Nue Quest 4th Ignition: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

>"Besides, what guarantee do I have that they would ignore me otherwise, hmm? If half of what you're saying is true, this is a real problem. I don't want to just have to sit here and hope they overlook me, while who knows what else goes on around me."

> "So Nue disappears while I'm rounding up my posse."

>"Don't think it'd work," says Tewi. "Force doesn't mean anything against this. I keep telling you, this isn't a thing you can fight. Just go home and stop worrying about it."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "You want me to go home, forget this ever happened, and let Gensokyo descend into a land full of looting and rioting due to an obliterated economy?"

[DracoOmega]

>"You say I could be calling into an unbreakable contract with someone against my wishes at any time, but don't worry about it? Oh, sure, who cares about something like that, right? No biggie."

[Hello Purvis]

> "You want me to go home, forget this ever happened, and let Gensokyo descend into a land full of looting and rioting due to an obliterated economy?"

>"You say I could be calling into an unbreakable contract with someone against my wishes at any time, but don't worry about it? Oh, sure, who cares about something like that, right? No biggie."

>"Well, given the only thing you've even said has been doing the same thing as trying to fistfight old age," says Tewi, "It won't a difference either way except for what happens to you."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I'd rather go down swinging than prolong my undoing by abandoning my family and hiding in the forest like a coward."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I'd rather go down swinging than prolong my undoing by abandoning my family and hiding in the forest like a coward."

>"You sound like a kid who's never seen battle acting like they don't fear death," says Tewi.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"It's hard to plan how to stop something you know almost nothing about, y'know. And are you really comparing them to something like old age? Some sort of cosmic inevitability? Hell, we both know even that one's not quite so inevitable, either. I refuse to believe whatever this is is unstoppable. I've heard that one before."
>"Is it a fair thing to assume that this contract is magically enforced, if you were convinced they'd know, even if you only spoke of it in a closed room?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"It's hard to plan how to stop something you know almost nothing about, y'know. And are you really comparing them to something like old age? Some sort of cosmic inevitability? Hell, we both know even that one's not quite so inevitable, either. I refuse to believe whatever this is is unstoppable. I've heard that one before."
>"Is it a fair thing to assume that this contract is magically enforced, if you were convinced they'd know, even if you only spoke of it in a closed room?"

>"You know I can't answer that either way, right?" says Tewi

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Do we still have our trident with us?

[Hello Purvis]

> Do we still have our trident with us?

>Yes.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "...Is Mystia one of those that unknowingly owes?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "...Is Mystia one of those that unknowingly owes?"

>"She'd almost have to be," says Tewi. "I can't imagine she avoided it."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "What about the Buddhists? Or the kids from the outside world?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "What about the Buddhists? Or the kids from the outside world?"

>"Probably," says Tewi.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Unsheath the trident.
> "And you're going to impede my pursuit of fixing a problem that threatens all of them?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Unsheath the trident.
> "And you're going to impede my pursuit of fixing a problem that threatens all of them?"

>"Impede what?" says Tewi. "Go do what you want, I'm not stopping you. And put that thing away, you're not impressing anyone."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Are we between Tewi and the doorway?
> "You're impeding me by holding secret who I need to see to end this problem. It's not a hard concept to grasp."

[Hello Purvis]

> Are we between Tewi and the doorway?
> "You're impeding me by holding secret who I need to see to end this problem. It's not a hard concept to grasp."

>You are. She'd be hard-pressed to get around you.
>"Then find out some other way," says Tewi. "I'm not digging myself any deeper in just so you can have a self-righteous stand-off and get trashed trying to backstab the wind."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Frown for a couple of seconds.
> "...You say that they'll know if you say anything. But will they know where you are?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Frown for a couple of seconds.
> "...You say that they'll know if you say anything. But will they know where you are?"

>"Don't know," says Tewi, as she looks around, and approaches a dresser by the bed. "Not inclined to risk it."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Will they know you're you if you don't look like you?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Will they know you're you if you don't look like you?"

>"I'm inclined to think so," says Tewi, as she picks up a brush from the dresser, and starts to work on her hair. "However I look, I am still me."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Pull out a seed of non-identification with our free hand.
> "So not even one of these would help, then?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Pull out a seed of non-identification with our free hand.
> "So not even one of these would help, then?"

>"Not that way, anyhow," says Tewi.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Couldn't it help with not being found afterward, though? I mean, you're already on the run. It's not like they're indifferent to you as things stand right now or I'm sure you wouldn't be here at all, would you?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Couldn't it help with not being found afterward, though? I mean, you're already on the run. It's not like they're indifferent to you as things stand right now or I'm sure you wouldn't be here at all, would you?"

>"I'd rather not get into the details," she says. "Let's just say I don't have any confidence in disguises."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Out of curiosity, do you realize just how ridiculous this all sounds?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Out of curiosity, do you realize just how ridiculous this all sounds?"

>"Not as ridiculous as you did trying to blame theft and the gems on me," says Tewi, as she checks her hair in the mirror.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Funny thing about that, actually. Reimu knows how to get to your home, doesn't she?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Funny thing about that, actually. Reimu knows how to get to your home, doesn't she?"

>"Funnier thing is," says Tewi, "Reimu's lost to the Yorihime. Reisen, on the other hand, humiliated her not to long ago. I don't think we have much to worry about from Reimu anymore, as far as that kind of threat goes."

>_