>>108527
[X] Try talking to Patchouli

[x] Try to get just the medicine through the barrier and drop it in front of her. Don't go all the way through yourself. Maybe tie a note to the medication. Attempt to get her attention first somehow. Big waving motions.

[x] Try to get just the medicine through the barrier and drop it in front of her. Don't go all the way through yourself. Maybe tie a note to the medication. Attempt to get her attention first somehow. Big waving motions.

[x] Try talking to Patchouli
[x] When Koakuma returns, try to get just the medicine through the barrier and drop it in front of her. Don't go all the way through yourself. If necessary, hold on to a shelf or something similar to keep from slipping through. Have Sakuya tie a note to the medication so it doesn't seem suspicious.

>>108527
From what I've seen around here, I think an "at the author's discretion" system is best. Guidelines as follows:
- Call it for the currently leading vote when you're ready to write again. Set a minimum number of votes if you like.
- In the case of a tie vote between pre-set choices, make use of any good discussions or arguments people are backing their choices with. If people aren't discussing it then next vote wins or something similar.
- Always feel free to combine/use exceptional write-ins, or ones you particularly like, even if they're not the leading option. Think of it as rewarding the player's creative.

None of these are hard, fast rules of course. As the author, just make a judgment call and do what you think is best for the story. This includes ignoring this post and choosing to stick with "first to five" if that's what you want.

tl;dr It's your story, whatever system you use, it should be because you enjoy it and the votes it produces.

[x] Try to get just the medicine through the barrier and drop it in front of her. Don't go all the way through yourself. Maybe tie a note to the medication. Attempt to get her attention first somehow. Big waving motions.
if it's not possible to get just the medicine to her,
[ø] ask Sakuya to fetch Reimu, wait for Reimu to arrive, point to exactly where the gap is, and then go in with the medication.

[x] Try to get just the medicine through the barrier and drop it in front of her. Don't go all the way through yourself. Maybe tie a note to the medication. Attempt to get her attention first somehow. Big waving motions.

[x] Try to get just the medicine through the barrier and drop it in front of her. Don't go all the way through yourself. Maybe tie a note to the medication. Attempt to get her attention first somehow. Big waving motions.

[x] Try to get just the medicine through the barrier and drop it in front of her. Don't go all the way through yourself. Maybe tie a note to the medication. Attempt to get her attention first somehow. Big waving motions.

>>108527

try to do daily updates and to count votes then, that way would allow for discussion on smarter voting.

This story isn't something like WUiG after all.

[x] Try to get just the medicine through the barrier and drop it in front of her. Don't go all the way through yourself. Maybe tie a note to the medication. Attempt to get her attention first somehow. Big waving motions.

[x] Try to get just the medicine through the barrier and drop it in front of her. Don't go all the way through yourself. Maybe tie a note to the medication. Attempt to get her attention first somehow. Big waving motions.

[x] Try to get just the medicine through the barrier and drop it in front of her. Don't go all the way through yourself. Maybe tie a note to the medication. Attempt to get her attention first somehow. Big waving motions.

>>108543

Aye, something like this. I guess one thing to do is look at how the other stories like this handle it and just kinda go with the flow of it.

You seem to be pretty spread out in your updates usually anyway (even when votes are quick), so just let votin happen durin that time.

Thanks, I do appreciate the input. This is your story as much as it is mine, after all.

In any event, doing the chicken dance to get Patchouli's attention it is. Will likely update tomorrow morning, need time to recover from work.

>>108572
FUCK YEAH CHICKEN DANCE

HE BETTER MAKE THE NOISES TOO AND NOT REALIZE IT UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE

>[x] Try to get just the medicine through the barrier and drop it in front of her. Don't go all the way through yourself. Maybe tie a note to the medication. Attempt to get her attention first somehow. Big waving motions.

“I think we should try to get her the medicine if we can,” you say, turning to Sakuya. The maid nods at that, but you don’t like the look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Are you sure you can get to her?” She makes an excellent point. You know you can get in easily enough, but getting out is a whole other story. You don’t have to go all the way in, though, do you? All you need to do is get the medicine inside. After all, the first time you entered that place was because Marisa pulled you in. You don’t think that Patchouli will do that, so you should be clear on that front.

“Yeah, I can,” you state, doing your best to look confident. That said, you turn back to the distortion, stepping up to the very edge of the barrier. You don’t want to cross it yet, you just need to get a feel for where it is. You reach out slowly and make contact with the invisible wall for an instant before pulling your hand back. No point in falling in before you’re ready.

Patchouli’s breathing becomes worse with every passing moment. The noise is like nails on a chalkboard to you. You step away from the barrier and focus your vision again, clearing up the image of the girl trapped in that bubble. She looks a little worse than she was when you first saw her. It occurs to you that you should let her know you’re here, but you aren’t sure how to convey your presence to her. Well, Marisa did say she could see you when she was inside, so maybe Patchouli can as well? With that in mind, you start waving your arms about, trying to get her attention. Sakuya looks at you like you’ve lost your mind, but she doesn’t say anything about it. Even still, you feel the need to explain yourself to her. Her opinion of you matters, after all.

“I’m trying to let her know we’re here,” you say. “You can kind of see the outside when you’re in there.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.”

Liar, you think to yourself, seeing her struggling to keep from laughing at your display. Well, it doesn’t matter. So long as you manage to get Patchouli’s attention, looking a little silly is a small price to pay.

”…Is there…someone there…?”

The words sound almost ethereal, but you can tell they’re coming from the trapped girl. Getting annoyed with Sakuya can wait. Your turn your attention back to Patchouli, who is now looking in your direction, more or less. You can hear her just fine, but you aren’t sure if the same can be said for her. Only one way to find out.

“Can you hear me, Patchouli?”

No response, but she definitely knows you’re there now. You don’t want to leave her hanging, so you begin nodding vigorously, hoping that she’ll get the message. It seems that she understands since she keeps talking.

”Do you know…anything about the nature…of this place…?”

You shake your head.

”I see…”

“Are you talking to her?” That’s Sakuya. The sudden change in sound throws you for a loop for a moment before you recover.

“Kinda. She wanted to know if I knew anything about that place.”

Sakuya nods at that and turns away for a moment. You soon see why – Koakuma has returned with a small bag. The redhead touches down near you and steps up, holding the item out to you. You accept it and take a peek inside, just to confirm its contents. As you thought, it’s an assortment of medicine. Thanking the familiar, you glance back at Sakuya. You’re going to need her help for this.

“Hold onto my arm,” you say as you step back up to the barrier, preparing to put yourself on the line for a stranger once again. However, Sakuya stops you before you get too far.

“Before that, we should try to explain the situation to her, don’t you think? She could have some insight about all of this.”

Another good point. Your respect for the maid grows by leaps and bounds. “Okay, but…I can’t talk to her.” Then, a light bulb goes off in your head. “A note. Let’s put a note with her medicine. Do you have a pen and pa—“

The maid doesn’t even let you finish talking. She freezes time again, and once it restarts, you find that the bag has a new addition; a sheet of paper that contains a brief summary of most of the events that have happened so far. Damn, she’s good.

“I gotta learn how to do that,” you mutter as you turn back to the barrier. “All right, grab on. I don’t think I’ll fall through, but…if I do, get Reimu, she should be able to help.”

“Got it.”

As soon as Sakuya grips your arm, you lean in and force your hand through the barrier. As you expected, you don’t feel any pull, but it seems to be easier to get into these things than it is to get out. This isn’t over yet, but the first part is going pretty well so far.

You focus your eyes again and get a clear view of your target. Patchouli is staring at your hand, but it’s clear that she’s unable to move. You didn’t see anything breakable in the bag, so it should be okay to throw. It’ll be a little awkward given your current position, but you’ll manage somehow. You pull your arm back a bit and let the package fly. It lands close enough for Patchouli to reach without moving too much. Mission accomplished.

“Okay, she’s got it,” you say, turning back to look at Sakuya. “Help me up and we’ll be done.”

The maid nods and pulls you back. Your arm meets a little resistance, but it’s nowhere near as bad as it was when you got Marisa out. The entire plan went off without a hitch. You massage the arm you pulled free and watch as Patchouli takes a hit from an inhaler. Her cough persists, but it’s much better than it had been before. That’s a relief.

“How is she?”

That’s a voice you haven’t heard before. Process of elimination tells you that it was Koakuma talking. It makes sense that she would be concerned, given that Patchouli is her master or something along those lines. You nod to the familiar, and she breaks into a huge smile.

“Thank you...” she says quietly. You get the feeling she doesn’t talk a lot.

”I see…”

Patchouli’s words cause you to turn around. She has the note that Sakuya wrote in her hand, leading you to assume that she’s up to speed on what’s happening.

”Thank you for your aid. Allow me to return the favor. Is Koakuma with you?”

You nod again, making sure to exaggerate the motion so that she can see you.

”Tell her to retrieve the following books for me…”

What follows is a good minute and a half of Patchouli ticking off titles and you relaying them to Koakuma. You wonder if the little devil will be able to remember everything, but once the locked girl finishes up, Koakuma shoots off into the library with a purpose.

“She’ll be back in a few moments,” Sakuya states, answering you before you can ask your question. Can she see the future, too?

“All right…”

True to her word, Koakuma returns close to a minute later, carrying each of the books she had been told to find. You feed them through the barrier, doing your best to stack them in such a way that Patchouli won’t have to do much work to reach them. Before long, that task is complete as well. You can’t get her out yet, but at least you made her feel more at home.

”Thank you again. I’ll begin looking into the matter immediately. Feel free to browse the library and look for anything else that might help you.” With that final statement, Patchouli attacks her tomes with reckless abandon, which is to say she grabbed one from one of the stacks and started reading it. Still, you get the distinct feeling that once she gets started, nothing can stop her. That will probably be a good thing in the long run.

“Search this place,” you mutter, glancing over at Sakuya. “She said we can use anything that might be helpful.”

“Oh? Well, it couldn’t hurt, but I’ll leave it up to you, kid.”

The prospect of finding something useful here is definitely appealing, but at the same time the task of searching the library seems to be extremely daunting, and part of you wants to start training again. Being confronted with two people you can’t save right now is more than a little annoying to you. Sakuya is leaving it up to you. What do you do?

[] Search the library
-[] Search for something specific? (Write-in)
[] Go back to training
[] Isn’t there a third person missing?
[] Write-in

[x] Isn’t there a third person missing?

[x] Isn’t there a third person missing?

[x] Isn’t there a third person missing?
- [x] 'Since both my partner and I have a relative easier time detecting this 'distortions' I believe that there's a chance that they are trapped in another time. That said, do you think they need food? I'm specially worried about the vampire, I don't know how often do they need to eat'

[x] Isn’t there a third person missing?
- [x] 'Since both my partner and I have a relative easier time detecting this 'distortions' I believe that there's a chance that they are trapped in another time. That said, do you think they need food? I'm specially worried about the vampire, I don't know how often do they need to eat'

Good questions. Second one mainly, we found Marisa pretty fast so it's unknown to us.

[x] Isn’t there a third person missing?
- [x] 'Since both my partner and I have a relative easier time detecting this 'distortions' I believe that there's a chance that they are trapped in another time. That said, do you think they need food? I'm specially worried about the vampire, I don't know how often do they need to eat'

[x] Isn’t there a third person missing?
- [x] 'Since both my partner and I have a relative easier time detecting this 'distortions' I believe that there's a chance that they are trapped in another time. That said, do you think they need food? I'm specially worried about the vampire, I don't know how often do they need to eat'

Wow,I was under the impression that Flandre was with Meiling at the shrine. Unless its not Flandre that you guys are talking about, in which case, I don't think there's anyone missing.
I guess I'll go reread the post where we had the option to choose the search party to stick with.

found the options
>So, who’re you going to follow?

>[] The green haired girl with a snake hair decoration, a dog-eared girl, and a girl with her hair tied under her chin
>[] The girl with mouse ears, the girl with the umbrella, and a girl with a bandanna
>[] Mokou, a short bunny-eared girl, and the girl with what looks like antenna coming out of her hair
>[] The other cat, the green eyed girl, and the other oni
>[] The short blond girl, the red haired girl, and the maid
>[] Chen, the girl with the green dress and the swords, and the girl with the pink outfit and blue hair

So who's the third person that we're missing?

>>108651

Flandre?

I thought the short blonde was Rumia, in absence of mentioning Flandre's notable wings.

>>108652
>You recognize her as one of the girls from earlier, the one with the maid and the little blond girl in the black dress,
It's Rumia.

>>108656
Ah okay.

Yeah, Flandre is missing as well, so we're gonna go look for her.

Sometime Christmas day. Fuckin' power outages and me having to work tonight and tomorrow morning...

Christmas Update

Will be traveling today, will try to squeeze an update out upon arrival. Worst case scenario, I update later tonight.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas, Anon. Thanks for your support in this.

>[x] Isn’t there a third person missing?
>-[x] 'Since both my partner and I have a relative easier time detecting this 'distortions' I believe that there's a chance that they are trapped in another time. That said, do you think they need food? I'm specially worried about the vampire, I don't know how often do they need to eat'

Wait a second, wasn’t there someone else? There were three people Meiling mentioned, and you’ve found two, leaving one missing. Basic math, but you aren’t sure which one is which. Fortunately for you, the maid has the answers you desire.

“Hey, Sakuya, who did we find earlier?”

“Hm?” The silver-haired woman tilts her head at your question before seeming to recall what happened in the dining room. “Oh, yes, that was Lady Remilia. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I was just thinking that there’s one person left, right? Flounder or something…?”

“Flandre,” the maid says, correcting your pronunciation.

“Flandre, right. Shouldn’t we check on her, too?”

She considers your words for a few moments before giving you a nod. “Perhaps it would be for the best if we checked in on her as well. She can get a little…out of hand if not properly supervised.”

You can’t help but wonder what that means, but since Sakuya doesn’t seem to want to elaborate, you’ll just have to stay in the dark. “Well, I guess it would be a good thing to look in on her, huh?”

Sakuya shrugs wordlessly and turns away from you, leading your back through the labyrinth of books. Before long, you reach the exit and step back into the main body of the mansion. The maid takes you through the various halls while you do your best to keep pace with her. The silence is awkward as hell, so you decide to ask something of her.

“What do you think they are? Where they’re trapped, I mean. Can you sense them, too?”

“Vaguely,” the maid replies. “I’m not built like you are, though. You’re definitely more adept at seeing whatever they are, kid.”

You aren’t sure how to feel about that, but it can wait until later. You still want to get her opinion on the spaces themselves, so you steer the conversation back onto that track. “Well, since you can sense them, do you think they’re related to time at all? Like…could they be trapped in another time or something?”

“I really don’t know. It’s tough to say, but maybe Patchouli will figure something out in her research.”

It’s just a theory, but it seems pretty plausible to you. After all, that static wall you’ve seen is a time distortion, isn’t it? And since you’re the only person who can clearly see the disturbances, it’s likely that they’re somehow related to time as well. Maybe you can talk to Patchouli once she’s done with those books.

Another thought pops into your head. The thought seems a little silly, but at the same time, it might just be true. Everyone has been trapped in those bubbles for a while now, so it stands to reason that they might be hungry. Do vampires even eat? You discuss the matter with Sakuya, and the maid stops mid-step, looking back at you.

“I can’t believe I forgot…” she whispers. “I was so focused on finding them that I completely forgot to prepare their meals.”

You get the feeling that you’re seeing a rare sight. The normally unflappable Sakuya looks shaken. She tells you to wait a moment a stops time again. When the world returns to normal, you’re a little surprised to find that she isn’t anywhere near you. You’re alone in the mansion, at least for a little while.

“Huh…okay then.”

You spend the next few minutes amusing yourself by watching the afterimages of the fairy maids as they float around the hall. You end up directing traffic so that they don’t break the things you see them break, and everything ends up a running a bit more smoothly than before. You’re pretty good at that.

Sakuya returns a bit later with a large covered tray. How she can carry it without it tipping over is beyond you, but she’s a maid. That kind of thing is probably to be expected of her. Now that you’re both set, the trek to find Flandre continues.

The remainder of the trip doesn’t take very long. After walking down a fairly long set of stairs, the two of you come across the most massive set of doors you’re ever likely to come across. Just as you doubt that anyone could push them open, Sakuya steps forward and does just that. The maid just made you feel completely and totally pathetic with that one action.

“Wait here a moment,” Sakuya commands. You comply without a word and watch as the maid enters the room. A few seconds later, she pokes her head out and gives you a nod. Taking that as an indication to enter, you slip inside. What awaits you is a fairly normal bedroom, one that you might expect a young girl to keep. Various stuffed animals line the shelves, a few books lay scattered around, and a large bed sits in the center of the room.

So what’s with the doors?

You open your mouth to ask that question, but before you get the chance, Sakuya interrupts you. “Can you see anything?”

“Huh? Oh, uh…lemme check real quick…”

That said, you switch your eyes on again and scan the room. It’s weird how you’re already getting used to doing that. You don’t dwell on that too long since the distortion immediately becomes apparent. It’s on the bed, and more intense focusing shows you a blond girl with what you can only describe as a pair of sticks with lights sticking out of her back. You can only imagine what that could possibly indicate, but again you don’t think too much about it. Instead, you turn to the maid and point at the bed.

“She’s right there.”

Sakuya nods and removes the cover from the tray, revealing an elegantly prepared meal. It looks delicious, but you can already tell that it’s not meant for you. You’ll eat back at the shrine anyway. The maid hands you a smaller tray and places a note among all of the food. Wordlessly, the two of you go about the task of getting Flandre her food. With the experience you gained from helping Patchouli, the task doesn’t take very long. Flandre looked a little surprised when you reached through the barrier, but she recovered quickly enough and took the tray from you without a problem. Sakuya pulls you back out of the distortion, and you watch as the girl reads the note.

”Okay Sakuya!” she calls from within the bubble, smiling in your general direction. ”I’ll wait here until you get this fixed!”

You relay what was said to the maid and get a gentle smile in return. “Good girl,” she says, staring at the bed for a moment before turning away and leading you out of the room. Before you get the chance to talk to her, she stops time again. You’re back in the dining room when everything returns to normal. Wordlessly, you repeat the process and get Remilia her food. The other vampire reads the note she had been provided and nods to you.

