Satori, she would help us most

Guy is right, Alice DID invite us. We should probably go there first and then check Satori out later.

As for Eientei eh... Check in with Reisen and Tewi, see if they're up to anything.

Alice!

satori probably got told by yukari not to tell us memoy stuff.

so to Alice we go!

Ragnarode 2014/05/02(Fri)19:51 No. 572944 ID: d9bed9
File 139908550101.png - (19.98KB , 800x600 , 081.png )

>>569778
You decide to check in with Reisen and Tewi before you get ready to go. You know Reisen usually starts her morning in the kitchen, so that's where you head first.
As you predicted, she's sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and the local newspaper. The surprising thing is the other person at the table; Kaguya doesn't normally get up this early, if at all. Reisen mumbles good morning as you grab some coffee for yourself.

I'd say Alice. After all, it's rude to ignore an invitation for too long. And its not like you can't wait on the other.

Perhaps you should bounce the idea off of those two. Or, maybe they have some ideas on how to make some money.

Mumble morning back before you take a sip of coffee.

Anything interesting jump out from the headlines of that newpaper in front of you? (It's probably all sensationalist salaciously made up and exaggerated, but hey).

i thought the tengu made the newspaper?

Ragnarode 2014/05/03(Sat)18:10 No. 573051 ID: d9bed9
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>>573047
The newspaper is delivered by tengu every other day, or when there's an incident or something like that.

>>573002
You sleepily mumble good morning to the group. The coffee here is better than back at Mamizou's place, you decide. The headlines is something to do with falling work ethics among shrine workers, with some implied violence. Sensationalist nonsense.

Getting dressed for the day is nothing special. First the cloak, then the hat. On your way out the door, you're stopped by Kaguya. The two of you haven't spoken often, but she's always polite and reserved.

Kaguya: Well then, have you decided where you're going today?

You: Yeah, I'm off to see Alice Margatroid. She actually invited me to go looking for reagents and magical stuff. Not the sort of thing I know a lot about, but hey.

Kaguya: I believe you made the right choice, to ignore an invitation would be rude. You know, I shall be sad to see you go.

You: ...I'm sorry?

Kaguya: Your contract with us was for two weeks, and that ends tonight. Miss Yakumo will be payed for your services, and you will leave us to stay with a new employer.

You: You know, nobody told me how long I'd be here.

Kaguya: As I understand it, humans tend to harbor feelings of trepidation when there is a known deadline looming, especially one so soon. To keep you in the dark was to save you undue stress.

She looks up at the sunrise, a wistful look on her face.

Kaguya: Tonight is a full moon, you know. The rabbits will be making mochi, and Udonge will have dumplings made by tonight. It's a special occasion, and I'm happy that you will be here to enjoy it with us.

>special occasion tonight
I'm looking forward to it, then. I'll do my best to make sure I'm not late.

>>573051
At about what time should we show up? We should try not to be late.

Well, it's not like we won't be around, right? Paths can still cross and whatnot. Visits are a thing as well.

I suppose you might as well get used to this style of employment.

Ragnarode 2014/05/23(Fri)15:38 No. 575527 ID: d9bed9
File 140088468709.png - (20.70KB , 800x600 , 083.png )

You say your goodbyes and head out.

The sun is shining brightly, still rising in the east. The wind is blowing harder than usual, and you can see storm clouds in the distance. The rain will be here in a few hours, at most. Plenty of time to meet with Alice.

Speaking of which, you pull out the profile Eirin gave you.

Eirin's notes: Alice Margatroid is one of the few 'pure' magicians in Gensokyo. She was originally a human, but through self-training and an ideal scenario, she became a magician youkai. She makes dolls as a hobby, and uses them to battle for her as marionette analogues. Also, I have reason to believe that the grimoire she carries contains very high level magic. Alice is a loner at heart, though she does socialize with other magicians and the like. It's actually encouraging to see her reaching out to others like this.

Well, introduce yourself, naturally. Leave it up to her if she wants to talk now, or if she wants to do introductions by danmaku.

say hello and "you wanted to see me?"

>>575527
Say hello, be nice, introduce yourself, and mention the invitation.

I guess you could flirt a bit if you wanted, but one wouldn't want to get too much of a reputation as a metaphorical lady-killer. After all, how many powerful ladies have you crossed paths with already?

Ragnarode 2014/05/27(Tue)15:46 No. 576280 ID: d9bed9
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You make your way through the forest of magic until you find an old house. A woman, presumably Alice, sits on the front porch, flanked by two armed dolls. She smiles as you land in the clearing.

