(Skyseas of Gensokyo) Nazrin Quest (Part 5)

[Oldmansour]

>Cast Extended Charm Person. "You were saying...?"
>"How's about doing your boss a favor, and pointing me in the right direction?"

[DracoOmega]

>Cast Extended Charm Person. "You were saying...?"
>"How's about doing your boss a favor, and pointing me in the right direction?"

>The oni laughs again. "If you're a magician, then I'm the second coming of Buddha."
>"Well, you can start by going..." She raises a finger and lazily thrusts it towards the doors out. "that way. After that?" She shrugs.
>"Try the forge," the other oni adds.

[Oldmansour]

>Level 3 sorcerer. I dabbled after my 6th level in rogue, going for prestige class here.
>"Thanks, ladies."
>Do we know where that forge is, or does Braston have more than one forge in this part of town? If this is the case, ask them which one they mean.

[DracoOmega]

>Level 3 sorcerer. I dabbled after my 6th level in rogue, going for prestige class here.
>"Thanks, ladies."
>Do we know where that forge is, or does Braston have more than one forge in this part of town? If this is the case, ask them which one they mean.

>"Ha. If you're level 9, I'm already epic tier over here."
>The shorter oni just laughs again.
>Given that this is the part of town where most of the smithing is done, there's certainly more than one forge here. You don't know distinctly which she would be referring to, so you ask.
>"Well, hers of course," the shorter oni says. "Who else's would you think?"
>The other oni pushes herself off the wall. "Eh, may as well show you where it is. Nothing better to do."
>"Hey!" the other cries in mock indignation. "You're makin' this too easy for the little mouse."
>Her companion gives her a sidelong glance. "Just do your job, Kojiki," she says, though without much evident disapproval in her voice.
>Kojiki makes a dismissive gesture. "Psssh... And who says I wasn't, eh?" She takes another swig.

[Oldmansour]

>Nod at the second oni. "Thanks."

[DracoOmega]

>Nod at the second oni. "Thanks."

>She gives a curt nod back to you as she passes by you and heads towards the exit. "C'mon."

[Oldmansour]

>Follow the helpful one.
>Cast a glance back at the second one to make sure she doesn't bean us with anything on the way out.

[DracoOmega]

>Follow the helpful one.
>Cast a glance back at the second one to make sure she doesn't bean us with anything on the way out.

>You follow the helpful oni out, sparing a glance back at the other one as you leave. She gives you a little wave and laughs again.
>The oni leads you back to the street and then down several more, casually striding forward without paying much attention to you or the people she passes. You do likewise. Soon enough you arrive in front of an unassuming, but well-constructed stonework building. Smoke raises from a pipe on its roof, and you can hear the sound of hammer against metal coming from inside.
>"This is the place," your guide says. "Sounds like she's in."

[Oldmansour]

>"Excellent. Better for all of us."
>Give our guide a nod. "I'll buy ya a round next time I'm in town."

[DracoOmega]

>"Excellent. Better for all of us."
>Give our guide a nod. "I'll buy ya a round next time I'm in town."

>She nods.
>"I'll be holding ya to that," she says, turning and walking back the way you came.

[Oldmansour]

>Of course, since we never got your name, can't exactly ask for you...
>Enter, hold our nose against the smell of baking metal, and look/listen for Yuugi.

[DracoOmega]

>Of course, since we never got your name, can't exactly ask for you...
>Enter, hold our nose against the smell of baking metal, and look/listen for Yuugi.

>That would seem to be a problem with making good on that, yes.
>You enter the building, screwing your nose up just a little against the sharp smells in the air. You enter into a dimly lit storeroom of sorts, stacked with a few piles of crates, and open wooden boxes of supplies and various bits and pieces of metal and other things. A few tools are spread out on a workbench against the wall. Light and noise streams in through another doorway a little further in and you head in that direction.
>You feel struck by an almost physical wave of heat as you step into the next room. This is clearly a blacksmith's workshop, arrayed neatly with all the various tools of the trade. The whole of it is bathed with the ruddy light of the forge. A towering blond-haired figure stands near to it with her back to you, holding a glowing piece of metal against an anvil and hammering it. Her muscles flex smoothly with every rhythmic strike.
>"What?" she calls out flatly, not slowing her work in the slightest.

[Oldmansour]

>Glance around for any weapons on display; rapiers, dagger, twinblades, the sort of thing we feel most comfortable using.
>Is our treasure sense picking up any sort of magic coming from anywhere in here?
>"Yuugi Hoshiguma?"

[DracoOmega]

>Glance around for any weapons on display; rapiers, dagger, twinblades, the sort of thing we feel most comfortable using.
>Is our treasure sense picking up any sort of magic coming from anywhere in here?
>"Yuugi Hoshiguma?"

