Iku Quest Dos - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

> "Do you at least know how far to the northwest she is?"

>"Um, it's pretty far away," she says. "That's why I made my house here."

>_

[Kilgamayan]

> "You made this house by yourself? That's quite impressive!"
> "Do you know if Eientei is also to the northwest, or is it in another direction?"

[Hello Purvis]

> "You made this house by yourself? That's quite impressive!"
> "Do you know if Eientei is also to the northwest, or is it in another direction?"

>"Um, thank you," she says. "I made sure it was up to code and everything."
>She frowns. "I think it's more west. But I've never been there. I didn't even know it was there for a long time."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Roughly how long do we think we were running from Marisa before we found this place?

[Hello Purvis]

>Roughly how long do we think we were running from Marisa before we found this place?

>Probably a good five minutes.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I suppose you mustn't get many visitors, living here in the Bamboo Forest?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I suppose you mustn't get many visitors, living here in the Bamboo Forest?"

>She shakes her head. "Just the odd rabbit."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Do you find that a little lonely, or do you prefer the solitude?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Do you find that a little lonely, or do you prefer the solitude?"

>"It doesn't bother me," she says, "But I've been meeting people around the Forest of Magic a lot, and that's nice too."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"That's nice. And I am sorry for imposing myself like this; I'm just hoping to avoid unnecessary conflict. The islands falling have made a lot of people jumpy and upset this morning."

[Hello Purvis]

>"That's nice. And I am sorry for imposing myself like this; I'm just hoping to avoid unnecessary conflict. The islands falling have made a lot of people jumpy and upset this morning."

>"Well I can't blame them!" she says. "And...well, I guess it's okay. At least she hasn't burst through here looking for you..."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"We don't know what caused the islands to fall, either. A lot of our own people were injured when it happened. So it's frustrating to have so many people think that we caused it, and get angry with us over it. Frankly, I hope I've lost Marisa a ways back in the forest, but I was moving too fast to really tell."
>"After a little more time passes, I think I'll set out to look for Eientei; maybe I'll bump into a rabbit or someone who can show me the way, along the way."

[Hello Purvis]

>"We don't know what caused the islands to fall, either. A lot of our own people were injured when it happened. So it's frustrating to have so many people think that we caused it, and get angry with us over it. Frankly, I hope I've lost Marisa a ways back in the forest, but I was moving too fast to really tell."
>"After a little more time passes, I think I'll set out to look for Eientei; maybe I'll bump into a rabbit or someone who can show me the way, along the way."

>She nods. "Um...I'm sorry I thought you were here for bad reasons, then. And...it's a really bad idea to go out into the forest. Really super bad. You'll get really lost."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, there's no harm in not knowing where I am for a little bit, is there? I can always fly up out of the forest once I've given up on finding anything."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Well, there's no harm in not knowing where I am for a little bit, is there? I can always fly up out of the forest once I've given up on finding anything."

>"Well, what if Marisa find you while you're lost?" asks Tokiko. "Or the white-haired lady gets mad at you?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I may bump into Marisa, yes. But I'm plenty likely to bump into her elsewhere, as the day goes on. She's been doing a lot of traveling, and so have I. I already passed her once this encounter. As for the white-haired lady, well... people being angry at me is nothing new today. I'm willing to take my chances on that one, in the hope that she may know the forest better, and be able to point me in the right direction."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I may bump into Marisa, yes. But I'm plenty likely to bump into her elsewhere, as the day goes on. She's been doing a lot of traveling, and so have I. I already passed her once this encounter. As for the white-haired lady, well... people being angry at me is nothing new today. I'm willing to take my chances on that one, in the hope that she may know the forest better, and be able to point me in the right direction."

>Tokiko nods. "Okay. Just, there is a whole lot of forest out there, and not a lot in it but rocks, bamboo, and faeries."

