Tengu Reporter Quest (Touhou) (World 7 - Wheel of Time)

Stay with Beefeater and talk with her about the other knights.


"You're pretty good," Beefeater says casually, and you smile wryly at her – as if you didn't know what sort of compliment she just gave you. "So there are better swordsmen where you come from, right?" She isn't looking at you, but you can see her eyes shining as she examines her swords, checking them for damage.

"Oh, yes, there are much better warriors than me where I come from. If we get the chance, would you like me to introduce you to some of them?" The wild knight freezes, a grin fighting to stretch her mouth across her face, but then she shakes herself and frowns.

"... If it doesn't get us into trouble – but since you're a spy from Diabo, and from somewhere that might not be in the Empire proper, that'd be hard, wouldn't it?" You smile at her and shrug.

"It depends on how things turn out," you say. Certainly, some of the old swordmasters would love to get their talons into someone like her: young enough to be amenable to change, quick and strong enough to be worth training, and overwhelmingly eager. You jot a few notes down in your notebook; even if you can't get someone else interested, you should be able to at least get Momiji or another of the outside guards to spar with her a bit – finding such an interesting place and securing local aid would be quite the accomplishment. You turn back to find her already at work with a whetstone, working on the edge of the sword she used. "I don't suppose you'd mind telling me a bit about the others? Nothing important, of course …." Her frown returns, and she doesn't look at you, but then she shrugs.

"Eh, why not? I mean, I really can't tell you a whole lot that you can't find out just by paying attention for a bit, because I don't really do the same things they do. They're all proper nobles, really – even Hami's got a head full of stuff I never learned, 'cause she's been brought up to be Piña's companion, so she knows all sorts of diplomatic and etiquette and courtesy stuff." You nod, then cock your head interestedly as you take a seat at a stool.

"But you're a noble too, aren't you? You said you weren't legitimate, but your father was still a marquis, and you are here …." She pauses, a somewhat dreamy smile on her face.

"Ah, yeah … I mean, don't get me wrong, my dad cared about me, and he made sure we were taken care of. He'd probably have adopted me, but his wife wouldn't hear it, wouldn't let him potentially displace any of her kids. Don't blame her for that, either. But everywhere I went, people knew who I was, or learned pretty quick, so I didn't bother trying to fit in." Which probably didn't work out too well, either; people wouldn't think that she was trying to be sensible, they'd have thought that she thought she was better than them. She reflects for a moment, then shrugs. "If Piña hadn't started this Order, or if I hadn't gotten in the first wave, I'd probably have had a bad time of it, but I fit here. And since I was close to Piña, no one wanted to try anything unless they could prove that I had started it first – which never happened. Proving it, I mean." She grins cheekily at you, and you shake your head.

"Did anyone here give you any trouble before things took off?" She thinks for a moment, then shakes her head.

"Nah. The first two years were pretty laid-back – more a social club with some fighting practice mixed in. Grey'd tell us stories, too, which were pretty fun. And, uh, Piña swore me to secrecy on some stuff that I caught her doing a few times, so I got to know her pretty quick. Not well, but I think she kept an eye on me even before things got serious." She pauses again, not even working on her sword, and you wait quietly. She's thinking about what to say, you don't need to push her. A few seconds later, she looks back at the edge of her sword and gets back to work. "Everyone respects and loves Piña, of course. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for that, and most of us probably would've never met each other and become friends if it weren't for the Order. Oh, sure, Nikolasha and Shandy already had their little crushes on Bozes and Panache, and they might've become friends over that if they hadn't met here, but there's no way I'd have made friends with Bozes if it weren't for the Order putting us together. … Is it always so hard to talk about things like this?" You chuckle and grin when she looks over at you, and you pat the table for her to sit across from you.

"It can be, if you aren't the sort of person who already thinks about these kinds of things – especially out of the blue like this, without any warning or time to prepare. It's usually easier to just answer questions. Like … oh, why is Bozes your superior? Aren't you the better fighter?" A smile splits her face and she nods.

"Oh, yes, I'm a much better fighter than she is. And that's why she's in charge and I'm not. I'm not bad at command or telling people what to do, but she's better at it, she sees what's happening and how to react with a group of people better than I do. So I'm her champion, either her bodyguard or the one who leads the charge into the enemy, and she's the one who directs the Yellow Knights. Well, she would be, if those idiots would let us actually fight." You smile helplessly as she glowers in the direction of the capital.

