Nitori Quest - For Science, We March!

[Kasu]

> Hooray for bad luck!
> Do we know where the locker is located?

[FinnKaenbyou]

> Hooray for bad luck!
> Do we know where the locker is located?

> It's safe to assume somewhere in the jail you found Kai. It might take a little rummaging, but it shouldn't be that well hidden.

[Kasu]

> Break out through a window with Rocky and head for the jail.

[Hello Purvis]

>Be sure to gather up Kai before flying off.

[E-Nazrin]

>And grab the lost gun(s) the Serpents dropped.

[FinnKaenbyou]

>And grab the lost gun(s) the Serpents dropped.

> They won't be needing these, surely. And Kai needs something for self-defense, anyway. You pick up the pistol Janna dropped earlier - Sanna is clinging to hers, even if her aim is now nonexistent.
"H-Hey! Those are official Sea-Serpent property! You can't just-"
You can't hear them, laa laa laa laa laa.

> Received Pistol.

> Break out through a window with Rocky and head for the jail.

>Be sure to gather up Kai before flying off.

>Ah, the beautiful sound of shattering glass. You make your way out of the window, making sure not to stab either of you with broken-off shards.

The trip to the jail is thankfully eventless. Along with Kai's tank - you'll need to take some time to examine that, it's an interesting piece of work - you find an array of more powerful weaponry. Rifles, shotguns, and even the odd tazer are stacked inside. You wonder how much of this has seen any actual use, and whether or not to take any of it for added security.

> Received Scuba Gear.

Of course, people see your escape through the windows of Kuromizu's enormous buildings, but the distinct lack of a police force comes back to bite them in the ass. You just took out two of their most trained agents - they don't really have much else to throw at you.
On the other hand, the metal plate hanging in front of the door of the reservoir is much more problematic.
"Gah, stupid kappa! Why do you guys have an invention for everything?!"
Kai kicks the plate with a resounding echo before hobbling away with a sore foot. This is far too solid for even Rocky to handle. You have no doubt that Hiro set off the security system to keep you inside, and now the remnants of the Serpent force are probably headed your way. You've got two choices now; get to Hiro and make him deactivate the security, or force an override by cutting the power.

[Kasu]

> Quickly head to the fountain if it's nearby.

[Hello Purvis]

>Consider what we know about Hiro, first.

[FinnKaenbyou]

> Quickly head to the fountain if it's nearby.

> It's only a few minutes walk from here. Obviously, you don't have time to walk, so...

>Consider what we know about Hiro, first.

> He's the chief advisor of the council that runs Kuromizu. For lack of a better term, he's the city's true 'king', making all the real hard decisions. You never liked him, and the feeling was mutual, but you were still expected to agree with him on every point by your father. No good queen, after all, is argumentative with her servants.
You'd really like to head back to the palace and beat his face in, but that's the definite hard route. You'd have to go through the rest of the Serpents, whatever guards the palace has, and Hiro himself.

[Hello Purvis]

>Ponder punching him in the face to establish royalty anyways, even if we're not gonna use it.
>It'd be better than getting poor wossname in trouble, and Vera needs to curse someone.  How many serpents are we likely to encounter as far as we know?

[FinnKaenbyou]

>Ponder punching him in the face to establish royalty anyways, even if we're not gonna use it.
>It'd be better than getting poor wossname in trouble, and Vera needs to curse someone.  How many serpents are we likely to encounter as far as we know?

>You ponder. It makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
>They're a VERY small force. There are maybe a dozen in all of Kuromizu, and since they're likely to come at you from all directions there'll probably only be one or two between you and the palace.
(In the distance, Kammi has the odd feeling that her name isn't as memorable as she would like it to be.)

[Hello Purvis]

(It's the double ms what do it.)
>"Ah what the hell, let's go beat up the Chief advisor until he stops this nonsense."
>Hiro-ward!
>Was Hiro actually bad at his job, or is he just really inconvenient for us?

[FinnKaenbyou]

(It's the double ms what do it.)
>"Ah what the hell, let's go beat up the Chief advisor until he stops this nonsense."
>Hiro-ward!
>Was Hiro actually bad at his job, or is he just really inconvenient for us?

> He wasn't bad at his job, no. It was just his job in general that annoyed you, given that he was meant to tell you how to run the country 24/7 rather than giving the queen the actual right to rule. And when you refused to work with him - well, he didn't like that, and he installed that camera in your room just so you wouldn't get any funny ideas. Not that he actually expected you to have the guts to break out...

