest. Not anything to brag about, no-no."
>You make such a mental note, though you wonder for what reason you'd do something like that. It isn't exactly dark in here; it's the middle of the day.
-
Giggle. Maybe float a bit. "So who are you~?"
-
>You giggle, floating up a little like a fairy.
>"Me? I'm Tewi, Tewi Inaba! You probably know my ancestor, the White Hare of Inaba right? Well, I'm his great-great-great-granddaughter! I'm the leader of the rabbits around here!"
>From somewhere afar, you pick up the sound of something moving very quickly.
-
>Make it want to stop and say 'hi'.
-
In response to Tewi: "Never heard of it! So you control all the rabbits here? Isn't that tough?"
-
>Make it want to stop and say 'hi'.
>You try to stop the thing arriving, but there's something odd here. It's like... no, it's not just one person! You try to manipulate them one by one, but they're arriving too quickly!
In response to Tewi: "Never heard of it! So you control all the rabbits here? Isn't that tough?"
>"Well, saying control, I'm kind of a natural leader since I'm the only rabbit youkai here. Well, except for Reisen, but she doesn't really count because she came from the moon. Moon rabbits don't count"
>The things are rapidly approaching.
>"Oh, here they are! They're coming, miss! What's your name, by the way?"
-
>Giggle. "Koishi~"
-
>"What are they?"
-
>Giggle. "Koishi~"
>"What are they?"
>Tewi giggles back, and steps out of the thicket. "That's a rare name! I don't think I've ever heard that one before. Man, Japanese is great in variety, isn't it!"
>"Oh, just a few of my friends. They seem to have noticed you entered the forest like I did."
>And as Tewi said, a few seconds later, a stampede of small rabbit-humans dressed in pink dresses just like Tewi arrives, yelling 'Tewi!' as they come. You float up a little, in order to avoid getting run over.
-
>"A few? I wonder what she considers a lot..."
>But, they do look a lot like her... let's say "hi"!
-
>Make the parser post.