Minor Existence Quest

[Philosopher]

>What is our hunger at?

>Do we think we can put Kaze gently on the floor before her sister reaches us?

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>What is our hunger at?

>Current Hunger:

>You could probably get slashed through your gut and heal it. You would need a meal afterwards though.

>Do we think we can put Kaze gently on the floor before her sister reaches us?

>You wrack your mind as fast as possible for possibilities...
>And come up with a few options, though some would involve putting Kaze in front of you.
>The ultimate answer is: Yes, depending on how you do it.
>_?

[Philosopher]

>Move away from the entrance and the Blade wielder.
->Summon a few familiars to eat the cocoon enough to free Kaze.

>Raise our hands in the air while keeping our distance
->"Can we talk about this?"

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>Move away from the entrance and the Blade wielder.
->Summon a few familiars to eat the cocoon enough to free Kaze.

>Raise our hands in the air while keeping our distance
->"Can we talk about this?"

>You summon small familiars to eat through Kaze's restraints. She immediately jumps away from your back and towards The Blade Wielder.
>Then you distance yourself, raise your hands and ask for peace.
>"I would say that you should listen to her, Sis. She's a nice woman." A bit strange that Kaze's vouching for you after being a hostage, but you'll take what you can get.
>"Siding with Humans are you?"

>"What's going on in here?"
>"Apple, come on, you shouldn't interrupt this kind of scene!" Sounds like the dynamic duo has revealed themselves.
>"...Were you overwhelmed by a Human mother and her two children?" Do you three really look so much like a family? First Seija and now this.
>"It's a long story that we will only explain if you calm down and put the blade away, Sis."
>"I-I also believe that a conversation would greatly help!" The Bed-ridden one adds.
>Being outnumbered, and having her own sisters asking for a chance, The Blade Wielder drops her Tsurugi.
>"Alright then. Speak."
>_?

[Philosopher]

>Take off our hat
->"To start, we came to help heal your sister."

>"Apple, Worm, and I offered to help Hanako after hearing about the herbs."

"When we learn from Kaze about your sister's condition we came to help.  Worm can regenerate living things."

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>Take off our hat
->"To start, we came to help heal your sister."

>"Apple, Worm, and I offered to help Hanako after hearing about the herbs."

"When we learn from Kaze about your sister's condition we came to help.  Worm can regenerate living things."

>You take off your sun hat, revealing your antenna.
>The Blade-Wielding Weasel stumbles a bit, taking a moment to absorb your story.
>"...What's with the disguise? Why try to blend in with Humans? Why adopt Human children?"
>Worm Interjects. "We'll answer your questions later." Worm flares out her wings. "I'm Worm, here to heal to your sister." She starts walking towards the bed.
>"And I'm Apple, also a Fairy. I'm here to act as her foil!"
>"Okay, everything is clear now. A Youkai and two Fairies? Much more believable."

>"What in the depths of Naraka am I looking at?! Every time I force the regeneration process it just opens up again!"
>Your attention turns to Worm's shrieks and you take a closer look at the Weasel's Wound.
>The cut is severe. A gash going from the upper-right of her collarbone to the bottom-left of her hips. Maximum surface area, and meant to kill.
>But mortal wounds usually mean nothing for Youkai, the real problem is that it won't heal over.
>You realise why upon further inspection, the wound doesn't smell of iron or the usual blood. It smells similar to the Misfortune you experienced at Apple and Worm's Treehouse.
>_?

[Philosopher]

>"That should be impossible, they used misfortune."
->"Excuse me Worm, let me see if I can pull some of it out."

>Look closely at the wound
->Use one of our moths to smell the wound to find the misfortune

>Have our familiar suck out suck out any misfortune it can without hurting the patient

>"Miss Hina, a god on youkai mountain, can easily pull the misfortune out."

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"That should be impossible, they used misfortune."
->"Excuse me Worm, let me see if I can pull some of it out."

