Sword Quest V - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> Youmu: Look around at the hallways. Do any of them look notably different than any of the others?

>Youmu: They all have their unique points. One has large number of rooms along it. Another features some ink paintings of tigers on the walls. The third leads to another, smaller courtyard.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Youmu: "Drat." Look to Miko. "Do you have any-oh, sorry. Um, when you're ready, do you have any ideas for finding who we are chasing?"
> Miko: From how far away can we hear desires?

[Hello Purvis]

> Youmu: "Drat." Look to Miko. "Do you have any-oh, sorry. Um, when you're ready, do you have any ideas for finding who we are chasing?"
> Miko: From how far away can we hear desires?

>Miko: You have hear them about as far as you can hear normal things. Normally the crowd here would make it impossible to pick out anything specific from a distance, but the desires of the ghosts (or is it phantoms?) may be different enough that a living person's desires might be notable. You are going to get one hell of a headache while trying, through.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Miko: Shake head. "If you are wondering about listening for their desires, it would cause a tremendous amount of pain for results that are far from certain."
> Youmu: "I'll take what I can get."
> Miko: "That is because you are not the one who would be dealing with the pain."
> Youmu: Frown. "Oh."
> Miko: "As much as I sympathize with your plight, I really must see to finding Seiga. Perhaps we could split up, with myself going in the direction that leads back toward the entrance to this realm? I will at least keep an eye out for other living beings on my way."
> Youmu: Which direction would that be?

[Hello Purvis]

> Miko: Shake head. "If you are wondering about listening for their desires, it would cause a tremendous amount of pain for results that are far from certain."
> Youmu: "I'll take what I can get."
> Miko: "That is because you are not the one who would be dealing with the pain."
> Youmu: Frown. "Oh."
> Miko: "As much as I sympathize with your plight, I really must see to finding Seiga. Perhaps we could split up, with myself going in the direction that leads back toward the entrance to this realm? I will at least keep an eye out for other living beings on my way."
> Youmu: Which direction would that be?

>Youmu: It would be to the southwest. She would need a guide, unless she intends to try to solve the labyrinth. Or she could just go outside and fly, but she is unlikely to help the search that way.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Youmu: "The entrance to the Netherworld is to the southwest, but you would need a guide to lead you there, unless you simply left the building altogether."
> Miko: Frown. "That is quite inconvenient."
> Youmu: Sigh. "If you help me with this, I will assist your search for your sword."
> Miko: Ponder for a moment, then nod. "This is agreeable, if we can slow down just a tad more."
> Youmu: "Done. This way."
> Both: Take the left path at a slightly slower speed than before.

[Hello Purvis]

> Youmu: "The entrance to the Netherworld is to the southwest, but you would need a guide to lead you there, unless you simply left the building altogether."
> Miko: Frown. "That is quite inconvenient."
> Youmu: Sigh. "If you help me with this, I will assist your search for your sword."
> Miko: Ponder for a moment, then nod. "This is agreeable, if we can slow down just a tad more."
> Youmu: "Done. This way."
> Both: Take the left path at a slightly slower speed than before.

>You turn left and eastward, continuing down the corridor with many rooms. Up ahead you see a another intersection, this one T-shaped with a corridor running southward.
>Miko: You should be able to keep this pace for awhile, but you are becoming increasingly baffled at the idea of trying to find anyone at random in this place.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Youmu: Are there any ghosts visible?

[Hello Purvis]

> Youmu: Are there any ghosts visible?

>Youmu: There are a couple flitting around.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Miko: We'll give her this one more intersection before making a point of how fruitless this is. Perhaps she will luck into something.
> Both: Get to the intersection properly.

[Hello Purvis]

> Miko: We'll give her this one more intersection before making a point of how fruitless this is. Perhaps she will luck into something.
> Both: Get to the intersection properly.

>You make your way to the intersection and look around. Still no sign of Koishi, Utsuho, or Parsee.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Youmu: "Pardon! Did anyone see living ones come through here recently?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Youmu: "Pardon! Did anyone see living ones come through here recently?"

>Youmu: You get a variety of responses. Most of the ghosts seem to have been distracted with their own affairs and weren't paying any attention. Others are just passing through. None seem to have anything useful to contribute.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Youmu: Grit teeth again. "Damnit! Where could they have gone?"
> Miko: Clear throat. "If I may, I must express distrust that randomly selecting hallways will bear fruit for your search."
> Youmu: "I know, but I must do something!"
> Miko: "May I suggest searching the open rooms in the hallway two hallways ago? I am thinking of the one after the last time one of your ghost friends appeared to give you serviceable directions, and before the first time you appeared lost."
> Youmu: "...We might as well. I haven't a better idea."
> Both: Return to said hallway.

[Hello Purvis]

> Youmu: Grit teeth again. "Damnit! Where could they have gone?"
> Miko: Clear throat. "If I may, I must express distrust that randomly selecting hallways will bear fruit for your search."
> Youmu: "I know, but I must do something!"
> Miko: "May I suggest searching the open rooms in the hallway two hallways ago? I am thinking of the one after the last time one of your ghost friends appeared to give you serviceable directions, and before the first time you appeared lost."
> Youmu: "...We might as well. I haven't a better idea."
> Both: Return to said hallway.