>You glance about for any weapons on display. There is actually very little in the way of display here - it seems largely utilitarian - but you see a pair of likely unfinished sword blades resting on a rack, along with a rather wicked-looking great axe. Aside from this, you see a few mattock heads, what looks like part of a pair of spiked gauntlets, along with a variety of other metal pieces of less scrutable purpose.
>You're not so sure about magic, but you may be getting a little something...
>"Yeah?"

[Oldmansour]

>Can we glean more details about that 'little something' without our dowsing rods? Try anyway.

[DracoOmega]

>Can we glean more details about that 'little something' without our dowsing rods? Try anyway.

>Not precisely. Something in here might bear some enchantment, but it might simply be forged using some especially valuable metal like hihiirokane or orichalcum. Actually, you suspect the latter is almost certainly true, but can't rule out the former either.

[Oldmansour]

>Dowsing with Yuugi in the room might not be such a hot idea.
>"I was told you wanted to see me. I'm Nazrin of the Seekers' guild."

[DracoOmega]

>Dowsing with Yuugi in the room might not be such a hot idea.
>"I was told you wanted to see me. I'm Nazrin of the Seekers' guild."

>It might count as a little rude, certainly. No one has any fun when you rub an oni the wrong way.
>"Oh, are you now?" she says, turning her head towards you. She eyes you up and down slowly. "Huh. Guess you are." You note her gaze linger on Kumokirimaru's wrapped blade for several moments.

[Oldmansour]

>"Ah, yes, the sword. It's a long story." Make sure that things's pointed down, held in no way an aggressive fashion. "I haven't had time to find a proper sheathe for it yet."

[DracoOmega]

>"Ah, yes, the sword. It's a long story." Make sure that things's pointed down, held in no way an aggressive fashion. "I haven't had time to find a proper sheathe for it yet."

>"Mind if I have a look at it?" she says.

[Oldmansour]

>Well, she's an oni. They don't steal. ... Do they?
>"Sure."
>Come a little closer to her, then hold it up.
>"Just one thing, though, I can't let it go."

[DracoOmega]

>Well, she's an oni. They don't steal. ... Do they?
>"Sure."
>Come a little closer to her, then hold it up.
>"Just one thing, though, I can't let it go."

>There's an extremely strong cultural stricture against it. Oni are faultlessly honest and utterly intolerant of theft. However, none of this would necessarily stop one from beating you up and claiming something of yours as spoils of conquest. To them, this is apparently another matter entirely. However, in Braston at least, humans are generally safe from such things. Youkai... well, you suppose it varies a little, though it isn't very common either.
>You move in closer and hold the sword up for her to look at.
>She gives you an odd look. "How's that work?"

[Oldmansour]

>"There's a long version, but the short version is, there's a curse on me. This sword, thanks to the faith in it, so I was told, is keeping that curse at bay. At least for now."

[DracoOmega]

>"There's a long version, but the short version is, there's a curse on me. This sword, thanks to the faith in it, so I was told, is keeping that curse at bay. At least for now."

>She frowns. "This somethin' new?"

[Oldmansour]

>Nod. "Happened on a job a couple of days ago."

[DracoOmega]

>Nod. "Happened on a job a couple of days ago."

>Her frown deepens, almost into a hint of a scowl. It's bit of an unsettling expression. "So what happens when you let that thing go?"

[Oldmansour]

>"The curse gets worse. A lot worse."
>"Here's the bottom line of it. So long as I hold this sword, I've got a bit less than two weeks to find a cure for this curse. Or disease, whatever it is, I haven't gotten a definitive answer on that yet. And if I let go the, those weeks become hours. If that long. And from what I've experienced, it wouldn't be a very dignified few hours."

[DracoOmega]

>"The curse gets worse. A lot worse."
>"Here's the bottom line of it. So long as I hold this sword, I've got a bit less than two weeks to find a cure for this curse. Or disease, whatever it is, I haven't gotten a definitive answer on that yet. And if I let go the, those weeks become hours. If that long. And from what I've experienced, it wouldn't be a very dignified few hours."

>Yuugi is silent for a moment. There is a grim cast to her features that looks distinctly displeased. "Don't suppose this is one of those curse you can break with someone's face, is it?"

[Oldmansour]

>She's an Oni, all right.
>"Don't I wish it was that simple. But no. I was told that this curse- she called it a blight- had no cure. At least no cure that was known to her, and believe me, she's been around. If it was just a matter of beating up the right person, she would have told me."
>"But I'm not giving up that easily. I'm a Seeker. If there's a cure anywhere in this world to be found, I'm gonna find it. I'm not out of time just yet."

[Hello Purvis]

>"So, what'd you need to see me for?"