>"T-that explains why I couldn't heal myself. I tried my natural healing at first. T-then my specialised healing abilities. Nothing worked, not even medicine..." The Bed-ridden Weasel croaks out.
>"B-but you can extract Misfortune? How?"
>Apple looks over the patient, and answers in your stead.
>"Moth-lady here has an... interesting purification method. Just stay still and don't freak out."

>Look closely at the wound
->Use one of our moths to smell the wound to find the misfortune

>You take a closer look at the wound. If you squint closely enough then you can see the residue of Misfortune that permeates some parts of the damaged flesh, but you don't think that this is a very efficient way of finding minute Misfortune. So Familiars it is.
>You get a small moth to smell closer to the wound and- Oh, such rich Impurity! But a paltry amount compared to the feast before-
>You cut the link before anymore funny ideas pop in. The smell is extremely pungent on the surface of the wound and that messes up your thoughts it seems. But hopefully the Weasel will be mostly okay after you've extracted the Miasma.

>Have our familiar suck out suck out any misfortune it can without hurting the patient

>You prepare yourself for a snack and get your little extractor to drink in the Misfortune.
>(Un)fortunately, the bittersweet taste of Misfortune that you remember is diluted by the unfamiliar irony taste of blood. (+750 Hunger)
>"Huh, expected more pain. It actually feels more like a syringe sting."

>"And now for attempt number two."
>Worm lays her hands on the gash and focuses. The wound scabs over and the flesh stitches itself back in place at an accelerated rate.
The Weasel sits up and does a practice stretch.
"No pain, and the wound stayed shut! Fantastic, it worked!"
>The Cured Weasel jumps out of bed directly at you and wraps her arms around in a hug. "Thank you!"; She retracts her arms.
>"What, no thanks and hug for the Fairy?"

>"Miss Hina, a god on youkai mountain, can easily pull the misfortune out."

>"Okay, we'll go to her for a check up and see if there's any parts you missed."
>_?

[Philosopher]

>Turn to Worm, "You did a great job."
->Give her a quick hug

>"Do you remember what the human who attacked you looked like?"

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>Turn to Worm, "You did a great job."
->Give her a quick hug

>Worm blushes and whimpers a bit. But at least she isn't melting or rejecting the praise like last time.
>"Good job from me too, Worm!" Apple chimes in.
>The Weasel realises her mistake. "Oh, sorry! do you want a hug from me too?"
>"N-no. I think this is enough." And she rejecting it again.

>"Do you remember what the human who attacked you looked like?"

>The Cured Weasel raises a hand to her chin in a pondering expression.
>"I was ambushed, so I didn't get a very clear view. But I think I can give some identifiers."

>"She was wearing a Miko outfit, similar to the Hakurei Shrine Maiden or that one in the Youkai Mountain I've heard of. Except her outfit was White and Green coloured. I think she was a brunette as well, but that's hardly a unique identifier. That's all I could discern before I succumbed to my wound."
>"Speaking of which: She definitely used a blade of some kind, maybe Cursed, in order to do this. I have no idea if she's still holding on to that weapon but watch out for anything like that. Wouldn't want to end up like me, would you?"
>_?

[Philosopher]

>lightly chuckle at Worm

>"That helps quite a bit, thank you."

>Turn to Hanako and Ame
->"Have either of you heard of someone like that?"

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>lightly chuckle at Worm

>"That helps quite a bit, thank you."

>"You're welcome. It's the least I could do after you and Worrm dealt with my issue."
>"Issue is an understatement, Sis."
>"I also must thank you for healing my sister. I will also apologize for my appalling behaviour before. I've been on edge since... You know."

>Turn to Hanako and Ame
->"Have either of you heard of someone like that?"

>Hanako and Ame go through their memories for a possible fit for the description.
>"I don't think I've met anyone with that description. Not in the Shop or The Forest." Hanako seems to be drawing blanks.
>Ame snaps her fingers as she realises a fit.
>"I've seen her before! In fact, I met her up close!"