>You make your way back to the the hall off of the first intersection. There are several rooms here.
>Youmu: Many of these rooms connect to other rooms, some of which connect to other halls. You had hoped to avoid these, but...

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Both: Are there rooms on both sides of the hallway?

[Hello Purvis]

> Both: Are there rooms on both sides of the hallway?

>Yes.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Youmu: "I'll inspect the left-side rooms. You take a look through the right-side rooms. Let me know if you find anything."
> Miko: "Of course."
> Youmu: Look through the rooms on the left side of the hallway, visually checking each for anything out of the ordinary.
> Miko: Look through the rooms on the right side of the hallway, visually checking each for anything out of the ordinary (using this place in general as the standard for "ordinary").

[Hello Purvis]

> Youmu: "I'll inspect the left-side rooms. You take a look through the right-side rooms. Let me know if you find anything."
> Miko: "Of course."
> Youmu: Look through the rooms on the left side of the hallway, visually checking each for anything out of the ordinary.
> Miko: Look through the rooms on the right side of the hallway, visually checking each for anything out of the ordinary (using this place in general as the standard for "ordinary").

>You both take to inspecting the rooms.
>Youmu: You peer into four rooms. Two of them, you note, connect to other rooms. They are all varieties of sitting room, with basic furniture and some decorative objects. None seem awry, and one hosts a pair of ghosts conversing about something. You see no signs of anyone living among them.
>Miko: You look into three rooms. One has a door on the far end, and all three seem to be reading rooms with heavy furniture. Nothing...seems awry, that you can tell. A couple of them have ghosts floating inside. You don't notice anything you'd interpret as a sign of a living person.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Both: Of the rooms that had doors on the other end, how many had those other-end doors open?

[Hello Purvis]

> Both: Of the rooms that had doors on the other end, how many had those other-end doors open?

>Miko: The one you've seen is open.
>Youmu: One of them is open.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Youmu: Turn to Miko. "Anything?"
> Miko: "One open door and some ghosts, but nothing else."
> Youmu: Quickly inspect Miko's rooms for ghosts, particularly ghosts that look distraught, or are at least not having a conversation.

[Hello Purvis]

> Youmu: Turn to Miko. "Anything?"
> Miko: "One open door and some ghosts, but nothing else."
> Youmu: Quickly inspect Miko's rooms for ghosts, particularly ghosts that look distraught, or are at least not having a conversation.

>Youmu: The ghosts in the reading rooms are, predictably, reading. One is who has a room to herself is studiously ignoring you both, while the a couple in the other room look at you with varying degrees of pique and curiosity.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Youmu: Give attention to the curious couple. "Pardon me. Have you seen living ones pass through here recently, other than my current companion?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Youmu: Give attention to the curious couple. "Pardon me. Have you seen living ones pass through here recently, other than my current companion?"

>"Not through here," says one ghost.
>"I wasn't paying attention," says the other, "Until you peeked in, then I figured it was probably important."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Miko: How tall are we?
> Youmu: What are the walls around here made of?
> Youmu: Mentally orienting ourselves as if we were coming down this hallway the same way as we first traveled down it, list the left-side rooms via their notable features (whether or not there are any ghosts, status of any ghosts present in the room, whether or not they have doors, status of any doors they may have) in the order of as we would go by them traveling down the hallway. Do the same for the right-side rooms.

[Hello Purvis]

> Miko: How tall are we?
> Youmu: What are the walls around here made of?
> Youmu: Mentally orienting ourselves as if we were coming down this hallway the same way as we first traveled down it, list the left-side rooms via their notable features (whether or not there are any ghosts, status of any ghosts present in the room, whether or not they have doors, status of any doors they may have) in the order of as we would go by them traveling down the hallway. Do the same for the right-side rooms.

>Miko: You are about average height.
>Youmu: They tend to be made of wood or paper.
>Youmu: The sitting rooms are largely identical. The first one had a couple ghosts, and no door. The second one had a ghost and an open door. The third had a closed door, and was empty.  The fourth had one ghost, and closed door. The first reading room has a lot of furniture, and the ghost studiously ignoring you. The second reading room has a small garden in the middle, and the ghost couple, as well as an open door. The third only has one chair, and just a couple shelves. It is empty.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Youmu: Nod. "Thank you." Turn to Miko. "To the next room."
> Both: Go to the second sitting room, the one with a single ghost and an open door.
> Youmu: "Pardon me. Have you seen living ones pass through here recently, other than my current companion?"

[Hello Purvis]

> Youmu: Nod. "Thank you." Turn to Miko. "To the next room."
> Both: Go to the second sitting room, the one with a single ghost and an open door.
> Youmu: "Pardon me. Have you seen living ones pass through here recently, other than my current companion?"

>Youmu: "I just got here," says the ghost.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Youmu: "I see. Very well, thank you." Turn to Miko. "This ghost only just arrived here. All of the other ghosts in places where they could have gone have established that they did not see anyone. It seems our best bet is through this open door."
> Miko: Nod. "That seems to be the only logical choice, yes."
> Youmu: Turn back to the ghost. "Please pardon our intrusion."
> Both: Head through the open door on the other side of the room.