Stage 118: What legends are capable of.
At this moment you are closer to a blood relative than you have ever been in your life, including when meeting the mile-long dragon that is your father.
The unfortunately part is that your relative is pretty much glittering motes of Pearl-dust inside the disturbing darkness of a youkai-filled shell of what was a wood dragonette that used to be your sister. Not half-sister, but actual sister. But with her Pearl shattered and her mind and soul crushed, there enough of Ryuu Nabiki that it has kept the restless dead of the Aokigahara Forest from running wild and free, delivering the curses and death that makes up their existence to the world at large.
Those soft blue eyes of slate gaze at you as you hold her hand, and she holds yours in both of hers. The ghost that was meant to kill anyone who found out your sister's secret has been banished into the multitude of ghosts that fill this youkai-formed barrier you sit inside on Mikimoto Pearl Island, a victim of the power that resides in your left arm. Your eyes are Fire Eyes now, showing you the truth of things, showing you the restless spirits in all their mindful hate and despair, waiting for the time when you destroy Japan so they may roam freely. Waiting for you to destroy the barriers that keep them in the forest.
Except that they can also follow your sister. Or at least, the shell of your sister that remains, for there is no doubt: your sister's body is a fragile shell and bittersweet memories that have kept the youkai that she has become in check. A youkai that is part and parcel of – or might even BE – the Suicide Forest. The destructive potential of her is immense, contained in her body and slipping in and out of her soft lips with every breath she takes.
>>46612491
All that stands between her and an unmitigated disaster on the island of Mikimoto is, you think, the memory that is your sister's mind that the youkai believes is real. All that stands between you and being overwhelmed by the spirits of the dead are eight-hundred-some-odd cat youkai, protecting you in a way you didn't think was possible, much less necessary. All that stands between you and the destruction of the....wait, that was that one movie, never mind.
“Why,” you ask again, holding her seemingly living hands in yours, “didn't Er Yin-sensei destroy you when you stood in the fires of truth within Kiku-chan's Barrier?”
It is a question you think might be key in....well, trying to save whatever remains of Nabiki. Your onee-san.
She looks down at your hand held in hers, the question seeming to trouble that placid air of solemn carelessness that she seems to be drowning in. Or perhaps she's been subsumed by it? It's impossible to tell entirely. Yet Fire Eyes show that your question does trouble your sister. Technically, Er Yin is responsible for killing a number of your relatives, now that you think about it, and that's something she might have to explain in a little more detail, even though you understand her reasoning perfectly. But not this one.
[] Press her a little more. Try and break that calm a bit.
[] Try and dig up some memories your sister might have had, somehow.
[] Ask her if she understands that Er Yin should have killed her for failing that test.
[] Perhaps there is another way to reach Nabiki, using the Void, shattered as she is.
[] Gently take your hand back, this is starting to get dangerous.
Twitter: @XsQuestmistress
Previous Thread: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/46351203/
Interlude: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/37879167/
Threads in Chronological Order, including writeups by XS : http://pastebin.com/Z53TyK0N
or search for Title: Ryukuza on Suptg
Barrier Combat Guide: http://pastebin.com/rZLwzvGx
>Ryukusa's Treasures
Her name: Ryuu Yorihokura
Eight hundred and sixty-two cat youkai live in your aura
Nyoi-ju, the Wishing Jewel.
Matagama-no-Shitoki, a kami in it's own right that protects Ryukusa from inimical magic.
Ame-no-Omukade-no-Musume – Ryukusa's mukade possessed wakizashi; a kami. “Daughter of my Centipede of Rain.”
Gendai-no-Muteki-no-Buki - Invincible Weapon of the Present Age, a secret kami-blade given to Ryukusa by Wakaba that appears to be made of some alloy of titanium.
Seido no Shinpi-tekina Ken – a mysterious bronze sword given to Ryukusa by the mermaids of Japan.
Ryukusa's Family.
>Talismans:
Akari – Centipede
Er Yin – Scorpion
Kiki – Toad
Kiku – Lizard
Yui – Snake
>>46612564
Ryu Ryukusa is tall at 5' 8", but this becomes 6' in her true form. She is fully grown. Lesbian top.
Kiku is 5' 1" for ever and ever. Lesbian submissive.
Akari is 5' 3", and has another few inches to grow. Sexuality is weird, switch, cosplayer.
Yui is 5' 8" and will only grow due to circumstances beyond her control. Dyke, switch.
Kiki is 5' 6", and is at full growth. Bisexual bottom.
Er Yin is the tallest at 5' 10" and is fully grown. Lesbian dominant.
Jinyuu is 5' 7" but persistently hovers an extra three inches above the ground or floor because of her nature as a seer. Straight.
Hinata-hakase is 6' 3". Sexuality is terrifying.
Hidesato is 5' 5". Straight.
Kushinada is 5' 8". Straighter.
Taisho Ryoga is 5' 9". Who knows.
Hyun Chisato is 5' 4”, and is fully grown. Lolicon with plausible deniability.
Rie is 8” tall or 5' 5”, and is fully cat. Her sexuality is cat.
Hagyu Genso is 12' 5” standing upright. He is by and large gay.
Mizumi Shoko is 7' 2”, is fully grown. Bisexual top.
Yuuhi is 4'11” and is fully grown. Yuuhi a cute.
Tokei Isusangi, Inau-kun is 5' 3” and still confused.
Reiha is 5' 5 1/2”, and is milfy.
Peta is 3' 2”. Peta is \>.</ aka Her Most Imperial Highness Patanjali Piri Yokuhime Kuronogitsune Pa
Detective-san, aka Mugon Chujo is fully grown at 5'11”, and straight.
Kenji Soomi is 5' 4” and gothic lolita.
Musumi Kanako is 5' 6.5”, and is pretty straight.
Hebiki Naoto is 5' 9” and belligerently omnivorous, sexually. You hope only sexually.
Kodachi Umetsume is 5' 4”, and fully grown. Practicing asexual.
Melinda Blitzenberg is 5'10”, fully grown and horrible. Maybe confused.
Toshida Ginka is 5” 3”, and fully grown. Turtles have a reputation.
Ryuu Wakaba is a head shorter and also deceased.
Margaret Steinhausen is gratefully dead.
Ryuu Nabiki is 5' 6” and utterly possessed.
>>46612520
Alright, Ryukuza time!
>[x] Press her a little more. Try and break that calm a bit.
>[x] Perhaps there is another way to reach Nabiki, using the Void, shattered as she is.
>>46612520
>[] Press her a little more. Try and break that calm a bit.
>[] Ask her if she understands that Er Yin should have killed her for failing that test.
>>46612520
>[] Press her a little more. Try and break that calm a bit.
>[] Ask her if she understands that Er Yin should have killed her for failing that test.
>[] Perhaps there is another way to reach Nabiki, using the Void, shattered as she is.
Hey XS, how's life?
>>46612520
>[] Press her a little more. Try and break that calm a bit.
>[] Ask her if she understands that Er Yin should have killed her for failing that test.
Sup XS?Ryulings when?
>>46612520
[] Ask her if she understands that Er Yin should have killed her for failing that test.
[] Try and dig up some memories your sister might have had, somehow.
[] Perhaps there is another way to reach Nabiki, using the Void, shattered as she is.