”I see…I expect a speedy resolution to this problem.”

She doesn’t say anything after that. You tell Sakuya what was said and look over at the maid. The expression on her face is almost physically painful to you. She looks absolutely devastated that she can’t talk to her master. You want to make her feel better, but you have no idea how to do that, so you settle for patting her on the shoulder and reassuring her that you’ll get everyone out. That seems to clear up the cloud that was hanging over her, and she gives you a smile and pushes your hand away.

“I know, kid,” she says. “But thanks.”

Being that it’s starting to get late, the two of you decide to head back to the shrine for the night. It took a bit of pleading, but you managed to convince Sakuya to fly you back, rather than stopping time and carrying you back. If you could move while the rest of the world was frozen, it would be a different story, but as it stands, the sensation you feel when she does that it just too much for you to stand. You aren’t sure you’d survive the trip with your sanity intact.

“Do you want me to fly slowly, too?” She’s mocking you, that much is obvious, but you don’t dignify it with a response. Instead, you start thinking about some of the various questions you’ve been pondering while you were in the mansion. No time like the present to ask.

[] Ask about the residents of the mansion
[] Ask her about what she thinks of the disturbances
[] Ask her about some of the other inhabitants of Gensokyo (specify)
[] Write-in

>>108746

I don't think the second point would work, since this is the Sakuya of the present (Reimu's time) not of Yume's time. The best person to ask would be Yukari of Yume's time.

But unless I'm mistaken our lead lives in Reimu's time period before this whole incident.

[x] Ask about the residents of the mansion
[x] Ask her about what she thinks of the disturbances

>>108753
Ah, you are totally right. I wasn't thinking clearly.
[ø] Ask about the residents of the mansion
[ø] Ask her about what she thinks of the disturbances

[x] Ask about the residents of the mansion
[x] Ask her about what she thinks of the disturbances
Pretty standard questions but could give us some insight.

[x] Ask about the residents of the mansion
[x] Ask her about what she thinks of the disturbances

[X] Ask her about some of the other inhabitants of Gensokyo (anyone else who might have control over time)

[x] Ask about the residents of the mansion
[x] Ask her about what she thinks of the disturbances

Updating will commence some time tomorrow.

[x] Ask about the residents of the mansion
[x] Ask her about what she thinks of the disturbances

Yeah.

>[x] Ask about the residents of the mansion
>[x] Ask her about what she thinks of the disturbances

“Hey, Sakuya?”

“What’s up, kid?”

You really wish she’d stop calling you that, even if she is potentially centuries older than you. You’re in college after all, you aren’t a kid anymore. No point in getting all worked up about it, though, especially since you can’t do anything about it. You push your annoyance with that term aside and start talking. “Can you tell me about the people who live with you? I mean…you live with a vampire and a demon, don’t you?”

The maid chuckles quietly at you and gazes off into the distance, apparently considering your question. You always thought you were pretty good at reading people, but being around the residents of Gensokyo has caused you to rethink that opinion.

“I live with two vampires, actually.” There must be some kind of class offered here that makes sure everyone can say totally outlandish things with a completely straight face. “Lady Flandre is Lady Remilia’s little sister. They’re both vampires.”

“Oh…I see…” you say. In retrospect, handing either of the girls their food like that seems a lot more dangerous than it did when you actually did it. Sakuya catches the expression on your face and laughs again. Sure, laugh at the lowly human…

“Scared or something?” she asks. You shake your head in response.

“No, it’s just…well, I like my blood.”

“They don’t actively drink blood,” Sakuya states. “Well, Lady Flandre doesn’t. Lady Remilia does on occasion,” she puts special emphasis on those words before continuing, “but not very often. She’s a light eater.”

Flandre doesn’t drink blood? Then how does she survive? You open your mouth to ask that question, but once you start considering various possibilities in your mind, you decide that you don’t want to know the answer. You decide to steer the conversation onto another track before your head becomes filled with other unpleasant images.

“What about Patchouli? Is she…?”

“She’s a youkai,” the maid says.

“And Meiling?” you ask, though you think you already know the answer.

“Yup, her too.”

Another demon. You know at least five of them at this point, probably more. Their numbers seem to far outrank humans here, and yet the Hakurei’s are among the most respected people in this land. Just one of many things you don’t understand about this place yet. At least you aren’t completely in the dark anymore. It feels like you’re learning more every second, but you aren’t sure if that’s a good thing or not. Still, you have a few more questions you want to ask her.

“How’d you all end up living together? I mean, it seems like you guys’re…incompatible.”

“Heh, you’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Sakuya gives you a smile and shakes her head before continuing. “It’s a long story, one I’m not prepared to tell you…yet.”

The way she worded that makes you think that she has an ulterior motive, but you don’t question her on it. One more question has been eating at you for a while now. You didn’t get a straight answer back in the mansion, so you want to get one now.

“All right…what about where they’re trapped? Where do you think they are?”

“I really can’t say, kid, I’ve never been in one. You know more about them than I do.”

And you have no idea what the hell they are either. You really wish you did because it would make your life so much easier, but you doubt that the girl who brought you here in the first place did it to help you. You exhale slowly and look down at the land below you, a little surprised to find that you haven’t even left the lake area yet. You’ve been flying for at least five minutes, so you should be clear now, right? A glance at Sakuya earns you a shrug.

“I was stretching things out so you’d have time to talk. I don’t know how busy things will be at the shrine, so this might have been the only chance you got for a while.”

“Oh…” It’s seriously scary that she can just do that.

Space returns to normal before you, leaving you disoriented and light headed. Sakuya seems to be fine with the sudden change in reality. Makes sense, given that she’s the one doing it. Having said your peace, you’re content to spend the rest of the trip in silence and try to figure a few things out. Every answer you get just raises more questions. It’s annoying, but maybe you’ll start to figure things out before long.

Sakuya suddenly drops a good teen feet in less than a second. You open your mouth to protest, but when you see why she went down, you decide to shut up. In the space you used to occupy is a large sphere of what looks like water. You don’t know what it is, but you know that you don’t want to find out.

“Tell me what you see, kid!” the maid calls to you, her face having taken on a serious expression. You don’t even bother to ask why; it’s do or die right now. You switch your eyes on, and the afterimages appear before you once again. Your vision is filled with globes of liquid, and you relay where they’re going to appear to Sakuya, who follows your orders without hesitation, dragging you along for the ride. It’s a hell of a roller coaster, but the two of you manage to make it out unscathed. The instant you’re clear of the lake, Sakuya shoots down to solid ground and sets you down before turning back to the water, searching for any sign of your attacker. You do the same, but your eyes don’t pick up anything, not even an afterimage.

“What kind of idiot…” the maid whispers as she turns back to you. “Looks like we’re clear, but keep your eyes open.”

You open your mouth again, but before you get the chance to talk, you see an image of the lake springing to life and wrapping around Sakuya. You know better than to even think about that at this point, you just tell the maid what’s about to happen. She leaps to the side instantly, and the tendril of water that would have grabbed her…

Grabs you instead.

The water wraps around your neck and lifts you into the air. You try desperately to claw at it, but your fingers pass right through like it’s not even there. You can’t believe it. You’re being choked to death by water.

Just as your vision starts to fade, Sakuya freezes time again. You aren’t really sure what she did, but you feel the tendril break, and when time resumes, the water that had been coiled around your neck has turned back into plain old liquid. You can breathe again, so you do just that. The lake really does want to kill you, it seems.

You look up at the maid and try your best to thank her, but the words just don’t come out. You’re still recovering from having your neck almost crushed, after all. However, another vision of the water grabbing Sakuya appears, and this time, there’s nothing you can do about it. The lake wraps the maid’s entire body up and yanks her back into the main body of water, holding her captive just above the surface. You can tell that she’s struggling, but to no avail. She’s trapped, but her head is still free, so she can still breathe. At least there’s that.

“Can you move?” you say as loud as you can. She seems to hear you, since she shakes her head.

“This thing’s got me pretty good…even if I stopped time, it’d just make the water solid. Looks like I’m stuck for right now.”

She looks remarkably calm, given the situation. You’re sure that if you were in her position, you’d be on the verge of a world class freak out.

”I was beginning to think you’d never leave the mansion.”

The voice comes from everywhere and nowhere simultaneously. You sweep the area, trying to find the person it belongs to, but you can’t see any signs of life. Shouting at them is pointless since your voice is just barely a whisper right now, but the owner reveals herself before long. The surface of the water ripples and raises up, forming into the outline of a person. The outline gains more detail, revealing a tall and quite curvy woman with long ice blue hair and steel gray eyes. She’s clothed in a white loose fitting kimono and not much else. You might have thought she was attractive if you weren’t so sure she was the one responsible for all of this.

“How are you?” she asks, politeness and elegance almost literally radiating from her. “My name is Godaiyou Chisui. I’ve come here to kill you.”

You don’t respond, partly out of defiance, partly out of sheer pants-wetting terror. Fortunately enough, the maid has your back.

“And why are you after him?” Sakuya asks, straining her neck to get a good look at the new woman. Chisui giggles into her hand and looks up at her captive, a perfectly normal smile on her face. That in itself is horrifying.

“My master has determined him to be a threat, as much of one as Hakurei Yume. If he is allowed to live, he will no doubt interfere with our plans. We cannot allow that, so I have been sent to eliminate him.”

“Is that right?” The maid returns Chisui’s smile and glances over at you. “Looks like you’re famous, kid.”

You aren’t so sure you want that kind of fame.

Chisui looks back at you, her smile getting a little wider. “Now, I’m not one for outright murder, so I do believe I will make this interesting. Let us play a game. I will attack you. For each one of my attacks you survive, I will raise your companion out of the water. For each one that hits, I will lower her. Essentially, if you get hit too much, she will die. Do you accept these terms?”

“Kid, don’t you dare.” Sakuya is figuratively shooting daggers at you. “You have to get out of here right now. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fi--”

The rest of her words are cut off as water wraps around her mouth. Her nose remains uncovered so she can still get oxygen, but you can’t imagine just how uncomfortable her new position is. You lock your eyes back on Chisui, doing your best to look intimidating. Of course, you fail miserably. You’re almost too scared to think straight, but you have to make a decision, and you have to make it now. Fight or flight?

[] Accept Chisui’s terms
- [] “On one condition…” (specify)
[] Heed Sakuya’s words and flee
- [] (Optional) Seek help
[] Write-in

[x] Accept Chisui’s terms
- [x] “I'll play, but on one condition: Since I have no means of defending myself, ease the rules a little: After raising her 4 times or attacking me 16 let her go. You can kill me then if you wish”
Since it seems to enjoy games, our proposal must be within the game rules, so it shows that we're playing along.

Why 4 and 16? Well, the number 4 is associated to bad luck and death, both things that will also relate to Chisui if it agrees to release Sakuya at any given time. On the other side, 16 times as the limit will give Chisui plenty of time to torture (instead of outright killing) the MC and because, according to the wiki, the characters for Izayoi literally mean "Sixteenth night"

This is just a game to save Sakuya; this new lady is still going to try and kill us in the process or right after her game. Running away would be the best option. It didn't turn out too well the last time we tried the hero thing and Sakuya probably has some time-space bending trick up her sleeve. Running away is the best option... except the last time we played in the woods near the lake we came inches from being devoured. Not only would we be stumbling blindly not knowing where we are or where to go, but we'd be trying to avoid man eating creatures and a homicidal water monster.

Devil you know, I guess:
[X] Accept Chisui’s terms
- [X] “On one condition… if... when Sakuya gets out of there, you're going to have a spell card duel with her for my life."

I'm leaving the condition vague; if Sakuya can bust out before us freeing her, the condition still stands. Mystic eyes of time perception, don't fail us now.

[x] Heed Sakuya’s words and flee
- [x] (Optional) Seek help

Blow this pop stand.

[x] Heed Sakuya’s words and flee
- [x] (Optional) Seek help

[X] Accept Chisui’s terms
- [X] “On one condition… if... when Sakuya gets out of there, you're going to have a spell card duel with her for my life."

[x] Heed Sakuya’s words and flee
-[x] Seek help

ffff This seems like lunatic mode has just been enabled. At least when Dokuro attacked, Youmu fought her on even grounds, but as a complete beginner at Danmaku, I'm not sure if our ability can save our and Sakuya's lives.
That being said, Chisui's going down. hard. I don't like her attitude a tiny bit.
Only if we could move while Sakuya freezes time, we could get help from the shrine, but that's not possible, yet, so I'm going to vote for...

[ø] Accept Chisui’s terms
- [ø] “On one condition… if... when Sakuya gets out of there, you're going to have a spell card duel with her for my life."

>>108870
I don't like this. When he explained the rules he never says when the game was going to end or if it was gonna release Sakuya at all.

You deserve this for daring to come so close to this lake again.

[x] Heed Sakuya’s words and flee
- [x] (Optional) Seek help
--[x] Try to reach Reimu and the others either by foot or by some kind of signal.

[ø] Accept Chisui’s terms
- [ø] “On one condition… if... when Sakuya gets out of there, you're going to have a spell card duel with her for my life."

[ø] Accept Chisui’s terms
- [ø] “On one condition… if... when Sakuya gets out of there, you're going to have a spell card duel with her for my life."

[x] Accept Chisui’s terms
- [x] “On one condition… if... when Sakuya gets out of there, you're going to have a spell card duel with her for my life."

This will be the first real test of our precognition ability, and it probably won't be the last danmaku battle we end up in. We aren't going to get anywhere walking, anyway.

Updating will commence tomorrow morning.

>[x] Accept Chisui’s terms
>- [x] “On one condition…if…when Sakuya gets out of there, you’re going to have a spell card duel with her for my life.”

You can’t just leave her here. If you walk away, Chisui will probably kill her outright. That’s a chance you can’t take. Sakuya has given you nothing but help so far, so it’s time for you to return the favor.

“…Fine…” you manage to choke out, glaring at Chisui as you rub at your throat. “I’ll play your little game…”

“Excellent!” the water girl says, clapping her hands a few times. “This shall be such fun. I haven’t had a chance to play with anyone in quite some time. Very well, let’s begin!”

“Wait.”

You’re surprised at your own words. The girls seem to share your shock as both of them look at you, each wearing a curious expression. The floor is yours, so you clear your throat and keep right on talking. “I have some terms…”

“Terms?” Chisui tilts her head at your words and narrows her eyes slightly, but she’s still smiling. God damn, she is creepy. “Very well, name them.”

You didn’t expect her to agree so easily, though seems to be more amicable than Dokuro was. You’re still in kind of a tough spot since you expected her to object, giving you more time to think about what you want to accomplish here. Fortunately, the answer you want comes to you soon enough. “If…when Sakuya gets out of there…you’re going to have a spell card duel for my life.”

Sakuya’s eyes narrow this time, while Chisui’s widen with excitement. “Ah! A terrific idea! I love it! Such confidence, such faith in your friend! Let us put it to the test!” The girl in the kimono does a pirouette on the surface of the water before coming to a rest, kneeling down before you. “I accept your conditions! Now, let us begin!”

She’s so excited that it’s almost cute, or at least it would be if she weren’t trying to kill you. You set your feet and ready yourself the best you can, trying desperately to keep your heart from bursting out of your chest. The anticipation is killing you, and your body is running on pure adrenaline. You have to be ready. If you hesitate for even an instant, you will die. With that in mind, you switch your eyes back on and prepare yourself. You’ll be ready when she comes.

She moves.

You watch her afterimage shoot toward you and dart to the left. That’s the path she’ll follow. You keep your eyes on that, doing your best to be subtle about it. The less she suspects, the better. As the image moves around you, you watch it send a few balls of water toward you. They’re slow moving, but there will be a lot of them. Still, you should be able to dodge them with no trouble. The image completes a circle and returns to it’s previous position, leading you to assume that she’ll be firing at you from all sides. Secure in the knowledge that you know what’s coming, you wait for Chisui to make her move.

A moment later, she does.

The blue-haired girl kicks off of the surface of the lake and flies toward you slowly, still wearing that damn smile. As you saw in your vision, she suddenly veers left. You whip your head around and follow her path. She raises her hand and lets fly a blue sphere. Everything is proceeding just as you saw. You take a step back and watch the water fly by you harmlessly. You should be fine.

Keeping your eyes locked on your opponent, you call up the image again, trying to make this one a vision of what will happen a few seconds into the future. You’ve already changed events as you saw them, so there is a chance Chisui will try something different now. However, the water girl seems to be undeterred by her miss since she keeps right on attacking like you already knew she would. Her shots continue to sail right past your body as you position yourself in such a way that they’ll completely miss. No close calls, no near misses, just minimal effort for maximum gain. You survive unharmed, and Chisui follows your predicted path back to her starting point, an amused expression on her face.

“Hohoho…it seems you really can see the future.”

It’s a strange feeling, having all the blood leave your face in an instant. You can’t even imagine how you must look right now, all ashen white with an expression of complete shock. Chisui, of course, seems terribly amused by the look on your face and gives another laugh at your expense before speaking again.

“Dokuro told us all about what you yelled at that Konpaku girl. We thought she was just making excuses for her loss, but it looks like she was right.”

You flash back to the battle between Youmu and Dokuro, replaying each scene in your head. You were watching the fight, the images appeared, you yelled at Youmu to dodge a certain way and…

Oh.

“That look on your face…ah, if only I could capture it!” Chisui laughs again and moves about on the lake, twirling around and leaping like a ballet dancer. You doubt you’ve ever seen someone look so happy for such a completely fucked up reason. After a few seconds of prancing, she comes to a halt and looks over at Sakuya, raising her hand. True to her word, the water holding the maid captive raises up. You survived the first assault, so you’ve earned a little breathing room. At least Sakuya won’t drown any time soon.

Then, it dawns on you.

“Wait…Dokuro…?”

“Oh, she’s still alive,” Chisui states, her smile growing wider. “And very angry about the arm she lost. She wanted to come kill you, but our master denied her request and sent me instead.”

