Iku Quest P?t: A Z-Machine Adventure

[Kilgamayan]

> And keep charging.

[Hello Purvis]

>Open a little more distance, and try to position ourselves beside a tree that we can use to swing around, in the event of another charge from her
>Keep firing at her. Try to angle the bursts low, from approaches that might be difficult to see if her arm is still partially obscuring her peripheral vision

>You back away some more, and clip your arm against a tree.
>You keep firing at her. Sameko lowers her arm and shakes her head again. She scowls then charges at you, squinting and maneuvering through your danmaku, taking a hit here and there.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Quickly launch another cloud of danmaku
>Then slip back and around the side of the tree we're next to, as she closes in, noting her speed to properly time the following. Make sure she's not so far away that she could surprise us by coming around the other side of the tree.
>Two hands firmly on the branch, swing it hard at her face just as she rounds the corner of the tree

[Hello Purvis]

>Quickly launch another cloud of danmaku
>Then slip back and around the side of the tree we're next to, as she closes in, noting her speed to properly time the following. Make sure she's not so far away that she could surprise us by coming around the other side of the tree.
>Two hands firmly on the branch, swing it hard at her face just as she rounds the corner of the tree

>You launch a cloud of danmaku, which she moves through, doing a fairly good job of dodging it on the run but not good enough. You then retreat behind the tree, ready your branch, and swing!
>CRACK!
>The branch snaps in half as it connects with the youkai's face, sending her to the ground.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Take another step back
>Does she seem down for the count?
>If she's still trying to move, fire more danmaku at her

[Hello Purvis]

>Take another step back
>Does she seem down for the count?
>If she's still trying to move, fire more danmaku at her

>You step back.
>She doesn't seem to be trying to move much, but she does groan.

[DracoOmega]

>"Are you willing to let it end, then? Or should I keep going?"
>If she takes the slightest hostile action, fire on her

[Hello Purvis]

>"Are you willing to let it end, then? Or should I keep going?"
>If she takes the slightest hostile action, fire on her

>"Gimme a minute..." she mumbles. "Soon as you stop being three people..."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm sorry it came to this. Your sky will be your own again soon enough."
>Head west. Make it fairly speedy, just the same

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm sorry it came to this. Your sky will be your own again soon enough."
>Head west. Make it fairly speedy, just the same

>"Hell you are," she says,  "Get your ass back here so I can set you straight..."
>You head westward! As you do, you notice a couple of pale faeries peeking over the edge of of a thick tangle of mostly leafless brush.
>"Blimey," says one of them, "She beat the cloud queen!"
>"Hey...if the queen's there," says the other, "That means she's not at her house, right?"
>"...Race ya!"
>The two faeries disappear.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Hmmm... guess she had a reputation. Not that it would be hard to imagine it deserved, after that...
>Keep heading west

[Hello Purvis]

>Hmmm... guess she had a reputation. Not that it would be hard to imagine it deserved, after that...
>Keep heading west

>You head westward.
>Thankfully the faeries seem content to leave you alone; possibly due to the rain getting worse and worse. You don't know what part of this is worse; the fact you are rather soaked (thankfully your purse is water resistant), the fact that you're also muddy from being slammed into the ground, the fact that your hat is almost certainly in a state, or the fact that even though you won that fight, you still feel like you lost from all the aches and pains.
>You soon come to a wide, swiftly flowing river. Some distance to the north, you can see an old covered bridge leading across it. Looking into the water, you can see dark shapes swimming around in it.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Can we tell what these dark shapes are?

[Hello Purvis]

>Can we tell what these dark shapes are?

>You watch for a moment, but you're pretty sure one of them is a youkai.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Given that half of everything here has been hostile, for one reason or another, let's ascend to a generously safe height above the river, or any shots anyone might feel like throwing at us from it
>Fly across

[Hello Purvis]

>Given that half of everything here has been hostile, for one reason or another, let's ascend to a generously safe height above the river, or any shots anyone might feel like throwing at us from it
>Fly across

>You take to the air.
>There is a splash from the river; you look over to see a dark-haired youkai looking up at you from the river surface. "You don't wanna do that," she says.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Oh for the love of...
>"And why not?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Oh for the love of...
>"And why not?"

>"You'd be fair game," says the youkai, smiling and revealing some fairly impressive teeth.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"And you would chase me all the way to the clouds to get it, then?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"And you would chase me all the way to the clouds to get it, then?"

>"Might," says the youkai. "Don't let 'em across the river unless they're using the bridge, except faeries, is what I was told."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"By who?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"By who?"

>"Never you mind," says the youkai, raising a hand from the water to waggle a finger at you.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"And will someone at the bridge try to keep me from crossing as well?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"And will someone at the bridge try to keep me from crossing as well?"

>"Naw, she'll just want a toll," says the youkai. "And to be frank? You can sweet talk her out of it if you're good."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well... that certainly sounds a sight better than someone trying to beat your face in because they didn't like you flying through their sky..."
>"Um, I don't suppose you have any advice?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well... that certainly sounds a sight better than someone trying to beat your face in because they didn't like you flying through their sky..."
>"Um, I don't suppose you have any advice?"

>"Well if you're in their sky..."
>She shrugs.
>"I'd say slip her some tongue, but it's easier to say where her mouth hasn't been than where it has."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"And if I were... not necessarily inclined to do that?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"And if I were... not necessarily inclined to do that?"

>The youkai shrugs again. "Guess you could just turn on the charm. Or maybe sneak by?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, at least she sounds like someone you can speak with. In any case, thank you for your advice, and have a pleasant evening."
>Head to the bridge

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, at least she sounds like someone you can speak with. In any case, thank you for your advice, and have a pleasant evening."
>Head to the bridge

>"Don't get shanked!" says the youkai, before submerging again.
>You approach the bridge, and see there is a small house attached to it. It is mostly a building out of stubbornness than any actual planning; you imagine the roof is quite leaky and the walls cannot be much better in this weather. You can see lights on in the windows; those that are not missing and covered with lengths of old cloth. The bridge itself isn't in much better condition; you suspect a good kick might will bring down a good portion of it. Parsee, you imagine, would be sick upon her own scorn if she saw this.

>_