Author Topic: (Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 4) (Read 49822 times)

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #780 on:** September 12, 2011, 11:06:20 PM »

>Would stepping forward also give us clearance?
>Does she still have a knife in her torso?

DracoOmega · « **Reply #781 on:** September 12, 2011, 11:21:58 PM »

Quote from: It's Purvis BKT on September 12, 2011, 11:06:20 PM

>Would stepping forward also give us clearance?
>Does she still have a knife in her torso?

>No, though stepping back should.
>You would assume it's still there, even if you're not currently in a position to check.

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #782 on:** September 12, 2011, 11:43:08 PM »

>How firm do we feel with out footing?

DracoOmega · « **Reply #783 on:** September 12, 2011, 11:44:42 PM »

Quote from: It's Purvis BKT on September 12, 2011, 11:43:08 PM

>How firm do we feel with out footing?

>Your footing feels perfectly fine at the moment.

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #784 on:** September 12, 2011, 11:53:33 PM »

>Snap a knee into her gut, trying to hit the knife handle and give it a good jarring. Get that foot back on the ground post-haste
>At the same time, tug our right arm back, and slash down on the bindings with the sword in our left. If momentum and events allow, carry on that slash toward her side or legs or whatever is in the way.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #785 on:** September 13, 2011, 12:24:02 AM »

Quote from: It's Purvis BKT on September 12, 2011, 11:53:33 PM

>Snap a knee into her gut, trying to hit the knife handle and give it a good jarring. Get that foot back on the ground post-haste
>At the same time, tug our right arm back, and slash down on the bindings with the sword in our left. If momentum and events allow, carry on that slash toward her side or legs or whatever is in the way.

>You snap your knee into the youkai's gut, aiming roughly for where you think you stabbed her. While you only feel a glancing hit against the side of the handle, it still draws a strangled gasp from the youkai.
>At the same time, you grit your teeth and tug on your right arm, wincing as the last remaining wire shifts in the channel it has dug in your flesh. You swiftly bring the sword around and slash downward, cutting a wide arc from your shoulder to the ground. The last of the bindings around your arm goes slack and you feel an instant's soft resistance as the tether parts in the path of your blade. Then the youkai lets out an absolutely agonized scream.

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #786 on:** September 13, 2011, 12:31:29 AM »

>Step back and transfer the sword into our main hand; momentarily assess the damage and how she's reacting to it.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #787 on:** September 13, 2011, 01:20:41 AM »

Quote from: It's Purvis BKT on September 13, 2011, 12:31:29 AM

>Step back and transfer the sword into our main hand; momentarily assess the damage and how she's reacting to it.

>You swap the sword back into your main hand and step back. Over the sound of the youkai's scream, you hear something fall softly against the ground and glance towards it. It... is about the first foot or so of an arachnid limb, claw and all. Dark blood oozes from its end, pooling where it fell. Your eyes shift upwards a little. The lower of the two limbs on that side ends abruptly in an angular shear. You must have caught her in the process of driving another attack towards your arm. Then the youkai's left leg seems to give out under her and she collapses onto her side.
>Her face is twisted into a agonized grimace and she is breathing rapidly. Looking down, there is a deep cut in that leg, near the knee; blood is already starting to run freely from it. You... don't know you could have done this; you felt barely any resistance beneath your blade at all. You glance towards your weapon only to see a few thin droplets of blood scattered across its surface dissolve and disappear. The sword looks virtually spotless, impossibly so for what it just cut through.

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #788 on:** September 13, 2011, 01:27:13 AM »

>Frown.
>"You ready to call this off? I can probably help you bandage those up."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #789 on:** September 13, 2011, 01:36:37 AM »

Quote from: It's Purvis BKT on September 13, 2011, 01:27:13 AM

>Frown.
>"You ready to call this off? I can probably help you bandage those up."

>She slowly turns her head towards you and then just stares at you, breathing raggedly. You think there are traces of a defiant scowl mixed with the pain writ across her face, but it's a little hard to tell. You... can see tears starting to well up in the corner of her eyes.
>You are starting to feel a little nauseous. Whether it's from yet another lungful of this wretched air or merely the adrenaline and your injures, you can't be sure.

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #790 on:** September 13, 2011, 01:39:45 AM »

>"Yes or no? You want to stop fighting so I can help you? Or would you like to lay there and bleed to death like a damn stupid fool?"

Oldmansour · « **Reply #791 on:** September 13, 2011, 01:44:05 AM »

>Glance around for wherever the gas cloud appears thinnest.

