Yukari Quest III - A Z-Machine Adventure

[日巫子]

> Let's see how far we can follow the footprints away from the hole.  Be careful not to step on any of them.

[Hello Purvis]

> Let's see how far we can follow the footprints away from the hole.  Be careful not to step on any of them.

>There is a set arriving, which come from the direction of the badlands and one departing, which heads toward the mountain.

>_

[日巫子]

> Follow the ones departing.

If anyone objects or has a different idea please tell me

[Hello Purvis]

> Follow the ones departing.

>You follow the tracks across the lake bed. While they are weathered and not quite fresh, the moist soil holds them well enough that you need not worry about losing the trail. However, as you make your way up the banks of the former lake and the dirt becomes more dry and dusty, the trail disappears into the windswept earth. However, it has not deviated from its course, which proceeds toward the mountain.

>_

[O4rfish]

>When we the last time we we at Bhava Agra, and its this place similar?

[Hello Purvis]

>When we the last time we we at Bhava Agra, and its this place similar?

>The last time you were at Bhava Agra was several years ago, when Tenshi began to kick up a fuss. This place does bear some superficial similarities, but the plants are all wrong, as is the presence of light bridges and places like this badland.

>_

[日巫子]

> Proceed towards the mountain.

[Hello Purvis]

> Proceed towards the mountain.

>You continue toward the mountain. Its lower slopes soon loom large before you, as the badlands slowly give way to greener fields. It shouldn't be too difficult to make your way up the lower reaches from just about any angle you would like. Once you get about half-way, though, you would have to start picking your path a bit more carefully as sheer cliff faces become more common. The south-eastern face of the mountain has a light woods on its lower slopes, light enough that you shouldn't have to worry about underbrush or dodging around many trees, which gives way to to an increasingly steep cliff. It might be climbable, but it would be tricky.

>_

[O4rfish]

>Let's harvest a new stick.

[Hello Purvis]

>Let's harvest a new stick.

>Looking around, you do note there are some fallen branches here and there. One of them should make a suitable stick, depending on the traits you desire.

>_

[日巫子]

> Let's look for a tall, sturdy one.  If there are any extra twigs or leaves, we can strip them away.

[Hello Purvis]

> Let's look for a tall, sturdy one.  If there are any extra twigs or leaves, we can strip them away.

>You begin to rove around, seeking a proper stick. You pass a few that are too small or too thin before you find a fallen then that looks suitable. It is long and a bit gnarled near the middle, but it should do fine. It is festooned with other branches, but that should be easy enough to strip away.
>As you prepare the stick, you idly take in your surroundings and pause as a chill dances across your spine. Looking toward the mountain, you can see it, just visible through the grass. There is a root, mostly buried in the ground. The little bit that you can see suggests that it is likely as big around as a barrel were it unearthed. Just looking at it makes you feel uneasy, enough that you notice you've stopped stripping the branch.

>_

[日巫子]

> Consider poking the root with our stick.
> Look for escape routes to get away from the root.

[Hello Purvis]

> Consider poking the root with our stick.
> Look for escape routes to get away from the root.

>This is a plausible action. If yesterday's experiments hold true, touching them with something inanimate should be safe.
>You should be able to go back the way you came. The roots have not yet prove to be mobile, which you really hope remains true. You could probably approach it and walk around it if you were feeling brave.

>_

[日巫子]

> Let's try to walk around it very slowly and carefully.
> Once we're on the other side, look to see if it hasn't done anything yet.

[Hello Purvis]

> Let's try to walk around it very slowly and carefully.
> Once we're on the other side, look to see if it hasn't done anything yet.

>How close do you intend to get to it?

>_

[日巫子]

> The bare minimum of close, just close enough for the stick to reach it.  Is there a wall of stone we can back up against?  We don't want to trip and fall.

[Hello Purvis]

> The bare minimum of close, just close enough for the stick to reach it.  Is there a wall of stone we can back up against?  We don't want to trip and fall.

>There are no walls of stone in the middle of this woods on the lower reaches of this mountain.
>You approach the root, your sense of unease deepening, until you are within a yard and a half of it. A few feet worth of worth of it peek from the ground, running parallel to the mountain. It's bark is thin and smooth, like all the other roots of this kind that you have seen. Logically speaking, you know that it shouldn't hurt you unless you touch it yourself, but just looking at it brings a sense of dread, and dredges up memories of that horrible chamber you found yesterday...
>You walk around it. As you do you try not to think you are likely stepping over it as well, with only a scant few inches of dirt between you and it. With in few steps, you find yourself on the other side of the root with no problems.

>_

[日巫子]

> Reach out with the stick.
> Use the very end of it to poke the root, gently.

[Hello Purvis]

> Reach out with the stick.
> Use the very end of it to poke the root, gently.

>You prod it with the end of of your mostly-cleaned stick. The root feels very firm and solid, as something made of wood ought to. Aside from this, there is nothing unusual. It does nothing assuage your feelings of wariness.

>_

[日巫子]

> Poke it harder.

[Hello Purvis]

> Poke it harder.

>You prod the root harder, and manage to slightly mar its bark. Otherwise, it doesn't react. Nor does it feel any less unsettling to be around.

>_

[日巫子]

> ...Let's just keep walking, away from it.
> Continue stripping the branch.

[Hello Purvis]

> ...Let's just keep walking, away from it.
> Continue stripping the branch.

>You decide to walk away from it, and feel quite a bit less antsy with more distance between you and it. Soon, you finish stripping the branch.
>You obtain: Sturdy Stick
>The slope grows more notable, and the cliffs of the south-eastern face of the mountain loom ahead of you.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Look around for more signs of this elusive person we've been tracking, if none are found attempt to climb higher up the mountain.

[Hello Purvis]

>Look around for more signs of this elusive person we've been tracking, if none are found attempt to climb higher up the mountain.

>You search around for signs that the person has gone this way, and manage to turn up a twig that has been snapped in half. As twigs generally do not snap themselves, you suspect it has been trodden upon.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Mentally draw a line between the lakebed and this twig.

[Hello Purvis]

>Mentally draw a line between the lakebed and this twig.

>You compare the two and find they are roughly going in the same direction. The traveler probably weaved and bobbed a little to get around some trees or investigate points of personal interest, but you suspect this and the tracks are part of the same trail.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Does that trail look to continue up the mountain?

[Hello Purvis]

>Does that trail look to continue up the mountain?

>It's hard to tell from a single broken twig, but it does line up with the trail you say in the lake bed and would continue up the mountain.

>_