Sakuya Quest 3 - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> "Not immediately, no. I think I can find Nue again later. In the meantime, I wish to accompany you back home."

>She nods. "Alrighty."

>"...huh, Little Miss Wings, maybe i could call you that too sometimes when i go back, just to be playful."

>"Heh, if you have to, I guess," says Flandre.
>The two of you make your way to the main thoroughfare again, then toward the west. The traffic grows less and less, though you still have to dodge around a kappa on a noisy two-wheeled vehicle. Soon, you can see the gateway ahead; with a large friendly sign lit by fireless lights that reads, "To Gensokyo: Home of the Youkai." Smaller text underneath says: "Please observe the rules below." Below there is a wooden sign board.
>"Hey!" calls out a young woman's voice to the side, "are you Sakuya Izayoi?"

>_

[Suwako Moriya]

> Quickly whirl in the direction of the voice with a confused look.
> "Who still knows that name?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Quickly whirl in the direction of the voice with a confused look.
> "Who still knows that name?"

>You look over to see a younger woman, hardly more than a teenager approaching. With dark black hair, a thin face with a pretty smile, and a large snail shell clipped to her hair, you are certain you've never seen her in your life. She wears a dark blue kimono. "Lady Yasaka asked me to deliver a message to you," she says, producing a paper folded into a beautiful envelop.

>_

[Suwako Moriya]

> Nod.
> "Ah, thank you."
> Take the envelope, open it, and read it.

[Hello Purvis]

> Nod.
> "Ah, thank you."
> Take the envelope, open it, and read it.

>You obtain: Kanako's Message.
>"I've considered your situation, and I feel it would be acceptable to lend you a little something that would speed up your travels considerably if you needed to visit the other cities in Gensokyo. If you wish to do so, please take this letter to a kappa named Mitsu and show it to her. She lives on the northern edge of Old Hometown in a large barn that has been converted into a home. It should be easy enough for you to find. Show her this message and she will be able to help you, so long as your destination is near a large open field. ~Yasaka"
>There is a snake-shaped seal stamped on the bottom.

>_

[Suwako Moriya]

> Look back up at the messenger with a small smile.
> "Thank you. Please give her my thanks and regards."

[Hello Purvis]

> Look back up at the messenger with a small smile.
> "Thank you. Please give her my thanks and regards."

>She nods. "Sure, but the Moriya Shrine is just past the gate, and she'd appreciate that a lot more."

>_

[Suwako Moriya]

> "Ah. Very well, then."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Ah. Very well, then."

>The messenger bows, then takes a moment to fix the shell in her hair. "Thank you!"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Curtsey.
> "You're welcome, and thank you as well."

[Monarda]

>"Before we part ways, may i have your name ?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Curtsey.
> "You're welcome, and thank you as well."

>"Before we part ways, may i have your name ?"

>"I'm Tsumuri!" she says as she departs, waving.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Thank you, Tsumuri!"
> Hand the letter over the Flandre.
> "Here, Young Mistress, in case you are curious."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Thank you, Tsumuri!"
> Hand the letter over the Flandre.
> "Here, Young Mistress, in case you are curious."

>Flandre resumes walking and reads it. "Huh, interesting," she says after a moment, handing it back.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Take it back.
> "Indeed. I wonder what it could be?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Take it back.
> "Indeed. I wonder what it could be?"

>"You guess is as good as mine," says Flandre, as the gateway to Gensokyo looms ahead. "I never really followed the Moriya Shrine all that closely."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "And if a kappa is involved, I imagine machinations will be involved that are far beyond my understanding."

[Hello Purvis]

> "And if a kappa is involved, I imagine machinations will be involved that are far beyond my understanding."

>"That's also a safe guess," Flandre says, before she steps through the gateway.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Follow!

[Hello Purvis]

> Follow!

>You follow her out, and step into an almost shocking absence of noise and motion. Booths line the road leading around the side of the Moriya Shrine, with a dozen or so people milling out between them; it feels practically deserted now. You can see the mountain stretch out ahead of you and the sunlit green lands beyond, there's no lights, no signs, no strange noises, it feels almost as if you're lost and alone in the deepest depths of the Forest of Magic. Your ears almost roar in the comparative silence, were it not for the birds singing. The air feels fresher, there's less odor of dirt and stone and things you couldn't identify, just the smell of some roadside stand food. You find yourself very aware of the empty space around you, having been among the crowds and closely packed buildings.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "...This already feels strange."

[Hello Purvis]

> "...This already feels strange."

>Flandre giggles. "Yeah, you'll get used to it in a little bit."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Anyway, shall we return home? You have your duties, and it would behoove me to find Ichirin and Futo."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Anyway, shall we return home? You have your duties, and it would behoove me to find Ichirin and Futo."

>"Yeah," says Flandre. "But don't feel you gotta take me all the way back, if there's something else you wanna do along the way."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Where did Flandre say Meiling's dojo was again?
> "I am sure I will visit what remains of our home, since it is required for me to return to my time. I expect I will also wish to visit Meiling's dojo. But there is no grand hurry for either of those things. Unless you have your heart set on visiting one or both of those places, I am content to follow you back to the Temple."

[Hello Purvis]

> Where did Flandre say Meiling's dojo was again?
> "I am sure I will visit what remains of our home, since it is required for me to return to my time. I expect I will also wish to visit Meiling's dojo. But there is no grand hurry for either of those things. Unless you have your heart set on visiting one or both of those places, I am content to follow you back to the Temple."

>She said it was somewhere around Golden Lake; or Misty Lake as you know it, you think?
>Flandre nods. "Might not be a bad thing to do while I'm taking care of things," she says.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Very well. I shall see you home first, then."

[Hello Purvis]

> "Very well. I shall see you home first, then."

>"Thanks," says Flandre, as she takes to the air and heads toward the northwest.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Of course, Young Mistress."
> Take to the air and follow.

[Hello Purvis]

> "Of course, Young Mistress."
> Take to the air and follow.

>You follow her off the mountain, descending roughly along the cable car line, and back toward toward the human town. Or Old Hometown, you suppose, since you'll likely need to distinguish it from the rest of the towns and cities that have grown up in Gensokyo. YOu feel yourself kind of decompress as you soar through the air, getting used to the space that just did not seem to really exist in Apex. The light and the breeze soon banish the sensations of nighttime and noise to a simple memory, more curious than unpleasant. The trip takes a bit longer than you'd expect it to once again, but soon you can see the bustling sight of Old Hometown before you.
>Flandre descends, making a beeline for the temple. You note a fair few people are filing into it as well, some from the ground and a few descending from the air. Flandre touches down on the temple grounds, then turns toward you. "Think you can find the mausoleum on your own, or should I send someone out?"

>_