DracoOmega · « **Reply #792 on:** September 13, 2011, 01:50:15 AM »

Quote from: It's Purvis BKT on September 13, 2011, 01:39:45 AM

>"Yes or no? You want to stop fighting so I can help you? Or would you like to lay there and bleed to death like a damn stupid fool?"

>"Why..." she breathes out between groans, "...do you care.... murderer...."

Quote from: Sourfang on September 13, 2011, 01:44:05 AM

>Glance around for wherever the gas cloud appears thinnest.

>You glance around for where the haze in the air seems thinnest. It looks quite dense along the tunnel that you originally arrived here through, with perhaps the smallest concentration in the direction of the northwest tunnel. The room itself is thick with the stuff... except from an oddly sparse patch right in front of your right side.

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #793 on:** September 13, 2011, 01:56:30 AM »

>"Because, frankly, I'd rather work with you than kill you. I mean, if that's what you'd prefer, then by all means die on the floor. But if you think about it just a little bit, you might figure out that this doesn't have to happen. None of this had to happen. And we can both still turn back. But if you want to die and leave all the rest of them alone, well, fine by me."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #794 on:** September 13, 2011, 01:57:03 AM »

>Shake our head in a negative, but do not talk. Not until we can breathe safely.
>Start moving towards the northwest tunnel, giving her as wide a berth as we can. We need out of gas pronto.
>Be ready to intercept any tethers or threads or anything else she throws at us with our sword. Even if she throws herself at us.
~~>Unless she strips first. Then we'll talk.~~

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #795 on:** September 13, 2011, 01:59:59 AM »

Do we have any clue this gas has been harmful? She's breathing it fine, and we've not suffered much for it recently. Did something happen with it that I missed?

Kilgamayan · « **Reply #796 on:** September 13, 2011, 02:29:48 AM »

I'm not sure I'd call the constant mental retching at the gas as "breathing it fine", but I agree with the implied idea that we should stick it out. Our message carries a lot more meaning if we're choking to death on the air instead of running away and letting her bleed all over the ground.

Oldmansour · « **Reply #797 on:** September 13, 2011, 02:42:18 AM »

Need I remind you two that we have no way of knowing how far we have to go to the surface, nor do we have any proof that she was the one in control of the spiders. We may have to fight our way out yet, and we can't do that if we can't breathe thanks to our lungs being filled with oil, or whatever this crap is.
It's even possible that while we're talking, sucking down diseased air, she can just sit there and wait, biding her time, so she can strike at us once we're too weak to stand, because of all the crap we're breathing. We could talk ourselves to death in this thing.
I want to have a chance at talking with her as much as you two do, but we can't talk to her if we can't breathe, and for all we know, one more breath could collapse our lungs. Plus there's the fact that we're bleeding ourselves, and compromising our lungs on top of that seems a bad idea. If we can get out of the cloud, and clear our lungs (as much as possible), then we could talk to her from there, if we can. Or, even better, the cloud could dissipate, which is might just do in short order if she was the one generating it. Once the cloud's gone, then we'll have all day to talk with her. Assuming no reinforcements for her show up.
It might even be possible to bring her with us out of here, although I sincerely doubt that's even possible. Would be nice, though.

Kilgamayan · « **Reply #798 on:** September 13, 2011, 03:37:39 AM »

> Is there anything else interesting about the sparse patch to our right?

DracoOmega · « **Reply #799 on:** September 13, 2011, 03:44:47 AM »

Quote from: Sourfang on September 13, 2011, 01:57:03 AM

>Shake our head in a negative, but do not talk. Not until we can breathe safely.
>Start moving towards the northwest tunnel, giving her as wide a berth as we can. We need out of gas pronto.
>Be ready to intercept any tethers or threads or anything else she throws at us with our sword. Even if she throws herself at us.
~~>Unless she strips first. Then we'll talk.~~

>You shake your head, but elect not to speak while you're still standing in this foul cloud.
>You quickly head off towards the northwest tunnel, giving the fallen youkai a wide berth.
>"You... won't get far," she says, her voice strained. "Not even with... that." She nearly spits the word at you, then groans again.
>Her words aside, the youkai does nothing but glare at you as you make your way to the tunnel mouth, blood from her injuries pooling on the rock beneath her.
~~>Wasn't your goal to reduce your oxygen consumption?~~

Quote from: Kilgamayan on September 13, 2011, 03:37:39 AM

> Is there anything else interesting about the sparse patch to our right?

