Maribel Quest Abridging - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> Spare a quick glance behind us to check in on the thing.

>You check back behind you, and find it is chasing you still. Curiously, the golden energy is starting to fade away.

>Assuming it's still chasing us just fine, fly back to the mansion grounds and Patchouli
>"I got the book! Doesn't seem to have made a lot of difference at the moment..."

>You try to angle back toward the mansion grounds. As you do, you head an immense clatter behind you.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Look back again. Is it falling apart?

[Hello Purvis]

>Look back again. Is it falling apart?

>You look back, and find it has crashed to the ground, and doesn't really seem to have a coherent shape anymore.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Keep an eye on it for a moment.
>If it doesn't seem to be moving or doing anything else dangerous, and the energy around it has disappeared, fly back towards Renko
>"Oh god, is it over?"

[Kilgamayan]

>Keep an eye on it for a moment.
>If it doesn't seem to be moving or doing anything else dangerous, and the energy around it has disappeared, fly back towards Renko
>"Oh god, is it over?"

> Slow down while doing this. Come to a stop if it doesn't seem to be moving.

[Hello Purvis]

>Keep an eye on it for a moment.
>If it doesn't seem to be moving or doing anything else dangerous, and the energy around it has disappeared, fly back towards Renko
>"Oh god, is it over?"

> Slow down while doing this. Come to a stop if it doesn't seem to be moving.

>It is still moving. It's falling apart, but still trying to reach you. Watching it, you can see it trying to drag itself toward you. The energy is fizzling out.
>Even at this point, still furiously panting for breath, you can outrun it pretty easily.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Jeez, Koishi, what's up with this thing?"

[DracoOmega]

>Continue to keep a safe distance, look back at the construct, until it fully falls apart or comes to a stop

[Hello Purvis]

> "Jeez, Koishi, what's up with this thing?"

>"I think it wants to destroy you," comes the disembodied airy voice, sounding distant. "I think that's its only goal in life. Oh well."

>Continue to keep a safe distance, look back at the construct, until it fully falls apart or comes to a stop

>It continues to drag itself, parts flaking away, until it finally shudders to a stop, the rest of its body falling apart int a pile of rods and couplings and other such things, the last of the golden energy fading away.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Breathe a tentative sigh of relief
>Fly over to Renko
>"I... think it's over."

[Kilgamayan]

>Breathe a tentative sigh of relief
>Fly over to Renko
>"I... think it's over."

> First, to Koishi: "Well, that ain't very nice of it."

[Hello Purvis]

> First, to Koishi: "Well, that ain't very nice of it."

>"I can't say for sure at all," the voice replies, more distant now, "But I think that might be all it knew."

>Breathe a tentative sigh of relief
>Fly over to Renko
>"I... think it's over."

>A sign of relief is just the thing you need right now. It feels wonderful. And makes you realize that you need to lie down.
>You find that you don't need fly over to Renko, she arrives at you side.
>"Are you okay?" she asks, "It didn't get you, did it?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> To Renko: "I think so. It didn't get me that I noticed."
> To Koishi: "Wait, are you leaving?"

[Hello Purvis]

> To Renko: "I think so. It didn't get me that I noticed."
> To Koishi: "Wait, are you leaving?"

>"Good!" she exclaims, and hugs you.
>"What?"says Renko.
>"Too crowded." says the voice.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Koishi, please. Okuu really wants to speak with you. It's important to her."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Koishi, please. Okuu really wants to speak with you. It's important to her."

>"What?" says Renko, as she lets you go; making it hard for you not to collapse from the sudden lack of support. "Did you hit your head or something?"
>"Maybe we'll talk when it isn't so crowded," Koishi answers.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Sorry, Renko, but can you go check on Patchouli? I need a minute alone. Trust me."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Sorry, Renko, but can you go check on Patchouli? I need a minute alone. Trust me."