Yay, Thanks for running XS.
>>46612604
>>46612668
Ultrasounds and X-rays to make sure I'm solid.You might want to check with Er Yin or Kiku-chan - they've apparently dealt with kids.
>>46612743
You're solid, right? Right?
Ryukuza Quest! Fuck yeah!
Hi XS! How are you
>>46612520
>Press her
>Ask her if she understand
>try to reach her through the Void
Also
>Ask her about what she remembers of Kiku-chan
>Go closer and don't let go her hands
We're not letting any youkai or Bakemono take our sister.
>>46612520
>[] Try and dig up some memories your sister might have had, somehow.
>[] Perhaps there is another way to reach Nabiki, using the Void, shattered as she is.
>>46613094
Hoping I'm not too late with this.
Guys, do you think we should try Water Eyes? She doesn't have Wood Eyes, and Water help nurture Wood.
>>46613131
I dunno...we could but there might be a good reason we haven't been prompted to so far.
>>46612520
>[X] Try and dig up some memories your sister might have had, somehow.
>[X] Perhaps there is another way to reach Nabiki, using the Void, shattered as she is.
[XXX] Press her a little more. Try and break that calm a bit.
[XXX] Ask her if she understands that Er Yin should have killed her for failing that test.
[XX] Perhaps there is another way to reach Nabiki, using the Void, shattered as she is.
You lean forward a little, looking into those blue eyes so like and yet so unlike your own when you're not being Amaterasu's agent of destruction. Those eyes look up, meeting yours, dead and smooth and soft despite that strangeness. “Onee-chan, please tell me what is going on with you? You are being very strange and enigmatic, which is something that isn't like you.” This you say more knowing about Wood dragonettes rather than your sister; they're not given to reticence or deception. Complexity, yes, but not subterfuge.
“I do not know why she spared me,” she murmurs in that slightly distracted, soft voice of hers, golden mist flowing from each breath. Bits of it whirl away, drawn away by the cat youkai in your aura and sickening one or two of them, though it doesn't kill them. Weird. Sort of. Breath stealing? But nothing you'll want to try. “She said something....” She thinks back, struggling hard to remember, though she doesn't realize she is struggling. Fire Eyes shows you how she picks at the motes of Pearl in her self, plucks at them like bits of sharp glass she can't quite stand to touch.
>The Fires force truth. Question, answer, question, answer. Everything is revealed in them.
If this fail, we should try praying to her. Not to the youkai, I mean, but to the remains of our sister.
You know know, it's pretty interesting that a few thread ago, Ryukusa pondered about how one of the reasons she liked making clothes was that she destroyed, then created a new whole. And now, she's doing it to a person
>>46613212
“You know that Er Yin should have destroyed you when you failed the test? She's....she has told me that there were others, that she killed them.” You push that point, nudge her into digging deeper for that specific memory, trusting that she can pry it free.
While you might not know what would happen if she realizes she's not Nabiki, you can take a pretty good guess. And it won't be anything pleasant or good. You push at her with the Void, push at that idea in her head, that desire to get at that memory. The very act of reaching for her is like sticking your arms elbow deep in something thick and wet and rotten, deep and corrupting, a sludge that permeates her self and tries to draw you in, hold you close, make you part of it.
You withdraw slowly, keeping the sensation, the knowledge that your dealing with something alien and dangerous from overwhelming you, keeping her aura off of yourself. Despite that, the memory comes free, it seems, for her dull eyes turn to you and she speaks slowly. “She said it wasn't her place to destroy someone like me, someone so....significant.” Your stomach does a slow, unhappy flip.
[] Were those her EXACT words?
[] What does that mean, Nabiki?
[] Doesn't that mean there's SOMETHING to live for then?
[] Where did you go then? What did you do?
[] ….That doesn't sound right, does it?
>>46613229
>[x] Were those her EXACT words?
>[x] Where did you go then? What did you do?
Worry.
>>46613229
>[] Were those her EXACT words?
>[] Doesn't that mean there's SOMETHING to live for then?
>>46613229
>[] Were those her EXACT words?
Exact words are important.
>Do you remember Kiku-chan, Nabiki? What did she tell you about this test?
I'm begining to suspect something, and if I'm right, poor Kiku.
>Water Eyes
As Ruykusa says:" This you say more knowing about Wood dragonettes rather than your sister; they're not given to reticence or deception. Complexity, yes, but not subterfuge. "
She's not lying, so we don't need Fire Eyes. We need something to unravel the complexity.
>>46613229
>[] Were those her EXACT words?
>>46613383
Ow fuck she was kiku's something? Friend/child/lover?
>>46613229
I vote this >>46613383
>>46613383
Those are some good ideas anon, I'll support this.
>>46613448
We know they knew each other, and she reacted to us saying "Kiki-chan". For the rest, we don't know, but it's probably not nice for poor Fire-cutie.
>>46613529
She may have been reacting because she was surprised we called her Kiku-chan, rather than Kiku-san.
>>46613229
>[] Where did you go then? What did you do?
>[] ….That doesn't sound right, does it?
>>46613591
Sure, but it indicates she was surprised by our casual wording.
>>46613229
>[] Were those her EXACT words?
>[] Doesn't that mean there's SOMETHING to live for then
>[] ….That doesn't sound right, does it?
Digging too much into her memories and having her realize she already died may not be a good thing.
>>46613529
Kiku sure gets bullied a lot plot-wise huh. Like the story knows how bullyable she is.
>>46613229
[] ….That doesn't sound right, does it?
[] Were those her EXACT words?
[] Doesn't that mean there's SOMETHING to live for then?
>>46613383
We do need fire eyes, though. She needs to hear the truth of her own words, or she'll paper over things with what she thinks is the truth.
>>46613765
>We do need fire eyes, though. She needs to hear the truth of her own words, or she'll paper over things with what she thinks is the truth.
Fire Eyes don't do this, though. They just let us, personaly, know the general truth.
>>46613795
>The Fires force truth
I wouldn't be arguing for it in this case unless XS hadn't said it. It's probably a barrier thing.
>>46613898
Anon, that's what Er Yin told her during the test, not what is happening right now.
>>46613898
Also, be careful with triple negation, anon.
I was just thinking, maybe we want to use wood eyes here, with the goal of awakening her pre-youkai memories and nature?
>>46614117
Wood Eyes don't do this. They could be useful, but I doubt we can use them just like that.
[XXX] Were those her EXACT words?
[XX] Doesn't that mean there's SOMETHING to live for then?
[XX] ….That doesn't sound right, does it?
[+] Do you remember the Fire dragonette well? What she said to you?
A myriad of unhappy, less than pleasant thoughts intrude, but you don't let them distract you, and you certainly don't let them show. The way Kiku-chan was acting, Nabiki's response....it doesn't seem likely that it would have been an affair. Especially with the way she called Kiku-chan Kiku-sama, and said she'd stayed with Hinata-hakase and the miko....which probably included Kiku-chan, now that you think of it.
A lot of miko. On the edge of Aokigahara. In the Shrine of Forgotten Stones and Flowers. After she'd already taken on her kimoto. You speak slowly, and softly, the worry in your expression real enough, but not for the reasons she might be thinking of, if she still thinks that way.
