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

Leave right away and catch up with Mario.


"Do you know where they were headed?" The woman nods.

"They followed the road to Moleville; just head on past the Pipe Vault and toward the mountains." She smiles cheerfully. "Does that mean you won't be staying for the party?" Toadstool nods.

"I'm afraid so. I would like to stay, but it's very important that we catch up to Mario as -" The innkeeper waves her hand and smiles.

"Oh, I understand, I understand. I think it's a good idea, too, and you're both suitably chaperoned, so nothing will go wrong." Toadstool blinks and cocks her head, puzzled; you hold down your laughter at the woman's assumption, leaving only a pure and innocent grin. The innkeeper stands up and curtsies. "I'll go make sure no one is watching, and then I'll go tell those gossips that they'd better not go spreading tales." She bows, eyes twinkling, and glides out of the inn, humming. Hatate stares at you suspiciously, and Toadstool looks back and forth with increasing confusion.

"Aya? What are you smiling about?"

"She's thinking about a scoop," Hatate says, peering at you as if that alone could grant access to your thoughts. "I just don't know what it's about." You maintain your innocent smile and stand up.

"Well, we want to catch up to Mario, don't we? We should leave quickly, then." You grab the bags and start walking toward the door. No one calls for you to stop, and a few seconds after you leave Hatate and Toadstool join you. As you walk a reasonable distance from Rose Town, to avoid being seen, you compose part of an article in your head. All of your articles are true, and if Toads are as worldly as humans, you have no doubts that the innkeeper thought Mario and Toadstool are planning to get married. Maybe you'll even actually write it, after some revision – maybe after actually seeing Marrymore? And until you actually meet Mario, you can only tell part of the story, anyway, so there's no point in doing anything more right now.

The camera comes out once more as you take wing, but you don't really expect to see anything worth shooting until you reach Mario. A few small forest birds watch you curiously as you fly over the well-maintained dirt road, and curious eyes hiding in the bushes peer out as well, but the flight is quite boring, to be honest. At least until lightning bolts flash down out of the clear blue sky. Hatate slows and looks at you questioningly, but you just fly ahead quickly: it might be something interesting! They follow behind you, and you glide down as the figures around the lightning strike reveal themselves. The human in blue and red, another human in a lighter blue, and a round fluffy thing. You snap a few pictures, but slow as you approach, finally stopping when you're a few dozen meters from the group – when the figure in light blue turned to look at you, you realized that it wasn't a human, but a doll. Alice will probably be quite interested.

"Mario! Mario, up here!" You wince and half-turn to watch as Toadstool waves energetically. Hatate shoots you a look for help, and you just wave for her to land. Toadstool scrambles out of her arms and rushes forward to embrace Mario. You lower your camera as the princess starts explaining things to him, and turn your attention to the doll and the other companion. It looks … almost like a solidified cloud. It wavers under the intensity of your stare – it's the one that called the lightning, you're sure – and the doll steps in front of it, sweeping its arm to the side in a warding gesture.

"Oh, don't mind Aya," Hatate says, peering around the doll from several wingspans to your right. "Wow. What are you?" You roll your eyes; she's at least as bad as you are!

"I think the same question could be leveled at you two," the doll says, and your eyes narrow. It's definitely strong, strong enough to actually be threatening to most youkai. A smile appears on your face as Toadstool releases Mario and finally notices the little stand-off happening. Mario bounces forward and faces his companion, shaking his head rapidly. An amazing pantomime occurs as he wordlessly explains the basics of Toadstool's tale … and the two accept it. "... I see. Still, you don't seem to be from … around here."


What do you do?

[ ] Go with Mario's party until you reach Moleville.
- [ ] Talk with Geno.
- [ ] Talk with Mallow.

[ ] Leave Mario's party and go:
- [ ] To the star-studded hill.
- [ ] To Bowser's Keep.

[ ] Other?


Note: By default, if you vote to stay with Mario for now, Aya will answer Geno affirmatively, but will evade if you decide to leave.

Go with Mario's party until you reach Moleville.
- Talk with Geno.


"We aren't," you say, smiling and shrugging. "We're from a place called Gensokyo. It's quite far away, and difficult to get to." Toadstool claps her hands quietly, drawing everyone's attention back to her.