You can’t make heads or tails of what you’ve just heard. How can Dokuro still be alive? You saw her die, you’re sure of it. Or did you? You definitely saw her falling, and then she vanished…

God dammit.

The realization hits you like a ton of bricks. You didn’t see her die, you saw her disappear. That could have meant anything. Knowing that Dokuro is still alive out there somewhere is more than a little frightening to you. Just recalling the girls true face sends shivers down your spine.

“Ah, but all of that can wait,” Chisui says, pulling you out of the torrential sea that is your thoughts. “For now, we have a game to play!”

You were so lost that you failed to get a look at what’s coming, leaving you more or less unprepared when Chisui starts moving again. The water controller shoots up into the air, trailing a large column of water behind her. You switch your eyes on and try to figure out what she’s about to do, but the images are coming more sporadically now. It’s getting hard to focus on anything. You still can’t sustain your abilities for very long, and now you’re paying the price. Before they completely cut out on you, you manage to get a glimpse of Chisui’s next attack - multiple arms will extend out of the column she’s created and whip around at you. Unfortunately, that’s all you see as your powers finally give up. You need to recover before using them again. You just hope you get that chance.

The tendrils appear one at a time, eventually leaving Chisui’s little display looking more like a sea anemone than anything else. Even though you knew it was coming, it’s still an utterly terrifying sight, a fact that is compounded by you being unsure of how to handle this situation. At least when you could see the future you had a fighting chance, but as it stands now, you’re beginning to wonder just how many pieces you’ll end up in when this is all over.

The assault begins a few moments later. One of the tendrils pulls back before swinging down toward you. It’s a slow strike, giving you plenty of time to react. You dash forward and duck underneath the attack, feeling it just narrowly miss the top of your head. A tremendous crashing noise reverberates from behind you, but you can’t worry about that right now. You have to get ready for whatever’s coming next. Still, your curiosity gets the better of you, and you turn your head to get a look at whatever happened.

There were some trees behind you. They aren’t there anymore.

You don’t even want to think about what that kind of impact would do to your body. If you want to walk away from this, you’re going to have to start trying to come up with a plan.

A familiar sound fills your ears. You look up in time to see another arm of water preparing to swing toward you, but at the angle you’re at, it’s tough to decide how to get around it. Cursing your luck, your mind races as you try to come up with a plan. If only you could see how things will play out…

[] Try to force your eyes to start working again
[] Attempt to dodge
[] Write-in

[x] Try to force your eyes to start working again
Both options are good, and both depend on his luck so...

Ugh I'm not getting the mental image here. How and from where are these arms swing at us? Is this 'swing' more like a punch or is it literally a swinging motion in a big arc? Also, if it is a swinging motion, is the arc horizontal, or coming at us like a hammer?

For now, I'll go with [ø] Attempt to dodge
but that may change.

There's no good option here. Forcing our eyes will probably either hurt us or take too long, and trying to dodge blindly will probably lead us into a trap or something. I doubt that any write in we could come up with, no matter how clever and witty, could stop several tons of water from hurdling towards us. Gotta do something, though.

[x] Attempt to dodge

>>108974
Arc.

>>108965
[X] Attempt to dodge

If it's getting harder to see the future, I'd rather save it for when the attack looks impossible to dodge.

[x] Attempt to dodge

It's a shame we're not capable of pulling people out of the disturbances on our own yet. If we could, I'd be voting to scan the area between dodging. After all: we're currently at the lake, Cirno is one of the missing individuals, and our opponent relies on water to fight. Feels like a missed opportunity if you ask me.

[x] Attempt to dodge

Update tomorrow. In the meantime, Happy New Year and all that.

>[x] Attempt to dodge

Your eyes can wait. You need to get away from this attack right now. Without the power to see the future, you’ll have to rely on your instincts to survive. You just hope that your instincts won’t steer you wrong. You stare at the oncoming tendril as it swings around toward you in a wide arc, trying to figure out the best way to get away. Eventually, you decide that the best way to stay alive is to go forward.

You push off the ground and dive toward the water. The arm of water sails right over your head, leaving you unharmed, if slightly wet. Getting up is easy enough, and you start preparing for the next assault, wherever it may come from. Still, you really wish your eyes were working. It would make things so much easier in the long run.

“Good, good!” Chisui calls from atop her tower. “You’re doing well!”

“Gee, thanks…” you mutter as you backpedal away from your attacker. Being so close to her is not a good thing. Survival equals distance here. Once you’re far enough away, you set your feet again and glare up at the water girl, waiting for her to make her next move. If you could fight back, things might be different, but as it stands right now you might as well be a kitten before one big god damn dog.

“Aren’t you having fun?” She’s talking to you again. Didn’t anyone ever teach her not to play with her food? She doesn’t seem to care that you don’t respond to her since she keeps right on going. “You should be honored! The Great God of the Five Seas is gracing you with her presence!”

“I don’t worship you, so fuck off!” you shout back, getting extremely annoyed with her. “I met a goddess earlier today who was actually sane, so I’m gonna stick with her!”

You aren’t sure if it’s your imagination, but you think that, for an instant, you see Chisui’s calm expression shatter. But she quickly repairs it and returns to normal, wearing that smile you’re gradually coming to hate. She’s a bitch of the highest order, and you won’t be sorry to see her go. You glance over at Sakuya, and she returns the favor by glaring a hole through your head. You haven’t known her very long, but you can tell that she is pissed off, at you or at something else. Either way, it’s definitely a good idea to get her out of there.

That sound again. You turn your attention back to Chisui and her horror show of water, watching as she prepares to attack you again. The liquid gathers at the front of the monstrosity and shoots toward you like a rocket. You’re too busy running to bother fearing for your life. The sound gets louder, louder, louder, until it’s almost unbearable. If this is what death sounds like, then you hope the afterlife has earplugs.

You leave your feet and try to get one final push away from the oncoming wall. Surprisingly, you succeed.

Almost.

Your feet get grazed by the attack. The force of the blow sends you tumbling through the air. You barely have time to get dizzy. The ground painfully reclaims you, striking your body with all it’s might for your arrogance in attempting to leave her. You curse her abuse and try to get some air back into your lungs, but fail miserably. You’re just barely able to move as it is, so breathing is completely out of the question. You can stare at the sky later, though. You have to keep moving. Otherwise, you will definitely die here.

You roll to your feet and ignore the fact that your entire body is screaming at you to stop. You clear the stars from your eyes and prepare to face whatever else Chisui can throw at you. It hurts, but you’ll survive.

You regret that thought a second later.

A pain unlike any you’ve ever felt radiates from your side. You try to cry out, but are silenced as something else strikes you in the face, causing you to do a strange sort of cartwheel before landing on the ground again. You can’t even try to escape the onslaught. It feels like someone is taking innumerable baseball bats to your flesh, striking you over and over with no regard for your health. You can’t even scream. It hurts too much.

Time stops.

You’re vaguely aware of someone dragging your body away, but you’re on the verge of passing out as it is, so you don’t really care. However, as your vision clears, you can just barely make out Sakuya’s face. She’s carrying you. You try to respond, but it’s too hard to speak, and besides that, you still can’t function too well when time is frozen. Hell, you’re just barely aware of what’s happening right now.

”Don’t move.”

You can hear her. That’s new. She says a few other things, but it’s too hard to make out what she’s telling you, so you write it off as unimportant. All you really want to do is fall asleep and never wake up again. Of course, given what you have to accomplish, that isn’t an option. You’ll just have to stay awake for right now.

Sakuya sets you down and starts tending to your wounds. You aren’t sure where she got all those bandages, but it’s one of those unimportant things. You just sit in silence as she fixes you up. It feels like an eternity, and you really hate the feeling of being unable to move, but at least you’re able to tell what’s happening now. As soon as she’s finished, the maid moves away from you and stands near Chisui, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

You can’t help but think that things might get a little nasty before this is all said and done.

.....

Part two incoming as soon as I get over my writers block...

>>109147
Oh wow, I guess this Sakuya's ability is way beyond what I thought she was capable of.

>>109148
LOOK AT SAKUYA. THIS WOMAN HAS MORE WAYS OF KILLING YOU THAN JAPANESE GIRLS HAVE WAYS OF FAKE MOANING. SHE APPARENTLY HAS SO MUCH POWERS THAT ZUN FORGETS ABOUT THEM SOMETIMES. SHE CAN CASUALLY STOP TIME AT WILL, REWIND TIME TO HER CHOOSING, AND FAST FORWARD IT WHENEVER SHE'S FEELING BORED. ALL THE WHILE BEING COVERED FROM HEAD TO TOE WITH SHARP-ASS DAGGERS (SOME OF WHICH ARE NEATLY FOLDED IN THE 4TH DIMENSIONAL SPACE AROUND HER GARTER BELT). YEAH, SHE'S THAT TYPE OF WOMAN. ALL BECAUSE SHE'S A MAID AT THE SCARLET DEVIL MANSION.

>>109147
As my eye skimmed over this, I misread "Chisui" as "Cthulhu" not once, but twice.

>>109150
Needs more enthusiasm and swearing.

I actually prefer my Sakuya with only limited time-stopping powers but... meh this' good too.

>>109176
That is the most terrifying face ever.

And time resumes.

The mass of water tendrils that had been beating you senseless suddenly stop as they realize you’re no longer there to pummel. So that’s what it was. You’d been too busy focusing on getting the shit beaten out of you to even care what was attacking you. Chisui blinks and turns from the spot you used to be, jumping visibly when she sees the maid standing beside her, but she quickly recovers from that shock.

“I was wondering when you would get involved,” the water girl states, her eternal smile unwavering. “But I’m curious…would you mind telling me how you escaped from my little trap?”

“I’m under no obligation to explain anything to you,” the maid spits, pulling eight knifes from out of nowhere and holding them in the spaces between her fingers. Again, you find yourself experiencing a combination of awe and fear at Sakuya’s display of skill. That kind of power…it’s utterly terrifying.

“I suppose you’re right,” Chisui says, waving off her own question. “Well, now that you’re free, I assume you’ll be taking the reins from your little friend there?”

Sakuya doesn’t say anything. Her reply is to attack. She lets fly all the knifes she’d been holding without any sort of provocation, but they all sail past Chisui, missing her by wide margins all around. You can’t help but wonder what she is aiming at, but a quick look shows you that Sakuya just struck down a multitude of water spheres that had been hiding behind her opponent. Chisui, of course, looks only mildly amused by Sakuya’s little trick.

“I suppose that kind of thing won’t work on the legendary Izayoi Sakuya, will it?”

“No more talking.”

Three little words send an incredible chill down your spine. If ever there were a reason for you not to anger Sakuya, it’s that right there. While you have known her to be a calm and collected person, you got the feeling that beneath the surface lay something incredibly fearsome. And now, you’re getting a glimpse of that ferocity. You’re just glad that you aren’t on the receiving end of her rage.

Wordlessly, the two of them take to the sky, leaving you alone and still very injured. You wish you could help the maid somehow, but being an earthbound misfit and still incredibly weak compared to almost everyone else who resides in this place is a definite disadvantage. You’ll just have to leave the rest to her.

“I believe that his terms stipulated a Spell Card duel?” Just listening to Chisui talk so politely makes you want to rip her tongue out of her head. You can’t recall at time that you felt such incredible rage toward a single individual.

“He’s an idiot,” Sakuya states plainly. Her words go right through your heart and pin you to a nearby tree. “And I have no intention of following his request.”

“Oh?” It’s a little hard to tell, but you’re pretty sure Chisui’s smile just got even wider. You just hope her face doesn’t turn into a skull as well. “Very well. In that case, I shall use the fullest extent of my powers to kill you. Then I shall have my fun with your friend.”

The water girl suddenly has a knife in her throat. You didn’t see Sakuya do it, but you did sense her stop time for an instant. It looks like the fight is already over. Chisui chokes loudly, and liquid starts pouring out of her wound. Except it’s not blood. It’s water. The water girl continues her display for a few moments before laughing loudly and pulling the weapon out of her body, looking none the worse for wear.

“Ah, I’m afraid it will take much more than that to end my life,” Chisui says as she tosses the knife up and down in her hand. “I’ll applaud your effort, though. Few get as far as you have.”

The maid remains silent, but you can tell she isn’t even fazed by her opponent’s display. In fact, she looks more confident than ever. You really can’t tell what that woman is thinking. It’s a little annoying, but you’re in no position to question her. Being an earthbound misfit, all you can do is watch.

Sakuya doesn’t bother freezing the world this time. Instead, she focuses on unleashing a virtual hell of knifes toward her opponent. You can only imagine where she keeps all of those weapons, but, as with most everything else you’ve discovered here, it’s not important. You turn your attention to Chisui, waiting for her to be reduce to a fine mist. The knives puncture the blue-haired girl’s entire body, leaving her a flying pin cushion. Unfortunately, as before, Chisui doesn’t even seem to be bothered by what’s just befallen her. In fact, she looks amused. She pulls one of the edged implements from her body and slides her tongue across it, giving the maid the strangest of looks as she does so.

“Ah…it’s been a long time since someone hurt me that much. It’s very stimulating…perhaps you should try it.”

The knives explode out of Chisui’s frame and fly back toward Sakuya at a shocking rate of speed. The maid looks only mildly concerned as she weaves through the projectiles like a pro, actually ending up in front of her target in the end. An instant later, Chisui’s head leaves her neck, and her now headless corpse falls to the ground with a sickening thud. If you weren’t so deadened by the pain coursing through your body, you might give a damn about the murder that just took place in front of you, but as it stands, you really couldn’t care less.

“Get up.”

Sakuya has floated down to the ground again, but the command wasn’t directed at you. Instead, she seems to be talking to the body of her fallen opponent. For a moment you wonder if she’s gone insane, but unsurprisingly, Chisui hops to her feet, still very headless. That’s corrected an instant later as a stream of liquid shoots from her neck, grabbing her severed skull and reattaching it to her body. It’s an incredibly disturbing sight, but at the same time you aren’t really that shocked by the impossible thing you’ve just witnessed. Maybe you really are getting used to this place.

“Ahahaha.” That cackle of hers cuts into your ears. It’s almost physically painful for you to listen to Chisui laugh like that. “I suppose it was a bit much to ask you to fall for such a simple trick after what you’ve seen me do. Forgive me, I’m having far too much fun playing with you.”

The water girl grins and raises her hand to Sakuya, presumably to attack. However, much to your surprise, the maid mirrors her movement. Even your teacher seems to be confused by what’s going on now. Chisui sees fit to explain things a few moments later.

“I can manipulate water, as I’m sure you’ve surmised already. But tell me…do you know what most of the human body is made of?”

That playful smile she’d been wearing for most of the time you’ve known her is replaced by one of outright sadism. Chisui clenches her fist, and Sakuya’s arm seems to explode. Crimson liquid shoots from the maid’s forearm, covering the area around her in blood. It’s a sickening sight, and you can only imagine the kind of pain Sakuya is going through right now, but when you look at her face, she only shows mild discomfort by the fate that has befallen her. That woman is seriously insane.

“It’s no fun if you don’t respond,” Chisui says, clenching her fist again. Sakuya’s leg goes this time, and the maid slumps to one knee, actually wearing a pained expression now. “But I guess this is fine, too. You’ll pass out soon if you don’t do anything, you know~”

Sakuya doesn’t respond, either out of defiance or trying to suppress the scream that’s no doubt building up in her body. You can’t stand to see her like this, but what can you do to save her? You could try to interfere somehow, you could try to get Chisui’s attention, but then what? If you just stand here, Sakuya’s going to die, that much is true, but what other choice do you have? There really isn’t anything you can do, but you have to do something. It’s an impossible choice, but it’s a choice you have to make.

[] Try to do something
[] Sit, watch, and wait
[] Beg Chisui to stop
[] Write-in

[X] Try to do something
A write in will count as doing something. I just can't think of what to do.

>>109176
I don't know if that's Marisa of Maribel

>>109436
[X] Beg Chisui to stop

If we were worth a damn, I'd have more pride about this. But we're not, so the best thing we can do is try and distract her with begging and let Sakuya do her thing. Playing up that 'worship' and 'Great God of the Five Seas' thing might work; that was just about the only time we got her composure to crack, something even Sakuya couldn't do.

Sakuya ;_;

[X] Try to do something
Sakuya was an idiot for not agreeing to a spell card duel. This thing is in Full-power Ran or even Yuuka level. She has no chance of winning in a normal battle.
I guess all we can do is to make time until someone arrives. Begging would be useless too.

[x] Try to do something

It's the stressful power awakening scene!

[X] Beg Chisui to stop

Nothing we can do. Sakuya just took her head off to no effect, any sort of attack we could improvise would do jack shit. Chisui seems pretty vain though, so maybe this will draw her attention away, at least.

[x] Try to do something

She's in full sadist mode now, begging would only make her torture Sakuya more.

[x] Try to do something

[x] Sit, watch, and wait

She still seems confident, and she already screwed the rules once to save our ass while we were trying to save her. What exactly are we going to do, anyway? Remind Chisui that she can kill us first to get a reaction out of her more interesting opponent?

We just lost to her, our only ability is dodging and we failed miserably at it. Anything more would be reaching Shirou levels of reckless, self-abandoning stupidity and I really hope we don't have to go down that road.

[X] Beg Chisui to stop

This woman is a sadist. If we appeal to that, we may be able to buy time...
...And what little we can buy, sakuya may be able to multiply.

[x] Try to do something

Let's MacGyver ourselves an electrolysis machine out of our old cellphone and tear her apart.

Also check if we have some Band-Aids for those compound fractures.

Just a few things to note: Chisui's ability seems akin to both Nitori's power and Patchouli's water magic, yet neither could really do such broken things like survive being decapitated (And I doubt even Remilia could easily shrug off such a thing)

The whole making people explode might be something those two might be able to do, but that's pushing the boundaries.

Just noting this, but otherwise the story's rather nice so far.

Where is Cirno anyways?

>>109459
"I don't get it." Cirno stares at you blankly, her large eyes looking up at you with a lack of understanding. You feared this. She returns to a smile. "Come on, we have to go defeat these Tengu on the mountain, this really mean Aya one insulted me in her paper thingy, and-"

"Cirno... We can't go on another adventure. I've settled down. She's pregnant. There is nothing more between us. I'm sorry." Her happy face turns to one of surprise, then... She frowns, looking slightly hurt.

