/2hu/ - Touhou

>>37262

You move closer to Yoshika, your gentle nature would never allow you to harm a cute 2hu.

She awaits you with welcoming arms, a perfect moment for a hug!

You take the opportunity and lock your arms around Yoshika

>.....?

She looks confused at first, not understanding this change of events as you tightly press your face against Yoshika's chest.

>.......

But after the confusion faded, Yoshika puts her arms on your shoulder.

Feeling an incredible strength from her, you realized that you have no way of escaping now, Yoshika now firmly holds you in her iron grip.

Only now did you realize that Yoshika doesn't smell good at all, she smells like corpses and decay and her body is unnaturally cold. This isn't what you expected.

Furthermore Yoshika wasn't good at controlling her strength, so her fingers sunk into your shoulders and were about to break bone.

Your survival instincts kicked in as you make an attempt to escape, but it is too late now. Once a Jiang-Shi grabs hold of a human they have no way of escaping.

Yoshika moves her mouth closer and closer, she then opens it, revealing a menacing set of fangs.

*bite

A sharp but instant pain was felt.

Your blood pours out like a fountain as Yoshika proceeded to bite into your neck, right down to the Artery.

In a matter of seconds you lost a dangerous amounts of blood as your heart involuntarily pumped them out of your body. You felt lightheaded and soon you passed out.

YOU HAVE DIED

Minutes later, despite being a cold, dead corpse, you open your eyes and slowly but steadily stand up.

Yoshika is no longer here. She might have went back to wherever she came from.

But you no longer perceive any of this, you don't understand anything as your brain starts rotting.

Despite the already setting rigor mortis, you move out of your home and into the night......

......Instinctively seeking your first victim.

GAME OVER

DEAD END 1: A Cold Embrace

Would you like to start over?

1. Yes

2. No

>>37263

Yes.

As expected. Let's see what awaits us in the second run.

>>37266

Input a course of action then

You are back at your front door where Yoshika busted her way though.

You feel a stinging pain in your neck, you clutch it with your right hand, but it was just your imagination. You turn your attention back to the walking corpse.

Yoshika slowly shambles closer and closer

Remembering her profile, you know that Jiang-Shi are incredibly strong and instinctively seek to turn the living into other Jiang-Shi. Moving into her range is definitely a bad idea. On the other hand she is slow and her limbs are stiff as stone.

Wat do you do?

>>37271

Realizing just how slow Yoshika was, you figured that you had more than enough time to run upstairs and grab your weapons.

You opened your carefully hidden stash and grabbed the AK out of it as well a few magazines.

*Click

You loaded it and released the safety, then proceeded to run back down stairs.

By the time you got down, Yoshika has already managed to shamble her way into the living room, even with her snail like pace.

>.....!

Yoshika noticed your presence and turned to your direction

But you have already aimed your rifle and steadied yourself

>СУКА БЛУД!

You violently yelled before firing 2 shots right into her head.

One went cleanly through her frontal lobe, while the other took a piece of flesh and skin from the right side of her jaw.

>......?

Yoshika looked confused at you, before resuming her pace a second later.

>Tch

You click your tongue in annoyance. Jiang-Shi do not feel any pain and they don't particularly need their brains in order to function. She isn't as easy to get rid off as a zombie.

*Ratatatatata

You fired a larger burst this time, Yoshika's body shook from the continuous impact of bullets, but otherwise she was perfectly fine as far as Jiang-Shi go

*Ratatatata

*Click

You fired another burst and ran out of ammo, you moved to reload, but you irritatedly noted that Yoshika was already way too close for comfort.

After reloading you decided to retreat to another position and fire from there.

>......Ah!

But Yoshika didn't like that idea.

She violently drove her powerful feet at the floor and used that force to suddenly lunge at you. You couldn't react in time to the sudden momentum and change in pace, she successfully tackled you to the floor as her body hit yours. The next thing you saw were her shark-like mouth.

*Ratatatata

Panicked you fired the rest of your magazine into Yoshika's already bullet hole ridden chest.

It did nothing to stop her, the AK was clearly not powerful enough to seriously damage her, perhaps if you picked something with a larger caliber it wouldn't have ended like this.

*Click Click Click

Your finger desperately tried to shoot more, but it was useless, you were already out and you had no way to reload. After Yoshika placed her arm on your right hand, the struggle was over, Miyako Yoshika had won this battle.

>......

Yoshika looked into your eyes as she pressed her weight onto you, her eyes seemed more clearer than before, as if her intelligence returned for a second.

>....Then......

She said something for the first time

>.......I shall......eat you.

After saying those words her eyes lost their light and became dull again. Her face inched closer and closer every millisecond .Then suddenly her mouth touched yours, they were very soft, your brain deluded you into thinking that perhaps she didn't plan to harm you. But that illusion was shattered the moment you realized just how cold it was. Yoshika didn't hesitate to bite into you once more.

YOU HAVE DIED

Minutes later, despite being a cold, dead corpse, you open your eyes and slowly but steadily stand up.

Yoshika is no longer here. She might have went back to wherever she came from.

But you no longer perceive any of this, you don't understand anything as your brain starts rotting.

Despite the already setting rigor mortis, you move out of your home and into the night......

......Instinctively seeking your first victim.

DEAD END 2: Kiss of death

Would you like to start over?

1.Yes

2.No

>>37277

Alright, let's try round 2. Except instead of an AK, we're going with a Saiga loaded up with 12 gauge slugs. Let's see her deal with .75 caliber hunks of metal tearing her head up.

More dakka solves everything.

>>37278

A Saiga? What about a Seiga?

>>37278

Hmm... I'm not so sure. What about some more phisical weapon? We can chop her head off.

I wanted to make another update today, but it seems it isn't going to happen.

Going to sleep then I shall update around 8 later or so.

>>37294

She doesn't get to bring friends.

>>37276

>>37279

>BEGONE FOUL CREATURE! OH MY LORD WHO IS WATCHING OVER ME IN HEAVENS, GIVE ME POWER TO SMITE THE REVOLTING UNDEAD

You cried at the top of your lungs as a ray of holy light shot out from your hand, enveloping Yoshika in an instant.

>Ah.... the light...... It so warm.

Yoshika said with her last "breath" as she passed on.

Or at least that's what happened inside your mind....

.....In reality you just screamed like an ⑨ and made a fool of yourself

>What was I thinking!? Of course that wouldn't work.....

But fortunately Yoshika wasn't intelligent enough to perceive your lameness.

>Right.....I need another plan.....

>>37278

You ran upstairs once more, but this time you selected a more menacing looking weapon.

The beautiful Saiga-12 was revealed before you as you opened a black box. You took it into your hands and dove back downstairs, sure in the knowledge that you were holding a weapon that can harm the intruding Jiang-Shi

>Hey Yoshika!

You called out to her in order to get her attention

>.......?

She dumbly turned towards you

>Eat this!

You fired the Saiga and the large recoil immediately hit your shoulders, but you managed to keep yourself steady thanks to your training.

Yoshika on the other hand wasn't as fine, the powerful close range shot had separated her right hand from the arm. Even with this much damage she still didn't show any sign of pain and no blood poured from her wound, further reinforcing the fact that she was an aberration of nature.

>My hand......it became gooey gooey......

Yoshika said as she continued advancing on you. She seemed more curious than anything at the moment.

>Next, I shall take away those legs of yours!

*Firing sounds

*Slump

You successfully blasted off Yoshika's legs by the kneecaps, she fell to the floor, face first.

>.....!

But she raised her head one more time, her eyes now burned with murderous intent, it seems that you managed to anger her.

>....I'll.......murder you!

Yoshika made some miserable attempts to reach you with her last remaining limb.

>I don't think so.

You put the Saiga to Yoshika face and pressed the trigger

*Splatter

Half of her otherwise pretty face was shot into oblivion.

Her head hit the ground, she stopped moving.

There wasn't any sign of reaction from her last remaining eye, it stared at you, blankly.

*Poke Poke

You poked her stomach with the barrel of your Saiga, it didn't respond.

It seemed that she dead............or rather in this case, ceased activity.

Now that Yoshika was broken you could finally relax and think about your next action.

You irritatedly noted that your door was still in fact broken and that it would be a pain to fix. But not as much of a pain as dealing with the corpse that was in your living room.

......On the other hand...... You were surprised that none of the neighbors woke up despite the loud sounds your Saiga has made.

You moved to one of the windows

>How strange.......

None of the houses were lit and the streets seemed to be completely empty.

>It's 4:15

You said after checking your watch.

This was weird because you knew that there were a few neighbors who woke up at this time to get to their work.

You didn't think it was a coincidence....

>Perhaps something is happening outside.....

Wat do?

1. Go outside

2. Call the police

3. Finish off Yoshika just for good measure

4. Other

>>37312

You decided to finish off Yoshika, which is a rational idea as the concept of death doesn't really apply to Jiang-Shi, she is potentially still dangerous

You grabbed a fire-axe that you oh so conveniently had laying around. You then proceeded to approach the corpse with that in hand.

She was as stiff as ever, in the same position you left her in.

It was probably the best idea to just remove the head completely from the body, so you decided to start with that.

You raised your axe and swung it down

*Strike

*Fleshy sounds

It bit into Yoshika's neck...... but it barely went halfway through before it was halted. Looks like it would need a few more swings........

*Swing

*Swing

*Swing

After the 4th strike you finally managed to separate Yoshika's head from her body.