“Were those....really the things she said? The exact words?” Abandoning Fire Eyes, you open Water Eyes, the situation becoming much more involved than you had anticipated.
Nabiki hesitates, not because she is dissembling or prevaricating, but simply because she wants to be sure about this delicate memory that she picked up, this damaged fragment of a soul not her – not ITS – own. There can be no doubt that this is the purest form of possession there is, the absolute control over another's mind, body and spirit, to the point where little more than echoes and dust remain. Despite that, she shakes her head. “Something.”
You squeeze her hand in gentle reassurance. Except....your Water Eyes are telling you that wasn't a statement or a denial of what she remembers. It's the word Er Yin used. Your heart clenches tight in your chest.
>>46614394
“That's what Er Yin said. She said, it wasn't her place to destroy something as amazing, as important as I was, even if I wasn't Horobi. She was so....” Your sister's eyes drop to your hands, as you take both of hers gently and carefully in your own, not letting the slightest hint of mistrust or fear affect you. Inasmuch as you can feel fear. You've felt it before, but right now, it isn't fear as much as sadness. A sorrow for someone in such a state. Horribly, you're starting to suspect that Er Yin was absolutely correct.
“What about Kiku-chan. Do you remember her? The one who sent you into the Barrier to speak with Er Yin? What she said?” Your heart is calm and slow, your expression a little worried, a little concerned. Your sister looks down, searching through memories not entirely hers, sifting fragments of your sister's essential self until she finds the one she wanted, and manages to hold onto it.
“Yes, I remember Kiku-sama. She was....delicate. So imperious, for such a little dragonette. She said....” Nabiki smiles wistfully, a faint echo of a smile, that fades quickly away, an expression that isn't hers. Her expression is defeated, sad. “I told her I always felt sad, that I couldn't find anything soft or warm in the world. Honestly.” She looks at you, those dead slate-blue eyes widening a little as she remembers. Feels a memory from a person that may be long dead now. “She said it wasn't ennui. It was yugen.”
Another slow turning of your stomach as she uses the word which you've only heard from artists and philosophers. The simple sounding word that tells of the sensation of evoking feelings of eternity, of thoughts of foreverness in the person who feels it. Something most humans barely comprehend, but which spirits exist in forever.
>>46614415
“She said, the saddest thing she ever had to do was to send me to see Er Yin, because....because she felt that it was unfair to force Nabiki to know the truth.” Her voice is small, lost, afraid now, but it isn't real fear. You can see that it's just the echo of a memory of what fear should sound like. Her mask is slipping away, and if you don't do something drastic, it might fall completely away.
Of course, doing something drastic might expose the mask anyways.
“That doesn't sound right does it, onee-chan?” Your soft request makes her look at you, makes those dead eyes look into your glowing crimson and sapphire eyes. “Doesn't that mean you have something to live for, that she said she couldn't destroy you?” Her troubled look is alarming, because it's REAL. She opens her mouth and shuts it, at a loss. Even though you avoided the words that would hint at her inhumanity – well, less-than dragonosity, maybe. Even that doesn't quite seem to make her consider anything beyond her morbid thoughts.
[] Try and give her some more of Nabiki's memories to work with.
[] Ask her if she remembers who she is.
[] Say a prayer for Nabiki.
[] Say a prayer for Aokigahara.
[] Try and see if there is anything she would do aside from killing, or being host to the dead spirits.
>>46614394
>A myriad of unhappy, less than pleasant thoughts intrude, but you don't let them distract you, and you certainly don't let them show. The way Kiku-chan was acting, Nabiki's response....it doesn't seem likely that it would have been an affair.
Well, I don't think Ryukusa would be unhappy if it happened, only if it ended tragicaly.
>>46614437
>[] Say a prayer for Nabiki.
>[] Try and see if there is anything she would do aside from killing, or being host to the dead spirits
>Try to ask her if she ever liked or loved something and describe your hobbies. Then ask her if the liked or loved someone, in the past, and tell her about your beloved.
We need to make Nabiki's soul react. Thankfully, Wood is helping us, right now.
>>46614437
>[] Say a prayer for Nabiki.
>[] Try and give her some more of Nabiki's memories to work with.
>>46614583
It seems the forest already got her before seeing Er Yin. But if invoking our beloved against the Fire of Madness, it can work against this, too.
>>46614437
>>46614583
I'll support this!
>>46614583
If she realized that she's not Nabiki but a youkai who possesses Nabiki's Pearl fragments, it would lead to bad results.
I think you're heading towards that result.
>>46614437
>[] Try and give her some more of Nabiki's memories to work with.
I'm really unsure on what is the best approach here
>>46614437
>[] Say a prayer for Nabiki.
>[] Say a prayer for Aokigahara.
>[] Ask her if she remembers who she is.
>>46614437
>[] Try and give her some more of Nabiki's memories to work with.
>[] Ask her if she remembers who she is.
>[] Say a prayer for Nabiki.
>>46614437
[x] Try and give her some more of Nabiki's memories to work with.
>>46614731
Why would you pray for, and get the attention of, the forest which is potentially manifested in front of us as a youkai thinking it's Nabiki?
>>46614733
And asking if she remembers who she is would point out the mask that's threatening to come off, wouldn't it?
>>46614731
Don't pray for Aokigahara, guys.
It's a terrible, terrible idea.
We could try to use the Wishing Jewel on the shards of her Pearl, but it would be pretty risky.
>>46614697
We have to strike the right balance between hiding the truth from her and activating the Pearl's fragments.
>>46614486
>You would be correct.
>>46614963
Ryukusa a best.
>>46614843
>>46614872
Remember in Shinto you pray to things that you DON'T want the attention off too. You give prayers to gods of disease and bad luck so they ignore you.
>>46615025
Yes and no. You pray so that they're kind enough to leave you alone, but you still have to attract their attention first.
>>46615025
Ignore as in not come to visit. You're still gettin their attention, just asking that they leave you off their list.
In this case, any attention from Aokigahara could cause the youkai to realize that it's a youkai pretending to be a dragonette, and not Nabiki. It's already started referring itself in the third person.
>>46614927
An interesting idea, wishing her pearl whole. Not sure if we should burn that one time bennie on it though.
>>46615136
Calling it a "wishing" jewel is a bit of a misnommer. It doesn't grant wishes, it's more an amplifier of your self.
And I say that if it can work, we should use it. It's not like we can use it to do much.
>>46615025
Praying to the forest means that you recognize the creature in front of you is no longer Nabiki
>>46615192
The question is, what would happen then? Does the forest regain control and corrupt her pearl again, or does lose hold of her and react in some problematic way?
>>46615472
We don't know. All we could do is make sure it's the fragments of the pearl an nothing else that touch the jewel.
Maybe we should try looking with Void eyes.
>>46614437
>[x] Say a prayer for Nabiki.
>[x] Try and see if there is anything she would do aside from killing, or being host to the dead spirits.
[XXX] Try and give her some more of Nabiki's memories to work with.
[XX] Say a prayer for Nabiki.
[X] Try and see if there is anything she would do aside from killing, or being host to the dead spirits.
[X] Ask her if she remembers who she is.
[+] Engage her in conversation, learn about ~Nabiki~, tell ~Nabiki~ about yourself – she's your sister, after all.