"What? But you're my human-"

"I am sorry, Cirno. It is best if you don't come here, anymore. Go back to the lake. You have other fairy friends there, right? Good bye, Cirno." You turn, and walk away, even as she begins to frown.

"NO! No! You can't stop! You're my human!" She shrieks, and launches herself at you... Only to be pushed away harshly, a soft thud as she hits the ground. You continue walking, not even looking back at the little ice fairy. Autumn had just arrived,, and you hurried onward. It was due to rain soon, and you promised to be back.

But she lies there in the grass. "I don't understand..." She whispers as the rain softly begins to drizzle down, the fallen droplets around her turning to ice. "You can't..." There is no ears for her words to reach. "Why am I crying! I don't need any stupid human anyways!" Cirno sniffles, wiping at her eyes as tears begin to flow. But she is unable to stop. She wails, like a little girl, not even willing herself to get up, and remains right where you pushed her down without a second thought. The clouds gather, and soon the drizzle becomes a downpour. But she never moves.

She disappears after that day. Nobody sees her again. Other fairies get strangely quiet whenever the topic is discussed, and turn it to more pleasant things. But somewhere in a lake, she is drowning herself.
Over and over again.
Did you know?
Fairies can't die. But she feels the pain. Every time.
But it's slightly less painful than remembering when you cut her cheerful, innocent heart in half.

>>109462
;_; Why do you do this to us.

>>109462
NOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

>>109459
I have an answer for everything, I assure you.

>>109462
Eh, that was heart wrenching the first time I saw it, but now it's nothing special.

Update called for trying to do something.

>[x] Try to do something

This has to be the most retarded decision you’re ever likely to make, but what other choice do you have? If you don’t interfere, Sakuya will definitely die. You can’t let that happen, no matter what may befall you. After all she’s done for you, this is the absolute least you can do in return.

Swallowing any remaining pain in your body, you force yourself to your feet and cut the most imposing figure you can muster. Maybe, if you can get Chisui’s attention for just a second, maybe this will all work out.

The answer to your little problem is sitting on the ground in the form of a large stone. It would be best to attack from range, so that’s precisely what you do. You grab the rock, take aim, and hurl it toward your target with all the strength you can muster. It cuts through the air, getting closer and closer, until it connects with the side of Chisui’s head.

The Great God of the Five Seas reacts by snapping her head to the side. You can already tell that you didn’t injure her, but you definitely got her attention. Chisui raises an arm and pushes her head back to the side, forcing it back into place. She turns to face you, her smile growing just slightly wider. She presses her forefinger to her lips and giggles quietly, apparently trying to eat you with her eyes.

“Oh…you want to play with me?” she asks, taking that finger and slowly drawing it down her neck. You do your best not to follow her motion, knowing that it will eventually lead to her ample bosom and more distractions for you. You have to stay focused on the task at hand. Otherwise, this will all be for naught. Can’t save anyone if you’re dead.

“What’s with that face?” Chisui continues, slipping her hand into the folds of her kimono. You ignore that, staring pointedly into her eyes. “After I kill your friend, you can have your way with me. I might even enjoy it.”

“Sorry, I’m not into crazy bitches.” You defy her with every fiber of your being. You can’t let her get to you like that. The second you start thinking with your penis is the second you die. However, you can’t help but notice that your outburst seems to have angered Chisui. You aren’t sure if that’s a good thing or not.

Your arm suddenly jerks itself into a very awkward position. You stare at it with a mixture of shock and horror, trying to get your limb back under control, but it’s no use. A quick glance at the water god seems to confirm your suspicion that she’s taken control away from you, as she has her hand raised to you. Yeah, she’s to blame for this. Definitely not a good thing.

“And to think I was going to let you live…” she hisses, twisting her hand slowly. Your arm does the same. Pain shoots through your body, but you persevere the best you can. “You would have made an excellent toy. Oh well…perhaps I can get a little pleasure out of you before I end your life. But first…”

Chisui turns back to Sakuya and raises her hand again, presumably to finish the maid off. However, before she can act on that impulse, she pauses. You soon spot the reason for her confusion. Sakuya’s eyes, normally a pleasing shade of blue, are now pure red. A card flashes into existence before the silver-haired woman before exploding into the nothing from whence it came. A single knife is in her hand. That cannot possibly be good.

For Chisui, anyway.

”Cutting Soul ｢Soul Sculpture｣“

You really have no idea what’s going on, but whatever happens puts innumerable cuts on Chisui’s body. Based on what you’ve already seen, you get the feeling that Sakuya’s attack won’t do any lasting damage. It looks damn impressive, though. Whatever hold Chisui had on you vanishes as the maid rips her body to shreds, freeing your arm from the strange position it had been forced into. You rub at your wrist and try to get some feeling back into your arm, continuing to watch as the water god’s body fails her.

And then you see it.

You don’t know what it is, but there’s something inside of her.

You only see it for an instant, so you don’t know what it could possibly be, but every single one of your instincts tells you that it’s important.

Sakuya’s assault stops a few seconds after you spot whatever it was, and Chisui’s body wraps around the object, preventing you from getting a better look. The water god wavers for an instant as her frame gets reconstructed. Her regenerative powers are astounding. Now that you think about it, you realize that Chisui’s body as you know it is likely nothing but water. She doesn’t have a body. It’s all liquid.

“How dare you interrupt me…” The Great God of the Five Seas raises her hand to Sakuya again, and the maid’s body reacts like a puppet. All control is wrested from her, and she rises up into the air. Chisui forces Sakuya’s arm to flail about until the maid drops the knife she’d been holding. The weapon skips along the ground and comes to a halt at your feet.

That’s like an open invitation.

You act on impulse, throwing any semblance of common sense off your train of thought after stabbing it in the back with the knife in your hands. You push forward, your body protesting against that action. You force it to shut up and keep on traveling, clenching the weapon in your hands as hard as you can. She has her back to you. She doesn’t know you’re coming. It’ll be easy.

The thought that you’re about to try to commit a murder enters your mind and is quickly dismissed. The girl in front of you is a monster, not a human, and she’s trying to kill you. It’s only fair that you defend yourself. You won’t lose any sleep over what you’re about to do.

The knife enters her body easily enough. You set your feet and push forward as hard as you can, ignoring Chisui’s cries of protest. That isn’t enough, though. You have to get to what’s inside of her, whatever that thing was you saw when she was in pieces. Her body wavers, betraying it’s true nature as nothing but pure liquid. Satisfied with that, you continue forward, plunging the knife deeper into her until it’s all the way inside. You maintain your grip and slip your entire hand inside of her. This isn’t the body of a human. This isn’t even a body. You won’t feel any remorse.

“It’s pointless, you know,” Chisui says, turning her entire head to get a look at you. “Such a simple creature, thinking you can kill me.”

You don’t respond, mostly because you can’t think of anything snippy enough to say. You’ll just let your actions speak for you. Her body resists, but you persevere and probe deeper. It’s a strange sensation, but you don’t dwell on it. You need to focus on finding your target. It’s in here somewhere, housed deep within this body. You have to find it. You have to end this. You have to protect Sakuya.

Jackpot.

Amongst all the liquid, there is a solid. You release the knife from your grasp and wrap your hand around whatever you’ve just encountered. Chisui seizes up, and for the first time, you see fear on her face. God damn that’s satisfying. It’s your turn to wear a sadistic smile, and you do just that.

“What’s with that face? Are you…afraid of this simple creature?”

She doesn’t say anything. You don’t need her to. You make sure your grip is true, and you pull as hard as you can. It gives way easily enough, and the object you desired so strongly is exposed to the world for what it is. You hold in your hand is a small glass orb, roughly the size of a baseball. It’s filled with water, and various symbols and characters cover it up. It holds your attention for only a moment. What really grabs your eye is the fact that Chisui seems to be falling apart before your eyes.

“Give it bAck…”

She stumbling toward you.

“GiivE it Backk…”

She’s stretching her arms out. They’re melting.

“GIvee iiiT BaaaaCk…”

That body you might have found desirable gives way, revealing it’s true nature. She’s becoming transparent and blob-like. It’s not at all an attractive sight.

“GIVE…IT…BAAAAAAACK…”

Her voice is distorting. It sounds like she’s talking to you from underwater.

“GGGIIIVVVEEE IIITTT BBBAAACCCKKKKKK!”

“Yeah, right.”

You spin on your heel and let the orb fly. What had previously been identified as Chisui shrieks so loudly that you think your ears might start bleeding. The ball hit’s the trunk of a nearby tree and shatters, spilling it’s contents on the ground. And then, the screaming stops. You turn around, looking for any sign of Chisui. All that remains of her is a large puddle. She’s gone.

You rush to Sakuya’s side. The maid is bloodied, but you think she’ll be okay. That’s confirmed when she gets to her feet…

And slaps you harder than you’ve ever been slapped before.

“The next time I tell you to do something, you do it.”

Her eyes are blue again, but that doesn’t make them any less intimidating. You rub at your injured pride and shake your head, opening your mouth to talk, but before you can, she moves past you and examines the remains of that orb you yanked out of Chisui. After a few seconds of silence, she starts speaking again.

“Some kind of spirit bound to that thing…” she says, only you get the feeling she’s thinking out loud. You don’t feel like irking her, so you stay quiet. The maid sighs and glances over at you, shaking her head. “We’re going back to the shrine…my way.”

Time stops. When the world catches up again, you’re back at the Hakurei Shrine. A few hurried explanations later, the two of you have received treatment. Sakuya’s injuries weren’t as severe as you thought, they just looked nasty from where you were standing. All that really happened was blood loss. She’ll be fine so long as she gets some rest. You decide to get some yourself, so you find an unoccupied room and take a nap. Sleep comes eventually, in spite of your minds eye replaying Chisui’s demise. That, coupled with Dokuro’s true face, is almost enough to keep you awake, but your body is just too tired. Maybe you’ll forget everything when you wake up.

…..

You wake up to a familiar face staring down at you. You’re still too tired to really care, but it’s not an unwelcome sight. You yawn quietly and sit up, scratching at the back of your head. In all honesty, you could probably use another ten minutes, but you aren’t going to be getting back to sleep any time soon, so you decide it’s time to wake up.

“’Ello Merlin…” you say, still feeling a little groggy. “Come to check up on me?”

“Mhmm.” The Prismriver nods in response and smiles at you, leaning in close. “I was worried about you…Sakuya said you got attacked again.”

“Yeah, we did…we’re okay, though.”

“Good…” She might not be aware of it, but she’s staring at you. That’s a little awkward, so you clear your throat to get her attention. Merlin jumps back a little bit, and her face becomes a spectacular shade of red. It’s a little cute, really. “S-sorry…”

“It’s okay.”

The two of you sit in silence until Merlin breaks it wide open. “Uh…I’ve been working on that song you suggested all day…w-would you like to hear it?”

That is a little tempting, it’s been a while since you listened to music of any kind, but there are some other things you could be taking care of; namely, talking to Sakuya. You don’t have to do that, of course, you could spend some time with the other girls, get to know them better. As it often seems to be, it’s your call.

[] Listen to Merlin’s song
[] Try to find Sakuya
[] Spend some time with someone else
- [] Specify (a group is fine too)
[] Write-in

The moment that mc pulled out the core, I was thinking "about time, you slippery bitch". Seriously, I really am not sure if our mc will survive mentally the next time that he's attacked by Dokuro or another twisted and insane antagonist.

[ø] Listen to Merlin’s song
-[ø] show her her a thing or two about love your musical abilities.

Blushing Merlin is adorable.

[x] Listen to Merlin’s song
-[x] Show her her a thing or two about your musical abilities.

Alright, now who's the stage three boss?

Oh, and then there's the sudden leap in difficulty that will probably accompany the fourth one!

[x] Listen to Merlin’s song
-[x] Show her her a thing or two about your musical abilities.

[x] Try to find Sakuya

poweruppan gaems.

>“Sorry, I’m not into crazy bitches.”

I think he needs to work on his one liners.

Like, "I guess you're not all you washed up to be," or "you're all wet." "Maybe she was still wet behind the ears."

Just trying to whet my appetite for cheesy dialogue.

[] Listen to Merlin’s song

There was some harsh moments but I wonder if we just ran, what would have happened?

[x] Listen to Merlin’s song
-[x] Show her her a thing or two about your musical abilities.

This is what the doctor ordered for such straining times, after all isn't that why we took up music as to impress a lovely ghost girl?

mmm I just realized that I typed "her" twice in my original write-in, and I see that people really do read before copy-pasting write-ins...

>>109746
I love you and hate you at the same time.

[x] Listen to Merlin’s song
-[x] Show her her a thing or two about your musical abilities.

[x] Listen to Merlin’s song
-[x] Show her a thing or two about your musical abilities.

[x] Listen to Merlin’s song
-[x] Show her her a thing or two about your musical abilities.

[x] Listen to Merlin’s song
-[x] Show her a thing or two about your musical abilities.

If you know what I mean.

Merlin, where?

Well, as a contact of Sleeper's I'll just inform everyone that (I believe) he is out of town at the moment. Or on a trip. Well, something like one of those.

Indeed, just got back last night. Update is mostly finished, just need to tack on some finishing touches and it'll be up before long.

>[x] Listen to Merlin’s song
> -[x] Show her a thing or two about your musical skills

“…I would love to.”

Sakuya can wait. Hell, everything else can wait. Right now, you need music. You flash Merlin your most winning smile and settle in, leaning back against the nearest wall. The blue haired girl gives you a quick nod and raises her hands, conjuring up a trumpet from out of nowhere. Neat trick. You should learn how to do that with a guitar. After all, it would be impractical to pull a piano out of thin air.

“I call this…w-well, it doesn’t have a title yet, I’m not very good at naming things…”

It looks like she’s really embarrassed. Cute. You laugh quietly and shake your head, moving up beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, relax,” you say. “Just…calm down, okay? I’m not gonna judge you. Just play for me.”

Her face reddens even more, but she swallows her feelings of trepidation and nods again, doing her best to show her resolve. With your reassurance backing her, she raises the instrument to her lips and begins to play. She’s a little shaky to begin with, but after a few moments, she becomes more confident, and everything just clicks.

The melody is haunting. It may very well be the most beautiful thing you’ve ever heard. Merlin is clearly a master of her craft. Scales, harmony, tones, everything is absolutely perfect. For a good two minutes you listen to the Prismriver play, and with each passing second you feel more and more impressed with her. You don’t know why she was so nervous about performing for you. She is amazing. Utterly amazing.

The final notes trail off into the silence of the shrine. Merlin lowers her trumpet and looks up at you, finding you staring slack-jawed and with an expression of total amazement on your face. Of course, she misinterprets that look and turns her gaze downward, shaking her head.

“You didn’t like it…” she says quietly.

You actually don’t respond for a second, still completely awestruck by her prowess. That passes quickly enough, and you find yourself applauding softly. That sound hits Merlin’s ears, and she locks her eye firmly on your face, her mouth opening ever so slightly. It’s her turn to be surprised.

“That was incredible, Merlin,” you state as you stop clapping. “I mean…really, just…awesome. I can’t even describe it.”

Her redness reaches critical levels. Merlin Prismriver averts her eyes from you and places a hand over her mouth. Her display lasts for a few seconds before she recovers and forces herself to look back up at you. Reminds you of something you heard once, something about cuteabetes or something like that. You’ll probably contract it if you stay around her too much longer.

“Would you like to hear something from me?” you say suddenly, feeling incredibly oppressed by her for some reason. Merlin’s eyes widen somewhat, but she bobs her head up and down vigorously, the universal symbol for yes. That’s your cue. Time to shine, rock star.

This really would work better if you had a guitar, but you didn’t think to get the one from Kourindou when you were there the other day, so you’ll have to do this a cappella. That’s fine, though. You don’t need to play to make this song great. You clear your throat, adjust your posture, fill your lungs with air, and take off.

”So…so you think you can tell heaven from hell?
Blue skies from pain?
Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for chains?
Did you exchange a walk-on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage…”

You pause after finishing the second verse, not because you forgot the words, but because Merlin has started to play again. You aren’t sure how she’s doing it, but the girl before you is actually playing the correct melody to Wish You Were Here. It’s a little strange, though not at all unwelcome. You smile at the blue-haired girl and wait for her to get to the proper point before you begin again.

”How I wish, how I wish you were here
We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl year after year
Running over the same old ground
What have we found? The same old fears?
Wish you were here…”

The Prismriver plays her trumpet with all the skill of a master, finishing your little tune for you. The final strains of music float into the night, and Merlin lowers her instrument again. The way she’s looking at you is a bit uncomfortable, but you don’t raise any objections. After all, you’ve never been in a situation quite like this before. The tension in the air is almost palpable.

Merlin opens her mouth, but gets interrupted by the door to your room sliding open. The two of you jump a good three inches as you whip your heads around to get a look at the intruder. Reimu stands in the entrance, a vaguely amused expression on her face. You aren’t sure why she looks so smug, but it is annoying.

“If you two are finished, we’re going to discuss how to proceed from here.” The miko grins down at you and turns on her heel, walking back down the hall. How long was she standing there? You have no way of knowing, but you make a mental note of her intrusion and do your best to swallow any feelings of annoyance you have toward her.

With a sigh, you get to your feet and offer Merlin your hand. The girl’s face becomes bright enough to practically light up the room, but she accepts your offer and allows you to help her to her feet. A quick trip follows, and the two of you end up in the dining area of the shrine. It’s much bigger than it should rightfully be, but once you see Sakuya standing in the corner, it makes sense. The maid catches your gaze and returns it with an ice cold glare. Seems she’s still mad at you for your display of bravado earlier. You really should try to make up with her later. The last thing you need is bad blood between the two of you.

“Now that we’re all here,” Reimu begins, looking pointedly at you and Merlin. What exactly is she thinking right now, anyway? “We need a plan of action. The longer we allow whatever is happening to go on, the worse off we’ll be in the long run.”

“But we don’t even know what we’re dealing with,” Hina says, drawing every eye in the room to her. “How can we fight back against it?”