It would have been nice if you had an incinerator at home as you could have just burned the body then, but seeing that you didn't have that option you decided to bury the head.

You moved to retrieve the head.....

*Stab

.........When you suddenly felt 5 sharp points stab into your leg.

>Huh?

*Thump

The heartbeat rises as you are already expecting the worst possible scenario

*Thump Thump

You slowly turned your head.....

.....And was forced to make the grim realization that Yoshika was still in fact.....very much active! For she had her body use her last remaining arm to deeply lodge her overly long nails into your leg.

*Thump Thump Thump

>.....Fu......Fu.......Got you.......

Yoshika's severed head said in a distorted voice as it creepily rolled around the floor.

>Shit!

You attempted to pull your leg away, but it was useless, the more you tried, the deeper the nails lodged themselves inside your flesh.

>Kuh!

*Clang

You involuntarily dropped the axe to the ground as you felt yourself suddenly becoming very weak.

The world turned upside down and suddenly you were gazing at the ceiling.

>Wha.......What just happened?

>Why am I on the ground?

You didn't understand what was going on, you didn't receive enough damage to be knocked out like this, all you got was.....a little...... stab.

A pulsating sensation was felt in your injured leg, something was wrong.....And you could feel the same sensation, slowly passing through your body, infecting every unaffected area.

>I see.......So that's what happened.......

You suddenly remembered how Jiang-Shi in Chinese folklore had poisonous nails that could incapacitate their victims. Going into the range of a Jiang-Shi, always ends up with the death of the human.......

>She got me.......*Cough

*Shine

>Huh?

Suddenly there was a shine of light..... or rather, hundreds of small light orbs gathered around you and Yoshika.

They danced around the room like playful little fairies.

You didn't understand what they were or how they came here.

*Thump

You felt yourself becoming increasingly weaker.

But you were still conscious enough to watch as the lights entered Yoshika's body.....and started healing her. First it was were the lights that were reattached to the body.........then the arm.......and finally the head rolled back into its place.

>......No........They are not lights........

As you watched this picture, you were reminded of Touhou 13........

>........but.......Spi......rits.......?

You managed to murmur just before you finally lost your consciousness, the last sight you saw was....... Yoshika standing up, her parts reattached and body completely unharmed.........She looked into your direction with a mocking expression.

>I won.

YOU HAVE DIED

DEAD END 3: Gluttony.

Would you like to stat over?

1. Da

2. Nyet

>>37318

You repeated everything the same until the point you rendered Yoshika unable to fight.

But this time instead of finishing her off, you decided to go upstairs and pack your gear.

If there were ever was a time to get the fuck out of here then it was clearly now.

Thanks to your meticulous preparation autism and paranoia you already had a bag full of supplies ready, you only needed to a pack a few additional things into it and you were ready to go.

You grabbed the car keys and headed down stairs.

*Thump

However when you got downstairs, your heart immediately sunk and your pupils dilated when you noticed that besides a few patches of red on the floor......Yoshika's body.... was gone.

You nervously looked around with your Saiga in hand, doing a 360 degree circle scan of the room, ready to shoot on sight, but couldn't find any sign of Yoshika.

>Where did she go?

You had to wonder, you didn't like this turn of events.......

.......You waited a few more minutes just in case Yoshika was lurking somewhere in the corner, but in the end she didn't reappear. Your legs carried you to the garage.

*Click

You turned on the lights.

There was no sign of Yoshika in here either.

This was bad. Your biggest advantage of Yoshika was how slow she was compared to you......But now that advantage has been rendered useless, as Yoshika essentially disappeared, and you had no idea when she would pounce at you from the darkness.

You threw the bag into the vehicle, which was a medium sized van, also packed with supplies and then ignited the engine.

*Vrooom

The engine made a loud sound as it started up

>Still no sign of her.......

Things were so quiet all of a sudden that it made it seem like the events so far had been only illusions.

But you dismissed such thoughts as you drove out onto the street.......

END OF STAGE 1: Night Visitor

START OF STAGE 2: The Festival of Souls

You were driving for a whole 10 minutes now.

.....And things were very bad. Much worse than what it looked like from the inside of your home.

Even after driving for 10.....11 minutes now, you haven't seen a single soul or another moving vehicle. Its as if everyone.....just suddenly disappeared.......Everyone...... other than you.

You suddenly felt a sense of loneliness as you continued driving, and couldn't surpass the chills that assaulted you.There was something very very wrong here. But you didn't understand what just yet, all of your instincts went haywire the moment you stepped outside. They told you that this town, was no longer safe. What if Yoshika was the least of your worries here? And what if something far more menacing and evil has entered into this otherwise peaceful town?

Even the air felt still, no bug or bird noises that were always frequent during this time, there were no clouds in the sky either, you could clearly see a full moon looking down at you if you were to bring your gaze up.

It was the calm before the storm.

20 minutes now......Still no sign of people anywhere

Your eyes grew tired, this was usually the time when you would go to sleep. Your natural schedule was clicking in but you had to ignore it.

Despite this, the road suddenly became extremely long and your surroundings ceased to be.......

*Tug

You felt as if a knife has just been lodged into your brain.....

.....A hug with Yoshika.....

......A revolting kiss with Yoshika......

.......And a regenerating Yoshika mocking you.......

Memories that you didn't experience, entered your mind against your volition, you relieved the sensation of those memories as your vision faded from reality.

>GAH!? Arrgh!?

You felt the pain of death 3 weigh down upon your body, you desperately clutched at your chest, as if you were trying to stop a heart attack, but it was useless, your pulse has reached abnormal levels. Your soul couldn't take the stress.

*Sliiiiide

*Screeching wheel noises

Then just as unexpectedly as the visions came, they vanished. Returning your senses onto the road, you immediately grabbed hold of the wheel and regained control of the vehicle at the last moment......

You just barely managed to avoid colliding with a parked car.

>Ha......

>Ha......

>....Ha.....

You exhaled with ragged breaths. Your chest felt like bursting. But now you could slowly feel your pulse returning to its normal pace.

>.....What the hell is happening to me!?

*Honk

You hit the horn of your car in anger. Those memories, were just too real, they felt too genuine to have been mere illusions of your mind.......But if you died.......How were you alive right now?

It didn't make any sense no matter how much you thought about it. In the end you decided to stop dwelling on it as the situation at hand couldn't let you lose a moment of your focus.

After successfully resting for a minute you drove the car back onto the road.

But it was useless to just cruise along the roads. You needed a destination in mind......

>>37330

>>37331

>>37334

You decided to go to the church

It was about a 10 minute drive from your current location. The church of the town was built upon a small hill, near the cemetery.

In hindsight, going to the area near the cemetery probably wasn't the best idea when an undead was previously chasing you, but oh well.

But after driving for 5 minutes, something suddenly catches your eyes.

....Flashing lights of red and blue

A police car....with its drivers door open, you could see a body lying at the side of the car. It was probably the first sign of another human since you started driving.

You stepped out of the car but kept the engine running.

Insert BGM here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4xsfkhcw-A

>This.......Is.......

You approached the body of the police officer. You recognized him as the guy who stopped you for speeding a few weeks ago.

He was completely unresponsive to your shaking and calls.

One would think that he was just unconscious, but that wasn't the case here. His eyes were wide open, staring into space, never blinking. His pulse was also steady, there wasn't any sign of harm or injury on him. But no matter what you did, you couldn't get him to respond.

*Wave Wave

You moved your hand back and forth in front of his eyes.

Nothing, no reaction. It was as if he was missing something essential

>Just what happened to you?

*Rustle Rustle

Suddenly you hear some noises from the surrounding darkness.

You immediately turn with your Saiga, but see nothing even after flashing your light on where you assumed the noise came from. You felt a foreboding sensation, as if something.....or someone was watching you. But you couldn't detect any sign of a presence no matter how hard you looked.

The instincts told you that it was a bad idea to just stay around like this so you grabbed the weapons and a few ammo out of the police car's trunk and moved back to your van with hasty steps.

.......

You have almost reached the church and was driving near the cemetery.

Still no sign of people. But you could already see the church in the distance.

Hopefully you would be able to a rest little there, being constantly on the alert wasn't good for you.

*Thunder

*Flash

But the heavens weren't as kind to you as suddenly a lighting bolt struck and blinded your eyes.

And the next time you opened them.

She was there.

>Found you~

Yoshika was standing just 2 meters in front of your moving car with a creepy smile on her face.

Needless to say it was too late to attempt to evade her or move the car in reverse.

*Thud

You hit Yoshika with your car, but this caused her to firmly lodge her nails into your hood.

*Slide Slide

You attempted to shake her off with the van, but it was useless, she was too strong and firm, she started to advance towards you.

Her face was now only separated from yours by a few centimeters.

You moved your right hand away from your wheel to pull out your gun. It was obviously very hard to drive with one hand while a Jiang-Shi was blocking the view at your front and trying to kill you, but you had to try it anyway.

*Bang Bang

You fired at Yoshika's face.....but it barely did anything to deter her.

>I'm gonna get you.

Yoshika said as she dove her head through the window.

*Shatter

The window shattered with relative ease and now you were dangerous close to her mouth.

>Do....not resist.

*Bang Bang

You fired the rest of your clip into her then threw away your glock, you moved your hand to your waist and drew out your tactical knife.

*Stab Stab Stab

You repeatedly stabbed it into her throat.