>_

[Suwako Moriya]

> "And you, it seems. I actually found you completely by accident. I'm hoping my luck holds out, and I can find others."
> Inventory

[Hello Purvis]

> "And you, it seems. I actually found you completely by accident. I'm hoping my luck holds out, and I can find others."
> Inventory

>"If you say so," says Tokiko. "But it's still a lousy idea."
>Wide-brimmed hat (worn as hat)
>Exceedingly Stylish!
>Flamenco Dress (worn as dress)
>Allows both modesty and freedom of movement
>Pink Shawl
>A shawl that represents your status as a part of Bhava-Arga and allows you to defend yourself with devastating techniques.
>Large Black Purse
>Exactly what it sounds like. It holds all your stuff
>Spine Sign: "Acanthodii of the Thunder Clouds"
>This spellcard engulfs you in a shield of electricity. It can be broken with enough force, and only lasts for a short time before it must be renewed
>Light Orb: "Dragon's Gleaming Eyes"
>This recreates an image of one of The Dragon's physical manifestations in lightning and sends it out.
>Cloud Realm: "The Thunder Court in the Sea of Abstruse Clouds"
>Fills the air with webs of lightning, but leaves you motionless.
>Dragonfish: "Dragon Palace's Messenger Swimming Shot"
>Sends electricity spiraling out from you, but leaves you defenseless.
>6☼
>This is 6☼

>_

[DracoOmega]

As far as I see it, we have three major options for what to do now:

1. Wander through the forest in the hopes of bumping into Mokou or a rabbit

There's a pretty significant chance we won't find anything, and moreover, the general direction we'd be headed in is vaguely back towards where we came, so there's a chance we may run into Marisa again. Of course, there's a chance we may run into her no matter where we go, but it seems the most likely with this option compared to others.

2. Head back to town and try speaking with Keine

Keine knows how to get to Mokou's (who in turn knows how to get to Eientei), and the current situation may be important enough for her to take time out to do so. Of course, she could also be in the middle of class. Additionally, we could pick up Tenshi while we're there, in case we need some extra firepower.

3. Head back up to the island we came here for originally

The celestials on the island may be able to tell us a bit more about what happened between Marisa and (probably) Eirin. Moreover, whoever she defeated ought to still be there, though there's a good chance they're not going to be in any shape to tell us anything for a little while. There is also, of course, the business we originally went there for. (This is a lower priority given things that have happened since then, but still)

While there's a chance of Marisa finding us no matter our action, I have a funny feel that Marisa is still groping around the forest, and hasn't given up and flown off, yet. Thus, I think our chances of being caught by her are best if we wander around, as opposed to simply leaving the forest and flying elsewhere. Worst comes to worst, if she is waiting for us above the canopy, we can just descend and run again and we won't be much worse off than we already are.

At this moment, I'm currently leaning towards 3, followed quickly thereafter by 2. Any other opinions?

[nolrai2]

Three sounds good to me.

[E-Nazrin]

I think Draco has the best of it, yeah.

Though, I think wandering the forest wouldn't be as bad as you think, aside from wasted time. Marisa must be as lost as we are, and the smart move for her would be to wait above the canopy for our retreat, especially if she's already satisfied with what she got out of Eintei. Then again, maybe she'd also think to wait at Eintei, thinking we'd be there to help out our co-conspirator, even if we're really more interested in beating the truth out of her...

Speaking of beating up Eintei, I think it would be possible to convince Tenshi to come along for it if we frame it as getting to beat up the people who ended up framing her for bringing down the heavens. Of course, having to frame it as beating up might not be very Iku, so... well, phrasing or not, I think it's possible to convince her to come along for that part.

EDIT: Thought - the safest route would probably be to sneak out of the Bamboo Forest by land, allowing us a chance to scope out the airspace and/or sneak back to the human village to pick up Tenshi. It wouldn't be a good vantage point for Marisa, either, so odds are even lower of running into her unexpectedly. And Tokiko HAS to know the way to/from her house.

