[x] Best to take shelter and wait for morning...
-[x] How about that hole?
--[x] Try cover the entrance with leaves as to hide yourself.
You had a feeling your luck for the day was already growing dangerously thin, no reason to go and push your luck any further today. Finding your way through the forest in the morning seemed like the best idea, so for now you just had to find a good enough hiding place to keep you hidden until the sun came out, which should solve any wild youkai problems.
Walking over to the tree, you peer into the hole, but can only make out darkness. Well, you had to expect that, there wasn't much light left anyway. An idea struck you, focusing a little bit of energy you fire a danmaku shot into the hole providing you with a brief burst of light. While brief, it did confirm the hole had a bottom and wasn't deep enough that you would fall in and be stuck inside. Pretty convienent hiding place really, but you could make it a little bit better then that.
Searching around the immediate area you gather up an armful of leaves, carefully placing them around the hole to give it the most natural looking appearence you could. Taking a last look around you, you lower yourself into the hole before doing your best to try to hide the opening with more leaves. While you could still see out of the hole, there was little more you could do without finding a way to physically block the hole and then cover it, but you suspect it'd have to do. Now that you were down in the hole, you realized it wasn't really a hole - it was a hollow section underneath the tree. You had to crouch awkwardly and get down on your hands and knees to notice the hole continued deeper in.
You however, had no desire to crawl into that area, after all it was pitch black in there and you couldn't tell if it could've ended in a drop off into a hollow section, it'd be best to just wait in this kind of 'entrance' until you could see the sunlight again. Doing your best to sit down in the cramped space, hugging your knees to your chest. It was going to be a long, long ni-
Suddenly you let out a shrill cry as you feel
something wrap around your ankle and pull. Gripping to the dirt siding of the hole, you look down at your ankle to see it's been ensnared by a... vine? It gives another yank as you hold on tightly to the wall, your mind racing to figure out what to do. It should've occured to you that the forest was full of plants out to, more or less, eat you and if the plants had any sort of intelligence, well making a nest inside a hole would seem like a good idea.
As you thought about it more, the plant in the daytime probably lured prey to the entrance of the hole before pulling them in. The only reason it hadn't done that at first was because it was sleeping - but your danmaku and probably just your body heat stirred it from its slumber. Keeping one hand firmly gripped into the wall, you use your other to focus a bit of energy into a danmaku shot before launching it down the tunnel, you're not sure if you hit anything but you feel the vine's grip loosen and you free your ankle.
You quickly start to scramble back up the hole, desperately trying to reach the top before you are halted midway by the same restraining force. Looking down you are horrified to see not just one of the vine-like appendages, but can see more of them starting to snake out of the tunnel - your show of force had only seemed to enrage it further. In spite of the grip on your ankle you start to claw your way up the hole, you are almost to the top when the plant yanks on your ankle hard - it feels like it's trying to rip your foot off.
Letting out a startled cry, you are dragged down the hole a bit before you get your grip again, your fingers ache with pain. The plant tugs again, you slip further down the hole.
"
Reina? Did you try to call me earlier?" speaks the voice of the youkai in your head.
You can't give up your hold on the wall to reach the seeds in your pocket, all your energy focused on trying to claw your way up the hole to freedom. The plant pulls again, slowly starting to drag you down the hole in spite of your efforts to prevent it. Screaming and sobbing wildly you do your best to kick your leg free, but it's to no avail, you're too weak to pull yourself up the hole...
"
Why aren't you saying - Reina, what's wrong!" Where are you? Answer me Reina! Reina!."
---
"Lady Yukari, it's time for dinner..." speaks the voice of my familiar, Ran Yakumo.
I yawn and sit up in my futon, rubbing at my eyes. Satsified that I'm awake now, she leaves the room as I stand up and stretch - a few joints popping in response. As I go to leave the room, I halt midstep noticing something was out of place in my room. There wasn't much here to begin with, so seeing the a leather-covered book resting on my nightstand...
