Yukari Quest II - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> Have we ever encountered this lack of flavor/purpose before? Do we know anything of it?

> Can we safely get closer to the light?

> A gap directly below us? Listen again for the water's sound, is it particularly loud? Does it seem to be coming from below us?

> Are we close enough to the gap that we could affect it from here if we so chose?

> ...How likely is it that this entire crystal "palace" is actually one of our tools? We had to manipulate several gaps to get the first one back, we're basically doing the same here.

>Thinking on it, it feels rather like nascent magic which has yet to be shaped. Typically, though, such things don't quite radiate auras that you can feel from some yards away.
>As far as you can tell, nothing is directly dangerous about it. So long as you don't allow yourself to carelessly fall off the bridge, you should be fine.
>The water doesn't seem to be any louder, it is still a drip every few seconds. It does echo quite a bit through the chamber, though.
>It would help to get closer, but you may be able to do something from here.
>....You hope not, given the damage you have done to it. You suppose it is plausible, but you've not seen anything beyond that to confirm this suspicions.

>_

[Mr. Sacchi]

> Damnit purvis, I now have the kilga syndrome of thinking of the z machine in the middle of important stuff, at least it's a free class ):

> Get as close as possible to the light, being careful as always.
>> Once we're there examine the light closely.

> Can we discern where the water sound is coming from?

> Can we tell what is below us?

> ...Is there any way to go back the way we came?

[Kilgamayan]

owned

[Hello Purvis]

> Damnit purvis, I now have the kilga syndrome of thinking of the z machine in the middle of important stuff, at least it's a free class ):

> Get as close as possible to the light, being careful as always.
>> Once we're there examine the light closely.

> Can we discern where the water sound is coming from?

> Can we tell what is below us?

> ...Is there any way to go back the way we came?

>Harha!
>The water, you think, is probably dripping from one of the lowest stalactites in this whole array.
>Below you is more interlaced and splitting stalactites, for at least a hundred feet, upwards of twice that. It's not easy to estimate it. Below that, you can get glimpses of the curved floor and the pool of water that you drank from.
>In theory, you can return the way that you came, but it will involve either opening a gap to travel through or some running jumps.
>You draw about as close to the glassy lump as you can without actually stepping on it. Closer to it, you can't really discern anything more about it or the aura it is giving off.  It is raw and unshaped, in a way that something emitting any kind of power should not be. However, despite the dimless of the light it sheds, probably no more than a candle's worth, you can feel there is quite a bit of power in this little thing. Examining the crystal itself, it is clear, but you can see iridescence playing along its surface, despite there being no light besides its own to cause such an effect. Deeper into it, you can see small lights wink into and out of existence. It doesn't give you any particularly good or bad feelings, aside from your general wariness at the situation.

>_

[Mr. Sacchi]

Okay, somebody else mind stepping in? I got no ideas.

[Kilgamayan]

She who hesitates is lost!

> Lightly poke the glassy lump with an index finger.

[Hello Purvis]

> Lightly poke the glassy lump with an index finger.

>You lightly prod the lump with your finger, and find that it is soft and pliable, like wet clay. You can also feel something else, an immense sense of...potential contained within its mass.  Not just power, though you can quite strongly feel this as well, but within that power you sense a great amount of potential. I could be shaped into many things. You can't quite feel any kind of limit to that in this moment of contact. You're also vaguely aware that the shape it has is only part of it; much of this substance's existence seems to extend beyond space as you are experiencing it now. You nearly have to remind yourself to take a breath as you take your finger from it and these sensations fade.

>_

[Hanzo K.]

Whoa, you guys. I think we just found some kind of...Well, Miracle Matter. In a good way. I'm thinking we could make a new set of tools with this.

[Mr. Sacchi]

Assuming we can, the question is: Should we?

I mean, the rest of our tools is bound to be here somewhere, or at least back in the cave, if we re-do all the old tools we might just waste the Miracle Matter.

Of couse, making a completely new set of new tools is another thing entirely, and IMO, worth giving a shot, but...

> Was there anything our old tools did not cover, in terms of controlling gaps and the like?

> If we were to create new tools, we'd need to use our powers, right? That would leave us quite exhausted, right?

[Hanzo K.]

Well, the idea is they're replacements to help us find the ones we misplaced. And after that, a backup set in the event we lose them again.

[Hello Purvis]

> Was there anything our old tools did not cover, in terms of controlling gaps and the like?
> If we were to create new tools, we'd need to use our powers, right? That would leave us quite exhausted, right?

>Between your full set of tools, you could do just about anything that was possible to be done with your abilities. You would need outside influences to increase your capacities any further.
>Very. It would be the work taking some time, you wouldn't just be able to do it in an idle afternoon.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Is there any apparent way to interact with this omnipotent bean other than simple physical contact?

[Hello Purvis]

> Is there any apparent way to interact with this omnipotent bean other than simple physical contact?

>You could probably pick it up if you wanted to. But in terms of more esoteric ways, you aren't sure. You don't think you could manipulate it via gaps, short of opening one under it. You don't imagine that thinking particularly hard at it would achieve anything.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Could we harness it to augment ourselves, perhaps?