Compared to dealing with your sister's secretary and having a fight with your sister, this is both more risky and less difficult. Less difficult because she's not a Water dragonette herself, but more risky because a misstep could force a confrontation that would be a disaster at best and a cataclysm at worst. It would be nice if you were exaggerating for once, but sadly you suspect you're pretty sure that nothing good would come of that fight.
As powerful as you are in the void, you're still limited to influencing her in the most vague of ways. Heaven, it's mostly wishful thinking on your part, really. Nevertheless you bow your head and take a deep breath, reciting several prayers for your sister's well being and continued health. You forgo praying to the spirit of the Suicide forest to let her go or release her; you don't need the spirit of Aokigahara to be more aware of Nabiki than it already is.
Looking up you see the dead, glassy-eyed stare of your sister meeting yours. “So, do you have a boyfriend? Or do you like women too?”
Nabiki's eyes widen minutely. “....what?”
>>46615895
That's not a no!
>>46615895
“Oh....well, in case you hadn't guessed, I kind of prefer lilies, myself. I mean, it's not that I don't get along with men, but girls are just so much softer and prettier. They're just kind of nicer to be around in general. Honestly, I think dad – old fashioned dragon that he is – was worried when he found out, but he seems okay with it so far.” Nabiki blinks at you, her cheeks slightly pink. “I think he'll be kind of pleased with my wife. We're not actually married yet, but I think it would be a nice wedding. Spring of course. She's a wood dragon, and something of an idol, so I guess he'd appreciate that. So, did you ever have a boyfriend? Someone you liked a lot? I know the clan doesn't really like that, but honestly, it's boys and girls in the same place, it's gonna happen, right?”
You can see your words are having some effect on her through Water Eyes. Your suggestiveness and forthright explanations evoke the basic nature of Japanese women – to be embarrassed by frank discussion of love. And that is something that the victims of Aokigahara haven't forgotten, really. In many cases it's why they became victims in the first place. If you can't give her Nabiki's memories easily, you can at least try and connect the strong emotions to those that remain in Nabiki's Pearl through the Void.
And really, if this is the only chance you have to speak to your sister's spirit, you might as well tell her that you're happy.
“I....there was a boy....” Her hesitance is not just trouble locating memories. A relative (hah!) stranger, asking about her love life? Totally embarrassing. And that's a good thing. Things she is embarrassed about are things she feels, memories she has already. “Yumagi. His name was Yumagi. He was a Void dragonne. His scales were white, silver white. He had branching horns too, I remember that.” She speaks slowly, thoughtfully. “He called me his little stone tree, because of my eyes.”
>>46615997
Running your thumbs along the back of her hands, massaging gently, you smile and lean forward. The ghosts try and crowd closer, but the cats threaten them, your power strengthening as Nabiki looks at your commingled hands. “Kiki-hime calls me Ryu-chan, most of the time. Obviously, I call her princess, and really, she is kind of. Hey, does that mean I stole a princess? Aren't there a lot of Western books about dragons stealing princesses? Man, my whole life is a series of cliches....” That actually gets a half-hearted, confused smile from her, her mystification increasing. “I mean, just look at my eyes, Nabiki....” She does so, shaking her head in confusion.
Despite that you continue to try and engage her in small talk – and not so small talk. What she has done, what escapades she's had. About the temple, her time with Hinata-hakase, the miko that were there in the temple. You avoid bringing up Er yin and Kiku, and gently guide her away from those subjects. You try and pry deeper, find out more about her experiences and past, as well as her potential futures, which you deliberately guide away from the coming destruction.
And it's hard. So very hard. Because the entire time, you're struggling with the Void, working with Water Eyes, trying to help her piece together something REAL, something more than half-remembered echoes. You need something more, and you're starting to use power. Void alone isn't enough, there's just too much alien in her thoughts and feelings. Sooner, rather than later, you're going to have to decide exactly how you want to try and fix this.
If it can be fixed.
>>46616021
Well, it's a start...
>>46616021
The ghosts are becoming more persistent, more pressure. They can tell things are happening, and the cat youkai are not going to last too much longer against the constant pressure. More importantly, you're running out of ways to entice memories of Nabiki from the dust that is her Pearl. You're going to have to do something drastic – either step up and be what you were born to be, or try something drastic that in the vein of being who you what you are. You might not be Horobi yet, but you can be either a demigod or a dragonette. Both isn't an option for much longer, if you want to achieve something here.
[] Try and help her reconnect mind to feeling to memory, literally heal her through new growth, like Wood.
[] Fire could refine what is left of Nabiki, burn away what isn't. You might not have much left at first but it would be purely her.
[] Try and nurture her growth using Water. It might not be Nabiki when you are done, but it would be less youkai.
[] You could try and spread that which is Nabiki's essence and spread it through the youkai that she is now; it would be a combination of Void and Water....
[] Use the Wishing Jewel; if there was ever a time it was needed, this would be it, and you can absolutely save Ryuu Nabiki.
>>46616102
>[x] You could try and spread that which is Nabiki's essence and spread it through the youkai that she is now; it would be a combination of Void and Water....
I dunno about the Jewel...nothing is ever easy.
>>46616102
>[x] Try and help her reconnect mind to feeling to memory, literally heal her through new growth, like Wood.
>>46616102
>[] Try and help her reconnect mind to feeling to memory, literally heal her through new growth, like Wood.
>>46616102
>[] Use the Wishing Jewel; if there was ever a time it was needed, this would be it, and you can absolutely save Ryuu Nabiki.
Desperate times.
>>46616133
I think it will work, if we used it right. It's a powerful one use tool, it's just a question of spending it wisely. I think
Another part of me thinks cycling through the elemental methods somehow could have superior results to any of the others, but that's probably just an attempt to game the system.
>>46616102
>[] Use the Wishing Jewel; if there was ever a time it was needed, this would be it, and you can absolutely save Ryuu Nabiki.
>>46616102
>[X] Use the Wishing Jewel; if there was ever a time it was needed, this would be it, and you can absolutely save Ryuu Nabiki.
Dammit I always don't want too use the wishing jewel but dammit.
>>46616140
>>46616150
Wouldn't Wood result in a youkai that still believes it is Nabiki, and now the Wood of Aokigahara would twine itself into and as part of Nabiki's Pearl?
As for Fire, wouldn't that potentially destroy the boundaries of the Forest and let the hungry dead go free sooner that planned?
As for Void and Water, again, wouldn't it hold the potential to feed the Wood of the Forest and not what remains of Nabiki?
>>46616102
> Use the wishing jewel
>>46616241
Don't be such a worrywart.
>>46616102
>[] Use the Wishing Jewel; if there was ever a time it was needed, this would be it, and you can absolutely save Ryuu Nabiki.
>>46616102
>[] Use the Wishing Jewel; if there was ever a time it was needed, this would be it, and you can absolutely save Ryuu Nabiki.
Protect those smiles
>>46616241
It's not about which element.
It's about what Ryukusa chooses to be in the end. A demigod or a dragonette.
If it was just about destroying something we could have instigated a fight.
>>46616308
Won't the wishing jewel bring into contact with our mikoto? Is now the right time to become Horobi?