But it didn't have much use against someone who didn't bleed.

>Shit!

Just as Yoshika was about to make an attempt at biting your face off, you felt a sudden stop in speed, which caused your head to bump forward.....

*Thud

Something warm flew from the top of your brows.

It was the nectar known as blood, it didn't take long to realize that you had hit your head when you crashed the car.

But you were still alive.

>Uuuuhh~

Yoshika on the other hand got pushed onto the backseat area by the force of the impact.

She seemed to be having quite the trouble in getting up and was struck in an odd position that allowed you to see her undergarments.

You undid your seat belt, grabbed your weapon and got the fuck out of the car. You noted that you have successfully crashed it into a brick wall and damaged the front quite a bit, but it was still probably still usable.

But now you were only a few meters away from the church.

*Slam

*Clang Clang

Suddenly something flew and hit the road near you.

It was the roof of your van.

>That fucking bitch.

Angrily you turned back and fired a shot at the persistent Jiang-Shi

A few pieces of lead entered her abdomen. But her reaction was nonexistent as usual.

>You will..... not defeat me......I will be scolded if I get defeated!

Yoshika said with some actual determination as her eyes filled with confidence.

Suddenly you saw dozens and dozens of light balls rise up from the nearby graveyard and start circling around Yoshika.

One entered into her and immediately healed the wounds you gave to her.

*Fizzle

You felt a strong wave of energy as various lights of all shapes and sizes were fired by Yoshika.

>Oh shit

You started to run towards the church, realizing that you had no chance of taking an actual wave of danmaku on.

But the red dagger shaped danmaku were much faster than you and were already at your back.

>(I'm going to get caught!)

You saw no way out of the situation, you couldn't possibly reach the door in time and you had no cover to block the projectiles.

......Just as you were thinking that you were going to die (again?), the danmaku were blocked by something.

A barely visible barrier of light.

>......What.......happened?

Yoshika asked surprised when her eyes abruptly caught sight of an incoming object

>.....!

The reply to Yoshika's question was a massive spear of pure gold and holiness, which took half of her left side as it flew by her.

>......Not..... again!

Yoshika decided to retreat by flying away.

You were just about to wonder as to what the fuck was going on when you heard someone speak to.

>Come inside, my child. You will be safe here.

The voice told you as the church door creepy opened by itself.

Wat do?

1. Go inside

2. Don't go inside

3. Other

>>37343

[X] Go inside

What could possibly go wrong.

>Come inside, my child. You will be safe here.

The voice told you as the church door creepy opened by itself.

It wasn't the voice of someone talking from inside the church, this voice came directly into your mind.

>Are you friendly?

You asked the voice.

>I just saved you, didn't I?

The voice replies

>Do you have vodka?

.......

>What?

The female voice asks back in a confused voice

>Vodka......you know Russian beverage

You explained to the voice.

>No.....I do not possess such items.......But there is some wine down in the cellar, if alcohol is what you want.

Hearing the promise of alcohol, you moved inside but with arms in hand.

Insert BGM Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDDoqAksEn0

You have entered an old and run down church. It was poorly maintained but it still managed to convey a feeling of other-worldliness.

This was the first time you came here, but it seemed that not many people visited this church overall, which was evident by the gathering dust and cobwebs here and there. It must be taxing for the priest to clean it all by himself.

>Welcome to this sanctuary, my child.

Said the female voice from before.

You noted a six winged angelic figure with long, knee-length white hair and a simple blue dress descend down to the main altar. She was unnaturally beautiful, but you were unable to think of anything lewd despite this.

>Sariel?

You asked with raised eyebrows as you got closer to her.

>(....Hmm?)

Your eyes noted something strange.

>(.....Why is her body transparent?)

It gave the impression that you could just go through her, It was almost like Sariel didn't materialize at all, just merely projected an image of herself. It didn't feel like she was truly there with you in the same room.

>Is it so surprising to see an angel, after you have already witnessed a demon, my child?

Sariel asks of you.

>No, I wasn't that surprised. I'm starting to accept the fact that something unnatural is happening in this town, so I decided to throw my logic out of the window, as it would surely fail me.

You explained then asked:

>So why are you here?

Sariel smiled for a small fraction of a second, but it was so short that you barely noticed it.

>It was none other than you, who summoned me here.

She said cryptically

>Come again? I'm pretty sure I didn't pray for an angle to suddenly descend down from heavens and save me.

You weren't religious after all.

>You may not have wanted to be saved, but your soul did...... The cry of your soul was heard, and the Angel, Sariel answered.

She closed her eyes as she said this.

>Riiiiight......

You muttered, suspicious of Sariel's true intentions here.

>Out of all the angels in Heaven, why is it that it was you exactly who answered my "call" for help?

Sariel opened her eyes once more and this time gave a clear smile:

>Why, its because I'm the one you are most familiar with, a~non~

You decided to stir the conversation somewhere else, it was useless to ask Sariel about her true intentions, as she wouldn't tell anyway.

>So what's exactly going on? What's happening to the town?

Sariel's face turned serious at your question and you could even see a small brim of anger within her pupils.

>A loathsome, cursed barrier has been erected around this settlement by the wretched forces of a few, but powerful Heathens.

Barrier? I hope this doesn't have anything to do with Yukari, or I'm really screwed.....

>What does the barrier do? Who are these 'Heathens' you speak of?

You ask, wanting to extract some actual, concrete information.

>The barrier.......

Sariel's face morphs into a frown, but it vanishes in an instant.

>.....It is a barrier that removes the souls.....of all those who are trapped within it.

She managed to say with a relatively calm face.

>.....So wait......Are you saying that everyone in the town just had their soul removed?

One would think that the body would die when the soul is removed, but the police officer you found seemed to be still 'alive' as far as bodily functions were concerned.

>No....

She negated

>The links haven't been removed yet, they have just been shortened, too short. But if the barrier remains, it will soon disconnect their souls entirely.

>How much time is left before the barrier completes?

You asked an important question, which would decide your future actions and schedule

>Not even a day, when the moon shines red, the souls will be removed from their shells.

>What happens then, to the souls?

>I don't know exactly, all I know is that they will be used.....as mere fuel.......in some kind of evil ritual.

Sariel made a grim statement.

This parts BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uURwELdI38o

>Wait....

You choose to halt Sariel from speaking further as you detected an error, a hole in her story.

>If the souls of everyone inside the barrier are removed.....Then why am I still fine?

You asked.

>The answer to that is simple.

Sariel adjusted her hair before continuing

>They aren't powerful enough.

That was all Sariel said, as if it should have been obvious.

>Huh? That doesn't explain anything!

Sariel narrowed her eyes and sighed, before choosing to enlighten you

>No power is all-powerful, except the one possessed by God!

She stated with a smug expression.

>The barrier can remove souls yes, but it cannot remove ALL souls. Souls that are stronger are able to resist the pull of the barrier, likewise magic defense and willpower also factor into it.

>So normally that would be my answer.......

Sariel sharpened her eyes as she made the following statement:

>However none of that is the case with you.......There is another reason why your soul hasn't been absorbed, and I don't know what exactly is that myself.

She then suddenly floated closer to you, you didn't raise your weapon as you didn't sense any harmful intention from her. She then placed her hand upon your chest and a worried expression rose to her face.

>But anon....... I do sense that there is something wrong it.....Your soul....it has been damaged.

*Thump

>Damaged? What do you mean?

>It's like cracks in a mirror, ripples in water...... I can't really explain it with human words. But I'm certain that this damage is the reason why you can still walk around like this.

Sariel then touches your hand with her hands.

It was cold, she was barely any warmer than Yoshika.

You didn't feel any weight from her hand, rather it was like pure silk touching your skin. You realized your previous suspicion was true.....That Sariel wasn't truly materialized.

>What are you doing?

You ask as her hands suddenly start glowing with holy light.

>I'll try doing what I can do to repair the damage, please stay still.

A strange, calming and motherly warmth fills you as your eyes black out for a few seconds. You feel as if you recovered something important, something that you lost.

>I feel better.

You say, but the worried expression still stained Sariel's otherwise angelic features.

>It's still damaged, I only mended it a little.....As I am an Angel of Death, these hands of mine weren't meant for healing.

She actually seemed sorry that she wasn't able to help you.

>Don't worry about it, I'm sure I will be fine.

This got Sariel's attention as her emotion was changed from worry to seriousness once more.

>No, it is not fine. I don't know what causing the damage, but if you were to take any more, you will surely break.

*Thump

Break Break Break

The words echoed in your ears.

>Will I end up like..... the others I seen in town?

You asked with a worried tone.

>No....

Sariel denied and a flash of light briefly covers the church as a lightning has striked outside.

>.....You can end up even worse.

She then placed her hand on her chest

>Your soul is a gift from God anon, you only have one. If you lose it, everything is over. Please do not be reckless.

*Gulp

You swallowed your saliva.

*Wipe Wipe

You nervously wiped the sweat from your brows with a wet towel.

For your next question you wanted to avoid another potentially rustling topic so you decided to ask:

>Is it possible to leave the barrier?

If that option was available, you could always make the choice of leaving to escape from this mess.

>Theoretically yes, if you managed to destroy it.....or a cut a small hole into it, you could leave.

You knew were this was going, so you decided to finish it for her:

>.....And as a human I have no such capabilities, so I'm unable to leave.....is what you were going to say, right?