"And who's the better commander? Bozes or Panache?" She leans back, thinking to herself, then shakes her head.

"That doesn't work. Panache is the better rider, and the White Knights tend to be more mobile and have a few more archers than Bozes's squadron, but our direct fighting power is higher. They're the same at commanding, and I wouldn't be able to say which squadron would win without more information about the fight. Like, if you just smash them together, we would win, because I'd be there and we're better suited for a drawn-out melee. But they're better in a chase, or in really rough terrain. And Piña is about the same as them at commanding, but I think she knows more about other groups, so she'd be better at commanding a mixed-group than either Bozes or Panache." You lean your pen into the table, then study Beefeater's sword. It's plain and unadorned, while the blades of her companions seem to have decorations – roses, usually, or even just delicate designs across a handguard. But her armor is decorated; perhaps not as much as her superiors', but there are rose-designs on the arm and chest pieces. Ah, she probably just goes through swords frequently, or else is prepared to lose them.

"So, after Piña and Bozes, who are you closest to?" Beefeater starts to respond, then blinks and stares at you for a long moment before leaning forward and resting her chin in her hands, deep in thought.

"... Probably Niko. She adores Bozes, so we're around each other a lot, and she tries real hard to work on her fighting. Probably so she doesn't lose as badly as that first time we fought, but also so she can protect Bozes if I'm not around." She looks up at you and shakes her head. "No, no – it was during that first tournament. She had to go up against me, and I think I went a little rougher on her than I needed to. Well, Norma did try to get me to throw the match because I wasn't as high-ranking as her, since I'm not legitimate, so I was making a point to him and everyone else." She trails off, thinking, and you wonder how you should continue. On the one hand, asking for their chain of command once the top leadership is out of the picture is usually pretty rude, but you are openly acknowledged as being a spy – so maybe you can get away with it? Then you look to the side and see Hatate, Suissesse, and Hamilton all walking together, and both Hatate and Suissesse have bows. Oh, now that might be interesting …. "Oh! If Suissesse is here, then the archery contests are done! That means the melee is starting! Sorry, I have to go!" Beefeater slows only enough to make sure she has all her equipment, then bolts toward the tournament arena. You watch her run in full armor, then turn to the paddock where a few horses seem oblivious to the world. One even still has its saddle and other riding gear on. Well, it's not that far … it might've been a conscious decision.


What do you do?

[ ] Go see what Hatate is up to.

[ ] Go back to watch the individual combats.
- [ ] Back to Piña.
- [ ] Find another vantage point.
- [ ] Keep up with Beefeater.

[ ] Stay where you are for a while.

[ ] Other?

Go back to watch the individual combats.
- Back to Piña.


… Hatate can take care of herself, and while learning about her interest in archery could be worthwhile, now that you're actually aware of it, you can just ask her. Piña, on the other hand, is a limited asset, and she might well discover your lack of a relationship with her brother sooner rather than later. If, say, an actual spy of his enters the camp. Therefore, it is in your best interest to gather information from and about her as soon as possible. With a last look at the archers as they head off to one side – Hatate seems to be studying her bow with a significant degree of interest – you follow after Beefeater, at least until you reach the arena itself. She makes her way to the short side, where the fighters wait, while you slip around for the long side where Piña is sitting. She and the older knight look back at you as your geta tap against the wooden floor of the platform, and you smile and bow your head. "Did you find Beefeater?" You nod at Grey as you take your seat, making sure you can see the fighters below. After all, just because you've gauged the caliber of their best fighter doesn't mean you know everything about their styles of combat. Particularly, fighting with two long weapons is rare among humans, and you'd like to know more about what the others are more likely to use. Sure enough, the two knights below are both armed with sword and shield.

"I did, and we talked a little." Piña looks at you, an eyebrow raised.

"You and Beefeater talked? I'm surprised she agreed to it; normally she would simply shrug off anything she found boring." You smile a bit and shrug.