>>46616102
>[] Fire could refine what is left of Nabiki, burn away what isn't. You might not have much left at first but it would be purely her.
>[] Use the Wishing Jewel; if there was ever a time it was needed, this would be it, and you can absolutely save Ryuu Nabiki.
>Hug your sister. Hug her with all the love Ryu Ryukusa has for those she cares about.
I have to try
>>46616288
I dunno about that anon, but I'm gonna worry a lot and you can't stop me!
I'll stick with the Jewel though.
>>46616384
It will only if it we use it for us.
>>46616384
I don't... think so?
XS can we get feedback on that?
What consequences will this have for the forest? And more immediately, all these ghosts?
>>46616102
Adding to my vote here >>46616386
>Before anything, switch to Void Eyes and take a long look. Go back to Water Eyes if it's not helpful.
>Pray to Nabiki again
>>46616140
>>46616150
I don't think Ryukusa's last element is Wood. It could, but I don't think so.
I think Water, Void and Fire suit her the best.
>>46616384
>>46616408
>>46616403
>If Ryukusa desires to use it on someone else, she'll avoid it affecting her. She's Clever that way.
>>46616455
We don't know. It's a gamble
>>46616386
No one else want to hug our sister?
C'mon, guys, Ryukusa's love is what allows her to be here with her family.
>>46616469
Well, she does regenerate. It isn't that far of a step.
>>46616500
I didn't really notice the custom is all. I don't mind hugging.
>>46616516
Regenerate isn't necessarily Wood. And Ryukusa has demonstrated she's not really "Wood" in the past.
But eh.
Please vote for hugs, folk
>>46616500
Hopefully she'll have some control over it still, despite her regained nature. She is supposed to be important after all.
>>46616102
>[X] Try and help her reconnect mind to feeling to memory, literally heal her through new growth, like Wood.
As this is a very important cusp event, and there have been questions, I will gather nutrition for myself and answer any other voiced concerned for the next 15 minutes. Then we'll continue.
>>46616588
What will this do to our karma? Will it make things worse because easy wins, or neutral since we're only spending what we already have?
>>46616527
Ryukusa's love for her family is what allowed her to succeed some of her greatest feats.
It's also one of the greatest part of this absolutly wonderful and amazing quest.
>>46616588
What would Ryukusa figure will happen with the forest if she does this? Will her desiring the forest to remain under control despite no longer being a youkai allow that to be so?
Also, is her fate something that could have happened to us as a wood dragonette? Void?
>>46616102
>[] Use the Wishing Jewel; if there was ever a time it was needed, this would be it, and you can absolutely save Ryuu Nabiki
>>46616588
Why are our beloved so great?
>>46616615
What easy win?
Using a Wishing Jewel is never easy. I'm not even sure it's supposed to be used.
>>46616588
What are the odds that we'll really regret not having the jewel later?
>>46616707
That sounds like spoiler territory anon!
Ryukusa can do without one when she needs to.
>>46616102
[] Try and help her reconnect mind to feeling to memory, literally heal her through new growth, like Wood.
>>46616237
Adding Hugs.
>>46616615
If you mean good stuff or bad stuff, I can't answer that fully at this time. The Wishing Jewel is an object earned via good stuff expending on a plot point, so it is a neutral object, and using it has no bearing on good or bad stuff.
>>46616675
I need to know which "this" you are referring to. A couple of the options result in a possibly-not-Nabiki happening. If things go as evidence she has personally seen allows, using the wishing jewel will bring Nabiki's demigod nature forth (she was, after all, warned that it is exactly what would have happened to her). If she uses elemental powers based on her Void and Water, she might not be able to further grow in other elements outside of using Eyes. If she uses an element she's not as familiar with, it will cement which three she has the most capacity with.
Note that Stone isn't listed and therefore must be chosen specifically as a write in.
>>46616703
Because you let them be and make them so.
>>46616707
Pretty high. I would also respond the same way with every weapon earned, every talisman she's squired, every ally made, every enemy you didn't defeat outright. There are always regrets.The real question is whether it is a regret you can live with.
The Wishing Jewel has turned into that one use item you get from your gm early on in a RPG and always save till your party gets killed by something completely unrelated and it had gone unused.
>>46616814
Or just finish the game instead, forever keeping it in your inventory.
>>46616814
SSSSHHHHH!!!!
>>46616771
Stone would... force the shattered pearl together? Embed themselves more strongly into her nature? Hmm. Either better or worse than wood, depending.
>>46616806Saving loved ones, whether they are loved ones at the time or not is always a regret you can live with.
>>46616241
Maybe.
No.
Probably.
>>46616102
[] Try and help her reconnect mind to feeling to memory, literally heal her through new growth, like Wood.
>>46616827
You keep it there to secure the best victory. Sometimes we need to do the best we can, not the best that everyone can, so that everyone can do their best when it really matters.
>>46616868
>these answers
I'm going to point out that we've been told before that it's more about the way the choices make other people see us than the results of the choices that are important.
4 more minutes, then I'm counting. I don't particularly care how many times anyone's voted for this batch.
Why four?Shi=Death.
>>46616866
The question is, whether there is a point later that it might be better used. This is not an easy thing to say, but possibly using the wishing jewel here means that we wont grow from this.
>>46616947
Pls no
>>46616878
>>46616140
>>46616150
Please don't vote Wood, anon.
Ryukusa is really, really not Wood. It'll cripple us to get our last element to be this.
>>46616806
It's not a regret if it's a solution.
>Because you let them be and make them so.
Awww.
>>46616814
No, it's that item you got ten level earlier and only now realise it's a quest item.
>>46616102
>[] Use the Wishing Jewel; if there was ever a time it was needed, this would be it, and you can absolutely save Ryuu Nabiki.
>>46616979
Oh, the kind that sounds like it should be really strong and versatile but somehow the game only REALLY lets you use it to resolve that one quest?
>>46616952
I thought we could adopt our mantle as Horobi whenever we wanted?
>>46616979
>>46616150
>>46616150
>>46616878
I must stress this: I really believe Wood is a bad option for Ryukusa by all account.
She needs to be fast life Fire and moving like Water. Not contained within the semi-rigid path of Wood.
Remember that this is our elemental affinity.
>>46616979
If not Wood, then what?
Fire? Stone? Void?
>>46616102
[] Use the Wishing Jewel; if there was ever a time it was needed, this would be it, and you can absolutely save Ryuu Nabiki.
>>46617014
The question is, how easily will we adopt it, how quickly can we adopt it, and how much will we have access to when we do so.
>>46617011
Yeah. The kind you can either use sub-optimaly for a decent bonus, or solve an in-game problem with that help you in the long run.
>>46617014
We can.
>>46616952
We'll grow from this, only not the same way that if the Jewel wasn't used.
>>46617014
You are correct.
That doesn't mean the Wishing Jewel won't still do that, but Ryukusa will find a way if she needs one.
>>46617036
We already have Void.
I say: Fire.
It'll balance us, symbolize Ryukusa giving more freedom for her emotions, and shows that she's trying to correct the "think too much before acting" Water is prone to.
So could we try one of the elemental approaches, improve our element, then realize it's not good enough and use the jewel anyway?
>>46617103
I'd say probably not. Whatever we do will probably destabilize the situation so much, there won't be anything left to wish for if it goes wrong.
