Sword Quest IX - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Kilgamayan]

> "Quite."
> Put on the slightest of grins.
> "Give your matriarch my regards."
> Head westward, looking out for any dwellings.

[Mr. Sacchi]

We are looking for Wriggle, yes? Shouldn't we ask her if we know where Wriggle lives before we leave?

[Kilgamayan]

Nah, Reimu's instructions suggest Wriggle's easy to find.

[Hello Purvis]

> "Quite."
> Put on the slightest of grins.
> "Give your matriarch my regards."
> Head westward, looking out for any dwellings.

>"Sure thing," says the youkai, not looking up from her sweeping as you head around the store and into the rear yard, which is about as patchy and barren as the front yard.  From there, you see a little creek wending its way westerward.
>You follow that direction for some minutes. The faeries continue to fly overhead and make a general ruckus, but on the ground there aren't too many, just individual ones and the sounds of a few in the distance, nothing worth worrying about.  After distance, you spy a field of mushrooms along the southern bank, some of them large enough that you could use their caps as cushions. One in particular catches your eye, as it towers over the rest and even touches the boughs of the trees above, and seems to have a door build into the side.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Might as well.
> Head to this mushroom building and knock on the door.

[Hello Purvis]

> Might as well.
> Head to this mushroom building and knock on the door.

>You head toward the mushroom building, having to duck a little to keep from catching your hair on the underside of its cap, and knock on the door. After a moment, the door opens, revealing a small, slight woman with green hair and notable antennae poking through it, wearing a cape with a white shirt and shorts, and looking a bit disheveled. "Hoi, choomba," she says through a yawn.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Good day. My apologies for disturbing your slumber. I am presently searching for a youkai named Wriggle. Are you the one I seek, or do you know where I may find her?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Good day. My apologies for disturbing your slumber. I am presently searching for a youkai named Wriggle. Are you the one I seek, or do you know where I may find her?"

>"That's me," she says. "And it ain't you making all the racket."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Ah. Are the clouds of fairies harassing you as well?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "Ah. Are the clouds of fairies harassing you as well?"

>"Been keeping me tuned in for hours," she says with a sigh. "What're you looking for me for, then? If it's about a run, I don't interface with the Moriyas no more."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "No interference with anyone will be necessary."
> Pull out the key.
> "I understand you previously in ownership of this key. Is that correct?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "No interference with anyone will be necessary."
> Pull out the key.
> "I understand you previously in ownership of this key. Is that correct?"

>She frowns at it. "Don't think that matches my door."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "That would make sense. It is my understanding that you discovered this key on the mountain, some time ago, before selling it to the curio shop. At the very least, this is what the mountain shrine maiden tells me."

[Hello Purvis]

> "That would make sense. It is my understanding that you discovered this key on the mountain, some time ago, before selling it to the curio shop. At the very least, this is what the mountain shrine maiden tells me."

>"What?" she says. Then her eyes widen. "Oh! Right right, yeah, that was a long time ago."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Ah, splendid. Now, I understand it was indeed some time ago, but I was wondering if you could tell me anything at all about how you came into this key. Its location on the mountain would be particularly helpful, if possible."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Ah, splendid. Now, I understand it was indeed some time ago, but I was wondering if you could tell me anything at all about how you came into this key. Its location on the mountain would be particularly helpful, if possible."

>"Think I was just mousing around in the forest around the kappa village," she says, "And I found it."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> How long a trip is it to the kappa village from here?
> Based on what we remember from just being outside the forest, what does the fairy weather between here and the mountain look like?
> "Do you happen to remember where you discovered it relative to the location of the village? Perhaps north, or east, or some other direction?"

[Hello Purvis]

> How long a trip is it to the kappa village from here?
> Based on what we remember from just being outside the forest, what does the fairy weather between here and the mountain look like?
> "Do you happen to remember where you discovered it relative to the location of the village? Perhaps north, or east, or some other direction?"

>It would take a little bit.
>You would have to backtrack through the plains again, and possibly deal with whatever is above the forest if you try to fly through that.
>"Well, the forest is to the west of kappa," says Wriggle. "Uh. I think it was more southwest? Been a few cycles, yeah?"

>_

[Suwako Moriya]

> Nod. (Try not to ruin our hair on the underside of the cap of the mushroom.)
> "I understand. Thank you for your information, it should prove very valuable in my investigation."

[Hello Purvis]

> Nod. (Try not to ruin our hair on the underside of the cap of the mushroom.)
> "I understand. Thank you for your information, it should prove very valuable in my investigation."

>You manage to keep your hair clear of the mushroom with a little effort.
>"Found it on the ground," she says. "I figured it must have belonged to some kappa, so I hawked it at the store for a bag of rice, then let word out that there was a key there. No one showed up, from what I vidded."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Nod again. "If it means anything to you at this juncture, it is exceedingly likely that no kappa owned this. A spinning dancer of the mountain has informed me that this key carries quite a substantial doom upon it."

[Hello Purvis]

> Nod again. "If it means anything to you at this juncture, it is exceedingly likely that no kappa owned this. A spinning dancer of the mountain has informed me that this key carries quite a substantial doom upon it."

>The woman shrugs. "Didn't do anything to me."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Yes, it does not seem to have affected me yet either. But something of this caliber is better dealt with than left to its own devices, I think."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Yes, it does not seem to have affected me yet either. But something of this caliber is better dealt with than left to its own devices, I think."

>"That doesn't sound green at all," she says. "But good luck with it. Any other chatter you want?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "I do not believe so. Thank you again. I wish you the best of luck in obtaining some rest."

[Hello Purvis]

> "I do not believe so. Thank you again. I wish you the best of luck in obtaining some rest."

>"Not till those faeries power down," she mumbles. "Stay fresh, choomba."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> What is further down the road in this direction?

[Hello Purvis]

> What is further down the road in this direction?

>If you mean west, you would eventually find the Bamboo Forest. You aren't sure what else there is to see.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "And you as well."
> Head back east, to the forest entrance.

[Hello Purvis]

> "And you as well."
> Head back east, to the forest entrance.

>You head eastward, as the youkai closes her door. The trip back is uneventful, at least. There is a point where some stray danmaku comes through the forest canopy, but nowhere near you. You pass by Kourindou, and find it is closed for the evening. From there, it is easy to follow the road back out toward the plains.

>_