Nue Quest 9 - Ascension: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Kilgamayan]

> "That's a good question. When I was first in the Temple, it told me that it could come out to attack Rinnosuke, but only if I wanted it to be free. In retrospect, I'm really glad I didn't think I needed it then. It only came out on its own after its attitude toward me changed for the worse. Maybe it wouldn't have the guts to try it again, now that I've demonstrated to it that I won't take its crap."

[Hello Purvis]

> "That's a good question. When I was first in the Temple, it told me that it could come out to attack Rinnosuke, but only if I wanted it to be free. In retrospect, I'm really glad I didn't think I needed it then. It only came out on its own after its attitude toward me changed for the worse. Maybe it wouldn't have the guts to try it again, now that I've demonstrated to it that I won't take its crap."

>"So it is perfectly willing to serve or assist someone that it concurs with," says the hakutaku.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Seems so. But I think it might be even more than that. It could have come out when Edmund was winning battles to help reinforce the examples he was setting, or it could have come out when he was losing battles to help turn the tide. It could have come out after the sword was reforged, just to be free again after who knows how long the sword had been broken. Or it could have come out to gore Rinnosuke in the Temple, just to give him what the beast felt he deserved. But it didn't. It only came out after I told it to bugger off and put the sword down. Any of those other instances, by themselves, they may have situational explanations. But to never come out in any of them? I wonder if it may have only been able to come out on its own because it was so angry with me, the one who was wielding the sword. I'd guess that was the first time someone had ever told it off. If it was put back in, maybe it wouldn't be able to come back out unless angry with its owner."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Seems so. But I think it might be even more than that. It could have come out when Edmund was winning battles to help reinforce the examples he was setting, or it could have come out when he was losing battles to help turn the tide. It could have come out after the sword was reforged, just to be free again after who knows how long the sword had been broken. Or it could have come out to gore Rinnosuke in the Temple, just to give him what the beast felt he deserved. But it didn't. It only came out after I told it to bugger off and put the sword down. Any of those other instances, by themselves, they may have situational explanations. But to never come out in any of them? I wonder if it may have only been able to come out on its own because it was so angry with me, the one who was wielding the sword. I'd guess that was the first time someone had ever told it off. If it was put back in, maybe it wouldn't be able to come back out unless angry with its owner."

>"Might be," says Mokou. "One of the things I can tell you is that gods have ways of being weird and petty like you wouldn't believe."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Wouldn't surprise me. But beyond getting back in the sword somehow and shattering the thing again, I have no clue what to do. I'm hardly an expert on oppressive European gods that take animal forms."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Wouldn't surprise me. But beyond getting back in the sword somehow and shattering the thing again, I have no clue what to do. I'm hardly an expert on oppressive European gods that take animal forms."

>"I doubt any of us are," says Byakuren.
>"How'd you try to shove it back in so far?" Mokou says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Haven't yet. I only just got it back. I dropped it at some point during our fight. I think it was when the beast stepped on me."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Haven't yet. I only just got it back. I dropped it at some point during our fight. I think it was when the beast stepped on me."

>"Well that explains your back," says the hakutaku.
>"I guess that means the sky's the limit on ways to try to shove it back in," Mokou says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Frown.
> "Is my back ripped up that badly?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Frown.
> "Is my back ripped up that badly?"

>"It's not a pretty ink painting back here, I'll tell you that much," says Mokou.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Chance a look over our shoulder behind us, to see what damage we can see.

[Hello Purvis]

> Chance a look over our shoulder behind us, to see what damage we can see.

>You look over your shoulder, and see some very ugly bruising in what little that you can see, and quite a lot of damage to your dress.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Goddamnit.
> Turn back around.
> "That's going to be sore tomorrow morning."

[Hello Purvis]

> Goddamnit.
> Turn back around.
> "That's going to be sore tomorrow morning."

>"You'll be welcome to stay with us to have it treated," says Byakuren. "But, shall we focus on the situation at hand?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Yeah, let's. Just remember, if this thing gets aggressive, stand up to it. It likes to take you out of the air by running past you really fast, or goring you or stomping on you if you're in range."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Yeah, let's. Just remember, if this thing gets aggressive, stand up to it. It likes to take you out of the air by running past you really fast, or goring you or stomping on you if you're in range."

>"I'd be just as happy to stay out of range entirely, if that's fine," says Mamizou. "So would the rest of us, I'd wager."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "That would be ideal. But letting it run away is not going to accomplish anything, so I get the feeling we're going to need to surround it to do anything."

[Hello Purvis]

> "That would be ideal. But letting it run away is not going to accomplish anything, so I get the feeling we're going to need to surround it to do anything."

>"Ah, I'd...rather not," says Mamizou.
>"What's the plan, before we talk about surrounding and stuff?" says Mokou.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Shrug.
> "Anyone here have any experience with defeating gods?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Shrug.
> "Anyone here have any experience with defeating gods?"

>"No, not really," says Byakuren.
>"I am familiar with a few battles," says the hakutaku, wiping some rain off her face. "But I've never been involved personally, and I don't think what happened with those would be applicable here."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Then it sounds like we're feeling this out as we go, unless Reimu is back from Makai yet."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Then it sounds like we're feeling this out as we go, unless Reimu is back from Makai yet."

>"Not that I've heard," says Mokou. "And I think she'd be all over this..."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Guess we get to be heroes, then."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Guess we get to be heroes, then."

>"Guess so," says Mokou.
>"Any ideas?" says Mamizou.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Only one idea left, beyond surrounding it and boring it into submission. I tried talking to it to get it to calm down. I never really got any response out of it. In retrospect, though, and operating under the assumption that it is indeed a god byproduct of Princey's overactive imagination, that makes sense."
> Look to Mamizou specifically.
> "This thing may not understand Japanese."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Only one idea left, beyond surrounding it and boring it into submission. I tried talking to it to get it to calm down. I never really got any response out of it. In retrospect, though, and operating under the assumption that it is indeed a god byproduct of Princey's overactive imagination, that makes sense."
> Look to Mamizou specifically.
> "This thing may not understand Japanese."

>You explain your reasoning, and look to Mamizou. She frowns deeply. "Oh no, you surely don't want me to talk with it..."
>"I don't think language is a real problem for a deity," says the hakutaku.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Turn to the hakutaku.
> "If you have any ideas of your own, I'd be glad to hear them."

[Hello Purvis]

> Turn to the hakutaku.
> "If you have any ideas of your own, I'd be glad to hear them."

>"Not with the situation as it is," she says, shaking her head. "I would normally recommend finding a shrine maiden, if Reimu is not here, there's no time to fetch Sanae."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Then I think it's worth a shot. Not like I have any better ideas beyond what's been discussed."
> Turn back to Mamizou with a grin.
> "Don't worry. If you really want to, you can hide behind me the whole time."
> What do we know of Yuuka?

[Hello Purvis]

> "Then I think it's worth a shot. Not like I have any better ideas beyond what's been discussed."
> Turn back to Mamizou with a grin.
> "Don't worry. If you really want to, you can hide behind me the whole time."
> What do we know of Yuuka?

>"It's something," says Mokou.
>"I daresay I'll take you up on that," says Mamizou, "But I am most interested in what we're going to do should it not work."
>You've never met Yuuka, but you know well of her legend. Sometimes she comes to visit town, and it puts everyone on pins and needles. She is regarded as one of the most notoriously arbitrary and tetchy of youkai, and has the power to back it up.

>_