“We start saving people.” That’s someone you haven’t interacted with yet, the other green-haired girl with the snake in her hair. “Someone like Yukari would be able to deal with this.”

“Great plan, Sanae,” Tewi shoots back. “Just take us to wherever the hell she is and we’ll get right on that.”

“Come up with something better then.” Reimu’s words cut that particular argument short, but what that Sanae girl said resonates within you. It would be a good idea to start trying to get people out, if at all possible. Of course, that means more training with Sakuya, and since she’s currently not your biggest fan, that might have to wait.

"Hey," Reimu calls, drawing you out of your thoughts. "What do you think? After all, you're pretty much the center of all of this."

"Thanks for reminding me," you mutter, shaking your head a few times. A few possible plans float to the surface of your mind. Saving people would definitely be helpful in the end, but you aren't completely sure you can go about rescuing anyone without more help. Part of you wants to get a little combat training so you won't be so god damn useless when conflict arises, and part of you wants to try to do some research into what could possibly be going on. Cursing your situation once again, you come up with a decision. Right now, you think that the most important thing to do is...

[] Try to train your abilities to facilitate easier rescues
[] Get some combat training. You can't rely on other people forever.
[] Try to get some insight about whatever is going on
[] Write-in

[x] Try to train your abilities to facilitate easier rescues

This a million times

[x] Try to train your abilities to facilitate easier rescues

I think our hero is of the support type, not so much the combat type. Basically he'd need people to do the fighting so he could support them. And the more allies the better.

[ø] Try to train your abilities to facilitate easier rescues.
I think rescuing takes priorities, traveling with at least 2 other touhous in case we get attacked again.
Welcome back, Sleeper.

[x] Try to train your abilities to facilitate easier rescues
-[x] "As much I wish I weren't, I'm far too weak to be useful in battle, so it'd be wise for myself and our little miko to train our skills further. After we're all here, we'll be able to strike back in full force"

Hey, they were captured for a reason, no?

[X] Get some combat training. You can't rely on other people forever.
I think we need some combat training so we are not a liability

[x] Try to train your abilities to facilitate easier rescues

[x] Try to train your abilities to facilitate easier rescues

Other people can handle the combat, we're the only one who can do this.

[x] Try to train your abilities to facilitate easier rescues

Eye trainin' it is. Update commencing later.

Eh? What's that? You say I've been playing video games instead of updating? Ha! T-that's ridiculous! You don't know what you're talking about! I've just been...busy...with things. Yeah.

</blatantlies>

.....

>[x] Try to train your abilities to facilitate easier rescues

You’re the only one who can save everybody. You need to learn more about what you can do. To that end, you turn your gaze to Sakuya. The maid returns the favor, albeit much colder than you’d like. Shrugging that off, you start talking and hope that you can get through to her. Nobody else can help you like she can. You need her.

“Sakuya,” you begin, only to pause a moment later. You need to work this correctly. Otherwise, this might all be for naught. “You know how important it is that we save everyone…will you please help me?”

The silver-haired woman doesn’t respond immediately. The entire room falls silent as they await her answer. Sakuya takes notice of this and glances around at everyone, finally showing some cracks in her steely demeanor. Finally, she gives in and lets out a loud sigh, appearing to return to the way she was when you first met her.

“You’re right,” she says, giving you a soft smile. That sight warms your very soul. “But you’re going to do what I tell you from now on, got it?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Well, now that that’s settled, we should all get some rest. Tomorrow, we start fighting back.” Reimu’s words resonate within everyone, and all the girls take off to do whatever it is they wanted to do before going to sleep, leaving you alone with Yume.

“Sounds like you had a rough time of it,” the miko from the future says. “How you holding up?”

“I feel like losing my mind, if that means anything to you,” you reply, running a hand through your hair. “This place doesn’t do much for a persons sanity, you know.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

“I really don’t want to.”

A brief period of laughter follows that exchange, though it feels extremely forced. Now that you think about it, you are getting pretty homesick now. What you wouldn’t give for a good pizza right now.

The two of you eat a quick meal, idly discussing things as they come to you. After all, this might be the last chance you have to talk to her for a while. Nothing of great importance comes up, but you do learn that Yume’s training is proceeding nicely. She can more or less fly under her own power now. You really ought to learn how to do that for yourself. You enjoy the conversation and the food, and once you’re all set, you retire to the hallway.

Someone was kind enough to lay out a futon for you this time, and you give them your thanks as you lay down. In spite of your fatigue, though, you’re unable to find sleep, so you end up staring at the ceiling of the shrine. It’s been a hell of a day to be sure, and you’re ready to rest, but something’s preventing you from reaching that goal. Still, you’re sure you’ll pass out before long.

”…You did well today…”

You were beginning to wonder when she would show up again. You push yourself from the futon and look up at the cause of all of this. “Been spying on me, have you…” you mutter, unsure of how to feel toward the girl. After all, there’s still a hell of a lot you don’t know yet, and she holds all the answers.

”…I have been watching over you…”

“Gee, thanks. Don’t suppose you could just send me home, could you?”

”…You still have much to accomplish…”

“Tell me why.”

No answer. You glare across the short distance at her, waiting for some kind of response, but all she gives you is silence. She is really starting to piss you off now. You want to throw something at her, but based on your previous encounters with her, you figure it’ll just pass right through her. Defeated, you break eye contact with a loud snort and run a hand through your hair. Frustrating as it is, you just can’t force yourself to get mad at her right now.

”…I am sorry for your situation…but you are the only one…”

“Yeah, right…” you reply, turning your gaze back to her. “I want answers. I want to know what the hell this is all about. Do you understand me?”

Silence again, but a moment later, she gives you the tiniest of nods. ”…Very well…but not at this time…it is growing difficult for me to project myself to this point…”

To this point? What the hell does that mean? Just listening to her is giving you a massive headache. You sigh loudly and wave her off, just wanting her to disappear again and leave you alone. She complies with your wish and fades into nothing. Alone with your thoughts, you try to sort some things out.

Since you’re the only one who can see her, it’s a safe bet she’s related to time somehow. ‘To this point’ might mean that she’s somewhere outside of the current timeframe, but you have no idea where she might be. She definitely knows what’s going on, but is she friend or foe? She attacked Yume, after all, but she also said that wasn’t her, whatever the hell that means. If only she weren’t so damn cryptic…

That train of thought derails after a few minutes, and your brain starts shutting down shortly after. You heave out a sigh and stare into the infinite darkness before you, listening to the sounds the others make as they prepare for bed themselves. The noises gradually die down, leaving nothing but the sound of night in Gensokyo. The silence is a striking contrast to your home. You’re not going to hear any street racers speed by here, after all.

Someone leaves one of the roomsand makes their way toward you. It’s still bright enough for you to tell who it is. Merlin stops a few feet in front of you, dressed in a set of pajamas instead of her usual attire. She’s hugging a pillow to her chest, and her face is bright enough to light up the area a little bit. You get the feeling you already know what she wants with you.

“Uhm…” she begins, making sure not to look at you while she talks. “D-do you want some company tonight…? It must get lonely out here all by yourself…”

How can you refuse such an offer? You give her a soft smile and scoot over some, inviting her to join you. Merlin hesitates, but only for a moment. She moves beside you and gets set for the night, giving you a nervous glance every so often. Finally, the two of you are more or less settled. Neither of you say much, opting instead to lay down and try to sleep. The blue haired girl reaches that state long before you do and ends up with her arms wrapped around one of your own, holding it gently. If you wanted to, you could probably pull free without waking her, but one look at her sleeping face removes any trace of that idea from your mind. You’ll survive for the night like this. After all, it’s not often a cute girl wants to spend the night with you.

The day catches up with you before too much longer, and you finally drift off. Occasionally, you recall some of the horrors you’ve witnessed here, but when you remember the girl beside you, none of that matters. When tomorrow comes, you’ll be ready for any challenge that gets thrown at you.

You’re the only one who can do this, right?

CHAPTER 2 END

.....

I’ll be taking a short break before starting the next chapter, just to plan things out. I have no intention of stopping here, I’ve already come farther with this than anything else I’ve ever done, so I’m going to see it through to the end. Just need a little time to recharge the old creative batteries. Thanks for all the support you’ve given me so far. I’ll do my best to pay you back.

>>110778
>“You’re right,” she says, giving you a soft smile. That sight warms your very soul. “But you’re going to do what I tell you from now on, got it?”

Good to know that we haven't torched ever single bridge in that respect. Looking forward to the continuation; it's comforting that there's another 100+ posts before we hit autosage. Far too many authors die off and fail to respond when their threads can no longer be bumped.

>>110778
You're welcome. Thanks for a good story.

Are you still alive?

>>111714

A fair question.

Yes, I am, and the update is mostly finished at this moment. You can expect it either later today or early tomorrow.

Told you I wouldn't just leave.

You stir. It’s hard to tell what time it is, but you think it’s still early in the morning since you can’t see any sunlight yet. You’re still mostly groggy, and your stomach holds that sour feeling it sometimes gets when you wake up. The day hasn’t even started and you already feel like shit. Just perfect.

Someone moves beside you. You blink and turn your head, wondering who it could possibly be, but when you see her face, you remember. That’s right, Merlin spent the night with you. She’s still sleeping soundly, her arms wrapped tightly around one of your own, her breathing deep and even. She looks so peaceful that you can’t bring yourself to free your limb from her grasp. Not that you’d want to anyway. It’s okay to stay like this for a little while, isn’t it?

“Nn…” She exhales slowly and resituates herself, her eyes fluttering open a few moments later. She looks like she’s still mostly asleep as she doesn’t seem to realize the situation she’s in just yet. Of course, it dawns on her a few seconds later, and she sits bolt upright, releasing you in the process. “I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s fine, Merlin,” you say in return. “Don’t worry about it, really.”

Your words don’t seem to do a whole lot to calm her down, though. She can just barely maintain eye contact with you, and, as usual, her face is bright red. You aren’t sure, but you think you hear her mutter something about a dream she had. While you’re definitely curious about it, you decide not to ask about it, at least not right now. It’s really none of your business anyway.

“D…did you sleep well?” she finally manages to say. She’s looking at you now, which is always a good sign. You give her a nod, and she gives you a smile in return. It’s nice to see her happy. In fact, you don’t even want to imagine her looking sad, ever. That sight might just make your heart break.

Your stomach growls. In spite of the vaguely ill feeling in the pit of your gut, you really could go for something to eat. Throwing aside the sheets of your little futon, you and Merlin get to your feet and wander to the dining area. It looks much smaller than it did yesterday, but given what you know about Sakuya now, you assume that she was using her powers to make the room bigger. The maid is seriously one of the most frightening creatures you think you’ll ever encounter, and when you think about just how close you came to really pissing her off, it makes your heart skip a few beats. Staying on her good side from now on would definitely be a good idea.

There really isn’t a whole lot to eat, but you help yourself to a few things, making sure to leave enough food for the others. Much to your surprise, Merlin doesn’t get anything for herself. Come to think of it, have you ever seen her eat anything? You’re pretty sure that she isn’t human, which would make her a youkai, wouldn’t it? There’s really only one way to find out.

“Aren’t you hungry?” you ask, giving her the most inquisitive look you can muster.

“Oh, no. I don’t eat all that much, really…actually, I don’t think I even have to.”

“But you’re a youkai, aren’t you?”

She seems a little taken aback by your statement. Her eyes get a little wider, and she shakes her head vigorously at you. “Oh, no no! I’m not a youkai!”

Oh, so she is hu-

“I’m a poltergeist.”

Nevermind.

“So…you’re a ghost,” you state, trying to wrap your head around that.

“Well…yes.”

“Huh…” Yup, this place just gets weirder the more you learn about it. It’s not like you planned to be rubbing elbows with demons and spirits, but here you are. And now that you think about it, wasn’t Chisui some kind of spirit herself? You have at least a little experience with them, and Merlin isn’t trying to murder you, so that’s fine. You’re in no position to judge anyone for being strange, after all.

Since the relative silence of the shrine is oppressive, the two of you head outside into the morning sunlight. Much to your surprise, some else is awake as well. A silhouetted figure stands in the gate, doing a few strange movements. As you watch, you realize what it is they’re doing - Tai Chi Chuan. You don’t think you’ve met anyone who’s liable to do something like that, so you decide to find out who it is.

Food in hand, you move in closer. The person, who you now recognize as Meiling, stops her routine and looks over at you, a broad smile on her face. “Good morning,” she says, sounding incredibly chipper. “I didn’t expect anyone else to be up so early, aside from Sakuya.”

So the maid is awake as well? Maybe you’ll go look for her later. “Ah, well, we just woke up ourselves…” you reply. “Really, I’d like to get a little more sleep, but that probably won’t happen.”

Meiling just smiles and nods. She’s certainly friendly for someone who’s supposed to be a demon. You make a mental note to stay on her good side, just in case. No telling what she’s capable off.

“Would you care to join me?” she asks. You can only assume that she means joining her in her exercise. No harm in it, really, and you could use a workout. Setting your food aside for the time being, both you and Merlin stand before Meiling. She gives you some very basic instructions and directs you to follow along with her movements. You do the best you can to keep up with her, but frankly, you’re not very good at it. Merlin seems to be getting it, though, which is fine. She seems to be enjoying herself, at least.

About fifteen minutes later, you’re finished and a little sorer for the effort. You thank Meiling for the lesson and take your food up again, eating your meal and observing the Chinese girl as she goes back to her more advanced techniques. It might be nice to learn more about that.

The sun is beginning to brighten the sky more and more, and the various people staying in the shrine begin to rise with it. A few of them step outside, but based on all the sound you hear coming from inside, you gather that most of them are staying in right now. You and Merlin take up a position on the porch, and you finish your food while making idle conversation with the ghost girl sitting beside you. Another strange thing you’ve already grown used to. Once this is all over, you’re going to need a long time to acclimate to the real world again.

“Oh, there you are.”

Reimu. You turn your head enough to be able to see the miko and give her a quick wave. She plops down beside you and stares off into the horizon, a somewhat distance expression on her face. Something’s on her mind. Just as you’re about to ask what it is, she starts speaking again.

“The plan is to split up today,” she says. “Head to some places, try to figure things out. You’ll be going with Sakuya’s group so you can continue training, and someone else who knows the area will tag along. She said that it doesn’t really matter which way you go, so she’ll leave it up to you.”

Why does everyone seem to think it’s a good idea to leave choices like this up to the person least qualified to make them? It doesn’t really make a lot of sense to you, but when you think about it, maybe it means that they have a certain degree of trust in you. You appreciate that, you suppose, but you’re still a little confused about their logic.

“All right,” you finally reply, finishing off what’s left of your little breakfast as you speak. “Do you know where everyone is going?”

“Mostly to their home turf. Not everyone is leaving, though. We figure that a few people should stay behind, just in case whatever’s out there decides to try to attack the shrine.”

“Good plan. So who’s leaving today?”

“Hina, Momiji, and Sanae are going to Youkai Mountain. Tewi, Wriggle, and Mokou are going to check out Eientei, and Parsee, Orin, and Yuugi are headed back underground.”

Weird sounding locations, but those are your options. You’re fairly certain that the only reason they want you to tag along is the off chance you might end up rescuing someone important to them. You can’t blame them, though. You’d do the same thing if you were in this situation. You figure you can just tell your decision to Reimu, and she’ll convey it to the others. What sounds best?

[] Youkai Mountain
[] Eientei
[] Underground
- [] Have Merlin come along as well

[x] Underground
The board needs more UG

[x] Underground
- [x] Have Merlin come along as well, if she wants.

[x] Underground
- [x] Have Merlin come along as well, if she wants.

>>111860
[X] Underground

Parsee and Yuugi you say?

[] Underground
- [] Have Merlin come along as well

[x] Underground
- [x] Have Merlin come along as well, if she wants.

[x] Underground
- [x] Have Merlin come along as well, if she wants.

[ø] Underground
- [ø] Have Merlin come along as well

>>111869
I like this picture, and it motivates me to write vaguely suggestive scenes with them.

Update commencing.

>[x] Underground
>- [x] Have Merlin come along as well, if she wants

Even though Parsee is about your least favorite person in your little group, logic dictates that helping her out would get on her good side. If she has a good side, that is. You shake those thoughts off and tell Reimu you’ll go with the underground folks. The maiden gives you a quick nod and heads off, presumably to tell them of your decision. You can only hope that no one attacks you today. You really can’t handle another crazy person right now.

“Um…” Oh, Merlin’s still beside you. She had been so quiet that you almost forgot she was there. You turn your attention to the poltergeist beside you, wondering what’s on her mind. She enlightens you a moment later. “W-Will you be okay? I mean…it seems like you always get attacked everywhere you go…”

She makes an excellent point, and you can’t blame her for being concerned. You can’t stand to see her like that, though. Then, the solution comes to you. You give her the most confident smile you can manage and place your hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze. “Why don’t you come with us, then?” you say. “That way, you’ll know that I’m all right.”

Her eyes light up when your words hit her ears. She really is easy to keep happy. “Okay!” she says, giving you an enormous grin. “I’ll protect you if anything happens!”

That seems a little backwards to you, but when you consider that she probably contains more power in her little finger than you have in your entire body, having her as an ally seems like a very good thing to you. “I’ll be counting on you, then,” you reply.

You love seeing her so happy. After all, she’s at her cutest when she’s smiling.

…..

Yume was kind enough to lend you Genjii for the trip. You don’t know if it’s possible, but you really think you need to learn to fly under your own power before long. Of course, if you were able to do that, you wouldn’t be able to relax with Merlin in your lap, like she currently is. The ghost girl is humming quietly to herself, watching the world pass by with you. Yeah, flying this way is the way to go.

“Aren’t you two cute,” Parsee says, her words drawing your attention to her. “Gonna do it right here where we can all watch?”

“Haha, I’d like ta see that!" That's Yuugi, the other oni. You never actually met her until today, but you note that, like Suika, she carries some kind of alcohol with her, except she has hers in a bowl. At least she seems to hold her liquor better than the smaller oni did. You do your best to ignore their comments, but Merlin seems to be having a hard time listening to them.

