Nue Quest 9 - Ascension: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Kilgamayan]

> Put our hand down and wait a couple of seconds.
> If it doesn't seem to react, slowly start to float toward it.

[Hello Purvis]

> Put our hand down and wait a couple of seconds.
> If it doesn't seem to react, slowly start to float toward it.

>You put your hand down and it does not react. As you float toward it, it begins to back away.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Take on a soothing tone.
> "Hey, hey, c'mon. It's all right."

[Hello Purvis]

> Take on a soothing tone.
> "Hey, hey, c'mon. It's all right."

>You change your tone. It's not as easy as you hoped, given how this entirely situation has been playing with your emotions, but you think you manage to get one.
>The behemoth continues to back away. You don't get the feeling that it is particularly afraid, it does not seem to be especially tense or jittery that you can tell.  Then again, you barely have any real experience with oxen, let alone whatever this thing is....

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Keep on slowly floating toward it. Maybe we'll back it up all the way back to where the sword was. That would be nice.
> "Look. The sword is gone."
> Open up our hands with palms pointed upward.
> "See?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Keep on slowly floating toward it. Maybe we'll back it up all the way back to where the sword was. That would be nice.
> "Look. The sword is gone."
> Open up our hands with palms pointed upward.
> "See?"

>The behemoth does not appreciably react to your words or gestures. Instead, it turns, and begins to walk eastward.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> What is to the east from here?

[Hello Purvis]

> What is to the east from here?

>Looking eastward, there is largely more fields, and eventually the mountains. It would also put the behemoth back in the path of the town if it decided to turn north again.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Are we a minute's flight away from the village?

[Hello Purvis]

> Are we a minute's flight away from the village?

>Probably not a minute, but maybe two or three.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Fly over the beast, back toward the site of our first conflict.
> Once we have made our way entirely to the other side of the beast, check in on what it's doing.

[Hello Purvis]

> Fly over the beast, back toward the site of our first conflict.
> Once we have made our way entirely to the other side of the beast, check in on what it's doing.

>You fly over the behemoth and back in the direction of where the two of you fought.
>Looking back, it seems to be turning northward again. Luckily, it has not gone far enough east that it  would pass through the human town on this course, but it would get close.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> 'Close' is acceptable. There are sufficiently many skilled combatants in the village right now that it's hardly defenseless.
> Pick up our speed to the fastest we can manage and make our way all the way back to the fight site. Turn our head back to check in on the beast every so often.

[Hello Purvis]

> 'Close' is acceptable. There are sufficiently many skilled combatants in the village right now that it's hardly defenseless.
> Pick up our speed to the fastest we can manage and make our way all the way back to the fight site. Turn our head back to check in on the beast every so often.

>You speed back toward the battlefield. It is not difficult to find, with Rinnosuke laying by the road and the hoof prints that have been gouged out of the earth.
>Looking back, you see that the behemoth is continuing northward at a moderate pace, much as it did when it first left this battlefield.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Would it still be headed to the human village at this rate? If not, what's north of its current position?
> Look around the battlefield for the sword.

[Hello Purvis]

> Would it still be headed to the human village at this rate? If not, what's north of its current position?
> Look around the battlefield for the sword.

>It is still headed roughly in the direction of the human village, though it should skirt closely to its western edge. Past that are farms that it will likely go through, then more plains before coming to the flower fields. And after that, the only thing of note is the Sanzu River.
>You look around the field. It takes you a few moments, but you soon find the sword standing out amidst the knee-high grass.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Go over and pick the sword back up.

[Hello Purvis]

> Go over and pick the sword back up.

>You reclaim the weapon.
>Picking it up, it feels perfectly mundane now.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Makes sense. We weren't having ridiculous egotistical thoughts after the beast came out.
> Sheathe the sword, then go over to the umbrella, pick it up, and close it up.

[Hello Purvis]

> Makes sense. We weren't having ridiculous egotistical thoughts after the beast came out.
> Sheathe the sword, then go over to the umbrella, pick it up, and close it up.

>You sheathe the sword, then claim the umbrella that you borrowed from Alice and close it.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Take to the air again. What is the beast doing?

[Hello Purvis]

> Take to the air again. What is the beast doing?

>You take to the air again, and look northwest to see that the behemoth is still trotting along.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Make our way after it again at a good clip.

[Hello Purvis]

> Make our way after it again at a good clip.

>You proceed toward the behemoth about as fast as you can. Your body aches, and it's getting harder to ignore that.
>You draw close to the immense fiery thing as it begins to pass by the town, perhaps fifty or so yards from the edge of it.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> We can ache later. Gotta keep this thing out of the village.
> Keep going after it. When we start getting close, take a flight path that would put us close to it, but between it and the village.

[Hello Purvis]

> We can ache later. Gotta keep this thing out of the village.
> Keep going after it. When we start getting close, take a flight path that would put us close to it, but between it and the village.

>You do your best to get to put the pain out of your mind, and approach the behemoth from the right! As you get closer, it hastens its pace and turns westward again.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Watch it go for a couple of seconds, then turn and head toward the human village. Make for the Tavern specifically, but glance back every few seconds to make sure the beast doesn't change its mind.

[Hello Purvis]

> Watch it go for a couple of seconds, then turn and head toward the human village. Make for the Tavern specifically, but glance back every few seconds to make sure the beast doesn't change its mind.

>You watch it go, then satisfied it's not going to change course, you make your way back toward the village. Glancing back every couple seconds, it doesn't seem like the behemoth is going to change it's mind.
>Approaching, the village, you can see someone standing on its outskirts. You can immediately make out the distinctive red overalls and white hair that marks this person as Mokou.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Make our way toward her.

[Hello Purvis]

> Make our way toward her.

>You make your way toward Mokou. At a glance, from the distance, you would assume she is just idly watching the proceedings. But as you get closer, you notice her eyes are wide and her mouth is hanging open. She looks at you, and says, "What...?"

>_