Nue Quest 9 - Ascension: A Z-Machine Adventure

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>No, not with them. Byakuren would never forgive me for such a thing, and what she thinks matters to me.

[Kilgamayan]

> His death will be a failure, not a success! My friends would be satisfied this result, not murder! Murder is not the way of Myouren! It is not my way!

[Hello Purvis]

>No, not with them. Byakuren would never forgive me for such a thing, and what she thinks matters to me.

>She will forgive. She always forgives. Strike him down.

> His death will be a failure, not a success! My friends would be satisfied this result, not murder! Murder is not the way of Myouren! It is not my way!

>One death for countless successes. Make an example of him.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> I can't abuse Byakuren like that! It isn't right for me to just expect her forgiveness! Byakuren's forgiveness must be earned by atoning for wrongs against her! It isn't right for her to only give and for us to only take! We aren't above her like that!

[Hello Purvis]

> I can't abuse Byakuren like that! It isn't right for me to just expect her forgiveness! Byakuren's forgiveness must be earned by atoning for wrongs against her! It isn't right for her to only give and for us to only take! We aren't above her like that!

>You will gain her forgiveness through your successes. Do not be weak. Strike him down.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Weak? The weak take the easy way out. The weak submit and do what they're told. I have never been that kind of person. I have always done what I thought best for me, regardless of how easy or hard it was. Regardless of what other people have told me to do. I spend centuries spitting in the face of undeserved authority, risking my well-being to stand for what I believe in. I have harassed an endless list of authority figures and their guards. This has never been the easy past. I stand before this man who has greatly wronged me and my friends, with every opportunity to kill him, and I see no reason to so it. Killing him is the easy way out! Killing him, that is the path of the weak! I am better than that! I am stronger than that!

[Hello Purvis]

> Weak? The weak take the easy way out. The weak submit and do what they're told. I have never been that kind of person. I have always done what I thought best for me, regardless of how easy or hard it was. Regardless of what other people have told me to do. I spend centuries spitting in the face of undeserved authority, risking my well-being to stand for what I believe in. I have harassed an endless list of authority figures and their guards. This has never been the easy past. I stand before this man who has greatly wronged me and my friends, with every opportunity to kill him, and I see no reason to so it. Killing him is the easy way out! Killing him, that is the path of the weak! I am better than that! I am stronger than that!

>The weak do not finish the task. The weak leave invitations for others to challenge them. Strike him down.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> This task is finished. The plan was only ever to break his will. Killing him to stop him was only ever a last resort, and it is not necessary now that he is a broken husk. No one will hold false hopes of following in his footsteps, because no one else in Gensokyo wanted this to happen. The task is finished, and Byakuren will be pleased. That is all that matters.

[Hello Purvis]

> This task is finished. The plan was only ever to break his will. Killing him to stop him was only ever a last resort, and it is not necessary now that he is a broken husk. No one will hold false hopes of following in his footsteps, because no one else in Gensokyo wanted this to happen. The task is finished, and Byakuren will be pleased. That is all that matters.

>He will rise again. Others will rise. Make an example of him.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> No! This goes against everything I've ever stood for! I spent my entire life working to shoving it in the face of people in positions of power that didn't deserve it! I refuse to become one of those people myself! I refuse to take an undeserved position of authority, to subjugate others that don't deserve to be subjugated! I only want to be Byakuren's friend, the friend of Nazrin, of Ichirin, of Mrasa, of Shou! Where we're all equals in the faith of Myouren! This is my way, my happiness! Not as a murderous tyrant!

[Hello Purvis]

> No! This goes against everything I've ever stood for! I spent my entire life working to shoving it in the face of people in positions of power that didn't deserve it! I refuse to become one of those people myself! I refuse to take an undeserved position of authority, to subjugate others that don't deserve to be subjugated! I only want to be Byakuren's friend, the friend of Nazrin, of Ichirin, of Mrasa, of Shou! Where we're all equals in the faith of Myouren! This is my way, my happiness! Not as a murderous tyrant!

