Yukari Quest II - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Kilgamayan]

> "As you wish."

[Hello Purvis]

> "As you wish."

>"You can rest here, I guess," says Reimu. "Just don't take any of my tea or stuff."
>The shrine maiden looks to you. "We waiting for anything?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Do we remember where we re-emerged into Gensokyo well enough that we could open a gap to go there?

[Hello Purvis]

> Do we remember where we re-emerged into Gensokyo well enough that we could open a gap to go there?

>You think so. It's not too far from here.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "No."
> Open a gap back toward that place.

[Hello Purvis]

> "No."
> Open a gap back toward that place.

>You do so, and after a moment, feel it connect with no difficulty.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Head on through.

[Hello Purvis]

> Head on through.

>You step out, and find yourself near the foot of the mountains again, some distance from but still within sight of the Hakurei Shrine. You can sense the gap that brought you back without any issues.
>Reimu looks around idly. "We're not too far from the tunnel to Makai. Are they up to something?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Ran came with us, yes?
> "I don't think so. Here."
> Make our way to the gap that brought us here and open it.

[Hello Purvis]

> Ran came with us, yes?
> "I don't think so. Here."
> Make our way to the gap that brought us here and open it.

>Ran is with you, she has quietly followed behind you, like a good shikigami whose master needs to put on a proper unified front.
>You open the gap. Reimu frowns at it, then says, "So this goes somewhere else? It's safe, right?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "The passage itself should be. The place beyond? I would take care of it myself if I could, which is why I am not alone."

[Hello Purvis]

> "The passage itself should be. The place beyond? I would take care of it myself if I could, which is why I am not alone."

>Reimu nods, and walks into the gap.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Follow!

[Hello Purvis]

> Follow!

>You follow and pass through the gap, Ran following closely behind. On the other side, you find yourself back in the field of pearlescent fronds and immediately notice several things. First, you see no sign whatsoever of Reimu, even though she should be just in front of you. You are also away that the hat you recently donned is no longer there, and the sudden unsupported feeling around your chest suggests the underwear is no longer in place, either. Nor, a moment later, do you see any signs of Ran coming through the gap.
>At a glance, the field of gently swaying fronds does not seem to be any different than it was when you left it. You can even see what is left of your footprints among them from when you first arrived her.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> What the
> Are we at least still clothed?

[Hello Purvis]

> What the
> Are we at least still clothed?

>You still have the dress, at a glance.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Look back behind us. Is the gap still open?

[Hello Purvis]

> Look back behind us. Is the gap still open?

>The gap is still open. You should be able to hold it open for a little while before it becomes an issue.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Poke our head through to see if they're on the other side.

[Hello Purvis]

>Poke our head through to see if they're on the other side.

>You do so, and find there is no one on the other side.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Oh... crap.
>Try calling out to them.

[Hello Purvis]

>Oh... crap.
>Try calling out to them.

>You call out through the gap, and receive no answer.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Take another look back through the gap, calling out here as well.
>Insight: Could they have appeared where we first appeared, and if so is there any way back there?

[Hello Purvis]

>Take another look back through the gap, calling out here as well.
>Insight: Could they have appeared where we first appeared, and if so is there any way back there?

>You call through the gap and well, and get no reply, nor see any sign of them.
>You suppose it is possible that they have appeared there, but it seems unlikely. You know where this gap lead to, and had seen both sides. Even in your current state and even with the borders as they are, you are entirely certain this gap should be dependable in where it leads until something happens to damage it. For them to have appeared elsewhere, something would have have to interfered without your knowledge, before you entered and after, to catch both of them. You have never encountered anything like that before, and haven't felt any signs of such here. To get back, you'd have to do some walking, all the way back to the gap to the unstable region, and then hope you could enter it without issue.
>No insight points spent.

>_

[Shadoweh]

> Can we feel our connection to Ran?

[Hello Purvis]

> Can we feel our connection to Ran?

>You do not feel anything, either here or when you looked through the gate.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Could we attempt to look for Ran using our connection in that weird place between the gaps?

[Hello Purvis]

>Could we attempt to look for Ran using our connection in that weird place between the gaps?

>If she were there, you doubt she'd survive long enough for you to find anything. It is normally quite inhospitable to life.  But assuming she could, and assuming you could get there, it's plausible.

>_

[Hello Purvis]

>As puzzling and concerning as it is, you wonder if it means anything in light of other events that have transpired...

[Mr. Sacchi]

Is that a hint, purvis?

> insight: is this place a manifestation of our psyche or something similar?

People, feel free belay this. I'm using my full genre savvyness for this.

E: almost forgot

> take a deep breath and head back to the crystal palace.
> proceed to the room with the gap that we needed our pliers for.