Yukari Quest III - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Yaersulf]

>Oh crap, we left our stick behind.
>Through the gap, to a new unknown!

[Hello Purvis]

>Oh crap, we left our stick behind.
>Through the gap, to a new unknown!

>Oops. You should have thought about that.
>You step through the gap, and emerge somewhere...bright. Having spent so much time in pitch black caverns and gloomy ruined cities, you instinctively raise a hand to your eyes and let them adjust while the gap closes behind you silently. Lowering your hand, you see that you are standing in the middle of a field of tall grass, rather similar to the field by your home. Small copses of trees dot it here and there, while a hill rises to your left. The sky is pastiche of colors that slowly shift as you watch them, rather like the forest that you had visited yesterday. This feels wrong, the light makes you feel as though there should be a bright blue sky with the sun shining down, but you cannot see any sign of either. A cool breeze blows through your hair.
>What you do see, however, are several masses of earth floating in the sky like islands. fairly close to the horizon. They remind you of some of the islands in Bhava-Agra, and seem to be as lush and green as this one at a glance, this leads you to take another look around where you are, and you suspect that the low rolling hill ahead of you might well lead to the edge of a precipitous drop.

>_

[O4rfish]

>So, we may be standing on a floating island?

[Hello Purvis]

>So, we may be standing on a floating island?

>You suspect it may be so.

>_

[Mr. Sacchi]

> Attempt flight

> Any obvious landmarks on this piece of floating island?

[Hello Purvis]

> Attempt flight

> Any obvious landmarks on this piece of floating island?

>You attempt to fly, and find it no more successful than anyplace else.
>Looking around, you note a reasonably large copse of trees to your right. There is the hill to your left and the possible edge of the land ahead. Looking behind you, you can see some boulders scattered about.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Walk in one direction until we find an edge to our island.
>If we find an edge, follow it around to get an idea for how much land we have to work with.

[Hello Purvis]

>Walk in one direction until we find an edge to our island.
>If we find an edge, follow it around to get an idea for how much land we have to work with.

>You decide to head forward, which given the 'angle' of the light, ought to be south. As you proceed, it doesn't take long for you to figure out that the edge of the island is nearby, as more and more of the shifting multi-colored sky becomes evident. Soon, you can glimpse where the edge itself, where the gently sloping hill gives way to a precipitous drop. Getting close to it, taking care not to endanger your footing, you look along edge to the east and west. If the island is roughly circular, and you suspect it is given the shapes of the other islands, you suspect it is a bit over a mile in diameter.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>What's a mile? I only know metric.
>Walk around the perimeter of the island, taking care not to walk too close to the edge.

[Hello Purvis]

>What's a mile? I only know metric.
>Walk around the perimeter of the island, taking care not to walk too close to the edge.

>It's 1.6 kilopedes
>You make your way around the outer part of the island. The edge veers in and out, but generally speaking it follows an oval-shaped curve. As you walk along it, you note that the trees on the eastern side of the island come together to make a small woods. You also take some time to examine the other islands. They are reasonably distant, likely a few miles away. Most of them seem to be reasonably similar to the one that you are on, lightly forested plains. One, however, seems to be filled to the brim with trees, and you think that you can see buildings on a couple of them.
>As you come about a third of the way around the island, you notice a curious sort of shimmering in the air, extending from the northern part of the island into the sky. You can only just make it out, looking rather like the air scintillating on a hot day

>_

[O4rfish]

>Could this be the so-called "northern lights?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Could this be the so-called "northern lights?"

Really, the sky overhead looks more like the northern lights than what you are seeing. From here, it looks like heat rising into the air.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Travel to the point where this "shimmer" seems to originate on this island.
>Probe at it with our hand.

[Hello Purvis]

>Travel to the point where this "shimmer" seems to originate on this island.
>Probe at it with our hand.

