Iku Quest Dos - A Z-Machine Adventure

[Hello Purvis]

>"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?

>Tokiko nods, as she withdraws back under her futon.
>You return to the back door and open it.  Peering around, you see no sign of any phenomenally abdominalled magicians.
>You step outside and look around. Everything seems quiet. All you can hear are the calls of the occasional bird. Looking upward, you can see the island is somewhat to your west.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Ascend gently towards the treetops. Try to minimize the noise we make moving through the foliage
>Poke our head out above the treetops ever so slightly and scan around in all directions. Any signs of people?

[Hello Purvis]

>You gently ascent past the bamboo and check the skies.
>You see a few unfamiliar figures in the air around the island, but none of them seem to be Marisa. Aside from this, the skies seem clear.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Head towards the island, while keeping near the trees
>Can we tell anything about the unfamiliar figures? Do they seem to be celestials?

[Hello Purvis]

>Head towards the island, while keeping near the trees
>Can we tell anything about the unfamiliar figures? Do they seem to be celestials?

>You keep low and approach the island, not seeming to have any problems yet.
>You are reasonably sure those people are celestials.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Continue the rest of the way to the island, but remain low until we are essentially in non-vertical range of it

[Hello Purvis]

>Continue the rest of the way to the island, but remain low until we are essentially in non-vertical range of it

>You continue toward the island until you are practically under it. You see no signs of Marisa, nor do the celestials flying around seem to notice you. You get the feeling they're not actually patrols, but rather assessing things.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Fly up to a nearby celestial

[Hello Purvis]

>Fly up to a nearby celestial

>You fly up toward a nearby celestial. She is a short, thin woman with very long brown hair, hovering near the edge of the island. She curtsies in midair as she sees you approach.
>"You are a messenger from the palace, yes?" she asks. "What word is there?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm afraid I have little to tell. As you probably suspect, the rest of Bhava-Agra has also fallen. We do not yet know why. I have been surveying the affected areas, and attempting to investigate the probable cause, but I discovered little."
>"Did you witness the battle that took place by this island a short time ago? If so, can you give me some details on what happened?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'm afraid I have little to tell. As you probably suspect, the rest of Bhava-Agra has also fallen. We do not yet know why. I have been surveying the affected areas, and attempting to investigate the probable cause, but I discovered little."
>"Did you witness the battle that took place by this island a short time ago? If so, can you give me some details on what happened?"

>She nods. "We feared that was so, yes."
>"Oh, we all did, I imagine," says the Celestial, shaking her head. "We were being visited by a Lunarian of some importance, when the black-white witch came barreling out of nowhere and demanding our surrender. Then she attacked the Lunarian. We tried to help her, but..."
>The celestial shakes her head.
>"That witch is on an entirely different level from us. There was little we could do in the short time we had. I was lucky enough to keep out of her way, myself."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Yes, she turned on me shortly after her battle concluded, although I managed to evade her."
>"What did this Lunarian have say, before the witch arrived? Do you know what words passed between the two of them?"
>"For that matter, where is the Lunarian now?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Yes, she turned on me shortly after her battle concluded, although I managed to evade her."
>"What did this Lunarian have say, before the witch arrived? Do you know what words passed between the two of them?"
>"For that matter, where is the Lunarian now?"

>The Celestial nods. "It's good that you were not hurt, Messenger."
>"I don't know what they said, I wasn't involved in that."
>"She should be in the square, tending to the injured," says the Celestial.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Nod
>"Thank you."
>Head towards the square

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod
>"Thank you."
>Head towards the square

>"You are welcome," says the celestial.
>You leave her and head toward the island. It is quite large, and home to a number of buildings. Most of them are widely spaced, through a few a clumped together here and there. Light woods and peach orchards dot the land, while a small lake takes up much of the southern portion of the island. The square is in the middle of the island, near the most dense clump of buildings.
>Heading toward it, you can see a scene somewhat like the barn on Orchard Isle. Celestials are stretched out on the grass, bearing obvious danmaku wounds. Thankfully, none of them seem to have the broken limbs or bandages. You can see a woman in distinctive red and blue clothing moving among them. You've seen her in human town before, generally in the company of Reisen.

>_

[DracoOmega]

>We do know her name, correct?
>Walk up to her and greet her

[Hello Purvis]

>We do know her name, correct?
>Walk up to her and greet her

>You are reasonably certain her name is Eirin.
>You approach her and greet her. She looks back from a Celestial she is checking over. "Ah, you would be Iku, yes?" she says. "I am afraid I owe you the most profound apology I can offer."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"May I ask what for? I'm still not entirely clear on what transpired here, other than Marisa deciding to use excessive force."

[Hello Purvis]

>"May I ask what for? I'm still not entirely clear on what transpired here, other than Marisa deciding to use excessive force."

