Loading User Commands:
[X] Patrol around the grounds again

---

The journey through the tunnel was arduous. Far longer than he imagined, he had to take breaks to rest and to eat. Several times along the way, his torch went out, forcing him to take a fresh one from his pack. He travelled for hours, and soon lost count.

Ever since he left that room, he hasn't met a single human: dead, living, or in-between, not even skeletons or decomposing bodies. That is the only reason why he decided to keep going.

He lost track of time long ago, but his rations serve as a reminder of his underground trek. He started with over a week's ration, and now he has only three days of supplies left.

"How many days more will it take to crawl out of this damn tunnel," he mutters to himself.

As if to answer him, the tunnel gradually gets damper. The earth sinks under his boots. Soon, he is sloshing around, knee-deep in mud and water. He goes on, as he sees a faint light ahead.

"Wonderful," he says, exasperated.

He steps out of the tunnel and looks around. The place looks like a swamp, or perhaps a marsh. It certainly smells like one, at least. Still knee-deep in water, he makes his way to a dry bank.

He considers relighting his torch, but the moon is illuminating the area quite well. Perhaps his eyes have adjusted to the tunnel darkness.

There seem to be two visible landmarks from where he is standing.

[ ] Head towards the building complex to the left.
[ ] Head towards the gargantuan tree to the right.
[ ] Head deeper into the swamp.

Loading User Commands:
[X] Bring the person's skull. Maybe you can talk to it when you're bored.

---

As Youmu finishes her nightly patrol, she pauses to enjoy the cool breeze.

"Peaceful," she says aloud.

She completed her rounds without encountering anything unusual. No intruders or uninvited guests. No signs of any new incident. Even the ghosts seem to be calm as they hover leisurely around.

A place that is neither heaven nor hell. She wonders idly at how such a junction can be so peaceful.

She arrives back at the entrance and takes a long look at the moon.

"Father, I wonder if you can see the same moon as I," she whispers.

Decades have passed since he left, and decades since she has taken up the sword as his successor. Is he still on his journey? Is he still in Gensokyo? Is he still alive?

Youmu shakes her head. This is just another test for her, after all.

She just needs to focus on her duty.

[ ] Check if Yuyuko is sleeping, then retire for the night.
[ ] Make some tea and enjoy the moonlight.
[ ] Patrol around the grounds again

Loading User Commands:
[X] Politely excuse herself and leave Yuyuko in the dining room.

---

He raises the glass to the dusty old skeleton before raising it to his lips.

Earlier, he managed to find this room, but not without trouble. After turning left, he had to navigate a number of tunnels. He encountered more of the undead, of course. He lost count of how many he had fought before finding this small haven. At the end, he used the key to open a heavy steel door.

"Lucky break," he mutters as he swirls the wine in his glass.

He takes a long look around the room again. It's clearly a large storeroom of some sort. Or perhaps it held something important in the past.

He feels like he just trapped himself inside. The skeleton in the corner doesn't make him feel much better.

"Well, at least I'll die of hunger or thirst instead," he says out loud.

He was able to find stores of food, water, and wine in the room, perhaps a supply worth a couple of weeks. He was also able to find a travelling pack, some rope, a lantern, and a few other tools. The first thing he did, of course, was to gather everything that could be useful. It was only afterward that he realized that he was trapped.

"So, why did you leave such good wine before you died? I even had my fill of old bread and meat! Did you know I was coming?"

The skeleton lies silent in the corner.

Suddenly, he realizes something odd. The room has food and drink. The steel door is strong enough to hold off the cursed creatures outside. How did this person die?

He shakes his head, trying to get sober. He walks up to the skeleton and examines it. By the looks of things, the person had been dead for a long time. He cocks his head as he notices something beside the skeleton. It looks like a page torn off a diary. He picks it up and reads.

"I think I know how to escape. I may be condemned as a heretic for this,
but I must do what I can to save these children. I am currently holding in
my hands a book that the Church was supposed to burn. I don't know
what I was thinking then, but something told me to keep it.

There is a ritual that can open a path to another world, but that place is
neither heaven, nor is it hell. Perhaps the children will have a better
chance at life there. No, I am sure that anywhere else is better than
the place where we stand.

However, this ritual has a heavy price. I only hope that the children find
a way to survive on their own. This is my last wish."

He rereads the note to be sure, then surveys the room again. There are no other skeletons or bodies. Does this mean there is a way out? And what did he mean by "another world"? He examines the room more carefully. In a few minutes, he discovered something behind the bookcase in the corner.

A long tunnel. It looks like a natural formation, but it is suspiciously large enough for a single human to go through.

He takes a moment to think. There is probably space left in his pack for one more thing.

[ ] Bring the silver candlestick on the table. It is a bit tarnished, but seems to be made of pure silver.
[ ] Bring a bottle of "Aesop's Hope" wine. A good wine and a good year.
[ ] Bring the person's skull. Maybe you can talk to it when you're bored.

Loading User Commands:
[X] Go left.

---

Yuyuko holds the bottle up and reads aloud, "Aesop's Hope".

"They have really good wine at the Outside, I'll have to remember to thank Yukari!"

Youmu sighs.

"You don't even remember what you had for breakfast," she says.