Alice: Well look who it is! I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up. I'm Alice, Alice Margatroid. And you must be Rayne, the newcomer! We don't see new faces around here very often, you see.

You politely introduce yourself. You notice that her face and accent are slightly European, as is the make of the house.

You: So, what was it that you wanted help with? Something about gathering reagents or something?

Alice: Yes! You see, there is a rare mushroom that I have located deeper in the forest that I want to use as a spell component. However, harvesting it would be much easier with two people instead of just me, so I'm glad you're here to help!

>I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up.
Sorry about that. There are surprisingly many people with demands on a newcomer's time.

>mushroom harvesting
Well, so long as it doesn't shoot back, and even if it does, I doubt one mushroom can put up too much trouble...

lets' do this LEEEEEEROY JENKIIIINS

Joke: Hopefully it's not huge, mobile and with a craving for flesh, huh?

Help the lady out. Also, find out what to expect.

Ragnarode 2014/06/02(Mon)15:42 No. 576877 ID: d9bed9
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You: Sorry it took so long to visit, everyone seems to have something for me to do. Also, just out of curiosity, where are these mushrooms? Like, will I know it when I see it?

Alice: The mushroom we're looking for grows on another kind of mushroom, one that's large, mobile, and the villagers claim that it craves the taste of flesh. That last part is nonsense, of course.

You: ...Of course it is.

Some time passes as the two of you make your way through the forest. Alice seems to know where she's going, so you just follow her lead.

Alice: So, you're a magician, right? Or at least an aspiring magus. So where's your grimoire? Have you not made one yet?

...is a grimoire something I should have?

Sorry, I've been kind of playing things by ear since I got here. There's been far too much to take in and learn to plan very far ahead.

Possibly this is someone you can reach out to, since she presumably had a similar experience to yours. As an outsider coming into this land. If you can get her talking about her own entry, that could be valuable.

Ragnarode 2014/06/14(Sat)17:02 No. 578627 ID: d9bed9
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You: What exactly is a grimoire? I've been playing things by ear since I got here, and haven't had time to sit down and really do some research about my, well, career path.

Alice: I absolutely understand, went through the same thing when I came here. Well, I didn't sell my services like a mercenary, but you seem to be doing fairly well for yourself. As for a grimoire, it's a book that a magician creates that holds spell memory. If you have a grimoire, you only need to collect spell components and the like once, and the book will remember the essence of the spell and allow you to cast it at will in the future. I can help you make one when we get back, they're really handy. ...Oh look, there it is!

You: Which part are we supposed to grab?

Alice: You're going to need to cut off the stalks on its back. Try and grab 3 or 4, but as I said, they're valuable, so the more you get the better.

I don't think we really need one, we've been doing rather fine without it.

Time for some knife-based spells. Utilize that extra speed from the flight ring to catch it and cut off the stalks without getting hit by a counterattack.

>Well, I didn't sell my services like a mercenary
Playing mercenary does provide a convenient excuse for meeting people.

>what do?
Yeah, knife based spellcards could be useful, especially if we combine with the speed boosted flight ring.

Could some of her dolls provide a distraction? I would think it would be a lot easier to zip in and snag some stalks if it's attention was focused elsewhere.

>>578633
On the other hand, I think it could prove surprisingly useful. Just wanted to provide a countervote.

Also, this >>578638 seems like a decent plan.

Ragnarode 2014/06/28(Sat)18:48 No. 581804 ID: d9bed9
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>>578637
>>578638

Well, good work on the defense, Alice.

Of course, we're kind of screwed if it goes for her, now.

Priority is now getting away with out ill-gotten gains. If we actually beat this thing down at full force that kind of defeats the purpose of the slash and grab tactics.

I think we need a really big flashy spellcard, now. Blind this sucker with as much cover as we can throw up, and then we and Alice take the chance to get away.

speed boost away

Can you use your mastery of steel or earth to make some spiky barriers to hinder the monster's progress?

Ragnarode 2014/06/30(Mon)15:03 No. 582145 ID: d9bed9
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>>581830
You can't use spellcards outside of a duel!

You can, however, bend some of the elements you learned from Patchouli to create a similar effect. Water and Steel make sound, Sun and Moon make Light. Compress it tight, and you've created Disorient bullets, a grenade filled with light and sound.

>>581904
You speed away with your ill-gotten loot, and the two of you make your way back to Alice's house. You chat idly for a while, as she makes a smallish book, which you now recognize as a grimoire. You will now be able to use more complex magic outside of spellcard duels.