>"It was around a week ago, while I was doing the patrol. I met a human with that exact description, but she also had blue eyes and didn't have a weapon. Or a gohei for that matter, strange for a Shrine Maiden.
She was outside her home at night. While we don't have a strict curfew, it's generally recommended that residents of The Human Village stay within their homes to avoid possible Youkai ambushes, so I approached her to give a warning. She instead asked me where the nearest river was and that she would return home shortly after visiting it. I told her, but she never returned, I've never seen her since.
A shame, really. She seemed like a nice woman. Well-spoken, polite, doesn't seem like the kind that would use a potentially cursed weapon to give someone a harrowing injury."

>"So, that's my testimony on this Mystery Miko. The third Human Miko in Gensokyo and they're possibly a blade-waving maniac that I failed to stop. Fantastic..." Ame ends.
>_?

[Philosopher]

>"I understand, anyone would have responded in a like matter. I'm just glad we were able to help."

>Turn to Ame
>"We now know and have an idea of how dangerous she is."
->"Could the sword be controlling her?"

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"I understand, anyone would have responded in a like matter. I'm just glad we were able to help."

>Turn to Ame
>"We now know and have an idea of how dangerous she is."
->"Could the sword be controlling her?"

>"I hope so, I almost don't want to believe that a regular Human would be powerful or sick enough to do something like this. But I recently impaled multiple fairies with little remorse so..." Ame looks down despondently.
>"Considering what happened here and Gensokyo's track record with Shrine Maidens, I doubt she's a normal Human in your sense of the word. And your stint with the fairies I'm going to categorise as self-defence whereas this is just attempted murder." Kaze notes.

>Worm pitches in. "The controlling idea would not surprise me. 'Cursed sword grants user immense power but possesses them as a down-side' is a pretty common story. Not the most outlandish thing in Gensokyo either."
>"What if we're all wrong and she was secretly that bad but uses a cursed sword that doesn't posses people? How did she even get a cursed sword?"
>"Apple, you bring up some good points and but I think you were also skipping some steps."
>"Regardless of if that's true, what do we do now?"
>_?

[Philosopher]

>"If I understand correctly, most fairies see dying as an inconvenience."
>Glance at Worm and Apple
->"Correct me if I'm mistaken."

>"Finding her is where we should begin.  After that, we should try to get the sword away from her."

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"If I understand correctly, most fairies see dying as an inconvenience."
>Glance at Worm and Apple
->"Correct me if I'm mistaken."

>"Yeah. Dying ain't really a big problem for us."
>"What about the stunt that Unity pulled? The 'Recall'?" You get queasy thinking about that again...
>"Honestly? Made me wonder If self-destructing is a good way to get back home faster. But I understand if you get squeamish about Fairy death. Not all people can get away with the stuff that Fairies do. And not even we kill each other willy-nilly, gets annoying after a while."

>"Finding her is where we should begin.  After that, we should try to get the sword away from her."

>"Alright. Where do we start?" Apple makes a good point. Investigation has to start somewhere.

[Philosopher]

>"The village?  Hopefully other people have noticed her."

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"The village?  Hopefully other people have noticed her."

>"Hopefully. I mean, how many other Miko are there in Gensokyo? Moth-lady better not be stepping into some sort of conspiracy."
>"So, do you want to leave now or do you have any more business? I want to get my Sis to the Curse Goddess for a more thorough check-up. Maybe even Eientei after this. So we might not cross paths for awhile, unfortunately."
>_?

[Philosopher]

>"We'll let you get over to the goddess."
->Wave, "Take care!"

>Head out

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"We'll let you get over to the goddess."
->Wave, "Take care!"

>"Ah, wait!" The Blade-Wielder bows deeply towards your group; "My name is... well you can call me Tsurugi, it's the most notable part of me."
>Her tone becomes sad and apologetic "I'd like to personally apologise about the thefts done towards the Florist. I was extremely desperate but that doesn't justify my actions."
>Hanako smirks. "First: Stop bowing, would you? You're probably older than I am, it feels weird. Second: Apology Accepted. Third: next time just come into my shop for help, sure the villagers would give you looks but I'm not so picky with my company."