>>46617103
Or just use the goddamn plot rock we'll never use otherwise.
Goddamn this isn't hard people.
>>46617022
But this isn't just about battle or choices. It changes what Ryukusa wil do to Japan. Well she be quick, will she understand what is righ for Japan? Will what she does guide Japan towards something else or is that the job of another? Is she creating or destroying here, and how much of each.
>>46617103
>>46617118
I could see using fire to purify away the youkai element, realize the result is too feeble and crippled, then using the jewel to restore the full pearl.
>>46617125
If we strengthen fire, it will possibly improve how well our destruction purifies japan, which is sorta the point of us doing it. Or I might be wrong and it'll just make storms stronger and a volcano go off. One of those.
>>46617103
We could, but using the Jewel is probably for the best.
And if we unleash the Youkai, it'll be time for our
>>46617125
I'm not talking about battle. Ryukusa has been showing more emotions, lately, and is trying to find her balance in the world.
With Water, Void and Fire, she would have this balance.
And with Truth, she will see what is trully of Japan, and of the people.
I do believe Ryukusa will create many things before and after her destruction, but not in the way of Wood.
>>46617253
Fire also creates. Wood grows, which is different.
So in summary, fire is winning the argument, wood is doing better in votes, but the jewel is winning overall making the elemental point moot.
>>46617253
>it will possibly improve how well our destruction purifies japan
Our bringing destruction to Japan isn't about burning away detritus to get at the truth.
It's more about getting people scared so that they remember they're supposed to depend on the Kami and not try to go things alone like the Westerners who are trying to kill their God.
>>46617253
You're looking at this from a physical prospective. Fire is truth. Wood is Growth. With Fire, Ryukusa can, not will, see Japan as it should be to grow, and destroy it till it is ready to grow. With Wood, Ryukusa can help it grow, tending to Japan like a garden, destroying that which threatens it, nurturing that which helps it.
What direction do you think the quest should go in, which do you think suits Ryukusa more? Destruction or a sort of Creation?
>>46617333
Hugs suit Ryukusa more.
>>46617367
Anon, write-ins might trump basic options, but you can have both.
Lurking from my phone at work. Just want you guys to know, I'm scared.
pleaseohpleaseohpleeeeeasedon'tletbadthingshappen
>>46617160
This sounds pretty solid.
I'd hate to use the Jewel and have it apply to youkai.
Changing >>46616237
>[X] Use wood to find the best way to use the wishing stone to grow her back to her self. +Hugs
Been writing. It may be a long one.
>>46616102
[] Fire could refine what is left of Nabiki, burn away what isn't. You might not have much left at first but it would be purely her.
[] Use the Wishing Jewel; if there was ever a time it was needed, this would be it, and you can absolutely save Ryuu Nabiki.
>>46617333
Fire is not only destruction. It is crafting, forging, protecting from the wild and the cold.
>>46617534
What.
Wood can't do that.
>>46617313
Did you vote for Fire or Wood?
>the jewel is winning overall making the elemental point moot.
Remember that XS tends to take secondary tendencies into account.
>>46617629
Feels like its going to be a good one +hugs
>>46617629
>>46617651
Leave XS to say what can and cannot be done, anon.
>>46617651
>Did you vote for Fire or Wood?
Jewel, actually. But if I had to settle for an element I'd probably go with fire.
>>46617629
Oh boy. I was voting to distract myself from the DS3 wait but now I'm playing DS3 to distract myself from the update wait.
>>46617651
Wood Eyes can specifically do that.
>>46617711
>tfw still decrypting
I'm trying to hate you to death, lemme know if it works.
>>46617651
Wood allows the user to see paths of possibilities and steer people and events toward desired ends.
>>46617807
Well it launches okay!
I'll be spending so much time on settings (my laptop is shit) and character creation that I doubt there will be any more informative updates from me.
>>46617711
My fellow enkindled, you have good taste in quests.
[X] Use the Wishing Jewel; if there was ever a time it was needed, this would be it, and you can absolutely save Ryuu Nabiki.
The thing about gifts from the gods, is that they're always yours.
Your eyes, for instance. You're fairly certain that the ability to feel the Eyes of others upon you, and your facility for using most of them – perhaps even all of them – stem from Amaterasu-Omikami's gift of returning your eyes to blue after you cried for her. The fact that your best friend is pregnant with your child in her womb was something that was supposed to be impossible, yet there it is. Of the lovers you have, the one whom you have the least obvious reason to love is the one who works the hardest to prove herself worthy of you, and she has done more for your family than you thought possible. Even a man in the most precarious of jobs has been given an ally and is placed where you need him to be. All gifts received from the kami, as far as you are concerned, hard work notwithstanding.
So when you rise from the cushion and walk around to give your sister, possessed as she is by the youkai spirit of the Forest of Suicides a hug, you are absolutely certain that what you need will be within your grasp despite where it was last placed.
Nabiki stiffens as you wrap your arms around her shoulders, and hug her from behind, but she doesn't really react otherwise. Despite the long talk, the smiles and nods of understanding, she really isn't Nabiki, not Ryuu Nabiki. Because all she does is place her hand on your arm. The ghosts start to crowd around you, darkening the already gloomy Barrier, as the cat youkai you have possession of scatter from the proximity of the monster that was your sister. And still, in some small ways, is your sister.
>>46618114
You could have tried to heal her yourself, or burned away the possessing spirit, you suppose, but this is one thing you know for a fact will work. You've been told specifically how it would work. Sighing softly, you whisper to Nabiki, “I'm very sorry, you know.” She tilts her head a little to try and look at you as the ghosts fill the space around you both.
“For what, Yorihokura?” she asks mildly, her voice only mildly tinged with confusion.
“That you're not as much of my sister as we both wish you were.” You plunge your left hand through her sternum, your eyes opening Wide and filled with the Void. You have to make contact with the actual Pearl itself, and the only way to do that is to get to a piece of it. Her shocked gasp is cut short by the crack of her breastbone as you split her chest open, spearing your sapphire talons into her chest, between her lungs. This, more than anything else, proves she is not your sister, much as you wished it otherwise; she doesn't kill you out of reflex. After decades of Clan Ryo training you should be fighting to save your own life from her, not listening to her choke as you twist your hand and scoop a tiny fragment of concentrated chi into your talon-tips.
Er Yin had possession of Nyoi-ju, the Wishing Jewel, given to you by the Great Kami Kuraokami himself in respect and apology. The blood price for Yui's entire family, the gift meant to keep you from declaring war on her whole clan and decimating them. You reach into ~Nowhere~ with your right hand and grasp it immediately, pulling it from Er Yin's possession and making it truly yours. The silk bag you shred with a blast of air and water....which also keeps the intricately carved jade from touching your hand and you press it to your sister's gaping chest.
>>46618134
“It will be all right,” you promise her as the darkness closes in on you, the tiny fragment of bloody nacre lifted to meet the jade. The howling spirits crash in on you and you're suffocating, drowning in the essence of Yomi, despair and absolute hopelessness crashing in upon you like a tsunami, a hurricane, a typhoon. The Wishing Jewel, a tiny piece of your sister's Pearl, and your last desperate desire meet in an exploding gout of your sister's blood and bone.
