Sword Quest XI - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> Stand back up and look to our friends again, keeping the same voice volume as before.
> "There is a muted desire close by, one I have not heard before in this forest. I cannot tell where it is, beyond our being fairly close to it, but it is pointedly not similar to the other ambient desires."

>You stand up and find Futo is leaning against a tree, while Tojiko is looking around. "What sort of desire is it?" says Futo."Might you know the source?"

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Shake head.
> "Sadly, it is too muted for either of those things. I can only tell that it is nearby. Since I had not heard it until now, however, I will at least presumably know when we are traveling in the wrong direction."

[Hello Purvis]

> Shake head.
> "Sadly, it is too muted for either of those things. I can only tell that it is nearby. Since I had not heard it until now, however, I will at least presumably know when we are traveling in the wrong direction."

>"It's something, at least," says Futo.
>"Are we going to follow it, then?" Tojiko says,

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "That seems to be the best course of action, yes. Come, let us continue."
> Continue on our current path in the direction we were traveling, focusing on paying attention to the mystery desire.

[Hello Purvis]

> "That seems to be the best course of action, yes. Come, let us continue."
> Continue on our current path in the direction we were traveling, focusing on paying attention to the mystery desire.

>You continue along. As you do, the desire becomes somewhat stronger. The underbrush is also getting worse, and the trees a little thicker.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Can we tell anything else about it yet?
> "It seems, unfortunately, that this is the correct way."

[Hello Purvis]

> Can we tell anything else about it yet?
> "It seems, unfortunately, that this is the correct way."

>It is as muted as before.
>"Typical," says Tojiko. "But I suppose that's just where we'll have to go."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Gather our cloak up and wrap it around ourselves so it won't get caught in the vegetation, and continue onward.

[Hello Purvis]

> Gather our cloak up and wrap it around ourselves so it won't get caught in the vegetation, and continue onward.

>You wrap yourself in your cloak, then continue onward.
>Travel is slow and awkward, but aside from the thickness of the woods, nothing strikes you as particularly unusual or noteworthy,After travelling some distance, perhaps 150 or so yards, the sensation fades a little.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Has it been increasing in noticeability all this time until now, or was it holding steady for a while until now?

> Stop and hold up a hand to indicate to the others than they should stop as well.
> "The desire has just started to fade a little."

[Hello Purvis]

> Has it been increasing in noticeability all this time until now, or was it holding steady for a while until now?

> Stop and hold up a hand to indicate to the others than they should stop as well.
> "The desire has just started to fade a little."

>It seems to have been holding steady.
>"Ah, we passed it?" says Futo, as your companions stop.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "It seems so. Curious in that it did not seem to gradually rise and fade as one would expect, but held roughly the same volume until just now."

[Hello Purvis]

> "It seems so. Curious in that it did not seem to gradually rise and fade as one would expect, but held roughly the same volume until just now."

>"Maybe we didn't get any closer?" says Tojiko.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> How straight-line has our path been since we first noticed this desire?

[Hello Purvis]

> How straight-line has our path been since we first noticed this desire?

>Reasonably.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Perhaps. On the surface, it does not seem likely geometrically, but it is not our place to say how this land functions. Let head back a bit and try a new direction."
> Head back the way we came, about 75 yards or so.

[Hello Purvis]

> "Perhaps. On the surface, it does not seem likely geometrically, but it is not our place to say how this land functions. Let head back a bit and try a new direction."
> Head back the way we came, about 75 yards or so.

>"We're right behind you," Tojiko says, as you retrace your steps back through the undergrowth,

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Once we get to about the 75-yard mark, stop and have a look around for other ways through the forest, particularly to the left and the right.

[Hello Purvis]

> Once we get to about the 75-yard mark, stop and have a look around for other ways through the forest, particularly to the left and the right.

>Looking around, it seems you could proceed in either direction with some difficulty.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "My apologies, my friends, for what we are about to go through."
> Head rightward.

[Hello Purvis]

> "My apologies, my friends, for what we are about to go through."
> Head rightward.

>"Hardly different than what we've been trudging through, I'd say," Futo says, trying to sound cheery.
>You head rightward, which you think takes you toward the south. It is hard to tell at the moment. After some yards of trudging through the brush, you think the odd desire becomes a little more prominent.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> !
> Can we tell anything new about it?

[Hello Purvis]

> !
> Can we tell anything new about it?

>It is still as muffled as before, though easier to notice.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "Ah, how fortunate. It appears this is the correct direction."
> Keep going.

[Hello Purvis]

> "Ah, how fortunate. It appears this is the correct direction."
> Keep going.

>You continue onward. The desire grows difficult to follow as you pick your way through the darkened forest. Sometimes it seems weaker, sometimes it seems stronger.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> What could that mean?

[Hello Purvis]

> What could that mean?

>You have no idea. Does it have to do with the muffling?

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Could it possibly have to do with changing environments, such as getting louder when there's less tree cover?
> When it gets weaker, is it just going back down to what it was when we first started going in this direction, or is it getting weaker than that?

[Hello Purvis]

> Could it possibly have to do with changing environments, such as getting louder when there's less tree cover?
> When it gets weaker, is it just going back down to what it was when we first started going in this direction, or is it getting weaker than that?

>You don't think so. Otherwise you surely would have noticed it sooner.
>More the former.

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> Inventory

> Let's keep going, then, and make a note of the next time it feels stronger.