Kisume Quest II - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Kilgamayan]

> How close are the green shots, then?

[Hello Purvis]

> How close are the green shots, then?

>Very.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> And they go beyond our peripheral vision?

[Hello Purvis]

> And they go beyond our peripheral vision?

>Yes.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Can we tell if above us is clear?

[Hello Purvis]

> Can we tell if above us is clear?

>You do not immediately know, you are only tangentially aware that the colors above you are both orange. You could look, but you'd definitely be cutting it close if you did.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Best to aim for uncertain doom than certain doom, then!
> B-b-b-back that ass up and pray the green line of bullets isn't too thick.

[Hello Purvis]

> Best to aim for uncertain doom than certain doom, then!
> B-b-b-back that ass up and pray the green line of bullets isn't too thick.

>You back away!
>The wave of green comes closer and closer to your as you back away. You can almost feel an electric tingle in your hand as they come within a hair's breadth of your bucket as you reverse furiously. Then the wave of green kunai crests just ahead of you,  and you back away from the edge of it safely. Looking ahead, it may have been less risky to plow forward, but that would have brought you that much closer to the next oncoming wave.
>You think you have a fairly good understanding of how this card works, now. The red, yellow, and orange shots move in waves, creating a kind of bullet maze. The green kunai are the real danger as they jump through rest.
>You're now some yards from the oni, which will limit the effectiveness of your basic danmaku fairly badly.  But if you could get close, they ought to be as effective as they were last time.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Has the oni moved from the place from where we saw her start her card?

[Hello Purvis]

> Has the oni moved from the place from where we saw her start her card?

>You think you've seen her move a little.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> So we think we know how each of the reds, oranges, and yellows work?
> How well can we see in front of us beyond the greens?

[Hello Purvis]

> So we think we know how each of the reds, oranges, and yellows work?
> How well can we see in front of us beyond the greens?

>You don't know the exactly layout of the bullet maze, and you suspect there's a lot of ways the three kinds of bullet streams could interact, but you're reasonably sure you can pretend how at least of those three streams will act.
>You can see past it reasonably well. It's already starting to recent back where it came.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> How much time do we have before the current lines around us give way to a new pair of colored lines?

[Hello Purvis]

> How much time do we have before the current lines around us give way to a new pair of colored lines?

>You have a couple seconds yet.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Check up above us to confirm that the lines above us are double orange. Orange seems to have been our best style so far, we might as well aim for it when we can.

[Hello Purvis]

> Check up above us to confirm that the lines above us are double orange. Orange seems to have been our best style so far, we might as well aim for it when we can.

>You look up and confirm that the streams above you are both orange.  They are a little tricky though, they're aligned in such a way that you'll have to weave between them.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Can we see anything above the oranges?
> What about below us?

[Hello Purvis]

> Can we see anything above the oranges?
> What about below us?

>Past the oranges, you can see a line of red and a line of green.
>Below you is the same as before.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Which would be the remnants of the orange pair we hid in, as well as the following red/yellow combination that we moved upward to avoid?

[Hello Purvis]

> Which would be the remnants of the orange pair we hid in, as well as the following red/yellow combination that we moved upward to avoid?

>Just the latter at this point.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Is the red line still fluctuating too wildly around the yellow line to provide any sort of safe area?

[Hello Purvis]

> Is the red line still fluctuating too wildly around the yellow line to provide any sort of safe area?

>You could be safe in there if you were wary and kept on the move, but you'd definitely need to be careful. The potential for mistakes it moderate, you think, now that you have a better feel for those kinds of bullets.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Let's head upward into the oranges, then. It's time to concentrate on dodging and getting back close to our opponent instead of firing wildly, and that'll be easier to do amidst streams of similar color.

[Hello Purvis]

> Let's head upward into the oranges, then. It's time to concentrate on dodging and getting back close to our opponent instead of firing wildly, and that'll be easier to do amidst streams of similar color.

>You move up between the orange streams, and take to weaving between them. It's not too difficult once you put your mind to it.
>As you get close to the end of the orange bullets, you can see that ahead there is a line of yellow shots and a line of red shots. The two sway together, creating what seems to be a series of opening and closing gates of bullets. Above, are two lines of yellow, with a line of green swaying directly between them.  You've managed to close a fair amount of distance between yourself and the oni; she has yet to finish releasing all the shots ahead, though she would be before you could reach her.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Figures. The one time we draw double yellow, it has a green in it.
> So the green lines wave sinusoidally as opposed to traveling in straight lines that cut through the paths made by the other colors?
> Can we see what's going on below in terms of bullets?

[Hello Purvis]

> Figures. The one time we draw double yellow, it has a green in it.
> So the green lines wave sinusoidally as opposed to traveling in straight lines that cut through the paths made by the other colors?
> Can we see what's going on below in terms of bullets?

>It's like danmaku is made to trip you up...
>The green ones do move in sine-like wave motions, but they are not smooth ones like the other kinds of bullets. You suspect the green bullets may slink out of the area above you sooner or later, but you don't know when.
>Below you is the same as before, but you imagine it will be coming to an end. You can't really see what will follow it from this angle very well.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> How much longer do we have before our current double orange ends?

[Hello Purvis]

> How much longer do we have before our current double orange ends?

>No more than a few instants. You have time to comfortably move in any direction, but you're going to be committed to it once you do.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Let's give some more dodging a shot, then!
> Fire off arrowheads at the oni until the red and yellow gate-style waves come to us, then concentrate on making our way through the openings and avoiding the closings.

[Hello Purvis]

> Let's give some more dodging a shot, then!
> Fire off arrowheads at the oni until the red and yellow gate-style waves come to us, then concentrate on making our way through the openings and avoiding the closings.

>You fire off a couple more arrowheads, then plunge forward. You think you hear the oni grunt, but that might just have been a trick of your ears, danmaku often isn't quiet.
>The next set of kunai requires some concentration. The shots move in a fairly predictable manner, and you're able to slide through them one at a time rather easily.  You think you may be able to take two at a time, which would get you much closer to oni before the next danmaku segment comes, with the risks being obvious.

>_