Zao (narrating): You know, I used to be the only member in the Shinjuku Wandervogel club. Not for lack of TRYING mind you, but it was okay because the MOUNTAINS talked to me! In retrospect I thought that time period would go on forever, with me being a school slacking mountain hobo. But then I got new kouhais in the club! And then I reached the top of the mountain and the end of the road.
Zao: I still can't hear the mountains up here, and there's nowhere else higher to go. I wanna stay here, not graduate and go away. I wanted to believe things would never end, but that's just wishful thinking on my end. The march of time SUCKS! Hey, would I get a do-over if I mess everything up?
Still no response from the mountains.
Zao: I don't know what to do, but I'm pretty sure I'd do anything if there was a chance to go back in time to where I first met you, Kouhai.
Rewind to before the rescue dispatch from last time! Meeting time at the tram station.
MC: Are we here to go over the event plot?
Engima: Yes. Investigation has uncovered things but raised further questions. I'd like us to to share information, incompetent though you may all be.
MC: RUUUUDE / Hi I'm Incompetent / Keep that a you-and-me thing mkay
---
(C) Enigma: ...ahem, understood. Please try your best, Master Useless.
---
Zao: We should talk about the overworld shift first. It...used to be not as bad. Well, for hikers I guess?
MC: literally what
Zao: Stop getting on my case, Kouhai!
Kumano Gongen: Can I go first, Captain? I wanna bring up how MANY people got into accidents and incidents up here, and I think that's what Zao meant by not so bad.
Chernobog: Are you saying the mountains are actively trying to hurt people?
Zao: No! Well, not the mountains I knew. Maybe the time scales they're working on is different from ours?
Chernobog: ...I see, thank you Captain.
Himavat: :slight_smile:
MC: (what's Himavat getting so happy about?)
Kumano: This is gonna sound weird for me, but maybe what's going on is actually our side's fault and not the mountains?
Xi Wang Mu: Huh, feeling guilty is so you. Go on.
Kumano: Could you not? This just feels familiar. Like, every problem we came across came from people hiking up a different mountain than they thought they were. They couldn't all have not noticed, but maybe they just saw what they wanted to see? But then some mountains can't be boiled down to just their unique bits...
Himavat: (stares)
MC: (wait why is Himavat staring at me)
Kumano Gongen: Uhhhh shit what was I saying? Captain, take over for m--Captain?
Himavat: (frown)
Himavat: Oh! Excuse me I was thinking about stuff. Were we talking about Zao's nice gut?
Zao and Kumano: NO????
Bigfoot: Hmm. Everyone, different thought focus.
Enigma: I shall go over our investigation results then. I've added the new strata we have encountered and confirmed the event singularity is expanding.
MC: So every mountain is linked to one of the other worlds...
Enigma: I've lost almost all contact with our starting position. Wifi connection is untenable. There is also evidence part of the investigation party has seen something unusual. I have detected heavy electromagnetic waves, though possible correlation is unknown.
Zao and Kumano: !!
Later
Tanngrisnir: !!
MC: did you guys feel that too
Enigma: Yes, specifically Zao, Himavat, Kumano Gongen, and MC.
Durga: Uhhhh...oh, they all have Gongen in their names!
MC: Only two of us! BTW what's it mean
Zao: Oh right I never told you. Well does anyone else not know?
MC: (shake head) / are you brothers? / I FEEL YOUR SMUG AURA MOCKING ME
---
(B) Durga: OMG really???
Kumano: Nah. If we were, that would suck bad.
(C) Zao: I'm trying to be serious here!
---
Zao: Okay so there's different kinds of Gongens, but Kumano and I are fusions between mountains and people or Transients. Me with Mt. Zao and Kumano with Mt. Kumano.
MC: So Himavat is... / So Bigfoot is... / So Chernobog is...
(A) Himavat: Oh I'm not actually a mountain fusion.