> "Well, as long as that plan doesn't get me shot, guess I've gotta go with it." Kai doesn't know this Hiro guy that well, but she knows enough to be comfortable with beating him senseless.
The fastest path back to the palace is past the fountain. Sure enough, Kammi is there, still staring at the flowing water, unaware of what's unfolding around her.
"Oh, it's you again. Did you forget something I said to you last time, or are you here to admit you're a spy sent by the boss to check up on my work...ethic?"

By the time she's finished with her snarky comment, though, she's aware that something's wrong. There are three other exits from the Fountain, and each one is being guarded by a Serpent. All three of them are looking in your direction, and blocking the path to the palace is none other than Commander Mayu.

"Nitori, calm down. This isn't going to be worth all the trouble. Don't worry, we know you had a rough time up on land, so just come back to your room with me and we'll take this one step at a time."

Mayu's speech loses a good deal of its effect given that her companions both have guns pointed at you.

[Hello Purvis]

>What do we know about kappa guns? Do we feel comfortable enough with our shot-dodging to get around them.
>"Put those stupid guns away, or do you want people knowing you're the person who ordered the missing princess shot?"

[Kasu]

> "The hell you talking about?  I freakin' love it out there!  I get to do whatever and I don't have the responsibility of ruling this place!"

[FinnKaenbyou]

>What do we know about kappa guns? Do we feel comfortable enough with our shot-dodging to get around them.
>"Put those stupid guns away, or do you want people knowing you're the person who ordered the missing princess shot?"

> You, yes. Kai, not so much, and you aren't fast enough to maintain dodging speed while carrying her.
"If people saw me as the person who let the missing princess flee, it wouldn't be much better. Now, calm down so nobody has to get hurt."

> "The hell you talking about?  I freakin' love it out there!  I get to do whatever and I don't have the responsibility of ruling this place!"

> "Don't talk like that, Nitori! You're a princess! These are duties you were born into! Stop acting like a child and take some responsibility for your father's legacy!
Do you realise how much trouble you've caused us? Not only did we have no heir, we had no family line! You are the last of the Kawashiro family! Well...besides..."
Mayu pauses, but catches herself. You're confused - you were an only child from birth, and you never had aunts or uncles...
"B-But that's irrelevant! What I'm saying is that unless you come back right now, the royal family is going to collapse! So get over here right now before I have to do something I'll regret, Nitori!"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Wouldn't mean a thing if it did vanish, Mayu. The royal family doesn't do anything. Trust me, I know, I've been there. Hiro's the real power here and the lot of us are better off for it. There wasn't even a problem until people overreacted about Kai here, which is all I really care about."

[Kasu]

> "Whoa whoa whoa.  Hold up for a second.  I'm the only one left except for who?"

[Doll.S CUBE]

> Analyze  Battlefield

> Assess situation for best path to Hiro

> Prepare Rocky the Shocker

[E-Nazrin]

>"And man, if Hiro's actually the other surviving member of the royal family, but can't rule just 'cause he's a guy, then he has my blessings."
>"Feel free to call me your figurehead ruler if you must, but I'm not interested in living as just a pretty face in the palace."

[FinnKaenbyou]

>"Wouldn't mean a thing if it did vanish, Mayu. The royal family doesn't do anything. Trust me, I know, I've been there. Hiro's the real power here and the lot of us are better off for it. There wasn't even a problem until people overreacted about Kai here, which is all I really care about."

>"You think things were just hunky-dory without you? The palace has come up with excuse after excuse as to why you haven't been around for the coronation. They've said you've been ill, been kidnapped, went missing - if it were to turn out that you didn't WANT the throne, then all of kappa society would be rocked. Suddenly, the monarchy, their role models, they're gone! There's too much risk in forcing that change on them!"

> "Whoa whoa whoa.  Hold up for a second.  I'm the only one left except for who?"

>Mayu bites her lip.
"I...I can't say! But what I can tell you is that you're the only available heir, and if it isn't you it's no-one!"

>"And man, if Hiro's actually the other surviving member of the royal family, but can't rule just 'cause he's a guy, then he has my blessings."
>"Feel free to call me your figurehead ruler if you must, but I'm not interested in living as just a pretty face in the palace."

>"Of course not! You would have recognised him if he was your uncle, wouldn't you? He's an ordinary man who worked his way to greatness, but he'll never match a woman who was BORN great!"