"Well, she tried, but I asked about her fighting technique, and she told me a bit about her history with the Order. Ah, she did say something about a Niko. That would be the same Nikolasha you mentioned, that might be able to get to the end since Beefeater isn't participating in the normal combats?" Piña stares at you, surprised at either your memory or that you got the wild knight to open up – but she hasn't read your notebook, so of course she can't know what you've written down so you don't have to rely on faulty memory. You cock your head and give her a curious look, and she blinks and looks back down at the arena and the two cautiously sparring fighters. They circle, probe each other's defenses, attempt a rigorous offense, then break off to repeat the cycle. Maybe you should be paying more attention to their technique?

"Yes, they are both in the Yellow Knights under Bozes," Grey says, seemingly indifferent to … whatever actually is bothering the princess. "And they get along rather well." You start to ask him about their relationship, but a burst of activity below draws your attention as one of the knights ducks forward to catch her opponent's shield with the bottom point of her own, leveraging it away and scoring a solid strike on the other knight's back. Useless against the armor, of course, but against a lightly-armored foe, it would probably work. The audience applauds and cheers as the knight presses her advantage, kicking away her opponent's sword and dropping forward to slam her shield against the other's. It's a little difficult to follow the scuffle, but after a moment the attacker stands, raising her shield and a dagger victoriously, while the other knight slowly climbs to her feet, offering the victor back their sword before retrieving their own.

"Hm. Good initiative, but I'm not sure about her choice of tactics. Grey?" The advisor nods sternly.

"Yes, it was effective in this situation, but it won't be useful in most. It relies on a one-on-one situation, with those specific shield types – it wouldn't work against the shields used by the Imperial Army, for example, because they can simply let go. Likewise, most infantry of the non-human races that use shields prefer gripped shields; currently it's only Imperial Knights and cavalry that favors strapped shields." Piña nods and leans forward.

"A tactic that is only useful against opponents we are quite unlikely to face, in a situation we are unlikely to be in. Still, if she thought it up right there while in the fight, it could be promising. Ah, and there's Nikolasha," she smiles as the next pair of combatants enter, one carrying a long axe and the other a single sword wielded with two hands. That looks like it might be useful; the hilt is a bit long, and the balance is probably off, but it's at least the right length for you. The knights bow Piña and then each other, and you watch them carefully. The swordswoman's stances and guards are weird, but the blade dances in her hands as she knocks the axe out of alignment.

"Isn't that dangerous? Weapons like that axe should be able to hurt people even through armor, so either you're risking someone's life, or whoever wants to use a weapon like that has to intentionally fight worse than they can." Again Piña looks at you in surprise, although this time it isn't as sharp, and she nods as she looks back at the fighters.

"It can be, but Nikolasha is very good, and I know she keeps blunted weapons for training." She sighs quietly. "And we have had some bad injuries during these combats – strikes deflecting into the face, or sliding into gaps in the armor, or, as you said, effective weapons simply being used without enough care to avoid injuring the other competitor. But we've all been trained on what to do for the injured, and no one has been killed." Grey huffs.

"We've been very lucky, and no one has been crippled to the point that they can no longer serve in the Order." The sword knight skips to one side as the axe thrusts toward her, and she reaches out to grasp the haft, yanking it and pulling the other knight off-balance. Piña sighs as the axe-wielding knight admits defeat.

"Poor Niko; she's quite good with a sword, I really don't understand why she continues trying to use an axe in these tournaments." You watch the defeated knight trudge to the viewing stands across from you, and Bozes raps the girl's helmet. After a brief chastisement, the captain's face splits into a smile, and Nikolasha marches smartly to return her weapon. You turn your attention to the next set of combatants.


You study the meat on your plate carefully, then dive in, much to Piña's amusement. The sauce and spices make it taste very different, but it's definitely ordinary deer meat. Hatate winces and delicately eats her own meal of fish. "Come on, Suissesse, open up. Aah~ That's good." The archer chews quietly, then stares at you. "Um, I think she's curious about whether you're as good as Hatate is." You give your companion a pointed look, and she wilts. The other members of the Order's command staff watch you curiously, especially Beefeater, and you shrug.

"I have no idea if I'm as good as Hatate is. I know I'm not as good as Miss Suissesse is, though." Hatate gulps.