>You feel the air around take on a darker feeling. You cannot put your finger on what it is, or why, but it reminds you of being caught after being on the run from angry oni. You can feel the entity is very unhappy.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> The entity can deal with it! I will not take action that will bring shame to the Myouren name! I will not take action that I know will make Byakuren unhappy, no matter how quickly she may get over it! Her unhappiness is not allowed! Completely out of the question! I am hers and she is mine and we will be happy together!

[Hello Purvis]

> The entity can deal with it! I will not take action that will bring shame to the Myouren name! I will not take action that I know will make Byakuren unhappy, no matter how quickly she may get over it! Her unhappiness is not allowed! Completely out of the question! I am hers and she is mine and we will be happy together!

>You feel that the entity is growing irate. The air around you feels heavier.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Well, that's just too bad, isn't it?
> Stick the sword point-first into the ground away from Rinnosuke's body and let go.

[Hello Purvis]

> Well, that's just too bad, isn't it?
> Stick the sword point-first into the ground away from Rinnosuke's body and let go.

>You stick the sword into the mud. It sinks in easily, and remains upright as you let it go. As you let it go, you feel different than you did a moment a go. The thoughts you have had and the actions you have taken seem strange and horrifying in retrospect, and very much not the things you would typically do. You can still feel the heavy, dark sensation in the air.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Look around. Does the surrounding area look any different?
> How does Rinnosuke look?
> Can we still see Kourindou from here? If so, is it within shouting distance?

[Hello Purvis]

> Look around. Does the surrounding area look any different?
> How does Rinnosuke look?
> Can we still see Kourindou from here? If so, is it within shouting distance?

>The area does not seem to be noticably different.
>Rinnosuke is still staring toward the sky with glassy and unfocused eyes.
>You cannot see Kourindou, but edge of the Forest of Magic is within sight.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Is the human village still in sight?

[Hello Purvis]

> Is the human village still in sight?

>It is some distance away as well, but closer than the forest.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Raise our voice some.
> "Hey! Anyone out here right now?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Raise our voice some.
> "Hey! Anyone out here right now?"

>You shout, and get no answer.
>The air is growing heavier, and you swear it seems a bit darker.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Take out our trident.
> Gently swing the trident so it knocks the sword out of the ground and is simply lying on the ground, not stuck in anything.

[Hello Purvis]

> Take out our trident.
> Gently swing the trident so it knocks the sword out of the ground and is simply lying on the ground, not stuck in anything.

>You take your trident in hand, and knock the sword over. Nothing really seems to change, you can still feel the oppressiveness in the air.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Put our trident away.
> Take the sheath from our side in both hands, and starting with the opening of the sheath at the pointed end of the blade, push the sheath toward the blade enough that a little bit of the blade enters the sheath.
> Once a little bit of the blade is in the sheath, tilt the back end of the sheath up a bit, forcing the sword up with it to match the angle, and slide the sheath the rest of the way down the sword.

[Hello Purvis]

> Put our trident away.
> Take the sheath from our side in both hands, and starting with the opening of the sheath at the pointed end of the blade, push the sheath toward the blade enough that a little bit of the blade enters the sheath.
> Once a little bit of the blade is in the sheath, tilt the back end of the sheath up a bit, forcing the sword up with it to match the angle, and slide the sheath the rest of the way down the sword.

>You put your trident away, unbuckle the belt, and try to sheath the weapon.  As you draw close to it, and get the sheathe close to the tip, you note the air is growing palpably heavier, and you think you can see a kind of redness to it, as though there were a very localized sunset lighting in the air.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Can we still sense the entity?

[Hello Purvis]

> Can we still sense the entity?

>You have not directly sensed it since letting the weapon go.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Brace ourselves. This is going to suck. Just remember: We are ourselves. The sword cast planted those thoughts in our mind.

> All right, swordface, you want some of this? Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!
> Grab the sword and pull it back out of the sheath.

[Hello Purvis]

> Brace ourselves. This is going to suck. Just remember: We are ourselves. The sword cast planted those thoughts in our mind.

> All right, swordface, you want some of this? Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!
> Grab the sword and pull it back out of the sheath.

>You brace yourself, then grab the weapon!
>Immediately, the air grows so heavy that it is difficult to breath. There is a malevolence in that air, you know in you heart that it is directed toward you.

>_

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Well, that's just too bad. You go free if I want you to go free, remember? And guess what I really don't want right about now?