Nue Quest 9 - Ascension: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> Have we yet seen the beast do the same thing? If so, how quickly did it do so?

>You haven't seen it do this, but you think it must have to keep the orientation it has. So you imagine it can with some speed.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Could we do a 540 degree spin without making ourselves want to vomit?

[Hello Purvis]

> Could we do a 540 degree spin without making ourselves want to vomit?

>You don't feel it would be a problem.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Gotta try something...here goes.
> Hit the jets and keep hurtling straight toward the ground, past the point where we feel we'd avoid a ground collision if we kept full speed while trying to pull up.
> A couple of seconds after we pass this point, do a 540 degree barrel roll (Editor's note: ugh, can't believe I just typed that) while slowing down substantially, enough to make a satisfactorily tight turn.
> Pray to Byakuren that we don't get ourselves gored before we manage to secure top horizontal speed again.
> Pull up to the point where we're flying parallel to the ground. As we gradually get closer and closer to that parallel flight path, put back on more and more speed. After the 540 spin, we should, theoretically, be flying away from Rinnosuke, since he would have been in the lower portion of our vision before we started pulling up.
> Once we hit the parallel-to-the-ground flight path, chance a glance back at the beast in the hopes that it couldn't pull off the same tight turn we did.

[Hello Purvis]

> Gotta try something...here goes.
> Hit the jets and keep hurtling straight toward the ground, past the point where we feel we'd avoid a ground collision if we kept full speed while trying to pull up.
> A couple of seconds after we pass this point, do a 540 degree barrel roll (Editor's note: ugh, can't believe I just typed that) while slowing down substantially, enough to make a satisfactorily tight turn.
> Pray to Byakuren that we don't get ourselves gored before we manage to secure top horizontal speed again.
> Pull up to the point where we're flying parallel to the ground. As we gradually get closer and closer to that parallel flight path, put back on more and more speed. After the 540 spin, we should, theoretically, be flying away from Rinnosuke, since he would have been in the lower portion of our vision before we started pulling up.
> Once we hit the parallel-to-the-ground flight path, chance a glance back at the beast in the hopes that it couldn't pull off the same tight turn we did.

>You hurtle toward the ground at full speed, praying that Byakuren will serve as a premature Bodhisattva and keep you from getting gored in the process. You go well past your safety threshold, then slow suddenly enough to make your stomach lurch in a manner unrelated to fear and pull up until you're parallel with the ground and put on as much speed as you can.
>Looking back, you see that the gigantic thing chasing you apparently could not mimic your feat and did not even try. Instead is seems to have slowed and turned away, given that it at a markedly higher altitude, and has gone the opposite direction.  Now it is making a tight turn in the air, tight for something it's size, and will be facing your direction momentarily.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> ...What, was this thing afraid of what might have happened?

[Hello Purvis]

> ...What, was this thing afraid of what might have happened?

>You have only vague ideas of what it might be thinking. The ideas you do have are not particularly good in regards to you.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> It had to have spun away for a reason, though...
> Quickly glance around. Is there anything around resembling reasonable cover?

[Hello Purvis]

> It had to have spun away for a reason, though...
> Quickly glance around. Is there anything around resembling reasonable cover?

>There are some disadvantages to being in an open plain, and one of them is a lack of cover. You can see a house far in the distance, to the southeast. That is about it save for knee high grass.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Do we happen to know which house it is? Is that abouts where the outer world kids are?

[Hello Purvis]

> Do we happen to know which house it is? Is that abouts where the outer world kids are?

>It is not the outer worlder's home, it's sitting in the middle of the plain. You have a sneaking suspicion it is home to Yukari, given what you've heard from Maribel and Renko.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Man, what we wouldn't give to have Ran out here to help.
> Okay, this thing has to be beatable somehow. Think back to Kay's story of Edmund. Edmund conquered through shows of force more than actual force, and the first time someone wasn't intimidated by his tactics and kept going after him, his army collapsed like a house of cards. The guy himself even got killed by an idiot.
> ...Maybe that's the solution here? It didn't sound like Edmund's forces regularly went out into legitimate war. They used intimidation, scare tactics. If our mind under the sword's influence is any indication, Edmund was all about imposing will, making an example. We even wanted to kill a defenseless man with a broken mind. What would that have accomplished? There's no skill, no bravery, no effort needed for setting that kind of example. It wouldn't have been a demonstration of power. It would have been a demonstration of cruelty. Nothing but more scare tactics...
> And this thing, it looks and acts damn intimidating. It even has those eyes, the eyes that magnify our fears and despairs. Could it be the same way? Fueled purely by raw intimidation?

[Hello Purvis]

> Man, what we wouldn't give to have Ran out here to help.
> Okay, this thing has to be beatable somehow. Think back to Kay's story of Edmund. Edmund conquered through shows of force more than actual force, and the first time someone wasn't intimidated by his tactics and kept going after him, his army collapsed like a house of cards. The guy himself even got killed by an idiot.
> ...Maybe that's the solution here? It didn't sound like Edmund's forces regularly went out into legitimate war. They used intimidation, scare tactics. If our mind under the sword's influence is any indication, Edmund was all about imposing will, making an example. We even wanted to kill a defenseless man with a broken mind. What would that have accomplished? There's no skill, no bravery, no effort needed for setting that kind of example. It wouldn't have been a demonstration of power. It would have been a demonstration of cruelty. Nothing but more scare tactics...
> And this thing, it looks and acts damn intimidating. It even has those eyes, the eyes that magnify our fears and despairs. Could it be the same way? Fueled purely by raw intimidation?