"S-shut up!" the blue haired girl cries, doing her best to look defiant. She fails miserably, of course, but you can't fault her for trying. "I-it's not like that! I would never...!"

"Calm down, Merlin," you say, patting her on the head. "They just want you to get angry. If you don't give them that, they'll be quiet."

"But...!" She whips her head around to look at you so fast you think she might get whiplash. "T-they think that we're..."

"Let them." That said, you turn you attention pointedly to Parsee, a smug sort of look on your face. "I know one of them is just jealous they don't have anyone."

In the time before your trip, you did some research on your new companions. As it turns out, Parsee doesn't just control jealousy, she IS jealousy. With that in mind, you figured the best way to get her to back down was to point out her own flaws to her and let them sink in. It seems to have worked, since she became pretty quiet all of a sudden.

"Haha!" Yuugi again. She's pretty loud. "Looks like 'e got ya, Parsee!" The oni floats over to the green eyed girl and drapes an arm across her shoulder. It might be just your imagination, but you think you catch the hint of something more than just friendliness in there. Nah, couldn’t be. Those two have to be incompatible, they’re just too different.

“You don’t seem too bothered by them,” Sakuya muses, popping up out of nowhere. You’re mostly used to that by now, though, so you don’t really react to it.

“Why would I be?” you reply, glancing over at the maid. “I’ve been getting crap about the way I look from people all my life. They’re lightweights compared to some of the stuff I’ve heard.”

“Fair enough.”

The rest of the trip passes in relative silence. Parsee occasionally makes some kind of sarcastic remark about you and Merlin, but the two of you ignore her comments. However, you don’t forget what she’s saying. You’ll pay her back later.

You arrive at your new destination without much fanfare. As it turns out, the entrance is a large cave. How original, but how else would you get underground? You really can’t think of another way. Everyone descends into the earth, and after a few more minutes, you emerge into a large open cavern. The sight almost takes your breath away. You never would have imagined something like this could exist.

“Whoa...” you whisper, looking around this new world with all the awe of a child seeing an amusement park for the first time. That can keep, though. Now would be a good time to learn some things. You turn your attention to the three natives, deciding you need some information about this place. “So...you all live down here?”

“Jeez, you really are an idiot...”

And you’re a bitch, Parsee... One more thing to add to that ever growing list of things to pay her back for.

“Anyway...where are we going, exactly? Is there some kind of special place down here?”

“The Ancient City, and Chireiden.” Orin speaks up for the first time. The red-haired cat glances back over at you, a mostly disinterested look on her face. “We’re here to look for any clues about what might have caused this to happen. Anything else?”

“...Not really...” She definitely seems angry about something, but you aren’t sure what it could be, so you decide to err on the side of caution and keep your mouth shut.

So you’re looking for clues today. That means you won’t be trying to rescue anyone. Of course, if at all possible, you’ll try, but you think you’re still too weak to pull that off successfully. Still...you really want to save at least one person today. You’re getting tired of not being able to get anyone out of that hellish place they’re stuck in.

“...Sakuya, I’m ready to start training again.”

.....

Sweat drips down your face. You can just barely breathe. That was, without a doubt, the hardest workout you’ve ever had in your entire life. Sakuya looks none the worse for wear, though. You really hate that about her, but you can tell your abilities are growing stronger, so you can’t get too mad at her.

“Nice job, kid,” she says, tucking away the remainder of her knives. “You’re getting better.

“Yeah, thanks...” you pant, wiping the sweat from your brow. “Mind if we...take a break...?”

“I think you’ve earned one.”

The instant you have your teachers approval, you collapse to the ground, staring toward the top of the cavern, idly wondering how the others are faring. They left you at the Ancient City and went off to look for anything out of place. The agreement was that if anyone ran into trouble, they’d send up a danmaku signal, and everyone would come running to help. A basic plan, but one with little room for error, and you really doubt that any of them would have much trouble with anything.

Merlin floats down beside you, offering you a cup of water. You accept her gift and down the contents in a matter of seconds. You never imagined that water could taste so good.

“Thank you, Merlin...”

The ghost girl smiles and takes a seat beside you, joining you in gazing upward. “You’re really working hard...” she says absently, tapping her fingers on the ground.

“Yeah...I’m the only person who can save everyone, so I have to...”

Whoever thought it was a good idea to shoulder a music major with the responsibility of saving the world of illusions was a sick son of a bitch, and you’d really like to have a word with him. Still, when you look at Merlin and the others, your resolve to see this through to the end is only strengthened. Being a hero isn’t so bad, is it?

.....

Part one of two. Second part'll come before long.

>>112449
Nice update. I'm very glad that we chose a musician for this job. It gives the story a different taste.
Also, when he gets HUEG he'll have no defects! Kind of

It's nice to see a lead whose powers are more support than brainless "Pew pew pew BAM!"; makes for a nice change of pace, and Merlin~

Sorry about the delay, unexpected things popped up. Rest assured I'm working on it.

“What’s it like?”

Merlin’s words confuse you a bit, mostly because you aren’t sure what she’s talking about. You give her a look that conveys your feelings, and she clarifies her last statement. “Being able to see...whatever it is you see. What’s it like?”

“Oh.” You hadn’t really thought about that, actually. What is it like? You can see the future, after all, and not like a psychic or anything like that. You literally see it. You can tell that, in a few seconds, Merlin is going to scratch at the tip of her nose, that Sakuya is going to straighten out her skirt. You can tell what people are going to before they know they’re going to do it. This little power of yours...it could very easily corrupt you if you aren’t careful with it.

“It’s weird,” you finally reply, watching as Merlin scratches her nose, just like you knew she would. “Like...” It’s hard for you to describe the way it makes you feel, so how can you put it in terms she’ll understand? She’s staring at you, waiting for your answer. You need to come up with something. “Uh...it’s like...knowing something you shouldn’t know...but being able to tell people without them getting mad at you...” That’s really the only way to put it. If you think about it, it really is a bit like peeping. If you wanted to, you probably could see what someone was going to do in private before they did it themselves. Just another way you could be corrupted.

“I see...” the ghost says, though the expression on her face tells you that she doesn’t quite get it. You’re sure your explanation didn’t exactly help her. If only she could actually see the way you do. Of course, you can’t just give your power away like that. Things just don’t work that way.

“Uh...how far ahead can you see?”

More questions you really don’t have the answers to. You shrug your shoulders at Merlin’s query, looking up toward the top of the cavern as you do so. “Dunno, haven’t tried to see more than a few seconds...guess I could give it a shot, see what happens.”

You turn up a mental knob and start overclocking your abilities as much as you can, pushing yourself to the limit in terms of mental strain. You seriously feel like you could pop a vein at any time. Still, you’re positive you’re seeing farther than you’ve ever seen before. You look over at Merlin, watching as her afterimage moves around the area before finally settling back down. Then, she sees something off in the distance. You turn your head and look in the general direction, seeing the pyrotechnics associated with danmaku. So in a few minutes, something is going to happen. Great...at least you’re aware of it now, so you won’t be shocked when it happens later.

You try to shut down your eyes, but for whatever reason, you can’t seem to do it. Your vision fills with image after image, showing you events yet to occur. Or perhaps they’ve already occurred? You can’t tell, there’s too many different things to follow. You definitely recognize a few people, though. Up in the air, you see the image of Reimu and Marisa in a danmaku battle against Yuugi. That has to be from the past, right? You doubt something like that would be going on at a time like this, anyway.

All right, that’s enough...

Once again, you attempt to turn your abilities off, with attempt being the operative word. It’s not working. You’re seeing more and more things now, and before too long, you can’t even keep track of yourself anymore. It’s too much. Your head feels like it’s about to split open. Why can’t you stop? What’s going on?

And then, for no real reason, everything clears up.

You let out a sigh and grab at the sides of your head, trying to contain the throbbing pain. Of course, that doesn’t work, but it’s better than watching your brains spill out on the floor. After a few seconds of this, you lift your head again and look over at Merlin, a pained smile on you lips.

Except Merlin isn’t there. And you aren’t in the Ancient City anymore.

Before you get the chance to comprehend that, a noise gets your attention. You whip your head around, prepared to defend yourself from whatever might be coming, but nothing could have possibly prepared you for what you see.

It’s you. You’re seeing yourself.

You...no, he’s staring at something. Following his gaze, you figure out what it is. A woman floats in the air before him, her arms spread out to either side. She isn’t the only thing there, though. To her left, trapped in some kind of orange looking cloud, is Hakurei Yume. To her right is Merlin Prismriver, who is in a similar situation. You have no idea what to make of that, but you’re absolutely sure that it can’t be good.

”Now then...make your choice, boy.”

The woman, the clear aggressor in this situation, speaks. The other you tenses up. You can only imagine what must be coming.

”What do you save? The girl you love...or the existence of everything?”


Wait...what?

You’re being forced to make a choice like that? What the hell’s going on here?

You try to call out to yourself, but no words come out. It was stupid to try. It’s not like you’re going to be able to change anything here anyway. If you’re seeing the future right now...then you’re not going to be able to do anything about it right now.

After what feels like an eternity, the other you finally gives the strange woman his answer. You strain you ears, hoping you’ll be able to tell what your decision is and plan for it accordingly. If this is indeed what lies ahead for you, you can’t let this opportunity slip by.

”I...I choose...”

You don’t get to hear the rest.

You suddenly snap back to the present. You’re in the Ancient City again, cold and wet. Sakuya and Merlin are looking down at you, the latter showing more concern than the former. You can only guess that you passed out, and they splashed water on your face to wake you up again. A quick query confirms that was the case. You only wish they’d waited a little longer before bringing you back to reality.

“I’m so sorry!” Merlin cries, tears welling up in her eyes. “I-If I hadn’t asked you to see how far you could go...”

“It’s fine...I’m fine...” you reply, though the pounding in your head begs to differ. “Don’t worry about it...we have something more important to handle anyway...someone’s gonna call for help here in a little while, so we should get ready...”

You really aren’t sure when it’s going to happen, but you know it will before long. You relay your vision of the danmaku signal to the other two. They nod and begin getting ready for whatever may be waiting for you over there. You take the time to rest and recover, and try to make heads or tails of what the hell you just saw.

The girl I love...?

Those words...they don’t really trouble you. You look up at Merlin, wondering if what that woman said is true. Could you really love her? You certainly like her well enough, but to love someone after knowing them for only a few days? Is that possible? Of course, now that you think about it, you realize that you have no way of knowing just how far in the future that little vision of yours was. For all you know, that could be waiting a year down the road. There’s no telling.

Still...could you fall for her?

Time stops. You blink at that and look over at Sakuya as she walks toward you. Before long, she’s standing beside you, an inquisitive look on her face.

”You look like you have something on your mind.” she says, crossing her arms over her chest. ”What happened, exactly? What did you see?”

You could tell her, sure. You could tell her that, eventually, you’re going to be forced to make an impossible choice. You could tell her that you have no idea what kind of answer you’ll give at that time. You could tell her about everything you saw.

Or you could lie and keep her from having to deal with a problem that’s yours and yours alone.

[] Come clean
[] Tell her about your powers going out of control, but leave out the end of the vision
[] Lie
[] Write-in

[x] Come clean

Something that far into the future I don't think is absolutely certain like Merlin scratching her nose. It might be a possibility, but since we have sufficient notice we might as well come clean since Sakuya might have a idea. Could save us from a BAD END or Bittersweet End, plus I'm not sure we could hide it from her in the first place.

>You turn up a mental knob and start overclocking your abilities
awesome.

As for the choices,
[ø] Come clean
However, we must assure Sakuya, and ourselves, that it is within our abilities to change the outcome of the future: in order to change the outcome, we need the help of everyone here in the underground. We must not let this specific event from occurring. I don't know about the other anons, but I for sure as hell cannot make the choice between Merlin and Yume.

[ø] Call for everyone (in the Undergrounds with us) to gather up.
Incoming danmaku fire.

[x] Come clean
-[x] At the end of the conversation, before she stops stopping (wait, what) time, remind her that troube is ahead.

[X] Come clean
[x] Call for everyone (in the Undergrounds with us) to gather up; we might run into trouble.

I think we should tell Sakuya anyways so she could help prevent such a thing, and she might be able to help us with that new part of our powers. Seeing past and future? Trippy.

[x] Come clean
-[x] At the end of the conversation, before she stops stopping (wait, what) time, remind her that troube is ahead.

Revoting to add the other option.

-----

>You turn up a mental knob and start overclocking your abilities
awesome.

As for the choices,
[ø] Come clean
However, we must assure Sakuya, and ourselves, that it is within our abilities to change the outcome of the future: in order to change the outcome, we need the help of everyone here in the underground. We must not let this specific event from occurring. I don't know about the other anons, but I for sure as hell cannot make the choice between Merlin and Yume.

-[x] At the end of the conversation, before she stops stopping (wait, what) time, remind her that troube is ahead.
[ø] Call for everyone (in the Undergrounds with us) to gather up.
Incoming danmaku fire.

[x] Come clean
-[x] At the end of the conversation, before she stops stopping (wait, what) time, remind her that trouble is ahead.

[x] Come clean
-[x] At the end of the conversation, before she stops stopping (wait, what) time, remind her that trouble is ahead.

[x] Come clean

>[X] Come clean
>-[x] Call for everyone (in the Undergrounds with us) to gather up; we might run into trouble.

There's no point in lying to her, is there? She'll probably just see right through you. You stare blankly at the maid for a few moments before coming up with the courage to start talking. You're pretty sure she isn't trying to be intimidating, but she's certainly succeeding at it.

The next few minutes are spent explaining what you saw to her and answering the various questions she has for you. It's incredibly awkward telling her about what the mystery woman said, especially when it comes to being in love with Merlin. As soon as that part comes up, Sakuya holds a hand up to stop you from talking.

"Wait...you're in love with Merlin?"

"Apparently," you reply, scratching at the back of your neck.

"Are you sure you heard right? You've only known her for a few days."

Her skepticism is certainly encouraging.

"I don't know when what I saw is going to happen, though...could be tomorrow, could be a month from now, who's to say?"

She bows to your logic on that point and crosses her arms under her chest, becoming lost in thought. You can't really blame her - this is a lot for you to wrap your head around as well. Why should this make sense, though? Almost nothing else that's happened since you arrived here has. The thought that this entire experience has been nothing but the dream of a madman enters your head once again, but the more you think about it, the more unlikely that seems. Everything is too real, too vivid. No, you aren't dreaming. This is all too real.

"We really don't have time to figure this out right now. As soon as we clear out of here, we'll try to figure out what's going on. Until then, stay focused on why we're here."

"Of course," you reply. "And...thanks, really...who knows where I'd be if you guys weren't here looking out for me..."

"Don't worry about it, kid. We're all in this together. And besides, you're my cute little disciple."

She winks and sticks her tongue out at you as she says that. So she isn't always completely serious. Good to know. You chuckle at her display and get to your feet, turning your attention to where you saw the image of danmaku, letting out another sigh. You seem to be doing that a lot lately.

"Can you gather everyone back here? If we're going to be attacked, I think it'd be best if we were all together."

"Sure thing."

And time resumes.

It's a somewhat jarring transition, going back to the real world after spending so much time in Sakuya's, but you'll survive somehow. Ignoring the fact that your head is swimming, you make your way over to Merlin, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, there might be fighting in a few minutes. Ready to play bodyguard?"

She looks a little nervous at that prospect, and you can't really say you blame her. Still, she swallows whatever fears she might have and gives you a nod. "I...I'll protect you!" she says, though the wavering in her voice gives her apprehension away. Too cute.

"You really don't have to try so hard..." you say, but when you see the determination on her face, you just can't help but appreciate her spirit. You smile at her and give her a quick pat on the head. Sakuya sends up a quick danmaku flare a moment later, and within a minute the others return. Parsee and Orin look a little dejected, but Yuugi's still in good spirits. Then again, she's probably totally wasted.

"Couldn't find any signs of anything," the jealous girl mutters, glaring at the ground. "Everything looks the same as ever."

"I couldn't find anything either." The two-tailed one shakes her head and crosses her arms. "Where could that vortex have come from anyway? We're just spinning our wheels here..."

"Ah, don't look so down!" Yuugi suddenly pops up beside the two of them, draping her arms over their shoulders. They both try to pull away, but the oni is apparently too strong for them to do that. "Everythin'll work out! It always does, dunnit?"

You wish you could share Yuugi's enthusiasm. At least that way this entire situation might seem a bit more bearable. Those thoughts can keep, though. You give the others a quick rundown of the situation as you understand it earning you some weird looks, just like you expected it to. You're getting used to people not believing you right off the bat.

"So who's attacking us?" Ever the skeptic, Parsee is.

"I don't know. All I saw was one of you sending up a flare, don't know who it was or why."

"So, basically, you called us back for nothing."

"No, I called you back because we should stick together until we know what we're dealing with."

"Not all of us are as useless as you, we can handle ourselves."

What the hell does she have against you? Is there a reason for her animosity, or is she just a natural born pain in the ass? You catch yourself glaring at her, and she returns the favor. This isn't getting you anywhere. Unless you can reason with her, she'll just keep complaining. An impossible task if ever there was one. You give up this little struggle and allow her a victory. The war isn't over yet, though.

"He made the right call," Sakuya states, taking center stage. "Right now, we're in the dark. Staying together for now won't hurt anything."

At least you have her support, and Parsee looks a tad deflated now to boot. Looks like you ended up winning after all. As with most other things, though, the size of your ego isn't very important right now. You should try to come up with a plan of action right now.

And then, something unnatural occurs.

Wind begins to blow.

"That ain't good..." Yuugi observes, staring off in the direction the breeze is coming from. "Anyone tell where it's comin' from?"

Everyone replies in the negative. Spontaneous gusts in the one place that no wind should rightfully be able to reach...there's no way this is a coincidence. Something is out there.

The wind speed increases. What had been a mildly blustery afternoon has now become more like a tornado. You're having trouble staying on your feet. The others aren't really faring much better. Merlin floats over to you, grabbing you by the wrist. You appreciate that more than she'll ever know.

And then, another unnatural thing happens.

All of the wind suddenly focuses on you and you alone.