>That is right~

Sariel answered.

>What happens if I try to cross through the barrier anyway?

You decided to ask out of curiosity.

>If you were to leave the range of the barrier, your body would immediately be torn to shreds by the forces that separate dimensions~

Sariel answered almost too cheerfully

>Figured as much.

>So....Considering I do not have any chance of leaving in the current situation......my only option seems to be of taking the burden of eliminating the culprit......

How troublesome, you felt as if you were just signed onto a brb gensokyo mission.

>I'm glad that you finally understand, anon~

Sariel smiled at your progress

>Wait.....were you actually planning on making me take care of this whole mess by myself from the beginning!?

You accused Sariel, now it made sense as to why she would save you..... she found you to be potentially useful.

>Please don't misunderstand me anon. My intentions are not evil here. Believe me when I say, that right now.....there are only 3 humans who can save this town and everyone inside it, and one of those humans is you. HE has burdened you with a great task and a great responsibility, you must not shy away from it and you must do your utmost to succeed, whatever the cost may be.

Sariel tried to convince you, but you weren't really affected by her religious speech.

>A question then......You are the powerful "Angle of Death" here, not me.....Why aren't you doing your job and smiting your god's enemies.

*Shake Shake

Sariel's wand started to tremble in anger.

>......Rest assured......I would like to do nothing more than that.......But alas, I unfortunately cannot take any action.

She didn't sound like she was happy admitting this.

>Why?

You asked back

>I....I have been forbidden, on the basis that it would be brb gensokyo for even the strongest of angels to take a step in here.

She looks into your eyes and gives a small smile

>I'm sure you already noticed...... That I am not fully materialized. I am little more than a ghost here and the miracles I can cast are equally hollow. This town has been disconnected from the rest of humanity, faith doesn't flow here anymore, without faith angels can't do much. This small and humble church is the only way I can appear and communicate with you right now.

Faith, you remembered how gods in Gensokyou sustained themselves with it.....But you didn't expect for angels to work the same way.

>What about his almighty holiness then?

*Thump

You realized that it was a stupid idea to ask that question as you immediately received a furious scowl from Sariel.

>Do not even dare to imply that HE should waste his power on such trivialities!

Trivialities..... Nice job revealing how you truly feel about this, Sariel.

>....Besides if HE were to take action it would upset the current balance and cause Him to come out.

>Him?

>The Snake.

>Oh......(So I guess even that guy is real then!?)

>Seeing that I have no choice but to try and save everyone, at least tell me how I can do that.

You wanted to be done with this questioning session, you already wasted 30 minutes talking to Sariel.

>There is nothing more to be done than killing the foul witches, the barrier should naturally dissolve once that happens.

.....Riiiiight~ as if I have any chance of doing that.

>Are there any other methods?

>None that are available to humans.

Sariel instantly clarified

>.....(Or you are just purposely withholding information so I would do your bidding.)

You were once more suspicious of the possibility that Sariel was manipulating you in some way or another. You just couldn't trust a touhou villain, especially one that tried to kill Reimu.

>How would I even go about killing the casters? I don't even know their location.

>Don't worry, I can help you with that......

She seemed more cooperative about this one than your other questions, suspicion intensifies. She closed her eyes as if she was sensing something, then opened them once more.

>The one that is responsible for channeling the ritual, currently resides atop of a large tower, she is gathering the souls there, so I can detect its presence quite easily. There is also one in the Supermarket and another one in the Hospital.

You had a distinct feeling that told you: Just because you know the location doesn't mean you can eliminate them.

>What are my chances of success?

You asked, wanting to confirm your suspicion

>Fufu, I would rather not demoralize you, so I won't say~

>Great.....

Fucking great

>If you are sending me on a death crusade, you could at least tell me about my opponents, that might let me figure out a way to dealing with them.

Though you already had some quite reasonable ideas as to who is behind this, the presence of the Jiang-Shi made it a bit obvious.

>.....They are heathens from the East, the violators of the natural law and order imposed by God. They are the beings that you may call Taoist Hermits, but they are little different from demons and they must die all the same, for committing such grave sins and atrocities against the Lord.

Figured as much......seeing that Yoshika was chasing me the whole time.....I guess that means the culprit is Seiga? I hope that is the case because there is no way that I would be able to beat any of the stronger taoists.

You shuddered at the thought of fighting Futo or Miko. Even Seiga alone was quite risky.

>.....(But still, I must wonder what exactly they are trying to achieve here. It seems quite outside of their profile)

....

*Step Step

You turned your back and started to walk away from Sariel

>Where are you going?

Sariel asks, agitated at the possibility that you weren't going to help

>I'm going to check my wounds and apply some first aid.

You replied

>That won't be necessary, I already took care of them earlier. Injuries of the body can be healed much easier than those of the soul.

Sariel smiled, you didn't even notice it.

>T-Thanks I guess

>It was only right o lend you whatever small aid I can offer. You are being asked to do something impossible after all, something that is beyond the range of a normal human, you won't succeed unless you are in the best of your conditions.

Did she also take away my tiredness? I don't feel that sleepy anymore.....Or perhaps it is just my second wind kicking in.

You turn back to Sariel and ask:

>Could you also enchant my weapons then? I heard that angels used to bless the swords of famous heroes.......While our weapons have changed a lot since back then, I think you should be able to do it.

You requested as it would give you an edge over the Taoists.

>Of course~ I can do that much, although it won't be as powerful as it normally would be, the lack of faith limits even the power of my enchantments.

Sariel swung her staff once and you were enveloped in wave of light.

It seemed like a lazy way of casting, but you noted that shining, jewish runes appeared on your weapons.

You took out a clip and noted that even your bullets have been enchanted with the same symbols.

>You barely have 20 hours until the ritual completely severs the souls. I would recommend you to hurry to one of the locations I mentioned as you do not have much time you can waste. You can return here at any time for additional healing, assistance or safety.

>I got it, thanks.

Wat do

1. Go to Tower ( A large radio tower)

2. Go to Hospital

3. Go to Supermarket

4. Go back home

5. Try to leave the barrier

6. Go to sleep despite Sariel's warning ( Note: Will immediately put you onto stage 3)

7. Other

Do you faeries actually want me to continue?

I don't think it is liked when a CYOA turns this dialog heavy

Should I stop?

>>37457

>[X] You decided to ask Sariel about the two other humans.

>>37413

>[X] You decided to go back home

>Before I go....I have one more question.

You stopped in tracks as you suddenly remembered something Sariel said that initially went over your head.

>What is it?

>You mentioned that "there are only 3 humans who can save this town."

You recited her from memory.

>If I am one of them, then who are the other two?

You asked, thinking that maybe you could ally with them.

>.........

But Sariel was oddly silent, she closed her eyes and twirled her hair as if she was considering if she should answer that question.

When she opened her eyes, her decision was made.

>I can tell you.....but the knowledge will most likely put you in danger. Knowing this, would you still like to attain the information?

You didn't understand what could possibly be dangerous about the other 2 humans, so you nodded your head, signalling Sariel to continue.

>Very well, one of them is a priest, he is the maintainer of this church we are currently in.......

You doubted the 'Maintainer' part, this place obviously hasn't seen any maintenance for years.

>Let me guess....Since devils and angels are now real, he must be some kind of exorcist/vampire hunter, just like one of my japanese anime, right?

>Actually, he is a completely normal human being in terms of power and fighting ability.

Sariel negated your naive ideas.

>So why is a 'completely normal human' unaffected by the Taoist barrier?

You asked the obvious question

>Just like how I don't know why you are unaffected, I don't know his condition either. If you want to know you should ask him yourself.

The answer didn't make you any smarter.

>Is he here right now?

You asked, not seeing any sign of this priest, even though you been here for a while

>No, he went out to negotiate with the heathen spell caster who is occupying the Tower.

.....

........

>(Am I really supposed to believe that he is just a normal human?)

You muttered

>His heart is in the right place, but he is quite foolish. He believes that he can reason with the demons, when in reality the only choice is to exterminate them.

Sariel continued.

>Either way meeting him would not be wise. He would be more of a hindrance to you than an ally.

Just because Sariel didn't think it was a wise idea, doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. You were now aware that the priest was at the Radio Tower.

>And the other one?

You asked after you realized that Sariel stopped talking.

>Meeting her.....would be an even worse idea than meeting the priest.

>Why?

>She is a witch.......and one who dwells in demonic magic, she is more likely to side with the enemy than to side with you, and should be exterminated just like the invaders.

But Sariel suddenly puts her fist to her chin as if a thought has just occurred to her

>What is it?

You ask her

>.....You can't trust her.....But if you want to dissolve the barrier, then she might be your best chance. Because of this I will tell you her location, she has made a lair for herself just beneath the Library.....Convincing her will be quite the task though.

.......

You have already left Sariel and was driving your car back home for the last 10 minutes.

The van was still in good condition, despite the damage that it took to the front, there shouldn't be any problems with it.

.....

You constantly looked to the side in search for a lurking Yoshika, but you didn't see any sign of her. You wondered if perhaps she went back to her master.

As a last remark Sariel told you that Jiang-Shi can find you more easily, the louder your heartbeat is.

She has instructed you to remain calm and steady at all times. But needless to say, that was impossible.

.....When you were only a few houses away from your own house, you put the van to a halt and got out of the vehicle.

You sneaked your way to your home.....

>......!