>You continue toward the shimmering, finding that it seems to be to extending from a low hill at the edge of the island. Drawing closer to it, the shimmering because less noticeable, instead it begins to resolve into a kind of soft light shining from the island. You cannot discern any source for it, even as you reach the hill. Rising up a couple yards from the ground, there is only soft grass and the occasional rock scattered about. It would be rather idyllic in better circumstances.
>You approach the light. It is about three or so yards wide, and seems to be thin to the point of flatness. You cannot tell how long it is, it extends northward our of sight. Your brush your fingers against it, and you are mildly surprised to find that the light is solid and slightly warm to touch.

>_

[Mr. Sacchi]

> Compare it to our pieces of Materia Prima.

[Hello Purvis]

> Compare it to our pieces of Materia Prima.

>They don't really compare. The materia prima is transparent, with fiery streaks running through it, and the texture is something like clay, or perhaps a sack full of water. The light is opaque here, and perfectly solid. You suppose, though, you could make either piece of materia prima into this sort of light if you wanted to.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Attempt to start walking onto the light.

[O4rfish]

>Attempt to obtain piece of light.

[Hello Purvis]

>Attempt to start walking onto the light.

>You step onto it, and find that it doesn't seem to have any problem holding your weight. It feels as solid as any ground.

>Attempt to obtain piece of light.

>You reach down and try to break off a piece of the light, but it doesn't seem to want to snap off.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Follow this "light bridge" with our eyes, does it reach any of the other islands?

[Hello Purvis]

>Follow this "light bridge" with our eyes, does it reach any of the other islands?

>You look out into the sky, and find that bridge does seem to connect with a small island about a mile away.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Other than inside the small woods, what parts of this island have we not seen.
>Investigate the small woods.

[Hello Purvis]

>Other than inside the small woods, what parts of this island have we not seen.
>Investigate the small woods.

>You're not really looked around the rocky fields, or any of the copses of trees. Nor have you really investigated the eastern part of the island at all.
>You approach the woods, and find the trees are unfamiliar. Rather than being completely alien as the trees in the forest are, these ones seem to have the general build of a peach tree but the leaves are more similar to those of an apple tree.  As you reach the edge of the woods, you find the there is some underbrush, some fallen limbs here and there, loose rocks and shed bark, spots of grass and spots of bare earth, and all of the things you would expect from a place like this.  The breeze rustles through the leaves, and pools of light form on the forest floor from sunbeams that have to apparent source. The trees are not too tightly packed; there is a reasonably thick stand of them to your right, while the left bears more underbrush that looks easy enough to walk through. Ahead it a clear path leading deeper into the woods.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Follow the path.

[Hello Purvis]

>Follow the path.

>You head deeper into the woods.
>The canopy overhead grows a little thicker, and trees a bit more dense. None are particularly large, but you can move around without having to duck under any branches thus far. There is less light here, and more fallen twigs and leaves on the ground; some snapped and broken while others are not. To the left and right you can see thicker groves that would probably give you some challenge to traverse. Ahead the woods gets darker still, and the debris on the ground thicker.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>If there is a path continue to follow it, otherwise begin following the path of least resistance further into the woods.

[Hello Purvis]

>If there is a path continue to follow it, otherwise beging following the path of least resistance further into the woods.

>You continue deeper into the woods. It grows a little darker, enough that a human would have some difficulty in seeing. More twigs and leaves litter the ground, as well as the odd flower petal. Some of them are in one  piece, while others are broken or ripped. The trees themselves are fairly dense, with heavy branches and leaves. Only the most determined bird could hope to nest in them; were there anything like a bird in this place. Ahead, the woods grows lighter; so does it to the right. To the left, it seems to be as thick as it is here, and more overgrown.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>To the left, making our way carefully.

[Hello Purvis]

>To the left, making our way carefully.

>You make your way into the thicker forest, which requires dodging around some tree branches, though here and there you note one already broken that makes it easier to get around.
>Here, the underground is thick enough to be a problem, though some of has been damaged, which should make passing through easier. It now rather is like some of the forest that you visited yesterday. Among the dense trees are several large, mossy boulders. It is difficult to see ahead due to all of the foliage, but you think the woods lightens up there.

>_

[Yaersulf]

>Make our way towards the boulders and inspect them.