Your last coherent thought before dying is that the thing that bothered you most about the whole thing was Kiku-chan's pain.
She was in such agonizing pain over this meeting.
The entire world is broken into shards of white and black, a whistling scream, screams that rip the very air from around you, blazing shadows and roiling white fire everywhere. An explosion, an implosion, a breath in silence, and you sit up in the small garden in the midst of the Barrier, a dozen feet from your sister's back. She's holding her hands up, looking at them as though she's never seen them before. And really, you don't blame her, because you've certainly never seen them before.
Where before her hands had been delicate and frail, her nails pale blue and bloodless seeming, they are soft and slender, healthy. Her nails gleam a rich bronze color. Her horns are thick and hard, no longer the silky twiggy branches, but polished and pale wood, healthy and strong. Her eyes are still blue, but when they catch the light, they burn; they reflect like burning coal rather, and they are glossy, alive, slit pupiled and filled with awe. Her hair is a pale blue, as are her scales, but she bears markings unlike any dragonette you've ever seen: talismanic script, across her lean back. Her breastbone protrudes from her chest, almost skeletal, jointed like her spine. Her Pearl though....
>>46618159
Her Pearl is a shimmering crystalline gem under the hollow of her throat, burning with pale silvery fire. Not Ghost Flame, but something like it, that swirls around her, occasionally bursting up into skull-like flares that fade quickly. The ghosts that once surrounded her are present, but they are still and quiet, the chains by which they are bound to her fading into invisibility outside the nimbus of her burning spirit.
“....wh....what did you DO to me?”
[] uuuuhhhhhh.....
[] nothing any good little sister wouldn't have done.....wait, did that come out right?
[] hi, you must be Ryuu Nabiki.
[] nami amitsu buddha
[] just putting things right.
>>46618187
>[x] uuuuhhhhhh.....
>[x] nami amitsu Buddha
>[x] hi, you must be Ryuu Nabiki.
>>46618187
>[] hi, you must be Ryuu Nabiki.
Well, it seems to have worked at least!
>>46618187
>[] uuuuhhhhhh.....
>[] nothing any good little sister wouldn't have done.....wait, did that come out right?
>[] hi, you must be Ryuu Nabiki.
>[] just putting things right.
>>46618187
>[] nothing any good little sister wouldn't have done.....wait, did that come out right?
>[] hi, you must be Ryuu Nabiki.
>>46618187
>[] nothing any good little sister wouldn't have done.....wait, did that come out right?
>[] hi, you must be Ryuu Nabiki.
>>46618187
>[] just putting things right.
>[] hi, you must be Ryuu Nabiki.
This isn't gonna be one of those 'woe is me I was better off dead' things, is it? Ain't nobody got time for that.
>>46618187
>[] uuuuhhhhhh.....
>[] nothing any good little sister wouldn't have done.....wait, did that come out right?
>[] hi, you must be Ryuu Nabiki.
>>46618187
>[] nothing any good little sister wouldn't have done.....wait, did that come out right?
>[] hi, you must be Ryuu Nabiki.
Man Ryu-tan is going to get scolded once she gets out isn't she.
>>46618285
Maybe the shock will be big enough that everyone forgets to do it!
>>46618187
We used the megalixer because even after over a hundred threads, we still don't really have a firm enough grasp of the mechanics to predict what will damn us.
>>46618187
[] hi, you must be Ryuu Nabiki.
[] nothing any good little sister wouldn't have done.....wait, did that come out right?
[] just putting things right.
[] nami amitsu buddha
>[] let her know that we're pretty fucked up. a groan or two might help.
>>46618339
We aren't going to be damned, we have gained a new "older" sister.
>>46618285
Didn't Kiku send us here because we wanted to learn healing magic from a kappa? I think we got off track in that area.
>>46618187
>[] hi, you must be Ryuu Nabiki.
>Please forgive this foolish lizard for her action, onee-sama
> Breathe the free air again, my friend. Your fingers would remem... wait, this is from a movie.
>Hug your sister. For the first time, it seems.
>>46618393
It'll be fine
>>46618187
[x] nothing any good little sister wouldn't have done.....wait, did that come out right?
[x] Write-in: I'm going to get such a scolding, aren't I, onee-chan.
>>46618393
Surprise Sister in need of help is one hell of a distraction. Well, "distraction", Ryukusa hasn't forgotten what she came here to do, she just got another problem shoved in her face.
>>46618378
I meant more in reference to the element vote. Like there probably was a right answer or combination that would both sufficiently save our older sister and make the best out of our destiny, the problem is that there was at best a 50% chance of picking the right one.
I do agree that using the wishing orb probably won't damn us, but it just means we need to work a lot harder in the future because we won't have that to fall back on.
>>46618393
Nah, she sent us there to learn the cost of dealing with youkai.
And we did.
Oh man, we should see if Nabiki can be the godmother of Kiku's child
>>46618461
Eh, it was never really a fall back plan.
Though, the good thing with this is that we probably got a new healer.
>>46618412
The lack of capitals is a thing anon. Shit's happened.
>>46618513
Sorry, what do you mean?
>>46618513
Lack of capitals means our response is extremely significant.
>>46618456
I guess I'm more wondering what exactly Kiku was predicting would happen from this meeting. Like if it was supposed to be a lesson in accepting that bad things happen or anything that wasn't "do something incredibly reckless for the sake of someone you've never actually met" I really have to question her expectations.
>>46618187
>[x] hi, you must be Ryuu Nabiki.
>[x] nami amitsu buddha
>[x] just putting things right.
Bigger question is what are we after having died just now?
>>46618187
>[X] nami amitsu buddha
>[X] just putting things right
>[X] nothing any good little sister wouldn't have done.....wait, did that come out right?
>>46618579
Probably a youkai. IRONY.
>>46618579
We didn't die.
>>46618636
Haha, wha we get for hanging out with them.
>>46618670
Even better, we've become one of the nekomata.
>>46618648
I beg to disagree.
>Your last coherent thought before dying is that the thing that bothered you most about the whole thing was Kiku-chan's pain.
unless that was just a metaphor.
>>46618707
Or our shadow is now a cat.
>>46618735
Hope Kiki will not be scared of us.
>>46618754
Kiku, you mean
>>46618773
Yup, but Kiki too.
>>46618731
It was. A hyperboly, to be precise
>>46618513
>>46618561
Looks like we may have been premature on not damning ourselves.
>>46618841
It's fine anon the story will be better for it.
>>46618837
*hyperbole
>>46618841
Nah, we just have the same curse as Kiku now
[X] uuuuhhhhhh.....
[X] nami amitsu buddha
[X] just putting things right.
[XXXX] hi, you must be Ryuu Nabiki.
[XXX] nothing any good little sister wouldn't have done.....wait, did that come out right?
[+] Ow. Sorry. I'm gonna get it. Hug.
Well, seeing what a newborn demigod looks like is....really impressive. You kind of wonder what will happen when you take on Horobi's power now, because, well, wow.
Also, your sister's kinda cute. Cute in a cute way, not in a bad touch kind of way. Also, she's shorter than she was. Probably all went to her horns and tail. Sure, that's it. She's also kind of....glistening, the weird fire shimmering and looking like a cross between a diamond's fire and quicksilver. The bluish flames along her tresses and tail are definitely Ghost Fire though, even if the rest is a weird cross between metal and fire.