"So, onward to Moleville? Will you be joining us, Aya?" You half-bow.

"If no one else minds, I would like to. It's good to stretch one's legs on a long walk, at least on occasion. Ah, my name is Aya, and this is Hatate." The doll nods slowly, but the little cloud-thing seems eager, now that you're confirmed to be friendly.

"My name is Mallow," he says, "and this is Geno! We're looking for Stars, to help fix the … uh, what was it again?" Mario jumps up, and nods his head before gesturing down the road. So, can he not talk, or does he just choose not to?

"Mario is right." Geno turns and walks along the road, but Mallow waits for you and Hatate to catch up.

"So what was with that big lightning show?" Mallow looks up at Hatate, seeming almost embarrassed, and scratches his head. You look down at him, then over him at Hatate. You do a quick play with eyes and hands – she'll stay here and talk with him, you'll go talk with Geno – and she nods.

"Well, we were just shooing away a bunch of Goombas," you hear Mallow say as you scoot forward. Geno glances at you as you fall into step next to him.

"I can't say I've ever heard of a place called Gensokyo, and I've heard of a lot of places." You smile and shrug again.

"I would actually be a little worried if you had. It's not, ah, traditionally accessible from here. But where are you from?" He nods, then points up.

"I'm from … above. As Mallow started to say, I'm here to help repair the Star Road. It was damaged when Smithy invaded, and without it, wishes won't come true." You peer at him.

"Wishes won't come true? What if … what if I wished that I don't trip in the next few minutes? Does that mean that I would trip, because the Star Road is broken?" He glares at you, and you stare innocently back. You walk on for a few more minutes, half-listening to Hatate charm Mallow's life story out of him. How did he ever get convinced he's a tadpole?

"... Are there more people like you where you come from?" You focus your attention back on Geno.

"Like me? Hm, that would depend on how you mean 'like me.' I also want to clarify my earlier question; of course, I don't really believe that nothing can happen if it's wished for, but … well, something being wished for won't necessarily come true just because it has been wished for. Or is that something that is the case here?" Geno nods, not in affirmation but in understanding.

"Hm. I suppose it can be a little confusing, if you look at it from an outside perspective. But the Star Road does do more than just signify that a wish has been granted. It is integral to the basic functioning of this world. In the short term, nothing may be noticeable, and 'wishes' may still be granted. But over time, the world will start to collapse, to fade away to nothingness and be replaced by nothing. Without the Star Road, the world will darken and become lifeless; all things wish to live, and without the Star Road allowing that fundamental wish to be granted …." He trails off and you nod soberly – but your attention isn't focused on his problem. Can the Star Road be used not for the good of this world, but to improve the lot of youkai? Could you take part of it and use its power for yourself? Or would you have to take all of it and set it up in Gensokyo? It would probably work in Gensokyo; Remilia and Flandre demonstrated that things from other worlds are quite capable of functioning in Gensokyo, so unless there's something inherent in this world that Gensokyo lacks and cannot replicate, it should work …. "Aren't you curious about me?" You finish your train of thought and look at Geno.

"You're a doll, probably sent by someone in charge of the Star Road to help fix it. Or is that wrong?" He stares at you, then shakes his head and laughs.

"I am not actually a doll; I simply took this form to more easily work on this world. I said I'm from 'above,' right? This isn't my real form, and 'Geno' isn't my real name. My real name is ♥♪⁉, but that's difficult for most beings here to pronounce, so I'm using the name of the toy I'm using as a body." Oh; that's actually a bit of a shame. Through your disappointment, however, curiosity shines through.

"Then you're a magician of some kind?" Geno frowns and gives you an odd look.

"That's not quite right, either. I suppose it's not terribly important to explain right now …." He looks down as he continues walking, probably lost in thought, and you look ahead. When the road dips, you see a rocky mountain ahead, and Toadstool claps her hands happily.

"Moleville! Oh, we should hurry, everyone!" She starts walking more briskly, and Mario and Mallow hurry to keep up. Geno maintains his steady pace, and you look back at Hatate. Like you, her notebook is out, and she isn't making too much of an effort to keep up, although she is walking a bit faster.


What do you do?

[ ] Move along after you reach Moleville.
- [ ] The star-studded hill.
- [ ] Bowser's Keep.

[ ] Ask the locals if there's anything interesting in the area.

