MarisaStory: A Certain Magical Internet

[E-Nazrin]

>Whoa. That was more interesting than anticipated. Wonder how well we'll be able to use this once we're back to normal... and hopefully Medicine doesn't steal too much of it back once this is over with. Well, she won't know where to get the rock to use anyway...
>But we've got more pressing issues. Look between the assembled fairies with a slightly exasperated expression.
>"... I'm thinkin' it might not be worth the time to head all the way back in, ze. You want me at your place for privacy or security reasons, fancy fairy?"
>If she's willing to hear at least some of the explanation here and now, "The vague version'd be that there's some panickin' going on over going on at Eientei, but Knottingham'll probably be safer with us gettin' outta here to take care of it soon, ze. I'm thinkin' we didn't need to get much aside from trying out Maple's magic rock, right?"

[Third Eye Lem]

> Didn't we move the rock outside?

> Er, yes, you did. The parser apologizes for this oversight. You still got spotted by the fairies, though.

> Mokou's probably going to want a turn, and I we want to see what abomination of excess fire, power, and firepower comes out.

> You'd be willing to let Mokou experiment, if it weren't for the following: A-- your prior engagement at Eientei, and B-- if you had any idea how to revert the blasted staff back to its original state.

>Whoa. That was more interesting than anticipated. Wonder how well we'll be able to use this once we're back to normal... and hopefully Medicine doesn't steal too much of it back once this is over with. Well, she won't know where to get the rock to use anyway...

> You'd be more than willing to fight for control over this thing once you get your body back, but you have a feeling that shouldn't be too hard anyways.

>But we've got more pressing issues. Look between the assembled fairies with a slightly exasperated expression.

> "We're performing science- magic- er... magical science on the rock. We can move the rock farther away if that's the problem."

> "Hence why this was brought to my attention...I want to know you're just fooling around or if you're secretly youkai terrorists." Glitter and Glimmer snicker at that line.

>"... I'm thinkin' it might not be worth the time to head all the way back in, ze. You want me at your place for privacy or security reasons, fancy fairy?"
>If she's willing to hear at least some of the explanation here and now, "The vague version'd be that there's some panickin' going on over going on at Eientei, but Knottingham'll probably be safer with us gettin' outta here to take care of it soon, ze. I'm thinkin' we didn't need to get much aside from trying out Maple's magic rock, right?"

> At that statement, Vina raises an eyebrow. "In a rush, are you?"
> Indeed you are, you explain. You don't feel she needs to know about the body-swapping shenanigans just yet.
> "Hmmm, you bring up a good point. If that's the case...I'll let you go on your way if you let me examine the staff, surely that's fair?" Vina asks. You figure it wouldn't take more than a second, and you hold it out to her...At which point Vina grabs the staff and flies away quicker than you'd expect from a fairy.
> "H-HEY!" Maple calls out, but her shock suddenly turns to relief (and the smiles quickly disappear from Glitter's and Glimmer's faces) when the staff suddenly teleports itself back into your hands.
> "Da hell?!" Hermia and Mokou exclaim as Vina comes back, the latter bearing a satisfactory grin.
> "It's just as I thought," Vina explains, "this weapon is Soulbound to you, Miss...Kirisame, if I'm not mistaken?"
> "Whoa, like, SHE'S the all-powerful fairy exterminator?" Glitter says in a flabbergasted tone. "No way!"
> "I refuse to believe this, this...Stupid doll is a high-level witch, and even if she was..." Glimmer stops to catch her breath, but is once again silenced by Vina's finger.
> "I've seen enough to know it's her. Besides..." Vina turns back to you. "Anyone who talks like Marisa-san must be the genuine article."
> Maple exhales, as if she was holding her breath, and bows. "Th-Thank you, Vina-sama...I was afraid this sitch was going to get out of control."
> "It's nothing," Vina says reassuringly. "I don't know what circumstances brought forth whatever incident you're dealing with, but should you need my help again, come seek me out...The name's Ivyina, but you've heard my nickname already, yes?" She chuckles. "Good luck in your errand." She then turns to Glitter and Glimmer. "Girls, I think it's time you turned in for the night, it is almost curfew after all."
> Glitter and Glimmer look none-too-pleased with this. They shoot you dirty glances as they return to the village.
> "O-On that note...Vina-sama, if it's ok with you, I'd like to travel with Marisa-san and Mokou-sama here," Maple pleads.
> Vina nods. "That's fine, but what about your roommate?"
> "I'm gonna stay here and keep an eye on those two," Hermia replies. "I have a feeling they're up to no good again. Besides...They already got a fire user on their team, and I'm bushed just from moving Maple's big ol' rock around."
> Vina chuckles. "Still as lazy as ever, I see." Hermia just sticks out her tongue at her, then turns to Maple.
> "Just be careful out there, all right?"
> "I will," Maple says. The two then share a hug, before Hermia flies back to town with Vina.
> Sheesh, too much conversation and not enough action, I say!