Walking over to it, I pick it up and study it for half a second before instantly recognizing the "Gensokyo" written on the front. This was the grimoire I had given to that interesting Reina Roots, but why was it... I frown, and feel something on the back of the book, flipping it over I can make out smears of red on the back of it, along with light gouges cut into the leather, almost as if...
I open the grimoire and begin to flip through the pages, heading down the hallway to fetch my parasol.
"Sorry Ran, dinner will have to wait. Something more... pressing has come up, and I'm sure there are people who will want answers."
Waving my hand in front of me, I open a gap and step into it, as Ran opens her mouth to protest my sudden departure before I vanish from my home. When I reappear I'm standing in the Forest of Magic, in a seemingly normal area of the forest. As I look around, I notice the flower youkai Yuuka is here, she hasn't seemed to notice me yet, instead focused on searching the area intently for something. To my surprise, the black-white witch Marisa and the adorable Reimu are here as well.
Reimu is the first to notice me, "Yukari, what are you doing here?"
I hold the grimoire above my head, so everyone can see it, "I thought you could use my help is all."
"H-hey that's Reina's grimoire ain't it? Why do you have it ze?" asked the witch.
"I found it on my nightstand when I woke up tonight. Would you care to have a look at it?"
I lazily toss is it to Reimu, whom drops it upon contact of the blood on the back of the book, "B-blood...!?"
The witch scrambles to retrieve the fallen book, flipping it over to see the smears of blood on the back, her voice chokes as she speaks, "No... no... it, it can't be... it's not!
It's not!"
As Marisa begins to sob, the red-white kneels by her friend's side, lightly embracing her. I turn away to cast my gaze upon Yuuka, leaning wordlessly against a nearby tree, her gaze leveled at the forest floor. I notice as I drew near, a very subtle set of footprints headed towards a hole at the base of the tree, the flower youkai glances up at me.
"She died here." states the youkai flatly, her gaze drifting to the hole, "Unwittingly taking shelter within a trap."
"It's talking to you, isn't it?" I ask.
The youkai nods her head slowly, "Yes. I suspect you know all about her last moments then?"
I nod my head, glancing to the hole as well, "Yes, the grimoire recorded it all. I imagine hearing it from the one that commited the act, however, is much more painful, isn't it?"
Yuuka doesn't respond, she merely takes a step back from the tree, lifting her parasol slightly, she hesitates and shakes her head, "Even knowing what it did... it's still..."
Glancing over to the still crying witch, I wave my hand in their direction, "If you want, they can do it for you instead."
The youkai is silent, her grip firm on the handle of her parasol before she slowly raises it to level it at the base of the tree, "... No. They were my little flower's friends as well, but this is something I'll do myself. It had no right to tell me those things in that way, in such a
pleased tone."
"I understand. I'll leave you to it then..."
I slowly walk over to the crying witch, bending down to retrieve the fallen grimoire, the miko looks up at me as I approach, "Yukari... is this - "
"Before you ask, no none of this is your fault. Not Marisa's, not Yuuka's... no one's. Reina made the choice herself, and she unfortunantely had to pay for it with her life. I wished it didn't have to end this way, I'm sorry both of you. I understand she was your friend, now if you'll excuse me there are matters that need to be attended too..."
Opening a gap, I step inside as I hear the sound of an explosion and the shattering of wood.
---
BAD END
Reload...:
[ ] Pre Forest of Magic?
- [ ] After eating with Aya?
- [ ] That morning?
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Forest of Magic?
- [ ] Where?
I've never written a bad end before, so I apologize if it seems awkward. Now before it is asked, no BAD ENDs in RiG are not very common. You had already avoided one early in the story, this one merely happened because of the dangers associated with the forest.
>>100706 On the topic of this, keep in mind you can only make Spellcards in Reina's house since the materials are all there.