[ ] Other?

Ask the locals if there's anything interesting in the area.


You hesitate, then keep up with Geno. Hatate can take care of herself, after all, and you're not that far from her. "So that's Mario," you say quietly, and Geno looks back at you.

"You've heard of him, then?" Like you, his voice is quiet; just reflecting you, or does he want to keep something private?

"A little, mostly from people here. He doesn't seem like much at first glance, though." Geno chuckles and looks forward to the hero ahead of you. Short, and not a particularly handsome man, anyway, he doesn't look like most conceptions of a hero you've come across. Of course, those are hardly all accurate, so ….

"No. But he's brave, and he is strong. Even if -" Geno stops himself and shakes his head, but you do nothing more than briefly glance at him; pestering him will likely only make him want to question you in turn, and that's not something you're keen on doing. Let the mysterious spirit keep its secrets for now. "He's also quite full of surprises. Will you be staying with us longer?" You make a show of thinking about it, then shake your head.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think we should. Our paths may cross again, though." He nods.

"I thought as much. In that case, I explained about the Star Road. The reason I'm down here is that when it was shattered, pieces of it fell to this world. They look, as you would expect, like stars, and they are necessary to rebuild the Star Road. If you happen to come across one during your journey, will you try to keep it safe?" You frown thoughtfully and nod slowly. Can he read minds, too, or is he just hedging his bets?

"I can't make any promises, but I think we'll be able to at least keep them safe for you." Without knowing what you might be facing or what they can do, that's really the only safe thing for you to say, and Geno seems to accept it.

"Thank you. If nothing else, keeping them out of Smithy's hands means that he can't use them for nefarious purposes." You almost question him about that, but should you? On the one hand, being curious about the Star Road might be normal, but asking about how to use its pieces for purposes other than the intended might be suspicious. Of course, he might be suspicious already, and just politely hiding it.


Moleville is, at first glance, rather shabby. The buildings all hardly deserve the name, being little more than stubby stone walls with thin metal A-frame roofs, and quite cramped. That, however, is merely the surface view, one perpetrated by the inhabitants. A couple of the children seem quite taken with your wings, however, and after gifting them with a few feathers, they lift a hidden trapdoor in the dusty wooden floor and show you the real home. Apart from the ladder and a couple tunnels, the rooms are quite spacious, with finely crafted furnishings. Despite being made for a rather rounder figure than your own, they're quite comfortable, too, and the children explain that the 'upstairs' are mainly used for things like cooking and dealing with outsiders, and most of the moles are happier underground than aboveground.

"Interesting stuff?" You nod at the mole-children.

"Yes. Uh, preferably not underground, if that's possible," you say, and smile congenially at the pouting brats. "Really, how many birds do you know of that like being underground? We can stand it for a little while, but we're happier when we can fly around without worrying about bumping into the walls, just like you're happier being surrounded by earth and stone." That soothes them, and they huddle to murmur among themselves, but the spokesmole quickly turns back to you with a shrug.

"We can't really think of many. The one place that we all really know is the mine. But we're not supposed to play in it, and all the adults are working there right now, anyway."

"Is that normal? For all your parents to work and leave you here by yourselves?" The mole-kids shake their heads vigorously and break into the rapid patois that led to them selecting a spokesmole in the first place.

"Naw, a pretty star -"
"Ma's us'ally home, but she's -"
"Dyna'n'Mite're in there -"
"- like ridin' th' carts -"
"Da's bombs're great!"

"Quiet!" The mole-kids flinch at the spokesmole's roar, and she glares at them for a long moment, until they shuffle their feet and mutter apologies, and then she smiles back at you. "Sorry. As we were saying, normally only some people are working, but two kids were playing in the mine, and when a star fell into the mountain, some of the tunnels collapsed. So everyone's parents are working as quickly as they can to reopen the mines so they can get Dyna and Mite out before anything happens to them. Even parents who don't usually work in the mine are up there, making sure everyone has food and taking care of things that don't involve the digging itself." You nod; the others had quickly hurried up to where the moles had created a makeshift camp. They might not be able to help much if there's digging involved, although Mario, at least, looks like he'd fit right in with the moles.

"But nothing else that you know of?" The spokesmole shrugs.

