Maribel Quest - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

>"Exorcise me? Hey, I'm still quite human over here. And does no one else ever end up in this place?"

>"And do you have any other advice for a newcomer?"

>"Yeah, but you're from elsewhere, so maybe it'll work. And, it happens, but it's pretty rare. You're the first I've seen to end up here by accident."
>"Uh, if you go to the bamboo forest, be ready to get pretty lost. Oh, and if you see a green haired Youkai with an umbrella, be really polite. And don't mess with any flowers, she's a flower youkai."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"You're the second person to warn me about this green-haired lady. She must be pretty scary."

>"Do you not get many visitors out here, by the way? For a shrine, it doesn't seem like the place gets a lot of traffic."

[Hello Purvis]

>"You're the second person to warn me about this green-haired lady. She must be pretty scary."

>"Do you not get many visitors out here, by the way? For a shrine, it doesn't seem like the place gets a lot of traffic."

>"Her name's Yuka, and she is if you annoy her. Oh, and there's a mansion to the south of the forest. A vampire lives there. The people there are mostly alright, but be careful. They might not even let you in if you don't have a good reason to be there."
>"Mostly youkai," she says. "And too much of that being Yukari. It's peaceful out here, though. I like it. Though it would be nice if more people visited, donations are always pretty thin."

>_

[Serela]

>"Oh, and there's something Byakuren said I should talk to you about instead of her; you see, I've always been able to sense the presence of boundaries."

[UncertainJakutten]

> "I wish I could offer you something but...um...I was robbed. By a very imposing person. It sucked. Speaking of which, is there any good way to get spare change around here?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "I wish I could offer you something but...um...I was robbed. By a very imposing person. It sucked. Speaking of which, is there any good way to get spare change around here?"

>She shrugs. "I dunno. I just live off what donations I get. Go beat up a rich youkai?"

>"Oh, and there's something Byakuren said I should talk to you about instead of her; you see, I've always been able to sense the presence of boundaries."

>"...What?"

>_

[Serela]

>Explain our ability to sense boundaries. Again. ;_;

[Hello Purvis]

>Explain our ability to sense boundaries. Again. ;_;

>You're getting really used to this.
>There is a heavy silence in the air for a moment, before Reimu says, "So. You're a Yukari lookalike. And you can sense barriers like Hakurei."
>She looks upward, toward the sky and mutters something. It sounds suspiciously like "What? What did I ever do to?"
>She then looks back toward you again. "Well, I guess that means you have the right stuff to be a shrine maiden, doesn't it? So what do you want me to do about it?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Do you mean that can sense boundaries in a similar way?"

>"And... is there anything you could teach me, maybe? I'm eager to learn whatever I can from this place."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Do you mean that can sense boundaries in a similar way?"

>"And... is there anything you could teach me, maybe? I'm eager to learn whatever I can from this place."

>She nods. "Part of the bloodline. And...do I have to? It'd be a pain."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, I'm not going to push you, but I'd really, really like to learn whatever you might be able to tell me."
>"Maybe there's something I could do for you in return?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, I'm not going to push you, but I'd really, really like to learn whatever you might be able to tell me."
>"Maybe there's something I could do for you in return?"

>"Okay, tell you what," says Reimu. "I'll show you some basics. But, I want you to and give Komachi a good kick for me. There's been too many weird flowers lately. Deal?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Might help if I knew who this Komachi person is. And I hope the kick is only metaphorical, since I'm under the distinct impression that most everything here can kick my ass if it chose to. But I'm certainly more than happy to deliver a message for you, if you give me directions."

>"So... where do we start?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Might help if I knew who this Komachi person is. And I hope the kick is only metaphorical, since I'm under the distinct impression that most everything here can kick my ass if it chose to. But I'm certainly more than happy to deliver a message for you, if you give me directions."

>"So... where do we start?"

>"Start by getting a bath in the pond back there," she says, as she has a seat over by the shrine's porch. "while you tell me what you know. You know anything about barriers? At all? Or magic?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Walk towards the pond
>"Um, why do I need to get a bath in this, anyway?"

>"And I don't know how much you know about the outside world, but magic... isn't something most people believe even exists, there. I've spent a long time looking for things like it, but... I can't say I know much about how it actually works. Byakuren said I was a quick learner, though."
>Presumably our knowledge of barriers in the sense she means is similarly impoverished?

[Hello Purvis]

>Walk towards the pond
>"Um, why do I need to get a bath in this, anyway?"

>"And I don't know how much you know about the outside world, but magic... isn't something most people believe even exists, there. I've spent a long time looking for things like it, but... I can't say I know much about how it actually works. Byakuren said I was a quick learner, though."
>Presumably our knowledge of barriers in the sense she means is similarly impoverished?