You've never felt anything like it. You can only imagine that this is the sensation you might feel if you were being pushed around by a high speed train. Merlin can't maintain her grip, and before you can do anything about it, you're blown away from the others. You can tell that they try to give chase, but before they can get started, all hell breaks loose. It looks like a massive danmaku battle, but you're too far away to make anything more specific out.

Of course, the more important thing right now is focusing on landing safely. You are pretty high up, after all.

You twist around and try to get a good look at where you're going to touch down. You're still in the bounds of the Ancient City, so there's no danger of falling into a pit or something like that. Small mercies. Your velocity leaves something to be desired, though. If you hit the ground as you are now, you'll become a stain on the streets and not much more. You really should learn how to fly...

The wind picks up again, only this time, it actually helps you out. It's coming from below, slowing your fall. It looks like you'll survive this after all. But why? What purpose could that possibly serve? Whoever did this had to separate you from the others for a reason. You assumed it was to crush you by dropping you from a great height, but this last second rescue seems to have shattered that little presumption. Why can't anything just make sense?

You hit the ground still carrying a bit of speed. The impact sends you tumbling, but aside from some minor scrapes, you're perfectly fine. With a soft grunt, you push yourself to your feet and try to get your bearings. Easier said than done, you have no idea how far you were thrown, or in what direction. All you have is a vague impression of where you came from and no idea how to get back.

"Dammit..." you mutter, dusting yourself off. The powers that be must really hate you.

Off in the distance, you can hear the sounds of danmaku. Heading towards those couldn't hurt, but there's no telling what you might encounter on the way there. That's a chance you might have to take, though. Another choice lays before you. Time to decide.

[] Try to navigate your way back to the others
[] Stay put until help arrives
[] Find a spot to lay low
[] Write-in

[x] Find a spot to lay low
-[x] After you find who just blew you away, or if no one comes after a minute, try to get back to the others while sticking to the shadows.
-[x] If (let's be honest, we all know he's gonna get captured anyway) shit hits the fan, try to throw a magic flare.
Someone knows where are since it directed the wind to stop our fall, but there's a chance that it doesn't know our exact location. He should hide up and THEN get a move on.
Of course, if he ends up with the bad guys on front, he should call for help. That's what weak people do.

[x] Find a spot to lay low
-[x] After you find who just blew you away, or if no one comes after a minute, try to get back to the others while sticking to the shadows.

[x] Find a spot to lay low
-[x] Try to see few minutes into the future while in cover
-[x] After you find who just blew you away, or if no one comes after a minute, try to get back to the others while sticking to the shadows.
-[x] If (let's be honest, we all know he's gonna get captured anyway) shit hits the fan, try to throw a magic flare.

[ø] Find a spot to lay low
-[ø] Try to see few minutes into the future while in cover
-[ø] After you find who just blew you away, or if no one comes after a minute, try to get back to the others while sticking to the shadows.
-[ø] If (let's be honest, we all know he's gonna get captured anyway) shit hits the fan, try to throw a magic flare.

[X] Find a spot to lay low
-[X] Try to see few minutes into the future while in cover
--[X] But don't over do it.
-[X] After you find who just blew you away, or if no one comes after a minute, try to get back to the others while sticking to the shadows.
-[X] If (let's be honest, we all know he's gonna get captured anyway) shit hits the fan, try to throw a magic flare.

>[x] Find a spot to lay low
-[x] Try to see few minutes into the future while in cover
>--[x] But don't over do it.
>-[x] After you find who just blew you away, or if no one comes after a minute, try to get back to the others while sticking to the shadows.
>-[x] If (let's be honest, we all know he's gonna get captured anyway) shit hits the fan, try to throw a magic flare.

Whatever's out there is probably pretty close by, and you're pretty sure that they want you dead. With that in mind, you start trying to find a place to hole up, at least for the next few minutes. That's actually a fairly simple task since you're in a somewhat large city. You crawl through an open window and into an empty house. It's as good a place as any, any port in a storm and all that, and you're sure the occupants won't mind much given that they aren't around to object.

Actually, that's a little strange, isn't it? You figured there would be distortions everywhere, but you can't see a single one. You wonder what that could mean, but eventually push those thoughts aside and focus on more important things. What you need right now is information, and fortunately, you can see the future. You switch your ability on and start to focus, trying to see anything you can.

Unfortunately, all that nets you is a headache. Try as you might, you can't push your sight beyond more than a few seconds. About the only thing you gain from that little session is the knowledge that you're going to sneeze in a moment. Either you haven't fully recovered from your experience earlier, or it was a one time deal that won't ever happen again. Either way, you're in the dark about what's about to occur. That's a little unnerving. Since your power awakened, you've always had at least an idea about what the future held, but now you're living in uncertainty. Just perfect.

You do end up sneezing, though.

As it stands right now, it's too dangerous to trek out into the unknown without some kind of aid. You have enough confidence in the others to know that they'll eventually come for you, but you don't know what kind of battle they're facing right now or how long it'll take. You'll be in hiding for the time being.

You move to an unoccupied corner of the room and take a seat, leaning back against the wall. You tried to pick a spot where you could keep an eye on the entire area without having to turn your head too much, and you seem to have succeeded. Unless something invisible slips in, you should be able to spot anything that comes inside your little hiding spot. It's a waiting game now. You're a pretty patient guy, though.

You amuse yourself by listening to the sounds of battle in the distance. You hope the others are doing okay, but Sakuya is with them, so you aren't too worried about their situation. The maid has proven her power time and again, and the others likely aren't slouches themselves. You're sure they're fine.

Five minutes pass. Then ten. Then twenty. You can still hear the battle, leading you to believe that the others are still occupied with whatever they're facing. It doesn't look like anyone's coming to find you, friendly or otherwise. It's time to find your way back to them. You push yourself to your feet and hop back out the window you entered through, making sure the coast is clear before you attempt anything. It looks like you're the only thing around. You aren't sure if that's a good thing or not, but it is actually pretty terrifying when you think about it. You've never been completely alone before, there has always been someone around you, but this...this is just unsettling.

Pushing those feelings down into the recesses of your mind, you shove off and start working your way through the streets of the Ancient City, heading toward where you think the sounds of danmaku are coming from. Since the sounds seem to be getting louder, you're pretty sure you're on the right track. At least you can kind of navigate. Every so often, you pause and check out the future, just to make sure that there aren't any surprises laying in wait. You can't see anything, so you assume you're in the clear.

"See anything interesting?"

Of course, you know what they say about assuming...

You whip around, fully expecting to see someone standing behind you. Much to your surprise, however, there's nothing there. A quick scan of the area around doesn't reveal anyone, but you're absolutely sure that someone was talking to you. You've given up all notions of going insane in this place, so all that remains is there being a person watching you. The voice came from too close by for them to be flying above you, so they must be...

Before you can complete that thought, she appears before you, stepping out of thin air. The very first thing you notice about her is purple - she's practically drenched in it. Her hair is long and violet, styled with a multitude of hair clips. The one eye you can see is bright purple. The other is completely covered by her bangs, so you can't get a read on it. However, you assume it's much the same color. Her outfit consists of a form fitting sleeveless top that shows off what little she has to offer in the way of a figure, and a knee-length skirt adorned with some kind of jewelry along the bottom. With all that metal on her, you'd figure she'd make noise whenever she moved. However, since she got the drop on you like that, that doesn't seem to be the case. How the hell did she do that, anyway?

"What are you doing?"

Her question confuses you a bit, but then you realize what her problem with you is. The instant she appeared, your body responded by shooting your arm into the air. You don't want to admit it, but you know that, in your shock, you tried to send up some kind of signal. Of course, being a mere mortal, you failed miserably in that regard, leaving you standing in a fairly ridiculous pose. If she were someone whose opinion mattered to you, you might be a little embarrassed right now, but since she's the enemy, you really don't care. Doesn't stop you from feeling awkward as hell, though.

"Er...nothing," you reply, pulling your arm back down to your side. "I guess you're here to kill me?"

"Me?" She grins and shakes her head at your question, crossing her arms over her chest. "Not at all. My partners might have been so inclined, but I'm not interested in your death."

Well, that's a surprise. Someone who doesn't want you dead? You never thought you'd find someone like that here. Still, that leads to another question, one that you feel compelled to ask. "All right then...what do you want?"

"Oh, it's nothing special...I just want to send you home."

"What?"

You don't get the chance to question her further. The girl before you moves her bangs away from her eye. You know you really shouldn't, but you end up staring directly at her. The next thing you know, the world is spinning. Everything goes black, and then white. The transition is painful, so painful that you drop to your knees and wrap your arms around your stomach in an attempt to keep from vomiting. This is, without a doubt, the least pleasant experience you have ever had.

A few moments later, it stops. You open your eyes and blink a few times to refocus your vision. Blurry as the world is now, you can already tell that you aren't where you were a few moments ago, mostly because almost everything around you is pink rather than the dull gray of the Ancient City. You look up from the ground, doing your best to get your bearings. That proves to be fairly simple, especially since you're now in what looks like a small room. Further inspection shows that it looks like a...hotel room? More specifically, it's one of those 'love hotels' you've heard about.

"The hell...?" you whisper, getting back to your feet. You don't know where that girl sent you, but this definitely isn't your home. What could that mean?

"Hello...Red."

Only one person calls you that.

You turn your attention to the bed in the center of the room. As expected, Renko is sitting on the mattress, alongside Maribel. Of course, this being a love hotel, you aren't at all surprised to see that both of them are dressed in not much at all. Just some lingerie that barely covers their respective bodies. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t appreciate the sight, but you still aren’t exactly sure what’s going on here.

“What’s the matter?” Maribel asks, giving you the most seductive smile you’ve ever seen anyone produce. “You’re home now...aren’t you glad?”

You can’t bring yourself to respond. Your head feels foggy. Must be the atmosphere in this room. It’s almost overpowering, makes it hard to think straight. In the end, all you focus on is the two half-naked girls sitting before you.

“Hey, c’mon, Red...don’t look so confused...” Renko punctuates that statement by getting to her feet and walking over to you. “We’ve been looking for you, ya know...and now we’ve found you...”

Maribel follows behind her friend, giggling quietly as she closes in on you. Before long, the two of them are standing before you, their bodies pressed close together. They aren’t actually touching you yet, but they’re certainly having fun without you anyway. Their hands are all over each other. The sight leaves you paralyzed with a combination of confusion and arousal, though the latter is probably more powerful than the former.

“Come on...let’s celebrate now that you’re home...”

One looks at the other, and suddenly, you’re witnessing one of the primary male sexual fantasies; two girls making out. Renko slides her hands up and down Maribel’s back as the two of them share a passionate kiss. The blond returns the favor by grabbing at Renko’s ass, giving her a firm squeeze. This little display is almost too much for you to take. You can’t help but stare. Your jaw has to be on the floor at this point.

Finally, they break away from each other and turn on you. Renko goes high, Maribel goes low. The brown-haired girl grabs you by the collar of your jacket and pulls you down to her level, forcing her mouth onto yours. You do very little to resist her advances. Her tongue finds yours, and before long you find yourself Frenching the one who always calls you Red.

While Renko has you otherwise occupied, Maribel is working on getting your jeans off. She seems to be quite adept at it, as it only takes her a few moments to get your pants around your ankles. You hear her let out a quiet gasp, presumably because she just caught sight of your very prevalent erection. A moment later, you feel her grab your member through the fabric of your boxers. Not one to waste time, is she?

The two of them drag you toward the bed, Maribel having mercifully let go of your cock and grabbing one of your arms instead. They throw you onto the mattress and slide up beside you, each staring down at you with lust in her eyes. It’s patently obvious what they want from you. This may not be home, but it’s not such a bad place to be, is it?

“We’re all yours, Red,” Renko says, her voice betraying just how turned on she is right now.

“This is what you’ve always wanted, right?” Maribel places her lips on yours as soon as she says that, apparently deciding that she wants a taste for herself. She’s actually a better kisser than Renko, so you find yourself enjoying the experience a bit more than you did with the other girl. Yeah, you could definitely get used to this.

Still, there’s an itching at the back of your mind. Can this be right? Should you really be doing this right now? Don’t you have something else to do? Something...really important? More important than the two girls who’re ready to fuck your brains out? What was it..."

It was...

“Shh...” Maribel presses a finger to your lips as she pulls back. “Just relax...we’ll handle the rest...”

That sounds really inviting...but you just can’t shake that feeling...this place...it’s wrong, right?

[] Eh, who cares? Might as well have some fun...
[] No, you had something to do...you need to get away...

[X] No, you had something to do...you need to get away...

I'm really suspicious of this particular little choice seeing as it would be obvious that the majority of the voters would vote to resist instead of give in.

>>114221
I would hope so, but I've seen some particularly stupid Anon as of late.

[x] No, you had something to do...you need to get away...

It's a MASSIVE trap. Last time I checked, Red got along well with them, friends maybe. Nothing more. And a certain rather shapely ghost is in his heart.

[Å] No, you had something to do...you need to get away...

[x] No, you had something to do...you need to get away...

[X] No, you had something to do...you need to get away...

Great, ANOTHER psycho that wants to get in his pants.

>"Roll perception."
>"Shit, 2."
>"You see that it's a trap."
>"Wait. What?"
>"It's a giant button labeled 'PUSH THIS TO GET FUCKED', not exactly subtle."

[x] No, you had something to do...you need to get away...

[x] No, you had something to do...you need to get away...

I'm assuming he's been around both of them for quite some time, before all of this happened, so he should know they'd never do something like this.

[x] The obvious trap option

[x] No, you had something to do...you need to get away...

Do not eat it! That is a poisonous, magic pie!

[x] Eh, who cares? Might as well have some fun...

This choice first for h-scene and BAD END

[x] No, you had something to do...you need to get away...

Then this to actually advance the story

[x] No, you had something to do...you need to get away...

[X] Eh, who cares? Might as well have some fun...

I can never pass up the Sealing Club. Never.

Plus, I know it won't win, so I don't feel guilty. Although the quick bad end before getting back into the story would be totally worth it.

[ø] No, you had something to do...you need to get away...
The choice is so obvious that I fear this choice being a trap.

[X] Eh, who cares? Might as well have some fun...

I as well can never pass up the Sealing Club. Never.

>[x] No, you had something to do...you need to get away...

There was something...something you think is really important. You just can't quite remember it...but it is definitely important. More important than this...as fun as this is.

"No..." you whisper, trying to sit up, only to be pushed back down by Renko. Just leaving would be too easy, wouldn't it? You sit up again, forcing your way through the two girls as you do so. "Sorry, but...I...have something I need to take care of..."

"Forget about it," Renko says, draping her arms over your shoulders as she speaks. "We've been waiting a long time for you, Red...are you just going to disappoint us?"

"...Yeah..." you mutter absently. Your head is still foggy as hell. It's still hard to think straight, but you have to persevere. First thing's first; you have to get out of this room before you lose control and give in to your baser desires.

You force yourself to your feet, shrugging aside Renko. The brunette collapses onto the bed, staring at you with a longing in your eyes that's damn near impossible to resist. You hesitate, but only for a moment. If you linger any longer, you'll probably lose your mind. Thoughts of the goal you can't remember ever having drive you as you get dressed again. That's pretty easy to do, considering all you have to do is pull your pants back up. As soon as you've accomplished that, you stumble towards the only door in the room, throwing it open and stepping out into a new area.

Only to find yourself back where you started.

Renko and Maribel look up at you from the bed, grinning playfully. You gape at the sight, this time with confusion more than anything else. You whip around, looking into the room you just left, only to find that you're looking back into the room you're already in. You can even see yourself, looking back at yourself, looking back at yourself...

Oh God, you can see forever...

The sight is enough to disorient you to the point that you have to sit down lest you lose your lunch. You dare not look back. You dare not look forward. You don't really want to look anywhere. You just want to sit here until this dream you're having ends.

"Come on...just relax..." Maribel must be pretty close to you, considering you can hear her whispering in your ear. You lift your head enough to get a look at the blond, focusing only on her face. If you happen to catch a glimpse of the impossible thing you just saw, you'll definitely go insane. "You're home now, so just forget everything else..."

Forget? You're forgetting something, that's for sure, but you know it was really damn important. More important than this. If you just keep sitting here, you'll never remember, right? You got here somehow, so there has to be a way out. For an instant, you consider that you might just end up running around in a circle, but you can't think like that or you'll be defeated before you even start.

"...I don't want to forget..." you reply, getting your feet again. There's another door here, one you didn't notice before. That could very well be the way out. You throw it open, revealing an impossibly long hallway beyond the threshold. So your choices boil down to one infinity or another. However, given that this one seems to actually lead somewhere other than a circle, you deem it to be the lesser of two evils. Steeling yourself against whatever you may find in this crazy new reality you've found yourself in, you step out into the hall, giving the room behind you one last look. Maribel and Renko are still there, the expressions on their faces almost heartbreaking in their disappointment.

"Red..."

"Don't leave us again..."

Those words very nearly kill you on the spot. You stare for what feels like an eternity, trying desperately to decide what to do. Stay or go...push on or forget everything...your already deluded mind only gets a little more muddied, but in the end, there's only one choice for you to make. You close the door behind you and turn away from that world, looking out into the blackness in the distance. You don't know what's at the other end, but you're going to find out.

.....

You're beginning to rethink your decision.

This hallway leads to nowhere, much like you suspected, but until a few moments ago, you had no idea what that really meant. Going back failed you as well, essentially meaning you are currently stuck in a world with no exit, no entrance, and no life whatsoever. So this is what it means to be alone. You'll never shun the company of others ever again.

Assuming you survive this little experience, of course.

The trek is beginning to take it's toll. Being about the least athletic person in the world leaves you winded and sore as hell. You really ought to work out more. You've had all you can take. You stop and slide down the nearest wall, doing your best to catch your breath. Your head still hurts from being in that room for so long, and the air out here is about the same. It seems like this place is designed to make your brain leak out of your ears.

"Son of a bitch..." you mutter, burying your face in the palms of your hands. "Always me...it always happens to me..."

What always happens to you, exactly? You really aren't sure, but you definitely know that you're probably the most unlucky person on the planet. Didn't someone try to fix that problem? You think that attempt failed pretty badly, so you decide not to try dredging up that memory. No point in furthering your headache.