....and you immediately noted that the lights were on, and that there was a figure by the window, but you could only see a silhouette as he was blocked by the curtain.

>(Yoshika......or another intruder?)

You asked no one in particular.

......

10 minutes passed. You waited to see if the figure would move from its position.

But no, the figure was still in the same spot as before. You were quite sure that whoever that person was, he didn't move an inch this whole time, which was quite odd. You were unsure how to proceed.

What do?

1. Shoot at the window

2. Call out to the silhouette

3. Sneak inside

4. Rush in with guns blazing

5. Wait an hour to see if he moves

6. Go to Radio Tower

7. Go to Library

8. Go to Hospital.

9. Go to Supermarket

10. Other

>>37414

>You're just not a very good writer.

Never claimed to be one. Or I would rather say that I am not really a creative writer but more of a critic and an analyzer. I have been writing for 5-6 years, but I have only started writing fictions since the start of 2015 or so. You can say that it's a relatively new territory for me and I can assure you that I write much better whenever I am not writing fiction as you can see it here, in the other quest thread >>37367 or just check out my recent article if you want to make another comparison: http://almaelma.blog.com/?p=35

>Your dialogue is bad

Arguably my weakest point at the moment.

>your pacing is bad

Setting a proper pacing is hard and requires you to have a solid view as to where you are going with the story, which was something that was not defined in my previous CYOA's. I'm probably most satisfied with Yoshika's pacing so far out of all my CYOA's .

>your characterization is bad

I don't really think there is much room for characterization in CYOA's, nor did I ever attempt to do good characterization.

Stories where I delve into characterization range 20-30k per chapter, as that is the optimal length where I can be faithful to the source material and pay maximum attention detail. These 600 words or 2k word CYOA 'chapters' don't even compare to it. Nor was it ever meant to be of that level.

>and your fucking over of the people in the thread when they can't read your mind and make a "wrong" decision is especially bad.

It's not really as much as fucking my readers over, but more like wanting to end my stories already, for I cannot bear producing anything further once I realize that it has become bad or shit.

>That thread about Eiki's psychic prison was basically a complete shitshow thanks to that last one.

The thing you have to understand about Eiki's prison CYOA, is that I completely deviated from my original themes and ideas, simply because I wanted to punish the readers for choosing the "Labyrinth" something which I obviously hinted would be very bad. Initially the punishment would have ended with you dying in Yukari's train tunnel trap, but I had some ideas so I decided to go and play around with them for the lolz. As a result 3/4 of that thread was spent in Yukari's labyrinth.

All levels except a few special ones would have been short enough to complete 1-3 chapters.

You were also never meant to have companions and stuff like that, but I gave into that as well since everyone liked Momiji.

By the time we got out of Yukari's labyrinth it was already a complete train wreck. The whole Yukari vs Rumia fight was also just bullshit that I felt bad for writing.

>I'm going to assume that English isn't your first language, so you do have an actual excuse for some of this.

Please, according to my personal experience, I write better than actual native speakers.

It is one thing to say that my writing skills suck, then it is another to say that my English sucks.

I wont tolerate the second one.

>I don't want to hear Flan the obviously European vampire call people "onii-chan" or a Judeo-Christian avatar of Death say "ara". I remember that shit.

To be perfectly honest, I would be more at ease if I didn't have to do any of that. I only added them because I thought that's what you weebs liked. You can say that I was pandering to my audience, or what I perceived to be my audience.

>Either way, just read a book or something.

I would appreciate if you didn't make baseless assumptions about me based only on what I write on a site centered around Mongolian moving pictures, for I consider myself to be a relatively well read person.

>Get a look at some other writing.

Just like how you cannot get better at painting by watching a master painter paint, you cannot get better at writing by reading other people's writings.

It is something that you need to learn by practice and experience.

The only thing I get from reading other people's works are ideas and inspirations.

>Replace that anime trash knowledge with some knowledge of the actual English language.

I don't even watch anime. And there are no problem with my English skills aside from my shitty pronunciation, which you obviously cannot detect. If you see any actual problems with the way I use the language then by all means, point them out.

>Really though, I think you should consider reading some novels

I hate novels though, the large majority of them are generic self insert adventure stories or some nonsensical fantasy shit, and when they are not fantasy, they are boring from too much realism (see anything written by the Russians).

They are nothing but a waste of time. Fantasy novels are meant to take you away from reality, it is a form of escapism, just like the majority of anime. While the realistic ones are simply meant to make you reflect on how shit life is in general.

I read for knowledge and not for fun, masochism or entertainment. Most of what I read are philosophical or religious texts.

Why should I waste my time on some petty novels and fiction, when I could be reading the works of all the hundreds of philosophers that I haven't read yet?

The only novels I liked among the ones I read were the Picture of Dorian Gray and London's Sea Wolf.

But even they didn't worth it in a "ratio of time invested/knowledge attained."

>>37453

They say hope dies last.

>>37455

>Fuck that fucking diary trap

I really wanted to end that shit already.

>>37536

Well, that's a shame. I was just about to reveal my own nationality and then say something really stupid, that may or may not concern my high school years only to then say "...and that's how I knew you were Russian all along."

>>37517

>[X] You choose to sneak inside

Realizing that you didn't necessarily need to confront the silhouette, you simply decided to sneak inside and get what you needed without making a noise.

You easily got through through the entrance thanks to the fact that door was still down, if you needed to open it, then it would have surely made a lot of noise. Your previous disadvantage turned into your advantage.

>.....

You put your back against the wall near the entrance to your room. The silhouette should be still there.

>(....I'll take a quick look)

You took a quick glimpse and caught sight of a Jiang-Shi facing backwards to you. He was still staring outside the window. You pulled your head back and let out a breath. You were glad that he hasn't noticed you yet.

.....

After successfully evading confrontation with the undead, you moved upstairs, where you stored all of your war gear.

The room was still untouched, it seems that the Jiang-Shi only patrolled the first floor.

Various rifles, sub machine guns, shotguns and piles of ammunition could be found here.

But you didn't need any of that at the moment, you had more than enough of those in your van.

What you came here for was something more dangerous.

The old wooden floors creak as you boots make contact with them.

You trace your hands across the wooden panels, until you find one that is oddly loose, you grab into it and tear it up with a loud noise.

>....(I hope my little guest didn't hear that.)

It was not a move that you could have done silently, so the fault was not with you.

After removing the panels, you picked up the package that was hidden underneath it and put it into your backpack.

[Obtained - Homemade Bomb]

>...(Time to get out)

You sneaked downstairs with a gun in your hand, you were unsure if the noise earlier had alerted the Jiang-Shi or not. You carefully advanced, step by step along the walls that lead to your room.

>....!

But the Jiang-Shi was no longer there.

>....(As I thought, he moved. But where is he now?)

As your eyes constantly darted to the side, your feet carried you to the exit.

Just as you were about to leave the house, the Jiang-Shi suddenly appeared at the entrance and made a grab at you!

>.....(Damn, he was hiding behind the wall!)

However you managed to slip away from his grasp by stepping to the side.

It seemed that this Jiang-Shi was even more sluggish than Yoshika, as it took him several awkward seconds just to turn his body around.

>I guess this is an excellent opportunity to test out my new weapons.

*Click

You aimed your pistol at the head of the Jiang-Shi

Previously your glock was as harmless to the undead as a water gun.....But now you had Sariel's enchantments.

*Bang

You made a vicious smile as pulled the trigger, and the magic bullet flew right into the cerebrum of the Jiang-Shi.

At first he didn't react, but then his eyes suddenly went wide with pain, which was odd as you thought they couldn't feel pain.

>Ah....Arghhh!

It screamed as veins started to bulge all over his face, it seemed as if he was going to explode, so you took a step back and closed your eyes.

But by the time you looked back, the Jiang-Shi had been turned to dust, leaving only his clothes behind.

You looked at your pistol then at the pile of dust.

Sariel's enchantment was much more powerful than you initially thought.

You were inside your van again, getting ready to depart.

It was probably not the best idea to stick around for any longer now that Jiang-Shi was dead.

His master might be able to sense that one of her minions are killed.

Where to go?

1. Go to Radio Tower

2. Go to Library

3. Go to Hospital

4. Go to Supermarket

5. Go to Police Station

6. Go to Church

7. Other

>>37563

I don't think you can demolish a supermarket with a small explosive like that.

And I don't really understand why would you want to destroy the supermarket in the first place.

Sure we can attempt it, but I don't see the thought process that brought you here.

Also remember that there is a timer, certain events popup as time progresses just as other events become unavailable.

I'll give you some hints that might help, and if you still want to proceed into the supermarket after reading those, that's fine by me.

Current Stage: State 2

Time Left: 19 hours (Automatically enter Stage 3 upon end)

Health: 10/10

Stamina: 9/10

Soul: 7/10

Equipment: Flashlight, multitool, gas mask, combat knife, glock 19, magazines and lots of ammo, food, water, first aid kit, camping supplies, Saiga-12, homemade bomb, ak-47, fireaxe, items recovered from the police car (shotgun,police radio, pistol, ammo, taser, Kevlar)

Active Modifiers: 1.????(Not discovered) 2. Divine Blessing

Current Events:

[Join the Negotiation at the Radio Tower] - 1 hours left

[Yoshika Attacks - 3] - Automatically triggers in 3 hours unless events/choices disable it

[Dead End: The Doctor named Yagokoro] - Available during stage 2

[Enter: Mononobe no Futo] - Available during stage 2

[Witch of the Library] - Available during stage 2

[Dead End - Through the Border] - Available across all stages unless specified otherwise

[Blitzkrieg - Battle Event] - Available during stage 2

Further Hint

The Supermarket is the second most dangerous destination you can choose

Spoiler filled Hint

Mononobe no Futo

Sariel told you that the priest was going to try negotiating with the Taoist at the radio tower.