>It was more ahead of you than to your right, although it is somewhat inclined towards the right side of your body. You think. It's hard to gauge density at such close range. It just looks like nondescript open space, however.

Kilgamayan · « **Reply #800 on:** September 13, 2011, 03:47:10 AM »

> Are we now in an atmosphere that's any better?

DracoOmega · « **Reply #801 on:** September 13, 2011, 03:49:57 AM »

Quote from: Kilgamayan on September 13, 2011, 03:47:10 AM

> Are we now in an atmosphere that's any better?

>The haze extends for some distance down the tunnel ahead, though it is obviously thinning in that direction. If you had to guess, you might be out of most of it in 30 or so feet. However, you're not sure this particular spot has appreciably better air than where you were previously standing.

Kilgamayan · « **Reply #802 on:** September 13, 2011, 03:51:03 AM »

So do we angle for that oddly unhazy spot, or do we leave her here to rot?

Oldmansour · « **Reply #803 on:** September 13, 2011, 04:00:21 AM »

If you want to talk to her before getting completely clear of this, I won't stop you. I don't know how long this cloud will stay in the air. I don't know that we won't have a chance to talk to her after we leave the cloud. I don't know how long we can safely stay in the cloud, or if we've been in it too long already. Basically, this sucks.
The sparse patch might let us slow the damage we do to ourselves, at least. Might be worth a shot. 'Best of a bunch of bad options' type deal, eh.

Kilgamayan · « **Reply #804 on:** September 13, 2011, 04:06:43 AM »

> Frown, then head back to that sparse patch of haze. Keep giving the youkai a wide berth while keeping an eye on her.
> Assuming nothing untoward happens on our way to our destination, once we get there, stop and turn toward the youkai.
> "That's okay. I don't really want to leave here without you anyway."

DracoOmega · « **Reply #805 on:** September 13, 2011, 04:13:09 AM »

Quote from: Kilgamayan on September 13, 2011, 04:06:43 AM

> Frown, then head back to that sparse patch of haze. Keep giving the youkai a wide berth while keeping an eye on her.
> Assuming nothing untoward happens on our way to our destination, once we get there, stop and turn toward the youkai.
> "That's okay. I don't really want to leave here without you anyway."

>You frown and head back to the spot where the air seemed just a bit clearer, and hope that it helps somewhat. You certainly have no desire to breathe any more of this stuff than you absolutely have to; you swear it's all you can feel inside your lungs.
>The youkai makes no aggressive action as you walk back, though beneath the pain in her expression, she does look a little uncertain.
>She frowns warily. "....why?"

Kilgamayan · « **Reply #806 on:** September 13, 2011, 04:17:41 AM »

> How did the air taste while we were talking?
> "Because I've done enough irreparable damage already. Surely you'll agree with me on that."
>Try lightly waving the sword around at the air in front of us, to see if it has any noticeable effect on the haze.

Hello Purvis · « **Reply #807 on:** September 13, 2011, 04:23:05 AM »

>"Besides, you can talk. That's pretty special. Could have avoided this whole mess if we did that first."

Oldmansour · « **Reply #808 on:** September 13, 2011, 04:23:24 AM »

>Where'd our umbrella go?

DracoOmega · « **Reply #809 on:** September 13, 2011, 04:29:25 AM »

Quote from: Kilgamayan on September 13, 2011, 04:17:41 AM

> How did the air taste while we were talking?
> "Because I've done enough irreparable damage already. Surely you'll agree with me on that."
>Try lightly waving the sword around at the air in front of us, to see if it has any noticeable effect on the haze.

>Perhaps a little better, though the taste already in your mouth makes it somewhat hard to tell. The thinner patch wasn't very large to start with, and the surrounding haze already seems to be drifting into it.
>She stares silently at you, bitterness in her eyes.
>You sweep the sword around in the air in front of you. The haze seems to part noticeably along the blade's path; this is particularly evident given how resistant it previously seemed to being dispersed by air displacement. The youkai's frown deepens as she watches you do this, and she attempts to pull herself back somewhat. This is evidently difficult for her, if her expression is any indication.

Quote from: It's Purvis BKT on September 13, 2011, 04:23:05 AM

>"Besides, you can talk. That's pretty special. Could have avoided this whole mess if we did that first."

>"You... started this," she groans. "You came here, you... killed them. What more are you hoping to get from me now?"

Quote from: Sourfang on September 13, 2011, 04:23:24 AM

>Where'd our umbrella go?

>It's still on the ground where you fell after hitting the tripwire trap. It looks more or less okay, from here.