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>S'place for both of 'em, ze. Wish we'd been able to just sneak through that mess instead, though.
>"Looks like my reputation precedes me, ze. Though I guess they didn't recognize the outfit."
>Although... let's tease the fairy. "Should I be askin' about you giving me - san and Mokou -sama, Maple?"
>It's rare for fairies to be that level-headed or mature, isn't it? Ivynia may be worth keeping in mind the future.
>Experiment with the staff's weight and see how it 'feels' now that we have a moment unmolested.
>... there's no good way to magic up relief from this sleepiness problem of ours, is there?

[Third Eye Lem]

>S'place for both of 'em, ze. Wish we'd been able to just sneak through that mess instead, though.

> Yeah, it's like this doll body of yours gives a penalty to stealth or something.

>"Looks like my reputation precedes me, ze. Though I guess they didn't recognize the outfit."

> "...You used to wear that thing?" Mokou says with an eyebrow raised. You sternly reply that you were still a teen at the time and you thought purple was cool, ok?! "Geeze, chill out, I'm not the fashion police...Though black does look better on ya."

>Although... let's tease the fairy. "Should I be askin' about you giving me - san and Mokou -sama, Maple?"

> "Oh, I just use honorisms out of habit...If it gets annoying, I can stop," Maple replies.

>It's rare for fairies to be that level-headed or mature, isn't it? Ivynia may be worth keeping in mind the future.

> Indeed, Vina seems to have a good head on her shoulders. It's not just her intelligence, either...Her very appearance and mannerisms exude polite authority. You think back to the book Akyu-chan wrote about Gensokyo's various residents, perhaps she would reward you with the extra information about the fairies...It's a long shot, but hey, might as well give back a bit, ze!

>Experiment with the staff's weight and see how it 'feels' now that we have a moment unmolested.

> It feels like your typical bludgeoning staff, though knowing the gems at the top, you probably don't want to hit people too hard. You decide to give it a few twirls and swings before the others vocally announce that you need some proper practice. This thing is way heftier than a broom, after all.

>... there's no good way to magic up relief from this sleepiness problem of ours, is there?

> You could have used a sleeping potion or fairy dust to induce sleep, but seeing as you're inorganic at the moment, that'd be rather ineffective, you think. Maybe some hypnosis would do the trick instead?

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>"Yeah, it ain't quite my usual outfit, but there aren't THAT many other people goin' around in witches' gear, are there, ze?"
>grumble about the youth of today
>"No big problem about the honorifics, Maple. Just wonderin' why you seem to be thinking Mokou's the boss, ze. Or am I missing something else?"
>On to more practical matters... presumably the staff would be a useful focus for magical skills in some fashion?
>And the act of sleeping isn't the goal; it's relief of the symptoms of sleepiness and its impact on our ability to handle this Incident that are the problem. Well, at least we have backup...

[Third Eye Lem]

>"Yeah, it ain't quite my usual outfit, but there aren't THAT many other people goin' around in witches' gear, are there, ze?"
>grumble about the youth of today

> "Good point," Mokou mentions, though it doesn't seem to make you feel any better. Back in your day, witches MEANT something! THEY were the masters of magic, now everyone and their baby sister can do it! That's why you want to become the best goddamn magician in all of Gensokyo, to show what you and your fellow witches are capable of.