Unfortunately, the time comes for you to leave and head back to Eientei. You were happy to have spent time with Alice, though. You think she's one of the few people you've met here who don't seem to have an ulterior motive for you.

All right then, say your goodbyes and thank yous to Alice, and head back to Eientei.

Keep her in mind for a repeat visit, I suppose. A lack of ulterior motives is nice, and you two actually seem to have stuff in common.

Ragnarode 2014/07/02(Wed)16:14 No. 582496 ID: d9bed9
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Loose Rain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR6TDTSqWDY
This is probably one of my favorite tracks in the series.

It looks like you aren't going to miss that storm after all.

use some of that water power to make a water umbrella

An umbrella to block rain isn't the worst idea.

And summon up some knife bullets and set them rotating a safe distance away from you. You want metal decoys to draw nearby lightning from hitting you.

Ragnarode 2014/07/07(Mon)18:03 No. 583280 ID: d9bed9
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Your rain umbrella made of rain works less than well, but your shrapnel shield keeps the lightning off you while you fly. The flight itself is uneventful, but the cracks of thunder and lightning are getting closer together.

You arrive at Eientei soon enough, and are almost bowled over immediately.

Eirin: STOP! THIEF! RAYNE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET AFTER HER!

after her! and watch out for master sparks!

Fake her out. Move as if you're throwing yourself out of the way, or backing off to blast her- then crank your speed ring to max and sucker punch her with the oni-gauntlet. Marisa's about crazy laser blasts- not tanking.

...Alice might be annoyed with us for this later, but oh well.

Ragnarode 2014/08/08(Fri)15:44 No. 588750 ID: d9bed9
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>>583282
You immediately launch yourself after her. Thunder booms, the rain comes down in sheets, and lightning splits the sky. Fierce winds buffet you as you soar after the sneaky witch thief. Thankfully, that upgraded ring allows you to catch up to her. If you hadn't, this chase would have been much, much more difficult and drawn out. You call out to her, raising your voice to be heard above the cacophony.

You: HEY! Hey witch! Return what you stole, and I won't blast you from the sky!

The witch turns to face you, seemingly irked that you were able to catch up to her.

Marisa: And what's it matter to ya? You youkai live so long, isn't it more like borrowing? You can take these books back when I'm DEAD!

Smirk. And reply you guess you're just impatient, then.

Seriously, she wants to borrow anything? She needs to ask. Even libraries require cards. Now, is she gonna return those or not?

pull a wind blast from in front of her towards you.

"How about you return them and negotiate to read them in the library they come from? Making enemies is stupid compared to making friends, and the fact that you almost did steal them means you have talents to negotiate with as a counter-offer."

Ragnarode 2014/08/10(Sun)14:10 No. 588980 ID: d9bed9
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You: I guess I'm a bit impatient, then. But seriously, Eientei isn't a lending library. Although, way I hear it, you steal from the library too. So, how do you want to do this?

Have the watch hidden in one hand, you'll probably want it for her probable attack. And don't let down your guard if she seems to go along with it peacefully.

>So, how do you want to do this?
Aren't we still waiting for Marisa's response? We gave her an ultimatum and she hasn't answered yet.

Well, she's a sneaky thief. Expect her to turn down the offer by try to hit you with a master spark. Be ready to dodge and counter attack as soon as she makes it clear she's not surrendering the books.

Distribute the lighting-rod knives. When the battle starts, reassign them in an offensive formation. You're not just deflecting lighting away from yourself now, you're directing it at her. Bonus attacks from the environment.

Darl 2014/08/11(Mon)23:36 No. 589147 ID: 1f2a28
File 140782540133.gif - (106.65KB , 500x600 , Vines Everywhere.gif )

Potential spell-card for a vine-entrapment sort of thing.

Ragnarode 2014/08/12(Tue)17:06 No. 589234 ID: d9bed9
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Marisa: ...How do I want to do this?

She gives you a nasty grin.

Marisa: With violence, of course! It's been a while since I had a good danmaku duel, so come on! COME ON! DON'T YOU DARE HOLD BACK!

The storm intensifies around the two of you, and stars spiral away from her, accelerating to form a chaotic storm of her own.

Ragnarode 2014/08/12(Tue)17:07 No. 589235 ID: d9bed9
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Love Colored Master Spark https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RBJ4NMOBV0

Marisa: TAKE THIS! MAGIC SIGN, STARDUST REVERIE!

i say we take a chance and get up close, using our enhanced speed to stay between the tracks of the stars.