"And I … um, on that last shot, I just go really lucky," she says meekly, but the knight-archer sniffs disdainfully and starts to rise, only for Hamilton to pull her back down.

"No! You're going to eat the rest of your food and then you're going to sit and watch the rest of the tournament." The girl has very remarkable expressions, but after a few seconds she resigns herself to obeying Hamilton, who suddenly realizes everyone is now watching her and blushes before absorbing herself in her own meal. You shake your head and think back on the first part of the combats; you spent much of the time asking Piña and Grey about the competing knights, or about her other subordinates. And then Hatate came slinking in, followed by Hamilton and the shocked Suissesse. You didn't hear quite the whole story, but apparently Hatate managed to hit the target several times, at a range that Suissesse managed to actually miss the target. You'll have to get the full story sometime soon, but for now you're stuck watching the tournament, and since she's feeding you, you can't really leave any time soon. Your eyes flick over to the danger, but Beefeater no longer seems to be paying you much attention in particular. Now, is that better, or worse …?


What do you do?

[ ] Ask Piña about the cavalry drills her forces go through.

[ ] Try to preemptively defuse Piña's suspicions about your and Hatate's capabilities.

[ ] Ask Piña about what kinds of enemies she expects her Order to fight, when they're finally released.

[ ] Other?


Note: Unless specified otherwise, questions etc will take place during the resumption of the tournament.

Ask Piña about what kinds of enemies she expects her Order to fight, when they're finally released.


"I've noticed you paying quite a lot of attention to the food," Piña says, and you glance at her curiously. "Were you expecting something fancier?" You smile at her not-quite-smirk and shake your head.

"I simply enjoy new things, and I also believe that what a person eats can tell you about that person." Hatate shoots you a suspicious look – if Piña noticed, then she certainly did – but the princess's smirk turns decidedly nasty. Of course, having eaten at the Scarlet Devil's with modest frequency, what you consider exceptionally good is probably a higher bar than most places would be able to reach.

"Is that so? Have you ever had the military's emergency rations?" The other knights all stiffen almost fearfully, and Grey gives Piña a look that she doesn't even notice. You think for a moment, then shake your head.

"I haven't – at least, not what you're referring to. I was under the impression that soldiers tended to eat at least as well as common citizens. No sense antagonizing your own soldiers with bad food, after all." The princess nods sagely.

"It is true, the soldiers usually eat as well as the Empire can afford to have them. But I called them emergency rations for a reason: they were developed so that even in the case of terrible weather, or an inability to preserve food for some reason, that soldiers would have enough to eat. It's a … boiled mixture of oats and a very hard white bean." She looks contemplative for a moment, then shudders. "It tastes like diarrhea." Something catches in Hatate's throat and she starts coughing. You frown at your steak, then take a deliberate bite and smile at Piña as you chew.

"... If you'd like to have some, Your Highness, I would be honored to share it with you." The look of utter horror on her face is blissful, and you savor it for a moment. And while you doubt the idea that nothing can be done to improve on it, if they truly are so vile, perhaps some gaki will look forward to it. "In all seriousness, however, if it does serve as food, then it serves its purpose. And if the soldiers are forced onto it due to enemy action, then they will fight all the harder against that enemy. Of course, it can also be used immorally, by a ruler attempting to alienate a noble by blaming that one for the disruption in supplies that would reduce the troops to eating such fare." She gives you an odd look, as if surprised that you were able to come up with such a thought, and you raise your fork. "To the brave soldiers of the Empire, who conquered a continent on the back of emergency rations." Despite the shudders of revulsion that ripple across the table, the nobles and Grey all echo your sentiment, then look at the foods they're lofting. Now, how likely is it that the 'emergency rations' see a lot more use at the lower levels of society?


The meal ends and the tournament resumes. The eight remaining melee combatants will have their final duels, the victor determined, and then Beefeater will get her own bout with them. You watch as the matches continue, the knights all conventional fighters with swords, although two have shields while the others use a single weapon held in a two-handed grip. Some of the stances are actually quite similar to ones you know, and some of the strikes as well. Although you can't recall ever seeing, or even reading about, using the hilt of the sword as a weapon in its own right …. As Beefeater relentlessly hammers at her opponent, you look at Piña. "Your Highness, may I ask what sort of enemies you believe your Order will fight?" You ignore the looks of her subordinates, watching only her delicate features slip into a thoughtful frown.