You decided that it might be a good idea to join this 'negotiation' as you might learn something new or might even be able to bring this situation to a peaceful resolution. (Though you highly doubted that things would be that simple.)

You checked your watch, it was already 6 am, but the sun wouldn't rise until 7.30.

>.....

The radio tower was quite the distance away, near the outskirts of the town, so it was possible that you will not arrive there in time, but you didn't have much options at the moment.

You slammed your feet onto the gas pedal and started driving.

......

Your journey went without any disturbances, ignoring all possible traffic laws, you managed to arrive in half an hour. You pulled your car to a stop.

>......

You couldn't help but notice the pitch-black truck that was parked next to you, and had its lights turned on. It looked very out of place, you wondered what it was doing here.

Examining it from your car won't get you much, so you stepped outside and as you did so, you immediately felt an unearthly chill run through your body.

>Why.... is it so damn cold?

You complained as you rubbed your hands together. The ground was quiet, but your instincts told you that there was something here.

The nearby hollow trees whispered from a passing wind as you approached the trailer.

*Clank clank

You tried to open the door to the container, but it was locked.

>.....(There is something inside)

The lock could have been blown if you really wanted to get inside, but it probably wasn't a smart idea.

Your hands let go of the cold handle and your feet carried you to the front of the truck.

The windows were tinted black, you couldn't see inside, but you were pretty sure that there wasn't anybody inside even though the engine was still running.

You wondered if it was the priest's.

>No way, why would a priest drive a truck of all things?

It was a thought that normally you would have dismissed, but you already knew, that it was most likely his.

There was nothing else to investigate on the ground, so your head turned to the long metal structure that stained the landscape.

*Clang Clang

The metal stairs rattled uncomfortably with each of your steps and the higher you got the more the wind seemed to intensify.

*Flash

You saw a lone lighting bolt strike in the distance and you felt drops of water brush against your cheeks.

A storm was coming.

*Clang Clang

A few more steps later you arrived at the first floor of the observation deck and you were immediately on alert due to the hostile atmosphere. But even if your instincts didn't tell you, it would have been obvious from the fact that they weren't trying to contain their argument.

They were on the second floor. You choose to stay hidden and move to a position where you could listen to their conversation.

>I shall ask of you one last time...

Said a burly male voice

>Stop the ritual and withdraw from the town!

The priest ordered

>And my answer to that, is still no.

The clear voice of a female rejected.

You wondered which 2hu she was.

>You aren't in a position to make demands, and even if you were I wouldn't comply.

She explained and you were surprised that she was actually talking with the priest rather than just getting rid of him.

>......

No words came for half a minute.

You wondered if something had happened, but then the priest opened his mouth once more:

>......Young Lady. If you intend to continue with this foolish ritual of yours, then as a representative I must tell you that there WILL be consequences to your actions.

>Hoh, are you threatening me?

>No. Consider this to be a mere warning. It is already clear to me that you are not of this world.

.....Did Sariel really say this guy was just a..... normal human? Your previous suspicion resurfaced and intensified as the priest said strange things.

>I don't know where you came from and why you are doing this despicable ritual, but I must inform you that there are Forces in this world that do not tolerate transgressions like this.

The priest warned the Taoist. You didn't know what forces he was talking about. Perhaps the angels?

But Sariel already said that she cannot interfere due to a lack of faith.

>If what you say is true, then where are those forces? I do not see anyone attempting to save this settlement, save for you of course.

>....That is because if They moved out, then the result would be still the same. Due to this..... They will only move as agents of righteous punishment.

The result would be the same......Meaning everyone in the town would still die.

>I see. What futile and meaningless "protectors" you have.

She voiced your thoughts.

>I couldn't agree more, but asking you to stop is the only thing I can do in my position.

>So I shall ask: Are you willing to sacrifice the lives of thousands of people just to achieve your goal?

The priest asked a futile question, despite already knowing his opponent's answer.

>I have weighed the consequences and results of my actions, the ritual will proceed as planned.

She didn't hesitate, her mind must have been set long before she came here.

>Then negations.... have failed, I have nothing more to say to you.

You heard the sound of a door opening above and the sounds of footsteps coming down.

It seems that the priest was leaving while the Taoist was staying.

*step step

The priest arrived at your floor and he immediately noticed your presence despite the fact that you hid yourself from view.

*Thump

He was tall, 190 centimeters easily. You could tell that he was in good shape, he had short spiky hair and wore what was probably the most intimidating church garments you seen so far. Light was reflected off his glasses so you couldn't see his eyes clearly.

>Ah~, it seems I wasn't the only one who had the idea of coming here.

The priest gave a friendly smile as he came closer to you.

>But I'm afraid you wasted your time, That girl won't listen to anything you might say.

He explained what you already guessed.

>Who are you?

You asked him and the priest smiled at your question.

>I'm Dawn. Mr. Dawn..... I was assigned to the local church just a few weeks ago, I'm still new in this town, despite the unfortunate circumstances, its nice to meet you.

The now identified "Mr. Dawn" introduced himself as you shook his hand that was way too rough for comfort.

>(Yup, totally not normal)

You made a silent note inside your mind. Never trust whatever Sariel says.

>Where are you going?

You asked as Mr. Dawn proceeded downstairs.

>Time is short boy! I must prepare for the inevitable.

You were unsure what to do. You came here for the negotiation, but that already over. You wanted to try and talk to the Taoist....but Mr. Dawn already said that it was useless.

Wat do?

1. Follow Mr. Dawn

2. Talk to the Taoist at the second floor

3. Go back to Church

4. Go to the Library

5. Go to the Hospital

6. Go to other

7. Arm the bomb at the base of the radio tower and detonate it from a safe distance.

>>37755

>>38105

>[X] You choose to arm the bomb

>Green wire to the right, Red wire to the left.

You murmured as your hands connected the wires to their correct position.

*Step Step

You heard the sound of footsteps approaching, but you ignored it.

>Connect Blue to red, connect Orange to green......

The rain relentlessly beat against your back as you worked in harsh conditions.

>What are you doing? You are going to catch a cold.

Mr. Dawn asked as your hands continued to fiddle with the device.

>I'm arming the explosive.

You stated without bothering to stop.

>Hmm, I don't think you can accomplish much with such a mundane weapon.

The priest said as he leaned closer to take a look at your home-made bomb.

He didn't really bother you, so you let him observe your progress.

>I know, but it is good to have an extra card that I can play in case of danger.

It was obvious it wouldn't do much, 2hus could fly after all.

>If that girl wants you dead, then you won't even have a chance to use that card of yours.

You ignored the priest's warning and continued working. You connected the receiver to the bomb and activated it, now you could detonate the bomb whenever you wished.

>Well, it might not be entirely useless.....

The priest suddenly turned back on his previous statement which made you turn back with a "What do you mean?"

>.....The bomb certainly can't harm our little friend in the radio tower, but if you had 2 additional explosives, then that would be a different story.

>I don't really see how having more bombs would make a difference.

>Ley Lines.

That was the only thing the priest said as a reply.

>Pardon?

You asked wanting the priest to elaborate, which made the priest sigh as if he was disappointed that you didn't understand just from that.

>Ley Lines....They are basically certain places on Earth where large quantities of raw mana flows through, think of them like a gas pipe, expect instead of gas they carry mana and exist naturally. Our Taoists here are using these Ley Lines to fuel their ritual.

>And what do these "Ley Lines" have to do with my bomb?

The priest smiled at that particular question.

>Didn't you notice it? Didn't you feel anything different when you came here? Yes. We are standing right inside a Ley Line!

The priest dramatically extended his hands, pointing to his surroundings, while his back was assaulted by rain and wind, which made his garbs flutter.

>Now that you mention it.....I did find this place to be strangely cold. (Is that the proof of a Ley Line?)

You just assumed that it was the weather getting worse.

>Let me guess, I can somehow destroy the Ley Line of the Tower by detonating my bomb?

You asked as that was the only connection you could make.

>No, not destroy, destroying a Ley Line would require something on par with an earthquake, and you obviously do not have anything like that. But the lines are still very sensitive to geographical changes, so all you need to do is alter the surroundings through force. If you were to disturb the current state of this Ley Line, like say by collapsing that tower, then the flow would be halted, which in turn would render this node useless for the next few hours or days, the time can vary.

You reached into your pocket and brought out the detonator.

>So destroying the tower would be enough to end this mess?

You questioned as your eyes glued themselves on the red activation button.

>No, it would only make this node useless, but there are other nodes that they can use, which is why I said that if you had additional explosives then things would be different.

>Where are the other nodes then?

You asked, as you could always make more bombs if given some time.

>This town has 4 nodes, 3 minor ones that are located at the following locations: Radio Tower, Church and Hospital....... And the largest of the nodes, is located just below the Library.

The Church and the Library? Does that mean they don't have everything under their control? You pondered that Sariel and the unknown Witch must have prevented them from gaining any ground there.....or maybe they just haven't attacked yet. There was now a possibility that the church and Sariel will be attacked in the next few hours, being weakened, you were not sure if Sariel could fend off someone stronger than Yoshika....