>Tsurugi straightens her posture. "Thank you. And with that done I say all of you keep safe as well! If you find that maniacal Miko give her a punch in the gut for us!"

>Head out

>With the apologies and goodbyes done. Your party leaves the cavern, your sights set on the Human Village.
>The trip out of the cavern and Forest is uneventful. Though between the Fae and the Weasels you think you deserve a small break.

>You cross by the initial clearing near the entrance you took into The Forest and see a Cocoon in addition to the familiar foliage.
>This Cocoon should contain the Fan that Kaze uses. You could grab the fan and hold it for later, or hope that Kaze finds it before anyone steals it.
>_?

[Philosopher]

>Oh, you could send a familiar. . .
->Wait, a fairy or any other curious could steal it.

>Land down and have a familiar eat the grass to make a message to Kaze
->Write 'Returning fan tomorrow  Moth'

>Float with the fan back up to the others.
->Have our familiar eat the cocoon.

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>Oh, you could send a familiar. . .
->Wait, a fairy or any other curious could steal it.

>Land down and have a familiar eat the grass to make a message to Kaze
->Write 'Returning fan tomorrow  Moth'

>Float with the fan back up to the others.
->Have our familiar eat the cocoon.

>You (or your familiar, not much different) carves a message into the grass. When or if Kaze starts looking for her fan, she should see it.

>After grabbing the Cocoon and having the familiar eat through it, you see Kaze's Fan.
>It's decently ornate, looks similar to the fans you see the bird Tengu hold, but made of some sort of pliable metal.
>"So, this is what Kaze used to create that windstorm. I dunno if we can use it, but it's good to hold on to."
>Acquired: Kaze's Fan
>>The Fan used by Kaze of the Weasel Trio. You aren't sure if you can create wind using this. But you will return this to Kaze.
>_?

[Philosopher]

>"I'd feel bad if someone took it."

>Return back to the group

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"I'd feel bad if someone took it."

>Return back to the group

>"Good point, Moth-Lady. If I were a regular fairy I would pick it up out of pure curiosity."
>"What makes us different from a 'regular fairy'?"
>"How many fairies do you know can instantly grow trees and distort energy?"
>"...That's just our special abilities, plenty fairies have- you know what? I'm not bothering." Worm sounds exasperated.

>You make it back to the Human Village, remembering to put your hat back on along the way.
>It's the middle of the afternoon, The Sun shines brightly upon a busy road of merchants. Some selling fruits and vegetables, various trinkets, to your slight surprise you even see some Youkai merchants selling Mochi, and a heavily cloaked individual selling what seems to be medicine. All while a crowd browses all the wares.

>Hanako suddenly realises something. "Oh, I have really busy day scheduled so I'll make this quick!"
>"Your job is complete. I've collected a bunch of Mushrooms and Herbs. I even managed to make it to the Kirisame Magic Shop and got this Mixture. So I'll be out of your hair for now. But I swear if you need anything from us, we will help in any way we can."
>"Yeah, thanks for protecting my Mother. I still wonder how she explores that death trap of a forest without getting eaten by plants or pranked by fairies. The old ha-" Ame's foot gets stomped.
>"I-I mean the young woman must be lucky!"
>_?

[Philosopher]

>Giggle at the mother daughter interaction
->"Thank you."

>"Do you remember in which part of the village you saw the shrine maiden? "

>Put a finger to our cheek
->"A blade with misfortune power is pretty unique. Who is well versed in artifacts?"

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>Giggle at the mother daughter interaction
->"Thank you."

>"Do you remember in which part of the village you saw the shrine maiden? "

>Ame half-limps to a wooden bench, her mother follows and starts reading a newspaper that was left on it.
>"It was near Suzunaan. You may have heard of it: A bookstore with all sorts of esoteric pieces, Unmistakable place, has a sign and a reputation here. Especially because of Kosuzu, the girl who maintains the place. She's obsessed with those books." Ame answers while rubbing her foot.