"The enemies of the Empire, of course." You smile and shake your head, then gesture at the fight below.

"You set your knights upon each other to train them – and, true, many warriors train among their own groups. But it's as Grey said earlier: the equipment and tactics your knights use are used by your knights. What sort of enemies do you really think you will fight, once you are finally allowed onto the field of battle?" She remains quiet, drumming her fingers on the arm of the chair, and Hamilton glowers at you, flinching only momentarily when you turn your gaze to her. Such a brave little girl; you want to pat her head and send her off to bed with her favorite snack. The melee combats finally finish, and Piña stands to leave the platform. Frowning, you follow along with the others – weren't there two more events?

Your confusion is eliminated upon reaching the edge of the campsite, where you see the two flags, one blue and one green, set atop smaller hillocks, with two middling-sized squadrons of knights warding them. One group looks to be led by Sir Norma, the other by Lady Panache – the same two knights who began the tournament. But of course, with a hundred mounted knights attempting to wrest control of flags from each other, the territory enclosed by the arena is much too small; even if they simply charged at each other and fought to defeat, it would quickly become very congested, while this allows for maneuvering and tactics to come into play. Norma's squadron separates into modest blocks of a dozen knights each, while Panache's instead split into five groups of ten. Piña finally speaks as the two squadrons begin moving. "Truthfully, I don't expect that we'll be sent anywhere except against rebels – other humans. Those are forces that will obviously be inferior to ours, and won't have special abilities we need to take particular care about. They are also the most likely to avoid killing us out of hand; it's one thing for rebels to slaughter common soldiers in an ambush, but if they were to murder nobles, they would be unable to hope for any kind of survival once the Empire retaliates." She sighs as three of Panache's squads combat two of Norma's in the open, greater numbers and better angles pushing them toward victory as their commander leads the fourth toward the groups defending Norma's flag. Surely she doesn't expect to be able to take it with ten knights against twenty-six …. "Against elfs and their magic, or dwarfs in their fortresses, or any of the other major demihumans … no, we won't be sent against them unless they're utterly broken and nothing is left to do but round up survivors and run down the escapees. Too much risk of noble families losing their precious daughters." She sounds bitter, and Hamilton pats her shoulder comfortingly. After recognizing her subordinate, she calms down, even smiles gently for a moment. "But I didn't start this Order for personal fame or glory. I'm already the Emperor's daughter – how much higher can I really go? Even if the nine people above me all died, I doubt I'd be allowed to rule the Empire uncontested. No, I created the Rose Knights to prove that women can defend the Empire as well as men. That we don't need to be coddled and held back just because we aren't men. If that means we can only fight 'approved' enemies – so be it. We will have proven that we can fight, and the barriers against us will be that much more weakened. We will be able to say, 'We have fought before – let us fight again!' And the Senate and the Army will have no choice but to let us, because we will have shown that we are capable of warfare, as well as they are!" Hamilton claps her hands, and you're certain that if you could see her face there would be stars in her eyes, and Piña looks embarrassed for a moment, then smiles, and you turn your head to see the remains of Panache's three striking groups plow into Norma's defenders as his final group charges for his opponent's flag. But her ten will be able to hold off his twelve, while Panache's attacking forces outnumber his to a degree that he wouldn't be able to block them all even if he weren't out of position, so the end is a foregone conclusion. Beefeater claps her hands and grins gleefully.

"Well, Piña, are you ready to go?" You blink at them as the princess nods before looking at her advisor.

"Grey, you don't mind watching over them?" He bows.

"Of course not, Your Highness. Go, and compete well." You watch her walk off with her companions, leaving you and Hatate alone with Grey. She did say that the final event would be smaller groups of knights attempting to capture each other. So she will be participating in that herself, will she? Grey sighs and rolls his shoulders as Panache congratulates her forces.


What do you do?

[ ] Talk to Grey about the Rose Order and his history with it.

[ ] Talk to Grey about the chances of Piña actually succeeding and forcing recognition for female soldiers.

[ ] Get Hatate to tell you exactly what happened with Suissesse and why she thought it was a good idea.

[ ] Other?