>"No big problem about the honorifics, Maple. Just wonderin' why you seem to be thinking Mokou's the boss, ze. Or am I missing something else?"

> "Oh, uh, well isn't Mokou-sama supposed to be of noble blood?"
> Mokou looks down. "Depends on what you mean by "noble..." You have heard about my backstory, right?"
> "Well yes, but...Still, I respect you, it's not often a human ascends to your kind of level," Maple says with a smile.
> Mokou smiles back. "Thanks...I guess I did do some good after all."

>On to more practical matters... presumably the staff would be a useful focus for magical skills in some fashion?

> Yeah, now that you mention it...How were you supposed to activate the spells on this tablet once you get them seated?
> You pose this question to Maple, whom responds with this: "Er, I just thought about the spells on each letter glyph and they came out...Sometimes I did two at a time, and they created some interesting effects! I...Never tried doing all three once, not after I tried it with one of Hermia's cards..." Maple pokes her fingers together. Perhaps this was what caused the fire she hinted at earlier...Still, this is nice info to know.

>And the act of sleeping isn't the goal; it's relief of the symptoms of sleepiness and its impact on our ability to handle this Incident that are the problem. Well, at least we have backup...

> Coffee always managed to wake you up in the morning...You don't know how Medicine manages her energy, but...Perhaps finding some kind of power source is how she manages to stay "awake?"

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>... fairies knowing about Mokou's backstory? Maybe we've been underestimating their intelligence... definitely worth investigating Knottingham after this. Who knows, maybe some other fairies had useful fey moods to buddy up with? Or rob, of course.
>Well, if it's about our body-snatcher, we do have one useful source here... Oi, uh, you noticed I'm kinda zoned out, right? What's Medicine do for food and sleepin', ze?
>Find a good open spot to test in and give the staff's may-gick a whirl.

[Third Eye Lem]

>... fairies knowing about Mokou's backstory? Maybe we've been underestimating their intelligence... definitely worth investigating Knottingham after this. Who knows, maybe some other fairies had useful fey moods to buddy up with? Or rob, of course.

> If anything, they heard rumors of her throughout the centuries...But that's normal in Gensokyo. On that note...You think it would be bitchin' epic if you could take credit for this discovery instead of that newshound Aya. Hmmm...

>Well, if it's about our body-snatcher, we do have one useful source here... Oi, uh, you noticed I'm kinda zoned out, right? What's Medicine do for food and sleepin', ze?

> Oh, that's easy, ze. She usually just recharges in a field of flowers. Eirin was aware of this and prepared a field of Suzuran for her in Eientei's underground...Of course, that means we gotta go back into the lion's den, ze Unless you want to be a zombie doll type of person...

>Find a good open spot to test in and give the staff's may-gick a whirl.

> You take Mini-Medi-Mari's words to heart, but you might as well test out those combos first. After some experimenting (and unintentional destruction of a tree or three), you discover the following things with your current setup:

• A (Milky Way) shoots out a spread shot of stars, kinda like Reimu's traditional spread shots.
• B (Flying Phoenix) fires a slow moving, but piercing fire bird that leaves behind damaging flames. Low fire rate.
• C (Deadly Mists) unleashes a short range, but omni-directional cloud of gas that poisons and damages enemies. Fires as fast as you can press the button cast it.
• A + B shoots slow moving fireballs that explode on impact, damaging surrounding foes. Somewhat low fire rate.
• B + C deploys mines! When they explode, they damage enemies and leave behind a small, poisonous cloud. They fire at a slow but set interval.
• A + C fires four poison bubbles in an 'X' pattern, they bounce off of obstacles (and the edges of the screen) a few times before they explode for good. Rapid-fire, but weak.
• Casting all three at once consumes a bomb and makes you rocket across the screen, leaving a poisonous cloud...Then an afterburner kicks in and ignites the cloud, exploding everything onscreen for massive damage.