[Hello Purvis]

> Could we harness it to augment ourselves, perhaps?

>That may not be outside the realm of possibility, at least in a physical sense. You could probably use it to make physical changes to yourself, at least. You are not so sure if it could affect more intangible things.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Let's try picking it up, then, and see what happens.

[Hello Purvis]

> Let's try picking it up, then, and see what happens.

>You reach and pick it up. As you touch it, you find it makes your fingers tingle, and the feelings of immense potential returns to you. The material flows sluggishly in your hands and seeps between your fingers, feeling rather like lump of mud even though it seems as solid as clay. Still, you don't feel it is going to spill out on its own. You can sense the aspects that exist beyond its physical shape are fluctuating in various  ways, flowing hither and thither and giving you the impression of standing in the middle of a small typhoon. The flow of lights within the material seems to grow more erratic, and the iridescence is brighter. Even though it is without thought, you can feel that it wants a form, that it wants a purpose. And as far as you can tell, that form and purpose could be nearly anything you imagine.
>You think you know what this is now, and if you are right, then you have indeed found a treasure. You read about it, but never really expected to find anything like this. If you are right, you think this may well be the one element from which everything has arisen, a shard of the earliest form of reality, after it came to be but before it was shaped to be anything at all. Or possibly, it is a replica of that one element. If that is what this is, then even this small handful would be worth more than the Scarlet Devil Mansion along with everything and everyone that it contains. You imagine any magician worth her salt, such as Patchouli, would happily pay such a price to obtain it. Rinnosuke, you imagine, would have given you everything he owns to possess it. You almost want to say that finding this might have made this entirely escape worth it in and of itself, but it might be a bad idea to speak too soon.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>If we make it into something, can we then un-make it later to get this stuff back?

[Hello Purvis]

>If we make it into something, can we then un-make it later to get this stuff back?

>You don't know for sure, but you doubt it. It is not as though anyone has unmade a part of the universe to reclaim the one element that it was composed of. You imagine some people in Gensokyo have likely tried this, as well.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Could we make another sentient being? ...Like a Maribel clone?
> How do we actually go about the process of molding this thing?

[Hello Purvis]

> Could we make another sentient being? ...Like a Maribel clone?
> How do we actually go about the process of molding this thing?

>You suspect that the possibility to do so is there. You're not sure if you can actually do it correctly, but you're quite sure that it's capable of doing so. You suspect, though, you wouldn't get a proper clone of Maribel, but rather a copy that more embodies how you perceive her to be. This would be close in some regards, you imagine, and possible off in others. You also suspect there is not quite enough of it to make a proper clone, you imagine you'd need more that fits in the palm of your hand.
>From what you've felt, you think it will react to your thoughts. It should just be an act of concentrating strongly enough and clearly enough for it to take the form you need. From this, you suspect that more complex things will take longer, for some definition of complex.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

Wow, that's some impressively potent stufff.

My vote would be that we not use this stuff unless absolutely necessary to return to Gensokyo. Something this valuable demands at least a second character's opinion before it is used.

[Kilgamayan]

> Do we have any safe way of holding it other than with our hands?

[Hello Purvis]

> Do we have any safe way of holding it other than with our hands?

>Given its semifluid nature, you don't think so. It would probably be best to store it in a gap.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Are we capable of that right now without undue strain?
> If so, do so.

[Hello Purvis]

> Are we capable of that right now without undue strain?
> If so, do so.

>You should be. It's not a difficult thing to do. You don't expect you'd be able to make the walk-in closets that you tend to make back home, given the sketchiness of the borders here, but you should be able to make something.
>You set about opening a gap, and frown at the difficulties that the surrounding borders give you. You open one and have it collapse immediately from being too large. Trying again, you manage to keep it open for a few moments before it collapses under its own size. The third time, you make a smaller one, and it feels properly stable. It is roughly box-shaped, about six inches to a side. Rather puny compared to your normal work, but it will do.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Put our newfound Bean of Bein' inside and close it.
> We will be able to open this again later no matter where we are, yes?

[Hello Purvis]

> Put our newfound Bean of Bein' inside and close it.
> We will be able to open this again later no matter where we are, yes?

>You obtain: Materia Prima (small)
>Under reasonably normal circumstances yes. It is possible to be in places where the borders are too weak or in too much disarray to allow it, such as that chamber in the caves.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Okay then. There isn't any more of this stuff around, is there?
> That gap in this chamber is still below us, yes? How far, and is iit visible from our current location?

[Hello Purvis]

> Okay then. There isn't any more of this stuff around, is there?
> That gap in this chamber is still below us, yes? How far, and is iit visible from our current location?

>You don't see any. With the one piece that you've found safely tucked away, there is no longer any light here.
>It is below you. You estimate it is about halfway down the lattice, near one of the main stalactites that composes it.  You estimate, now that you take a little more time to assess it, that it is about seventy-five feet away.  You can sense it from here reasonably clearly.

>_