>"Only if you tell me what's going on," says Renko. "And, how'd you move like that?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Please, just trust me on this. I'll explain what I'm doing when I get back to the mansion. I just need to speak with someone."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Please, just trust me on this. I'll explain what I'm doing when I get back to the mansion. I just need to speak with someone."

>"I don't like it," says Renko, scowling.. "I especially don't like leaving you alone with that thing. But, okay. Just come back soon."
>She departs.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Koishi, are you still here?"
>Assuming she responds: "Okuu really wants to see you again. It would mean a lot to her. I'm sure it would mean a lot to your sister, too."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Koishi, are you still here?"
>Assuming she responds: "Okuu really wants to see you again. It would mean a lot to her. I'm sure it would mean a lot to your sister, too."

>Koishi responds by appearing near the edge of the forest. She looks very much like the portrait you saw in the sitting room of the Palace of the Earth Spirits; a wide-brimmed hat and pale teal hair. She has a third eye, akin to Satori's, but you notice it is closed. As well, the cords, or are they veins, seem to connect to her ankles. She is smiling happily.
>"I never want to see Utsuho again," she says. "She is an enemy of the Komeiji family."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I don't think Satori would think so. Okuu went to a lot of trouble to restore Satori's memories in the other world, so she could ask her whether she was truly happier there. Satori told her that she was content with the life she had here, and that it was time to set things back."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I don't think Satori would think so. Okuu went to a lot of trouble to restore Satori's memories in the other world, so she could ask her whether she was truly happier there. Satori told her that she was content with the life she had here, and that it was time to set things back."

>The smile never leaves Koishi's face. "Of course Satori would say that. She always says those kinds of things. My dear sister would never want to be a burden on anyone. Why do you think she hides, why do you think she only takes care of pets? She's too full of love to ever ask anything of anyone. She didn't think she was worthy of it."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"So you think Satori was simply lying to her? And you feel that the choices you'd make for her life are better than the ones she would choose for herself?"
>"As much as you've felt hurt by Okuu, she's felt hurt by what you've said in return. Maybe you find it hard to believe she truly cares, but I'm convinced she does."

[Hello Purvis]

>"So you think Satori was simply lying to her? And you feel that the choices you'd make for her life are better than the ones she would choose for herself?"
>"As much as you've felt hurt by Okuu, she's felt hurt by what you've said in return. Maybe you find it hard to believe she truly cares, but I'm convinced she does."

>"I think Satori is lying to herself, as well," says Koishi. "Wouldn't she make a lovely bodhisattva? And I know her life was better. I saw it. I saw her. So much happier, so much more able." She shakes her head, though the smile never leaves her lips.
>"I'm glad," says Koishi. "If I could, I would force her to bear a third eye for a month, so she could understand the how terribly she's betrayed us. Perhaps she cares, but not enough to restrain herself."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"She cares. She did what she did because she cares. Maybe it's just as hard for someone with a third eye to understand what it's like for someone who's never had that."

[Kilgamayan]

I'm going to bed, but I want to make sure this gets out just in case other people decide to jump in on this conversation.

Koishi is almost invariably going to say things that will piss you off. Hell, she might have already done so. If that happens, shrug it off. Let her be a jerk. Be the better woman. And for the love of God, do not start insulting or questioning her core moral system. She has been holding onto her beliefs for a bloody long time and the strength of those beliefs shot up like crazy thanks to the Gensokyo Isle incident. She will not take kindly to having her view directly challenged, and she has already demonstrated that she has a short ragequit fuse. Don't tell her she's wrong, show her she's wrong.

[Hello Purvis]

>"She cares. She did what she did because she cares. Maybe it's just as hard for someone with a third eye to understand what it's like for someone who's never had that."

>"She knew what she was doing," says Koishi. "She knew what it meant. I told her no, and she went on anyways. If she really thinks we're better off cursed, then I would never need to have an enemy."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

Also, it may be worth offering to give her a good mention for the purposes of Hatate's article. Koishi's main problem is that she couldn't stand being feared and hated. We can at least try to turn that around by putting in a good word for her in an article the entire countryside is going to want to read.