(B) Bigfoot: Bigfoot Gongen???
(C) Chernobog: Bald Mountain Gongen?
Zao: What? Gongen's not something you just slap on willy-nilly.
Kumano Gongen: People also call me Kumano Sansho Gongen. It's both a faith term and what you call a person/dragon/mountain fusion. I'm a human soul, a half dragon body, and a dragon's artifact put together, which is arguably a living mountain according to some people.
Himavat: I see. You're wondering what Gongen has manifested in this singularity?
MC: So...Mt. Hakone's soul or personality whatever changed?
Zao: Mt. Hakone seems to be drowned out by other voices. I can't prove it though. What do you think, Kouhai?
MC: I believe you of course / talking to mountains is all you're good at so yeah
---
(C) Zao: RUUUUDE
---
Zao: ...thanks Kouhai.
Enigma: ...if Mt. Hakone really is one terminal in a cluster system in this analogy, bringing it to the fore is likely impossible.
MC: what
Enigma: Call it a futuristic application of majority rule. Think of how a mind hive could be called a godlike being normal people could actually talk to.
Xi Wang Mu: Hey, we should go soon! Which way?
Enigma: ...too many unknowns, not enough time to discuss. Majority rule it is.
Later
Kumano: So. We split up like this because we couldn't come to a majority decision.
Zao: Guys, if anyone doesn't find those SOS callers, go on ahead to the top to wait for everyone else!
MC: Okay! You aren't coming back?
Q'ursha: If these are the mountains I know, the paths don't follow normal physics. They only connect up top.
Zao: Also we're in a singularity. Going down is dangerous. Climbing higher is more reliable.
Kumano Gongen: So Captain, who do you think will find those people needing help?
Himavat sounds confident.
Himavat: MC and Tanngrisnir. Conceptual conditions matching for Kitezh's legends about a mountain hero and a magic animal.
Kumano: Aww. Then can we get a move on for the top?
Himavat: You seem to be butting heads with MC a lot. But Zao will get to the top first because that's his thing. But shortest way up doesn't always lead to the highest peak.
Kumano: Zao beating me to the top is whatever. Just don't want to lose to MC.
Xi Wang Mu: Ooh, you care a lot about MC!
Kumano: wait what
Xi Wang Mu: You actually said you don't like them even though you couldn't say it to Kiyohime or whoever it was.
Kumano: uhhhhh
Xi Wang Mu: I know you think it's easier for everyone to hate you, but you wouldn't say that to people you want to be equals with.
Kumano: wait WHAT
Later
Durga: Wait, you shouldn't split off, Captain!
Zao: I'll be fine, I trust you guys. We need to find those people quick, and my class--actually can we just do this? Sorry, I want to help you guys, the people, and the mountains.
And so Zao walks off alone into the event singularity. He gets to the top first as Himavat said. He tries to talk to the mountains again, but...
Zao: ...wait, who are you? Are you the mountain I know? And why do you look like that!?
It's a fake MC who seems really big and giving off WRONG vibes! Imposter! Faker! Something of unequal status that turns into a wyvern!
Zao: Say something!
Very faint Mt. Hakone vibes.
Zao: Did you do something to Kouhai!?
Zao steps forward! He then gets flooded by wyverns!
Elsewhere
Kumano Gongen: Hey wait there's suddenly tons of dragons up top!
Giant hole opens up beneath Kumano!
Kumano: !!
Elsewhere
Q'ursha: ...this is the seven mountains of my home world.
The mountains connected to the timeline, the gods, and snakes. Also there's a hole at the top.
Kumano Gongen: ...Kiyohime?
Everyone falls into the sky hole!
Meanwhile, MC's subteam reaches the top with the SOS group from last time!
MC: Plot Sword activate! (swings) Senpaiiii!
MC reaches the top! Zao is there! Along with...
MC: whomst
And so Zao walks in to hell or something.
End of Episode part
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