> Analyze  Battlefield

> Assess situation for best path to Hiro

> Prepare Rocky the Shocker

> You are standing at the southern entrance to the Electric Fountain. Armed Serpents are guarding the East and West exits. Mayu is guarding the north exit. Kammi is at her post just in front of you, looking rather concerned. She's turned on the backup-generator with a switch located at her side and subsequently ducked beneath the fountain to avoid any crossfire. The artificial lighting hanging above you makes you entirely visible.
Taking the east/west exit would be a detour long enough to allow Mayu to regroup at the palace entrance anyway, so you'll have to go through her inevitably. East and West Serpents are armed, but won't shoot as long as you're between them and Kai. Unfortunately, there's no way you can protect her from both Serpents like this if you leave your spot at the southern entrance.
> They're powerless to react, but Mayu murmurs something into an earpiece. You get the feeling reinforcements might be coming in from behind, so you'll have to make this short if you want to avoid capture.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Guess society is just going to have to live with it, because I'm not coming back. I'll set the damn palace on fire first."
>Quietly to Kai, try not to move lips much "I'm going to drop you. Fall on the ground, lay there, don't be a threat unless they come for you. Got it? Then defend yourself. Try to kneecap 'em. Ready?"
>Drop her like a bad habit, move out of the way of the guns, and rive Mayu a faceful of Rocky the Shocker.

[FinnKaenbyou]

>"Guess society is just going to have to live with it, because I'm not coming back. I'll set the damn palace on fire first."
>Quietly to Kai, try not to move lips much "I'm going to drop you. Fall on the ground, lay there, don't be a threat unless they come for you. Got it? Then defend yourself. Try to kneecap 'em. Ready?"
>Drop her like a bad habit, move out of the way of the guns, and rive Mayu a faceful of Rocky the Shocker.

>Mayu sighs.
"I didn't want it to come to this, Nitori. If we have to use your human friend as a target, then we will-"
DROP DAT CHICK
"!?"
Mayu is only aware of the plan by the time Kai has fallen out of sight. By then, there's a glove rocketing towards her face, and the commander takes a megaton punch to the forehead.
"Gah-"
Mayu is knocked backwards into the staircase behind her, slamming her head into the concrete. She's out cold, with a few bruises and cuts from the impact, but she's still alive.

East and West guards are now notably confused, murmuring into their earpieces for reinforcements.
"Sir Hiro. Permission to use force to retrieve the princess."
"Denied. Kawashiro must not be harmed - for every mark you leave on her, you drop down a rank."
West grimaces as her request is rejected, settling for running for the hidden Kai. Sliding behind the fountain, though, all she can see is a frightened looking Kammi.
"...What the...?"
She drops her guard for the briefest of moments, and that's Kai's cue to pounce out from behind and shoot the gun out of West's hand with disturbing accuracy. The gun falls into the fountain with a plop.
A moment of silence. Beneath you, the backup generator runs out of power.
The lights black out, leaving both East and West bewildered. You don't even need to tell Kai that it's your opening, and you run for the northern exit while the Serpents are unable to see you.
"YOU THERE! GET THE POWER BACK ONLINE!"
"Dammit, don't act like this is my fault! How was I meant to keep doing my job when people were pointing freaking guns at me?!"
By the time the lighting is back on, the pair of you are long gone.

> The palace is mercifully unguarded. Better yet, you know exactly where Hiro's room is in the palace - second floor, just next to the attic entrance. There's a convenient window for you to enter through, so the only question is 'does he expect you to come from outside?'

[Doll.S CUBE]

> Can Rocky the Shocker break down walls?

[Hello Purvis]

>Give Kai a thumbs up. She's gonna be a hella assistance.
>Which way would get us to Hiro fastest, the window or the palace?

[FinnKaenbyou]

> Can Rocky the Shocker break down walls?

> Oh, yes it can. Strange question, but you certainly don't have anything devious in mind when you ask it.

>Give Kai a thumbs up. She's gonna be a hella assistance.
>Which way would get us to Hiro fastest, the window or the palace?

>She smirks. She seems to have enjoyed the opportunity to prove herself to you.
>The window, assuming he hasn't boobytrapped it or it's actually a metal plate disguised as a window.

[Hello Purvis]

>The window it is!
>Lead in with Rocky for Smashing, keep Vera ready for follow ups.
>Do be prepared to be sniped at from the window.

[E-Nazrin]

>Will he get more warning if you come from the inside, or the outside?
>Breaking IN through a window would be a somewhat unexpected change of pace for us either way, so it's not a bad idea. Unless he's anticipated us knowing where he is and moved to stay out of danger...

[Doll.S CUBE]

> Break through the wall, now that's unexpected

[Hello Purvis]

> Break through the wall, now that's unexpected

>That's just wasting public money =[