Kisume Quest VII - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> "Someone's gotta be willing to make the first move. Otherwise you're both stuck trying to off each other while someone you both know is lying gets away scot free."

>"I don't see why we should stand aside to let a tyrant clean up his own embarrassments," says Yumemi. "I think it sounds like a great time to strike!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Frown.
> "If there's a chance deposing Sariel ends the Empire, is there really a need to keep killing?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Frown.
> "If there's a chance deposing Sariel ends the Empire, is there really a need to keep killing?"

>"Why would getting rid of this Sariel end the empire?" says Yumemi. "The Emperor isn't going to step down just because he made yet another mistake."

>_

[Hanzo K.]

>"Simple. She's the one that laid the groundwork for the whole thing. She goes, the whole thing falls apart like an oversteamed dumpling."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Simple. She's the one that laid the groundwork for the whole thing. She goes, the whole thing falls apart like an oversteamed dumpling."

>"Even if she did, what does it matter?" says Yumemi. "It is the Emperor who is in control, not she, and the Emperor is who the whole foolish edifice takes their orders from.  Removing her won't change that."

>_

[Hanzo K.]

>"And he's the one getting all the ideas from her. Take her outta the equation, and he leads by himself. Or someone else takes over in place of him."

[Hello Purvis]

>"And he's the one getting all the ideas from her. Take her outta the equation, and he leads by himself. Or someone else takes over in place of him."

>"Is that so?" says Yumemi. "Where did you find that out?"

>_

[Hanzo K.]

>"Well, it's pretty simple logic. If she's the one who caused the empire to be founded, it stands to reason that she'd be the one pulling all the strings, right? Cut the strings, and what do you get? Plus, I'd be willin' to bet my bucket that she's still fair burnt-up over getting kicked over to Makai. Which would explain why things are how they are now."
>"To sum it up, I just used what I knew, found out, and figured out."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, it's pretty simple logic. If she's the one who caused the empire to be founded, it stands to reason that she'd be the one pulling all the strings, right? Cut the strings, and what do you get? Plus, I'd be willin' to bet my bucket that she's still fair burnt-up over getting kicked over to Makai. Which would explain why things are how they are now."
>"To sum it up, I just used what I knew, found out, and figured out."

>"And how are you certain that she is a driving force behind the Empire, and not just another flunky?" says Yumemi. "It seems much more plausible to me that that the Emperor has used her, rather than the other way around, revenge motivations aside of course."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I can't imagine what he'd use her for. It sounds like she wasn't commonly known among the populace, she would have had no knowledge of Kosa language and culture when she got here, and the guards I've run across seem to have no clue how danmaku works. The only thing that I can tell she's been useful for is warning the Empire about spellcards, and even that wasn't very thorough."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I can't imagine what he'd use her for. It sounds like she wasn't commonly known among the populace, she would have had no knowledge of Kosa language and culture when she got here, and the guards I've run across seem to have no clue how danmaku works. The only thing that I can tell she's been useful for is warning the Empire about spellcards, and even that wasn't very thorough."

>"I admit, this is the first I've heard of the name," says Yumemi. "But I am reluctant to accept she is the true power behind the throne without any proof, it strikes me as dangerously underselling the Emperor himself, he dances too well to be a puppet, so to speak."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Well, I guess I'm not convinced he's a puppet either, but I'd be willing to be she's at least partially responsible for the decision to forge an Empire in the first place. Maybe she found him to be a guy potentially receptive to the idea and just started influencing him to give it a try. With her exposed, I think he'd be forced to rethink what he's doing."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Well, I guess I'm not convinced he's a puppet either, but I'd be willing to be she's at least partially responsible for the decision to forge an Empire in the first place. Maybe she found him to be a guy potentially receptive to the idea and just started influencing him to give it a try. With her exposed, I think he'd be forced to rethink what he's doing."

>"I doubt he would," says Yumemi, "Not after having gambled and won."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Shrug.
> "He reconsidered Gensokyo for no apparent reason otherwise."

[Hello Purvis]

> Shrug.
> "He reconsidered Gensokyo for no apparent reason otherwise."

>"There's a difference between the gambles one has already taken and the ones they have yet to take," says Yumemi, as she fishes a small black rectangle from her dress pocket.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Oh, Higan not actually being Gensokyo's capital doesn't makes an armed forces difference. If anything, it makes his job easier, because now he doesn't have to worry about any sort of central organization."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Oh, Higan not actually being Gensokyo's capital doesn't makes an armed forces difference. If anything, it makes his job easier, because now he doesn't have to worry about any sort of central organization."

>"I suppose it depends on what he is planning," says Yumemi, as she starts to fiddle with some buttons on the black square.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I'll probably find out eventually, since I still want to know why it matters. What's that thing?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "I'll probably find out eventually, since I still want to know why it matters. What's that thing?"

>"I'm trying to contact Chiyuri, and make sure she is going to be at our meeting point."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Oh, okay."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Oh, okay."

>Yumemi doesn't comment as she raises the small black square to her mouth and speaks into it. "Chiyuri, are you in position?" She then moves it to her ear, and you think you hear something from from it, but it's faint and hard to hear.
>As well, while trying to listen, you think you can hear footsteps some distance ahead. The echoes in these halls aren't quite the same as those in the caverns you tend to prowl, but you are confident that you know what you're hearing. Judging from the fact you don't see anyone ahead, they are probably approaching from one of the two intersections you can see.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Lower our voice.
> "Hey. We gotta move."

[Hello Purvis]

> Lower our voice.
> "Hey. We gotta move."

>"Hm?" says Yumemi.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Does it sound like one person or many people?
> "Footsteps."

[Hello Purvis]

> Does it sound like one person or many people?
> "Footsteps."

>Definitely several people.
>"Ugh," says Yumemi. She heads for a nearby door and pushes it open. "In here."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Is Ruukoto around?
> Float on through the door, moving enough to allow passage for the people behind us.

[Hello Purvis]

> Is Ruukoto around?
> Float on through the door, moving enough to allow passage for the people behind us.

>She is. She has been trailing behind and being rather unusually timid since you returned to this floor.
>You float through the door, and into a small room. The floors are covered in tiles that look something like ceramic, and the walls are similar. There's a kind smell in the air that is...somewhat like that of the medical bay, but...earthier. You aren't certain if its more or less pleasant.  A large mirror is set into the wall directly opposite of the door, some feet away from it, over what you assume are a set of sinks built into a solid-looking countertop of some material you can't identify. Odd metal things shaped vaguely like hooks are set over the sinks.  To your immediate left is the left wall of the room, another wall to your right makes a short corridor before opening to the rest of the room, which you are unable to see at first until you move further in.  Upon doing so, you see the bulk of the room is to the right, with a half dozen small stalls set along walls, the tops of them reaching a bit over six feet high.
>Kasen and Ruukoto hurry in behind you.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Keep voice down still.
> "Where's this?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Keep voice down still.
> "Where's this?"

>"It's a bathroom," says Yumemi, as she shuts the door behind Ruukoto, taking care to keep it from making a noise. "I would opt for better, but time is hardly on our side."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Okay. So we just wait for whoever's out there to go by?"