>What's the difference between the major and minor nodes?

You asked, wanting a more elaborate answer.

>The three other nodes flow directly into the major node, making it the biggest source of mana in the town. Let's just say that if the Taoists had control of that, then we wouldn't be here talking as leisurely as we are doing now.

So the main node falling into their hands would be some gee golly bad news, who could have guessed? Either way, it would probably be wise to ensure that the node stays with the Witch, or just outside the hands of the Taoists.

>Would destroying the 3 minor ones be enough to prevent the ritual? What about the major one?

You asked

>Once more.....

The priest started as he adjusted his wet and foggy glasses.

>....You do not have the means to destroy a Ley Line, as I said you can only disrupt them for a few hours or so, and the one at the Library is simply far too large to be influenced by your petty explosions.

>And even by disrupting the three minor nodes, you would only be slowing their progress rather than actually stopping it.

The priest explained in a grave voice.

>So you are saying that it wouldn't do shit? What the hell!? You just said that they are using these "lines" or whatever to fuel their ritual, so why wouldn't eliminating the fuel source stop them!?

You questioned Mr. Dawn and as an answer he pointed up, to the Radio Tower.

>The girl up there..... has more than enough power to finish the ritual all by herself. I speculate that the only reason she isn't using her own power is because she needs it for something even greater.

>But that means that if I blew up the Ley Lines she would be forced to use her power and be weakened as a result, right?

>Exactly.

Mr. Dawn rejoiced that you finally managed to reach the point he as leading you to.

>But if she is holding back here.... That would mean that this ritual is nothing but a mere step in her overall plan, I wonder what her real goal is.

The ritual by itself was pretty huge as it involved thousands of lives, and now you discovered that it was only part of something greater.

>It doesn't matter what her plan is. She is using evil methods and tramples over others in order to achieve it. Because of this, she must be stopped.

The priest's face darkened as he spoke angrily.

>I couldn't agree more. But I still wish to know her side of the story, so I shall be going up to talk.

You reached into your backpack and retrieved a small sized object, it was a walkie-talkie. You threw it towards Mr. Dawn.

The priest caught it with his left hand; he looked at it and smiled, then put it into his pocket.

>You'll do that, but in the meantime as I said I have things that I need to do. Hopefully one of us can save this town.

With a "Don't get yourself killed, boy!" Mr. Dawn bid goodbye and moved to his truck.

Your destination on the other hand..... Was up.

You gained knowledge of the [Ley Lines]

New options available

......

You climbed all the way up to observation deck again. You were just inches away from the door, mentally preparing yourself. After waiting a few more seconds, you finally managed to draw the courage to open it.

The moment you did so, you were dazzled by a brilliant light, a light that was coming from the person who was inside.

A glorious purple cape with yellow lines and an elaborate dress signified her nobility and majesty. Her light, platinum hair gave the illusion of having two fluffy ears, while her real ears were covered by a pair of earmuffs.

>(Yup this is Toyosatomimi no Miko alright, a fucking stage 6 boss)

Compared to Yoshika, Miko could very well vaporize you in an instant if she so wanted and you knew this.

If you manage to survive this encounter it will only be so because she didn't actually bear any ill will towards you.

>Welcome, anon! I’ve been expecting you.

Miko spoke cheerfully before you could even say anything.

>You came here seeking answers to your questions.

>You came here to understand why I'm doing what I am doing.

>You came here to know if I am to be your enemy.

>But rest assured, for my Cause is just! And you will also see it that way once you heard my story.

Miko declared, barely giving stops to her sentences.

>Know, anon….. That I am acting in foresight of the future, know that I am simply doing what I'm ought to do.

>The events that led us here began about a week ago, when I had a revelation....

You were getting annoyed; Miko just kept talking without giving you any chance to speak up. If this continues then she will just feed you whatever she wants to say and you will fail to have an actual discussion as a result.

Wat do?

1. [ ] Let Miko talk

2. [ ] Try to interrupt Miko

3. [ ] JUST detonate her tower up

4. [ ] Shoot her

5. [ ] Silently leave the room while Miko is talking and go somewhere else (specify location)

6. [ ] Other

>>38135

>No harm in letting her talk.

Why would you willingly expose yourself to hostile memes that can infect and potentially control you?

>>38125

>>38135

>>38156

>[X] You choose to let Miko talk; you figured you could always act violent after hearing her out.

>As I was saying, everything started a week ago, when I felt a sudden pain in my chest.

Miko placed her right hand over chest as if it was still hurting her.

>……..The pain was caused by desires. Desires that passed through my body from the world of the future. Millions after millions of desires went through me every second; it would have been pointless to even count their real number. All of these desires carried a deep regret within them, as if their owner's life had been abruptly extinguished.

>I soon found it hard to breathe and 15 seconds later, I collapsed. I wasn't able to handle the massive influx of desires, so my body unconsciously went into torpor in order to protect me.

>My sleep lasted for 3 days, during that time I separated the memories that were carried by the desires from those of my own, and as I was shifting through them, I learned the cause behind them.

>A great tragedy has occurred in The Future, all life, everything that humans built, even earth itself has been thoroughly destroyed, and the universe was reduced to an empty vessel.

>After I witnessed the destruction of the future, I woke up.

Miko smiled as she fondly remembered how Futo was caring for her while she was sleeping. The sight of her wiping her forehead with a wet towel was the first thing she saw after waking up.

>Not soon after I devised a plan to stop the events that I have seen from coming true.

You could already guess what she was going to say.

>Yes. This ritual is indeed part of the means to stopping that.

>Do you see now, anon? I'm not your enemy.

>Wait wait! This is going too fast!

You decided to finally interrupt

>I understand that you have questions, anon.

Miko said as she read you like an open book.

>Let's start with the question you want to know the most: "What is the cause for this future catastrophe?"

>The answer to that is a bit complicated so I shall start from the very beginning.

>....In this world, there are supernatural entities that are born out of human fear and superstition, collectively called, Youkai. Not only are they born out of fear and superstition, but they also continuously need it in order to perpetuate their existence, just like a human requires water and air. Back when Humanity was still ruled by fear and superstition, the youkai were many and their powers were great.

>But that is no longer the case in your modern era. Technology and Science have replaced religion and superstition, humans stopped fearing the monsters that lurk in the darkness, and as a result the number of youkai diminished each and every day, while the ones that still remain are also losing their powers.

>Which is not necessarily something bad as it would be better for humanity if they weren't around. But youkai that are backed into a corner can be highly dangerous and unpredictable, which is exactly how we arrive at the start of this mess.

>In the coming years, it will become completely obvious to youkai that unless they manage to reverse the process somehow, then youkai will keep getting weaker and weaker until they all go extinct.

>So a few dozen youkai, mainly vampires and magicians will gather together in order to stop the process by performing a large scale ritual that would return the world to the Age of Darkness and Myths.

>(Needless to say, these youkai had no idea that sealed worlds like Gensokyo existed, otherwise they would not have bothered with such a ritual in the first place.)

>Of course, weakened as they were, even their collective magic was not enough to achieve the miracle they wanted, for the disbelief of humanity was far too strong. However this was changed by the fact that they have found The Center, the primary Ley Line that every other Ley Line on Earth connects to. With that in their hands, even overwriting the history of World would not have been much of an issue.

>However things did not go according to their plan. For instead of tapping into the collective power of Earth's Ley Lines, they tapped into that which cannot be named or designated, but as we must speak about it we are forced to assign it a name anyway, the Youkai have tapped into what we Taoist call "The Eternal Tao".

>Whether this was a result of a miscalculation or some king of sabotage that much I do not know, but the thing that followed after that is certain. They tried to use the infinite and the inexhaustible power of the Tao just like they planned to do it with the Ley Lines. But this was a fatal mistake, albeit one that they did unknowingly.

>We Taoists know very well that one must never force The Tao, for it cannot be forced to do your bidding and if you attempt to do so, the backlash will be great. And so it happened, the incredible force of The Tao poured out like a magnificent tsunami, obliterating first the foolish youkai, then humanity, then the earth, and eventually the stars. Everything that mankind knew, ceased to exist in a matter of seconds. All due to a bunch of youkai wishing to perpetuate their existence and power.

Wait a minute.....Isn't she also using the Ley Lines to perform her ritual according to Mr Dawn's words? Why would she do the same thing that led to the tragedy?

>And how exactly are you planning to prevent that from happening?

You asked after you had a suspicion, Miko smiled at your question as if she was already expecting it.

>It's simple; I will do what the youkai failed to do. I will show humanity a Miracle that they will not be able to deny, superstition and belief in the supernatural will rise once more, causing the youkai to regain their powers and numbers, while preventing the cause of the disaster at the same time.

Just as I thought, she is planning on using exactly the same ritual as the youkai she mentioned? Talk about irresponsible.

>Wouldn't it just be easier to destroy the youkai that would partake in the future ritual?

You asked as that sounded like an easier solution to you.

>Indeed, and I would prefer that option myself, as I do not enjoy helping or boosting the numbers of Youkai, but since I have no idea where those youkai are, this is the only option I'm left with.

>Okay then next question: How do you even know about the youkai and their ritual?

>That's simple...