Oh. Void and Fire. Of course. Why would it make any kind of sense?
“I wanted to meet you, is all. And since there were a lot of uninvited and unhappy guests, I did the proper host thing and excused them from the meeting. It's nice to meet you, Ryuu Nabiki.” She doesn't need to know that you gave up true enlightenment to make her well again. Uh, whole again. Real? Something. Of course that does bring up the fact that you used it in what could be construed as a very selfish method of regaining your lost elder sister. “....Kiku's gonna explode....” you murmur softly as your sister turns on her knees to face you, her eyes shifting from coal to blue as the fires before her die away slowly.
“....what?”
>>46618972
Itty-bitty Ryukusa?
>>46618994
“Oh, I'm just lamenting that my priestess is going to be incredibly annoyed at me, lose her temper, and set me on fire, if she doesn't convince her master to beat me within an inch of someone else's life while my best friend and her lover hold me down and my wife scolds me.” Her blush is genuine, and deep, her blood flowing rich and warm in her body, her heart hammering hard and evenly. It's kind of a nice sound to hear. “At least my evil fox will be pleased about it, mostly because she can't be bothered to think deeper than your average rain puddle.”
That brings soft laughter, the chains ringing prettily as she covers her mouth.
This might not be so bad after all.
>To Be Continued....
>>46619016
Don't you cliffhanger me like that!
>>46619016
So did Rykusa get better XS, or will we find out about what possible consequences this has had next thread?Also, what might have happened if we tried to heal her with Wood?
>>46619016
Thanks, XS
Thank you for reading and playing, and your continued patience.
>>46619016
I'll definitely count this as a win then!
Thanks for running XS.
>>46619077
Thanks for running XS.
>>46619064
Ryukusa always gets better. That's kind of the definition of immortality.I'm afraid i can't tell you that, Dr. Chandra.
>>46618994
>She doesn't need to know that you gave up true enlightenment to make her well again
Eh, not really gave up.
>>46619016
>“Oh, I'm just lamenting that my priestess is going to be incredibly annoyed at me, lose her temper, and set me on fire, if she doesn't convince her master to beat me within an inch of someone else's life while my best friend and her lover hold me down and my wife scolds me.” Her blush is genuine, and deep, her blood flowing rich and warm in her body, her heart hammering hard and evenly. It's kind of a nice sound to hear. “At least my evil fox will be pleased about it, mostly because she can't be bothered to think deeper than your average rain puddle.”
Kiku, plz. You sent us to a not-smiling person, what did you expect us to do?
>>46619077
Thanks for running!
That was awesome!
>>46619016
Really, Kiku doesn't have anyone but herself to blame for this. She placed Ryukusa near someone who is within acceptable paramaters of "family" and "unhappy", and didn't offer anything but vague warnings and revealing her own unhappiness.
>>46619095
Who? What? Is that a 2001 reference?
>>46619107
We gave up the simple route. Want to help find the complex route?
>>46619016
I WANT MORE CUTENESS REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
>>46619077
That was a amazing session. Made me want to use the jewel even when I would be against no getting a third power
>>46619134
It's almost like she knew exactly what we'd do...
>>46619095
Thank you for answeringpart ofmy question XS, and thank you for running!
>>46619149
There will be more.
>>46619168
>>46619125
>>46619082
Glad you are enjoying it.
>>46619143
Yes, yes it was.
>>46619053
Ending on a high note is not a cliffhanger. I have ended on cliffhangers before, I'm fairly certain this isn't one of them.
>Send your wife-goddess on a initiatic encounter to learn the price of supernatural dealings
>She comes back with a sister who is also a goddess
>>46619217
Any idea when the next thread will be?
>>46619175
Kiku is far to sneaky for Ryukusa.
So the general vibe I'm getting is that when you get down to it, no one has any idea what we're doing, and every choice is on the precipice of absolute disaster.
Is that normal?
>>46619217
XS will there be proper Ryu-tan bullying next time~
>>46619281
Yup
>>46619281
Ryukusa knows what she needs to do and must do, but what she WANTS to do is something that has to be forced to happen (i.e. trying to cause lots of damage with minimal casualties) Unfortunately there are these little side problems that keep cropping up, such as people wanting to use her wife for experiments, people trying to kidnap her oni, and people breeding abominations to try and start world war three with.
Hence why most of her choices are about what other people think of her decisions rather than being about good or bad choices.
>>46619253
No, but I suspect Thursday.
>>46619287
Well, Ryukusa is going to have to explain to Kiku that she shouldn't feel bad anymore.
>>46619412
>people trying to kidnap her oni
Yui a cute, not that I'm biased....
>>46619412
>Well, Ryukusa is going to have to explain to Kiku that she shouldn't feel bad anymore.
>Hey, Kiku-chan?
>Remember that thing that made you sad? You know, about that thing about Nabiki-nee?
>Well, I fixed it! Now you don't need to feel bad anymore!
>...Kiku? Hey, Kiku~?
>Onee-chan, I think I broke my priestess...
>>46619572
>Cue Kiku-chan throttling us demanding an explanation.
>>46619609
Don't be rediculous.Yui's the one into breathplay.
>>46619412
>Ryukusa knows what she needs to do and must do, but what she WANTS to do is something that has to be forced to happen (i.e. trying to cause lots of damage with minimal casualties) Unfortunately there are these little side problems that keep cropping up, such as people wanting to use her wife for experiments, people trying to kidnap her oni, and people breeding abominations to try and start world war three with.
Hey! We're progressing. For exemple, having the demigod of Suicide helping us will reduce the post- catastrophes casualities from hopelessness and the like.
Not to mention we just removed one of the big "bad things happen when Horobi get loose" problem
>>46619779
Did we? Or did we just make that bad thing adorable?
>>46619787
Turning things adorable is a valid tactic for Ryukusa. It has done wonders to those she is close with.
>>46619787
It worked for Kiku, no?
>>46619758
What would the stone method have looked like?
>>46619973
Unsurprisingly, and as was theorized, it very likely would have included rebuilding her Pearl from scratch. But since Ryukuza could control her blood and to a lesser exdtent her internal organs, it would have been much easier for her.
On the downside, it would have been from scratch and while fighting off a horde of angry dead people and a panicky dragonette-slash-youkai.
>>46620028
So the reason you didn't include it to start with is it would be so fun you knew everyone would have picked it?
Next time, on Ryukuza Quest!
Healing, comforting, talks about Kappa and seduction of oni-children!
>>46620080
It's because Stone is far from Ryukusa's usual method.
>>46620176
How to seduce an Oni:
1. Acquire Sake
2. Offer Sake
3. Get shagged so hard you can't walk straight for a week.
>>46620080
There has been no indication from the players that it was a direction they'd take.
Yes, some of these choices are your fault.
>>46620223
Regeneration fixes most of that.
With that, have a nice evening or morning, everyone.
>>46620315
After it came up I thought it might be best but the vote had already swung pretty hard other ways.
>>46620342
If your regeneration can keep pace, that just means you aren't shagging hard enough.
G'night. Looking forward to next thread