>You can only wonder if the gap youkai specifically mentioned to Ran not to assist, after that encounter earlier?
>Thinking on it, there is a kind of logic to that, given how the Bloody Prince met his end.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> When we've shot this thing, have we noticed if our amulets actually made contact and simply did no real damage, or did they maybe phase through the beast?

[Hello Purvis]

> When we've shot this thing, have we noticed if our amulets actually made contact and simply did no real damage, or did they maybe phase through the beast?

>You think it may have been the latter. Being frightened for your life has taken a toll in your finer observation at the time.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> That seems like it lends some more credence to the scare tactics idea. What if our shots are going through it because part of it isn't there? If it's trying to intimidate through false size? A sort of show-of-force, as it were? There's something affecting the grass where it steps, sure, but how hard would it really be to do pull off a trick like that through magic means?

[Hello Purvis]

> That seems like it lends some more credence to the scare tactics idea. What if our shots are going through it because part of it isn't there? If it's trying to intimidate through false size? A sort of show-of-force, as it were? There's something affecting the grass where it steps, sure, but how hard would it really be to do pull off a trick like that through magic means?

>This too is certainly possible.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> What's our big red buddy doing?

[Hello Purvis]

> What's our big red buddy doing?

>It seems to coming toward you again, building up another charge.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

Fuck it, I'm going deep. If we're going to live by me, we're going to die by me.

> That has to be it. This thing is all style, no substance. Nothing but intimidation. Nothing but mind games. Lesser kingdoms cowered in fear and got steamrolled. Pendragon and his army gave no fucks and came out on top handily. Percival bucked up and bagged himself a tyrant's head. We have to do the same.  We have to be what we've always been. We are the terrorizer. Not the terrorized. We will do this. It's been done before, we can do it too.

[Hello Purvis]

> That has to be it. This thing is all style, no substance. Nothing but intimidation. Nothing but mind games. Lesser kingdoms cowered in fear and got steamrolled. Pendragon and his army gave no fucks and came out on top handily. Percival bucked up and bagged himself a tyrant's head. We have to do the same.  We have to be what we've always been. We are the terrorizer. Not the terrorized. We will do this. It's been done before, we can do it too.

>You do your best to rally yourself. It's difficult to have confidence in the face of that monstrosity, even one misjudgment and you are dead. But, you can to it. You may well be weeping in terror, but you can do it.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Come on, you. Edmund's reign ended only about a decade or so ago. What kind of chance does a terror of a few decades stand against a terror of over a millennium? Especially when the terror of over a millennium actually has friends watching over her?
> Hold the sword in a ready position by our side, and start heading straight for this beast.

[Hello Purvis]

> Come on, you. Edmund's reign ended only about a decade or so ago. What kind of chance does a terror of a few decades stand against a terror of over a millennium? Especially when the terror of over a millennium actually has friends watching over her?
> Hold the sword in a ready position by our side, and start heading straight for this beast.

>You try to give yourself more resolve and hold the sword ready.
>How will you be approaching it?

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Let's just fly straight at it. Aim ourselves for approximately right between the eyes.

[Hello Purvis]

> Let's just fly straight at it. Aim ourselves for approximately right between the eyes.

>You fly directly at the bull-like monster, sword at your side.
>It does not seem to be particularly intimidated by this, and continues to charge, lowering its head as you begin to get closer to it and leveling its horns toward you.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Gotta watch those horns. Remember, though, they're stiff objects. This thing has to move its whole head around to aim properly with them.
> ...We could fit in between the two horns, couldn't we?

[Hello Purvis]

> Gotta watch those horns. Remember, though, they're stiff objects. This thing has to move its whole head around to aim properly with them.
> ...We could fit in between the two horns, couldn't we?

>You make certain to watch for the horns. Just one slip up near those and...
>A few of you could probably fit between those horns.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> No. No slip-ups. We didn't get to be who we are by thinking about or making mistakes. We're the best at what we do. We always have been. That's just more scare tactics on the beast's part.
> Hold the sword pointed out in front of us, with gripping hand at chest level and next to our body, and keep flying forward.

[Hello Purvis]

> No. No slip-ups. We didn't get to be who we are by thinking about or making mistakes. We're the best at what we do. We always have been. That's just more scare tactics on the beast's part.
> Hold the sword pointed out in front of us, with gripping hand at chest level and next to our body, and keep flying forward.

>You do your best not to think about the risks and proceed.
>You get closer, closer. In the space of a few seconds you are getting too close. You've resolved to stand against it, and it would take something extraordinary to break that. Still, you cannot deny there is a very real core of terror nestled snugly within you, an animal instinct that tells you to flee before this thing slaughters you.
>Then you're too close! The horn to your left curves toward you as the behemoth pitches its head!

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Quick, dive down so it can pass over us!
> While we're diving, swing the sword in an arc above our head (presumably from right-to-left, given I'm guessing the sword has been in our right hand) in an attempt to slice the horn as it passes by.