>Put a finger to our cheek
->"A blade with misfortune power is pretty unique. Who is well versed in artifacts?"

>Your fae companions and Ame also ponder on this question.
>Ame ends up being the first to answer. "...I can think of three people off the top of my head:

Keine Kamishirasawa. She's first and foremost a History teacher despite recently branching out to other subjects. Most artifacts are well-known in History, if anyone would have in-depth knowledge on artifacts, it's her.
Hieda no Akyuu. My effective superior, The Maiden of Miare, and kind of a leader for the Human Village. She has a perfect memory spanning generations, she might've had a brush with a cursed blade in a past life. You could probe her for information or ask her for further help."
>Worm perks up "Weren't we invited to a meeting of some sort with her? Isn't that sometime today?" You do remember The Maiden saying something along those lines yesterday night.
>"Huh, convenient for you."
>"As a last option you could explore Suzunaan itself. Lots of weird books from ages gone and a different world in there. I don't spend much time in there myself, the place creeps me out for some reason. But who knows? Maybe one of those books contains clues for this sword?"

>Apple looks at Ame for a second and smirks. "Are you telling me a member of the Night Guard, who is trained and regularly looks for Youkai Infiltration, is afraid of entering a bookstore?"
>Ame is flustered at Apple's teasing. "I never said I was afraid! I just said the place creeps me out a bit! I mean: If you were in a library where the books are either written in a language you don't understand or had information that you just can't grasp, wouldn't you be afraid?"
>"I can't speak for Apple, but I would probably try to read every book even if I couldn't necessarily understand the words in them." Worm seems to be thirsty for knowledge.
>"As long as there are pictures and diagrams, I'm okay!" Apple has a thirst for... something. You aren't sure if it's knowledge.
>_?

[Philosopher]

>"I don't think I've ever been in a bookstore."

>Humm
->"It sounds interesting almost like a test of courage."

//Sorry for the slow response

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>"I don't think I've ever been in a bookstore."

>Humm
->"It sounds interesting almost like a test of courage."

//Sorry for the slow response

>"Well I've never been in one either. Always a good time for new experiences, I say!"
>"I've been in one, but they were a lot more regular compared to Suzunaan from the general description. And I was there for a different reason. Not really a test of courage, so much as a test of how much I can get away with." Just how much did Worm steal just to read? She's starting to sound like Marisa!

>Hanako perks up from her newspaper, before rolling it into a scroll. "I think you should see this."
>She throws paper at you and you instinctively catch and read it...

"Kakashi Psychic News Special!":

Mysterious Onmyouji Captures Infamous Outlaw Seija?!

Yesterday night, an unknown Human had a skirmish with the well-known criminal Seija Kijin in The Human Village. An aspect of this that may interest readers is that unlike many other modern notable Human-Youkai battles, this was not a declared Spell Card Duel. This battle seems to have concluded with The Outlaw's defeat and capture. Where she is being held is another matter of investigation. The Human in question will be referred to as an Onmyouji due to supposed spiritual abilities related to Shikigami or Familiars she may have.
According to my various sources, who have all requested to remain unnamed, this Onmyouji did not work alone. Yes, she seems to operate with two companions that bear child-like appearances. Whether these are her children or some form of Shikigami or Familiar will require further investigation. But either way, they seemed to play a key role in capturing Seija.
Some readers may have interest in the true identity of this Onmyouji, as a Journalist I share this interest, so I attempted thoughtography using a general description of the subject given to me. This revealed a strangely blurry image of a young woman in a kimono wearing a sun-hat and a white cloak. Her companions were also revealed in the image, their forms also wearing white cloaks. Perhaps the sign of a clan?
Information on the situation is admittedly scant, but rest assured I will regularly keep all readers updated on this case. The best case scenario is an interview with the Onmyouji and a confirmation of her and her companion's identities.
Until then, I will follow this case with interest and journalistic integrity. As this Onmyouji may be part of an interesting new party within Gensoukyou and that we should ascertain what their motives, abilities and routine actions are for the future.
(Hatate Himekaidou)