> You're welcome to name any of these abilities if you feel like it.
> _

[E-Nazrin]

>Is that flower field she used to be in still around, ze? How far outta the way would it be, ya think?
>Lots of fun spells there. Good to have some flexibility!
>How easy is it to mix up spells of different cooldowns? Like, can you spam the poison bubbles without interfering with mine production?
>How many of these could cause friendly fire problems?

[Third Eye Lem]

>Is that flower field she used to be in still around, ze? How far outta the way would it be, ya think?

> Of course, it's a bit far but I can point you in the direction of it, ze. If only because the parser couldn't be bothered to draw a proper map

>Lots of fun spells there. Good to have some flexibility!
>How easy is it to mix up spells of different cooldowns? Like, can you spam the poison bubbles without interfering with mine production?

> You can switch between spells with minimal slowdown, but you can't spam two spells at the exact same time. You can alternate fire between the poison bubbles and fireballs, for instance, but you can't shoot fireballs and bubbles with the same button press. TASers would not have this kind of problem.

>How many of these could cause friendly fire problems?

> Pretty much all of them, except maybe the fire ones in Mokou's case. :V How would a multi-person danmaku battle work anyways...Regardless, you'd better be careful where you aim and bomb and fart, because that is magic too.

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>So, combat variation will cost some attention to use well... fair enough. That should make life more interesting!
>The Eintei underground would probably be after all the fighting, rather than a pitstop on the way... damnit. And they mighta torched it anyway... that'd be really bad.
>Although... ... think it's the Suzuran specifically, or would some other kinda poison or flower work, ze?

[Third Eye Lem]

>So, combat variation will cost some attention to use well... fair enough. That should make life more interesting!

> Or you can just spray and pray like you usually do. Never fails!

>The Eintei underground would probably be after all the fighting, rather than a pitstop on the way... damnit. And they mighta torched it anyway... that'd be really bad.

> That would be a problem, but there's no way to confirm it unless you go back to the mansion.

>Although... ... think it's the Suzuran specifically, or would some other kinda poison or flower work, ze?

> Suzuran will "recharge" you the fastest, but regular flowers would also work, I guess. On that note...You remember the Nameless Hill, right? That's far to the Southeast...But there's plenty of flowers ground around the Human Village, especially near Buddhist's Shrine, ze.

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>How about magic flowers, ze?
>There HAVE to be some sort of flowering plants in the Forest of Magic... think, Marisa, think!
>How far off's the Human Village? It'd probably be better not to go there if we can avoid it, but...

[Third Eye Lem]

>How about magic flowers, ze?

> Ooooh...For those, you might have to pay a visit to Yuuka. Yeah, I know, great fun, right?

>There HAVE to be some sort of flowering plants in the Forest of Magic... think, Marisa, think!

> You think, think, and think some more...There is that one clearing of flowers you found while picking mushrooms. Just thinking about it gives you an uneasy feeling, yet at the same time, it feels comfortingly nostalgic...
> *KSSSSHHHZZZZZT!*
> ...And that was the sound of your brain hitting a brick wall while trying to remember something. Damn, but that feeling hurts.

Code: [Select]

> ERROR: "Memory2.txt" has been changed, moved or deleted. Would you like to direct this shortcut to
"MLPmusicvideo.mp4" instead?

>How far off's the Human Village? It'd probably be better not to go there if we can avoid it, but...

> Not so far off that you can't make a short flight to it. It's to the east of the forest, past Kourindou and a relatively harmless but winding trail.
> _

[E-Nazrin]

>... mental error messages aren't normal, are they?
>Ask Mini-Medi-Mari if the previous one encountered them.
>If the parser is just trying to be a wiseass, ask the others if they've seen any accessible patches of flowers around anywhere else, now that we have a plan not involving passing out for extended periods of time.
>... presumably drawn flowers from Maple do nothing.

[Third Eye Lem]

>... mental error messages aren't normal, are they?

> Most definitely not. Perhaps you've been hanging out on the computer too much.

>Ask Mini-Medi-Mari if the previous one encountered them.

> Yuuka? Yeah, we crossed paths before...But we decided it was a bit too risky to actually stay with her, ze.