"Not really. Oh, I've heard the adults talk about Booster's Pass and the Pipe Vault, but mostly as places to avoid, because there are usually monsters there. There's the forest around the mountain, too, but I'm not sure there's much that's actually interesting there; it's just another place we're not supposed to go." She smiles sadly and shrugs again. "I'm sorry it's so boring around here." You click your tongue and reach forward to almost-bop her nose. Their noses could be quite sensitive, so you make sure to not actually hit her.

"Unless you actually think it is boring, don't say that," you say sternly. "There might be many things that you like that I don't find interesting, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong – either with me or with Moleville." The spokesmole nods somberly at your gentle scolding, then smiles, but before she can respond, one of the younger moles tugs her dress, and they hold a whispered conversation. You wait patiently, and despite a few frowns, the spokesmole turns back to you.

"We could show you were the previous Molevilles were," she says, and you cock your head. "Nitro here, his father has a map that shows the mountains that were mined out by earlier generations of moles. The would just be more towns like this one, only abandoned, and we don't really know what's there anymore." Probably not completely abandoned, not unless they completely collapsed the entire network there, but there probably won't be any civilized things there. You smile and nod, and the mole-kids seem to sigh collectively, relieved that they didn't fail you. The little mole – Nitro – nods jerkily and starts scurrying back to the ladder. "Come on; if anyone doesn't see us for too long, we might get in trouble. We're supposed to keep this secret, after all." You share her conspiratorial grin and follow the moles up the ladder. As you step back into the warm sun, Hatate pounces on you, eyes full of worry.

"Aya! Where were you? I checked – I checked all mph-!" You smile at the mole-children as you hold your hand over Hatate's mouth.

"I'll be right with you, don't worry." They scurry on, and you note which home they enter before releasing Hatate. "Anything interesting?" She works her mouth a few times, glowering at you, then huffs.

"Yes. The moles are all worked up over a cave-in that trapped a miner and some kids, so they couldn't really tell me anything. The others went into the mine through some upper path the moles can't get to easily." She looks around, then lowers her voice. "So I was flying around the mountain, looking for anything interesting – Aya, Bowser is nearby. Other side of the mountain, near the base. He's got a small army with him, too. Do you think he caused that cave-in?" You frown; the moles did say that a star fell into the mountain and caused a cave-in, but that doesn't mean that Bowser didn't cause it. Even if he did, though, what would be the point? Unless he knew Mario was coming and wanted him out of the way for some reason …. You shake your head.

"He might have, but it might just be a coincidence. You didn't tell anyone, right? Good, let's keep it that way." You march toward the mapper's home, Hatate following, and the mole-kids surround her as soon as she enters, admiring her wings and long hair. You smile and shake your head as she falls for their attempts at charm – but at least they're better than tadpoles. "Sorry about that," you say, but the spokesmole shakes her head as Nitro hops onto a chair to unfold two maps on the table.

"We almost thought they'd been lost, actually, but his dad just moved them to get the maps of the mine here, in case they need to dig out more than they expect." The maps aren't old or new, and Nitro, his voice quivering nervously, explains how they relate to each other and the rest of the world, and together he and the spokesmole tell you a bit about the history of the moles: five Molevilles, each established on a rich mountain and each lasting for several generations of moles. Centuries of history, and you think back to your time in the Mushroom Kingdom's library. Hmm …. "Ooh, that's pretty!" You smile at her as she stares at your own hand-drawn map, then quickly tear out a clean sheet.

"Hold still, you two," you say, then quickly sketch them, Nitro on the chair and Pop standing next to him, the maps spread out in front of them. After you turn it over, you're quite convinced that moles cannot blush, but Nitro taps his fingers together chatteringly as Pop darts around the desk to give you a hug. "Alright, you two be good, okay?" They nod, and Pop ruffles the top of Nitro's head as they study the picture together. Hatate looks positively ecstatic, at least until you pull her away from the mole-kids, who chorus a goodbye and wave the tokens of their victory over Hatate. She's quite lucky she doesn't actually need those feathers to fly, and that they'll grow back fairly soon anyway.


What do you do?

[ ] Go see Bowser.
- Anything to talk about?

[ ] Go to the first Moleville.

[ ] Go to Bowser's Keep.

[ ] Go to the star-studded hill.

[ ] Other?