Maribel Quest Succeeding - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

>panic-burst of small danmaku at the rat/where it's headed! Shotgun effect is probably safer than a clumsy shot or diving for it. Unless there's something other than wood floor there, in which case dive if it's getting closer or guide it toward getting pinned in a smaller area.

>You gather energy, and send a burst in its generally direction! One of the shots connects with it, dropping it with a squeak.
>The shopkeeper quickly gathers it.
>"There's a black one that's right active, too."

>_

[Rin Kagamine]

> Whip around.
> "Where at?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Whip around.
> "Where at?"

>You whip around, and look at the shop part of the dwelling. No rats in that direction, that you can see.
>"Not sure where the zoggin' thing's off to..."

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>We saw it earlier, and it might have gone behind the shelf. A good place to check.
>Where's that familiar?
>Crouch down and look behind the shelf. It's probably hiding out of normal reach back there, or moved out to hide elsewhere.

[Rin Kagamine]

> Summon familiar, since we haven't brought it out yet.

[Hello Purvis]

>We saw it earlier, and it might have gone behind the shelf. A good place to check.
>Where's that familiar?
>Crouch down and look behind the shelf. It's probably hiding out of normal reach back there, or moved out to hide elsewhere.

>You never got around to summoning a familiar.
>Looking behind the shelf, you think you can catch a glimpse of it in the shadows, at the far end of the shelf.

> Summon familiar, since we haven't brought it out yet.

>You try to summon the familiar. It takes a couple shots, you have to pull out the Incantation Slip to remind yourself how the pronunciation goes. But you get it in the end, and summon a familiar that orbits lazily around your head.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"Yeah, it's back here. Could you cover the other end?"
>"Do you have any long poles or anything? I think I might be able to hit it while it's back there, but getting it out for proper capture is another story."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yeah, it's back here. Could you cover the other end?"
>"Do you have any long poles or anything? I think I might be able to hit it while it's back there, but getting it out for proper capture is another story."

>"Alright," says the merchant, as she heads to the other side for the shelf. The rodent doesn't react.
>"I'm afraid not," she says.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"Hmm. Then maybe we'll have to scare it out instead... let's see if my familiar can get in there. Be ready."
>Try and send it into the back of the shelves and hover over to the rat.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Hmm. Then maybe we'll have to scare it out instead... let's see if my familiar can get in there. Be ready."
>Try and send it into the back of the shelves and hover over to the rat.

>"Alright," says the merchant.
>You direct your familiar to move, much the same way that you direct your danmaku. It flies toward the gap. and seems to contract a bit as it contorts to slip between the wall and shelf. You have the feeling it wouldn't be very useful for danmaku like this.
>The rat makes a run for it! The shopkeeper tries to grab it, but it runs between her legs.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>Pursue! Try another scattershot ONLY if it's in the open with no valuables nearby, otherwise track where it tries to hide to try again.

[Rin Kagamine]

> Can we shoot the rat without hitting the shopkeeper?
>> If yes, do so.

[E-Nazrin]

> Can we shoot the rat without hitting the shopkeeper?
>> If yes, do so.

>We don't want to break the merchandise, either.

[Hello Purvis]

> Can we shoot the rat without hitting the shopkeeper?
>> If yes, do so.

>It doesn't seem likely.

>Pursue! Try another scattershot ONLY if it's in the open with no valuables nearby, otherwise track where it tries to hide to try again.

>You pursue!
>It dashes across the room, and hides behind the vases the shopkeeper set aside in the corner.

>We don't want to break the merchandise, either.

>Then it seems you are at a momentarily impasse.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"Clever little bugger."
>How many rat-sized exits are there from the vase/jar collection?

[Hello Purvis]

>"Clever little bugger."
>How many rat-sized exits are there from the vase/jar collection?

>"Yeah. It's been troublesome.
>You can see three places it could get out. Four if it doesn't mind knocking some vases over.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>Would it be difficult to move or stabilize the vases that it'd probably knock over using that route? It might be better to just chase it out of there, it has too many options and it's too close to valuables, but if it does damage anyway...
>Stay near one of the escape routes for now.

[Hello Purvis]

>Would it be difficult to move or stabilize the vases that it'd probably knock over using that route? It might be better to just chase it out of there, it has too many options and it's too close to valuables, but if it does damage anyway...
>Stay near one of the escape routes for now.

>You could certainly move the vases. They don't seem like they'd get more stable, but you could widen the 4th route to make a knocking over less likely.
>You keep near one of the escape routes. It doesn't seem to be escaping, you can't really see it.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>"I'll try and spook it out. Stay back and watch where it goes, I'll probably miss it."
>Widen the 4th gap. The movement might spook it out already.
>If it doesn't run from that, crouch by one of the exits and try to get a better idea of where it is in there.

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'll try and spook it out. Stay back and watch where it goes, I'll probably miss it."
>Widen the 4th gap. The movement might spook it out already.
>If it doesn't run from that, crouch by one of the exits and try to get a better idea of where it is in there.

>You widen the gap, and hear it skitter away.
>"It's going past the shelf!" says the shopkeeper!

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>Pursue once more! Or at least try to see where it is, or which shelf she was referring to.

[Hello Purvis]

>Pursue once more! Or at least try to see where it is, or which shelf she was referring to.

>You look and see it running past the shelf opposite of the one it hid behind, heading for the back of the house.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>pursue at a small distance; shotgun if it goes out in the open, otherwise work on getting it cornered.

[Hello Purvis]

>pursue at a small distance; shotgun if it goes out in the open, otherwise work on getting it cornered.

>You pursue!
>It doesn't go out into the open, rather it stick to the walls, and seems to be running for the corner, near the chamberpot and a small dresser.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>Unadorned walls are acceptable danmaku damage, if there's nothing important near it. If it's vulnerable, fire.
>Otherwise, let it choose a hiding spot and evaluate how many ways it can escape.

[Hello Purvis]

>Unadorned walls are acceptable danmaku damage, if there's nothing important near it. If it's vulnerable, fire.
>Otherwise, let it choose a hiding spot and evaluate how many ways it can escape.

>You open fire near the unadorned walls. Unfortunately, your shots are not aimed very well, and none of them hit. It dashes into the shadow of the corner, no doubt in a tizzy of rodent panic.
>You can see two ways it can slip out, maybe three. there is a chamberpot close to the corner; thankfully unused; and a small dresser. It could possibly slip either way around the pot, or maybe run behind the dresser.

>_

[E-Nazrin]

>What exits would it have from behind the dresser?
>Call our oni friend over, if she hasn't followed already.

[Hello Purvis]

>Just straight behind it, you think the rat is too large to slip beneath it.
>She has followed you.

[E-Nazrin]

>If it's in the open right now, a fast and accurate enough shot might end this right now...
>But that's probably not an option.
>Ask the oni to cover the chamberpot, and cover the dresser exit personally. If the rodent doesn't run by then and there's a clean line of sight, try a quick shot at it. If there's no good way to see, summon/retrieve a familiar to fire from a better angle to startle it.

[Doll.S CUBE]

> Is there a possibility of blocking off potential exits with our barrier making skill?