"Breakfast? No, I don't remember exactly but,"

Yuyuko reaches out and holds Youmu's hand.

"I remember it was tasty."

Youmu blushes red as she pulls her hand away. Yuyuko laughs at this as she sips her wine.

"You can't live in the past. You can't get stuck on all the little details. You gotta sieze each day like it was your last!"

"But, you are a ghost, Lady Yuyuko," Youmu counters.

"You need to take it easy once in a while," Yuyuko says. She takes another bite followed by another sip.

"B-b-but I need to maintain proper decorum at all times! It is my duty as your retainer."

Yuyuko puts down her glass and looks thoughtfully at the half-ghost.

"You are a fine retainer. But more than that, you are my companion and my close friend."

Yuyuko grips Youmu's shoulder tightly. She has a somber expression.

"You don't know how much that means to someone like me..."

Youmu looks down and sips her wine in silence.

"...After all, it's such a bother cooking and taking care of this place by myself," Yuyuko finishes.

Youmu chokes in surprise. She coughs violently as Yuyuko breaks out in laughter.

"R-r-really, I don't know how I put up with you," Youmu mutters.

She considers what to do next. She needs to start her night patrol soon.
[ ] Politely excuse herself and leave Yuyuko in the dining room.
[ ] Escort Yuyuko to her bedroom.
[ ] Stay with Yuyuko until she finishes.

Loading User Commands:
[X] French cuisine. Goes well with a good wine.

---

Butterflies. He feels like his stomach is full of butterflies. Sickly green creatures fluttering about from inside. He struggles to maintain composure, but to no avail. In the end, he walks to a corner, violently vomitting on the ground.

He wipes the blood off his sword with a rag as he catches his breath. He thought he was safe after barricading the door. He didn't think that some of them would be small enough to crawl in through the windows. He didn't think there would be so many of them, half the size of adults.

Like a plague, it spared no one. Not even children.

He has slain seven or eight of them, so far. The missing village children.

He takes a large iron key from his pocket and examines it closely. It seems to have some words engraved on it. While rust has coated most of it, a single word can still be read - "Hope".

During the short reprieve after he barricaded the door, he found this key behind the altar. Perhaps there is an escape tunnel beyond these crypts, just like those village rumors.

He pockets the key and picks up his dropped torch. He cautiously moves forward, sword at hand. The crypts seem to extend deep underground.

After several minutes of wandering, he arrives at a junction.

[ ] Go left.
[ ] Go right.

Loading User Commands:
[X] Enter the church.

---

"When's dinner? I'm huuungry!"

Youmu sighs as she heads toward the kitchen. Her gluttonous mistress must be satiated, after all.

A cool breeze blows over the open hallways. She closes her eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensation.

"It probably feels only half as good as it should," she says.

Despite this, she manages a slight smile as she peers out into the night. The full moon is unusually bright this evening. This side of the garden is calm, perhaps the other ghosts are congregating somewhere else? They usually make pests of themselves whenever they have the chance.

"Eh?"

Youmu stares as ghostly pink butterflies come into view. The insects flutter around the garden before heading in her direction. They pause to fly around her, as if giving a greeting, before finally flying off into the night sky. She continues look out into the sky long after they are out of view.

"Dinner! Dinner! I'm gonna die, uwaaaa!"

She gives a large sigh before walking onward. It seems her mistress is already waiting in dining room.

Youmu takes a moment to consider what to cook.

[ ] Japanese-style dinner. This is the standard fare.
[ ] Chinese cooking. She has only recently started learning.
[ ] Italian food. Pasta shouldn't be too difficult.
[ ] Custom

He draws his sword and slashes behind him in one sweeping movement.

Its head drops to the ground lifelessly. The body takes a few more steps forward before crumpling down on the ground.

He surveys the area. More seem to be approaching. Some seem to be climbing out of open graves.

A few seem to be former children.

In this open space, he will easily be surrounded.

He recalls the stories he heard about old churches. During the war, the villagers used them as sanctuary. Some of them even escaped using secret passageways in its crypts.

Two of them are shambling forward.

[ ] Keep fighting.
[ ] Enter the church.
[ ] Run for it.

He makes his way through the graveyard without incident. He stands in front of a small church.

"They said to come here, now what?," he asks himself.

He jerks up as he smells a horrid stench. It reminds him of old vomit, an outhouse, and of rotting flesh all at the same time.

Something is approaching him from behind.

[ ] longsword
[ ] crossbow
[ ] revolver

[X] Status
He is healthy. He is wearing a heavy leather jacket over his traveller's clothes. His boots are worn.

[X] Inventory
A longsword, forged with blessed steel. Looks expensive.
A medium crossbow. Use arrows of the right size.
(15) A silver-tipped crossbow bolt. Hurts when hit.
Colt Peacemaker, heavily modified. Loaded with six special rounds.

Thick air. Cloudy sky. Bad moon.

He remembers the rumors he heard as a kid. Monsters would come out during nights like these to steal the souls of the living. Bad kids who wandered around at night would get the attention of these monsters, and eventually they would vanish. Kids who played near the graveyards would be even worse off; they would go missing almost immediately, never to be found again. It is said that those who were spirited away like this faced a fate worse than death.

He chuckles. After all this time, he is still a bad kid.

He takes a moment to check his equipment.