>If the parser is just trying to be a wiseass, ask the others if they've seen any accessible patches of flowers around anywhere else, now that we have a plan not involving passing out for extended periods of time.
>... presumably drawn flowers from Maple do nothing.

> Sadly, this is not Scribblenauts, so no, Maple can't really help with that. You do ask her about any other patches of flowers, though.
> "Well, there was a garden Vina-sama was working on, but...I'd rather not get in trouble with her, eheh...That being said...We could pay the Aki sisters a visit..."
> "Or even that old ghost princess," Mokou suggests, presumably talking about Yuyuko. "Though that might be a longer trip than what it's worth..."

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>No, no, ask Mini-Medi-Mari about the error messages. Is that a thing with medicine's body, the mind-swap, or what? This is getting weirder... could Medicine be a robot?
>... wish we'd figured this out earlier, then we could have asked the fairy leader if help would be available. But she's gone by now. Damn.
>Describe what we can remember about that uneasily nostalgic patch for the others, see if their memories jog better than ours.
>Which of these options would be least out of the way to Eintei?

[Third Eye Lem]

>No, no, ask Mini-Medi-Mari about the error messages. Is that a thing with medicine's body, the mind-swap, or what? This is getting weirder... could Medicine be a robot?

> GAH! The parser profusely apologizes for this blunder.
> What error message, ze? All I heard was your brain stopping...Maybe you need that recharge more badly than I expected.

>... wish we'd figured this out earlier, then we could have asked the fairy leader if help would be available. But she's gone by now. Damn.

> Well, it's probably not too late to go and ask her, but that probably might be more trouble than it's worth, especially with Glitter and Glimmer now aware of your meddling.

>Describe what we can remember about that uneasily nostalgic patch for the others, see if their memories jog better than ours.
>Which of these options would be least out of the way to Eintei?

> The patch of flowers you are thinking of is probably the closest...And yet...Why is it that when you think of it, you hear....Something in your head...It's static-y, but you can make out...Singing? Sadly, most of the words are lost to you. Perhaps if you visited that clearing again if might jog your memory. It's up to you.

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>"Looks like I'm havin' a memory block, ze. I'm thinkin' there's some patch of flowers nearby in the forest of magic, but I just can't remember where. Somethin' about... singing and static, maybe? Though I also get a bad feelin' of sorts... could be a little risky. Sound familiar to any of you?"
>Which would be next closest? We should probably make this detour if we're getting this out of whack. Hopefully the others won't be too annoyed.

[Third Eye Lem]

>"Looks like I'm havin' a memory block, ze. I'm thinkin' there's some patch of flowers nearby in the forest of magic, but I just can't remember where. Somethin' about... singing and static, maybe? Though I also get a bad feelin' of sorts... could be a little risky. Sound familiar to any of you?"

> Mokou has no clue, but Maple perks up. "I know the flower patch you speak of! We usually call it the "Spore Garden" because it's so close to the mushrooms there. Hmm...Maybe you accidentally smoked a mushroom while you were there?" Maple asks with an innocent, jesting tone.

>Which would be next closest? We should probably make this detour if we're getting this out of whack. Hopefully the others won't be too annoyed.

> The next best thing would be the Buddhist's flower garden. Surely Byakuren would understand...Provided Captain Murasa doesn't get to you first, she's very...High strung when it comes to intruders.

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>"I'm doubtin' that one, ze. I use mushrooms for my magic all the time... unless I made a stupid mistake? D'ya know what the mushrooms there look like? Anyone live around there?"
>ID if possible, see if it jars our memory any.
>We don't particularly need to breathe as dolly, do we? If it's just weird spores there, we'll probably be okay... and if they're poisonous they might actually help.

[Third Eye Lem]

>"I'm doubtin' that one, ze. I use mushrooms for my magic all the time... unless I made a stupid mistake? D'ya know what the mushrooms there look like? Anyone live around there?"