>"She's rather convinced that Bhava-Agra was invading Gensokyo," says Eirin, as she finishes looking over the celestial in front of her, a blonde with rather light wounds, and stands up to face you. "She suspected that Eientei may be involved, given both our homes' reputation as pure lands. And...well...she found me here, looking for some herbs to help out with a fever. I tried to disabuse her of the notion, but she's quite good at striking my weak points, so to speak."
>She frowns a bit, looking away from you.
>"So...I am afraid I implicated you and surrender. Otherwise, she would have torn through Eientei next, and I cannot have that. Please accept my deepest apologies."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>Sigh
>"I had hoped that Marisa's conviction that you'd said we were in league was due to selective hearing on her part. She certainly didn't care to listen to a word I had to say to her when she confronted me, at any rate."
>"If you surrendered, then what was that Master Spark I saw on my way here about?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Sigh
>"I had hoped that Marisa's conviction that you'd said we were in league was due to selective hearing on her part. She certainly didn't care to listen to a word I had to say to her when she confronted me, at any rate."
>"If you surrendered, then what was that Master Spark I saw on my way here about?"

>"My apologies, again."
>"That was right before I did." says Eirin. "She put me in a rather bad spot..."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>As if we didn't have enough problems with our reputation today as it was...
>"In any event, I don't suppose you have any idea what might have caused the islands to descend as they have? Because I still do not."

[Hello Purvis]

>As if we didn't have enough problems with our reputation today as it was...
>"In any event, I don't suppose you have any idea what might have caused the islands to descend as they have? Because I still do not."

>"Not off of the top of my head," says Eirin. "I've been a little too busy with problems at home to properly research it. As well, I'm not especially familiar with Bhava-Agra. If you want my guess, I would say that the border between your realm and ours has weakened. But do not take my word for it, I have spent no time on the problem."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Still, that's a least a hint of a theory, which is more than I've gotten from most corners so far this morning."
>"What problems at home might these be, if I'm not prying? You mentioned something about gathering herbs for a fever?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Still, that's a least a hint of a theory, which is more than I've gotten from most corners so far this morning."
>"What problems at home might these be, if I'm not prying? You mentioned something about gathering herbs for a fever?"

>She nods. "Regardless, take it with a grain of salt."
>"Reisen has the flu," says Eirin. "I've been watching over her. So when I heard about this, I was hoping I could get a particular herb without having to go too far out of my way..."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"Gensokyo's resident incident solvers seem to have decided to make today unpleasant for quite a few people. I believe I've been shot at by nearly all of them, now, and so has Tenshi."
>"Did you manage to find what you were looking for, at least?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Gensokyo's resident incident solvers seem to have decided to make today unpleasant for quite a few people. I believe I've been shot at by nearly all of them, now, and so has Tenshi."
>"Did you manage to find what you were looking for, at least?"

>She nods. "Hardly surprising. Personally, I would expect that Tenshi is behind it."
>"I found something that will work. Once I'm certain no one needs particular care, I intend to return home immediately."

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"I can understand suspicion falling on Tenshi, but I was with her when the islands fell, and I have spoken with her several times since. I do not believe she did this."
>"That being said, the most frustrating part of this day has been how little people seem willing to listen to anything I have to say. Not even about her, but about the innocence of the rest of Bhava-Agra in general. If this was an invasion, it would have to rank as the most ineffective in history. We have not left our islands, and the only people who have been injured are our own. It would be enough to deal with without having to evade battle ever half hour or so. ...sorry, it's just been a very trying day."
>"On a separate note, I have a message for you from Patchouli. She is interested in forming a formal magician's circle in Gensokyo, for the purposes of fostering discussion on the craft, as well as potentially pooling resources. She was wondering if you would be interested in participating."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I can understand suspicion falling on Tenshi, but I was with her when the islands fell, and I have spoken with her several times since. I do not believe she did this."
>"That being said, the most frustrating part of this day has been how little people seem willing to listen to anything I have to say. Not even about her, but about the innocence of the rest of Bhava-Agra in general. If this was an invasion, it would have to rank as the most ineffective in history. We have not left our islands, and the only people who have been injured are our own. It would be enough to deal with without having to evade battle ever half hour or so. ...sorry, it's just been a very trying day."
>"On a separate note, I have a message for you from Patchouli. She is interested in forming a formal magician's circle in Gensokyo, for the purposes of fostering discussion on the craft, as well as potentially pooling resources. She was wondering if you would be interested in participating."

"I have no real interest in getting involved to that degree," says Eirin, "But if you say so, I shall assume you are correct."
>"Why would anyone listen to you if they think you're behind it?" asks Eirin. "Wouldn't it just come off as you trying to stall or misdirect? I know I've used that tactic more than once in the past. And, you are quite wrong about not leaving. There were a couple celestials poking around Eientei when I left it, and likely more in the forest. That said, I do sympathize with you, and apologize again for making it that much harder on you."
>You tell her about Patchouli's idea. "Hmmm, curious," says Eirin, pursing her lips a tad. "I'm not precisely a magician, myself, but I can expect why she would want my assistance given how well we've worked together in the past. I can't promise her as many resources as she would likely desire from me, but I suppose I can attend at meeting or two. When does she wish to host this meeting?"

>_

[DracoOmega]

>"She said that the first meeting would be at this Hunter's Moon, at the mansion. I get the impression that further details about the group will be fleshed out at that time."