There's a block on your memory, that much is certain, but you aren't sure what's being kept from you, or why. Still, you're positive that you shouldn't be here right now. There's another place you have to be, and there's something important you need to do. Try as you might, though, you can't recall. It's right on the edge of your memory, but you just can't reach it. It's so damn annoying, like an itch you can't quite scratch.

You finally look up, unsurprised to see that nothing has changed in your infinite prison. Sitting here won't fix anything, but walking doesn't seem to be getting you anywhere either. Seems like a no win situation, almost hopeless. Maybe giving up wouldn't be so bad...

"That's not like you..."

The voice makes you jump, but you quickly identify its source. You aren't sure when she got there, but there's someone standing before you, someone you feel like you can almost remember. Pink clothes, blue hair, a trumpet in one hand...she's definitely familiar, but your head's still too foggy to give you her identity. You're absolutely sure you can trust her, though.

"You don't give up, do you? Didn't you say you'd save everyone?"

"...Did I say that?" you reply absently, not really sure what to make of her question. "Sorry...I can't remember."

"That's all right...I'm here to help you remember."

Finally, a friend. You give the mystery girl a smile and get to your feet, expecting her to stay with you through this trip. She surprises you, though, by shooting on down the hallway, vanishing into the blackness in the distance. You gape for a moment before shaking off your confusion and following after her. If this is the only way out, you really don't have a choice.

A minute later, you reach the end. You didn't think you'd see something like this, but here you are. The girl is nowhere in sight, though. In her place are three doors; one to your left, one to your right, and one straight ahead. A fork in the road, perhaps. What do you do now?

Before you can ponder that question any further, the door on your left flies open, revealing a lush, green paradise beyond the threshold. The right door follows suit, only this one contains a windswept desert. You already know that the middle door will open before long, so you have your attention focused on it before it does. When it opens, you see nothing but a blank void waiting for you. You can't figure out anything from what you're seeing. You can only assume that getting answers from this means going through one of the doors. It all comes down to which one you want to enter.

[] Left
[] Right
[] Straight on

[x] Straight on

[x] Straight on
Sure the lush, green paradise is a lush, green paradise, but the mystery void could be anything.
It could even be a lush, green paradise!

Going by video game logic, the least inviting path most often contains the best rewards. So the obvious answer is...

[X] Straight on
FULL SPEED AHEAD!

> Oh God, you can see forever...

I'm unable to find the proper picture of a infinite item repeat image.

[x] Straight on

[ø] Straight on

[x] Right

[X]Straight on.

Do we pop out of Merlin's wedding ring in a badass fashion if we get this right?

I can't believe anon rejected the H-scene option. Should have gone with the bad-end and then proceed again later

>>115056

I agree.

>>115056
The bad end would have given the H-scene a bad aftertaste.

H-scenes suck.

>>115105

GTFO

>>115105
You suck.

[X]Straight on.

What the hell, I got no idea on what to choose. Might as well hope on the bandwagon.

Apologies for the lack of updates, various real life complications and a glacial writers block have been plaguing me. I'm slowing chipping away at it, rest assured that I haven't forgotten about this.

>[x] Straight on

Against your better judgment, you decide to take a chance on the unknown. The instance you make your choice, the doors on either side of you slam shut, making far more noise than they have any right to, leaving you with only one path. Looks like you'll have to stick to your decision, whether you want to or not.

You step through the threshold, fully expecting to fall or something silly like that. Your feet find solid ground, however, so you keep making the trek into the blackness. The door, unsurprisingly, closes behind you. Oddly, it seems that there is still some light as you can see yourself just fine. Can't see anything else, though. Not like there's anything to see.

After a few seconds of walking into nothingness, you bump into something. You aren't sure what it is, but a quick inspection leads you to believe it's a wall or something similar. Actually, you can tell it's a wall now. There's enough light to see. It looks like you've ended up in a room of some kind. You really have no idea what that could possibly mean, but then again, you don't know what anything means anymore. You really wish things could just make sense.

A quick examination of the area leads you to believe that you're in a house, or something like that. It's not any house you've ever seen before, and how you could have ended up here after walking into the nothingness that door seemed to hold is completely beyond you. Everything you do just seems to lead to more questions now. Maybe it's time you start getting some answers.

You turn around and note that you have indeed wound up in a room of some kind. It's not particularly large, you could probably walk around it in a matter of seconds, and it's pretty sparsely furnished. What really grabs your eye, however, is the fact that most of the furniture is overturned or broken in some way, and there's an awful lot of what you can only assume is blood on the wall. You've somehow walked into a horror movie, it seems. Perfect.

Being a relatively sane person, you begin to tick off a list of things not to do in this situation. First, never travel anywhere alone. Well, there's not a lot you can do about that given that you're by yourself at the moment. You'll just have to break that rule for a while. Second, you need to find something to defend yourself with. That's pretty easy, actually, since you just grab the heaviest piece of debris you can find. The leg from a decently sized chair will suffice until you can find something more substantial.

Now that you're armed, you figure it's time to leave this place. You move over to the only door you can see and push it open gently, poking your head out into the hallway before stepping out. You can't see anything coming from either direction, and the ceilings are clear as well. It looks safe, but you aren't stupid enough to discount the chance that something could be lurking around every corner, in every dark place in this house. Unlike those morons that tend to be placed in these situations in horror movies, you have a modicum of common sense and self-preservation.

Clutching your makeshift club for all you're worth, you step into the hallway and shut the door behind you. You can feel your heart pounding in your ears, but in the back of your mind you know that nothing will get the drop on you. You can see the future, after all.

Wait. You can see the future? Could you always do that? You pause and try to recall...yes, you could, actually. You don't know why you forgot something like that, or even how you managed to. After all, that seems like a pretty important thing to remember.

Muttering a quiet curse to yourself, you turn your eyes on and scan the area, looking for any signs of trouble. You're in the clear, it would appear, so you continue your bold trek down the hall. Of course, not having a particular destination in mind kind of grates on you. It looks like you'll just be exploring for right now.

You pause in front of a large set of doors. Given their size, you can only assume that the room is somehow important. You jiggle at the knob only to find that the door is locked. If this were a game, you'd have to go find the key. This isn't a game, though, and you have a five pound club in your hand. You aren't particularly strong, but you figure you can at least bust down a door with your weapon in hand. You aim at the lock area, pull your arms back, tense up your muscles, and...

Feel someone grab the weapon before you can swing it. You whip around, expecting to see a monster or something like that, but are surprised to see a short white haired girl wearing some kind of combat gear with has hand wrapped around the chair leg. You're so stunned by this sight that you forget to ask who she is, and before you get the chance, she asks you a question.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she hisses, the look in her eyes revealing just how annoyed she apparently is with you. "This place isn't safe, come on!"

"Wh-"

You don't get the opportunity to object. She's dragging you along by your wrist, showing a surprising amount of strength for someone so small. You manage to keep a grip on your weapon, though, which you figure might be a good thing. Never know when you'll get attacked by something that wants to kill you rather than just drag you somewhere against your will.

"Hey hey!" you manage to say, though you don't bother trying to pull yourself free from her grasp. She's probably too strong for you to do that without accidentally ripping your arm off or something. "What the hell is going on? What did you mean?"

"I'll explain later, we need to get back to the others for now."

So there are others. Well, that's interesting. You think. It's really hard to make heads or tails of anything that's going on right now. Why oh why can't things just make sense?

A few short seconds later, the two of you come to a halt in front of a small door. Your captor pushes it open and throws you inside somewhat violently, stepping in behind you and locking the exit. You blink a few times and look around the area, trying to get your bearings. It looks like a study of some kind, but like the room you found yourself in earlier, pretty much everything is overturned or broken. That's not really what grabs your attention, though. You aren't alone in here. There are three other girls with you - a silver haired woman, a tall attractive girl with long blue hair, and the girl you saw in the hallway, the one that led you here. Like the girl behind you, they're all dressed in combat armor, each holding a gun of some kind. Yup, this is getting more and more like a zombie movie.

"Who's this?" the tall one asks, motioning toward you.

"Found him wandering the hallways." The one who found you steps past you and looks you over with a critical expression on her face. "How'd you get in here?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," you reply, giving a quick shake of the head just to further indicate your own confusion. "To be honest, I don't have a clue what's happening, I just ended up here somehow, and I'd like to get out, if at all possible. I have...something I need to do."

"We all do, kid," the silver-haired woman says. "But we're stuck in here for right now. May as well get used to it."

"Great..." you mutter quietly, giving a sigh. Things are just going from bad to worse for you, aren't they? Still, the more you look at them, the more you realize that you know them. You have met these girls before, somewhere, but their names are locked behind that fog that's filling your head right now. Still, you know you can trust them. So long as you stay with them, you figure you'll be safe.

It doesn't look like you're going anywhere for a while, and the girls have just started pacing around the room. It looks like they're waiting for something, but what that something could be, you have no idea. It's an ideal chance, though. If you need some information, now's probably the best time to get it from them.

[] Ask where you are, what's going on, etc.
[] Talk to one of the girls, see if she remembers you or if you can remember her
- [] Specify
[] See if you can't get some kind of weapon for yourself, this chair leg is starting to get heavy
[] Write-in

[x] Ask where you are, what's going on, etc.
[x] Talk to one of the girls, see if she remembers you or if you can remember her
- [x] The white haired girl
[x] See if you can't get some kind of weapon for yourself, this chair leg is starting to get heavy

so far I figured the Sliver haired woman is Sakuya, I suspect the white haired one is Merlin; that or Momiji, and the Blue haired one has to be Tenshi (only person with long blue hair)

>>116331

Sakuya, Merlin, Youmu, and Cirno, actually. Keep in mind that the Cirno we know is the adult version with long hair and whatnot.

[x] Ask where you are, what's going on, etc.
[x] Talk to one of the girls, see if she remembers you or if you can remember her
- [x] The blue haired girl
[x] See if you can't get some kind of weapon for yourself, this chair leg is starting to get heavy

[x] Ask where you are, what's going on, etc.
[x] Talk to one of the girls, see if she remembers you or if you can remember her
- [x] The blue haired girl
[x] See if you can't get some kind of weapon for yourself, this chair leg is starting to get heavy

>>116335
>the Cirno we know is the adult version
I forget, when did we meet Cirno?

>>116434

The very beginning.

>[x] Ask where you are, what's going on, etc.
>[x] Talk to one of the girls, see if she remembers you or if you can remember her
>- [x] The blue haired girl
>[x] See if you can't get some kind of weapon for yourself, this chair leg is starting to get heavy


"Hey, uh..." you begin, drawing the girls' attention to you once again. God, do they have to stare like that? It makes it really difficult to talk. "Uh...where are we, anyway?"

The white haired one answers, her voice practically drenched in annoyance. She really doesn't like you, huh? "You don't know where you are? Are you retarded or something?"

"Calm down Y----" the silver haired one pipes up. You didn't quite catch the last bit of what she said, but you know that it was important. Was it a name? You try to replay what you just heard in your mind, a trick you use sometimes when you weren't actually paying attention to the person talking to you, but nothing comes of that. Dammit, you were so close, weren't you?

Any further thoughts are interrupted by the silver haired one walking up to you and placing a hand on your shoulder. You don't know why, but you instantly feel comforted by that. Looks like you finally have a friend here. "Did you hit your?" she asks, though the question carries more concern than sarcasm. When you shake your head in response, she continues speaking. "All right, here's what you need to know - we're in the Fantision Building, or what's left of it, anyway. Something happened out there, no one's really sure what, but now there's some kind of creatures wandering around, and they really don't like humans."

"So, zombies."

"Something like that."

"Awesome."

You hate zombies.

"Okay then, what's the plan?" You glance around the room, wondering if this little haphazard group of misfits actually has a prayer against the might of a zombie apocalypse.

"We...uh...don't have one..." That's the girl you saw in the hotel hallway earlier. "We're just...praying they don't find us."

You can practically see the odds of your surviving this dropping before your very eyes. What kind of monster would send a musician to fight hordes of the undead? Whatever higher power is using you as a cosmic plaything is a real prick. You heave a sigh and try to make sense of anything that's going on. Easier said than done, of course. In the span of five minutes, you've gone from heaven on earth to the most primal form of hell, and all you had to do was walk down one really long hallway.

"Shit..." you mutter. That fog that's filling your head is gradually turning into a pounding headache. You do your best to stomp that sensation down and are a little surprised when you actually succeed to a degree. Well, so long as you're here, you may as well try to see if anyone can remember you, because you're pretty sure you already know each and every one of these women, even if you can't recall their names. With that in mind, you lock onto the only one you haven't really talked to. You step up to the girl with the long blue hair, and she acknowledges your presence by giving you a quick glance before returning to the window she's been staring out of.

"Something on your mind, kid?" she asks. Something about that statement doesn't sit right with you. You think it's that she's calling you 'kid.' That can wait, though. You have more important things on your mind.

"Uh, this might sound weird, but...do you know me?" Maybe you should have worded that as 'do I know you,' but it's already out there, so no taking it back.

"Huh?" She looks over at you again, this time giving you more than a quick look. After a few moments pause, she continues speaking. "Ya know...I think I do...I'm C---o, you got a name?"

What did she say? When she said her name, it sounded like...static, like something was trying to keep you from hearing that. You don't want to repeat the question, though. Instead, you try to respond to her question in turn, but when you open your mouth to speak, there's another interruption, something you were hoping wouldn't actually happen. Something's out there, pounding on the door.

"Dammit, they're here," the white haired one seethes. The shortest member of your little group springs into action, taking up a position behind an overturned table. Everyone else performs a few similar maneuvers, and you manage to follow the hotel girl over to another defensive point. You clutch your table leg as tight as you can, but quickly realize that's becoming difficult. If you continue to wield it, you'll just hinder everyone else in the end.

"Hey," you whisper to the girl, shocking her out of the trance she'd apparently been in. "There any more weapons around? I don't think I'll be able to do much with this..."

She gulps visibly before removing a pistol from her person, offering it to you. "Do you...know how to use one?"

"Guess we'll find out..." you reply as you take the gun. "Will you be okay without it?"

She responds to that by raising her assault rifle a bit. Yeah, she's carrying quite a bit of firepower. Should be fine. "Just stay behind me...I'll protect you."

Hearing those words from her makes you feel a lot safer, actually. You nod and drop your club, turning your attention back to the door. The way it's being knocked around, it can't last much longer. They'll be inside soon.

"Once we clear the first wave, we're moving!" the silver haired woman calls. "Get ready, and don't fall behind!"

The instant she says that, the doors come crashing down, revealing a group of...the same three creatures over and over again. There's a short girl with a small top hat, a woman dressed in a kimono, and a large wolf like thing. All told, there are about twelve of them, but they all seem to be copies. What the hell does that mean?

Before you can think on it any further, the world around you erupts with the sound of gunfire and bright lights. The sight confuses you a bit. Why would there be lights at a time like this? And then you actually look at what you're witnessing. Rather than bullets, the girls are firing lights from their weapons. That makes precisely no sense. You end up staring dumbstruck at the spectacle of it all, and in a few seconds, it's all over. You look toward where your enemies were a moment again, but there's no sign of any corpses or anything. Just another thing that doesn't make any sense. You're starting to get used to that.

"Move!"

You don't have to be told twice. All the parties involved spring to their feet and charge out the door. You bring up the rear, deciding to follow M----'s advice and stay behind everyone else. From what you can tell in your current position, the hallway looks clear. All you can really do now is pick a direction and go in it. Fortunately, the silver haired one does that for you. She starts moving, and everyone else follows. The occasional creature pops it's head out and is almost instantly put down by someone other than yourself. You really are useless in these kinds of situations.

Unfortunately, you don't seem to be getting anywhere. For all the fighting and frantic movement, you don't seem to be finding any more cover. It's starting to look like there's nowhere to hide. Dammit, why can't things just be simple?

It looks like everyone's getting a little winded, and you can't say you blame them. You have no idea how long you've been running, after all. M---in looks like she's the most affected by the fatigue, though, and before you can do anything about it, she trips and falls. It takes you a second or so to react to that, and by the time you do, one of those things, the girl with the top hat, has a hold of her. Where the hell did it come from? You're positive that there was nothing behind you a second ago. You can worry about that later, though. Right now, you have something far more important to deal with.

"Shit, one got Me---n!" you cry, hoping to catch the attention of the others. You take aim, but you know that you'll never get a clear shot like this. Chances are you'll end up hitting Merlin instead. Why did it have to be the smallest one?

"Leave her!" the silver haired woman calls. You balk at that order and whip around to face her. You're pretty sure that the expression on your face is one of pure and utter rage.

"What the hell are you talking about!" We have to save her!"

"I told you to leave her! We all knew what we were getting into, she's no different! Now come on!"

No...no, you can't just leave it like that, can you? You turn your attention back to the girl, the one who said she'd keep you safe. That thing has it's hands wrapped around her neck...you can see it choking the life out of her...her eyes...they're almost dead. You don't have a lot of time. If you don't act now, she'll definitely die. You can't let that happen, can you?

[] Try to save her
[] Do as you're told and leave her

[x] Try to save her

[x] Try to save her
Heroic and fatal rescue is a-go!

[x] Try to save her

[x] Try to save her

It has to be done.

[x] Try to save her

I can't believe this is an actual choice.

[x] Try to save her
(Oh comeon there is only Do or Do Not. There is no try)

Chances are you'll end up hitting Merlin instead. Why did it have to be the smallest one?

Hey, her name popped up. She must be Important to this dream-thing.

[x] Try to save her

[X]Save her
Trying implies the possibility of failure and failure is not an option.

Gonna be so very different.

[x] Do as you're told and leave her

I'm not voting this just to be different. Just feel like we should listen to Sa----.

Are you still alive?

>>117558

Sleeper is indeed still alive, he's just having trouble writing anything at the moment.

So I guess you could say he's on a short hiatus, sadly.

Page 9 saving bump.

Sleeper, if you are still out there, what is the official status of this story?

really liked this and wanted to know if it was officially dead or not, so I wouldn't sit and wonder. Forgive me for holding hope.