Miko rubbed her hand against her shaku

>....They died and as youkai are not exempt from having desires, I have attained the memories of some of the youkai that participated

>I find it highly random that all these desires just randomly invaded you of all people.

>Do you now? 7 billion people were killed in a flash; they all died with regret, their lives unfulfilled. Their last thoughts were filled with wishes of wanting to be saved. The collective wish of the 7 billion for salvation, allowed their desires to cross back into the past and be picked up by the ones capable of receiving them such as me.

>What about the other receivers?

>I do not know about them, nor do they actually matter. It is possible that they might have died from the shock of having so many desires pass through their bodies.

>I have but one more question: If your goal is really just to save the universe, then why didn't the priest from earlier ally with you?

You asked, finding that part to be suspicious. Maybe Miko was hiding something? Most likely.

>Ah~ No you misunderstand. I'm not trying to save the universe, especially when it doesn't even need saving.

Huh?

>What do you mean?

You asked, confused on Miko going back on her initial premise.

>The Tao is eternal, and no actions or events can ever change or alter that fact. Also even if everyone in the world were to die and everything were to be destroyed in the future, it would only result in creation.

.....

>I'm not following you. How do you get creation from death and destruction?

She was speaking in some sort of Taoist babble.

>==Reversal is the movement of the Tao.== That is one of the Unchangeable Laws of the Universe.

Miko spun her finger in a circle over and over as she said this.

>To explain it simply, if someone or something goes too far into one of the two extremes, it will cause the opposite effect to arise, like a pendulum swinging back. Someone who searches for riches and wealth may find himself in poverty. A ruler who declares laws may only create more criminals by doing so. A person who tries to stay on the path of good may be corrupted by evil. By going into any of the extremes, you may achieve the opposite of the desired result (this is why Taoists teach the way of the middle road). So it was inevitable, that the moment everything was destroyed in the future, that very destruction set into motion the force of creation. The Tao will give birth to One, One will give birth to Two, Two will give birth to Three, and the world will be reborn as it was once before.

>If the universe is eternal, then why bother doing anything? Don't Taoists preach non-action to begin with?

Miko placed her shaku in front of her mouth in order to hide her expression.

>Please anon, I only became a Taoist in order to attain immortality and power. Do you really think that I would just let myself perish with everybody else?

Ah, so she was doing this for her selfish goal rather than the good of her heart.....Still it is undeniable that she would save others by following her selfish goal.

>As for the priest.....I didn't tell them. There is no point in talking to someone who wouldn't listen.

Miko then turns her eyes to you:

>So anon, how will it be? Am I your enemy, or am I not?

She asked of you.

1.[ ] It's time to get violent: Shoot Miko

2.[ ] JUST blow her shit up

3.[ ] Offer to help her.

4.[ ] Stay neutral

5.[ ] Ask her X question (specify)

6.[ ] Just get the fuck out of here (specify new location)

7.[ ] Pull out your dick

8.[ ] Be a Moralfag: You still can't justify the lives you are sacrificing here!

9.[ ] Other

Why the fuck did you let her talk.

Jesus Christ.

>>38337

[X] "Sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you please repeat what you said again?"

This looks like a huge drag, I think I'll just take it Easy and bomb myself through every encounter.

>>38383

>>38359

So where should we go Hospital or Library?

Choose carefully or I'll just a roll 2 sided dice

>[X] You choose to go to the library and blow Miko's shit up

>I'm sorry, but even after all I heard I am forced to consider you my enemy.

You turn your back on Miko and began walking towards the exit.

>I see. Despite hearing me out, you still choose to fool around.

Miko's voice doesn't betray any hint of concern or care. You safely reached the door handle.

>Aren't you going to stop me?

>No, you can do whatever you want.

Hearing that, you opened the door and left.

.....

>Run around and play all you want, anon.

>Enjoy the moment while it lasts.

>For when the time comes, you shall return to aid me.

>After all....

You are my precious key

......

You returned to the storm that was still raging outside.

With hurried steps you carried yourself to your van and quickly occupied the driving seat, not wanting to spend anymore time in the rain.

It didn't take long for you to drive the van away from the radio tower. Once you were a sufficient distance away, you brought the detonator to your hand.

For a moment the words of Miko echoed in your ear.

>But rest assured, for my Cause is just! And you will also see it that way once you heard my story.

>Know, anon….. That I am acting in foresight of the future, know that I am simply doing what I'm ought to do.

But these phantom words were not enough to make you step away from an action that you have already decided.

You pressed the button and you were immediately verified of its success by a flash of light in the distance, which was accompanied by a muffled 'boom'.

The Radio Tower collapsed and fell to the ground, Miko was most likely still fine though.

*Beep Boop Beep

Not soon after you detonated the bomb, a strange repeating sound disturbed your driving.

You weren't sure what this noise was but after a second of searching you realized that it was the Walkie-Talkie

It could only mean one thing, you concluded as you brought the Walkie-Talkie to your mouth.

>Mr. Dawn?

You pushed a button and said onto it.

>Indeed it is me, boy.

You got your reply.

>What is it?

>Hmm ~ I just witnessed an explosion over the horizon, your doing I presume?

Mr. Dawn asked with a curious voice

>Yeah, I successfully detonated the Radio Tower.

>Well that means you successfully delayed the ritual by a few hours, but that means they will simply switch positions and concentrate harder on another Ley Line. The Hospital is already under their control......

>.....So that means they will either take the Church or the Library next.

You finished the sentence

>That's how it is, I just wanted to warn you that if they do manage to take the Library the process will be vastly sped up.

In hindsight it was probably not the wisest idea to blow up the Radio Tower right away, especially since you were heading towards the Library.

Still there was nothing you could do, but deal with it.

>By the way, did you learn anything new by speaking to her?

Mr. Dawn asked after a few seconds of silence.

>No, I couldn't understand anything she was saying.

.....

You arrived at the center of the town where the Library was located, if what Mr. Dawn and Sariel said was correct, then both the central Ley Line and the witches lair should be just down below the building. The unknown Witch of the city is most likely in control of the Ley Line at the moment, if that is so then she might not like the idea of the Taoists taking it away from her, meaning she is a potential ally. It might be a good idea to speak to her despite what Sariel said.

After turning off the engine you picked up your bag and left the car.

You quickly scaled the steps in a hurry and arrived at the door.

*Clank Clank

You tried opening the door, but it was locked.

>Ah, that's right, it closes after 10 p.m......

You reminded yourself. It would have been more odd if the door was open.

Seeing no other choice, you pulled out your Saiga and destroyed the lock with a loud shot, you just hoped that nobody was alerted by that.

Now that the way was open, you moved inside.

You couldn't see anything, only darkness greeted you. But that was hardly surprising considering the time and the situation.

Your hands reached for the light-switch.

*Click Click

But the lights didn't switch on, it seemed that the power was down.

You didn't feel very comfortable exploring the darkness. Even though you had a flashlight available, it still wouldn't amount to much and there were a lot of places that you could be ambushed from. On the other hand you came all this way, so it would be kind of a waste to leave now.

The power might be turned on if you manage to find the generator. Alternatively you could try to call out for the witch if your goal is negotiation, seeing this is part of her domain, she most likely noticed your intrusion by now.

Wat do?

1. Get out of the spooky library.

2. Explore the darkness

3. Turn the power back on

4. Go read a book

5. Yell out and call for the witch to show herself

6. Threaten the witch to show herself, otherwise you burn the library down

7. Call out to the watch and say you came to negotiate

8. Go to Church instead

9. Look for the witches lair

10. Other

>>38631

>[X] You decided to turn the power back on

After fiddling with your pockets you managed to draw out the necessary item for your operation.

You attached your flashlight to your Saiga and proceeded to venture into the darkness.

The small light served its purpose of illuminating your path, but didn't help much with comforting you.

Whenever you turned around a corner you expected to be ambushed, and you constantly dragged your weapon left and right in a paranoid fashion.

Despite the fact that nothing unusual happened so far, your mind couldn't put itself at ease. You expected the shadows to start moving every second.

It didn't help that lightning from the outside storm occasionally creepily illuminated the interior of the library, only for it to fade back into darkness.

After about 5 minutes of stumbling in the dark, you managed to find the door that you thought lead to the basement.

It was a simple, weak, wooden door, you almost raised your Saiga to blow the lock, only to find out to your surprise, that it was actually unlocked.

*Creak

You opened the door and prepared to take a step inside.

*Thump

But you couldn't take that step, your body froze as if you were a deer caught in a headlight.

*Thump Thump

All of your instincts screamed at you. They alerted you of a presence that wasn't there, an invisible form was peering right into you.

*Static

Connection established.

You felt the presence invade your mind, drowning out your own consciousness.

>I was wondering why someone was snooping like a common rat inside my domain. But I didn't expect the rodent to be a servant of the Church.

A female voice addressed you as several images flashed in your vision. But those apparitions went by too quick for you to decipher what they were.

*Static

>I will only say this once: Leave this place or you will tremble in despair and realize just how little that false idol of yours can do to protect you.

As she threatened, the door to the basement forcibly shut itself and you heard the locks click.

*Static

You felt the connection disappear and you could move your body again.

Servant of the Church? You were pretty sure that you didn't swear allegiances to Sariel or Mr. Dawn, but perhaps she mistaken you for them due to Sariel's blessings?

Either way, you were left with 3 options.

1. Leave

2. Ignore her warning and continue

3. Call out to the witch and attempt to negotiate.

4. Other