>"Holy crap, I'm in the news!" You almost didn't notice Apple reading over your shoulder.
>"They got our faces all wrong in the picture though!"
>"That's only because the pictures given here are so blurry, you wouldn't even know it's us unless you met us beforehand. Not to mention, them guessing that we're Shikigami or Familiars is funny to me for multiple reasons. N-not that I have any issues with being associated with the Purifier."
>"Uh, are you not worried about potential Tengu paparazzi chasing you down?" Ame notes.
>"I'm not, one more step to spreading my name across the land! How about you, Moth-Lady? Kakashi Psychic News isn't huge but it's something!"
>_?

[Philosopher]

Not really a test of courage, so much as a test of how much I can get away with." Just how much did Worm steal just to read? She's starting to sound like Marisa!

>Marisa is a hero so that could be good but stealing. . .
->Nope! Not going down that rabbit hole of disappointment!

>"That's only because the pictures given here are so blurry, you wouldn't even know it's us unless you met us beforehand. Not to mention, them guessing that we're Shikigami or Familiars is funny to me for multiple reasons. N-not that I have any issues with being associated with the Purifier."

>Give a playful smile
->"Or daughter."

>"I thought it would take years to get this far.  It feels splendid."
->"Does the press normally get information like this?  I thought they would have interviewed us."

[WitheringFlowerCrown]

>Marisa is a hero so that could be good but stealing. . .
->Nope! Not going down that rabbit hole of disappointment!
>Give a playful smile
->"Or daughter."

>"Don't you get started as well! The next time we get compared to a family, I don't know how I'll react."
>"Hey, what's so bad about that? You three have already shown how it's a good cover story. And I'd love to have a pretend family outing with The 'Onmyouji Family' every so often!" Hanako teasingly pokes Worm's cheek.
>"Mother, please rein in your fantasies."
>"Aww, don't worry. You can join in, you're my daughter after all."
>Ame blushes. "That isn't what I was concerned about. But thanks, mum.

>"I thought it would take years to get this far.  It feels splendid."
->"Does the press normally get information like this?  I thought they would have interviewed us."

>Worm squints at the image in the paper. "That's part of what concerns me. I don't know how exactly Ms. Himekaidou's thoughtography works. But I can guess that it relies on the target being known in some way.  That's probably why the image here is so blurry. All she has is a general description of us given by an unknown source."
>"Speaking of: Moth-lady is right! Why hasn't a swarm of Tengu come over to ask for my autograph or something!" Apple shouts.
>"Tengu are much more sneaky in their information gathering. Usually they disguise themselves as humans, similar to you right now, and blend in while interviewing you with discreet, probing questions. Honestly? They frustrate me because of how much it complicates my job. They're hard to find and constantly sneak in but are often so harmless that I can't do anything about them. What can I say? 'Stop interviewing people!' That would be awkward. Also they prefer the term 'flock', But I digress." What does Ame experience as a Night-guard?

>"Right now, you're in a weird place of anonymity and fame. People know that there's a 'Mysterious Onmyouji' who captured Seija with her companions and that Onmyouji looks like you. But most people don't know she is you. Unless they connect the dots, the chances of you getting recognized are actually low, especially if you take off that disguise, then people would never figure it out as you don't fit the description. You're more like an 'Urban Legend' than a definable 'Heroic Legend' at the moment."
>"So we're not famous yet?" Apple's voice cracks.
>Ame's face sinks. "Sorry to break your dreams, but no."
>Apple almost cries before Ame intervenes. "But there's a way! If you really want to be more famous then I recommend that you continue what you're doing now and maybe go to the Tengu directly to show your identity when you're done. Unless you want to show off to everyone here but then you look like the kind of person who would start an incident for fame and I'd have to report you."
>Worm intervenes. "Speaking of which: don't we have a killer shrine maiden on the loose that we need to find?" Right! You almost forgot!
>_?