Nue Quest Vth Vanguard: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> "I don't have a choice. Whoever that is in there, if he's the shopkeeper or not, he's doing something he can't be allowed to do, for the sake of everyone in Gensokyo."

>"Meh," says Cirno, as she starts toward the door. "You'll probably need someone to drag your body out afterward."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Smile.
> "Thanks."
> Follow her in.

[Hello Purvis]

> Smile.
> "Thanks."
> Follow her in.

>"Will you need my assistance?" says Byakuren, as Renko makes her way inside with Cirno.
>"Hey! Where's all the stuff at!" Cirno shouts from inside.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Be right there!"
> Look at Byakuren as we're going in.
> "Yeah. Both of you should probably play goalie from upstairs on the inside."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Be right there!"
> Look at Byakuren as we're going in.
> "Yeah. Both of you should probably play goalie from upstairs on the inside."

>"I will be happy to wait there," says Byakuren.
>"Oh, I can go in now?" Mokou says, as she pushes herself from the wall she was leaning against.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Yeah. Keep sharp ears out."
> Finish going inside.

[Hello Purvis]

> "Yeah. Keep sharp ears out."
> Finish going inside.

>You head inside, following Cirno and Renko to the back room. You note that the recent activity as done a lot to disturb the dust, many of the old dust-free squares on the floor have been ruined by people's feet.
>Cirno looks around and puts her hands on her hips. "What a gyp. This place is supposed to be loaded with forbidden treasure!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "It's all downstairs, along with all the money. But we need to make sure not to touch any of it."

[Hello Purvis]

> "It's all downstairs, along with all the money. But we need to make sure not to touch any of it."

>"Weird," says Cirno, as she starts for the stairway.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Follow her down the stairs.

[Hello Purvis]

> Follow her down the stairs.

>You follow the faerie as she walks down the stairs, while Renko's footsteps echo behind you.
>The stairway offers no new challenges, and as you get to the basement, at a glance it seems to be largely unchanged. Huge stacks of money reach to the ceiling, sparkling in the weak light. Rinnosuke still sits in the middle of it all in front of his table, eyes closed and seeming to be totally unaware of his surroundings.
>"Wow," says Renko, softly. "This is amazing..." Cirno appears to be too busy vacantly gaping at the scene to say much.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Yeah, it's pretty impressive, even given the circumstances."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Yeah, it's pretty impressive, even given the circumstances."

>Renko nods, as she moves away from the stairs.
>"Hey! Seller guy!" Cirno shouts. "How'd you get all this, anyways?"
>Rinnosuke does not answer.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Lean over to Renko and lower our voice.
> "Try reaching out for the money. You can't even get far enough to grab it."

[Hello Purvis]

> Lean over to Renko and lower our voice.
> "Try reaching out for the money. You can't even get far enough to grab it."

>Renko nods, and approaches a nearby pile. As she reaches toward it, her hard slows. It looks almost as if she were hesitating at the last moment. "That's something," she says as she draws back her hand, then tries again.
>"Hey! I asked you a question!" Cirno continues. "Do you have plums in your ears or something!?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Look over to Rinnosuke and give our voice tone a slight grin.
> "C'mon, man. She didn't even break anything of yours, you could at least give her the time of day."

[Hello Purvis]

> Look over to Rinnosuke and give our voice tone a slight grin.
> "C'mon, man. She didn't even break anything of yours, you could at least give her the time of day."

>"I am a little busy," he says.
>"Oh, he is awake," says Renko.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Too busy for a trade for Marisa?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Too busy for a trade for Marisa?"

>"Likely," he says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Eh, whatever. She can wait a bit anyway."
> Turn to Cirno.
> "I don't think he's gonna tell you much of anything."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Eh, whatever. She can wait a bit anyway."
> Turn to Cirno.
> "I don't think he's gonna tell you much of anything."

>"Yeah?" says Cirno.  "Well! Tell it to this!"
>She throws her hands forward and fires a wave of colorful danmaku at Rinnosuke. It flies toward him, and seems to slow in midair as it approaches him, until they run out of power and blink out of existence.  Cirno scowls, and prepares to launch another barrage.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "That looks like what happened when Renko tried to reach for the money. You might need a more indirect approach."

[Hello Purvis]

> "That looks like what happened when Renko tried to reach for the money. You might need a more indirect approach."

>"Ooooh," says Cirno. She then turns and fires toward one of the piles of money. The shots do no reach, much as they did not reach Rinnosuke.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Hmm. Shooting him doesn't work, and shooting the money doesn't work. I can tell you from experience that shooting his other treasures won't work, unless you want to get zapped again. Maybe there's a way to directly affect him without shooting him?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Hmm. Shooting him doesn't work, and shooting the money doesn't work. I can tell you from experience that shooting his other treasures won't work, unless you want to get zapped again. Maybe there's a way to directly affect him without shooting him?"

>"Ooooh," says Cirno.
>She cups her hands and shouts, "Hey! Seller guy! You're a big wuss and you stink!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Chuckle a bit.
> "Aha, now there's an idea. You can't get at him physically, but there are more ways to get at someone than physically. You could make him feel bad, like that. Or maybe you could make him uncomfortable, by making him really cold."

[Hello Purvis]

> Chuckle a bit.
> "Aha, now there's an idea. You can't get at him physically, but there are more ways to get at someone than physically. You could make him feel bad, like that. Or maybe you could make him uncomfortable, by making him really cold."

>"You really stink!" Cirno shouts, before looking back to you. "But he's way over there..."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Frown.
> "Is that an issue? I figured you could make the entire room really cold. Then it wouldn't matter where he was."

[Hello Purvis]

> Frown.
> "Is that an issue? I figured you could make the entire room really cold. Then it wouldn't matter where he was."

>"Oh hey, that would work since we're inside," says Cirno.
>She plops herself down on the dirt floor and crosses her legs. Then she holds her hands out again, thrusting them toward the floor, and screws her face up in concentration.  A small veneer of ice begins to develop on the floor.

>_ 

[Kilgamayan]

> "There you go, that'll do it."
> Give Renko a meaningful look and take a step away from where the ice is forming, ideally toward the entrance to the basement.