> Maple shrinks back a bit. "I-I wasn't doubting you, it's just...If your memory is a little fuzzy, perhaps...Perhaps you mistook a bad mushroom for a safe one?"
> Hmm, that does seem possible, you think...
> "That being said...The ones near the flowers are purple, and I think they're poisonous. But it's not like they spew spores everywhere to hurt people, you just...Don't wanna eat them!"
> Then again, you don't remember a thing about purple mushrooms.

>ID if possible, see if it jars our memory any.
>We don't particularly need to breathe as dolly, do we? If it's just weird spores there, we'll probably be okay... and if they're poisonous they might actually help.

> You do however recall reading about the amantia cranium, a purple mushroom that adorns a skull-like marking on its cap. You run this description by Maple and she confirms it's the same species. "Did that help any...?"she asks out of curiosity. So far, you don't feel your brain returning any more unusual errors or whatever, but you at least know where the grove is located. You also suspect the poisonous nature of the 'shrooms might help with the recharging process a bit, like a Breloom with Black Sludge equipped...Oy, you need to stop browsing those Pokemon sites so much.

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>"S'alright, Maple. Maybe that's just the part I forgot, ze... feels like it was a long time ago, anyway. Though if you two wanna hold back while I'm seein' if that recharges this doll body so I can think again, just keep an eye out for any trouble."
>Head for the flowers and death mushrooms. Keep an eye out, as advised.

[Third Eye Lem]

>"S'alright, Maple. Maybe that's just the part I forgot, ze... feels like it was a long time ago, anyway. Though if you two wanna hold back while I'm seein' if that recharges this doll body so I can think again, just keep an eye out for any trouble."
>Head for the flowers and death mushrooms. Keep an eye out, as advised.

> "Yay, we get to play bodyguard," Mokou says in a half-enthusiastic, half-sarcastic tone.
> You make your way southward, past your home, through some winding paths, and eventually reach the MUSHROOM GROVE. True to its description, there are RED SPOTTED MUSHROOMS everywhere, though you don't see the purple mushrooms anywhere at the moment...
> In fact, you can't see anything at the moment. You know it's dark but it shouldn't be THIS dark!

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>... there are flowers here though, right?
>"Okay, am I going blind or is it crazy dark here, ze?"
>Are these Mario mushrooms?
>..... wait, could that be Mystia's singing?

[Third Eye Lem]

>... there are flowers here though, right?

> You see (or rather, saw) flowers scattered here and there, but nothing resembling what you're looking for.

>"Okay, am I going blind or is it crazy dark here, ze?"
>..... wait, could that be Mystia's singing?

> You can't hear Mystia at all. Besides, she at least has the decency to at least leave an area around you such that you can see. Here, the dark is so dark you can't even see your hand in front of your face.
> You can hear Maple whimper out of fear. "Meep...I'm getting a baaad feeling about this, girls..."
> "Oh, quit your bellyaching and leggo of my arm, it's not a flagpole...It's probably just some chump casting a low-level darkness spell.

>Are these Mario mushrooms?

> You mean the Amanita Gigantis? Heavens no, if that was the case you'd be as big as a Mega-Sized Suika! By that logic, the Amanita Liliput doesn't grow here either.

> _

[E-Nazrin]

>Well, it's not just us, then.
>Do we have a good counter to said generic darkness spell...?
>Does this resemble Rumia's M.O. at all?

[Third Eye Lem]

>Do we have a good counter to said generic darkness spell...?
>Does this resemble Rumia's M.O. at all?

> Yes, and yes. You have the option of either "Dispel The Darkness By Casting A Generic Light Spell" or "Dispel The Darkness By Way Of Blasting It With Magic Missiles." Or you can turn around and blow off this entire incident. :V

> _

[capt. h]

> Does no Mystia mean no Rock-off?

> Ah well, I suppose we might as well shoot everything like usual. Scorch the earth!

> Attempt to not shoot friends while scorching earth.

[E-Nazrin]

>Goddamnit Rumia now's not the time.
>... if it'd be possible to talk our way out of a fight with her, solve the problem with a light spell. If we'd have to blast her anyway, ask for the mountain dew go ahead and get started to light 'er up.