>"Because you smell like you took a wrong turn in the way to the Ancient City and ended up in the bat warren," says Reimu. "Also, when you start getting into spiritual stuff, purity is important. Cleanliness is the first step toward it. Don't worry about the dress, I have a robe you can borrow."
>She nods as you explain your understanding of magic. Your understanding of barriers is indeed pretty weak.
>"No one really knows how magic works," says Reimu. "We know how to make it work, but not why it does or how. It's probably better than way. Really, I just wanna know your practical experience. If Biggun's taught you a couple things, I guess you at least know what it feels like when you get it right."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Uh, yeah, I really DID end up in a bat warren down there, actually... Been such a busy day, I almost forget. Sorry."
>Go take a bath

>"As for practical experience, I've flown for a bit, and shot some basic danmaku. Nothing much by anyone here's standards, I'm sure."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Uh, yeah, I really DID end up in a bat warren down there, actually... Been such a busy day, I almost forget. Sorry."
>Go take a bath

>"As for practical experience, I've flown for a bit, and shot some basic danmaku. Nothing much by anyone here's standards, I'm sure."

>"Or just trying to forget."
>You remove your clothes, which is already  uncomfortable even if Reimu's not really watching you, and step into the pond. It's clean water, thankfully, though somewhat cold. The mud on the bottom squishes between your your toes, making cleaning your feet a lost cause. Reimu tosses you a rag.
>"You have to start somewhere. Danmaku's easy stuff, but it's a good place to start. As for barriers, you have to keep in mind what they mean. It's not just a wall keeping something from you. It's about separating things.You have to have a clear concept of what is on one side of the barrier, and what is on the other.  The more correct is is that those things are separate, the better your barrier will be. Now, the trick is you define everything in involved in as strong of a difference as you can. Human and god, hot and cold, life and death, and so on. The more strongly you believe it, the easier your barrier will come to you. Got it? Oh, and don't try to be sneaky about it and focus on something minor. The more fully what you're separating is embodied by the terms you're using, the better."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"So, the strength of a barrier is based on how distinctly I can visualize and conceptualize how the inside and outside are different?"
>"Would that make it impossible to create a barrier with any strength at an arbitrary point in space? Or can one create a barrier between 'me and you', for example?"

>Keep cleaning

[Hello Purvis]

>"So, the strength of a barrier is based on how distinctly I can visualize and conceptualize how the inside and outside are different?"
>"Would that make it impossible to create a barrier with any strength at an arbitrary point in space? Or can one create a barrier between 'me and you', for example?"

>Keep cleaning

>"That'll work," says Reimu. "But that's just two individual things. The more broad and wide-reaching it is, the better. Me and You is alright. Resident and Outsider may be better. It depends on the strength of your convictions. Faith is important in these kinds of things.
>You've nearly finished washing yourself off. It wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact you're pretty sure Reimu is sneaking peeks in the middle of her lecture while you're occupied with other things.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Ah, I see. Or at least, I think I understand a little. What else is involved in actually creating a barrier, though? I assume there's more to it than just concentrating on some kind of difference, right?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"That's the kind of thought that goes behind it," says Reimu. "As for the actual lifting, focus yourself, kinda like you do for danmaku, and direct your thoughts like I told you to. Shape it like you want it. Once you feel you got it. Use your hands to trace it out. Give it a shot, try making a barrier between water and sky in front of you."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Focus on the sense of power we used earlier today. Draw it out.
>Visualize the distinctness between water and sky. How they are inherently and naturally separated.
>Imagine a barrier reinforcing this distinctiveness. Give it form
>Draw it with our hands

[Hello Purvis]

>Focus on the sense of power we used earlier today. Draw it out.
>Visualize the distinctness between water and sky. How they are inherently and naturally separated.
>Imagine a barrier reinforcing this distinctiveness. Give it form
>Draw it with our hands

>You try to focus. It's a bit harder without your Branch, and takes longer, but you manage to do it.
>Holding onto the feeling as well as you can, you try to focus on separation of water and sky. Then you picture the barrier in your mind, and draw it out. You feel that sense of warmth flow through you.
>Looking in front of you, you see a small, purple rectangle about the size of a hardback book in the water in front of you. It doesn't float or bob in the water, despite the ripples kicked up by your motions.
>"Hey, that's not bad," says Reimu. "That's not bad at all." She takes to the air and flies over to have a look at it, making you feel a bit uncomfortable in your current state.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Try poking the barrier

[Hello Purvis]

>Try poking the barrier

>You poke it. It doesn't move. You feel, with some effort, you could push through it.
>Unfortunately, it vanishes before you can test that hypothesis.
>"Make another one," says Reimu, hovering a couple feet from you.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Repeat the same process. See if we can pour a little more power into it, this time

[Hello Purvis]

>Repeat the same process. See if we can pour a little more power into it, this time

>You try it again, trying to pour a little more strength into it.
>The resulting barrier is the same as before, but you feel it should last a second longer.
>Reimu leans over in midair, and taps it. "Not bad, not bad," Then she gives it a punch, and the barrier breaks with a crystalline noise. "This is impressive for a beginner," she says, looking over at you. "Do you have some youkai in your bloodline or something?"
>You really don't feel comfortable with Reimu being this close to you while you aren't wearing anything.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Duck a little further down into the water, for modesty's sake
>"Humans can have youkai ancestors?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Duck a little further down into the water, for modesty's sake
>"Humans can have youkai ancestors?"

>You try to duck down til the water reaches your chin. But given how clear it is, you don't think it's going to offer that much protection.
>"It happens," she says. "Not very often, but it happens. Mind you, with the way things are going these days, I expect more of 'em to pop up any time now. There's a shopkeeper in the forest who's half youkai. You got any ancestors that lived for a couple centuries?"

>_