[DracoOmega]

I don't think there's a high risk of bumping into Marisa if we wander, but I think there's probably more risk than with the other options, that's all.
I also agree that the smartest move for Marisa would be to wait us out, just above the canopy, but I don't think she'll be that tactical. In fact, I think she probably thinks we're running for our allies in Eientei. But recall that Marisa doesn't actually know the way to Eientei herself, either. She said as much in Maribel Quest. When she went there in IN, she just followed after Reimu.

Also, what Marisa had to say about their involvement leaves me unconvinced that they're actually directly guilty. I think it's premature to assume that we should be beating them up, either.

[Kilgamayan]

My heart would really like to do #1 but my mind recognizes the vast array of pitfalls, so.

I am firmly against telling Tenshi we're off to beat someone up unless that someone is actually guilty, and I can't see Eientei actually being responsible for this. (For the record, and since my ego would love to have it out in public on the off-change I'm right, Komachi has been my top suspect since we discovered the shadow anomaly.) At worst for us, what I expect happened is that Eirin knew Marisa was a muscle-bound oaf and just fed her a lie to get her off Eientei's case.

Marisa is going to be the X Factor no matter what we choose to do. I'm slightly inclined to think she's not clever or sneak-minded enough to hide in wait for us at Eientei, but beyond that I don't think it's worth the effort trying to predict where she'll be, because she could be searching and/or waiting just about anywhere.

Given all that, I am inclined to vote for 3 and follow it up with 2 after we've had a chance to speak with Tenshi's family as well as learn what the hell happened on that island.

I also think it would be a nice gesture if we told Tokiko about the Grand Peach Giveaway before we leave her in return for helping us - she's one of the few that actually deserves it.

[DracoOmega]

Well, it sounds like we're mostly in favor of 3. Just a matter of deciding how to get there. I think peeking out of the canopy is better than walking out on land, really. The exit is quicker, and even if Marisa DOES see us, odds are she's not going to be over this specific spot and we'll have an even larger lead time on her than was required to escape the first time. Plus, we need to fly to reach the island in the first place, so she'll see us if she up and around, anyway.

[E-Nazrin]

At the very least, I think Iku would have reason to be angry with Eintei about this, even if not violent. =V But yeah, yeah, play it safe for now.

Peeking out does sound like a good compromise for the time being; my reasoning about picking up Tenshi also included the assumption that Marisa would lose interest and wander away from the Bamboo Forest after a while, which would free up safer access to the elders' island. And may give the people there some time to recover, if she Incident Solved them.

And Tokiko does deserve some peaches, yes.

>Would we have any reason to suspect Tenshi would know the way to Eintei?
(We could tell her about what Marisa said and who she heard it from, if she wouldn't be able to Incident Solve it on her own)
>"Tokiko, you've been quite kind to me. I think I may want to speak with you again in the future, but I don't really know the way to this house. Would you be willing to tell me?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Would we have any reason to suspect Tenshi would know the way to Eintei?
>"Tokiko, you've been quite kind to me. I think I may want to speak with you again in the future, but I don't really know the way to this house. Would you be willing to tell me?"

>You don't think so.
>"Oh, that's not too hard," she says. "Look for the big rock with the black streaks near the edge of the bamboo forest, and go to the west, then turn north at the four little rocks that are mostly buried."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Ok, thank you. I think I'm going to go poke my head out now, and hope I don't bump into Marisa again. It was nice meeting you, Tokiko."
>"Oh, and in case you're interested, there are peaches on the island floating over the human village. Feel free to help yourself to a few, as thanks for your kindness."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Good luck not getting caught," says Tokiko, frowning a little.
>"Really? I might have to look into that."
>She glances toward one of the shuttered windows. "Um, maybe in a bit."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Sure, whenever you feel up to it. And thanks again."
>Cautiously open the door and peer around.
>If the coast looks clear, step outside.
>Glance around the area
>Can we hear any noise in the forest? Such as would be created by someone moving through it?